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Tender Deceit

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Tender Deceit by Patricia Wilson released on Apr 24, 1995 is available now for purchase.

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

3 people are currently reading
113 people want to read

About the author

Patricia Wilson

240 books180 followers
Patricia Wilson (1929 – 2010) was a best-selling writer of 53 romance novels for the Mills & Boon publisher from 1986 to 2004. She placed her novels primarily in England, Spain or France.

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5 stars
19 (19%)
4 stars
28 (28%)
3 stars
38 (38%)
2 stars
13 (13%)
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
Profile Image for StMargarets.
3,229 reviews634 followers
June 26, 2025
The heroine carries a burden of innocence (her virginity? her naïveté? ) Or is it the hero's burden, since he's attracted and knows he can't do anything about it unless he puts a ring on it? Hmmm

That's the only mystery in this story. Not much happens, really. Heroine travels to France to meet her deceased father's long-time mistress. They get along fine. The heroine loves France, etc. . . The hero is the mistress's son and disapproves of the heroine and her creepy "boyfriend "who follows her to France twice. (It's not love. He wants her money.)

The H/h get stranded in the fog. The heroine injures herself going over a fence. They ride together, etc. ..

It's just a nice trip to France.
Profile Image for Leona.
1,772 reviews18 followers
March 17, 2015
I read this one awhile back and forgot to write a review. Young woman goes to France to visit the mistress of her deceased father. She expects to disliker her, but is surprised to find her warm, caring and generous. Heroine learns to put aside her misconceptions.

The romance with the son, wasn't the strongest by PW and the book seemed to drag in places.

Though I love this author's work, this one didn't grip me like her other books.
Profile Image for Leona.
1,772 reviews18 followers
December 19, 2023
Funny, but I loved it this time around! I actually think this is one of PW's better books. My only regret is I wish . Original review below.

__________________________________

Review written under "Tender Deceit". Meh, middle of the road. Not one of PW's better works.
Profile Image for *CJ*.
5,109 reviews628 followers
February 20, 2018
"Burden of Innocence" is the story of Sarah and Armand.
When Sarah Thorpe goes to Chateau to meet Celine Couvier, he father's mistress and his last wish- she ends up meeting his enigmatic son Armand Couvier, a Frenchman to the core- and stolen glances lead to slow burning passion- until a man from her past forces Armand's hand to make her his!
I really enjoyed this slow burn romance between the two. Likable secondary characters, almost no negativity- barring the idiotic OW and OM- but the main H and h keep you hooked with their stolen glances, and it has an adorably sweet epilogue too!
SWME
3.5/5
Profile Image for Caro.
513 reviews47 followers
December 24, 2017
Para pasar el rato está bien, no hay grandes sorpresas. Una novelita vieja de Patricia Wilson.
Profile Image for Debby.
1,390 reviews25 followers
Read
September 24, 2022
It feels so forced, so awkward.
Profile Image for RomLibrary.
5,789 reviews
March 30, 2021
Sarah's visit to Celine Couvier was a strictly limited one; she had promised her dead father to spend a month getting to know the woman he had loved. What she hadn't bargained on was that she should be so strongly attracted to Celine's son, Armand, a sophisticated Frenchman way out of Sarah's league. Armand clearly felt something for Sarah. But he was going to marry Violette. Wasn't it time for Sarah to draw back before it was too late?
Profile Image for Raffaella.
1,951 reviews302 followers
October 30, 2023
Cuteness pure PW style. Uber obsessed hero and innocent but feisty heroine with low angst but nice in its whole.
The heroine is the daughter of the man who has been for decades the hero’s mother’s lover.
Now he’s dead and he asked the heroine to spend one month with his former mistress. The woman is nice and kind and French, like the hero. He thinks she’s a spoiled and easy English girl, while she’s quite serious and bookish, she’s actually a librarian. He’s grumpy but soon finds out she’s not the airhead he thought, she loves horses, she’s afraid of storms, she’s quite clumsy, she likes his mother since hers was not very loving and abandoned her when she was a child. Hero thinks she has a boyfriend who’s actually a gold digger and is around the heroine hoping she marries him and solves all his problems. But the heroine isn’t attracted to him at all. There’s also a would be ow and so a couple of misunderstandings that make things quite difficult for our couple. In the end the heroine believes ow lies and runs back to London where the hero follows her and grabs her by her hair like the good caveman he is. Joking of course, but not completely. The burden of innocence is the heroine’s utter naivety regarding men, that the hero very merrily removes in one stroke. Or maybe two. Or three. Literally. Ahem. Safe, cute, light reading.
Profile Image for iamGamz.
1,549 reviews51 followers
March 19, 2017
A lovely story based in the beauty of northern France.

As Sarah's father was sick and dying he extracted a promise from her that she would go to France and spend a month with Celine, his mistress and love of his life for over twenty years. A relationship that Sarah knew nothing about.

After his death Sarah keeps her promise and travels to France to meet Celine. While there she meets Celine's handsome, but austere son, Armand. He is not happy to learn that his mother was someone mistress for most of his life. And even unhappier to learn that the daughter is this man is coming to France to stay with his mother. Until he meets Sarah.

A lovely read. Sweet, uncomplicated, not too much drama but still very engaging. Sarah is an innocent and Armand a man of the world. Before meeting her he thought he knew what she would be like. She quickly turned his theories upside down and he found he couldn't resist her. It was fun watching it happen. Poor Armand was lost from the very first.

There is an OW, but her part is almost insignificant until the end where she is needed. My favorite character by far is Celine. She is wonderfully wise and sooo beautifully French! Lol. Glad I found and read this one.



Profile Image for Annarose.
469 reviews13 followers
March 30, 2018
Sarah promised her father to live a month with Celine, his French mistress in her chateau in France. She didn't know about her father's double live till he told her before death, however, she wanted to keep her promise and know Celine whom her father had adored and kept a secret for twenty years. Armand, Celine's son, didn't like this arrangement and therefore didn't want to pick Sarah at the airport nor keep helping her , nevertheless, he did just that! :)

A sweet lovely book by Patricia Wilson. The character's development, the narration and the events are beautiful and engrossing. A beautiful read for a romantic reader. Wonderful and recommended.
Profile Image for JillyB.
806 reviews73 followers
February 25, 2021
For some reason I am on a Patricia Wilson train....there is something about her heroes that are calling to me...they tend to fall in love at sight, want the heroine desperately, but tend to lose the heroine briefly because they are soooo discombobulated by the wanting and initiating the heroine into their love making ways that they forget to say...I Love You!!! Our poor heroines only seem to think that they are there for bedroom recreation and leave after their initiations...of course there is usually an evil ow helping this theory along....this seems to take place in the last 30 pages and the hero doesn’t let our heroine wait too long for declarations of everlasting love....
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews

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