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Prime Deception
When Lorna Thomas is found dead in her car everyone believes she killed herself. But the day after her death Lorna was set to sell a scandalous story to one of Britain’s biggest tabloid papers. For six months she had been the Deputy Prime Minister’s mistress.
Will Lorna’s secret die with her? While her family try to move on and come to terms with her death one person refuses to believe that Lorna killed herself. Her twin sister, Laurie is convinced that Lorna was murdered and she’ll stop at nothing to prove it, even if that means teaming up the very man her sister had been having an affair with…
Will Lorna’s secret die with her? While her family try to move on and come to terms with her death one person refuses to believe that Lorna killed herself. Her twin sister, Laurie is convinced that Lorna was murdered and she’ll stop at nothing to prove it, even if that means teaming up the very man her sister had been having an affair with…
304 pages, ebook
First published April 7, 2014
10 people are currently reading
116 people want to read
About the author
Carys Jones
16 books235 followersCarys Jones is a thriller writer based in Shropshire where she lives with her husband, daughter and dog.
When she’s not writing she can often be found either walking round the local woodland or catching up on all things Disney related.
Carys also writes speculative thrillers with Harvill, Vintage as Carys Green. Always on My Mind is out now and The Other You will be released in March 2026.
Her favourite authors are Megan Abbott, Amy Engel and Taylor Jenkins Reid.
Carys is represented by Liza DeBlock at Greenstone Literary.
For more information about Carys please visit www.carys-jones.com or follow her online; @CarysJAuthor
When she’s not writing she can often be found either walking round the local woodland or catching up on all things Disney related.
Carys also writes speculative thrillers with Harvill, Vintage as Carys Green. Always on My Mind is out now and The Other You will be released in March 2026.
Her favourite authors are Megan Abbott, Amy Engel and Taylor Jenkins Reid.
Carys is represented by Liza DeBlock at Greenstone Literary.
For more information about Carys please visit www.carys-jones.com or follow her online; @CarysJAuthor
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
June 26, 2014
This one, provided by the publisher through netgalley, was a wonderful surprise. It had strong elements of a mystery, a thriller and a romance, but it didn't conveniently fall neatly into any of those distinct categories. The main characters are well-developed, but all of the characters are well-defined and none of them are remotely perfect. It meant that reading this one felt as though I was watching one of those fabulous British crime thriller series.
It's actually quite difficult to write this review without giving anything away in the plot, but suffice it to say, no one is as they seem, everyone has an agenda, they are all selfish to varying degrees, and the "hero" isn't particularly heroic at all.
If I had one criticism, it is that the hero is the Deputy Prime Minister, but there was something missing in the descriptions of his job or his life, which meant that he could just as easily been in another profession. This part needed more work, in my opinion, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment at all, and I'll keep my eyes open for other books by this author.
4 stars. I really liked it.
It's actually quite difficult to write this review without giving anything away in the plot, but suffice it to say, no one is as they seem, everyone has an agenda, they are all selfish to varying degrees, and the "hero" isn't particularly heroic at all.
If I had one criticism, it is that the hero is the Deputy Prime Minister, but there was something missing in the descriptions of his job or his life, which meant that he could just as easily been in another profession. This part needed more work, in my opinion, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment at all, and I'll keep my eyes open for other books by this author.
4 stars. I really liked it.
March 17, 2016
You can read this review and more on my blog:
I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Because of the synopsis, I was expecting this story to be told mainly from Laurie’s point of view, but actually the character of Charles was a more prominent figure than Laurie herself.
Charles is the Deputy Prime Minister, and Laurie’s twin sister Lorna was his mistress. He ended the affair with her six months after it began, and Lorna ended up dead a few months later. Everyone assumes that Lorna committed suicide, and Laurie is the only one who is convince that her sister would have never done that so she travels to London and implores Charles to help clear her sister’s name, and find out what really happened.
All of the characters in this book were complex, but Charles more so than any other. Being privy to his train of thought was very strange. In his mind and heart he was convinced that what he felt for Lorna was a deep and abiding love. He did not think the way I would assume a powerful politician who sleeps with his intern thinks. He lacked the arrogance that is usually attributed to unfaithful politicians.
His obsession with her did not become as severe until after he found out about her death. I mean he did dump her after all. But something happened to him when he learned of her death. He couldn’t sleep, and he finally stopped being able to deny how much he hated the life he chose to lead. He resented both his job and his wife for not being enough for him anymore, and started to think nothing but selfish and self-destructive thoughts. This was only worsened when Laurie, Lorna’s identical twin sister, entered the picture.
Laurie needed to know that her sister did not kill herself, and she thought the only person who could help her was Charles, but Charles believed that this meant Laurie needed him. I almost hoped that he wouldn’t transfer his obsession for Lorna onto her sister, but how could he not? They looked so much alike. If anything, his determination not to fail Laurie as he did her sister drove him to be even more committed to Laurie than Lorna.
Although I completely disagreed with almost everything about him, I never hated Charles. He was pathetic and selfish, but I also felt bad for him because he honestly didn’t know what love was. He wanted to give and receive love, but he confused it with lust and infatuation. The only thing he was certain of was that he did not love his wife. He was fond of her, and at times he even respected her, but he never loved her.
I liked the way the points of view included his wife, Elaine, because I did not have to just rely on his assessment of her. He felt that she was vapid, materialistic, and only cared for her position as the wife of the Deputy Prime Minister. She was all of those things, but she was also determined to be the best wife that she knew how so I felt sorry for her. Actually I felt sorry for everyone in this book. There was no one who was easy to hate, and that just made the story all the more mysterious and enjoyable to read.
Because she was dead, the only way I got to know Lorna was through the eyes of Laurie and Charles. Charles saw her as this sweet innocent little angel who also happened to be a sex kitten behind closed doors, but Laurie saw her as her sister. She did not have her on the same pedestal as Charles. She was well aware of her flaws, but she loved her all the more for them. It seemed that everyone was under the impression that Lorna was this sweet little innocent except for Laurie. She was the only one who knew what a spitfire she could be, what scared her, what truly made her happy, or how selfish she could be. But, while investigating her death, Laurie finds out how much she may not have known about her other half.
It is difficult for me to write about my assessments of Laurie as a character because she spent so much time defining herself by her sister. Because they were twins, they both felt like halves of a whole, but they were also so different. I felt that Laurie was more honest and straightforward than her sister. She would never have allowed people to place her in a box and put her on display as the perfect daughter, girlfriend, student, and mistress the way everyone did to Lorna. She may have felt like she was the less spectacular of the two because she preferred reading to shopping, but she was also clearly more grounded. However, because she is still reeling from the loss of her sister, Laurie is less stable when she meets Charles so she ends up doing some uncharacteristic things that keep the reader guessing about how the story might progress.
Just like any true mystery, nothing is quite as it seems. I second guessed the motives of everyone and suspected several people of killing Lorna, and the ending was satisfying if not a surprise. I had a blast reading this, and it made me really miss the days when I would sit down and devour a mystery in a few sittings. This is the second book that I have read from this author, and although the story does not focus on action, the attention to detail when it comes character development makes up for that. When it is difficult to hate a cheating politician, I know the character is well written.
If you’re a fan of mysteries, give this a read. :)
Because of language and mild sexual content, I would recommend this book for ages 17 and up. There are no detailed sexual descriptions.
I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Because of the synopsis, I was expecting this story to be told mainly from Laurie’s point of view, but actually the character of Charles was a more prominent figure than Laurie herself.
Charles is the Deputy Prime Minister, and Laurie’s twin sister Lorna was his mistress. He ended the affair with her six months after it began, and Lorna ended up dead a few months later. Everyone assumes that Lorna committed suicide, and Laurie is the only one who is convince that her sister would have never done that so she travels to London and implores Charles to help clear her sister’s name, and find out what really happened.
All of the characters in this book were complex, but Charles more so than any other. Being privy to his train of thought was very strange. In his mind and heart he was convinced that what he felt for Lorna was a deep and abiding love. He did not think the way I would assume a powerful politician who sleeps with his intern thinks. He lacked the arrogance that is usually attributed to unfaithful politicians.
His obsession with her did not become as severe until after he found out about her death. I mean he did dump her after all. But something happened to him when he learned of her death. He couldn’t sleep, and he finally stopped being able to deny how much he hated the life he chose to lead. He resented both his job and his wife for not being enough for him anymore, and started to think nothing but selfish and self-destructive thoughts. This was only worsened when Laurie, Lorna’s identical twin sister, entered the picture.
Laurie needed to know that her sister did not kill herself, and she thought the only person who could help her was Charles, but Charles believed that this meant Laurie needed him. I almost hoped that he wouldn’t transfer his obsession for Lorna onto her sister, but how could he not? They looked so much alike. If anything, his determination not to fail Laurie as he did her sister drove him to be even more committed to Laurie than Lorna.
Although I completely disagreed with almost everything about him, I never hated Charles. He was pathetic and selfish, but I also felt bad for him because he honestly didn’t know what love was. He wanted to give and receive love, but he confused it with lust and infatuation. The only thing he was certain of was that he did not love his wife. He was fond of her, and at times he even respected her, but he never loved her.
I liked the way the points of view included his wife, Elaine, because I did not have to just rely on his assessment of her. He felt that she was vapid, materialistic, and only cared for her position as the wife of the Deputy Prime Minister. She was all of those things, but she was also determined to be the best wife that she knew how so I felt sorry for her. Actually I felt sorry for everyone in this book. There was no one who was easy to hate, and that just made the story all the more mysterious and enjoyable to read.
Because she was dead, the only way I got to know Lorna was through the eyes of Laurie and Charles. Charles saw her as this sweet innocent little angel who also happened to be a sex kitten behind closed doors, but Laurie saw her as her sister. She did not have her on the same pedestal as Charles. She was well aware of her flaws, but she loved her all the more for them. It seemed that everyone was under the impression that Lorna was this sweet little innocent except for Laurie. She was the only one who knew what a spitfire she could be, what scared her, what truly made her happy, or how selfish she could be. But, while investigating her death, Laurie finds out how much she may not have known about her other half.
It is difficult for me to write about my assessments of Laurie as a character because she spent so much time defining herself by her sister. Because they were twins, they both felt like halves of a whole, but they were also so different. I felt that Laurie was more honest and straightforward than her sister. She would never have allowed people to place her in a box and put her on display as the perfect daughter, girlfriend, student, and mistress the way everyone did to Lorna. She may have felt like she was the less spectacular of the two because she preferred reading to shopping, but she was also clearly more grounded. However, because she is still reeling from the loss of her sister, Laurie is less stable when she meets Charles so she ends up doing some uncharacteristic things that keep the reader guessing about how the story might progress.
Just like any true mystery, nothing is quite as it seems. I second guessed the motives of everyone and suspected several people of killing Lorna, and the ending was satisfying if not a surprise. I had a blast reading this, and it made me really miss the days when I would sit down and devour a mystery in a few sittings. This is the second book that I have read from this author, and although the story does not focus on action, the attention to detail when it comes character development makes up for that. When it is difficult to hate a cheating politician, I know the character is well written.
If you’re a fan of mysteries, give this a read. :)
Because of language and mild sexual content, I would recommend this book for ages 17 and up. There are no detailed sexual descriptions.
April 17, 2014
I received this novel via NetGalley after it was mentioned in the Dead Books group. I started off thinking it might be possibly a good murder story but quickly discovered it is a Harlequin romance. One thing that bugged me was that, though one of the leading characters is the Deputy Prime Minister of the UK, politics is hardly mentioned in this novel. Also I had a problem with the role the Deputy Prime Minister is supposedly playing in the govt. There is only casual mention of the Prime Minister as if he were the Queen (head of state) instead of the real head of government.
Charles sits in his office, never seems to really do anything except obsess about his affair with Lorna, her supposed suicide and whether he might have a fling with her twin sister Laurie. The ending is implausible.
Before writing these comments I saw the review by Stephanie (LitLoversLane.com) who gave it one star. I so agreed with her incisive review that I could have simply said: "I agree totally with Stephanie".
This author has a long way to go if she expects to be taken seriously as a crime/mystery writer.
Charles sits in his office, never seems to really do anything except obsess about his affair with Lorna, her supposed suicide and whether he might have a fling with her twin sister Laurie. The ending is implausible.
