Customer Reviews

Dance With Deception

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I found Tracy's book to be well written with a great plot. The story of Gwen and Sebastian was wonderfully told--the way she fleshed out the characters pulled my right into their story. I cannot WAIT for her next novels to be published so I can see where she goes with the secondary characters from this first book.

Even though Dance with deception is well written and the hero is noble and caring, I cannot give this novel above a two and a half star recommendation. This is almost solely due to the heroine who lacks perspective in so many areas of her life.

Gwen McAlistair is ever the dutiful daughter to her overbearing, mean spirited father. So when he demands that she becomes betrothed to a man she does not like before he succumbs to his illness and dies, she is quick to agree. (btw Gwen's father never says what is ailing him and Gwen never thinks to ask) However Gwen meets an old family friend Sebastian, the Duke of Davenport and rekindles her friendship with him which quickly escalates into a romance.

Sebastian is enchanted with Gwen and even though he has guarded his heart he knows he is falling for the perky upbeat Gwen and she seems to return his feelings. He is therefore surprised to discover she is betrothed. Gwen is most insistent on going through with the wedding even though her fiancé makes her skin crawl, is overbearing and possessive. She just cannot stand to let down dear old daddy. At times she is almost hateful to Sebastian, but it is for his own good she believes. For some reason, Sebastian wants Gwen and he is not above manipulating circumstances and even telling some lies to make it happen.

He manages to open up the McAlistair version of Pandora's Box which has repercussions for the entire family. He is unaware of the consequences of his handiwork mainly because the heroine keeps him in the dark about family secrets. In many ways Gwen's actions were erratic. She is obedient to the point of martyrdom with her father, but is stubborn and at logger heads with both her brother and Sebastian who only want her to follow her heart's desire. A little later she is passive aggressive with Sebastian but becomes confrontational with her father. She also is big into punishing those who have hurt her. She claims to forgive but I didn't believe her due to her actions. There are parts of this novel which have some dark overtones. Some family secrets really should stay secret.

Now surprisingly, I read this novel speedily. The print is large but the story moved along at a good pace with an unexpected plot twist here and there coming from characters other than the leads. This would have been a much more enjoyable novel if the heroine would have been consistent.

I loved this book. I would normally not pick up a historic novel by any means on my own, but this was the pick of the month for my book club. Now, I guess I like historic novels. Ms. Goodwin's character description was perfect. The story flowed nicely and the story line was fresh and new to me. Can't wait for more Sebastian or maybe more Tristan! Yum!

I really enjoyed this novel. I read it in two evenings (staying up well past bedtime) because I couldn't wait to find out what happens with Gwen and Sebastian. Tracy Goodwin's writing is easy to read without being "simple" and the pace of the book was such that I didn't want to put it down. I'd recommend it.

Dance With Deception is a great book filled with captivating plots, great characters and fabulous dialogue. Ms Goodwin has done a wonderful job with this book.

Dance with Deception was a delight to read. The dialogue was fun and clever. Light read for any day, rainy or sunny.

I think Dance with Deception is my first straight historical romance, if so it's an enjoyable introduction to the Victorian era. (And a fun change from my more commonly read Victorian tales, most notably those of the Lovecraft mythos.)

Gwendolyn MacAlistair's father is supposedly dying and she is being forced into an arranged marriage with his close friend and near constant companion, Kier. But since their re-introduction as adults Gwen can't rid herself of thoughts of Sebastian, a duke now, but like an older brother to her in childhood. But both Gwen and Sebastian find themselves unprepared for the manipulations of her father and Kier, and for the deep family secrets that are about to be revealed.

Dance with Deception has all the classic ingredients of successful romance. Sebastian is haunted by a loveless past. Gwen is a feisty woman in a time that doesn't appreciate her, being manipulated into a proper, dutiful marriage with a man who seems to have no redeeming qualities. The attraction between the two is sizzling and the drama is spot on and satisfying.

Being new to historical romance I can't say how it rates in period accuracy, but the details of the setting neither disrupt nor overwhelm the love story. Even though it's over four hundred pages I read this one pretty quickly and found it hard to put down. The best thing I can say about it is that it's quite the sensory novel, woven with tastes, smells and sounds that other authors sometimes forget. All in all Dance with Deception is a solid, if not enjoyable debut.