Review: An Affair of Deceit by Jamie Michele

Diligent attorney Abigail Mason doesn’t have a lot of time–not for the father, a legendary spymaster, who abandoned her years ago, and not for the charming CIA agent who’s suddenly asking questions about his whereabouts. But her interest is definitely piqued–just what has her father done to find himself in the agency’s crosshairs?A trained psychologist, Agent James Riley doesn’t need his degree to figure out that the persistent, sexy Abigail will be a problem? both for his investigation and his heart. And while he needs her cooperation, he’s not ready for the hands-on, dangerous role she insists on taking in the search for her father.

As the two uncover startling truths about a secretive past, can Riley shield the woman he’s come to love from a madman who wants her to pay for the sins of her father?

Even though reading the first book, An Affair of Vengeance isn’t 100% necessary, I highly recommend it. You see, in the first book the two main characters are trying to take down this kingpin weapons dealer. In this book, we meet Abigale who’s father is the spymaster for one of the agents from the previous book. Apparently, he and the kingpin, Kral, have gone missing along with all the missiles. So there is a lot of reference to the first book, and even though the author does a good job of filling you in, it’s still nice to have known everything that took place prior.

Even though we know of agent Mason before going into this book, we really don’t know him as a person. Since Abigale hasn’t seen her father in over 20 years when her and her mother moved to America, she doesn’t really know anything about him. So as the book progresses the readers, as well as Abigale, learn a little more about who Mason is. You start guessing whether he is in on the whole thing or a hostage.

I enjoyed the mystery behind the story but I also enjoyed the characters as well. Every character plays a role in this and is sort of like a puzzle piece. After finishing the book, you think back to all the interactions with the other characters and it makes sense.

My only complaint about this story is that there is a lot of rehashing of previous events during conversations. In the beginning, James and his superior go over all the details from the mission that took place when Mason and Kral went missing. That was fine since for readers who may have forgotten what took place in the previous book are caught up to speed. However, there were lengthy discussions about events that were already discussed or took place in this book and it happened more than once. Aside from these hiccups, the story progresses smoothly and you’re never left bored. There is always something taking place.

This story leaves you guessing as to what will happen next all the way until the end. If you are a fan of spy type romances, then this is a great series to pick up.