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Blatant Deception
Inspired by true events ... When lonely psychotherapist Claudia Carson goes online to find love, she gets a lot more than she bargained for. Believing that she has met Diego, the man of her dreams, she falls for him hard and fast in a matter of days. Yet, little does she know that the true identity of her steamy email relationship is a sexual predator by the name of Jonathan Fardy who sits in his secret lair, hoping to find perfect victims to toy with online. A mild-mannered real estate agent by day, he is the geeky, office chum -barely noticed by those around him. If they only knew what he did behind closed doors. Due to some odd coincidences that play out, Fardy ends up in Claudia's house - unbeknownst to her- and as the stakes are upped, he goes from being an Internet jerk to a potentially dangerous predator. Blinded by her infatuation with the mysterious Diego, Claudia ignores all the red flags screaming at her to run and realizes only too late that it's not that easy to pull the plug on the man on the other end of cyberspace.
- GenresThriller
442 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
4 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
MaryJo Fay
9 books10 followersI was just like you not that long ago. I was a relationship mess. Yep – I survived some difficult relationships myself. From living through childhood sexual abuse, to surviving a difficult divorce after a 23 year marriage, to working for some nasty bosses, and even nearly taking my own life due to a depression that felt endless. I had to hit rock bottom before I could come up. What was the key that finally helped me realize how to get out of my predicament? That I was the common denominator in all my relationships! And I finally came to grips with what I was doing wrong and starting doing things right!
More importantly, I learned that the most difficult relationship I had,was the one I had with myself.
The changes I made in my life were incredible and from there, everyone wanted to know how I did it – how I went from the edge of being a relationship mess to someone who is so “out of her Boxx” that she now helps others heal and grow as well.
Actually, I had a rather unusual epiphany that led to my changes. During the middle of my divorce, when I felt so lost and alone, I actually “ran away from home” to live and work in Cozumel, Mexico for the most amazing six months of my life! Not only did I hide and heal, but when vacationing American women befriended me (I was a hotel concierge) and asked me what the heck I was doing there and I told them, they would say, “You’re my hero!” And then they would start telling me their own stories. And guess what? I discovered a pretty strong behavior pattern that sent me researching this phenomenon even more.
Why were there so many unhappy, dissatisfied, miserably frustrated women, I asked myself. I thought I was the only one filled with emotional confusion, low self-esteem issues, and darkly depressed about my relationships. And yet, here I was, surrounded by others in the same boat. I knew I had to heal and help others heal as well. Thus began my journey …
To add to my own experience, I interviewed countless people across the country about their relationships. And I discovered what people will tell a total stranger about their personal lives is absolutely astounding! (Especially when they just get to talk openly and aren’t filling out some limited survey.) Even more interesting is that they told me things that they wouldn’t even tell their therapists! I got information that sometimes confirmed some of what I thought, some that surprised me, and some that downright shocked me. And the two most important pieces I discovered or confirmed were these:
Most of us tend to repeat our relationship patterns and behaviors over and over again, even when they continue to prove unsuccessful.
And just like me, they found that the most difficult relationship that most of us have, is the one we have with ourselves.
Since coming out of the darkness myself, I’ve written four successful relationship books and one novel and have been quoted as a relationship expert in radio, on TV, and in print around the world. I led a support group outside of Denver for people in difficult relationships. I founded and facilitate Denver’s BEST Dating, Mating, and Relating MeetUp Group. I currently write a regular column about “Living out of the Boxx” for two newspapers. (In my book, Get Out of Your Boxx, I define a “boxx” as a behavioral pattern that holds us back from being the best we can be.) I give speeches and workshops to help people discover more about themselves and what they’re missing in life.
With my nursing education and comfort with the human body, I teach people about their sexuality and how to be more comfortable and satisfied with their intimate relationships. My work has been translated into other languages, which is always pretty fun to see. And I’ve won awards for my books and am now writing screenplays to help spread my message to a wider audience.
I’m a different kind of expert … I’m not a therapist, nor do I have training as a life coach. I do not have a PhD in psychology. I
More importantly, I learned that the most difficult relationship I had,was the one I had with myself.
The changes I made in my life were incredible and from there, everyone wanted to know how I did it – how I went from the edge of being a relationship mess to someone who is so “out of her Boxx” that she now helps others heal and grow as well.
