A Lady's Deception [Paperback]

Jeanne Savery (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1995

Tacye Adlington disguises herself as her late twin brother in order to provide a proper escort for her younger sister during Bath's Little Season, but her masquerade is threatened by her attraction to the brooding, reclusive Marquess of Worth. Original.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Tacye Adlington grew up in the shadow of her twin brother Terence. But ever since Terence was killed in battle, Tacye hasn't been her usual adventurous self. It's as if part of her died with Terence. But in order to find a suitable match for her beautiful younger sister Damaris, Tacye concocts a scheme to rival anything Terence could have ever come up with! Dressing as a man, Tacye plans to accompany her sister and their Aunt Fanny to Bath. Lucius Bernard Julian Mereworth, Marquess of Worth knew Terence Adlington well. He also heard about Tacye and wonders if the young man who calls himself Toby is indeed Tacye. Determined to discover the truth without causing a scandal, Worth bides his time and makes friends with Toby. When Toby beats Worth in a race and seems completely at ease in men's clothes and talking the way men do, Worth begins to wonder if he's been wrong. Perhaps Toby is really a man, after all. Still, there's something about the young man that intrigues him and he's determined to find out what it is. Acting as chaperone for her sister and aunt proves to be more of an adventure than Tacye bargained for. True, her sister has her share of suitors, but it's up to Tacye to determine who is desirable and who Damaris should avoid. Worth's advice and guidance is appreciated, but Tacye soon realizes that the feelings she has for Worth are totally unacceptable, especially since he thinks she is a boy! She never thought she'd be ready to trade in her trousers for skirts, but for the first time in her life, Tacye has met a man that makes her happy to be a woman!Jeanne Savery has created an interesting and humorous love story! The heroine is strong and independent, and the hero loves her for it! The unexpected is always around the corner in A Lady's Deception! A unique story told by a unique writer! Jeanne Savery captures all the trials and tribulations of life for women in the 1800's! This is historical fiction at its best!Kristina Wright -- Copyright © 1994-97 Literary Times, Inc. All rights reserved -- From Literary Times

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Zebra (June 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821749773
• ISBN-13: 978-0821749777
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,016,696 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best Category Regencies Ever Written!, February 20, 2004

By 

Lindsay Whitfield "lindsaywhitfield" - See all my reviews

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This review is from: A Lady's Deception (Paperback)

This is one of my all-time favorite books of any kind, and within category regencies ties for second place with Cathleen Clare's 'Clarissa.' (Number one is Jessica Benson's unbelievably good 'Lord Stanhope's Proposal'). You've read the synopsis, so I won't trot that out again, just let me add a few notes. Tayce, our heroine, is absolute perfection. She manages to impersonte a young man and yet be utterly feminine at the same time. She has enormous depth, intelligence and humor, and her feelings of inadequacy about herself as a woman do not seem to be a plot contrivance but rather perfectly understandable given the circumstances. As for our hero, I don't know how he could be any more of a dream come true. This is a hero who genuinely wants his love to be all that she can and wants to be, who is so comfortable in his own skin that he is not intimidated by a woman who is not only frighteningly capable, but dares to defy conventionn out of love for her family. The fact that he is rich, handsome and titled does not detract from his appeal. Do yourself a favor and buy this book. This is what romance is all about.

3.0 out of 5 stars Fairly interesting idea but a so-so excecution (Grade: B-), April 2, 2011

By 

R. Martin (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Lady's Deception (Paperback)

The plot: Tayce Adlington wants to make sure her sister Damaris makes an advantageous marriage, but they have no man in the house to ensue their safety in society. The answer? She will dress up as her brother and chaperon her sister and aunt herself! They travel to Bath and the charade commences. As a young, beautiful debutante, Damaris draws a crowd of admirers. But it's Tayce who we watch, as she falls into friendship with the Marquess of Worth and finds her charade more and more difficult to keep up.

The good: I've only read one book that took the "Girl Dresses up as a Man and has Adventures" this far (Heyer's The Masqueraders), and A Lady's Deception goes in a different direction with the chaperoning idea. I really enjoyed how easy it was for Tayce to be a man, and how she was accepted with virtually no problem into the clubs and races.

Lord Worth was a bit more stereotypical, with the usual jaded palate, lascivious past and oodles of money. His redeeming trait is that he doesn't need Tayce to be more feminine in order for him to be happy with her. What a refreshing change!

The bad: Although I liked the idea immensely, I felt that the chemistry between the two protagonists was off. I finished the book and thought ... "meh". To be honest, I think it's because this was neither a bodice ripper nor an Austen-esque comedy of manners. It was kind of in-between, and as such, didn't satisfy my liking for either kind of romance.

The bottom line: It's an amusing read, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it.

4.0 out of 5 stars A Lady's Deception, November 30, 2009

By 

Alexandra Cenni "Poisoned Rationality" (hamilton, nj USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Lady's Deception (Paperback)

When I first read this, a decade or so ago, I read it under the mistaken belief that it would be similar to a manga I adore called Basara. All I really read of the synopsis was 'Young girl masquerades as her late twin brother and gets into trouble'--which is Basara's plot at the most simple. So yes I was mighty surprised and learned the valuable lesson to read the blurb before you read the book to avoid such mishaps again.

Regardless this trope--a lady disguising herself as a guy--tickles me pink every time. Whether made seriously or made as a lark, almost invariably the lady in question gets into some situations that are simply outlandish. I especially love it when the hero suspects the lady and purposely makes her squirm to see if she breaks. Lucius is rather like that, pushing buttons to get to the truth.

Tacye (for the record she and her sister win for exotic names in Regency Romances, at least for this month) is capable, intelligent, quick-witted and has the inner strength to make the charade work. I fully believe if Lucius hadn't become a factor nothing would have gone wrong. Admittedly the time that Tacye spends a female in Lucius' company is far shorter then what she spends with as a guy, but Lucius caught on to the guise fairly quick. So while Tacye was falling in love with him, and wondering how to explain that she isn't a guy, he was wondering how to get her not to be a guy long enough for things not to get really scandalous!