Isabella Donnelly, is drugged, abducted, and taken from her so-called friend’s house in Colorado and transported across state lines all the way to Virginia. Finally escaping after several attempts, she ironically runs unto the arms of skeptical detective, Wyatt bowman. The staggeringly handsome, with nothing-gets-past-him sharp blue eyes, is hard to convince that the horrific story she’s telling is true.
Their attraction is hot, sizzling, and irresistible. While they get caught up in each other, will Wyatt be able to let her go through with a sting operation against the group that is human trafficking women from all over the country? Will he trust her to handle the danger, and then when she finds out his secret, will he be able to gain her trust in return?
OFFICIAL REVIEWS
Book Reviewed by Rebecca (reviewer) from The Romance Reviews
4 Stars
[ Review Posted: Apr 18, 2011 ] - See all my reviews
DEADLY DECEPTION by Lorelei Confer addresses human trafficking, one of the most prolific and profitable businesses in the world. Though this reader often dismissed human trafficking as a third world epidemic, Confer brought it to our back door. I was shocked by how prevalent the sex trade market is in America – very scary. So I say kudos to Ms Confer for shining a light on human trafficking so that others may be saved from Isabella's plight.
In the book, heroine Isabella Donnelley finds out about human trafficking through personal experience when she's abducted from a friend's home. Drugged and transported from Colorado to Virginia, they plan to sell her to a crime boss for use as a sex slave. The story is hazy during this initial phase, though I believe it suits the haze in which Isabella is immersed in as she is kept in a drugged state. It was unclear to the reader that we'd even traveled across country until subtle mention was made – perhaps this was intentional but it did make it a bit confusing.
Escaping from her abductors, Isabella finds refuge in a house in the woods and safety in the arms of Wyatt, the man inside. Wyatt Bowman, former-cop-turned-detective, is assigned to the Task Force of Human Trafficking. He immediately begins investigating Isabella's story and calls in his old partner to help him. Distrustful of police, Isabella now must rely on them to keep her safe as her abductors continue searching for her.
In the midst of the drama, they find themselves drawn to one another. With a well-developed background story, the reader is happy for these two lost souls to connect. However, my main concern in the storyline is that little time or focus was given to her healing. Isabella, as vividly described in the beginning of the book, went through a horrendous ordeal. She was badly injured during her escape and certainly must have been in need of physical treatment but this was glossed over, making the experience seem less real. Once the romance began, the drama was downplayed. A leveled balance between the two would've strengthened the story.
Overall, DEADLY DECEPTION was a suspenseful romance that tied together an important message into a story that will keep a reader flipping the pages quickly until the very end.