Actually, I had a rather unusual epiphany that led to my changes. During the middle of my divorce, when I felt so lost and alone, I actually “ran away from home” to live and work in Cozumel, Mexico for the most amazing six months of my life! Not only did I hide and heal, but when vacationing American women befriended me (I was a hotel concierge) and asked me what the heck I was doing there and I told them, they would say, “You’re my hero!” And then they would start telling me their own stories. And guess what? I discovered a pretty strong behavior pattern that sent me researching this phenomenon even more.
Why were there so many unhappy, dissatisfied, miserably frustrated women, I asked myself. I thought I was the only one filled with emotional confusion, low self-esteem issues, and darkly depressed about my relationships. And yet, here I was, surrounded by others in the same boat. I knew I had to heal and help others heal as well. Thus began my journey …
To add to my own experience, I interviewed countless people across the country about their relationships. And I discovered what people will tell a total stranger about their personal lives is absolutely astounding! (Especially when they just get to talk openly and aren’t filling out some limited survey.) Even more interesting is that they told me things that they wouldn’t even tell their therapists! I got information that sometimes confirmed some of what I thought, some that surprised me, and some that downright shocked me. And the two most important pieces I discovered or confirmed were these:
Most of us tend to repeat our relationship patterns and behaviors over and over again, even when they continue to prove unsuccessful.
And just like me, they found that the most difficult relationship that most of us have, is the one we have with ourselves.
Since coming out of the darkness myself, I’ve written four successful relationship books and one novel and have been quoted as a relationship expert in radio, on TV, and in print around the world. I led a support group outside of Denver for people in difficult relationships. I founded and facilitate Denver’s BEST Dating, Mating, and Relating MeetUp Group. I currently write a regular column about “Living out of the Boxx” for two newspapers. (In my book, Get Out of Your Boxx, I define a “boxx” as a behavioral pattern that holds us back from being the best we can be.) I give speeches and workshops to help people discover more about themselves and what they’re missing in life.
With my nursing education and comfort with the human body, I teach people about their sexuality and how to be more comfortable and satisfied with their intimate relationships. My work has been translated into other languages, which is always pretty fun to see. And I’ve won awards for my books and am now writing screenplays to help spread my message to a wider audience.
I’m a different kind of expert … I’m not a therapist, nor do I have training as a life coach. I do not have a PhD in psychology. I
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 1, 2015
This wasn’t the story for me. It started off decently with a good set up of each character and the basis for the plot. But then it dragged on too long. I felt that many of the passages were repetitive. Often the reader would read one of Claudia’s or Jonathan-writing-as-Diego’s letters as the character was composing the letter, only to have to reread the letter again in the next chapter as the recipient read the email. I can see that this was done to show each character’s thoughts as they either composed or received a message, but it did drag the story a bit.
The first fifth or quarter of the book had suspense. I knew what Jonathan Fardy was up to, but Claudia didn’t and I wanted her to figure it out. But once I got past that initial story setup, and I was privy to all the moves by both characters, the suspense petered out. The book became predictable for me.
Claudia herself held much promise as a character. I like that she is renting and in between places – her life isn’t set in stone. Her dog Max is her faithful companion. She faced her childhood trauma and decided to give back to the world by helping others that faced similar situations. And yet…..Well, this book is about her love life. Period. We catch little glimpses of this professional career she has, but only in relation to her love life. Either she is concerned how a man will see her once they know what she does professionally, or she is bored by her clients and can’t wait to get back to her computer to check out the next sexy email from the mysterious Diego. When she does talk to the handful of female side characters, it is about men and love lives instead of something substantive. I started off liking this character, but then lost interest.
The ending was not satisfying. SPOILER ALERT Claudia’s house is vandalized and she has an idea that it is tied to the mysterious Diego. She stays over at a friend’s house, has another friend pack a bag for her, and she flies off to Cozumel for three weeks. Instead of facing her problems, she runs away. I get that she is shocked, horrified, and embarrassed. But I had to wonder where her professional side went off to. Here is a person in serious need of 1) being locked up and 2) therapy. I really, really wanted her professional side to kick in and help catch the guy and then, perhaps, even see that he got some help. But, no. Our main character flees. Sigh…..END SPOILER.
