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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Toni Tony Tone, March 2, 2004
Wow, a bombshell on the first page! So, make sure no one tells you too much about our protagonist Toni "Teaser" Goodwin before you get a chance to read Mass Deception for yourself. This shocker on page one hooked me in immediately. I found Mass Deception to be one heck of a trip! The treacherous premise of this novel has all to do with secrets. And as the title implies, Toni is not alone. Life for Toni couldn't be any better than it is now. She is a beautiful, young career woman who has proven to be a strong contender in the advertising industry. Originally from Tallahassee, Toni and her very supportive mother have moved to Atlanta. She has accepted a Vice President's position at Carlton International, a black owned advertising firm. Toni is so cool and easygoing that she instantly made friends in her new city. She met Cynthia, Michelle and Ebony at the local beauty parlor one day and they all have been hanging tough ever since. But, her oldest and dearest friend is "fabulous" Devon who still resides in Tallahassee, and living in grandeur I must add. One weekend Toni goes back to Tallahassee to attend her high school reunion with Devon. And what an amazing weekend it was. In just a couple of days she met two wonderful gentlemen, Tommy and John. John is a good friend of Roger's, Devon's lover. Eventually John becomes the lucky suitor to win over Toni's heart. But how far can their relationship develop before she has to reveal her closely guarded secret? Hallema also gives us a story within a story that I found to be very exciting. Although somewhat over the top, it was the prelude of Toni's furtive ways. Basically it gave us insight into what happened in the past when Toni did reveal her secret to her then romantic interest Robert. (Get this, her mother used to work for the FBI and shows just how support she can be) Unfortunately though, this story was told so fast that you almost wonder why it was included it at all. There are some other characters that are also living a clandestine life. Unbeknown to Toni is that her executive assistant Sean is also the boss's son. But that's not all she doesn't know about Sean. Also there's Roger who, while in pursuit of political office, has a big decision to make after a terrible accident occurs. The longer these concealments continue the more detrimental they become...for all parties involved. How long will it take for Toni, Sean and Roger to reveal their secrets, if at all? Hallema's Mass Deception is a true cliffhanger. We just might have to wait and see. Mass Deception was basically a fun read...cool enough for a quite Sunday afternoon (with popcorn)! However, I can not say that it stood out enough from other novels with strong African American female characters dealing with scandals, career and romance issues. Maybe several years ago I would have enjoyed it better. But after reading so many, I'm looking for more substance when I read my favorite genre of books. I think sometimes it had too many references to fashion designers and such where a more original approach of description would have been better appreciated. In addition, I think the dialogue was somewhat elementary at times. In spite of this, I always enjoy reading about smart career women. I must also add that I learned a thing or two about how I would handle certain work-related situations. I did find this book entertaining and I do look forward to the sequel.
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by Hallema
by Noire
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