Before writing these comments I saw the review by Stephanie (LitLoversLane.com) who gave it one star. I so agreed with her incisive review that I could have simply said: "I agree totally with Stephanie".
This author has a long way to go if she expects to be taken seriously as a crime/mystery writer.
September 6, 2014
I was a bit worried in the middle of this book that story was going to go in a much less interesting direction. Unfortunately, I can
t say much about it without giving away some subplots. Let's just say that the odd romantic interests of one of the main characters creeped me out a bit and I was glad that that storyline went the way it did. However, it did take away from the story a bit for me. Overall, a good story and worth a read. 3.5✭
I should mention that this book also had significant typos. I thought it was an arc and passed it off as something that would be cleaned up before final publication, but looking at the release date, I realize that this was a final copy. It definitely needed more editing for grammar and typos. So, if you are a grammar fanatic, be forewarned. I know they distracted me a bit.
t say much about it without giving away some subplots. Let's just say that the odd romantic interests of one of the main characters creeped me out a bit and I was glad that that storyline went the way it did. However, it did take away from the story a bit for me. Overall, a good story and worth a read. 3.5✭
I should mention that this book also had significant typos. I thought it was an arc and passed it off as something that would be cleaned up before final publication, but looking at the release date, I realize that this was a final copy. It definitely needed more editing for grammar and typos. So, if you are a grammar fanatic, be forewarned. I know they distracted me a bit.
September 9, 2014
A big thank you to the author for sending me a copy of her book via NetGalley and the request for an honest review.
I really enjoyed reading Prime Deception, it has an interesting mix of relationships, crime, cover-up and thrills and it was an easy read that kept me interested and happy to keep turning the pages to see what was going to happen next.
Lorna is a young and beautiful intern to the Deputy Prime Minister of England, Charles, she is also his mistress. Charles is locked in a loveless and unhappy marriage to his wife of many years, but his heart is with Lorna. He knows it's wrong but he can't help himself and takes huge risks to spend time with and explore the relationship with the young and beautiful Lorna.
Not far into the book, Lorna dies, a massive car crash resulting in instant death, it is from her death that the book begins to weave it's story of mystery and questions that remain unanswered. The book takes an unexpected twist when Lorna's identical twin sister, applies to work as an intern to get close to the Deputy Prime Minister herself, for her own, very good reasons.
The book twist and weaves as the relationship dynamics between Lorna's twin sister, Laurie and Charles come into play, and we get to read it from both perspectives, how each of them sees each other and what they want from each other.
Nothing is as it seems as the story unravels to reveal missing pieces of the puzzle around Lorna's death, and Charles is coming undone by finding himself flitting between memories of love lost with Lorna combined with new feelings for her twin sister Laurie, it's worth mentioning that whilst both girls look identical, in personality they are very different.
The pace of the book is good and I really enjoyed the last 30% of the novel as bit of the entire picture start to come together like a giant jigsaw puzzle, the ending is quite dramatic and one I had partly guessed but not really right until the very end, so well done to the author for keeping the reader guessing, as the ending could have gone in quite a few different directions.
I think the fact that it didn't focus too much on the political side of Charles' career was good, as it might have just filled out pages in this book, at times I did think he was a bit naive with some of the risks he took as a very senior prominent politician, possibly more so that what our Deputy Prime Minister would in "real life" (one would hope!)
It's a great novel by an upcoming new author that has a nice mix of elements and is interesting and intriguing, a very easy, enjoyable read that readers of most genres would enjoy.
I really enjoyed reading Prime Deception, it has an interesting mix of relationships, crime, cover-up and thrills and it was an easy read that kept me interested and happy to keep turning the pages to see what was going to happen next.
Lorna is a young and beautiful intern to the Deputy Prime Minister of England, Charles, she is also his mistress. Charles is locked in a loveless and unhappy marriage to his wife of many years, but his heart is with Lorna. He knows it's wrong but he can't help himself and takes huge risks to spend time with and explore the relationship with the young and beautiful Lorna.
Not far into the book, Lorna dies, a massive car crash resulting in instant death, it is from her death that the book begins to weave it's story of mystery and questions that remain unanswered. The book takes an unexpected twist when Lorna's identical twin sister, applies to work as an intern to get close to the Deputy Prime Minister herself, for her own, very good reasons.
The book twist and weaves as the relationship dynamics between Lorna's twin sister, Laurie and Charles come into play, and we get to read it from both perspectives, how each of them sees each other and what they want from each other.
Nothing is as it seems as the story unravels to reveal missing pieces of the puzzle around Lorna's death, and Charles is coming undone by finding himself flitting between memories of love lost with Lorna combined with new feelings for her twin sister Laurie, it's worth mentioning that whilst both girls look identical, in personality they are very different.
The pace of the book is good and I really enjoyed the last 30% of the novel as bit of the entire picture start to come together like a giant jigsaw puzzle, the ending is quite dramatic and one I had partly guessed but not really right until the very end, so well done to the author for keeping the reader guessing, as the ending could have gone in quite a few different directions.
I think the fact that it didn't focus too much on the political side of Charles' career was good, as it might have just filled out pages in this book, at times I did think he was a bit naive with some of the risks he took as a very senior prominent politician, possibly more so that what our Deputy Prime Minister would in "real life" (one would hope!)
It's a great novel by an upcoming new author that has a nice mix of elements and is interesting and intriguing, a very easy, enjoyable read that readers of most genres would enjoy.
May 13, 2014
Received a request from Carys Jones to review this book on Goodreads. This is an electrifying thriller about a young intern Lorna who commits suicide. Interestingly her character is all narrated to the reader from the perspective of those closest to her. She is the mistress of the Deputy Prime Minister, Charles a very powerful figure who is devastated by her death. Charles is trapped in a loveless marriage to Elaine who thrives on the trappings of their lifestyle and seems to be hanging on to their marriage by a thread especially as her he is consumed by the depths of grief and starts to lose his grip on reality.
Laurie the identical twin sister applies to be his interim which seems questionable that the process would be so easy in light of Lorna's suicide. At times I felt the plot developed into too much of a romance as Charles explores his guilt in not expressing his love for Lorna and his interest his reignited by her twin sister Laurie he is mesmerised by how alike they are. Charles does his best to get to know Laurie better however her agenda is to establish the truth surrounding the death of her sister. The plot has a few twists in the quest for the truth and builds up to an unexpected climax a real page turner.
The parents of the twins treat Laurie horribly as looking at her reminds them of lorna i think this issue was explored very sensitively. Am looking forward to the next crime thriller by Carys Jones. Special thanks to Carys and Carina UK for sending me an ARC on Netgalley.
Laurie the identical twin sister applies to be his interim which seems questionable that the process would be so easy in light of Lorna's suicide. At times I felt the plot developed into too much of a romance as Charles explores his guilt in not expressing his love for Lorna and his interest his reignited by her twin sister Laurie he is mesmerised by how alike they are. Charles does his best to get to know Laurie better however her agenda is to establish the truth surrounding the death of her sister. The plot has a few twists in the quest for the truth and builds up to an unexpected climax a real page turner.
The parents of the twins treat Laurie horribly as looking at her reminds them of lorna i think this issue was explored very sensitively. Am looking forward to the next crime thriller by Carys Jones. Special thanks to Carys and Carina UK for sending me an ARC on Netgalley.
April 23, 2014
I got a copy of this book from the author, in exchange for an honest review.
I started off thinking it might be possibly a good murder story but quickly discovered it is a Harlequin romance. Might I add, I am NOT a Romance reader. Very far, and in-between do I actually sit down and read a romance book. I can assure you I was not a happy camper.
I was excited to read a criminal mystery full of twists and turns and a bit of suspenseful action, but that is not really what I got.
Instead, most of the plot dwelled on the feelings and thoughts of the characters, which wore thin quite soon. All you read about was how unhappy Charles Lloyd’s marriage was, how much he loved and missed the now-dead Lorna, how much guilt he felt over her death, and how life just was not worth living without her.
A little excitement shows starts when The twin sister Laurie shows up convinced Lorna would never commit suicide, which being a twin myself, I would question the same thing. But then again, were reading about how sad Laurie is and blah blah blah…. Come on.. WHEN IS THE GOOD EXCITEMENT, THRILLER going to happen?!
Once the mystery is actually solved, nothing really made sense…..
There is a good story here….. WE JUST NEED MORE THRILLER, EXCITEMENT, PAGE TURNING….
AND LESS CRYING!
I started off thinking it might be possibly a good murder story but quickly discovered it is a Harlequin romance. Might I add, I am NOT a Romance reader. Very far, and in-between do I actually sit down and read a romance book. I can assure you I was not a happy camper.
I was excited to read a criminal mystery full of twists and turns and a bit of suspenseful action, but that is not really what I got.
Instead, most of the plot dwelled on the feelings and thoughts of the characters, which wore thin quite soon. All you read about was how unhappy Charles Lloyd’s marriage was, how much he loved and missed the now-dead Lorna, how much guilt he felt over her death, and how life just was not worth living without her.
A little excitement shows starts when The twin sister Laurie shows up convinced Lorna would never commit suicide, which being a twin myself, I would question the same thing. But then again, were reading about how sad Laurie is and blah blah blah…. Come on.. WHEN IS THE GOOD EXCITEMENT, THRILLER going to happen?!
Once the mystery is actually solved, nothing really made sense…..
There is a good story here….. WE JUST NEED MORE THRILLER, EXCITEMENT, PAGE TURNING….
AND LESS CRYING!
August 1, 2014
After arranging to meet a journalist to tell her kiss and tell story, Lorna dies in a car crash that has been ruled suicide, but her sister, Laurie doesn't believe that Lorna would take her her own life. She vows to get to the bottom of what happened and to do so she steps into her sisters shoes, and internship at Downing Street inviting a possible killer to show themselves.
With suspects galore this book gets underway quite well and I really did enjoy the first half of it, but the second half was a little repetitive and lost pace , which was surprising as the plot was literally getting thicker with new possible suspects. By the time the story reached a crescendo and finished I unfortunately was not as interested in finding out who did it, even though I had predicted correctly within the first quarter of the book.
The premise of this book was good but somehow it didn't quite come off in the execution.
With suspects galore this book gets underway quite well and I really did enjoy the first half of it, but the second half was a little repetitive and lost pace , which was surprising as the plot was literally getting thicker with new possible suspects. By the time the story reached a crescendo and finished I unfortunately was not as interested in finding out who did it, even though I had predicted correctly within the first quarter of the book.
The premise of this book was good but somehow it didn't quite come off in the execution.
April 16, 2014
This started with a good sounding idea. The Deputy Prime Minister of England starts a clandestine affair with a new intern in his office. He's married but it was for the good of his career. The couple are childless and his wife is wonderful in supporting his career. When the young intern dies. Things started to get really interesting. But then the story bogs down with much discussion of grief and guilt. It becomes very repetitive and began to wear on me and it became harder and harder to feel compassion for him. I thought the resolution came a bit fast and really was kind of a disappointment. I did get involved with his self evaluation and the awakening of what he really discovered was important to him.
November 28, 2014
I absolutely loved this book. It turned into a real page turner with a twist at the end when you realise the truth about the situation. I love this kind of book and I could read it over and over again. I will definitely be on the look out for any more books from this author as I will be reading them all!
I got completely tied up in the story line, the characters and really, the whole story. It comes with the perfect amount of drama and romance and really is a great read. I'd recommend it to anyone for a great story that almost everyone will enjoy!
I got completely tied up in the story line, the characters and really, the whole story. It comes with the perfect amount of drama and romance and really is a great read. I'd recommend it to anyone for a great story that almost everyone will enjoy!
September 16, 2020
I found parts of the plot too repetitive. It made two characters fickle in my opinion and I got bored with them. I finished reading it though and wasn't correct in who I thought did it. (Yay!) I also had a few errors in my edition.
April 7, 2014
When a young woman kills herself, it seems like suicide and is ruled that way by the police. Another young life wasted, a tragedy. A whole family is being torn apart, a town is grieving, and the Deputy Prime Minister feels like his heart is torn out from his chest and the light has gone from his world.