Now let me tell you about the sex scenes. There were several erotic dream/memory sequences and erotic emails. Normally I quite enjoy these bits, especially set within an interesting plot line. However, since I wasn’t emotionally attached to the characters, these scenes didn’t do much for me. I can tell you that they are well written and detailed. I will even say that some of them are educational. ;)
In short, I think this tale would have been much more powerful if it had been edited down a bit, maybe even to novella size. At 442 pages, with all the repetition and lack of suspense, I found it a bit of a chore to chew through.
The first fifth or quarter of the book had suspense. I knew what Jonathan Fardy was up to, but Claudia didn’t and I wanted her to figure it out. But once I got past that initial story setup, and I was privy to all the moves by both characters, the suspense petered out. The book became predictable for me.
Claudia herself held much promise as a character. I like that she is renting and in between places – her life isn’t set in stone. Her dog Max is her faithful companion. She faced her childhood trauma and decided to give back to the world by helping others that faced similar situations. And yet…..Well, this book is about her love life. Period. We catch little glimpses of this professional career she has, but only in relation to her love life. Either she is concerned how a man will see her once they know what she does professionally, or she is bored by her clients and can’t wait to get back to her computer to check out the next sexy email from the mysterious Diego. When she does talk to the handful of female side characters, it is about men and love lives instead of something substantive. I started off liking this character, but then lost interest.
The ending was not satisfying. SPOILER ALERT Claudia’s house is vandalized and she has an idea that it is tied to the mysterious Diego. She stays over at a friend’s house, has another friend pack a bag for her, and she flies off to Cozumel for three weeks. Instead of facing her problems, she runs away. I get that she is shocked, horrified, and embarrassed. But I had to wonder where her professional side went off to. Here is a person in serious need of 1) being locked up and 2) therapy. I really, really wanted her professional side to kick in and help catch the guy and then, perhaps, even see that he got some help. But, no. Our main character flees. Sigh…..END SPOILER.
Now let me tell you about the sex scenes. There were several erotic dream/memory sequences and erotic emails. Normally I quite enjoy these bits, especially set within an interesting plot line. However, since I wasn’t emotionally attached to the characters, these scenes didn’t do much for me. I can tell you that they are well written and detailed. I will even say that some of them are educational. ;)
In short, I think this tale would have been much more powerful if it had been edited down a bit, maybe even to novella size. At 442 pages, with all the repetition and lack of suspense, I found it a bit of a chore to chew through.
April 4, 2014
Blatant Deception is a story that will hit close to home for the millions of people all over the interwebs that involve themselves in the process of online dating and intimacy. While you are typing away about who you are and what you like to do, do you ever stop to think who really is on the other end of those cables and fiber optics? Claudia Carson is a psychotherapist that should have known what risks she was taking, but when you are caught up in the hot fantasies that she involved herself with....you might not be looking to hard at what you are doing.
To be quite honest Claudia wasn't someone that I had a lot of sympathy towards. She went online and purposely teased men and really just screwed with them at points, so it was hard for me to not to think, well girl you are getting what you gave here. However, nobody deserves the scary things that came when Jonathon Fardy escalated things the way he did. He was also a great thriller character, mostly because he was so bad and creepy that it made me frown multiple times in the things he did. Fardy was a great villain because I believed he was that crazy in every page. The double life he led was just what I pictured someone online doing, and the way he crafted every little detail in luring her in was pure evil genius.
I'm not normally a thriller type of person but Blatant Deception did hold the quality of relating to the characters and their situations so I would encourage anyone to read this regardless of genre. The characters are flushed out well, the plot moves along at a pace that flows nicely with the content and the conversations that they have online are hot! This books balances the warning of online life with the story telling of a thrilling tale and I loved that!
To be quite honest Claudia wasn't someone that I had a lot of sympathy towards. She went online and purposely teased men and really just screwed with them at points, so it was hard for me to not to think, well girl you are getting what you gave here. However, nobody deserves the scary things that came when Jonathon Fardy escalated things the way he did. He was also a great thriller character, mostly because he was so bad and creepy that it made me frown multiple times in the things he did. Fardy was a great villain because I believed he was that crazy in every page. The double life he led was just what I pictured someone online doing, and the way he crafted every little detail in luring her in was pure evil genius.
I'm not normally a thriller type of person but Blatant Deception did hold the quality of relating to the characters and their situations so I would encourage anyone to read this regardless of genre. The characters are flushed out well, the plot moves along at a pace that flows nicely with the content and the conversations that they have online are hot! This books balances the warning of online life with the story telling of a thrilling tale and I loved that!
May 9, 2015
The book was excellent!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews