#TBRChallenge 2022: The Mistress Deception

The Book: The Mistress Deception by Susan Napier

The Particulars: Contemporary romance, Harlequin Presents #2111, 2000, Out of Print, Available digitally

Why Was It In Wendy's TBR?: This was a recommendation from Willaful and Amazon has "helpfully" informed me that I bought the Kindle version in 2015 😬.

Spoilers Ahoy!

The Review: I have no idea how to write a review for this book. On one hand I got sucked in and inhaled this story in two gulps and it left me slightly hungover (in a good way). On the other hand, it's a But Wait, There's More! book. Just when you think the author can't cram in any more angsty drama llama, she somehow does and after a while it's one "shocking revelation" too many.  Yes, yes, I am aware this is a Presents, but seriously y'all - it's a lot.

Rachel is working security at a ritzy private party when Matthew Riordan arrives, already more than slightly drunk, and proceeds to make "a scene."  Well, a subtle scene - but the hostess is so freaked out she begs Rachel to do something so the matter doesn't escalate. Through a series of misadventures Rachel eventually gets Matt into the guest house where he behaves like a lout (there's no "forced seduction" or sex for that matter but it's an uncomfortable scene - the only saving grace being that Rachel can handle herself...). Eventually drunken Matt passes out and that should have been the end of it - except it isn't. Someone was there to take photographs, rather misleading ones, and someone appears to be up to blackmail.  Of course since this is a Presents Matt thinks Rachel is the blackmailer and vice versa.

If you distilled this story down to it's essence that's essentially it. Eventually, once the misunderstanding is cleared up, Rachel and Matt join forces to unmask the blackmailer and for that they need to neutralize the threat - which means, yep you guessed it, they're going to play the role of happy couple.  Matt swept her off her feet dontcha know.

The book starts out pretty great and Napier is a category romance pro. Once I started this I couldn't put it down.  But seriously, there are so many "revelations" in this book that it's hard to keep track.  I've got a mountain of spoilers ahead, so don't say you haven't been warned!

1) Rachel is described as "Amazonian." Six feet tall, a lot of lush curves, besides security she works as a masseur and personal trainer. Not the most egregious I've read, but some body issue hang-ups are on page.

2) Rachel is "an older woman."  She's got 4 years on Matt, which frankly didn't seem like a big deal to me but it's enough of a big deal for her that she thinks about it a couple times over the course of the story.

3) Rachel was engaged until her fiancé died in a car accident. He swerved to miss hitting a child and hit a tree instead. He leaves his half of a security company to her and Rachel's would-have-been brother-in-law (and now business partner) isn't her biggest fan.

4) Rachel was raped as a teenager. She gave birth to the child who was adopted by a very close family member. The kid is well aware that Rachel is the bio mom - so no big secret at any rate.

5) Matt is a virgin widower! He was Mr. Piney McPinens over his first wife, who fell hard and fast for Matt's Evil Cousin.  When she contracts HIV from an infected needle (she was a nurse), Evil Cousin dumps her like a hot potato even though she's pregnant with his baby. Mr. White Knight Matt marries her but first wife who is now a fragile emotional mess commits suicide. While she's still pregnant. 

6) Then, finally, to necessitate a third act separation (which blessedly doesn't last very long) the Evil Cousin tells Rachel that Matt was questioned by authorities and remanded for - oh just take a wild guess what offense.  Go on, I dare you.  (And of course he didn't do it - but this little bombshell was the biggest Out of Left Field moment of them all. I mean, it wasn't left field so much as out in the overflow parking lot for cripes sake. It's dropped like a live hand grenade into the reader's lap and then resolved within a couple pages. Like really?).

And I haven't even mentioned that Matt's father is laid up in the hospital to have bypass surgery.  After a while I lost track y'all.

Which makes it sound like this was an eye-rolling slog of a read for me. Yes, it's a lot of Drama Llama and yes it features a lot of problematic proto-typical Presents nonsense - but ask me if I care.

Narrator: Wendy, in fact, did not care.

It's hard to explain to folks who don't read (or particularly like) category, but when you land on an author who excels in writing the format it has a very Calgon, Take Me Away! quality to it. It also doesn't hurt that Rachel carries this book. Matt is an insufferable jackass for a good 60% of it but Rachel is the type of heroine who pushes back, gives as good as she gets. Matt can be cruel but Rachel can cut him to the quick just as easily.  She's no pushover and it not only saves the story but made me love it in spite of the But Wait, There's More!

What I'm left with is a book I enjoyed but I can't necessarily say I'd "recommend."   Well, let me rephrase - if you're a sucker for Presents, yes - this is one I'd recommend.  If you question the sanity of every Presents reader out there?  Maybe not so much.  But I did enjoy it despite, well, everything. Because, like, wow.

Final Grade = B