Love or Deception by Morgan K. Wyatt - review and giveaway

This review is in conjunction with a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via the rafflecopter at the end of this post during the tour.

Also, this novel is up for a RONE award, along with many other indie books. If you'd like to support it (or others), click here.

Amy awakes to find her husband Mark missing, along with her memories. Her recollections of Mark include a whirlwind courtship and a beach wedding. Amy is determined to uncover what happened to her husband. How could a man who loved her so intensely just walk away?

The police have no interest in finding Mark. They reason he wasn’t ready for marriage and he walked. She wonders if his disappearance could be associated with her work.

Ryan, a close friend and co-worker, assists her in piecing together her missing memories. As the pair work together, they find that Amy’s actual past reveals a scenario that is so horrifying that it forces them on the run, not knowing whom they can trust. Will Amy’s newly recalled memories prove fatal to both her and Ryan?

MY REVIEW:

I'm a fan of this author, so nabbed this to review. The cover is eye-catching and the premise intriguing so I was excited to start.

Honestly, at first I think I was as confused as Amy ... this is likely partly because we're in her POV, but I still felt like a lot of things were put out there quickly. For me, they were a little too many to absorb right off.  But can I tell you how much I loved her aunt Remy?  She was such a hoot. She loved Amy to death, took care of her, put her in her place when she needed it and didn't take any crap.  I'm pretty sure she was my favorite character.. unless you count Sampson and Burton (a cat and dog, respectively).

Though the story started a bit slow and stumbled around, once it hit its stride it was non-stop excitement.  I never knew who to trust, what was happening, etc.  This was partly due to Amy having memory issues and being our POV character. That was such a good choice! We slowly get to find out what's happening along with her, and it made it that much more nerve-wracking.

The hero, Ryan, took a little while to grow on me.  I thought he was remarkably forward from the start, considering Amy had apparently just lost her husband.  Ryan dropped hints about being in love with Amy, touched her when he could, etc.  It felt a little stalkerish to me. But it didn't take long before I came to appreciate him as much as Amy did.  His change from a mild-mannered scientist to a sexy, sometimes dangerous lover was great to observe.

Ms. Wyatt did a great job building worry and anticipation and slowly giving hints to what the real danger was, without forgetting to let the characters continue to grow.  They mattered, and that's what makes a book good for me. I have to care about the characters, not just wonder about the plot.

Truthfully, while the ending of the dangerous part of this story was satisfying, I sort of felt like it was a little too easy.  This might have been different if we'd have been in other POVs so I could see what they were doing, too (like Simpson), but that would have ruined much of the rest of the story.  I'm a little torn about it.

All-in-all, though Love or Deception was a solid romantic suspense.  Top notch characters, good plot, and solid writing and editing.  I can definitely recommend this to any fans of the genre.

4 Flowers - This was a very good book! I'd recommend it to my friends.

Now enjoy an excerpt:

The tinny tingle of the bell drew her eyes as two guards from the center meandered into the diner. “Guards from the center.” When Ryan started to turn his head, she added. “Don’t look.”

Inhaling deeply, he leaned across the table blocking their view. “Do you think they followed you here? If so, what are you going to do?”

Her eyes measured the space from the table where the guards sat to the door. Too close. Maybe there was a back exit through the swinging doors. If nothing else, she could sprint through the kitchen. She had a feeling Trixie might be doing most of the cooking tonight based on her long disappearances. Cutting her eyes back to Ryan, she whispered, “It might be coincidental, but it won’t be good to see us together. I am heading to the restroom to find another exit, which means I am sticking you with the check.”

She fluffed her hair, pulling it up in clumps making it look more punkish. Retying her plain oxford shirt under her breasts created a midriff-baring top. Unbuttoning the remaining blouse top exposed her breasts with traces of the lace bra cup peeking out.

Ryan coughed. “If you want the guards not to look at you then I would say you are going about it the wrong way.”

The look on her companion’s face seesawed between concern and interest. She looked down at her breasts prominently displayed in her tied up shirt. It made sense, he was a man, and men responded to visual cues. No more than that or was it? Certainly not the time to explore her relationship with the doctor. “I just want them not to mistake me for the serious scientist type.”

“Trust me. If they do see you, I doubt they’ll even bother looking at your face.”

“Thanks, I think.” She slid out of the vinyl booth seat, squeaking as she went.

She refused to look back but put an extra sway into her walk, just in case the guards looked up.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Morgan K Wyatt believes in happy endings. When things don’t end well, she holds to the familiar Indian saying: If things don’t work out, then it’s not the end because everything works out in the end. She considers herself living proof after escaping an abusive marriage; she found and married her soul mate. While not every day is sunshine and roses, she writes about the possibility of flowers and chance meetings between strangers.

Her reputation as a plant rescuer has people dropping sick and dying plants at her house, and then speeding off in the night. The magic ingredient that brings the plants back to life is love and Miracl-gro. Morgan would love to hear from you. If you have a name for a character, cute dog pics, or gardening info, even better.

Social Media

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Blogs

www.datingafterfortyeight.blogspot.com

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Buy Links

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Deception-Special-Circumstances-Morgan-Wyatt-ebook/dp/B00JOPQTX4/

AmazonUK http://www.amazon.co.uk/Deception-Special-Circumstances-Morgan-Wyatt-ebook/dp/B00JOPQTX4/

AmazonAU http://www.amazon.com.au/Love-Deception-Special-Circumstances-Book-ebook/dp/B00JOPQTX4/

AmazonCA http://www.amazon.ca/Love-Deception-Special-Circumstances-Book-ebook/dp/B00JOPQTX4/

BN http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-or-deception-morgan-k-wyatt/1119222092

iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/love-or-deception/id865287946?mt=11https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/love-or-deception/id865287946?mt=11

SCPublishing http://store.secretcravingspublishing.com/index.php?main_page=book_info&cPath=4&products_id=853

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