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Me Not #3
Deceive Me Not
TO LOVE IN SILENCE
Beautiful but sheltered --- haunted by her father's early demise --- Lady Melissa Seymour shields her fragile emotions behind the exquisite exterior she presents to British society. But one man has penetrated her guard and entered her fantasies: Bruce Palmerston, Viscount Channing, a forceful and devilishly handsome rogue ... and her family's avowed enemy.
TO LOVE WITH ABANDON
At first Bruce Palmerston viewed delicate Melissa as a pawn in his plan to ruin the woman who tried to destroy two people he cherished. But Melissa's caring soul and alluring beauty have softened his vengeful heart, arousing his desires and protective instincts as no one has done before. Now Melissa's impetuous ardor --- and the heaven they have both found in each other's arms --- is threatened by hateful conspirators who would see their romance fail. But Bruce has tasted Melissa's lips and her passion. And he will allow no treachery to prevent him from freeing his gentle, guarded lady --- and himself --- with the power of all-conquering love.
Beautiful but sheltered --- haunted by her father's early demise --- Lady Melissa Seymour shields her fragile emotions behind the exquisite exterior she presents to British society. But one man has penetrated her guard and entered her fantasies: Bruce Palmerston, Viscount Channing, a forceful and devilishly handsome rogue ... and her family's avowed enemy.
TO LOVE WITH ABANDON
At first Bruce Palmerston viewed delicate Melissa as a pawn in his plan to ruin the woman who tried to destroy two people he cherished. But Melissa's caring soul and alluring beauty have softened his vengeful heart, arousing his desires and protective instincts as no one has done before. Now Melissa's impetuous ardor --- and the heaven they have both found in each other's arms --- is threatened by hateful conspirators who would see their romance fail. But Bruce has tasted Melissa's lips and her passion. And he will allow no treachery to prevent him from freeing his gentle, guarded lady --- and himself --- with the power of all-conquering love.
376 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 31, 2022
Disappointed by this one.
I loved so much "Tempt me not" of the same author, where we have a brooding and tortured hero, while here we have a beta hero who is also a spectacularly shallow.
And the heroine. Idiot is a compliment.
He lusts after the heroine, a young and shy lady with an overprotective mother who doesn't want her to get married ever.
The troubled relationship where the mother, once widowed, became completely emotionally dependent on the stronger but too young heroine, settling a pattern where the heroine tried to please and to comply with every request of her mother, to the point when she wasn't able to develop her personality any more, is the only thing I found interesting in this book.
It's a dysfunctional pattern that I often happen to find especially in divorced women with only one daughter (or son, still worse): the daughter/ other relationship is reversed and the daughter is the caregiver of the mother.
Appalling but true, and very frequent.
So the heroine lusts after the hero and so he does, but this doesn't stop him from having multiple mistress and during a party where both his mistress and the heroine are attending he goes into the wrong bedroom and accidentally deflowers the heroine in one of the most disgusting scenes ever.
Yes, because the hero goes into the bedroom that is completely in the dark and gets horny thinking
that he's going to have sex with his mistress, and touches the heroine thinking it's his mistress and also tells her he loves her, then when he finds out it's another woman, he doesn't stop and keeps on having sex with an unknown woman.
Ok, I'm a nasty bitch but I want and expect that when the hero has sex with the heroine he's horny thinking about her and not another woman, thank you sir.
Especially the first time.
So the book was dead for me.
Then, when he realizes she's a virgin, he tries to stop, while she's enjoying the act very much, and when eventually he finds out it's the heroine, he's appalled.
But, since he's gentleman, he proposes, but the heroine refuses.
The hero then starts pursuing the heroine and tries his best to woo her and to persuade her that he really loves her and will be faithful.
The heroine, who may be shy and repressed but not stupid, doesn't believe him for one moment, but since she suffers from severe TBS, keeps having sex with him, and eventually gets pregnant.
Enter the hero's father.
Who's not his real father, since the hero is the son of his mother's lover, and wants revenge on the hero, so he persuades the heroine to run away with him and her mother to hide her pregnancy.
