True Deceptions Veronica Forand

After his partner was murdered, Simon Dunn was done with MI6. But the cold, violent world of British intelligence never lets anyone go free. Now Simon has been blackmailed into a new job...with a beautiful new partner who's going to get them both killed.

 

Robotics expert Cassie Watson is a newbie field agent with as much sophistication as...well, a pacifist, vegan computer nerd. Now she's abruptly thrust into the cutthroat world of espionage with a partner who is as cold as he is brutally—and brutishly—handsome.

 

But when their mission is betrayed from the inside, Cassie will be forced to place her life in the hands of the one man who's anything but trustworthy...

 

 

Title: True Deceptions | Series: | Author: Veronica Forand | Publisher: Entangled Select Suspense | Release Date: October 19, 2015 | Genre: Romantic Suspense | Source: Publisher | Rating: 5

I’m a huge fan of the show MI5/Spooks, so when I read the blurb for True Deceptions, I knew I had to read this book. And I have to say that I was not disappointed. True Deceptions is definitely going on my Top Ten Favorite Books of 2015 list. I could not put this book down and I did not want it to end.

 

Here’s what’s going on. Simon’s an MI6 agent who, after the death of his partner, decided to pull himself from the game and hideout in Bermuda until the woman he intended to shag dies of cyanide poisoning and a shady MI6 operative blackmails him back into service. Now Simon is stuck with a new partner who, while attractive, has the potential to ruin the mission and get them both killed.

 

Cassie has spent three years working as a technology specialist now she’s received orders to go into the field as a spook. While her new partner is one sexy spy, there’s just a few tiny problems: She’s a vegan pacifist who has no knowledge of field work. Now she’s thrown into a dangerous world with a partner she’s pretty sure despises her and he definitely doesn’t trust her.

 

When their mission is jeopardized from the inside, Cassie and Simon must rely on each other to survive and soon their cover of being lovers turns into the real thing.

 

Okay so, I loved this book. Like read it in 3 hours love. Sadly, I missed the first book in this series (Untrue Colors). Although True Deceptions works brilliantly as a standalone, I will be reading book one ASAP just to see what kind of trouble Simon’s brother gets into.

 

I really loved Simon, he’s a bit of wanker but it works for him. When I think of a spook/agent from MI6, Simon is exactly who comes to mind. He’s a cold, demanding, gruff, work focused, and not willing to let people—even his new partner—in. He’s working undercover as an arms dealer, the best in the field, but he’s only back in the game because he’s been forced. He had been hoping to have something more with his previous partner although she was murdered before anything happened. So, while he’s attracted to Cassie, he’s trying to keep her off limits.

 

I wasn’t sure how well I was going to like Cassie. She’s a pacifist who doesn’t believe in harming people or animals, she’s also anti-gun so she had the potential to come off as preachy or an over the top activist, thankfully, she wasn’t. While she was the oddest choice for a spook, I ended up really liking the way she dealt with her new lifestyle and her brutish new partner. And when push comes to shove, Cassie has the potential to shove back.

 

Simon and Cassie were like chalk and cheese. He’s 100% spy and she’s kind of like this little hippie yet they had amazing chemistry. It started the moment she held a gun to the back of his head and he quickly disarmed her and only grew as the book progressed.

 

While there was attraction and chemistry between them, there was also quite a bit of conflict and I was never really sure if they were to kill each other or shag and it totally worked for his book. There was also tension because she wasn’t his first choice—or even his tenth choice—for a new partner so it was fun watching them navigate their work and personal relationships.

 

The suspense aspect of this book started at beginning and didn’t slow down. There were several edge-of-your-seat moments while they set up arms deals and dealt with the fallout.

 

This book does contain it’s fair share of violence and at one point, Cassie is placed in a situation that some readers may be uncomfortable with.

 

Overall, this book was amazing. The characters were engaging and realistically flawed, the plot was fast-paced, actioned packed, and thrilling. If you’re like me and love a spy romance or are suffering from MI5 withdraws, this is the perfect book for you.

Connected Books

Untrue Colors

True Deceptions