Review: The Fine Art of Deception by Alyssa Richards

The Fine Art of Deception
Undoing Time

Alyssa Richards

Paranormal Romance Mystery
January 18, 2015

Amazon | Goodreads

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.

Book Spotlight: Final Life by Rose Garcia - Review

Final Life

Rose Garcia

YA Paranormal

Available at Amazon



Blurb

Nothing sucks more than being forced to move cross country during senior year. And Dominique Wells doesn't think things can get any worse until she's invited to a quirky neighbor's party. When pressured into playing a magical card game, Dominique's world goes from sucky to terrifying. She begins having visions of a red desert and an evil presence--a presence who hints at past lives and promises to kill her.

Plagued by fear and suspicion, and unaware of a family secret kept hidden from her, Dominique is determined to live. Together with a mysterious and gorgeous guy who's moved in while his parents are away, and a hot, popular guy from school, Dominique must seek clues to her past if she's to survive. That, and keep her emotions in check for the two guys she suddenly can't stop thinking about because if she doesn't, she'll be dead. For real.


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

Final Life is a YA paranormal with an interesting plot and just a touch of romance. I've always been fascinated by past lives and tend to gravitate toward books that feature them. This one is a bit different than many others about past lives. The title refers to Dominique's final chance to overcome the evil that has followed her through eight other lives. No pressure or anything.

Dominique thinks she's a normal teenager until a couple incidents reveal her true destiny, forcing her parents to tell her the truth. She is on her last life and if she doesn't defeat the evil pursuing her, a horrible fate will befall the Earth. For some reason, her parents kept this important information from her. Instead of training her to take on the evil, they remain silent. Interesting choice given the circumstances. In fact her parents' actions were so difficult to understand, I was just left scratching my head.

The entire mystery occurs because people keep things from our intrepid main character. Why do people always do that? Personally, if I was in Dominique's shoes, I'd want to know in advance. Well, for whatever reasons, Dominique is forced to uncover the mystery herself. I found the plot intriguing, and enjoyed the pace in which the mystery was revealed. This is a lightning fast read—the pages just seem to fly by.

Romance takes a backseat to saving the world, but we are treated to a bit of a love triangle anyway. First we have the adorable, sweet, and intelligent Trent who shows an immediate interest in Dominique. To complicate matters, gorgeous, stoic, and close-lipped Farrell moves in with her family. Farrell is deeply connected to her past, and Dominique feels an instant connection with him. Of course, she is also quite attracted to Trent, who makes her heart race with his mere presence.

Final Life has an ending! That's right, it's a standalone novel with a real ending. A rare find in the YA paranormal genre. I recommend Final Life to everyone high school and up that enjoys a good paranormal read. If you're into past lives, I think you'll really enjoy this one.


About the Author

Rose Garcia is a lawyer turned writer who's always been fascinated by science fiction and fantasy. From a very young age, she often had her nose buried in books about other-worlds, fantastical creatures, and life and death situations. More recently she's been intrigued by a blend of science fiction and reality, and the idea that some supernatural events are, indeed, very real. Fueled by her imagination, she created The Transhuman Chronicles--a series of books about people who have overcome human limitations.

Rose lives in Houston with her husband and two kids. You can visit Rose at www.rosegarciabooks.com