The heroine accepts and sends the hero several letters, that of course the hero's father hides and never sends, while the hero suspects the heroine is pregnant and hiding from him-
Eventually he finds her but still she's not very happy to marry him since she doesn't trust him, until in the end his sister explains to her what his life was, and the heroine decides that better married with that loser than alone with her neurotic mother.
For her son if not for her.
This hero was one of the most unpleasant ever.
He's shallow and stupid, he tells all his mistresses he loves them even if he doesn't mean the words so of course the heroine is not able to believe him when he tells her.
The heroine is not much better.
She's repressed by her mother but she's also stupid and without pride because she accepts to have sex with a man who thinks she's another woman.
Really...
I couldn't understand her refusal to marry him, it's a historical and it's expected that when a young lady loses her virginity she marries the man, even if she doesn't like him.
She refuses and keeps on refusing him and has sex with him knowing she can get pregnant... Not believable.
Other writers (i.e. Mary Balogh) would never make this mistake.
Then, I couldn't believe his love for her and his complete change from a womanizer to a devote fiance, because it's never explained. One moment he's lusting after his mistress and telling her he loves her, thinking he's having sex with her and enjoying it, a moment later he's only eyes for the heroine. When exactly and why did he change his mind (and his feelings?)
How can we believe he only wants the heroine and not another woman?
We can't, because nothing in his behaviour explains that there has been an evolution of his character in this matter.
So different from the first one of this series, I didn't like it at all, and of course I can't recommend it to all my friends of the safety squad...
I loved so much "Tempt me not" of the same author, where we have a brooding and tortured hero, while here we have a beta hero who is also a spectacularly shallow.
And the heroine. Idiot is a compliment.
He lusts after the heroine, a young and shy lady with an overprotective mother who doesn't want her to get married ever.
The troubled relationship where the mother, once widowed, became completely emotionally dependent on the stronger but too young heroine, settling a pattern where the heroine tried to please and to comply with every request of her mother, to the point when she wasn't able to develop her personality any more, is the only thing I found interesting in this book.
It's a dysfunctional pattern that I often happen to find especially in divorced women with only one daughter (or son, still worse): the daughter/ other relationship is reversed and the daughter is the caregiver of the mother.
Appalling but true, and very frequent.
So the heroine lusts after the hero and so he does, but this doesn't stop him from having multiple mistress and during a party where both his mistress and the heroine are attending he goes into the wrong bedroom and accidentally deflowers the heroine in one of the most disgusting scenes ever.
Yes, because the hero goes into the bedroom that is completely in the dark and gets horny thinking
that he's going to have sex with his mistress, and touches the heroine thinking it's his mistress and also tells her he loves her, then when he finds out it's another woman, he doesn't stop and keeps on having sex with an unknown woman.
Ok, I'm a nasty bitch but I want and expect that when the hero has sex with the heroine he's horny thinking about her and not another woman, thank you sir.
Especially the first time.
So the book was dead for me.
Then, when he realizes she's a virgin, he tries to stop, while she's enjoying the act very much, and when eventually he finds out it's the heroine, he's appalled.
But, since he's gentleman, he proposes, but the heroine refuses.
The hero then starts pursuing the heroine and tries his best to woo her and to persuade her that he really loves her and will be faithful.
The heroine, who may be shy and repressed but not stupid, doesn't believe him for one moment, but since she suffers from severe TBS, keeps having sex with him, and eventually gets pregnant.
Enter the hero's father.
Who's not his real father, since the hero is the son of his mother's lover, and wants revenge on the hero, so he persuades the heroine to run away with him and her mother to hide her pregnancy.
The heroine accepts and sends the hero several letters, that of course the hero's father hides and never sends, while the hero suspects the heroine is pregnant and hiding from him-
Eventually he finds her but still she's not very happy to marry him since she doesn't trust him, until in the end his sister explains to her what his life was, and the heroine decides that better married with that loser than alone with her neurotic mother.
For her son if not for her.
This hero was one of the most unpleasant ever.
He's shallow and stupid, he tells all his mistresses he loves them even if he doesn't mean the words so of course the heroine is not able to believe him when he tells her.
The heroine is not much better.
She's repressed by her mother but she's also stupid and without pride because she accepts to have sex with a man who thinks she's another woman.
