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Deceptive: A Psychological Dark Romance of Obsession, Betrayal, and Desire
She was trained to lie. But the truth might destroy her.
The story follows Alicia, an elite undercover agent walking a tightrope between deception and truth, where neither is safe.
What begins as a game of seduction spirals into a maze of lies, blurred loyalties, and impossible choices.
Nothing is what it seems. Plot twists explode, rules shift, and trust becomes a deadly gamble.
When love hurts more than bullets and betrayal is inevitable, the line between good and evil desintegrates, and the greatest threat may come from within.
Dark. Addictive. Emotionally twisted.
DECEPTIVE is a dark romance with psycholohical dept, razor-sharp dialogue, and morally grey characters that will keep you hooked until the last page.
Deceptive contains mature themes, explicit content, and morally complex relationships.
Recommended for readers 18+
The story follows Alicia, an elite undercover agent walking a tightrope between deception and truth, where neither is safe.
What begins as a game of seduction spirals into a maze of lies, blurred loyalties, and impossible choices.
Nothing is what it seems. Plot twists explode, rules shift, and trust becomes a deadly gamble.
When love hurts more than bullets and betrayal is inevitable, the line between good and evil desintegrates, and the greatest threat may come from within.
Dark. Addictive. Emotionally twisted.
DECEPTIVE is a dark romance with psycholohical dept, razor-sharp dialogue, and morally grey characters that will keep you hooked until the last page.
Deceptive contains mature themes, explicit content, and morally complex relationships.
Recommended for readers 18+
326 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 25, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 2, 2025
You know it's good when you're not even a romance fan, but you still can't put it down. It's the kind of book that truly deserves to find its target readers.
I had the pleasure of reading Deceptive in its early stages and seeing it translated and published for a wider audience brought me so much joy!! Meeting the characters again felt like rediscovering a hidden gem, I was reminded of how real and complex they were and how much their story tugs at one's heartstrings. I knew beforehand that I wasn't about to read a typical fluffy love story, but rather a dark, twisted one full of flawed, fascinating people, yet I was amazed at the intricate universe Alek Voss created. Alicia is a particularly compelling protagonist and I really enjoyed being inside her head. The book leans into dark romance territory (with just the right amount of spice), but what sets it apart is how it flirts with psychological thriller elements. The writing is witty and sharp, and the balance between action-packed scenes and emotionally charged flashbacks was *so* satisfying to get through, although some chapters wrecked me💔 The plot kept me hooked the entire way through and I enjoyed every page.
I would highly recommend this book to dark romance readers looking for something a little different. If you enjoy stories featuring undercover agents, danger and seduction, this is the book for you. Just proceed with caution.
I had the pleasure of reading Deceptive in its early stages and seeing it translated and published for a wider audience brought me so much joy!! Meeting the characters again felt like rediscovering a hidden gem, I was reminded of how real and complex they were and how much their story tugs at one's heartstrings. I knew beforehand that I wasn't about to read a typical fluffy love story, but rather a dark, twisted one full of flawed, fascinating people, yet I was amazed at the intricate universe Alek Voss created. Alicia is a particularly compelling protagonist and I really enjoyed being inside her head. The book leans into dark romance territory (with just the right amount of spice), but what sets it apart is how it flirts with psychological thriller elements. The writing is witty and sharp, and the balance between action-packed scenes and emotionally charged flashbacks was *so* satisfying to get through, although some chapters wrecked me💔 The plot kept me hooked the entire way through and I enjoyed every page.
I would highly recommend this book to dark romance readers looking for something a little different. If you enjoy stories featuring undercover agents, danger and seduction, this is the book for you. Just proceed with caution.
August 25, 2025
I mostly read dark romance, this one has a special place in my heart!
January 30, 2026
I just finished this book, and I have to say, it completely drew me in. At first, the masquerade ball was a bit confusing, but after that, I couldn’t put it down. Those five hours of reading had everything — emotion, tension, and drama.
I felt sympathy for the main character because of her past, but also frustration at some of her choices. The story is full of surprising moments, subtle jealousy, and possessiveness that keeps you hooked. And wow, some events really made me feel intense emotions — anger, excitement, and suspense all at once!
Mark immediately caught my attention and kept me captivated throughout. The book stays gripping until the very last page.
I felt sympathy for the main character because of her past, but also frustration at some of her choices. The story is full of surprising moments, subtle jealousy, and possessiveness that keeps you hooked. And wow, some events really made me feel intense emotions — anger, excitement, and suspense all at once!
