A Tender Deception

by Sandy Curtis

When she opens the door of her beach house and a man falls, unconscious, into her arms, Emma Richmond thinks he has survived an accident at sea. But she soon discovers his wounds are bullet wounds, and finds it hard to believe his explanation for them.

Nick Marshall - dynamic, enterprising, a driven man whose private life is exactly that - is a man with secrets.

Emma, struggling with the guilt caused by the death of her estranged husband, a man whose abuse and infidelities failed to break her spirit, is shocked by the desire Nick stirs within her. The last thing she needs is the compelling attraction she feels for this man, who, although he tries to control his physical desire for her, is adamant he will leave as soon as his wounds heal.

Secrets. Lies. Can love conquer their terrible legacy?

151 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 27, 2015

About the author

Sandy Curtis lives on Queensland’s Central Coast, not far from the beach where she loves to walk and mull over the intricate plots in her novels. Her husband says he doesn’t know how she keeps it all in her head, and her friends think she must be far more devious than she appears.

Actually, after having dealt with the chaos involved in rearing three children, dogs, cats, guinea pigs, and a kookaburra (teaching it to fly was murder), creating complex characters, fast-paced action and edge-of-your-seat suspense is a breeze for Sandy.

At fourteen she wrote a story about a pickpocket who steals a wallet from an off-duty cop. To make sure her details were authentic, she wrote to Police Headquarters asking them about fingerprints. Her mother received a phone call wanting confirmation the query was genuine, and as Sandy hadn’t told her about the letter (or the story), she nearly had a heart attack thinking her daughter was in trouble with the law.

Sandy’s query resulted in an invitation to tour Police Headquarters with her teacher and several schoolfriends and meet the Police Commissioner. That’s when she learned that although the pen might be mightier than the sword, it does nothing to imbue self-confidence in an extremely nervous fourteen-year-old who had to shake the hand of Queensland’s top cop.

“All my pocket money and birthday money went on purchasing books,” Sandy says. “I devoured them. My aunt and uncle used to let me borrow their Saturday Evening Post (American version) and Reader’s Digest. In one Saturday Evening Post I read a story called “The Answer” by Philip Wylie, about a nuclear explosion which kills an angel and the Defence Force’s efforts to prove it was ‘really an alien being’. I was so impressed with the story I decided that one day I would become a story-teller like Philip Wylie.”

Interviewers often ask Sandy to describe her normal writing day. “Normal is when the chaos in my life subsides to frantic rather than frenzied. I once told a friend that I must have a chaos attractor glued on my forehead and she said that creativity hovers on the edge of chaos, to which I replied that I’d long ago fallen off the edge into the middle.”

Her various occupations, from private secretary to assistant to a Bore Licensing Inspector, as well as hitch-hiking around New Zealand and learning to parachute, have given Sandy lots of people and research skills. It’s the paperwork going feral in her office she has trouble with.

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woken in the dark of night by a loud thump in the vicinity of the front door, Emma Richmond thought at first it was the possums wanting more food. But she couldn’t have been more wrong – the body of a man; pale, bloodied and unconscious fell at her feet as she opened the door. When she discovered one of the wounds on his battered body was a bullet wound, she wondered who this stranger was – was he a criminal or an undercover policeman? Either way she had to get him warm and dry; he wouldn’t survive otherwise.

As Emma learned a little about the enigmatic and extremely private man who had stumbled to her door, she felt sceptical about his tale. The truth she felt was something Nick Marshall was hiding. And when he impressed on her that there were to be no police involved, she knew that she should fear this man. But even though part of her felt she couldn’t trust him, the other part was attracted to him. Emma’s past had shattered her confidence; her life had been in ruins and she had spent the past five months at this little weekend cottage recuperating. Her guilt over the death of her husband Paul wouldn’t leave her – there was no way she was going to get involved with a man like Nick who had so many secrets and couldn’t seem to tell her the truth...

With Nick slowly recovering from his wounds, Emma knew he would leave as soon as he was able. But she knew there was danger surrounding him – his dark mood swings frightened her at times, and he would brood – she could tell he was worried, but about what she had no idea. What would be the result of Emma’s unexpected meeting with this stranger; the man she now felt so much for?

A Tender Deception by Aussie author Sandy Curtis is another exceptional story. I thoroughly enjoy her work and even though this one is a little different to her usual crime fiction, I loved the building suspense and tension, plus the budding romance between the two characters. The plot is a gripping one; the secrets held are intense. The setting of this novel in and around Bundaberg in Queensland is excellent as well. Highly recommended.

[P.L. Matthews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the characters in this book. The heroine Emma has vulnerabilities yet she still manages to come across as strong and determined. Nick is a man of mystery, but I loved the tender way in which he treats Emma. Despite his overall rawness, he shows a sensitive side when dealing with her. He is very perceptive as well. They both influence the other in a positive way and both grow throughout the book.

I loved the mystery that surrounded Nick, it was really well presented and it didn't detract from his charisma, but kept me guessing almost to the end.

A truly enjoyable read.

[Shelley Nolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely romance with plenty of twists and turns and a thread of danger to keep the reader intrigued.

[Talia Nyx · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read, only one error (that may have been an inside 'thing' that I simply didn't get), where Nick called Joey, Davey. Still wish he'd told us his real name at the end.