Really...
I couldn't understand her refusal to marry him, it's a historical and it's expected that when a young lady loses her virginity she marries the man, even if she doesn't like him.
She refuses and keeps on refusing him and has sex with him knowing she can get pregnant... Not believable.
Other writers (i.e. Mary Balogh) would never make this mistake.
Then, I couldn't believe his love for her and his complete change from a womanizer to a devote fiance, because it's never explained. One moment he's lusting after his mistress and telling her he loves her, thinking he's having sex with her and enjoying it, a moment later he's only eyes for the heroine. When exactly and why did he change his mind (and his feelings?)
How can we believe he only wants the heroine and not another woman?
We can't, because nothing in his behaviour explains that there has been an evolution of his character in this matter.
So different from the first one of this series, I didn't like it at all, and of course I can't recommend it to all my friends of the safety squad...
January 17, 2026
Read: 1/16/26
Setting: Regency England
Trope: forbidden love
This book was way worse than the 2nd book! How could that be? This author is just gifted that way.
plot: I'll pop a blood vessel if try to summarize this book.
Just some random notes
liked:
1. Bruce! Thank you for staying the same loveable guy through all three books. Too bad you have questionable taste in women.;)
2. Bruce's character development. In the beginning, he is still a rake, but once he discovers it's his beloved Melissa he slept with, he does the right thing. When she says no, he sweetly courts her. Bruce does everything to win Melissa's heart. He really deserved someone better than her!
2. It was nice to have "the 'Graces" return at the end. Every scene with the bff is gold!
3. This book was free!
dislike:
1. Melissa and her lack of character growth!
Summary of a typical wallflower story: Begins with a plain/meek h being bullied or oppressed. As the story progresses, we learn the h has a quirky or interesting personality underneath her shy exterior. Then the story ends with the h finally developing a backbone and standing up for themselves. - Decieve Me Not is an example of what happens when an author doesn't follow that fomula.
* Melissa is aware her controlling mother is purposely keeping everyone away from her. No friends and certainly no men are allowed near Melissa. So, I was proud when Melissa, in a fit of loneliness, seduces Bruce in the dark.You go, girl! Then, a marriage proposal? Okay, I get why she first turned him down. Her self-esteem has been beaten down for years. Then...I stopped being understanding after reading hundreds of pages of this coward fighting for nothing. How much more did Bruce have to do to prove himself? Then, this pregnant moron runs right into the obvious villain's hands! 👏👏👏-sarcastic
👆 Summary of her character: Melissa starts out as a weak, cowardly character and never evolves into anything different
2. I was so bored and annoyed by Melissa that I skipped pages. I had to, for my own sanity.
3. Melissa's mother insulted and isolated her from everyone for 15 years. The woman also gleefully bullied the previous book's heroines. But that's all forgiven because she got kidnapped with her daughter. I call BS! I needed some kind of punishment, like her daughter finally telling her off
Conclusion: a different heroine and this could have worked.
Setting: Regency England
Trope: forbidden love
This book was way worse than the 2nd book! How could that be? This author is just gifted that way.
plot: I'll pop a blood vessel if try to summarize this book.
Just some random notes
liked:
1. Bruce! Thank you for staying the same loveable guy through all three books. Too bad you have questionable taste in women.;)
2. Bruce's character development. In the beginning, he is still a rake, but once he discovers it's his beloved Melissa he slept with, he does the right thing. When she says no, he sweetly courts her. Bruce does everything to win Melissa's heart. He really deserved someone better than her!
2. It was nice to have "the 'Graces" return at the end. Every scene with the bff is gold!
3. This book was free!
dislike:
1. Melissa and her lack of character growth!
Summary of a typical wallflower story: Begins with a plain/meek h being bullied or oppressed. As the story progresses, we learn the h has a quirky or interesting personality underneath her shy exterior. Then the story ends with the h finally developing a backbone and standing up for themselves. - Decieve Me Not is an example of what happens when an author doesn't follow that fomula.
