Wicked Deception (Regency Sinners, #4) by Carole Mortimer
Series: Regency Sinners #4
Published by Carole Mortimer on November 22nd 2017
Genres: Historical
Goodreads

FINAL DECISION: I didn’t think much of the story as it started, but the relationship between the hero and heroine as the story progressed made me enjoy the story quite a bit. This is a simple easy story and certainly not a complex drama, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.

THE STORY: Maximillian Smythe, Earl of Carlton is taking his turn searching for the traitor that the eight Sinners are searching for. The woman he is to investigate is his own stepmother Heather. The young and beautiful second wife to his father. Six years ago Maxim and Heather had a whirlwind romance before Maxim left to spy for the Crown and returned to find Heather married to his father. Now Maxim must determine what Heather is hiding.

OPINION: The story line here is not surprising and almost everything is quickly disclosed to the reader (if not to the characters). A second chance at love for these two characters complicated by deceptions and lies and misunderstandings.

The story and the characters are not particularly deep, but sometimes an uncomplicated story makes a nice easy read. The characters were not stupid despite their misunderstandings and I liked that they quickly were able to unravel the secrets between them.

I liked Maxim as a character and thought that his darkness was actually what made the story interesting. This book reminds me of the category romances in the past (although more erotic and explicit) because of the simplicity of the story.

WORTH MENTIONING: This is a novella.

CONNECTED BOOKS: WICKED DECEPTION is the fourth book in the Regency Sinners series. This is a series of books with the overarching storyline of the search for a woman traitor. While there is some connection between the books, this book can certainly be read as a standalone.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.