See, the young woman who allegedly committed suicide was the Deputy’s mistress. All very hush, hush, of course. But not everything is what it seems like.
When Lorna’s twin sister; Laurie shows up at Downing Street as an intern as her sister before her, all hell breaks loose, and the Deputy Prime Minister is just about to lose his mind. But Laurie is there with a secret agenda; she doesn’t believe that her sister killed herself. She would never do that. Laurie wants to dig out the truth, even if she has to team up with the man her sister slept with and just might be her killer.
Prime Deception is an amazing read from Carys, I enjoyed every page and found it incredible hard to put it down. It is partly a sad story, on many accounts; Lorna killing herself (or did she?), Charles (the Deputy Prime Minister) losing his first true love, the sad marriage between Charles and his wife; Elaine and the twin left behind after her sisters so-called suicide; Laurie.
There are so many layers in this story, and you keep wondering who the culprit could’ve been. Was it an accident? Did Lorna kill herself? If she didn’t commit suicide, then who killed her? Faye, the Deputy Prime Minister’s secretary? Elaine, his wife? A jealous ex-boyfriend? The reporter who needed a good story? Or maybe it was the Deputy Prime Minister himself, to conceal the affair. The truth is revealed in the end, and although I had the culprit in question in my sights, I had almost dismissed the person as being the murder, because it just couldn’t be that person. But it was. Oy. :-D
Charles is in the beginning truly chocked at seeing Laurie since she looks so much alike her twin Lorna. He really did love Lorna, but never had the chance to say it to her directly, and now he thinks he got a second chance with Laurie. It never truly crosses his mind that she isn’t interested in him that way. It is a bit disturbing to see him go down that road, and yet… very understandable. He wants to rectify his actions. It has been tormenting him for six months; did he pushed her off the edge when he decided to cut off the affair? So he pushes all this on Laurie, hoping she can be the band aid to his gaping internal wound. But she can’t be. She can barely function on her own, never mind patching up others. Laurie just wants to know what really happened to her sister so she can move on, close to the hole in her chest, and maybe, just maybe, make her parents realize that they still got a daughter.
The way Laurie’s parents treat her after her twin sister’s death is horrifying. I get that they’re distraught by Lorna’s death and that she was the more dominant twin, the outgoing one, but they completely disregard Laurie. All she is to them is a painful reminder of the daughter they lost, not the daughter they still have. A daughter who lost someone close to her as well, but can’t be allowed to mourn properly.
And don’t get me started on the dysfunctional marriage between Charles and his wife; Elaine. Just don’t. They never married out of love, but necessity. They were a good couple, he would be something big one day, and she would be his trophy wife. It never truly worked between them, but they’re keeping up pretence for the media’s sake, because it certainly wouldn’t look good if the Deputy Prime Minister got a divorce. Elaine is clinging to her husband’s title, she never got a life of her own, a mind of her own. All that matters to her is keeping up with the Stepford wife charade, to flash her designer clothes, cling to her husband’s arm, to show him off. It’s really sad.
All in all, Carys has created a wonderful thriller that will keep you on your toes and make you turn the pages in a hurry to get more of the story.
See, the young woman who allegedly committed suicide was the Deputy’s mistress. All very hush, hush, of course. But not everything is what it seems like.
When Lorna’s twin sister; Laurie shows up at Downing Street as an intern as her sister before her, all hell breaks loose, and the Deputy Prime Minister is just about to lose his mind. But Laurie is there with a secret agenda; she doesn’t believe that her sister killed herself. She would never do that. Laurie wants to dig out the truth, even if she has to team up with the man her sister slept with and just might be her killer.
Prime Deception is an amazing read from Carys, I enjoyed every page and found it incredible hard to put it down. It is partly a sad story, on many accounts; Lorna killing herself (or did she?), Charles (the Deputy Prime Minister) losing his first true love, the sad marriage between Charles and his wife; Elaine and the twin left behind after her sisters so-called suicide; Laurie.
There are so many layers in this story, and you keep wondering who the culprit could’ve been. Was it an accident? Did Lorna kill herself? If she didn’t commit suicide, then who killed her? Faye, the Deputy Prime Minister’s secretary? Elaine, his wife? A jealous ex-boyfriend? The reporter who needed a good story? Or maybe it was the Deputy Prime Minister himself, to conceal the affair. The truth is revealed in the end, and although I had the culprit in question in my sights, I had almost dismissed the person as being the murder, because it just couldn’t be that person. But it was. Oy. :-D
Charles is in the beginning truly chocked at seeing Laurie since she looks so much alike her twin Lorna. He really did love Lorna, but never had the chance to say it to her directly, and now he thinks he got a second chance with Laurie. It never truly crosses his mind that she isn’t interested in him that way. It is a bit disturbing to see him go down that road, and yet… very understandable. He wants to rectify his actions. It has been tormenting him for six months; did he pushed her off the edge when he decided to cut off the affair? So he pushes all this on Laurie, hoping she can be the band aid to his gaping internal wound. But she can’t be. She can barely function on her own, never mind patching up others. Laurie just wants to know what really happened to her sister so she can move on, close to the hole in her chest, and maybe, just maybe, make her parents realize that they still got a daughter.
The way Laurie’s parents treat her after her twin sister’s death is horrifying. I get that they’re distraught by Lorna’s death and that she was the more dominant twin, the outgoing one, but they completely disregard Laurie. All she is to them is a painful reminder of the daughter they lost, not the daughter they still have. A daughter who lost someone close to her as well, but can’t be allowed to mourn properly.
And don’t get me started on the dysfunctional marriage between Charles and his wife; Elaine. Just don’t. They never married out of love, but necessity. They were a good couple, he would be something big one day, and she would be his trophy wife. It never truly worked between them, but they’re keeping up pretence for the media’s sake, because it certainly wouldn’t look good if the Deputy Prime Minister got a divorce. Elaine is clinging to her husband’s title, she never got a life of her own, a mind of her own. All that matters to her is keeping up with the Stepford wife charade, to flash her designer clothes, cling to her husband’s arm, to show him off. It’s really sad.
All in all, Carys has created a wonderful thriller that will keep you on your toes and make you turn the pages in a hurry to get more of the story.
July 6, 2014
Investigative journalist John Quinn has spent years waiting and working to get a story that will shock the nation. Working for a notorious British tabloid, he finds himself extremely close to the story of his dreams - a kiss-and-tell with the young intern mistress of the Deputy Prime Minister. However, just before the story is printed, John receives a call that quickly puts an end to his dream. The intern, Lorna Thomas, is dead.
Charles Lloyd is devastated when he hears of Lorna's death. However, with his job as the Deputy PM, his feelings have to be kept strictly under wraps. Charles is regretful about the affair with Lorna - mainly because he was never able to admit his true feelings for her. And now it's too late. Having to put on a brave face for his wife, for his colleagues, and for the nation, is a difficult feat, because Lorna won't ever be coming back.
Meanwhile, convinced that her twin's death was uncharacteristic, Laurie Thomas leaves her quiet life behind for a while and heads to London with a mission in mind: to finally find out the truth about her sister.
Successfully getting into the Downing Street internship programme, Laurie puts herself in her sister's shoes in a bid to find out what truly happened. Ambitious, confident and lively Lorna would never have killed herself - so why did it happen?
Knowing about the affair, Laurie gets close to Charles to try and work out her twin sister's motives. Yet it becomes difficult for Charles when, after the initial shock of realising his lover had a twin, he begins to fall for Laurie.
Just what - or who - made Lorna Thomas drive to her death?
When I first started reading Prime Deception, I couldn't put it down. The book begins with reporter John, finding out that the story he's worked so hard on has fallen through. Lorna has been killed, and Charles has no idea why - and no way to find out without being caught out about the affair - a secret that'd make news across the nation if it was ever to be found out...
However, I couldn't help but find that a lot of the book focused more on the feelings of the characters, and less on the mystery of Lorna's disappearance. Throughout the book, the reader is given an insight into the feelings of Charles - his guilt, his love for Lorna, the thoughts that do not seem to go away. And there's Laurie, now an outsider in her family home now that her perfect sister has gone, and unable to let Lorna go until she unearths the truth. Even though I enjoyed reading about these characters and their obvious struggles at the start, I felt that it continued for too many chapters, and that information that could have made Prime Deception an even more addictive read, was left out. I wanted to read even more about John, for example, and more into the life of Faye, secretary to Charles.
I noticed quite early in this book that Prime Deception seemed to be a mix of the crime and romance genres, which I thought would work very well, though about halfway through I found that it was more confusing; there was no real romance besides that of Charles and Lorna. The ending of Prime Deception was surprising and great, although I felt cheated in some way by one of the minor characters turning up right at the end, and having not known that much about him, I was unsure about his motives. (I don't want to say too much as I do not want to spoil this book!) The book ended well, though a lot of the suspense happened mainly towards the end.
I enjoyed reading Prime Deception, and I will definitely read any future novels by this author as I feel that she is a very good writer with a great writing style. As someone who enjoys both the crime genre and romance, this was an interesting read. However, I did get the feeling that it might disappoint those who are looking for a fast-paced crime novel.
Charles Lloyd is devastated when he hears of Lorna's death. However, with his job as the Deputy PM, his feelings have to be kept strictly under wraps. Charles is regretful about the affair with Lorna - mainly because he was never able to admit his true feelings for her. And now it's too late. Having to put on a brave face for his wife, for his colleagues, and for the nation, is a difficult feat, because Lorna won't ever be coming back.
Meanwhile, convinced that her twin's death was uncharacteristic, Laurie Thomas leaves her quiet life behind for a while and heads to London with a mission in mind: to finally find out the truth about her sister.
Successfully getting into the Downing Street internship programme, Laurie puts herself in her sister's shoes in a bid to find out what truly happened. Ambitious, confident and lively Lorna would never have killed herself - so why did it happen?
Knowing about the affair, Laurie gets close to Charles to try and work out her twin sister's motives. Yet it becomes difficult for Charles when, after the initial shock of realising his lover had a twin, he begins to fall for Laurie.
Just what - or who - made Lorna Thomas drive to her death?
When I first started reading Prime Deception, I couldn't put it down. The book begins with reporter John, finding out that the story he's worked so hard on has fallen through. Lorna has been killed, and Charles has no idea why - and no way to find out without being caught out about the affair - a secret that'd make news across the nation if it was ever to be found out...
However, I couldn't help but find that a lot of the book focused more on the feelings of the characters, and less on the mystery of Lorna's disappearance. Throughout the book, the reader is given an insight into the feelings of Charles - his guilt, his love for Lorna, the thoughts that do not seem to go away. And there's Laurie, now an outsider in her family home now that her perfect sister has gone, and unable to let Lorna go until she unearths the truth. Even though I enjoyed reading about these characters and their obvious struggles at the start, I felt that it continued for too many chapters, and that information that could have made Prime Deception an even more addictive read, was left out. I wanted to read even more about John, for example, and more into the life of Faye, secretary to Charles.
I noticed quite early in this book that Prime Deception seemed to be a mix of the crime and romance genres, which I thought would work very well, though about halfway through I found that it was more confusing; there was no real romance besides that of Charles and Lorna. The ending of Prime Deception was surprising and great, although I felt cheated in some way by one of the minor characters turning up right at the end, and having not known that much about him, I was unsure about his motives. (I don't want to say too much as I do not want to spoil this book!) The book ended well, though a lot of the suspense happened mainly towards the end.
I enjoyed reading Prime Deception, and I will definitely read any future novels by this author as I feel that she is a very good writer with a great writing style. As someone who enjoys both the crime genre and romance, this was an interesting read. However, I did get the feeling that it might disappoint those who are looking for a fast-paced crime novel.
June 14, 2014
I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.
It's been some time since I picked up an Adult novel, opposed to the usual Young Adult. But as soon as I read the synopsis of this novel, I had to read it. Lately I've been reading a lot more Mystery/Thriller books and I'm loving them!
This particular tale circles around Laurie Thomas, the identical twin to Lorna Thomas who had supposedly killed herself by driving her car into a tree. Lorna had begun working as an intern for Charles Lloyd, the Deputy Prime Minster. Through this, Charles found himself attracted to Lorna for his own marriage felt as if it was not for love and it is then both Lorna and Charles begin what was a six month affair. Knowing there were risks that could endanger both their reputations and his position, Charles broke off the affair. Lorna then decided to sell the story of her affair to a infamous tabloid but before this could happen, she died. Her twin, Laurie seeks for answers, unable to believe that Lorna had committed suicide and so decides to gain help from Charles.
