Review: The Fine Art of Deception by Alyssa Richards

The Fine Art of Deception
Undoing Time

Alyssa Richards

Paranormal Romance Mystery
January 18, 2015

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Art appraiser Adeline Montgomery just wants a normal life. One where she can ignore the vicious ghosts who follow her. One where she’s free from her “gift” of touching an object and seeing the owner’s deepest secrets. And one where she can fall in love without having all of the above get in the way.

But when tall, dark, and dangerous gallery owner Blake Greenwood enters her life, normal is the last thing she’s feeling. The man has more secrets than the priceless art he sells, giving Addison’s quest for normal no chance. That, and he may just hold the key to uncovering the truth behind her father’s unexplained disappearance. 

Despite her paranormal gifts warning her to stay away, she feels an inexplicable, captivating fascination for him, something that goes deeper than attraction. There’s something between them that’s older than time, and if she can learn to give him her trust, it may just save her life.

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review

The Fine Art of Deception is a paranormal story with an intriguing mystery and a very hot romance. Main character Addie has several paranormal gifts, the most useful being her ability to get a psychic read from objects. In the beginning, the poor woman was dogged by spirits relentlessly and suffered from reliving childhood trauma. Things seemed to improve for her as the story progressed... at least the spirit visitations ebbed in favor of the single spirit important to the central plot.

I enjoyed the theme of past-lives interwoven throughout the plot. I've always found reincarnation intriguing. Addie was likable from the beginning, where the reader learns of her heartache and the betrayal she endured. I felt a connection to her immediately. I liked Blake as well and enjoyed the intense romance between him and Addie. It's been a while since I read a romance this steamy.

They mystery was engaging and lots of suspense kept the pages turning. While I enjoyed the quick pacing of the second half, the first was a tad slower than I like. There was lots of backstory and info about the paranormal abilities to explain, which at times was tedious. Overall, I really enjoyed this novel quite a bit. Strong characters, a good mystery, and hot romance mixed with the supernatural make for a fun read. A caveat: In my opinion, this book is suited to ages 18+ due to the graphic sexual content.