Review: Deadly Deception

Deadly Deception by Lorelei Confer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sold off as a sex slave in today's age is an urban legend, isn't it? Just like walking up in a hotel bathtub missing a kidney... The first in this series, Isabella Donnelley finds out just how wrong she is about slavery. To be fair to her, in our modern times, slavery has been white washed into a politically correct term, "human trafficking". Sound a bit benign, doesn't it? Kudos to Ms. Confer and her story showcasing a plausible human trafficking situation.

Isabella Donnelley is targeted as a piece of merchandise. Tricked by a so called friend, Isabella wakes up to find herself trapped. Keeping her wits about her, she escapes and finds help through Wyatt Bowman. Only one problem - Isabella has had a bad experience with law enforcement so she's not that interested in staying with him.

The suspense in this story keeps a nice tension. Added with the action, the story moves along quickly and quickly pulls a reader in. The plot device used in this story is nicely done and when the "big reveals" are made, it ties everything up nicely. There are no big surprises as Ms. Confer does a nice job of laying out the clues for a reader to anticipate each reveal. I wouldn't say the story is predicable. The hints are obvious which helps makes the storyline more believable.

As a start to a series, this is a good one. Ms. Confer creates a world that is easy to understand. Readers will immediately be able to identify with one of the characters. Both Isabella and Wyatt are down to earth characters who can easily represent a majority of reader's backgrounds. This makes they easy to like. Overall, this story reminds me of a cautionary tale which can easily translate into a TV special. I can even see the actors playing the characters. This contemporary romance is recommended to suspense readers.

* Review copy provided via Reading Alley in exchange for an honest review.