Now firstly, I'll just say that this book contains Politics. Not so insanely packed that it makes your brain bleed from trying to understand the political terms but enough to get you interested. We have descriptions from the House of Commons which for me, was a plus. I do love Politics, I took it for my A-Level's so it was nice to be in familiar territory. Even if you aren't a fan of politics, you won't be disappointed - the plot itself will be enough to satisfy you.
The story is told from different character's point of view, which was great because then we got an insight from each on their thoughts and emotions. It mostly circled around Laurie and Charles but also included Elaine, - Charles wife - Arthur, - Laurie's boyfriend - the tabloid writer John Quinn and Faye - Charles assistant. We get most of the back-story from flashbacks from both Charles and Laurie and this gets your suspicions started. I did have my theories on what had happened to Lorna but it unraveled in such an unpredictable way. It is fast-paced, mysterious and dramatic!
There were points where the characters would frustrate me. Charles for example, when he chose to pursue Laurie after they both worked together secretly to uncover the truth behind Lorna's death. I felt as if he was trying to use Laurie as a substitute, and for me, Laurie was my favourite character. She was bold, brave and wasn't afraid to speak her mind. I admired her character. Faye was also a favourite as she knew of Charles affair yet chose to remain loyal and support him though she felt conflicted.
We discover that there are gaps in Lorna's death and something isn't right, I was eager to find out what. But before that, we go through a roller coaster of an ending and there were events that I didn't even expect! It all built up to the truth and I was so very happy and satisfied with the ending! I loved it. It was exhilarating and dramatic, it may even throw you off balance. For me, this was a very good read and I would highly recommend that more people read it. If you're worried about explicit content... don't. This book is completely safe, I can guarantee.
It's been some time since I picked up an Adult novel, opposed to the usual Young Adult. But as soon as I read the synopsis of this novel, I had to read it. Lately I've been reading a lot more Mystery/Thriller books and I'm loving them!
This particular tale circles around Laurie Thomas, the identical twin to Lorna Thomas who had supposedly killed herself by driving her car into a tree. Lorna had begun working as an intern for Charles Lloyd, the Deputy Prime Minster. Through this, Charles found himself attracted to Lorna for his own marriage felt as if it was not for love and it is then both Lorna and Charles begin what was a six month affair. Knowing there were risks that could endanger both their reputations and his position, Charles broke off the affair. Lorna then decided to sell the story of her affair to a infamous tabloid but before this could happen, she died. Her twin, Laurie seeks for answers, unable to believe that Lorna had committed suicide and so decides to gain help from Charles.
Now firstly, I'll just say that this book contains Politics. Not so insanely packed that it makes your brain bleed from trying to understand the political terms but enough to get you interested. We have descriptions from the House of Commons which for me, was a plus. I do love Politics, I took it for my A-Level's so it was nice to be in familiar territory. Even if you aren't a fan of politics, you won't be disappointed - the plot itself will be enough to satisfy you.
The story is told from different character's point of view, which was great because then we got an insight from each on their thoughts and emotions. It mostly circled around Laurie and Charles but also included Elaine, - Charles wife - Arthur, - Laurie's boyfriend - the tabloid writer John Quinn and Faye - Charles assistant. We get most of the back-story from flashbacks from both Charles and Laurie and this gets your suspicions started. I did have my theories on what had happened to Lorna but it unraveled in such an unpredictable way. It is fast-paced, mysterious and dramatic!
There were points where the characters would frustrate me. Charles for example, when he chose to pursue Laurie after they both worked together secretly to uncover the truth behind Lorna's death. I felt as if he was trying to use Laurie as a substitute, and for me, Laurie was my favourite character. She was bold, brave and wasn't afraid to speak her mind. I admired her character. Faye was also a favourite as she knew of Charles affair yet chose to remain loyal and support him though she felt conflicted.
We discover that there are gaps in Lorna's death and something isn't right, I was eager to find out what. But before that, we go through a roller coaster of an ending and there were events that I didn't even expect! It all built up to the truth and I was so very happy and satisfied with the ending! I loved it. It was exhilarating and dramatic, it may even throw you off balance. For me, this was a very good read and I would highly recommend that more people read it. If you're worried about explicit content... don't. This book is completely safe, I can guarantee.
July 13, 2014
The author reached out to me and offered me a copy of this book through NetGalley. Because I have received a free copy, it has in no way, influenced my opinion.
I read the premise and was really interested by the fact that it was a mystery. Who doesn't love a good mystery novel?! It started off pretty strong and I was intrigued. When the Laurie showed up is when things started to get a little repetitive and a bit boring. Really, most of this book could be summed up by the characters feelings. I feel like that's all I got.
For example, how many times do I need to be told that the Charles and Elaine have a happy marriage and she's an emotionless robot? How many times do I need to be told about his depression over Lorna's death? I started to just get annoyed with his obsession with Laurie. Okay, they look the same, so I get the hopefulness. It just got weird. Instead of being excited to learn more about Lorna's investigation, he was more happy to talk to Laurie.
I understand that Laurie is upset, but come on. She didn't really do anything to investigate this. She just took Charles word for it and played intern. She wasn't actively trying to look into her sisters life, to dig into everything. I feel like she was just expecting to wait on the Prime Minister to do it for her. For her being so adamant about it not being a suicide, she didn't do much to look into it.
I get that she tried to confuse us and make the killer be a big mystery but I'm confused about one thing. If Arthur took a gun to go after his girl, how did he know she was going to be in trouble?? He couldn't possibly know that when he left home and "wasn't going to let her get away," yet he showed up to save the day. So what WAS he going to do with that gun?! He just happened to have something fall into his lap to get the girl back. I think that saving her was not his intention, it couldn't have been, right? Even his mother thought so!
Something I did like about this book was the author's writing style. I liked how we got everybody's POV. Every character that had some part of this story had their opinion shown. Even if it was only once. You got to see how they felt and thought about the certain situation. So instead of doing what other authors do and alternate chapters, she does it right there in the middle of the chapter. It happens all the time.
One thing I didn't like about the style though was that it would change. It would alternate between the characters POV and then change to more of a narration. Like someone else was telling me the story. It would just happen suddenly and I felt like it took away from some of the story.
For this being advertised as an exciting mystery, it fell flat for me. I didn't get the action during the book, only in the last couple of chapters. Overall, it wasn't a bad read just not something that stands out for me. I give it 3 stars. Although, there were some things that bugged me, it kept me interested enough.
I read the premise and was really interested by the fact that it was a mystery. Who doesn't love a good mystery novel?! It started off pretty strong and I was intrigued. When the Laurie showed up is when things started to get a little repetitive and a bit boring. Really, most of this book could be summed up by the characters feelings. I feel like that's all I got.
For example, how many times do I need to be told that the Charles and Elaine have a happy marriage and she's an emotionless robot? How many times do I need to be told about his depression over Lorna's death? I started to just get annoyed with his obsession with Laurie. Okay, they look the same, so I get the hopefulness. It just got weird. Instead of being excited to learn more about Lorna's investigation, he was more happy to talk to Laurie.
I understand that Laurie is upset, but come on. She didn't really do anything to investigate this. She just took Charles word for it and played intern. She wasn't actively trying to look into her sisters life, to dig into everything. I feel like she was just expecting to wait on the Prime Minister to do it for her. For her being so adamant about it not being a suicide, she didn't do much to look into it.
I get that she tried to confuse us and make the killer be a big mystery but I'm confused about one thing. If Arthur took a gun to go after his girl, how did he know she was going to be in trouble?? He couldn't possibly know that when he left home and "wasn't going to let her get away," yet he showed up to save the day. So what WAS he going to do with that gun?! He just happened to have something fall into his lap to get the girl back. I think that saving her was not his intention, it couldn't have been, right? Even his mother thought so!
Something I did like about this book was the author's writing style. I liked how we got everybody's POV. Every character that had some part of this story had their opinion shown. Even if it was only once. You got to see how they felt and thought about the certain situation. So instead of doing what other authors do and alternate chapters, she does it right there in the middle of the chapter. It happens all the time.
One thing I didn't like about the style though was that it would change. It would alternate between the characters POV and then change to more of a narration. Like someone else was telling me the story. It would just happen suddenly and I felt like it took away from some of the story.
For this being advertised as an exciting mystery, it fell flat for me. I didn't get the action during the book, only in the last couple of chapters. Overall, it wasn't a bad read just not something that stands out for me. I give it 3 stars. Although, there were some things that bugged me, it kept me interested enough.
September 14, 2014
Look at the review on my blog: http://booksbakingandblogging.wordpre...
Disclaimer: I received this novel from the author to read and review. This has not influenced this review in any way, as I will always give my honest opinion of any book I read.
I went into reading Prime Deception completely unbiased, as I hadn’t read anything about it yet. The blurb sounded a bit dramatic and sensational, but I figured that wasn’t much to go by since blurbs are rarely representative of the novel they are trying to sell.
Unfortunately, I didn’t like this novel. I was hoping for an exciting and suspenseful crime novel, but this didn’t get exciting until the final 30 pages (of 199), when a strange climax ended the story very abruptly.
It’s hard to give a good review without giving too much away of the plot, but suffice it to say that this isn’t really a crime novel (except for those last pages). The majority of this story consists of the Deputy Prime Minister being heartbroken by the loss of his former mistress, and of Laurie mourning her sister and repeating that she couldn’t have killed herself. It left me feeling like I was reading the same thing over and over again, without there being any progress to the story. This resulted in me not being able to connect with any of the characters, since they didn’t really grow and felt like flat characters to me.
Besides that, very few characters were actually likeable. Especially Charles, the Deputy Prime Minister, really managed to get on my nerves through his irresponsible and, frankly, quite stupid and infuriating behaviour. Let’s just say the ick factor was quite high at times, and his role as Deputy Prime Minister wasn’t always quite believable either. I still don’t know what exactly his responsibility is within the government, as the author made it seem as if he was the country’s leader. Where does that leave the actual Prime Minister then?
While the story and the characters didn’t do too much for me, I did enjoy Jones’ writing style. She certainly has a way with words, which was what made the novel readable to me.
What wasn’t acceptable, however, and what made me give this novel only 1 star instead of the 2 I was going for at first was the huge amount of spelling errors. This novel is riddled with typos, forgotten words and general spelling mistakes. The one thing that really pissed me off and that was more or less the last straw for me, was the fact that at one point the novel mentions Laurie’s name when it clearly means Lorna (the dead sister):
Ever since he had received the call stating that Laurie had died, something felt odd.
That’s just… I don’t even have words for it. This book definitely needed another look from an editor before being published.
I think Prime Deception had the potential of being a really enjoyable novel, but right now I’m sad to say that wasn’t the case for me.
Disclaimer: I received this novel from the author to read and review. This has not influenced this review in any way, as I will always give my honest opinion of any book I read.
I went into reading Prime Deception completely unbiased, as I hadn’t read anything about it yet. The blurb sounded a bit dramatic and sensational, but I figured that wasn’t much to go by since blurbs are rarely representative of the novel they are trying to sell.
Unfortunately, I didn’t like this novel. I was hoping for an exciting and suspenseful crime novel, but this didn’t get exciting until the final 30 pages (of 199), when a strange climax ended the story very abruptly.
It’s hard to give a good review without giving too much away of the plot, but suffice it to say that this isn’t really a crime novel (except for those last pages). The majority of this story consists of the Deputy Prime Minister being heartbroken by the loss of his former mistress, and of Laurie mourning her sister and repeating that she couldn’t have killed herself. It left me feeling like I was reading the same thing over and over again, without there being any progress to the story. This resulted in me not being able to connect with any of the characters, since they didn’t really grow and felt like flat characters to me.
Besides that, very few characters were actually likeable. Especially Charles, the Deputy Prime Minister, really managed to get on my nerves through his irresponsible and, frankly, quite stupid and infuriating behaviour. Let’s just say the ick factor was quite high at times, and his role as Deputy Prime Minister wasn’t always quite believable either. I still don’t know what exactly his responsibility is within the government, as the author made it seem as if he was the country’s leader. Where does that leave the actual Prime Minister then?
While the story and the characters didn’t do too much for me, I did enjoy Jones’ writing style. She certainly has a way with words, which was what made the novel readable to me.
What wasn’t acceptable, however, and what made me give this novel only 1 star instead of the 2 I was going for at first was the huge amount of spelling errors. This novel is riddled with typos, forgotten words and general spelling mistakes. The one thing that really pissed me off and that was more or less the last straw for me, was the fact that at one point the novel mentions Laurie’s name when it clearly means Lorna (the dead sister):
Ever since he had received the call stating that Laurie had died, something felt odd.
That’s just… I don’t even have words for it. This book definitely needed another look from an editor before being published.
I think Prime Deception had the potential of being a really enjoyable novel, but right now I’m sad to say that wasn’t the case for me.
June 28, 2014
Time taken to read - 1 day
Publisher - Carina UK
Pages - 304
Source - NetGalley
Blurb from Goodreads
When Lorna Thomas is found dead in her car everyone believes she killed herself. But the day after her death Lorna was set to sell a scandalous story to one of Britain’s biggest tabloid papers. For six months she had been the Deputy Prime Minister’s mistress.
Will Lorna’s secret die with her? While her family try to move on and come to terms with her death one person refuses to believe that Lorna killed herself. Her twin sister, Laurie is convinced that Lorna was murdered and she’ll stop at nothing to prove it, even if that means teaming up the very man her sister had been having an affair with…
My Review
When I read the blurb, I assumed this was going to be a crime/thriller/suspense - whilst there is a small element of two within the book, I have to say this is more of a romantic/feelings/loss type of story. The Deputy Prime Minister has been having an affair for 6 months with an intern, the story was about to become public knowledge but Lorna, the mistress, commits suicide before it happens. Her twin sister, Laurie, comes to town to investigate and ask questions as she doesn't believe her sister would do that. Laurie and Charles, the Deputy Prime Minister, team up to see if there is something more than meets the eye about Lorna's death or was is just a sad suicide neither of them saw coming?
Well I have to be honest, this book started really slowly for me. Apart from the young girls death and the Prime Minister actually finding out, not a lot happens! There is so much focus on how the death impacts upon Charles, his feelings, wondering what might have been and reliving the memories in Downing Street when he should be doing important Prime Minister duties. I was a bit worried there would be a lot of political chat in the book but there wasn't, for so long it is just how he feels, reacts, copes or rather fails to cope. Enter Laurie, feisty, grieving, angry and hurt, determined her sister didn't commit suicide and desperate for someone to help her look into it.
Then we have a lot of focus on Laurie, her feelings, her relationship with her parents and partner and how that all fares since Lorna's death. To be honest not much happens , I felt, until close to then end, then it kicks up a notch and we have excitement, danger, risk, revelations and not to mention a few red herrings within. I think the author has a good writing style however the decision of whether the book will be crime or feelings should be chosen and stuck to as putting the two together like that, I felt just didn't work. Despite a 2/5 rating, I would read this author again. Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review and introducing me to a new author.
Publisher - Carina UK
Pages - 304
Source - NetGalley
Blurb from Goodreads
When Lorna Thomas is found dead in her car everyone believes she killed herself. But the day after her death Lorna was set to sell a scandalous story to one of Britain’s biggest tabloid papers. For six months she had been the Deputy Prime Minister’s mistress.
Will Lorna’s secret die with her? While her family try to move on and come to terms with her death one person refuses to believe that Lorna killed herself. Her twin sister, Laurie is convinced that Lorna was murdered and she’ll stop at nothing to prove it, even if that means teaming up the very man her sister had been having an affair with…
My Review
When I read the blurb, I assumed this was going to be a crime/thriller/suspense - whilst there is a small element of two within the book, I have to say this is more of a romantic/feelings/loss type of story. The Deputy Prime Minister has been having an affair for 6 months with an intern, the story was about to become public knowledge but Lorna, the mistress, commits suicide before it happens. Her twin sister, Laurie, comes to town to investigate and ask questions as she doesn't believe her sister would do that. Laurie and Charles, the Deputy Prime Minister, team up to see if there is something more than meets the eye about Lorna's death or was is just a sad suicide neither of them saw coming?
Well I have to be honest, this book started really slowly for me. Apart from the young girls death and the Prime Minister actually finding out, not a lot happens! There is so much focus on how the death impacts upon Charles, his feelings, wondering what might have been and reliving the memories in Downing Street when he should be doing important Prime Minister duties. I was a bit worried there would be a lot of political chat in the book but there wasn't, for so long it is just how he feels, reacts, copes or rather fails to cope. Enter Laurie, feisty, grieving, angry and hurt, determined her sister didn't commit suicide and desperate for someone to help her look into it.
Then we have a lot of focus on Laurie, her feelings, her relationship with her parents and partner and how that all fares since Lorna's death. To be honest not much happens , I felt, until close to then end, then it kicks up a notch and we have excitement, danger, risk, revelations and not to mention a few red herrings within. I think the author has a good writing style however the decision of whether the book will be crime or feelings should be chosen and stuck to as putting the two together like that, I felt just didn't work. Despite a 2/5 rating, I would read this author again. Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review and introducing me to a new author.
September 8, 2014
Having received a request from the author to read and give an honest, fair review, I was more than happy to download a copy from NetGalley. The premise of the book fell into one of my favorite categories - Mystery. Right away there's a huge story about to break within the UK about a Deputy Prime Minister and his illicit affair. Initially I thought the book was going to focus on the reporter as he uncovered the truth about the affair and what happened to the players. Instead the twin sister became one of the main characters in which the story followed. The other was Charles, the Deputy Prime Minister, himself.
Given the details that the author included about Charles, it was easy to believe that a man in his position could find himself disenchanted by the pressures and scrutiny of political life. While his wife and other secondary characters reveled in the perks of being part of the elite, he seemed more down-to-earth and homey in ways. Laurie, the twin, was the complete opposite of everything Charles knew about Lorna. It showed well in the pages where she was the focus in the story. There was plenty of good description and exploration of the secondary characters such as Elaine, wife of Charles; Faye, his assistant; and Henry, the driver. However, I thought that Arthur, Laurie's boyfriend, needed to have some of his background explored earlier in the book. It was a little jarring to know so much about him so late in the game.
The book started off well, in my opinion. I was a little taken aback that the story shifted gears so soon after the beginning and went into a different direction than I expected. I truly thought the reporter and the twin sister would be on the hunt and found it entertaining that the ex-lover was driven to investigate instead. I found plenty of action within the pages of this book. In all honesty, there were a couple of times where I found some of the conversations and descriptions to be a little much, but they really didn't impact the story in a negative way for me. There were a few twists that I wasn't expecting, so I would have to say that the author did a good job of keeping me interested until the very end of the book.
Overall, I did enjoy this book more than I anticipated after getting past the first couple of chapters. Plenty of ups and downs to follow through to the end, I was hoping that we'd know the truth behind the death of Lorna. Thankfully the answers are given - though I won't say because SPOILERS! I think the best part of the book for me was the fact that we really got to know more about Charles than anything else. It's not an easy task to bring a character to life when it's the opposite of you, the author. I felt for him when it was all said and done. I do recommend this book to those of you that enjoy mysteries with a dash of romance mixed with a hint of thriller.
Given the details that the author included about Charles, it was easy to believe that a man in his position could find himself disenchanted by the pressures and scrutiny of political life. While his wife and other secondary characters reveled in the perks of being part of the elite, he seemed more down-to-earth and homey in ways. Laurie, the twin, was the complete opposite of everything Charles knew about Lorna. It showed well in the pages where she was the focus in the story. There was plenty of good description and exploration of the secondary characters such as Elaine, wife of Charles; Faye, his assistant; and Henry, the driver. However, I thought that Arthur, Laurie's boyfriend, needed to have some of his background explored earlier in the book. It was a little jarring to know so much about him so late in the game.
The book started off well, in my opinion. I was a little taken aback that the story shifted gears so soon after the beginning and went into a different direction than I expected. I truly thought the reporter and the twin sister would be on the hunt and found it entertaining that the ex-lover was driven to investigate instead. I found plenty of action within the pages of this book. In all honesty, there were a couple of times where I found some of the conversations and descriptions to be a little much, but they really didn't impact the story in a negative way for me. There were a few twists that I wasn't expecting, so I would have to say that the author did a good job of keeping me interested until the very end of the book.
Overall, I did enjoy this book more than I anticipated after getting past the first couple of chapters. Plenty of ups and downs to follow through to the end, I was hoping that we'd know the truth behind the death of Lorna. Thankfully the answers are given - though I won't say because SPOILERS! I think the best part of the book for me was the fact that we really got to know more about Charles than anything else. It's not an easy task to bring a character to life when it's the opposite of you, the author. I felt for him when it was all said and done. I do recommend this book to those of you that enjoy mysteries with a dash of romance mixed with a hint of thriller.
August 3, 2014
I'm a big fan of crime thrillers, especially those with a strong story lines and twists and turns that keep me guessing every step of the way. I would have never thought that crime thriller would blend very well with a romantic story line, but Prime Deception manages to mix the two quite nicely.
We learn that the Deputy Prime Ministers' lover has supposedly committed suicide but her twin sister and the Minister himself finds that difficult to swallow. We follow the characters trying to unravel the truth, which in turn, slowly reveals each characters intimate thoughts as well as their flaws and shortcomings.
Jones' writing drives the story along and takes us from one situation to another fluidly and with great ease.
I love the way Jones' moves smoothly from one character to another, linked by a thought or an idea. To me, it's almost like a stream of thought on the page; the move from one character or setting flows seamlessly, it doesn't feel forced and still allows the reader with an omniscient-like view of the situation.
The characters were pretty well developed, I felt the main characters were multi-faceted and there seemed to be a sinister side to Charles, the Deputy Prime Minister, which was hinted at but not really developed and I think it could have been unearthed and maybe built upon a little bit more. I also had a few issues with some of the minor characters; there seemed to be lots a little characters introduced but then just disappeared. A journalist, for example, who seemed poised to be a major and influential character but who then just turned into a dead end.
The suspense didn't really build until the very end of the book but honestly, I was okay with that. I'm happy to guess the culprit without big flashing, neon signs pointing to the clues. It isn't a traditional thriller book but is almost a 'softer' thriller, there is more development in the characters feelings and emotions opposed to unravelling the mystery bit by bit.
My major gripe with this book is that my copy was very, very poorly edited. I can forgive one or two mistakes but the book seemed to be littered with typos. I find books with that many mistakes difficult to read as for some reason, I become fixated on those errors and struggle to seem past them.
Overall, it fairly solid book. Jones' writing style is interesting and likable, for me, the asset to the novel. The story line is good, not as many twists and turns as my favourite crime books and I did predict the killer but a fine book to dip in and out of when you fancy an easy read.
Http://www.embrace-thedetours.com
We learn that the Deputy Prime Ministers' lover has supposedly committed suicide but her twin sister and the Minister himself finds that difficult to swallow. We follow the characters trying to unravel the truth, which in turn, slowly reveals each characters intimate thoughts as well as their flaws and shortcomings.
Jones' writing drives the story along and takes us from one situation to another fluidly and with great ease.
I love the way Jones' moves smoothly from one character to another, linked by a thought or an idea. To me, it's almost like a stream of thought on the page; the move from one character or setting flows seamlessly, it doesn't feel forced and still allows the reader with an omniscient-like view of the situation.
The characters were pretty well developed, I felt the main characters were multi-faceted and there seemed to be a sinister side to Charles, the Deputy Prime Minister, which was hinted at but not really developed and I think it could have been unearthed and maybe built upon a little bit more. I also had a few issues with some of the minor characters; there seemed to be lots a little characters introduced but then just disappeared. A journalist, for example, who seemed poised to be a major and influential character but who then just turned into a dead end.
The suspense didn't really build until the very end of the book but honestly, I was okay with that. I'm happy to guess the culprit without big flashing, neon signs pointing to the clues. It isn't a traditional thriller book but is almost a 'softer' thriller, there is more development in the characters feelings and emotions opposed to unravelling the mystery bit by bit.
My major gripe with this book is that my copy was very, very poorly edited. I can forgive one or two mistakes but the book seemed to be littered with typos. I find books with that many mistakes difficult to read as for some reason, I become fixated on those errors and struggle to seem past them.
Overall, it fairly solid book. Jones' writing style is interesting and likable, for me, the asset to the novel. The story line is good, not as many twists and turns as my favourite crime books and I did predict the killer but a fine book to dip in and out of when you fancy an easy read.
Http://www.embrace-thedetours.com
September 22, 2014
*Copy provided by the author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
Lorna Thomas had a great story. A story that she would sell for a lot of money. For the last six months Lorna had been the mistress of The Deputy Prime Minister. But John Quinn, the journalist in the most popular tabloid in London never had the chance to write the story. Lorna Thomas killed herself.
The only person who really knows Lorna is her twin sister. Laura knows her sister better that anyone else and one thing is for certain, she did not commit a suicide. Lorna loved life, she would never ever kill herself. In order to find out what really happened, Laura takes Lorna's place, at work. Working together with The Deputy Prime Minister himself it is not an easy job at all. He loved Lorna and having Laura by his side is like a second chance. But for Laura is not that simple. Her whole life she tries to live in her own shoes, not her sisters'. She loves her sister very much but it's her own face that she wants to be seen. What really happened that night when Lorna's car crashed into a tree?
The two main characters in the story are well developed. Deputy Prime Minister is human after all. He a human being with feelings and emotions. He always does what is expected from him, never stands up for himself. But when Lorna enters in his life, things change. He falls in love with her, for real. When she dies, he is devastated. Laura in his life is like a second chance. She is just like her sister but very different. At first he sees Lorna in her, but soon he starts to see Laura for herself. And he wants to know Laura.
Laura was always the twin, other part of the mirror. She is the only one who really knows and loves Lorna, and that's why she is sure that her sister would never kill herself. Being Deputy Prime Minister's mistress comes with a price, and Lorna paid the price. The world of politics, suits and high heels is not for Laura, she is such a ordinary girl. Working with Deputy Prime Minister is a double-edged sword. Did he kill her sister in order to save his reputation?
Prime Deception is a mix of mystery, romance and legal thriller. I must say that I was expecting little bit more drama. The author focuses more on the two main characters and their emotions rather than the mysterious death. The things go slowly and the real drama is at the end. The story has an interesting plot, but I didn't feel it as a page-turner. My hand goes up for the cover, the artist did a really good job. Overall, the author has a promising start, and I'll be watching on her next books in future.
My opinion: 3.5 / 5.
Lorna Thomas had a great story. A story that she would sell for a lot of money. For the last six months Lorna had been the mistress of The Deputy Prime Minister. But John Quinn, the journalist in the most popular tabloid in London never had the chance to write the story. Lorna Thomas killed herself.
The only person who really knows Lorna is her twin sister. Laura knows her sister better that anyone else and one thing is for certain, she did not commit a suicide. Lorna loved life, she would never ever kill herself. In order to find out what really happened, Laura takes Lorna's place, at work. Working together with The Deputy Prime Minister himself it is not an easy job at all. He loved Lorna and having Laura by his side is like a second chance. But for Laura is not that simple. Her whole life she tries to live in her own shoes, not her sisters'. She loves her sister very much but it's her own face that she wants to be seen. What really happened that night when Lorna's car crashed into a tree?
The two main characters in the story are well developed. Deputy Prime Minister is human after all. He a human being with feelings and emotions. He always does what is expected from him, never stands up for himself. But when Lorna enters in his life, things change. He falls in love with her, for real. When she dies, he is devastated. Laura in his life is like a second chance. She is just like her sister but very different. At first he sees Lorna in her, but soon he starts to see Laura for herself. And he wants to know Laura.
Laura was always the twin, other part of the mirror. She is the only one who really knows and loves Lorna, and that's why she is sure that her sister would never kill herself. Being Deputy Prime Minister's mistress comes with a price, and Lorna paid the price. The world of politics, suits and high heels is not for Laura, she is such a ordinary girl. Working with Deputy Prime Minister is a double-edged sword. Did he kill her sister in order to save his reputation?
Prime Deception is a mix of mystery, romance and legal thriller. I must say that I was expecting little bit more drama. The author focuses more on the two main characters and their emotions rather than the mysterious death. The things go slowly and the real drama is at the end. The story has an interesting plot, but I didn't feel it as a page-turner. My hand goes up for the cover, the artist did a really good job. Overall, the author has a promising start, and I'll be watching on her next books in future.
My opinion: 3.5 / 5.
June 26, 2014
Thank you to Carys for sending me a copy of this book for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this book, I loved how descriptive Carys was when describing Charles at the start of the book, we get a really good insight into his life and thoughts. The story starts in a very calm way which was interesting as I was expecting the story to jump straight in at the scene of Lorna’s crash, but I think starting the story this way makes it so much more intriguing. We learn right at the start that Charles doesn't like his job as the Deputy Prime Minister, is in a loveless marriage and has been having an affair with his much younger secretary.
Without saying too much as no matter what I say I will give something away, the book is about a young woman, Lorna, the Deputy Prime Minister’s secretary, who has killed herself by driving her car at speed into a tree, or so say the police. However, Lorna had a secret, could it be one that caused her death? Her twin sister Laurie is convinced that she was killed and takes matters into her own hands to try to find out exactly what happened. The whole time you are reading this book you can’t help but try to work it out for yourself what could have actually happened. You do find out what happened at the end and if it is murder, is the murderer somebody you expect? Read the book to find out!
We find out a lot about Lorna and Laurie through the life of Laurie and the problems that she faces following her sisters death. She is devastated by her sister’s death and her parents shut her out as she reminds them too much of Lorna. I really felt sorry for her and really wanted to help her out!
My favourite character is definitely Laurie, I love how she takes matters into her own hands and really shows how much her sister means to her, it is really nice and reminds me of my sister and that we would do the same in this kind of situation. I felt a strong dislike towards Charles’ wife Elaine, she doesn't love her husband, just clings onto him for his job and the stability and just drapes herself in designer clothes.
I would definitely recommend anybody that likes a book that has your brain working overtime! I found it very difficult to put this book down, it is a short story which you can get through in no time. This book went through so many emotions, shock, excitement and sadness being the main ones! If this book is anything to go by I am definitely going to read more by Carys as I adore her writing style and the life she put into this book! This could definitely be a bestseller!
I really enjoyed this book, I loved how descriptive Carys was when describing Charles at the start of the book, we get a really good insight into his life and thoughts. The story starts in a very calm way which was interesting as I was expecting the story to jump straight in at the scene of Lorna’s crash, but I think starting the story this way makes it so much more intriguing. We learn right at the start that Charles doesn't like his job as the Deputy Prime Minister, is in a loveless marriage and has been having an affair with his much younger secretary.
Without saying too much as no matter what I say I will give something away, the book is about a young woman, Lorna, the Deputy Prime Minister’s secretary, who has killed herself by driving her car at speed into a tree, or so say the police. However, Lorna had a secret, could it be one that caused her death? Her twin sister Laurie is convinced that she was killed and takes matters into her own hands to try to find out exactly what happened. The whole time you are reading this book you can’t help but try to work it out for yourself what could have actually happened. You do find out what happened at the end and if it is murder, is the murderer somebody you expect? Read the book to find out!
We find out a lot about Lorna and Laurie through the life of Laurie and the problems that she faces following her sisters death. She is devastated by her sister’s death and her parents shut her out as she reminds them too much of Lorna. I really felt sorry for her and really wanted to help her out!
My favourite character is definitely Laurie, I love how she takes matters into her own hands and really shows how much her sister means to her, it is really nice and reminds me of my sister and that we would do the same in this kind of situation. I felt a strong dislike towards Charles’ wife Elaine, she doesn't love her husband, just clings onto him for his job and the stability and just drapes herself in designer clothes.
I would definitely recommend anybody that likes a book that has your brain working overtime! I found it very difficult to put this book down, it is a short story which you can get through in no time. This book went through so many emotions, shock, excitement and sadness being the main ones! If this book is anything to go by I am definitely going to read more by Carys as I adore her writing style and the life she put into this book! This could definitely be a bestseller!
November 5, 2014
Review first posted on my blog: http://spoonfulofhappyendings.blogspo...
Charles Lloyd is the Deputy Prime Minister of England and quite unhappy with his life. His job doesn't give him much pleasure anymore and he's stuck in a loveless marriage to his wife Elaine. The only thing that still managed to make him smile was his Downing Street intern Lorna, who was his mistress for six blissful months until she was found dead in her car. Everyone suspects it to have been suicide, but there are still a lot of unanswered questions surrounding Lorna's death. Both Charles and Lorna's family try to pick up their lives again without Lorna, except for one person: Lorna's twin sister Laurie, who is convinced her sister would never have committed suicide. To prove Lorna was actually murdered, she decides she needs to follow in her sister's footsteps, which means becoming the Deputy Prime Minister's intern while trying to find the missing pieces of the puzzle.
I thought the plotline of this novel was really promising. The blurb and the first few chapters managed to attract my attention quite easily and I was really curious to find out more about the characters and, most importantly, Lorna's death. I don't want to give away too much of the plot, because with books like this one it can be quite easy to ruin the story for others, which is something I definitely don't want to do with this review. There was a fascinating mix of well-rounded characters and intriguing relationships, and Carys Jones' writing is easy to read and enjoyable.
Yet, I wouldn't describe this as a real suspenseful read; I missed that touch of excitement while I was reading the book. The beginning and the ending were really intriguing and especially the ending had me on the edge of my seat, but the middle part of the story was a bit slow-paced and focused more on the emotions of the characters than the actual murder case. Of course, readers have different tastes; some might really enjoy the specific focus on the characters and their feelings and thoughts, but in this case I personally wished there had been more suspense. Having said that, I did really enjoy Carys Jones' writing and will definitely pick up some of her other work in the future. 'Prime Deception' is an interesting and quite enjoyable mix of romance and thriller, but it didn't turn out to be the addictive read I was hoping it would be.
Charles Lloyd is the Deputy Prime Minister of England and quite unhappy with his life. His job doesn't give him much pleasure anymore and he's stuck in a loveless marriage to his wife Elaine. The only thing that still managed to make him smile was his Downing Street intern Lorna, who was his mistress for six blissful months until she was found dead in her car. Everyone suspects it to have been suicide, but there are still a lot of unanswered questions surrounding Lorna's death. Both Charles and Lorna's family try to pick up their lives again without Lorna, except for one person: Lorna's twin sister Laurie, who is convinced her sister would never have committed suicide. To prove Lorna was actually murdered, she decides she needs to follow in her sister's footsteps, which means becoming the Deputy Prime Minister's intern while trying to find the missing pieces of the puzzle.
I thought the plotline of this novel was really promising. The blurb and the first few chapters managed to attract my attention quite easily and I was really curious to find out more about the characters and, most importantly, Lorna's death. I don't want to give away too much of the plot, because with books like this one it can be quite easy to ruin the story for others, which is something I definitely don't want to do with this review. There was a fascinating mix of well-rounded characters and intriguing relationships, and Carys Jones' writing is easy to read and enjoyable.
Yet, I wouldn't describe this as a real suspenseful read; I missed that touch of excitement while I was reading the book. The beginning and the ending were really intriguing and especially the ending had me on the edge of my seat, but the middle part of the story was a bit slow-paced and focused more on the emotions of the characters than the actual murder case. Of course, readers have different tastes; some might really enjoy the specific focus on the characters and their feelings and thoughts, but in this case I personally wished there had been more suspense. Having said that, I did really enjoy Carys Jones' writing and will definitely pick up some of her other work in the future. 'Prime Deception' is an interesting and quite enjoyable mix of romance and thriller, but it didn't turn out to be the addictive read I was hoping it would be.
September 3, 2014
I received this book via NetGalley.
After reading the blurb I figured this would be a really good mystery, but it was more of a decent one. There wasn't really a mystery so to say. The characters did not feel fully developed for me. We have a young intern who is having an affair with the Prime Minister OH NO right? Yeah it seemed to be more hush-hush. Or so what is thought. We learn a bit about Lorna through her twin sister who comes into play later on but it just didn't feel as though we truly learn who Lorna is. Why all of a sudden would she want to sell her story? Yes I understood she was hurt but there has to be an underlying reason and I didn't feel as though I got a true answer. Along with that being said the Prime Minister lets talk about him. He is in the office "working" but it seemed all he could do is reminisce about Lorna and then when her sister came into play I felt as though he kept trying to flirt with her? I mean really? You are thinking about Lorna and all this but yet you seem to want to be with her sister or that is the impression I got.
Now the whole mystery about Lorna's death. I felt this fell short. Both the Prime Minister and Laurie wanted to investigate but there wasn't that push to do anything. Yes we find out who killed her which was not the person I was really thinking about so that is a good thing. But I figured that the characters would get dirty trying to uncover some big secret.
I felt a majority of the story dealt with the Prime Minister and his feelings on Lorna and how much he missed her but yet he didn't want to leave his wife. Even though he loved her and he kept trying to avoid her. After a while the repetitiveness just kind of dulls.
Now at the end one of the characters has a gun. I never truly understood this person's intentions on using the gun. Was it to kill another character? Was it to scare 'em? Was it to save the day because this person had a hunch? I truly felt that just maybe this part needed to be elaborated on more thoroughly. Along with more character development. There was also a few grammar issues that I do not know if they have been worked out.
Would I read more by this author I do believe so. I feel as though she has a real knack for writing but may need some more work.
After reading the blurb I figured this would be a really good mystery, but it was more of a decent one. There wasn't really a mystery so to say. The characters did not feel fully developed for me. We have a young intern who is having an affair with the Prime Minister OH NO right? Yeah it seemed to be more hush-hush. Or so what is thought. We learn a bit about Lorna through her twin sister who comes into play later on but it just didn't feel as though we truly learn who Lorna is. Why all of a sudden would she want to sell her story? Yes I understood she was hurt but there has to be an underlying reason and I didn't feel as though I got a true answer. Along with that being said the Prime Minister lets talk about him. He is in the office "working" but it seemed all he could do is reminisce about Lorna and then when her sister came into play I felt as though he kept trying to flirt with her? I mean really? You are thinking about Lorna and all this but yet you seem to want to be with her sister or that is the impression I got.
Now the whole mystery about Lorna's death. I felt this fell short. Both the Prime Minister and Laurie wanted to investigate but there wasn't that push to do anything. Yes we find out who killed her which was not the person I was really thinking about so that is a good thing. But I figured that the characters would get dirty trying to uncover some big secret.
I felt a majority of the story dealt with the Prime Minister and his feelings on Lorna and how much he missed her but yet he didn't want to leave his wife. Even though he loved her and he kept trying to avoid her. After a while the repetitiveness just kind of dulls.
Now at the end one of the characters has a gun. I never truly understood this person's intentions on using the gun. Was it to kill another character? Was it to scare 'em? Was it to save the day because this person had a hunch? I truly felt that just maybe this part needed to be elaborated on more thoroughly. Along with more character development. There was also a few grammar issues that I do not know if they have been worked out.
Would I read more by this author I do believe so. I feel as though she has a real knack for writing but may need some more work.
July 2, 2014
I have to admit I’m a little torn on this book. On one hand it’s a comfortable and easy read and I read it in a sitting. I noted it was promoted as mystery / romance, but – thankfully – there wasn’t a lot of romance (which was a relief to me as I’m not a fan). But I suspect that would disappoint those with expectations.
When political intern, Lorna Thomas is killed in a single vehicle accident it’s believed that she committed suicide. Her twin sister Laurie however, has her doubts and believes Lorna’s death had something to do with her sister’s lover and boss – England’s Deputy Prime Minister, Charles Lloyd.
Charles – a career politician is in an unhappy (though suitable) marriage to Elaine. He was in love with Lorna but broke up with her shortly before her death when he realised others were aware of their affair.
Feeling guilty over his former lover’s death Charles clutches onto Laurie’s belief that Lorna did not kill herself. And the verdict of suicide is called further into doubt when it’s discovered that Lorna was about to sell details of their affair to a local tabloid.
The plot itself was interesting – if not new - well-known man cheating on wife with younger woman who threatens to go public and is subsequently killed.
I think Jones missed the opportunity to add more substance to the novel by introducing a layer of political intrigue. Instead Charles seemed more like an inept and bumbling public official than anyone wielding any political power.
The character of Laurie was well-developed, as was Charles' – but while the latter wallowed in guilt and lost-love for part of the novel, I felt there was almost a turning point when he actually became quite lecherous and revolting. I had seen him in a certain light and this changed markedly.
Finally, in terms of feasibility, having also worked closely with Ministers’ offices in the past, it seemed Charles had a lot of latitude in terms of his time and freedom. I’m accustomed to Ministers being constantly hounded by gazillions of staff and their every movement monitored.
However, despite a few weaknesses, I found this an enjoyable read and am giving it 2.5 stars.
When political intern, Lorna Thomas is killed in a single vehicle accident it’s believed that she committed suicide. Her twin sister Laurie however, has her doubts and believes Lorna’s death had something to do with her sister’s lover and boss – England’s Deputy Prime Minister, Charles Lloyd.
Charles – a career politician is in an unhappy (though suitable) marriage to Elaine. He was in love with Lorna but broke up with her shortly before her death when he realised others were aware of their affair.
Feeling guilty over his former lover’s death Charles clutches onto Laurie’s belief that Lorna did not kill herself. And the verdict of suicide is called further into doubt when it’s discovered that Lorna was about to sell details of their affair to a local tabloid.
The plot itself was interesting – if not new - well-known man cheating on wife with younger woman who threatens to go public and is subsequently killed.
I think Jones missed the opportunity to add more substance to the novel by introducing a layer of political intrigue. Instead Charles seemed more like an inept and bumbling public official than anyone wielding any political power.
The character of Laurie was well-developed, as was Charles' – but while the latter wallowed in guilt and lost-love for part of the novel, I felt there was almost a turning point when he actually became quite lecherous and revolting. I had seen him in a certain light and this changed markedly.
Finally, in terms of feasibility, having also worked closely with Ministers’ offices in the past, it seemed Charles had a lot of latitude in terms of his time and freedom. I’m accustomed to Ministers being constantly hounded by gazillions of staff and their every movement monitored.
However, despite a few weaknesses, I found this an enjoyable read and am giving it 2.5 stars.
August 26, 2014
I was contacted by the author on Goodreads, to read and review this book via Netgalley, in return for an honest review.
On reading the blurb about the book, I immediately thought it would be something that I wanted to read and accepted the invitation.
The book tells the story of the Deputy Prime Minister, Charles and his affair with one of his interns - Lorna, who tragically commits suicide one day, not long after breaking up with Charles. However, Charles doesn't believe the report and sets about, with Lorna's twin sister, Laurie, to find out what actually happened on that night.
The story started off well. There was lots of build up about Charles' life and some mystery surrounding Lorna's death and then the mysterious appearance of a girl who looks just Lorna, which sets Charles' emotions running high again.
However, the story didn't really do it for me. There was too much too'ing and fro'ing with Laurie being called in Charles' office, and then going back home, to coming back to London, to going back home again. In the end I lost track.
There were also too many flash backs to life with Lorna. There were a whole two chapters, almost, at the beginning of the book in which Charles remembers the affair and what had happened - which was relevant at that point in the story, I just felt it went on for too long. And then there were the flashbacks that Laurie had with her life with Lorna, and it seemed that these were just added as padding, rather than adding any depth.
For me, the suspense wasn't built up enough around Lorna's death and it wasn't until the last chapter that things picked up pace and the real story came out. Which was a good end, one which I didn't see coming but not an overly spectacular one.
I feel that this story had a good premise, but that it was probably written in the wrong time frame. It could have started much earlier on in the affair and been built up much better. However, the writer has potential and her work was well written, just not quite the right story. I do feel though, that this story would make for a good short film or for a television series, as the use of flashbacks could be made more of on TV.
On reading the blurb about the book, I immediately thought it would be something that I wanted to read and accepted the invitation.
The book tells the story of the Deputy Prime Minister, Charles and his affair with one of his interns - Lorna, who tragically commits suicide one day, not long after breaking up with Charles. However, Charles doesn't believe the report and sets about, with Lorna's twin sister, Laurie, to find out what actually happened on that night.
The story started off well. There was lots of build up about Charles' life and some mystery surrounding Lorna's death and then the mysterious appearance of a girl who looks just Lorna, which sets Charles' emotions running high again.
However, the story didn't really do it for me. There was too much too'ing and fro'ing with Laurie being called in Charles' office, and then going back home, to coming back to London, to going back home again. In the end I lost track.
There were also too many flash backs to life with Lorna. There were a whole two chapters, almost, at the beginning of the book in which Charles remembers the affair and what had happened - which was relevant at that point in the story, I just felt it went on for too long. And then there were the flashbacks that Laurie had with her life with Lorna, and it seemed that these were just added as padding, rather than adding any depth.
For me, the suspense wasn't built up enough around Lorna's death and it wasn't until the last chapter that things picked up pace and the real story came out. Which was a good end, one which I didn't see coming but not an overly spectacular one.
I feel that this story had a good premise, but that it was probably written in the wrong time frame. It could have started much earlier on in the affair and been built up much better. However, the writer has potential and her work was well written, just not quite the right story. I do feel though, that this story would make for a good short film or for a television series, as the use of flashbacks could be made more of on TV.
October 17, 2014
Prime Deception was a great change of pace for me. It's an adult suspense novel, something I don't read very often. The premise alone was very intriguing: Lorna Thomas is in love with Britain's Deputy Prime Minister---who is married. They have an affair, break up, and then Lorna is found dead of an apparent suicide. Lorna's identical twin, Laurie, believes Lorna was murdered, and sets out to find her killer.
Laurie goes so far as to get Lorna's old job as an intern with the Deputy Prime Minister's office, to get close to the man Lorna loved. Her arrival has the Deputy Prime Minister, Charles, thinking he's going mad, that he's seeing Lorna's ghost (he never knew she had a twin). Soon, the two team up to discover the truth about what really happened to Lorna.
Prime Deception is written with a dual narrative. I liked that because Jones really let the reader into both Laurie and Charles's thoughts. The setting of London was fun for me, and made the story more interesting. There was great character development, which was a definite plus given how long this book is. And to top it all off, there was a ton of suspense. Jones kept me guessing until the end as to what really happened the night Lorna died. I found myself really invested in the story, and quite surprised at the ending.
Speaking of the ending, I loved that it was realistic and true to the story. It wasn't your typical YA fairytale ending, rather it was more of a "this is how it would happen in real life" ending.
My two complaints about Prime Deception was that the story was quite heavy on the emotions of both main characters (I got a little tired of hearing just how much Charles missed Lorna) and that the pace was slow until the end of the book. There was a lot of build up, which was great, but it made for slow reading for much of the story. Part of this feeling could be that I'm used to the faster pace and quicker payoff of YA literature.
All in all, I finished Prime Deception happy that I'd taken the time to read this book. It was a neat read, and worth your time if you like suspense novels. I really enjoyed it and would definitely read Carys Jones again.
Laurie goes so far as to get Lorna's old job as an intern with the Deputy Prime Minister's office, to get close to the man Lorna loved. Her arrival has the Deputy Prime Minister, Charles, thinking he's going mad, that he's seeing Lorna's ghost (he never knew she had a twin). Soon, the two team up to discover the truth about what really happened to Lorna.
Prime Deception is written with a dual narrative. I liked that because Jones really let the reader into both Laurie and Charles's thoughts. The setting of London was fun for me, and made the story more interesting. There was great character development, which was a definite plus given how long this book is. And to top it all off, there was a ton of suspense. Jones kept me guessing until the end as to what really happened the night Lorna died. I found myself really invested in the story, and quite surprised at the ending.
Speaking of the ending, I loved that it was realistic and true to the story. It wasn't your typical YA fairytale ending, rather it was more of a "this is how it would happen in real life" ending.
