I loved Dance With Deception! From the first page, to the last, it was an engaging tale of love, deception and, ultimately, hope and forgiveness.
Gwendolyn MacAlistair longs for love yet her callous father is forcing her into a marriage to a man she detests. Enter Sebastian Montgomery, a man of nobility, whose own father possessed a rather ruthless nature. Gwen and Sebastian fall in love, but with that comes Gwen’s dilemma: how can she follow her heart when it means defying her ailing father’s dying wish? Meanwhile, Sebastian must decide just how far he is willing to go to make his love his wife.
Dance With Deception expertly blends the history of the early Victorian era with the pure emotion of the characters involved. Imagine a time when women had no rights, when women were beholden to their guardians, where ‘duty’ governed decisions. It is touching and quite poignant to read how Gwen wrestles with her choice, weighing the consequences and willing to sacrifice her own happiness for her duty to her father. It is equally as touching to see Sebastian do what he feels is necessary, all the while aware that it could destroy his relationship with Gwen.
Reading the story of Gwen and her dashing Duke reminded me of some of my favorite historical romances by Judith McNaught and Julie Garwood. Also, as another reviewer stated, it is very much like the classics many of us know and love (the writings of Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters). Like the classics, Dance With Deception weaves lush descriptions, romance, and raw emotion with well defined characters that the reader falls in love with.
A friend recommended this novel to me. She loved it, she raved about it, and she couldn’t stop talking about it. I bought it and couldn’t be happier that I did. This book delivers and the reader will laugh, cry and cheer these characters along their journey. The end of the novel is the most satisfying I’ve read in ages. Like my friend, I can’t wait for Tracy Goodwin’s next novel and I’m officially a fan for life.
If you love historical romances and classics by Austen and the Bronte sisters, read Dance With Deception. It is beautiful, heartwarming, and thoroughly romantic – a classic love story and I can’t recommend it enough.