Customer Reviews

deceive not my heart

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This author is one of my favorite and this book is a definite keeper. Leonie Saint-Andre's life this 19th-century New Orleans is nothing but a bitter memory. Her home, a fine Southern plantation, has fallen to decay and her grandfather continues to gamble away what is left of the family fortune. To recover her grandfather's latest gambling loss, Leonie creeps into the gambling house to steal his voucher. Hearing footsteps, she escapes into a dark room and into the arms of Morgan Slade, a man who mistakes her for the bed partner promised him by his host. Her vain protests serve only to arouse his passion but there is no hope for escape. Haunted by the memory of that night, Leonie is shocked to learn that her grandfather has arranged for her to marry none other than Morgan Slade. Leonie, to please her dying grandfather, agrees to marry under two conditions: that Morgan never lay hands on her, and that her dowry is merely loaned to him for five years. What Leonie doesn't realize is that her future husband is not Morgan Slade, but his nearly-identical cousin, Ashley, who, as soon as the charade of their wedding is play out, escapes to Europe with her dowry. Five years later, with creditors about to take her home, and a son, the child of that ill-fated night with Morgan Slade, she travels to Morgan Slade's home to retrieve her dowry. Only to find that Morgan is nothing like man she married. More and more they fall in love with each other, Leonie with the true Morgan and Morgan with this beautiful woman calling herself his wife.

I loved it!! Leonie's and Morgan's story was great. The dashing, debonair Morgan Slade is truly a dream. Leonie's one rash decision one night changed her life forever. Not only did Leonie's life change, but so did Morgan Slade's. Both are haunted by that one night. One night of bridled passion that left an impression and a gift to last a lifetime. From that night Leonie is thrown in a web of deception. She unknowingly marries a man she thinks she spent the night with. Is the man who he appears to be or is there something secret about this man? Leonie soon discovers the answer when drastic changes in her life, her way of living, and her family's fortune are threatened.

"Deceive Not My Heart" is an exciting, romantic read.

I give this book 4 stars only because I liked the heroine and the setting of the story. One of my favorite time periods for historical romances is the setting of the lush South in states such as Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana so I really enjoyed reading the descriptions of the southern plantations of Natchez and those outside New Orleans in Deceive Not My Heart.

Leonie Saint-Andre is the heroine and lives on a plantation in Louisiana that has seen better days. Her grandfather has squandered the family money on alcohol and gambling and they teeter on the edge of bankruptcy, when he suddenly realizes that he should provide for Leonie, he decides to find her a wealthy husband to care for her when he dies. The weatlhy husband he chooses for her is Morgan Slade, but unknown to her, the man she marries is not Morgan but his scheming cousin from England Ashley who promptly sails back to England with her dowry money with the signed agreement (forging Morgan's name) he'll pay her back in 5 years.

The hero and heroine meet when Leonie travels to Natchez to get her money back to save her beloved home and plantation. Naturally, the hero is angered and outraged that the heroine insists they were married when he clearly doesn't even know Leonie and never saw her before!

What I didn't like about this book was the hero, Morgan Slade. He was burned years before, getting his heart broken, when his first wife left him and in the process got herself and his young son killed. So he has a grudge and mistrust of all women and when he meets Leonie he can't trust her completely despite his instant attraction for her. He knows that Leonie is "different" somehow as he's never felt this strongly about a woman before (except his dead wife) yet he starts thinking all these horrible things about Leonie and how she's just a greedy woman out for his money (he refers to her as a b**** quite frequently, which I found repugnant). Leonie doesn't act like the liar and scheming woman he wants to believe she is, and so he goes from warm and tender to cold and harsh in the blink of an eye and vice versa many times. He can't quite stop comparing her to his deceitful first wife.

On the other hand, Leonie was a very strong and likable heroine. She had guts and courage from the very beginning of the book. When the hero does find out how he wronged the heroine throughout her entire stay at his home, IMO, he doesn't do enough groveling for her forgiveness. After the hero realizes this, I kept expecting the author to make the hero work for his heroine's love and affections, but it never occurred. The ending was especially frustrating for me, because the hero never apologized for his actions, in particular a very *big* and *bad* action on his part to the heroine in the beginning of the book.