Mark immediately caught my attention and kept me captivated throughout. The book stays gripping until the very last page.
July 27, 2026
I can’t remember when was the last time i stood awake at night because I couldn’t put a book down . Well, it happened with this one . It had me wrapped in it that I just couldn’t stop reading until I knew what happens next . You know when you read a book and maybe sometimes you skip a few lines and go straight to the dialogue because you read it all before in another book and with some different words? Well, with this book it didn’t happened, I was hooked to every line. Really enjoyed reading it and would recommend to anyone looking for something different that makes you read until you know it all , or maybe we think we know it all :)
November 4, 2026
A great read, following the story I thought I had it figured out and then lots of plot twists and hard to put down! Very more ish
November 17, 2025
2.5/5 🌶️
this book is amazing very interesting story and very enjoyable I love how the fmc is a badass I can't wait the for 2nd book to come out I was hooked from the 1st page we need a audible version
this book is amazing very interesting story and very enjoyable I love how the fmc is a badass I can't wait the for 2nd book to come out I was hooked from the 1st page we need a audible version
October 1, 2026
3.5-4*
I've received this book as an ARC reader. Thank you for trusting me with your book!
Alek Voss is a promising new author!
This is a dark story so please check the trigger warnings before reading.
First things first, the book is written in the first person, this is something I really like and prefer, I connect better with the characters this way.
Alicia is a badass secret agent/assassin. She got into this life through sad circumstances, even though she seems content with how her life went, or so she told/lies herself. In her missions, Alicia is not only undercover, Alicia is someone completely new - and this is something I really liked about this character. Even though at times I felt the need to jump in the story to strangle her (I think she would've like this though).
The main story unfolds with her in a big undercover mission in which things get complicated, unwanted feelings develop, ghosts from her past come back to haunt her and betrayal lurks around every corner.
Some transitions did leave me confused, though, and I occasionally had to go back and reread a few pages to check whether I’d missed something or understood the sequence of events correctly.
I liked the ending, but I wanted a little more detail about what actually happened. It wrapped up so quickly that it felt a bit anticlimactic. A little more time spent on those final moments would have made the ending more satisfying for me.
If you like your heroine to be bad-ass and flawed; if you like your books fast paced, easy to read and packed with action - this one is for you.
My favorite quote in the book is: "Limits are just illusions. You always have more"
I've received this book as an ARC reader. Thank you for trusting me with your book!
Alek Voss is a promising new author!
This is a dark story so please check the trigger warnings before reading.
First things first, the book is written in the first person, this is something I really like and prefer, I connect better with the characters this way.
Alicia is a badass secret agent/assassin. She got into this life through sad circumstances, even though she seems content with how her life went, or so she told/lies herself. In her missions, Alicia is not only undercover, Alicia is someone completely new - and this is something I really liked about this character. Even though at times I felt the need to jump in the story to strangle her (I think she would've like this though).
The main story unfolds with her in a big undercover mission in which things get complicated, unwanted feelings develop, ghosts from her past come back to haunt her and betrayal lurks around every corner.
Some transitions did leave me confused, though, and I occasionally had to go back and reread a few pages to check whether I’d missed something or understood the sequence of events correctly.
I liked the ending, but I wanted a little more detail about what actually happened. It wrapped up so quickly that it felt a bit anticlimactic. A little more time spent on those final moments would have made the ending more satisfying for me.
If you like your heroine to be bad-ass and flawed; if you like your books fast paced, easy to read and packed with action - this one is for you.
My favorite quote in the book is: "Limits are just illusions. You always have more"
October 27, 2026
A tasty unreliable memoir
Alek had my attention from the first chapter. It opens on a charity gala and immediately the characters are established including the absolute cynicism of Alicia, who is playing the part of Amy. Goodness me - the characterisation is on point! Billy and Claudia are little gems in the story and much with each character Alicia comes across they're given very distinct personalities. Alek knows how to create ❤️ I laughed out loud numerous times, probably at inappropriate moments, but perhaps my humour is as warped as Alicia's? 😂
At its core 'Deceptive' is about how an agent in a undercover operation can fundamentally lose their identity, or construct one to replace a void where they never believed they had one. As a reader you explore this through memories, sieved into the present mission.
The prose is easy to read and it's certainly a page turner. The only criticisms I have are firstly, that the spates of dialogue, whilst witty, lack grounding of the character saying them so it does leave the tonality up to the readers imagination. I'm not someone that needs every piece of dialogue to state the speaker and tone, but in large stretches it does aide. I also found it a little jarring when we moved into a flashback that was originally marked by a passage in italics, but travelled beyond that chapter, no longer marked in italics. Some readers will get confused by this and I personally feel like a clear marker would aid in the form of a part split or titles, or even just a sentence at the end of the few chapters.
Saying this though, it may be the author's intention (with this being a psychological read) to present the prose in a manner that shows Alicia's patchwork mentality and also the fact that this is ultimately her memoir. I love all of the clues drip fed throughout, building the picture to the ending. Things that Alicia both consciously and unconsciously is processing.
I personally feel that the book would benefit from some finesse editing to really polish it off. It's such a great concept and clear that the author is talented!
If you're looking for a spicy dark romance this isn't what this is. It's largely fade to black with inferred intimacy interwoven between set up of introductory BDSM dynamics.
This is a solid 4.25* read for me, but with some revisions the internal dialogue would flow better with the action and push it into 5* and beyond. Thank you so much to the author for the exposure copy. It was an absolute pleasure to read it...now onto Mold, book 2 👀 🫶🏻
Alek had my attention from the first chapter. It opens on a charity gala and immediately the characters are established including the absolute cynicism of Alicia, who is playing the part of Amy. Goodness me - the characterisation is on point! Billy and Claudia are little gems in the story and much with each character Alicia comes across they're given very distinct personalities. Alek knows how to create ❤️ I laughed out loud numerous times, probably at inappropriate moments, but perhaps my humour is as warped as Alicia's? 😂
At its core 'Deceptive' is about how an agent in a undercover operation can fundamentally lose their identity, or construct one to replace a void where they never believed they had one. As a reader you explore this through memories, sieved into the present mission.
The prose is easy to read and it's certainly a page turner. The only criticisms I have are firstly, that the spates of dialogue, whilst witty, lack grounding of the character saying them so it does leave the tonality up to the readers imagination. I'm not someone that needs every piece of dialogue to state the speaker and tone, but in large stretches it does aide. I also found it a little jarring when we moved into a flashback that was originally marked by a passage in italics, but travelled beyond that chapter, no longer marked in italics. Some readers will get confused by this and I personally feel like a clear marker would aid in the form of a part split or titles, or even just a sentence at the end of the few chapters.
Saying this though, it may be the author's intention (with this being a psychological read) to present the prose in a manner that shows Alicia's patchwork mentality and also the fact that this is ultimately her memoir. I love all of the clues drip fed throughout, building the picture to the ending. Things that Alicia both consciously and unconsciously is processing.
I personally feel that the book would benefit from some finesse editing to really polish it off. It's such a great concept and clear that the author is talented!
If you're looking for a spicy dark romance this isn't what this is. It's largely fade to black with inferred intimacy interwoven between set up of introductory BDSM dynamics.
This is a solid 4.25* read for me, but with some revisions the internal dialogue would flow better with the action and push it into 5* and beyond. Thank you so much to the author for the exposure copy. It was an absolute pleasure to read it...now onto Mold, book 2 👀 🫶🏻
April 11, 2026
I just finished Deceptive, and I have to say, it really pulled me in. At first, the masquerade ball was a bit confusing, but also really interesting, and it made me curious enough to keep reading. After that, I couldn’t put the book down.
Those hours flew by because the story has everything emotion, tension, and constantly leaves you wanting to know what is going to happen next. I felt both sympathy and frustration toward Alicia; her past made me understand her, but some of her choices were hard to agree with. Still, I really liked how strong she was throughout everything.
The relationship at the center is intense and complicated, filled with jealousy, possessiveness, and hidden motives that keep you hooked. There are quite a few surprising moments, and at times I felt everything at once excitement, anger, and suspense.
The love interest especially stood out and kept my attention the whole way through. Their dynamic is gripping, even when it’s uncomfortable.
I’m giving it four stars because some parts toward the end felt a bit predictable, and I would’ve liked a deeper look into certain emotional moments. Still, the story stays engaging until the very last page and is definitely worth reading if you enjoy darker, psychological romance. Would definitely read again.
Those hours flew by because the story has everything emotion, tension, and constantly leaves you wanting to know what is going to happen next. I felt both sympathy and frustration toward Alicia; her past made me understand her, but some of her choices were hard to agree with. Still, I really liked how strong she was throughout everything.
The relationship at the center is intense and complicated, filled with jealousy, possessiveness, and hidden motives that keep you hooked. There are quite a few surprising moments, and at times I felt everything at once excitement, anger, and suspense.
The love interest especially stood out and kept my attention the whole way through. Their dynamic is gripping, even when it’s uncomfortable.
I’m giving it four stars because some parts toward the end felt a bit predictable, and I would’ve liked a deeper look into certain emotional moments. Still, the story stays engaging until the very last page and is definitely worth reading if you enjoy darker, psychological romance. Would definitely read again.
April 15, 2026
Loved it! Full of action,full of trauma,the female character so lost sometimes,so confident the next page,I loved their love story and the missions ! I found myself almost in everything,having nothing to lose ,building a new life ,I think every man has a Mark inside and every woman has an Alisia inside ! We have to learn to live with them ! This emotion left inside me ,I hope this emotion is found by everyone who reads this book because yes,it is deep,and you learn something about yourself by reading it,even though it is not a personal development book,it works that way if you read it with pleasure and pay attention to it ❤️
Recommend it with all my heart ! Can’t wait for part two! ❤️
Recommend it with all my heart ! Can’t wait for part two! ❤️
September 5, 2026
Omg what a amazing read. I got emailed the book and then sent it across to my kindle with the click of a button. Couldnt put it down the plot literally kept me hooked. The excitement, tense, the emotion, drama and just the right amount of spice.
It took me 6 hours to read the whole book. For someone who reads dark romance books and in a dark romance bookclub i have recommended it to all my girls. Literally go buy this book.
It took me 6 hours to read the whole book. For someone who reads dark romance books and in a dark romance bookclub i have recommended it to all my girls. Literally go buy this book.
November 3, 2026
I could not put this one down and finished it basically within a day. The characters are incredibly relatable and well described, giving them depth and development over the course of the story.
The story is extremely captivating and while I usually prefer my books to have more spice, this one is the perfect mix of suspense, action, and interpersonal relationships.
Naturally, I immediately asked to be an ARC reader for the second part (Mold) too. :)
The story is extremely captivating and while I usually prefer my books to have more spice, this one is the perfect mix of suspense, action, and interpersonal relationships.
Naturally, I immediately asked to be an ARC reader for the second part (Mold) too. :)
February 23, 2026
It was a good book. Took me a little while to get into but then I was hooked.
I found it a bit confusing at times, but it didn't really matter. It was a good story.
In the end you find out there will be a second book that takes place at the same time but from someone else's perspective, that will probably clear up some things I found unclear and I can't wait to read it.
I found it a bit confusing at times, but it didn't really matter. It was a good story.
In the end you find out there will be a second book that takes place at the same time but from someone else's perspective, that will probably clear up some things I found unclear and I can't wait to read it.
February 6, 2026
A fast paced spy story with a promising plot. It sucks you right in from the start and at the end you'll be begging for more. I just gave it four stars because it's not a genre i'm normal into, but it got me out of a reading slump.
August 26, 2026
I have just finished deceptive. I loved it. I loved how you had the flashbacks to her life as Claire. Her thoughts throughout the book are very natural. The way she isn’t sure whether to trust Ashton.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 25, 2025
The writing is sharp, the characters unforgettable, and the plot… let’s just say I’ll be thinking about that ending for a long time.
August 25, 2025
This book didn’t give me butterflies. It gave me heart palpitations. Twisted, intense, and addictive
August 25, 2025
I came for the romance. I stayed for the psychological mind games. Deceptive is unlike anything I've read before.
September 29, 2025
The tension? Unreal. The violence? Brutal. The romance? Deliciously toxic. I couldn’t put it down.
April 6, 2026
The story was captivating. The character development was a bit confusing at first, but it was still easy to get into the story and it really pulled me along. I fell in love with it.
April 20, 2026
What a book. 😱
I'll admit to took me a few chapters to get into but once I was there I was hooked!
A definite must read!
Do not let this sit on your TBR list. 🖤🩶
I'll admit to took me a few chapters to get into but once I was there I was hooked!
A definite must read!
Do not let this sit on your TBR list. 🖤🩶
October 14, 2026
This book is everything it promises to be! It had me hooked from the start! I am currently rereading it as well and still loving it the second time around!
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews