Deception

by Gracie Sage

My village has rules… Including who I can and cannot marry.

In less than two weeks I turn 18. That’s when my future will be decided.
I have no say. No voice. No freedom.
“Just follow the rules. Stay loyal to your family.”
That’s what I’m told by my father.
He’s cold, emotionless and doesn’t have the first clue what love really is.
I must obey or be punished.
My resistance to the rules isn’t a secret… I’ve taken the punishment before.
Small price to pay for the small glimmer of hope that I can someday escape.
But choosing who I marry? That’s where I draw the line.
The “candidates” lined up for me in the village are appalling.
I’m supposed to be a good girl and go along with “tradition”.
But I have a secret of my own…
His warm blue eyes and loving touch are worth any punishment.
He wants to protect me and save me from the prison I’ve been living in.
A forbidden love that would destroy my life as I know it.
But I crave the chaos.

102 pages, ebook

Published January 1, 2021

Reviews

[Merry Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very different thrilling story line that you just can't put down! Our main protagonist, Layla is the oldest child in her family in this hidden society. Woman in this society are treated like chattel and can have no ideas or minds of their own. Layla lives with her mother, father, sister and two brothers but can't seem to blindly follow all the rules and gets punished a lot. In this society, once you turn 18, your father, with the help of the society picks a husband for you. When she goes up to her private sitting place to view the mountains with longing, she meets Jacob who had came to her defense once before against the mean boys. As they talk and meet a lot, they plan to run away together since the two of them want to marry which is against the rules. They get caught and she is sent to a special conversion type camp to indoctrinate her to the Rules of Society. Can she escape this type of jail to find Jacob again? Does the indoctrination work? Will she go back to marry the horrible childhood mean, evil boy her father picked for her? Was she betrayed by Jacob as she was told? This book is a page turner and I had to read it in one sitting! Warning: There is a cliff hanger at the end! I can't wait to see what happens next. Do they succeed or not? I received and ARC of this book but the opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

[PAR]

Gracie Sage is a new author to me, and I can’t tell you how impressed I am with her writing skills. Our protagonist will soon be turning 18. And on her 18th birthday her village will choose her husband for her. She has no say in the matter, either she obeys or be punished. She has been punished in the past for indiscretions she has made, but this one would be unforgiven, and both she and her family will be punished. BUT she has a secret, she already knows who she wants to marry and he is none of the “vagrants” her village has lined up for her. What will she do? Will she protect her family’s honor and accept the man that is chosen for her, or will she stand up for herself, go against her family and her village for a fleeting love that may not be hers to have? This novel had a great story line, the characters are well developed. Ms Sage is a talented and gifted author, I can’t wait to get my hands on her next novel! I gave this honest, voluntary review after being given a free copy of the novel.

[Priyanka Chakrabarty · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main protagonist Layla soon will be soon turning eighteen and the village chooses a husband for her at that very day. She lives with her parents, sister and two younger brothers.being 'famous' for her incautious acts she is often sent to a special commission camp to proselytize her into a 'socially accepted type'. One day she meets someone, so much like her and he becomes her ultimate secret in the orthodox society. She finds comfort and trusts him with his life ; decides to take a worthy risk and steps out to the outer world. Will he really be worthy of the risk? Will she stand up her life , her decisions ? Or give them up to fit in the norms of the society ?
This was a really wholesome read. I really liked the way each emotions were penned down; no exaggeration, no overdoing but well balanced and portrayed.
Thankyou to the author for sending me an e-copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Liza · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story. Layla and Jacob need to overcome the strict rules of their hidden community. People need to be able to make their own choices.

The only questionable issue with this book is the age factors. Girls are allowed to stay in school (limited, home economics etc) until they are 18 at which time they are married off to a boy aged 18/19/20/21. Secret societies (cults) are more likely to stop school at 16 and then marry the girl to a 30 or 40 year old.

[TaniaRina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Depressing as all get-out
How little we know of everyday cults and how many there are. It’s bad enough that there are individual abusers, but this society teaches males to be strict disciplinarians (a euphemism) and punishes females when not submissive enough. The author portrays this (intentionally or not) as a form of slavery – which is exactly what forced marriages are.

Reading Justice next (coming soon).

[Emeline Pico · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is book 1 of 3 I think. Ends with cliffhanger. Good enjoyable story.

[Lori Henrich · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this. Found myself wishing it was a full length novel.