Deceived (Onyx) [Paperback]

Mary Balogh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1993 | Series: Onyx

A sensuous story of lost love in Regency England, by a bestselling author and recipient of the Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award. Elizabeth Ward has a perfect marriage with Christopher Atwell. Perfect, that is, until she finds him in the arms of another woman. Framed by Elizabeth's villainous stepbrother, Christopher will do anything to win Elizabeth back--including abducting her!

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Onyx (April 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451404181
• ISBN-13: 978-0451404183
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #630,214 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mary Balogh is the New York Times bestselling author of the acclaimed Slightly novels: Slightly Married, Slightly Wicked, Slightly Scandalous, Slightly Tempted, Slightly Sinful, and Slightly Dangerous, as well as the romances No Man's Mistress, More than a Mistress, and One Night for Love. She is also the author of Simply Love, Simply Unforgettable, Simply Magic, and Simply Perfect, her dazzling quartet of novels set at Miss Martin's School for Girls. A former teacher herself, she grew up in Wales and now lives in Canada.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful, April 6, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Deceived (Onyx) (Paperback)

I truely loved this book, I litterally got up at midnight to finish it because I could not sleep. The characters and ensuing events were believable. I really can not put into words how much I loved this book. All I can say is if you can find a copy of it read it I don't think you would be sorry.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Absorbing!, November 16, 2007

By 

MaryGrace Meloche (Ontario, Canada.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Deceived (Onyx) (Paperback)

Mary Balogh's DECEIVED is a good story. Although housework called, DECEIVED called louder! I just had to find out what happened to Balogh's two star-crossed lovers!

Lady Elizabeth Ward fell madly in love with him during their first dance; she fell for with his pure blue eyes and his dark handsome looks. In less than two months he was completely hers. Totally, she loved him! He was her knight in shining armor. Their future together would be nothing but a happily-ever-after. Wrong! She had been so wrong, for it had been nothing but youthful frivolity! When their world collapsed, Elizabeth faced the scandalous rumors and innuendoes alone. Intensely, she remembered that time -- she could not stop remembering!

Christopher Atwell was now the Earl of Trevelyan and he was back home again! It felt good to be back. Seven years was a long time to be away! The last time, he stood on English soil outrage, regret, and tremendous pain had filled his soul. Seven years ago, he had vowed to love her until death. Alas, some things are best forgotten! Yet, the following day, Christopher Atwell abducted a bride-to-be in front of St. George's! It seemed some things were best remembered!

Reviewer's Comments:
Good versus evil. Initially, Mary Balogh teases her reader with vague suggestions and slight hints. Such writing fashions an air of intrigue -- an intrigue that slowly wraps itself around the reader. Then, suddenly -- Balogh breathes vital detail into her story and the reader is completely hooked!

Diabolically evil is the only description for Mary Balogh's prime secondary character! A schemer, a deviser and yet at the same time, the man portrays great innocence and trust to those he deems important. Mind you, this type of villainy is not for everyone, but it proved absorbing.

I'm sure readers will enjoy this book, so why wasn't DECEIVED given a better rating? 1): Although, some background material was required, the pace slowed, for a time, after the abduction! 2): When it became clear who was responsible for all the wickedness, Mary Balogh chose to believe love and proper manners would rule the day, but this reader felt immediate retaliation would have been more realistic -- considering human nature! Still, DECEIVED was a good read; it just wasn't perfect!
Grade: B+

MaryGrace Meloche.

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 3 and 1/2 stars - I think?, July 8, 2004

By 

SusieQ (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deceived (Onyx) (Paperback)

I've read lots of Mary Balogh's books by now and I love several of her shorter Signet Regencies, (The Temporary Wife -- so good) ~but, I always have a problem with her longer fiction (the Slightly series; etc.) What works so well in her shorter fiction just doesn't work in her longer novels for me. DECEIVED is one of her longer Regencies.

I'm having a hard time giving it a high rating but I can't quite give it a lower one either! I'm also not sure it's going on my keeper shelf yet!

My big problem with this one is: I don't really ever LIKE the heroine. She seems weak; easily manipulated by the people surrounding her, including the hero, through the whole book. (I know, there's the time period thing; women had no rights, but still...) Elizabeth's attachment to her stepbrother Martin seems over-emphasized in the beginning - she spent 7 YEARS in the country with him, recovering from her breakup with the hero? Seems excessive. And Martin's perversions were pretty disturbing. Yet, the author did somehow make it all come together in the end, so I have to give her kudos for that. I absolutely loved the first chapter; it's a great set-up, a real lesson for aspiring romance writers. Also, I could not put the book down, so that speaks for itself. The story certainly moves along, and I do like the hero, Christopher, although he's pretty slow on the uptake vis-a-vis the stepbrother's manipulation. If he wasn't, there'd be no plot, and yet the fact that Christopher, and Elizabeth, don't realize sooner that they've been manipulated, makes ME, as a reader, feel manipulated, just a bit. I actually think this story might have been more successful if it had been shorter - actually, like Mary Balogh's Signet Regencies.

As you see it's very hard for me to grade this reading experience, but 3.5 is probably a fair grade.