Definitely read this for the descriptive detail of life on a plantation and in the South, and the heroine, Leonie. The hero could have been better.

I tend to horde books that I like and this one has won a place on my shelf. I love this author. Her characters are well rounded and believable. The plot was well told. I thoroughly enjoyed this story!

I read this book years ago, and while I am not that big on "romance" novels, I like that this author includes historical events and real people. It adds a little history lesson in the mix. I recommend it for light reading.

I'm not going to go over the plot like the other reviewers because that's pointless and too much has been revealed by other reviewers as it is.

However, I feel its my duty to document my love of this particular book. I first read this book in the 80's as a teenager, and it may have been my own naive romantic nature at the time, but I absolutely was blown away by it. Admittedly my only other experience of romance at the time was Mills and Boon, and a bit later Daniel Steel, but I just LOVED it! The story litterally stayed with me for many many years and I never forgot the name of it or the characters names even though my copy of the book disappeared over a series of house moves.

A few years later I remembered it and bought a second hand copy to see whether it would have the same impact on a 30 something jaded divorcee with two kids. Guess what? It DID!

Despite this being written so many moons ago, the story is timeless. I can't imagine a time when such an exciting, sexy romantic book will ever go out of fashion. I for one love the lack of political correctness that drenches modern books. Yes, there are many things that are never written about in modern books, such as rape etc. But if you read an 80's bodice ripper you have to take all that and accept its just a sign of the times and enjoy it anyway. At the end of the day, these things and worse did happen and if you think this one is a bit bad you should read Stormfire! phew, now there's a wild ride.

Morgan Slade is the man by whome I judge every hero in every book I have ever read since. Leonie is the heroine I wanted to BE. The story is wild and tempestuous like Leonies character. There is sex, intrigue, a misunderstanding, a tortured hero and a lovable heroine. It is epic and consuming and the story is a rollercoaster.

I honestly can't recommend this book enough. Every true romanceaholic just has to find a copy and read it. You won't be disappointed. Lady Vixen and Tiger Lily are also excellent reads which I also highly recommend. But Deceive not my Heart will always hold a special place in MY heart.

Other Recommendations : A Private Arrangement, Lord of Scoundrels, The Lady's Tutor, Devil's Bride (Bar Cynster), most Lisa Kleypas books.
Para Romance Recommendations: JR Ward - All books, Kresley Cole - All books but particularly her historical romances, Sherilyn Kenyon - awesome

Hope this was helpful. thanks for reading.x

Leonie's only interest in the despicable cad she had been forced to marry was the return of her dowry. She had not seen her husband in 5 years, and now Morgan Slade angrily denies there had ever been a marriage. But in the cool shadows of the enchanting forest that surround Morgan Slade's elegant southern plantation, the fury of her hatred yields to the fierce hunger of unquenched longing. In the powerful arms of the dark and handsome husband she thought she despised, Leonie trembles with the sweet agony of awakened desire and helplessly surrenders to the wild, intoxicating ecstasy of blazing passion. And together they abandon themselves to the exquisite pleasure of the love their hearts cannot escape. I really enjoyed this book. Leonie and Morgan go so well together. You just keep hanging on waiting for the truth to be revealed so they may live their lives in harmony. How do you not remember wedding someone? You know something's up and it keeps you enthralled.

I first read this book as a teenager in 1988. I enjoyed it then and even more so this time around. The twists and turns in the plot keep you interested and encourage you to read on and on and on until the outcome is revealed. From start to finish, Leonie and Morgan's story will have you enthralled. And the chemistry! SIZZZZZLING! Morgan is foine with a capital F (I just know I'm gonna dream about him tonight).

This book grabbed me from page one. The Character were strong and well put together. I loved the dialouge between the two main character Leonie and Morgan. I just wondered how the original incident between the two would pan out. I'm glad that Leonie was not upset with him regarding their sons birth. Ashely however got just what he deserved.I would definitely recommend this book for a first time reader of this author. A excellent read.

I loved all the books that intergraded with each other. I love reading about the Slades, The Savages, Adam St. Clair, Brett Dangermond, and Royce Manchester. I was able to read a little about each of them in each others books. It was great. Morgan and Leonie Slade are my favorite.