The Deception

I finished The Conspiracy undecided about whether I would continue with this series, and remained on the fence until I read the blurb for The Deception, which convinced me to give it a try. This one has good suspense and action, but there are also several similarities between it and the first book in the series, so it has its good and bad points. There is more of the same in Martin's characters here. The good guys are all pretty people, for lack of a better way to say it. I'll save the lengthy descriptions on both sides, but suffice it to say the bad guys are all the opposite of the good guys. Basically, in the Maximum Security world, there are no attractive bad guys and vice versa, or that's the impression it gives. All that accomplished for me was to make the characters almost caricature-like. That's not including our romantic couple, who of course, are both sexy and hard to resist. I did like that Kate is a strong woman, and she even though she does sometimes need rescuing, she can also take care of herself. As far as the romance, there is a lot of back and forth about where things are going for both Kate and Jason, which is common in romance. However, the angst comes from the 'I'm not good for you, so I'm letting you go to protect you,' a trope that is tired at best. Kate and Jason do have good chemistry, and I liked them together, but I lost some of that when the romance is tested in that way. The story has some good intrigue, and there is plenty of danger for this couple so that extra angst just felt unnecessary. All in all, The Deception had its pros and cons for me, but I did like it better than the first in the series.

The Deception by Kat Martin Maximum Security #2 In the introductory scene Kate Gallagher is asked to identify a body in the morgue, her younger sister’s body, and it guts her. They were not close due to the gap in age between them but to lose her was tough and to find out she had been murdered and suffered sent her out to forget. Into the arms of rugged Jason “Hawk” Maddox she falls hoping to forget and get out of her head for a bit...boy was there chemistry between them! Kate decides the police will probably never find her sister’s murderer so hires someone to help her find the man...and who should she end up hiring but...Hawk. The chemistry is still there but they decide they can ignore it in pursuit of the bad guy(s). And pursue they did. With many leads that took them to a few other cities they uncovered more than one criminal that needed to be brought down. They are well suited to working together and that is just what they do. There are some ups and downs and scary situations in this romantic suspense that eventually does end with HEA for the two of them. What I liked: * Kate: What a strong individual she was...and so open in her caring, sharing and sense of purpose * Hawk: Strong protective and caring he wanted to do what was right for Kate but sometimes got it wrong and I wanted to set him straight * The team at Maximum Security: Can’t wait to read Brandon’s story next...and hope that perhaps Wolfe or Jaxon will have have stories, too. * That the bad guys did get their comeuppance What I didn’t like: * The bad guys...there were more than one or two and all deserved to be wiped off the face of the earth! * The idea that trafficking of human beings happens in real life and though this book is fiction it reminded me of the callousness of human beings Did I like this book? Yes Would I read more in the series? Yes This is definitely romantic suspense with a bit of steam but it is also, in some ways, fantasy. Why do I say that? I don’t think that Kate would really have been able to do all that she did in this book without more training and backstory but this is fiction so anything can happen, right? Thank you to NetGalley and HQN for the ARC – This is my honest review. 4 Stars

She searched for two long years, but now Kate Gallagher has been called to the morgue to identify her sister’s body. Guilt and grief send Kate into a tailspin but she won’t fail her sister again, even if finding her sister’s killer means following a lethal bounty hunter into the heart of darkness, placing both their lives in danger. Jason Maddox has been down some dangerous paths before, but never for a client he’s so drawn to, or for a case so monstrous. The deeper into the city’s underbelly they go, the deadlier the operation becomes, placing a target on the backs and they will have to decide what’s matters most…the truth or their lives. This ‘Maximum Security’ suspense story is an intense, emotionally gripping and riveting tale. The characters stand out and speak to readers as they dive deeper and deeper into a world of horror while dealing their vivid sizzling chemistry and magnetic attraction. The romance between them is full of danger and emotional angst due to situation, but it is obvious to readers that these two are belong together and readers can’t help but become caught up in their story as they empathize with what they are going through. The story is set at a steady pace with the suspense building continuously and some fast paced and adrenaline pumping excitement happening as Jason and Kate’s mission draws them closer and closer to the answers they seek and the target on their back becomes exponentially more deadly. Lots of unexpected twists keeps readers on the edge and the heroine of the story is strong with some surprising attitudes that makes her a perfect fit for a lethal bounty hunter. Once again, the author has given her fans a juicy, gut clenching and riveting suspense that they can take their eyes off of.