Deceived

by Lexie Davis

What happens when the innocent is proven guilty?

Matthew Vaughn's life sucks. After being wrongfully convicted of something he didn't do, he is sent to prison, forcing his lover and partner to believe he deceived him. Now, two years later, he escapes and heads to the one person that can help him, the only person he wants to convince of his true innocence - Shayne Lewis.

Shayne is a detective for the NYPD working in the narcotics department. After the incident with Matt, his former partner and lover, all he wants to do is forget and move on with his life. But when Matt comes to him for help, forcibly taking him hostage in his own vacation house, Shayne is faced with a dilemma.

Will he uphold the law and turn Matt in? Or will he listen to his heart and help his lover clear his name?

Genres: M M Romance, Contemporary, Novella, Gay, Drama, Erotica, Fiction

87 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[JenMcJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Deceived falls into the category of “long lost love” in some ways. I don’t know why I didn’t expect that from the blurb. I usually don’t read this type of story because there’s almost always no compelling reason for them to be apart that makes it plausible. One of the two always turns out to be someone I would not want the other hero to be with. This book was no exception.

In this case Matt is a good veteran cop that is framed and sent to prison for two years before he escapes to find a way to clear his name. Shayne is his longtime partner on the police force and his partner in life. They had been together for several years working and loving before the frame up happens. They had planned to move in together the weekend Matt is arrested.

Once Matt is accused and put in jail –Shayne basically never sees him again until he breaks out of jail and hides out in Shayne’s cabin. He does not visit him while he is awaiting trial. He leaves just after sentencing and never speaks to Matt before he sneaks out of the courthouse. He doesn't visit him while he is in the first prison and he nor does he visit him once he is moved to another prison. No calls, no letters, nothing. Shayne actually spends those years partially convinced that Matt is guilty of stealing drugs but not really sure. He thinks Matt helped ruin his life because he couldn’t get away from the accusations that he helped Matt somehow. Shayne left narcotics for a desk job as some sort of penance after Matt is convicted.

Bah! That is not love or devotion. While the rest of the book attempts to make Shayne seem like a level headed guy who really does love Matt, I never felt it after that. He completely abandoned the guy once they arrested him. We don’t see any scene where he actually goes to Matt and asks him what happened or for Matt’s side of the story. He truly just walks away from the guy. Turns his back and moves on with his life as though he is the injured party.

Once they are reunited, the sex happens fast (Matt HAS been in prison for two years) and they resume where they left off before the trial while trying to keep Matt’s presence a secret. Shayne is, as you would expect, concerned with his career if he helps an escaped convict.

Even though all he thought about was Shayne while he was in prison that type of betrayal is so deep that I had no respect for Matt for forgiving him and Shayne deserved no respect from anyone. Eventually Shayne steps up and gets on Matt’s side to help clear him after he finds some new evidence. Toward the end he finally does do some right things but by then it should have been way too late. Matt and Shayne do have a fight over Shayne’s lack of faith that was unremarkable and not very realistic. Shayne’s excuses were pathetic. Matt forgave him way too quickly. Frankly considering the terrible lack of trust and belief in Matt from everyone on the police force from his superiors on down, he shouldn’t even consider going back to work for those people let alone picking up with Shayne again.

As soon as his name was cleared Matt should have walked away and never looked back.

[Gigi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crap! I remember reading this book but I don't remember the specifics. I do know I liked it so I'm giving it 4 stars. I'm going to have to start a "re-read" shelf for my faulty memory and so I can keep track of these books.

Have I mentioned lately how groovy GoodReads is? Combined with my iPad, it sure beats the hell out of the dusty bookshelf in my basement. How did I survive my teen years again?

[Susan65 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

What I liked:

-the plot, the premise, the prologue and chapter one.
-the mystery behind who framed Matt...and how it was pulled off so flawlessly.
-the emotions felt by both guys...Matt is hurt that Shayne didn't trust him, or believe that he may be innocent, or visit him in prison. Shayne was hurt that Matt worked part of the case behind his back and had secrets that caused Shayne to mistrust him.

What I didn't like too much:

-All the sex...way too much sex in such a relatively short story.
-Shayne and Matt having sex almost instantly after Matt escapes from prison and shows up at his cabin.
-The guys spending a lazy Sunday together...what? Matt just escaped prison and showed up at his cop boyfriends house. How is that even possible?
-Matt's charges are dropped, after spending two years in prison, and the boss just hands him his gun and badge and says "see you on Monday"?
Don't think so.

All in all it was a pretty decent story, but the ease of which it was all settled made it feel a bit contrived.

[Elisa Rolle]

Deceived is not a crime story, it’s the romance version of a crime story, and so, if you usually avoid the crime genre, since it’s too violent, less romantic, but you want to try the hand with a cop themed novel, probably Deceived can be a good start.

What probably is the most interesting aspect of the story is that the author cared a lot for her characters, their reasons and love, putting them up front the story, leaving so many reasonable details a bit slurry, and caring more for the feelings. For example, Matt was framed for dealing drugs but no one explained how the culprit had a copy of Matt’s home keys (I don’t think it’s so simple to break in a police detective house). Matt was the more likeable corrupted police officer since he has always had easy money, but no one explained from where that money came. Matt escaped from prison, but no one explained how he did that.

On the other hand the author immediately pointed to what was my main complain on Matt and Shayne’s relationship: when Matt was arrested, Shayne had his doubts on his guilt, but more or less he abandoned Matt to his destiny and chose to “punish” himself with a desk job, so that, more or less, he wasn’t even no more able to prove Matt’s innocence. And when Matt runs away from prison, who is the first person he goes to? Shayne. Sincerely, I would be so angry that, yes, I would go to find Shayne, but to kill him. And instead Matt, more or less, spends the night making love. So no, I wasn’t convinced of this turn of events, at least not till the moment when finally Matt’s rage for Shayne comes out, and he asks a right explanation to Shayne, an explanation that Shayne has not. Shayne for me is not justifiable if not by love: Matt can forgive Shayne not since he had his answer, but since he loves Shayne and that is counts more than anything.

So if at the beginning, reading the title and the blurb, the reader can think that the “deceived” was Shayne, but Matt’s betrayal, in the end the really deceived is Matt. Matt is the classical hothead cop, the one that is probably even a bit unreliable, he is even the one in the closet, that at the beginning of the relationship with Shayne made him suffer for a bit of love. Shayne on the other hand is the police office by the book, the quiet one, the emblem of perfection. This is probably the worthy of this novel, to take these two stereotype characters and reverse their role, making Matt the betrayed and Shayne the one that has to prove himself worthy of Matt’s love and trust.

http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/92...

[JustJen "Miss Conduct" · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one just didn't wow me. It started off ok, but then everything just happened too easily. Matt walks out of jail, goes to Shayne, before practically any words, they are having sex. Even when Shayne says he may have evidence or wants to talk about what happened, all Matt wants to do is make pancakes.

So, this did have some potential, but too many things just didn't make sense to me, and I just wasn't feeling it.

[Shelba · Rating 1 out of 5]

As short as this was, I couldn't force myself to read past the halfway point. Shawn makes no sense. He loves Matt, wants to move in with him, but doesn't give him the benefit of doubt, ignores his existence for two years, but then all of a sudden he believes him and is jumping back into bed with the man he loves?

[Ajax1978 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Man oh man this book was confusing to me. Like everyone else, I agree that it makes no sense that Shayne let his partner (with whom he was planning a commitment ceremony no less) go away to prison for two years and did absolutely nothing to try and investigate to see if the guy was actually guilty. The explanation offered was weak. But then when Matt appears and Shayne takes the opportunity finally to look at Matt's "folder" for the first time.....BREAKTHROUGH! He finds evidence that will lead to exoneration. If I was Matt, I would have punched him in the face when he told me what he had found after looking at the folder for a few hours. And then the resolution was so jarringly quick I was left scratching my head and thinking, "that's it?" Bah. I'll learn to trust reviews before purchasing.

Oh and a couple of other things. At the end, they go back to Matt's house. Um, the guy has been in prison for two years. Since I don't associate much with convicted felons I'm not sure how it usually works, but is it normal for your house to sit empty while you are in prison, waiting on you? And finally, Shayne used the fact that Matt had unexplained cash all the time as one of his reasons for doubting Matt's innocence and even asks him point blank early in the story where the money came from. Matt offers a sarcastic response about oh yeah, I was selling the drugs I was stealing. And that's it! No other explanation and the subject is dropped. What?!

[Pushubuu]

Well, the blurb sounded promising... but it sort of sunk right after the prologue. If I was framed and my lover, who had also been my best friend and partner for years, just walks away without even asking what the eff is happening, I'd feel pretty betrayed, angry, heartbroken, suspicious. And when I flee prison after rotting in a cell for two years, I'd want answers when I confront him. But oh no, Matt's only thought is: "does he love me?" then he gets hard, and makes pancakes for breakfast.
Shayne is just as improbable. If he's thinking that Matt really did it, you'd think he'd want to know for certain, instead of pondering about it half heartedly for months on end, not even questioning the courts ruling. He's an investigative police officer for crying out loud. It's only after they're shacked up at his cabin together after Matts break-out that he starts rooting around and then of course immediately finds questionable things about the case that show that it stinks to high heaven. I'm half way through, I think I'll give it a rest and try it at a no rant time of year.

[Gwengwel]

I read JenMcJ review.
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

[qx · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5