* Melissa is aware her controlling mother is purposely keeping everyone away from her. No friends and certainly no men are allowed near Melissa. So, I was proud when Melissa, in a fit of loneliness, seduces Bruce in the dark.You go, girl! Then, a marriage proposal? Okay, I get why she first turned him down. Her self-esteem has been beaten down for years. Then...I stopped being understanding after reading hundreds of pages of this coward fighting for nothing. How much more did Bruce have to do to prove himself? Then, this pregnant moron runs right into the obvious villain's hands! 👏👏👏-sarcastic
👆 Summary of her character: Melissa starts out as a weak, cowardly character and never evolves into anything different
2. I was so bored and annoyed by Melissa that I skipped pages. I had to, for my own sanity.
3. Melissa's mother insulted and isolated her from everyone for 15 years. The woman also gleefully bullied the previous book's heroines. But that's all forgiven because she got kidnapped with her daughter. I call BS! I needed some kind of punishment, like her daughter finally telling her off
Conclusion: a different heroine and this could have worked.
March 1, 2025
Finally, I can put this book to rest. This one took me over a month to finish. I couldn’t bring myself to dnf it because I loved the first one so much and really enjoyed the second. I kept thinking I just need to give it more time. I fell in love with Bruce’s character in the first book and I’m so sad this was the plot he got. The whole book is him trying to convince someone he is capable and worthy of marriage and her not believing him but still sleeping with him constantly and from early on. So there was no tension and the plot was so weak and boring.
Other books in this series
Tempt me not - 5 stars ✨
Love me not - 4 stars ✨
Deceive me not - 2 stars ✨
Other books in this series
Tempt me not - 5 stars ✨
Love me not - 4 stars ✨
Deceive me not - 2 stars ✨
August 19, 2022
This for me was the long waited sequel in eBook form. Unfortunately it didn’t reach the level of Deceive Me Not, bk 1 in series. Though mention of previous characters in the storyline, it felt as if in passing. Yes, we need to refer to present characters - Bruce & Melissa, it unfortunately fell short for me.
I feel too, there needed more editing throughout and this too brought my rating down. High expectations after reading Max, Jillian & Damien. A powerful trio, seductive storyline, inviting. I missed this here.
I feel too, there needed more editing throughout and this too brought my rating down. High expectations after reading Max, Jillian & Damien. A powerful trio, seductive storyline, inviting. I missed this here.
July 1, 2019
I enjoyed this book but it was frustrating. It is so hard to read people making stupid mistakes and misunderstandings. I really wanted to shanked both the hero and heroine.
April 10, 2025
3.5 stars
The premise was somewhat original, and I appreciated the author’s attempt to craft a compelling MMC who isn’t the typical brooding, anti-love, anti-marriage hero. The nuanced characterization stood out, especially in the depiction of the dysfunctional dynamic between the overly dependent mother and the repressed heroine, even if I couldn’t stand Melissa’s choices and her pattern of running away from her problems.
The bedroom scene was weird, with the MMC initially thinking it was his lover. While it wasn’t his fault and he did want to stop,it didn’t sit well with me. That said, his fascination with the heroine was clear from the start.
In the end, her leaving and the focus shifting to interactions with beloved characters from earlier books was weird. The epilogue also leaned more on the broader cast than the romance. Still, the character arcs and the central romance were well done, and I enjoyed the book overall.
The premise was somewhat original, and I appreciated the author’s attempt to craft a compelling MMC who isn’t the typical brooding, anti-love, anti-marriage hero. The nuanced characterization stood out, especially in the depiction of the dysfunctional dynamic between the overly dependent mother and the repressed heroine, even if I couldn’t stand Melissa’s choices and her pattern of running away from her problems.
The bedroom scene was weird, with the MMC initially thinking it was his lover. While it wasn’t his fault and he did want to stop,it didn’t sit well with me. That said, his fascination with the heroine was clear from the start.
In the end, her leaving and the focus shifting to interactions with beloved characters from earlier books was weird. The epilogue also leaned more on the broader cast than the romance. Still, the character arcs and the central romance were well done, and I enjoyed the book overall.
October 29, 2014
only after read half of the book that I know this is the third book of yhe series. Now I need to find thr first and second. XD I like it.
October 17, 2020
This could have been such a winner if it didn't annoy me so much towards the end.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews