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Whispered Promises: The Art of Deception / Storm Warning
The Art of Deception
He has supposedly come to her father's estate, looking for respite. But Kirby Fairchild can't shake the feeling that handsome Adam Haines isn't quite the man he pretends to be. She couldn't be sure. But what she does know without a doubt is that as the days and nights wear on, the attraction she feels for this man is only growing stronger...
Storm Warning
When Autumn Gallagher returns to her aunt's rural inn, she is surprised to find Lucas McLean. He'd broken her heart three years earlier, yet Autumn could not deny the love still blazing inside her. When a guest of the inn is found dead, Lucas becomes a suspect. Can she risk listening to her heart again and help Lucas clear his name?
He has supposedly come to her father's estate, looking for respite. But Kirby Fairchild can't shake the feeling that handsome Adam Haines isn't quite the man he pretends to be. She couldn't be sure. But what she does know without a doubt is that as the days and nights wear on, the attraction she feels for this man is only growing stronger...
Storm Warning
When Autumn Gallagher returns to her aunt's rural inn, she is surprised to find Lucas McLean. He'd broken her heart three years earlier, yet Autumn could not deny the love still blazing inside her. When a guest of the inn is found dead, Lucas becomes a suspect. Can she risk listening to her heart again and help Lucas clear his name?
416 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
12 people are currently reading
925 people want to read
About the author
Nora Roberts
1,226 books60.4k followersNora Roberts is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels, including Hideaway, Under Currents, Come Sundown, The Awakening, Legacy, and coming in November 2021 -- The Becoming -- the second book in The Dragon Heart Legacy. She is also the author of the futuristic suspense In Death series written under the pen name J.D. Robb. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
January 1, 2014
The first story in this compiatlions is harmless. Typical of romances in the 80s where everyone is insufferably quirky and also some kind of artist and/or spy. The second deserves more notice if only to draw attention to my total dismay that Roberts would allow it to be republished at all. The hero very nearly rapes the heroine - and then late proclaims it was because he was overwhelemd by his passion and just couldn't help himself. Well. If you only rape and/or assault someone because you love them SO MUCH I guess it's okay then.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME.
So gross. So sick. So wrong.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME.
So gross. So sick. So wrong.
September 17, 2024
book hoarder month surprise-Sept-Fall Cover
Eh..this was ok.
I felt that the H/h had little chemistry and the stories were dull.
I did like the witty repartee between Kirby & her father in "The Art of Deception". They had good chemistry. Same with "Storm Warning"-there was better chemistry b/w Autumn & Julia & Jacques as opposed to the romantic interest.
Also, the stories dragged saving a lot of the suspense towards the end.
Eh..this was ok.
I felt that the H/h had little chemistry and the stories were dull.
I did like the witty repartee between Kirby & her father in "The Art of Deception". They had good chemistry. Same with "Storm Warning"-there was better chemistry b/w Autumn & Julia & Jacques as opposed to the romantic interest.
Also, the stories dragged saving a lot of the suspense towards the end.
May 12, 2018
A bit of a slow start, picked up middle and the end. Lovely story of love and betrayal.
January 2, 2015
Art of Deception - 3/5 - This is an early Nora Roberts, so not her greatest. It's mostly a romance with a touch of suspense added in. It centers around a father and daughter who are great artists and eccentrics and a visiting artist (who is also on a mission to find a stolen Rembrandt painting). As a romance, it's not much because for most of the story they lack any emotional tension. And there certainly isn't much physical chemistry...even their love scene is about a paragraph long and it fades to black after they kiss. As a suspense it's kind of lackluster as well.
While the banter between Kirby and her father is pretty damn delightful, Kirby on her own is a bit annoying. I'm sure she was supposed to be written as delightfully quirky - but I couldn't see it that way. She is constantly swearing with mundane words like "galoshes" or "corkscrews" or something else (some bet with her father)... And she's supposedly so confident and aware of her sexuality that she looks at sex quite casually. That's perfectly fine, but the examples the author uses to demonstrate it are completely unnecessary (and disturbing) - I don't need to know who she slept with and who is or has been interested in her. And in all of this wacky craziness of the Fairchild House, Adam just can't hold his own...literarily speaking. He's a great character and he balances the insanity, but he doesn't have a strong enough character to stand out...to be anything but boring in comparison. So it's good and it's easy to read - but I didn't care for Kirby. I really liked her father though! Too bad he wasn't one of the two main characters.
Storm Warning - 3/5 - So normally I get really frustrated at Nora Roberts early stuff where she has only the heroine's POV and the hero is a complete asshole - but let me tell you that it worked so well here! And not because it made a better romance. But it absolutely made the mystery! Because we don't get to see any other POV we have absolutely no idea who the villain might be. And because the hero is an absolute jackass, we are actually tempted to believe that it's him! Awesome! Where this story loses its stars is in the romance. Years ago, Lucas, the hero, tossed aside the heroine like she was some cheap trash or something. He destroyed her. And he doesn't seem to be much nicer of a guy...calling her malleable and what not. Not once in this whole book does he kiss her in tenderness - only in anger. He very nearly rapes her and only stops when she's in tears. This guy is so not romantic. And I'll tell you what really made me mad... So yeah, this really flops as a romance because I wanted the heroine to end up alone...confident, healed and alone.
While the banter between Kirby and her father is pretty damn delightful, Kirby on her own is a bit annoying. I'm sure she was supposed to be written as delightfully quirky - but I couldn't see it that way. She is constantly swearing with mundane words like "galoshes" or "corkscrews" or something else (some bet with her father)... And she's supposedly so confident and aware of her sexuality that she looks at sex quite casually. That's perfectly fine, but the examples the author uses to demonstrate it are completely unnecessary (and disturbing) - I don't need to know who she slept with and who is or has been interested in her. And in all of this wacky craziness of the Fairchild House, Adam just can't hold his own...literarily speaking. He's a great character and he balances the insanity, but he doesn't have a strong enough character to stand out...to be anything but boring in comparison. So it's good and it's easy to read - but I didn't care for Kirby. I really liked her father though! Too bad he wasn't one of the two main characters.
Storm Warning - 3/5 - So normally I get really frustrated at Nora Roberts early stuff where she has only the heroine's POV and the hero is a complete asshole - but let me tell you that it worked so well here! And not because it made a better romance. But it absolutely made the mystery! Because we don't get to see any other POV we have absolutely no idea who the villain might be. And because the hero is an absolute jackass, we are actually tempted to believe that it's him! Awesome! Where this story loses its stars is in the romance. Years ago, Lucas, the hero, tossed aside the heroine like she was some cheap trash or something. He destroyed her. And he doesn't seem to be much nicer of a guy...calling her malleable and what not. Not once in this whole book does he kiss her in tenderness - only in anger. He very nearly rapes her and only stops when she's in tears. This guy is so not romantic. And I'll tell you what really made me mad... So yeah, this really flops as a romance because I wanted the heroine to end up alone...confident, healed and alone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 20, 2014
Good romances.
August 24, 2017
Whispered Promises is a collection of two suspenseful, heartfelt, and romantic stories that are sure to leave readers singing Ms. Roberts praises! Both story lines were captivating, so much so, I ended up devouring this one in one afternoon, such an entertaining read! Highly recommend!!
June 13, 2019
The first story, Art of Deception took me awhile to get into. But, it got a bit more interesting about 1/2-3/4 of the way in and I was able to finish the book. Good ending I'd say. Second story, Storm Warning, just couldn't keep my interest so I gave up after about 2 chapters.
April 16, 2024
The Art of Deception was my favorite. I loved the banter between the father and daughter. The storyline and the chemistry between the main characters. Five stars.
Storm Warming was a who did it but I didn't care too much for the characters. Three stars
Storm Warming was a who did it but I didn't care too much for the characters. Three stars
June 27, 2017
Enjoyed the romance in these two short stories. Their plots needed a bit more action, however.
June 14, 2021
None of the main characters in either of the stories included in this book should've ended up with each other... Or probably anyone else. However, they could all make a psychologist very rich.
April 10, 2025
Whispered promises was a bit meh but I actually kinda enjoyed the art of deception.
May 11, 2025
a little better than the last Nora Roberts book I read
June 19, 2025
im usually a nora roberts fan but these books - the art of deception felt very dragged out and you could guess the storyline. Then Storm Warning was better, short but a little aggressive.
November 7, 2013
Philip Fairchild is a very wealthy and eccentric popular and gifted artist for over 30 years. His daughter, Kirby, at 27 years old is also an artist and enjoys sculpting as well. Their houseguest for four weeks, Adam Haines, is also an artist in his own right and as Kirby and Adam are introduced, the attraction between the two of them is undeniable. But, in order to win Kirby's heart, their relationship must be based on total commitment to one another and absolute trust right from the beginning. Can Adam live up to Kirby's demands of total honesty?
