ARC Review: Deceptions by Kelley Armstrong

Deceptions
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Cainsville (Book 3)
Publication: Dutton (August 18, 2015)

Description: Olivia Taylor Jones’s life has exploded. She’s discovered she is not only adopted, but her real parents are convicted serial killers. Fleeing the media frenzy, she took refuge in the oddly secluded town of Cainsville. She has since solved the town’s mysteries and finds herself not only the target of its secretive elders but also her stalker ex-fiancé.

Visions continue to haunt her: particularly a little blond girl in a green sundress who insists she has an important message for Olivia, one that may help her balance the light and darkness within herself. Death stalks both Olivia and the two men most important to her, as she desperately searches to understand whether ancient scripts are dictating the triangle that connects them. Will darkness prevail, or does Olivia have the power to prevent a tragic fate?

My Thoughts: This is the third book in the Cainsville series. In it Olivia learns a lot more about her past. She is also learning about what the fae want from her. Being Olivia, she isn't going to give it to them unless it is what she wants too.

This story begins with a phone call from James who is Olivia's former fiance and her current stalker. Both Gabriel and Ricky have tried all they can to get him to stop harassing Olivia but nothing has worked. Olivia can't understand how the man she loved enough to accept a marriage proposal from could ever become the person he is now.

Meanwhile, Gabriel and Olivia are still working on getting her birth parents out of prison. They have already proven that they didn't commit one of the murders that they were convicted for. They are still pursuing leads that have grown cold in the twenty-two years since they were convicted. Olivia finally gets to meet her father in prison which is a very traumatic experience for her.

Olivia is also having visions of the past which are providing her with at least as many questions as answers. The fae are telling her that she, Gabriel and Ricky are reliving an old story and her choices could determine the fate of the fae.

I like Olivia a lot. As Rose's tarot card reading tells us, she is bright, perceptive, intuitive and independent and sometimes cold-hearted, critical and cynical. I like that she knows what she wants out of life and isn't going to let anyone push her around. I also like Ricky who is a perfect romantic partner for her.

I love Gabriel who is such a heart-breaking character. As a child he suffered both abuse and neglect at the hands of his drug-addicted mother. It has made him into an adult who is very protective of what he has. He can't touch and has no emotional intuition. He is very private and isn't going to risk his heart with anyone. He knows this about himself but has no way to change. I like that Olivia also knows who he is and is determined to be his friend no matter how hard it is.

While this book has a satisfying conclusion, I am glad that the author has already sold books four and five in this series. I can't wait to find out what happens next.

Favorite Quote:

"This is how it begins. With two boys and a girl, back before Romans set their filthy boots on our shores. The Tylwyth Teg and the Cˆwn Annwn are the two sides of fae—light and dark. Light is not good nor dark evil."

I got this eARC through Penguin's First to Read program. You can buy your copy here.