The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

Published by Macmillan

Available Now

Reviewed by YA Sisterhood's Mom

The Sister's Say:  Wonderful and Exciting

A princess must find her place in a reborn world.

She flees on her wedding day.

She steals ancient documents from the Chancellor's secret collection.

She is pursued by bounty hunters sent by her own father.

She is Princess Lia, seventeen, First Daughter of the House of Morrighan.

The Kingdom of Morrighan is steeped in tradition and the stories of a bygone world, but some traditions Lia can't abide. Like having to marry someone she's never met to secure a political alliance.

Fed up and ready for a new life, Lia flees to a distant village on the morning of her wedding. She settles in among the common folk, intrigued when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deceptions swirl and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—secrets that may unravel her world—even as she feels herself falling in love.

Two young men—the Assassin and the Prince. Both are chasing Lia—the prince because she injured his pride by fleeing their arranged marriage and the assassin to make sure she doesn’t return. When Lia meets them in her new life, she is attracted to both. Of course, the exciting part is that she knows who neither is. The excitement is doubled when neither man can follow through with their vengeance against Lia, but instead finds himself falling in love.

What a wonderful search for what love is! I was a little leery of the comments I had read about the love triangle, but I think these readers totally missed the truth of the relationships in this book.  It is so much more than a love triangle, but more about the friendship of those who loved and were tossed aside and those who have never loved at all. The enlightenment is that love isn’t always perfect, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t real love.

Pearson describes this journey to discovery with beautiful language, and she has created a blend of the past and future into a fantasy world made up of three powerful nations: Venda, Dalbreck, and Morrighan. Among these nations she draws together a native of each, who share a cultural hatred of each other, yet they are drawn together as friends. The war between attraction and hatred makes for a wonderful page turner.

Amid these colorful characters and fantastic plot, Pearson shares some poignant truths about life: “It can take years to mold a dream.  It takes only a fraction of a second for it to be shattered.”

I am also stealing her beautiful bedtime prayer (altered it just a bit): “May God grant you a still heart, heavy eyes, and angels guarding your door.”

And if you aren’t hooked with all these things, the beautiful ending will blow you away. I don’t want to reveal any spoilers, but let me just say that I know the most perfect words to melt a woman’s heart are “In the farthest corner…I will find you.” (Swallow, swallow, tear, tear, heart thump)

Now I am sitting here waiting for the next book of their journey, and when it makes its way to the shelves, wherever it is…in the farthest corner…I will find it!

Teaser Tuesday: Mortal Danger by Ann Aguirre

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading!

To participate all you have to do is:

•Grab your current read

•Open to a random page

•Share "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page

•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)

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"'We'll be okay,' I whispered.  How I wished I believed that.  It felt like I'd fallen down a well rapidly filling with dark water.  As I wrapped my arms around Kian's back, I felt the tremor that ran through him and wondered how long I could hold my breath."  ARC, pg 151

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This is one of those books that I had been waiting on for what felt like forever!!!  So glad I now have it in my hands!!!!

Teaser Tuesday: Venom by Fiona Paul

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading!

To participate all you have to do is:

•Grab your current read

•Open to a random page

•Share "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page

•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!

(make sure what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)

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Venom by Fiona Paul
Published by Philomel/Penguin
On Shelves Now!

 

"Falco shook his head. 'How terrible it must be to be a member of the noble class.  So many rules.  Such restraint.  You must feel like a caged bird, battering its wings against the sides of its golden prison."  ARC, pg 71

 

"Falco turned around and gave Cass a look that chilled her.  'Don't ask questions,' he said, 'and I'll tell you no lies.'" ARC, pg 151

 

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First off, I love this cover!!!  The purple mask is gorgeous, and I love it against the gold script.  I just finished this book two days ago, and I am so ready for the next book (Belladonna) to come out!  This one started off a little slow, I will admit; but once I was about 100 pages into it, I couldn't put it down!!  I really enjoyed Falco, and his witty and cavalier attitude.

 

I would definitely recommend this to fans of historical romance!

 

Teaser Tuesday: Altered by Jennifer Rush

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading!

To participate all you have to do is:

•Grab your current read

•Open to a random page

•Share "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page

•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!

(make sure what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)

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Altered by Jennifer Rush
Published by:  Little Brown BFYR
Release Date:  1-2-2013

"'Hope is a waking dream.'  I let the words echo in my head.  The quore reminded me of that feeling you get when you start to wake from a dream you don't want to leave.  That crushing sensation in the center of your chest, like you are losing an important piece of yourself you won't ever get back." ARC, pg 115

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I loved this book so much!  It was one of those that I HAD to read in one sitting because I refused to put it down.  It had it all--action, intrigue, romance, murder, and mystery!  It's the best book I've read in the last few months! 

So go pre-order it today!!!

 

Waiting on Wednesday: Chosen Ones by Tiffany Truitt

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that we are anxiously awaiting is Chosen Ones by Tiffany Truitt. It is published by Entangled Publishing, LLC and is set to be released on June 12, 2012.

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What if you were mankind’s last chance at survival?

Sixteen-year-old Tess lives in a compound in what was once the Western United States, now decimated after a devastating fourth World War. But long before that, life as we knew it had been irrevocably changed, as women mysteriously lost the ability to bring forth life. Faced with the extinction of the human race, the government began the Council of Creators, meant to search out alternative methods of creating life. The resulting artificial human beings, or Chosen Ones, were extraordinarily beautiful, unbelievably strong, and unabashedly deadly.

Life is bleak, but uncomplicated for Tess as she follows the rigid rules of her dystopian society, until the day she begins work at Templeton, the training facility for newly created Chosen Ones. There, she meets James, a Chosen One whose odd love of music and reading rivals only her own. The attraction between the two is immediate in its intensity—and overwhelming in its danger.

But there is more to the goings-on at Templeton than Tess ever knew, and as the veil is lifted from her eyes, she uncovers a dark underground movement bent not on taking down the Chosen Ones, but the Council itself. Will Tess be able to stand up to those who would oppress her, even if it means giving up the only happiness in her life?

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I was instantly in love with this cover when I saw it, and the summary only made it sound better.  I find the idea that women can no longer reproduce interesting (and that Tess is man's only hope), but even more, I am curious about how James and Tess's relationship is going to bloom.  I think we are in for a thrilling dystopian romance!