Twenty-five year old Autumn Gallagher, is staying at Pine View Inn to visit the owner who is her Aunt Tabby, for a few weeks. Autumn is a photographer and Aunt Tabby is her father's sister and they adore each other. There are under a dozen guests at the Inn and one of them was Lucas McLean, Autumn's ex-boyfriend and even though it has been a couple of years since he literally just turned his back on her, nonetheless, Autumn's pain of rejection was felt, but more is the love she had and still has for him. One night, as Autumn retired to her room, she found that someone had trashed all of her belongings and suddenly one of the guests has turned up murdered. There is now a murderer amongst them. But who???
Author Nora Roberts has two stories in her book "Whispered Promises" and both of these love stories bring along with them a lot of baggage. One of deception and one that includes a jilted lover and a murder amongst them. Both urging the reader on to see what the outcome can be.
Twenty-five year old Autumn Gallagher, is staying at Pine View Inn to visit the owner who is her Aunt Tabby, for a few weeks. Autumn is a photographer and Aunt Tabby is her father's sister and they adore each other. There are under a dozen guests at the Inn and one of them was Lucas McLean, Autumn's ex-boyfriend and even though it has been a couple of years since he literally just turned his back on her, nonetheless, Autumn's pain of rejection was felt, but more is the love she had and still has for him. One night, as Autumn retired to her room, she found that someone had trashed all of her belongings and suddenly one of the guests has turned up murdered. There is now a murderer amongst them. But who???
Author Nora Roberts has two stories in her book "Whispered Promises" and both of these love stories bring along with them a lot of baggage. One of deception and one that includes a jilted lover and a murder amongst them. Both urging the reader on to see what the outcome can be.
June 1, 2014
The two books in this compilation are definitely not her best works of literary genius. If you haven’t read Nora before, don’t start with these two because you’ll be sadly disappointed and you might not want to read anything else by Nora and your life will be sadly lacking. You can look at my book list on goodreads and see many other titles of Nora’s that I absolutely LOVE and treasure and read over and over again! If you are already a fan of her work, you’ll understand what I mean about these being subpar in comparison to her other books. You can read each of the individual reviews for the books in this compilation, though, by clicking the links below.
*The Art of Deception – 2 Stars
Here is the link to my goodreads review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
*Storm Warning – 2 Stars
Here is the link to my goodreads review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
*The Art of Deception – 2 Stars
Here is the link to my goodreads review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
*Storm Warning – 2 Stars
Here is the link to my goodreads review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
June 7, 2020
Hard to give a rating, but this was a nice, quick, easy read. Two stories in one book. Both are romances, with twists. The Art of Deception is about a girl and her father who are artists. Adam comes to stay with them in their mansion. This story contains an art forgery scheme. Storm Warning is about a group of people staying at Autumn's aunt's country inn. There is a murder mystery at the end that is a real page turner.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a quick, easy romance novel. However if you are looking for more depth to the book, I would say this wouldn't be ideal for you.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a quick, easy romance novel. However if you are looking for more depth to the book, I would say this wouldn't be ideal for you.
October 10, 2016
These stories were just the right amount I wanted of mystery and romance. They were perfect stories to curl up in a chair with, and read about secret passages and murder.
Kirby and Adam and Fairchild and Harriet were wonderful, and I'd like to be more like Kirby.
Autumn and Lucas were fine, and Julia and Aunt Tabby were fabulous. Their story was so much like a game of clue, it was wonderful.
Kirby and Adam and Fairchild and Harriet were wonderful, and I'd like to be more like Kirby.
Autumn and Lucas were fine, and Julia and Aunt Tabby were fabulous. Their story was so much like a game of clue, it was wonderful.
April 20, 2016
A reprint of two vintage Roberts titles from the 80s. Light romance, nice mindless reading. The female protagonist in the second story really irritated me. I probably would have given the first book (Art of Deception) 3 stars and the second (Storm Warning) 2 or even just 1. Not my favourites.
February 5, 2014
two novellas that were average. Not at Ms. Roberts usual skill set. Like she started with the idea didn't know where to go with it and just published it anyway.
February 6, 2014
I enjoyed this book.
October 9, 2013
Not my favorite Nora Roberts book. This just didn't draw me in like so many others have.
October 25, 2013
I agree with another reviewers comments. The story was not as riveting and I lost interest in finishing.
October 26, 2013
Wasn't my favourite if Nora Roberts books.
November 13, 2013
I read all her books usually goes by fast and uncomplicated
January 12, 2014
romance with a few twists. not my thing.
January 27, 2016
nora roberts
October 9, 2015
I cannot believe that I did not read these two books when they first came out. They were great as a combined book. I really enjoyed them.
May 1, 2016
Love the book . A great read !!!!
April 7, 2017
I like Nora's work but unfortunately I can't get through these short story double books she has available to buy. they are drole and they drag on
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews