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78th out of 137 books
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20 voters
A Necessary Deception (The Daughters of Bainbridge House #1)
When young widow Lady Lydia Gale helps a French prisoner obtain parole, she never dreamed he would turn up in her parlor. But just as the London Season is getting under way, there he is, along with a few other questionable personages. While she should be focused on helping her headstrong younger sister prepare for her entrance at her debutante ball.
Readers will enjoy being...more
Readers will enjoy being...more
Kindle Edition
Published
(first published October 1st 2011)
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First posted on my blog, Legacy of a Writer.
I’ve read several of the books Laurie Eakes has published over the past few years, and all were very good and beautifully written. When I first heard about this new series that begins with A Necessary Deception, I was eager to find out what new adventure Laurie would think up next! To my delight, this book did not disappoint my expectations in the slightest—in fact, I thought it was the best one she’s written yet!
Lady Lydia Gale made a wonderful heroin...more
I’ve read several of the books Laurie Eakes has published over the past few years, and all were very good and beautifully written. When I first heard about this new series that begins with A Necessary Deception, I was eager to find out what new adventure Laurie would think up next! To my delight, this book did not disappoint my expectations in the slightest—in fact, I thought it was the best one she’s written yet!
Lady Lydia Gale made a wonderful heroin...more
A Necessary Deception is so much more than the cover would imply. It is a Regency novel full of lush characters and suspense. A read that I thoroughly enjoyed, down to the very last page. I will admit that I was a bit lost in the first chapter, but after I got my bearings all was well. Laurie Alice Eakes brings the world and society of centuries past, to life in a beautifully entertaining and page turning manner. Having read other books by the same author I expected no less :)
The whole time I wa...more
The whole time I wa...more
Another Regency I adored. I'll have to stop saying I don't like books set in the Regency period! Too many good authors are reviving the genre with a twist that catches -- and more importantly -- keeps my attention. Eakes' writing style is sublime. She manages to capture the nuances of the time period in both dialogue and description. In fact A Necessary Deception is filled with wonderful phrases that hit me right between the eyes in an explosion of imagery. Nothing like free-falling through a co...more
A Necessary Deception by Laurie Alice Eakes weaves a tale of deception so complex that you will be wondering who the "bad guy" is right up until the end.
A young English widow by the name of Lydia Gale is caught in a game of espionage against her country during a time of war. She thinks she is doing a good service to her dead husband when she seeks the release of the French prisoner who had given her husband aid before he died. She never dreamed she would see the man again. Yet, as the London Sea...more
A young English widow by the name of Lydia Gale is caught in a game of espionage against her country during a time of war. She thinks she is doing a good service to her dead husband when she seeks the release of the French prisoner who had given her husband aid before he died. She never dreamed she would see the man again. Yet, as the London Sea...more
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Set in 1812, in England, young widow Lydia Gale, helps a prisoner who showed her a kindness, only to discover that now she is being blackmailed into helping the French spy on her nation.
Angry at being deceived, all she is interested in to doing, is getting her younger sisters through the Season. Presenting her youngest sister and seeing her middle sister married is her goal, now this deception has invaded her peace of mind.
Even more alarming is the prisoner whom she helped, has showed up and s...more
Angry at being deceived, all she is interested in to doing, is getting her younger sisters through the Season. Presenting her youngest sister and seeing her middle sister married is her goal, now this deception has invaded her peace of mind.
Even more alarming is the prisoner whom she helped, has showed up and s...more
Oct 22, 2011
Jolene
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Christian fiction fans
Trying to atone for her mistakes as a wife, Lady Lydia Gale helps Christian de Meuse, a French prisoner and friend of her late husband, obtain parole. Having done her good deed, she expects never to see him again. With one sister debuting in London society and one sister close to marriage, Lydia's days are full with preparations for the events. However, when a mysterious stranger blackmails her and Christian reappears, Lydia struggles to keep her sanity. Will her preoccupation with Christian rui...more
Lydia's husband went to war with France after a week of marriage. After his death, she received cryptic instructions which told her that one day she would have the chance to help a friend of her husband's. When that time comes, she's surprised to find out that she's helping to free a French prisoner. With unanswered questions she, nevertheless, fulfills her obligation. As she then travels to London to prepare her younger sisters for one's entrance into society and another's marriage, she's surpr...more
A NECESSARY DECEPTION is the second book I’ve read from Laurie Alice Eakes, and was definitely the better of the two.
Lady Gale believes her time for love is over. After the death of her husband in the war with the French, and her suspicions that he wasn’t true to her, Lydia decides her life would be better spent seeing her two sisters introduced into London society. After her sisters are accepted into London’s upper crust, she plans to travel back to her simple cottage, paint the landscapes of h...more
Lady Gale believes her time for love is over. After the death of her husband in the war with the French, and her suspicions that he wasn’t true to her, Lydia decides her life would be better spent seeing her two sisters introduced into London society. After her sisters are accepted into London’s upper crust, she plans to travel back to her simple cottage, paint the landscapes of h...more
Laurie Alice Eakes in her new book, "A Necessary Deception" Book One in The Daughters Of Bainbridge House series published by Revell lets us experience England in 1812.
1812: England and France are at war but Lady Lydia Gale, a young English widow, helps procure a parole for a French prisoner of war. Never figuring on seeing this man again she heads back home to London in order to help her ill mother with her youngest sister's London season as well as plan her other sister's upcoming wedding. Lyd...more
1812: England and France are at war but Lady Lydia Gale, a young English widow, helps procure a parole for a French prisoner of war. Never figuring on seeing this man again she heads back home to London in order to help her ill mother with her youngest sister's London season as well as plan her other sister's upcoming wedding. Lyd...more
I have read Laurie’s work before and to be honest, I had a lukewarm response to it. I’m not sure why, it just didn’t do a lot for me. But, I was really in the mood for a Regency novel. It has been a long time since I’ve read a Regency novel, and it was time, so A Necessary Deception came along at just the right time.
I started reading this book and liked it right away, then the story changed a bit to include some mystery in the form of treason and spies, etc and I thought, “uh oh, I don’t know i...more
I started reading this book and liked it right away, then the story changed a bit to include some mystery in the form of treason and spies, etc and I thought, “uh oh, I don’t know i...more
Oct 14, 2011
April
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-regency-romance,
christian-fiction
4.5)A NECESSARY DECEPTION by Laurie Alice Eakes is an exciting historical romance set in 1812 Devonshire,England. Book 1 in “The Daughters of Bainbride House”. This is the story of a young widow Lady Lydia Gale and a French prisoner Christophe Arnaud. It has danger,mystery,suspense,faith,love,misunderstanding,traitor,treason,romance,betrayal,spies,family,healing,intrigue,balls,masquarades, and love.It has strong characters with twists and turns. While, Lady Gale and Christophe,not only are fight...more
A Necessary Deception, set in the era of Regency England, is a delightful inspirational story that romps with all the richness of a ‘season’ for the ‘haut ton’ and at the same time ricochets with espionage and romance, and laughter.
British heroine, Lady Lydia Gale, tries to pick up the pieces of her life after her soldier husband dies in Napoleonic France. But this strong-hearted and vivacious young woman is left to takes charge of her younger sisters when their politician father and hypochondr...more
British heroine, Lady Lydia Gale, tries to pick up the pieces of her life after her soldier husband dies in Napoleonic France. But this strong-hearted and vivacious young woman is left to takes charge of her younger sisters when their politician father and hypochondr...more
This was a free download for nook. It blends a few genres... regency romance/mystery/Christian. I enjoyed it very much, not having read a regency suspense novel before. Going in, I had no idea it was going to be suspenseful. It was a pleasant surprise.
I did find that the book could have used better editing. Not so much for grammatical errors, although I do remember one instance where the wrong spelling was used (a homophone with a different meaning.) It's more that there seemed to be times when...more
I did find that the book could have used better editing. Not so much for grammatical errors, although I do remember one instance where the wrong spelling was used (a homophone with a different meaning.) It's more that there seemed to be times when...more
Dec 27, 2011
Miss Pippi the Librarian
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
england,
faith-fiction
The British and the French were at war. Any Frenchman living in England is viewed with a suspicious glare. A young widow tries to redeem herself by assisting a friend of her husband, but a simple favor turns into blackmail. Fear for her family and her life motivate her to follow through on the threats. Is the LORD turning His back on her as well? Can she protect her sisters as the London season plays out?
I adore the 1800's so I was drawn to the descriptions of England, society and family life. T...more
I adore the 1800's so I was drawn to the descriptions of England, society and family life. T...more
I literally had to force myself to skim to the end of this book. I only kept reading because I liked the French male lead character and wanted to see him get a happy ending.
The first day I read it, I thought it was just hard to read because I was tired, but even after a good night's rest, it never got better.
The writing was choppy. Dialogue was purposely cut off in places where it needed to finish because you needed to know what they were talking about. Every scene, every play, every ball, they...more
The first day I read it, I thought it was just hard to read because I was tired, but even after a good night's rest, it never got better.
The writing was choppy. Dialogue was purposely cut off in places where it needed to finish because you needed to know what they were talking about. Every scene, every play, every ball, they...more
Laurie Alice has done it again! I love these characters! Lydia Gale is strong and confident despite the fact she believes her father never approves of her actions. She loves her family beyond anything else and will do anything for them. Christien is a man of honor. He is a man of great feelings and passion. He struggles within himself to honor God in his actions and is willing to give up his ten year commitment of fighting against Napoleon to live in a way that doesn't compromise that honor. The...more
Lydia Gale felt obligated to aide Christophe Arnaud, the Frenchman who helped her dying husband, obtain parole from the British prison. She never imaged her kind gesture would later force her into being blackmailed. While she must prepare her younger sister for her debut into society, she must also now introduce certain men into high society . . . or face being turned in as a traitor. When Christophe Arnaud shows up in her parlor, assuming a different name, she must determine whether he is a tra...more
3.5 Stars
This is a nice regency spy/double agent type of mystery. The romance and lead characters could have been developed a little more but all in all, it was a fun, relaxing read. The book was almost fluffy, nothing too heavy here, which makes for a nice, cozy read.
In my opinion, Lydia's two sisters outshone her. I was much more interested in Cassandra's and Honore's lives and romances than in Lydia's. They both seemed to have more spunk and backbone than Lydia and they weren't quite so goody...more
This is a nice regency spy/double agent type of mystery. The romance and lead characters could have been developed a little more but all in all, it was a fun, relaxing read. The book was almost fluffy, nothing too heavy here, which makes for a nice, cozy read.
In my opinion, Lydia's two sisters outshone her. I was much more interested in Cassandra's and Honore's lives and romances than in Lydia's. They both seemed to have more spunk and backbone than Lydia and they weren't quite so goody...more
The last time I read a Regency novel, I was less than thrilled. The lifestyle and culture of that time was so slow and methodical--far different from our current society. There was hidden meaning in almost every action, and one had to be so careful to be seen or not to be seen with just the right people. So, I won't lie...I was a little nervous about picking up another Regency. I was so afraid I would be disappointed.
Thankfully, Laurie Eakes exceeded my expectations with A Necessary Deception. T...more
Thankfully, Laurie Eakes exceeded my expectations with A Necessary Deception. T...more
I enjoyed this book, particularly the descriptions of historic London were fun.
However, I found it too much like Georgette Heyer but lacking her masterful touch and snappy dialogue (though, to be fair, not many authors are in Heyer's league!). I like a complex plot but not when details appear then vanish without a trace--whatever became of those injured horses?--and not when characters appear, play a bit part, start to get interesting, and then have no further purpose in the story. I suppose the...more
However, I found it too much like Georgette Heyer but lacking her masterful touch and snappy dialogue (though, to be fair, not many authors are in Heyer's league!). I like a complex plot but not when details appear then vanish without a trace--whatever became of those injured horses?--and not when characters appear, play a bit part, start to get interesting, and then have no further purpose in the story. I suppose the...more
When I read the blurb for this book I thought, looks interesting I'll check it out. Much much better then I thought it was going to be. The story sucked me in from the start, and then as it moved along it just kept on getting better making me more and more interested.
We have blackmail, mystery, murder, spies, a wedding and a coming out ball to plan, what's not to like about this book.
So why not a full 5 stars then?
Well as it got near to the end, somewhere in the 80 to 90% range things started...more
We have blackmail, mystery, murder, spies, a wedding and a coming out ball to plan, what's not to like about this book.
So why not a full 5 stars then?
Well as it got near to the end, somewhere in the 80 to 90% range things started...more
Laurie Alice Eakes has done it again. With A Necessary Deception she has penned a novel that combines heart-stopping romance with heart-pounding suspense, crafting characters at once strong but consistent with their times, blind in some ways and brilliant in others. These true-to-life characters of Lydia and Christien--not to mention the wonderfully made secondary characters, especially Lydia's younger sisters--will pull you in from the start and keep you flipping the pages as surely as the espi...more
Laurie Alice Eakes is a master of intrigue. A Necessary Deception is a book you won't be able to put down. I found myself falling in love with not only the hero and heroine of the story but other characters as well. Ms. Eakes did a wonderful job with the suspense, intrigue and romance. She pulls you into the story from page one and never lets you go. You just keep wanting to turn the page so allow yourself plenty of time to read. This is not a typical who done it story. She keeps you guessing th...more
First of all, how can I not love a book when the main character has a great name like Lydia? But really, I did enjoy this book. It was fun regency romance novel, and I loved how the main characters had extremely believable flaws. I didn't love how everything was resolved and what the reasons behind everything really were, they didn't feel 100% believable to me, but I loved seeing the growth Lydia and Christien went through, and I especially enjoyed just how much Christien loved and cherished eve...more
Title: NECESSARY DECEPTION
Author: Laurie Alice Eakes
Publisher: Revell
October 2011
ISBN: 978-0-8007-3466-4
Genre: Historical romance
When young widow Lydia Gale helps a French prisoner obtain parole, she never dreams she will see him again. But just as the London Season gets under way, the man presents himself in her parlor. While she should be focused on getting her headstrong younger sister prepared for her entrée into Society, Lady Gale finds herself preoccupied with the mysterious Frenchman. Is...more
Author: Laurie Alice Eakes
Publisher: Revell
October 2011
ISBN: 978-0-8007-3466-4
Genre: Historical romance
When young widow Lydia Gale helps a French prisoner obtain parole, she never dreams she will see him again. But just as the London Season gets under way, the man presents himself in her parlor. While she should be focused on getting her headstrong younger sister prepared for her entrée into Society, Lady Gale finds herself preoccupied with the mysterious Frenchman. Is...more
3.5 stars. At first, I wasn't so sure about this book. By the title, it didn't sound like a book I'd read, and I really never would have picked it up at the library if it weren't for all the good reviews my friends on Good Reads gave it. So after seeing how much several friends liked it, I decided to give it a try and was pleasantly surprised that it exceeded my expectations! A Necessary Deception wasn't at all what I thought it would be. I had this idea from the title that it wasn't at all a go...more
I truly loved Laurie Alice Eakes's first novel from Revell, "Lady in the Mist", but I'm afraid this one just didn't live up to my expectations. The plot definitely intrigued me, but I felt that the action scenes felt rushed and clunky, and I never really connected to Lydia. Charlotte and Honore were interesting characters, but Lydia was very indecisive and I struggled to figure out her motivations, besides vague suggestions at the fear of a man ruling her life. I did genuinely like Christien, bu...more
I'm probably one of the biggest critics of Regency novels. Mainly because, in all the Regency book I've read, it was a struggle for the author to make the life in that era, interesting. To me it seemed like all anyone did back then was sit in a parlor, drink tea, and try not to make any slight faux pas, or else stories, even the Grimm brother couldn't think up, would be spread about you. Nevertheless, even before reading A Necessary Deception, I knew it wouldn't be "just another unexciting Jane...more
While my introduction to the creative writing of new-to-me author Laurie Alice Eakes was in the first Midwives novel Lady in the Mist. I knew that I would be excited to read more from her in the future. While I’m uber eager to read the next Midwives novel, Heart's Safe Passage: A Novel, it was a treat to have an interlude with another new series, this one a regency.
Her characters are strong and the romance and intrigue are in perfect tandem. Regency novels are one of the time periods that truly...more
Her characters are strong and the romance and intrigue are in perfect tandem. Regency novels are one of the time periods that truly...more
1 like · like · see review
This is one of my very favorite time periods and this book didn't let me down one bit. The author builds surprise after surprise and keeps you guessing all the way through the book.
Lydia is a sort of tragic heroine. She is a young widow - never really having been a wife. She is generous despite being in a bad situation herself financially. They have connections, but no real money. She has a lot of pressure on her to "cave" to other people's expectations of her.
In the finest tradition of no good...more
Lydia is a sort of tragic heroine. She is a young widow - never really having been a wife. She is generous despite being in a bad situation herself financially. They have connections, but no real money. She has a lot of pressure on her to "cave" to other people's expectations of her.
In the finest tradition of no good...more
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| The Free Book Cha...: A Necessary Deception, by Laurie Alice Eakes | 2 | 2 | Oct 26, 2012 10:10pm |
Laurie Alice Eakes used to lie in bed as a child telling herself stories so she didn’t wake anyone else up. Sometimes she shared her stories withothers; thus, when she decided to be a writer, she surprised no one. Family Guardian, her first book, won the National Readers Choice Award for Best Regency in 2007. In the past three years, she has sold six books to Baker/Revell, five of which are set du...more
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