My two complaints about Prime Deception was that the story was quite heavy on the emotions of both main characters (I got a little tired of hearing just how much Charles missed Lorna) and that the pace was slow until the end of the book. There was a lot of build up, which was great, but it made for slow reading for much of the story. Part of this feeling could be that I'm used to the faster pace and quicker payoff of YA literature.
All in all, I finished Prime Deception happy that I'd taken the time to read this book. It was a neat read, and worth your time if you like suspense novels. I really enjoyed it and would definitely read Carys Jones again.
September 7, 2014
After not really knowing what to expect from this book after reading previous reviews (was it a romance or a crime suspense?) I was pleasantly surprised. To me, there was no doubt that this is a romance, albeit one shrouded in mystery and intrigue.
I really sympathised with Charles, although hated that I did, as he was the pivotal key to everything that happened. I didn’t struggle with the lack of political references. To me, there were enough mentions of the role he had to play in the government and it didn’t worry me that this was never covered in further detail, indeed, it may have detracted from the story too much if we had been bombarded with political references on every turn of the page.
There were a few niggles for me. The first was the constant switch of POV. Sometimes there were quick bursts from a character, and then we slipped back to another. Occasionally I became a little lost and had to reread to grasp whose POV I was in. Perhaps some sort of visual break would have made these switches easier for the reader.
Secondly the backstories. I found these really repetitive as every few fifty of so pages the same thing was said only in a different way. A lot of this could have been cut.
And thirdly. I think Carina have let Carys down on the editing support they gave her. There were distracting typos in my kindle edition, and several areas that in my view could have been tightened.
Even with my little niggles I still really enjoyed this book, galloping through the pages wanting to know how things were going to end.
If the editors had done a better job then this book would be a definite 5 stars, but I felt I had to drop one due to the niggles I just described.
Carys is a good storyteller, and I shall definitely be heading over to read her other books, and hope they are as gripping as Prime Deception. If Carina have edited her other books, I hope they have tightened their procedure to help make Carys's writing shine as much as it deserves!
Melody
I really sympathised with Charles, although hated that I did, as he was the pivotal key to everything that happened. I didn’t struggle with the lack of political references. To me, there were enough mentions of the role he had to play in the government and it didn’t worry me that this was never covered in further detail, indeed, it may have detracted from the story too much if we had been bombarded with political references on every turn of the page.
There were a few niggles for me. The first was the constant switch of POV. Sometimes there were quick bursts from a character, and then we slipped back to another. Occasionally I became a little lost and had to reread to grasp whose POV I was in. Perhaps some sort of visual break would have made these switches easier for the reader.
Secondly the backstories. I found these really repetitive as every few fifty of so pages the same thing was said only in a different way. A lot of this could have been cut.
And thirdly. I think Carina have let Carys down on the editing support they gave her. There were distracting typos in my kindle edition, and several areas that in my view could have been tightened.
Even with my little niggles I still really enjoyed this book, galloping through the pages wanting to know how things were going to end.
If the editors had done a better job then this book would be a definite 5 stars, but I felt I had to drop one due to the niggles I just described.
Carys is a good storyteller, and I shall definitely be heading over to read her other books, and hope they are as gripping as Prime Deception. If Carina have edited her other books, I hope they have tightened their procedure to help make Carys's writing shine as much as it deserves!
Melody
August 17, 2014
Note: A few spoilers below.
The book, Prime Deception, is all about uncovering the details of the alleged suicide of Ms. Lorna Thomas. A young and beautiful intern that is drawn to the power and charisma of the Deputy Prime Minister who engages in a forbidden affair with him. The affair is eventually broken off and months later, Lorna is found dead, apparently by her own will she has driven herself into a tree. With the news of the his mistress’s death the Deputy Prime Minister is shaken to his core. Could she really have killed herself? Is it his fault? Did he really know her as a person? He is left with so many questions and is wrecked with grief and guilt.
I would normally not give away so much of the book but its hard to review without giving some details away. For me this book was ok. It is more of a romance novel than a mystery thriller. I did spend a lot of time when I was reading the book, deciding who I thought would have killed Lorna if it wasn’t suicide (which I never really thought it was). I was compelled to keep reading for two reasons: I wanted to know who killed Lorna and I wanted to learn more about a secondary character, Laurie, Lorna’s twin sister.
This character was important to me particularly because I have a twin sister who I love very much and feel that she is very much a part of what makes me, me. She truly completes me. Without her I wouldn’t be the same. Therefore when Lorna’s twin, Laurie, shows up looking for answers I can totally relate to how hard that it would be to lose your twin sister. When you are a twin you share almost all your special moments together which links you in a way different from other siblings. If Laurie was not in the book I am not completely sure I would have finished the book, but if you like harlequin romance this book may be for you. I personally wish that it would have focused more on mystery than romance, as the beginning of the book is pretty compelling. So there you have it. That’s the details on Prime Deception.
The book, Prime Deception, is all about uncovering the details of the alleged suicide of Ms. Lorna Thomas. A young and beautiful intern that is drawn to the power and charisma of the Deputy Prime Minister who engages in a forbidden affair with him. The affair is eventually broken off and months later, Lorna is found dead, apparently by her own will she has driven herself into a tree. With the news of the his mistress’s death the Deputy Prime Minister is shaken to his core. Could she really have killed herself? Is it his fault? Did he really know her as a person? He is left with so many questions and is wrecked with grief and guilt.
I would normally not give away so much of the book but its hard to review without giving some details away. For me this book was ok. It is more of a romance novel than a mystery thriller. I did spend a lot of time when I was reading the book, deciding who I thought would have killed Lorna if it wasn’t suicide (which I never really thought it was). I was compelled to keep reading for two reasons: I wanted to know who killed Lorna and I wanted to learn more about a secondary character, Laurie, Lorna’s twin sister.
This character was important to me particularly because I have a twin sister who I love very much and feel that she is very much a part of what makes me, me. She truly completes me. Without her I wouldn’t be the same. Therefore when Lorna’s twin, Laurie, shows up looking for answers I can totally relate to how hard that it would be to lose your twin sister. When you are a twin you share almost all your special moments together which links you in a way different from other siblings. If Laurie was not in the book I am not completely sure I would have finished the book, but if you like harlequin romance this book may be for you. I personally wish that it would have focused more on mystery than romance, as the beginning of the book is pretty compelling. So there you have it. That’s the details on Prime Deception.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 31, 2014
This is another one I picked up from Netgalley. Onto the review:
For the sake of the synopsis, I am going to refer to the main character Deputy Prime Minister of England Charles Lloyd as the Boy.
50 year old boy is bored and angered by wife and life. Boy meets 22 year old girl intern. Boy and girl have affair. Boy stops affair. Shortly thereafter, girl dies. Boy mourns and cries. Girl's dead twin sister seeks out boy to ask boy for help because new girl thinks dead girl's death was not an "accident." Boy agrees. Boy starts to feel things for new girl since she is identical to dead girl. Boy uses contacts to find report on accident. Boy finds ONE thing. Boy continues to believe he feels the same for new girl as she does for him. Boy is DELUSIONAL. New girl finds boy repulsive and silly. Girl gets herself in a predicament and calls boy for help. Boy comes running. Then boy is told not to come. Boy goes home. Boy finds new girl tied up and ready to be killed by boy's wife. Boy's wife is crazy and wants boy to watch wife kill girl so they can go back to their "perfect life of fame and fortune." Wife attempts to shoot new girl when to the rescue comes new girl's boyfriend and shoots wife. Wife dies. Boy hugs girl. Girl gives boy lip service and runs away with boyfriend back to their hometown. THE END.
This book felt more like a romance than a mystery. The whole premise was based around the affair and the issues that Charles was dealing with in his marriage and battling his own personal demons. The title clearly indicates the theme of a thriller/mystery, but when reading it there was only the one mere mention of the case surrounding the death of Lorna and that was Charles' contact found ONE thing. No delving into the investigation further and uncovering more clues, which is what a mystery book TENDS to do. The book seemed weak and could have been a lot better had the story not focused so much on the inner battles of Charles and his life. So for the possible potential of this book, I gave it 2 stars.
For the sake of the synopsis, I am going to refer to the main character Deputy Prime Minister of England Charles Lloyd as the Boy.
50 year old boy is bored and angered by wife and life. Boy meets 22 year old girl intern. Boy and girl have affair. Boy stops affair. Shortly thereafter, girl dies. Boy mourns and cries. Girl's dead twin sister seeks out boy to ask boy for help because new girl thinks dead girl's death was not an "accident." Boy agrees. Boy starts to feel things for new girl since she is identical to dead girl. Boy uses contacts to find report on accident. Boy finds ONE thing. Boy continues to believe he feels the same for new girl as she does for him. Boy is DELUSIONAL. New girl finds boy repulsive and silly. Girl gets herself in a predicament and calls boy for help. Boy comes running. Then boy is told not to come. Boy goes home. Boy finds new girl tied up and ready to be killed by boy's wife. Boy's wife is crazy and wants boy to watch wife kill girl so they can go back to their "perfect life of fame and fortune." Wife attempts to shoot new girl when to the rescue comes new girl's boyfriend and shoots wife. Wife dies. Boy hugs girl. Girl gives boy lip service and runs away with boyfriend back to their hometown. THE END.
This book felt more like a romance than a mystery. The whole premise was based around the affair and the issues that Charles was dealing with in his marriage and battling his own personal demons. The title clearly indicates the theme of a thriller/mystery, but when reading it there was only the one mere mention of the case surrounding the death of Lorna and that was Charles' contact found ONE thing. No delving into the investigation further and uncovering more clues, which is what a mystery book TENDS to do. The book seemed weak and could have been a lot better had the story not focused so much on the inner battles of Charles and his life. So for the possible potential of this book, I gave it 2 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 1, 2016
I picked up this book thinking that it would be a romance only to find out that there was no romance in this book. This story is a mystery and centers around an apparent suicide. The book was well written and interesting; it just wasn’t what I thought it would be. The story takes place in England which makes for a different book. The terms and structure of the government are a little different than how we do things here in America. They take some getting used to, but don’t detract from the story.
Laurie Thomas doesn’t believe that her twin sister, Lorna, committed suicide by driving her car into a tree. She is convinced that someone had a hand in her sister’s death. She leaves her comfortable country life to take up her sister’s job as an intern with the Deputy Prime Minister’s office. Laurie hopes to discover what got her sister killed and who the murderer is.
Charles Lloyd might just hold the clues that Laurie needs. Not only is he the Deputy Prime Minister, but he was also having an affair with Lorna. He also thinks that her “suicide” was murder, but has thrown himself so far into grief he hasn’t done anything about it. When Laurie shows up in his office, she provides the impetuous he needs to start looking into Lorna’s death.
What follows is a complicated relationship between two people searching for answers and figuring out how to move on from a tragedy. Being Lorna’s identical twin complicates things for Laurie since Charles has a hard time separating them. It also makes it more difficult for Laurie to move on since she is constantly reminded of the void in her life when she looks in the mirror. Politics play a big role in this book as well since Charles is married.
We do find out who the murderer is and the clues are all laid out nicely for us. I thought that I had figured out who the murderer was and it was nice to be right. Things do get wrapped up at the end of the book so there are no loose strings there.
Laurie Thomas doesn’t believe that her twin sister, Lorna, committed suicide by driving her car into a tree. She is convinced that someone had a hand in her sister’s death. She leaves her comfortable country life to take up her sister’s job as an intern with the Deputy Prime Minister’s office. Laurie hopes to discover what got her sister killed and who the murderer is.
Charles Lloyd might just hold the clues that Laurie needs. Not only is he the Deputy Prime Minister, but he was also having an affair with Lorna. He also thinks that her “suicide” was murder, but has thrown himself so far into grief he hasn’t done anything about it. When Laurie shows up in his office, she provides the impetuous he needs to start looking into Lorna’s death.
What follows is a complicated relationship between two people searching for answers and figuring out how to move on from a tragedy. Being Lorna’s identical twin complicates things for Laurie since Charles has a hard time separating them. It also makes it more difficult for Laurie to move on since she is constantly reminded of the void in her life when she looks in the mirror. Politics play a big role in this book as well since Charles is married.
We do find out who the murderer is and the clues are all laid out nicely for us. I thought that I had figured out who the murderer was and it was nice to be right. Things do get wrapped up at the end of the book so there are no loose strings there.
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