Double Deception (Zebra Regency Romance)

Rating:
Summary: Another annoying heroine
Review: Eric Ramsdell is looking for something to ease the boredom... when he comes across a young woman's diary left in tearoom. He reads some random entries, and learns a great deal about the widow's (Lenore is her name) feelings. Intrigued, he leaves his own entry in the diary--he writes her a rather scathing response.

Lenore Andrews is tossing and turning over the thought of her missing diary. If anyone read its contents, it would be scandalous! When the diary is returned, and she reads the anonymous man's response, she is outraged. She writes back and gives him a piece of her mind! So begins their correspondence...

At the same time, Lenore is introduced to a man named "Eric Ramsey," a man who is both intriguing and infuriating. What she doesn't know (aside from his real name) is the fact that he's a suspect in her brother's murder.

I admit, the premise was fairly interesting. It was different, and I was interested to know what would happen. However, it was often dull, and undoubtedly overlong.

Perhaps the thing that spoiled it the most (the same is usually true in all of Maria Greene's novels) was the heroine's illogical behavior. When she lost her diary the first time, she was so worried about getting it back, lest its scandalous contents be broadcast to the public. ...When the stranger (aka, Eric) writes back, she decides to leave her diary in the tearoom again. And again. And AGAIN. ...How sensible is that? Not very. Not to mention, Lenore seemed to have very little regard for her reputation, and she was very rude to Eric--in her responses AND in person. I didn't know why he liked her.

Also, the author spent way too much time talking about Charlie's (he was a mutual friend of Eric and Lenore) infatuation with a icy twit. It had absolutely nothing to do with the plot.

I wouldn't recommend this book. I've read many books that are much, much better. This one is barely worthy of two stars.

Rating:
Summary: Another annoying heroine
Review: Eric Ramsdell is looking for something to ease the boredom... when he comes across a young woman's diary left in tearoom. He reads some random entries, and learns a great deal about the widow's (Lenore is her name) feelings. Intrigued, he leaves his own entry in the diary--he writes her a rather scathing response.

Lenore Andrews is tossing and turning over the thought of her missing diary. If anyone read its contents, it would be scandalous! When the diary is returned, and she reads the anonymous man's response, she is outraged. She writes back and gives him a piece of her mind! So begins their correspondence...

At the same time, Lenore is introduced to a man named "Eric Ramsey," a man who is both intriguing and infuriating. What she doesn't know (aside from his real name) is the fact that he's a suspect in her brother's murder.

I admit, the premise was fairly interesting. It was different, and I was interested to know what would happen. However, it was often dull, and undoubtedly overlong.

Perhaps the thing that spoiled it the most (the same is usually true in all of Maria Greene's novels) was the heroine's illogical behavior. When she lost her diary the first time, she was so worried about getting it back, lest its scandalous contents be broadcast to the public. ...When the stranger (aka, Eric) writes back, she decides to leave her diary in the tearoom again. And again. And AGAIN. ...How sensible is that? Not very. Not to mention, Lenore seemed to have very little regard for her reputation, and she was very rude to Eric--in her responses AND in person. I didn't know why he liked her.

Also, the author spent way too much time talking about Charlie's (he was a mutual friend of Eric and Lenore) infatuation with a icy twit. It had absolutely nothing to do with the plot.

I wouldn't recommend this book. I've read many books that are much, much better. This one is barely worthy of two stars.

Rating:
Summary: novel stagnates in one particular groove for too long
Review: The "Double Deception" in the title refers to the fact that the hero of this particular romance deceives the heroine twice as to his true identity -- once when he fails to enlighten her as to his real name and the second time when he beings corresponding with the heroine (via her diary) never letting on who he really is. And if this review sounds slightly strange, please understand that I'm trying hard to give a plot synopsis without giving away too much of the plot.

The widowed Mrs. Lenore Andrews was badly hurt when she discovered that her marriage was not the romantic stuff of dreams that she had always thought it to be: her husband had kept a great many secrets from her! Incensed and hurt, Lenore has decided that all men are selfish beasts and has expressed her disdain and contempt for men quite freely in her diary. Imagine her horror when she looses her diary one day in a tearoom! What if someone should find it and read it? Imagine also then her relief when it is returned to her, and her fury when she discovers that some MAN has read her innermost thoughts and has seen fit to take her to task for her opinions!

In a strange twist, Lenore meets another aggravating and mysterious gentleman a few days later, "Eric Ramsey." A handsome and cool tempered man who seems to sit on judgement of her. And yet how her pulses race whenever they spar! Lenore has never been so stimulated or engaged in her life. And then in a shocking turn of events, Lenore learns that Eric Rmasey is really Eric Ramsdell, a man who has been ostracized from Society because of a scandal that touches her family most intimately. Lenore is incensed. Again she has been betrayed by a MAN. And she resolves to come up with the evidence to put Eric behind bars once and for all. But can she overlook her real feelings for Eric?

Eric never expected to fall in love with someone so engaging or so taking as Lenore. Unfortunately there is the matter of clearing his name so that he can openly try and court her. And there is the othe little matter of owning up that he has read her dairy and has been secretly and anonymously corresponding with her. Will Eric be able to clear his name before it is too late? And will he be able to explain himself satisfactorily enough to a woman who places trust and truth above all else?

The trouble with "Double Deception" was that for a novel in which both the hero and heroine have resolved to discover the truth about the scandal surrounding Eric, albeit for different reasons, neither really pursues this course of action until the last third of the book. Instead we were treated to page after page and chapter after chapter of Eric more or less forcing his presence on Lenore, her losing her temper and good sense and behaving really badly (understandable bad behaviour but not fun to read nonetheless), and Lenore's elder brother breathing fire and brimstone all over the place. Eric's excuse for his behaviour seems to be that he has really fallen for Lenore and needs to be near her and for her (somehow) "see" that he cannot have done what everyone believes; Lenore's excuse for her anger and snappish ways is that she's fallen for Eric but will not acknowledge this (now, Lenore's behaviour was totally understandable, unfortunately in the face of Eric's patience and long suffering ways, Lenore usually came across as being truly bad tempered); while Lenore's brother's excuse for throwing a tantrum every few pages was that 1) his sister was ignoring a perfectly good candidate for marriage by hanging out all the time with that bounder, Eric. These are the strains that propelled the novel for about two-thirds of the book. And all these are perfectly valid strains. But after a while, things did get tedious, esp since the investigation into what really happened all those years ago never really materialized until the last few chapters; and I really did being to grow rather tired of Lenore's anger and posturing. Would I rate "Double Deception" as a good and worthwhile read? I thought that the authour did a rather good job of plotting the attraction that Eric and Lenore feel for each other, as well as the anger and confusion that Lenore feels about her attraction for Eric. However there was just too much anger and posturing in this novel, and after a while the whole thing did become a little too tedious for me. So, I'd vote it as a 2 1/4 star read.

Rating:
Summary: novel stagnates in one particular groove for too long
Review: The "Double Deception" in the title refers to the fact that the hero of this particular romance deceives the heroine twice as to his true identity -- once when he fails to enlighten her as to his real name and the second time when he beings corresponding with the heroine (via her diary) never letting on who he really is. And if this review sounds slightly strange, please understand that I'm trying hard to give a plot synopsis without giving away too much of the plot.

The widowed Mrs. Lenore Andrews was badly hurt when she discovered that her marriage was not the romantic stuff of dreams that she had always thought it to be: her husband had kept a great many secrets from her! Incensed and hurt, Lenore has decided that all men are selfish beasts and has expressed her disdain and contempt for men quite freely in her diary. Imagine her horror when she looses her diary one day in a tearoom! What if someone should find it and read it? Imagine also then her relief when it is returned to her, and her fury when she discovers that some MAN has read her innermost thoughts and has seen fit to take her to task for her opinions!

In a strange twist, Lenore meets another aggravating and mysterious gentleman a few days later, "Eric Ramsey." A handsome and cool tempered man who seems to sit on judgement of her. And yet how her pulses race whenever they spar! Lenore has never been so stimulated or engaged in her life. And then in a shocking turn of events, Lenore learns that Eric Rmasey is really Eric Ramsdell, a man who has been ostracized from Society because of a scandal that touches her family most intimately. Lenore is incensed. Again she has been betrayed by a MAN. And she resolves to come up with the evidence to put Eric behind bars once and for all. But can she overlook her real feelings for Eric?

Eric never expected to fall in love with someone so engaging or so taking as Lenore. Unfortunately there is the matter of clearing his name so that he can openly try and court her. And there is the othe little matter of owning up that he has read her dairy and has been secretly and anonymously corresponding with her. Will Eric be able to clear his name before it is too late? And will he be able to explain himself satisfactorily enough to a woman who places trust and truth above all else?

The trouble with "Double Deception" was that for a novel in which both the hero and heroine have resolved to discover the truth about the scandal surrounding Eric, albeit for different reasons, neither really pursues this course of action until the last third of the book. Instead we were treated to page after page and chapter after chapter of Eric more or less forcing his presence on Lenore, her losing her temper and good sense and behaving really badly (understandable bad behaviour but not fun to read nonetheless), and Lenore's elder brother breathing fire and brimstone all over the place. Eric's excuse for his behaviour seems to be that he has really fallen for Lenore and needs to be near her and for her (somehow) "see" that he cannot have done what everyone believes; Lenore's excuse for her anger and snappish ways is that she's fallen for Eric but will not acknowledge this (now, Lenore's behaviour was totally understandable, unfortunately in the face of Eric's patience and long suffering ways, Lenore usually came across as being truly bad tempered); while Lenore's brother's excuse for throwing a tantrum every few pages was that 1) his sister was ignoring a perfectly good candidate for marriage by hanging out all the time with that bounder, Eric. These are the strains that propelled the novel for about two-thirds of the book. And all these are perfectly valid strains. But after a while, things did get tedious, esp since the investigation into what really happened all those years ago never really materialized until the last few chapters; and I really did being to grow rather tired of Lenore's anger and posturing. Would I rate "Double Deception" as a good and worthwhile read? I thought that the authour did a rather good job of plotting the attraction that Eric and Lenore feel for each other, as well as the anger and confusion that Lenore feels about her attraction for Eric. However there was just too much anger and posturing in this novel, and after a while the whole thing did become a little too tedious for me. So, I'd vote it as a 2 1/4 star read.