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I Take Thee to Deceive
“Till death do us part” is not an exit strategy.
Sophie Taylor thinks she's hit rock bottom. Her husband of three months passed away unexpectedly and her best friend Eliza disappeared without a trace. Things are bad enough until she finds out the truth—her “husband” is actually a CIA agent who married her only to further his own career and Eliza isn’t missing at all. She’s in prison for charges of distributing a new “gourmet” drug with deadly side effects.
Motivated to get her friend released, Sophie joins forces with CIA Agent Nate MacAllister, her “husband’s” best friend to find who’s really behind the drug ring. Is Nate who he says he is and can Sophie trust him to help her find the truth?
Sophie Taylor thinks she's hit rock bottom. Her husband of three months passed away unexpectedly and her best friend Eliza disappeared without a trace. Things are bad enough until she finds out the truth—her “husband” is actually a CIA agent who married her only to further his own career and Eliza isn’t missing at all. She’s in prison for charges of distributing a new “gourmet” drug with deadly side effects.
Motivated to get her friend released, Sophie joins forces with CIA Agent Nate MacAllister, her “husband’s” best friend to find who’s really behind the drug ring. Is Nate who he says he is and can Sophie trust him to help her find the truth?
341 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 20, 2013
16 people are currently reading
485 people want to read
About the author
Tamra Lassiter
17 books253 followersTamra Lassiter lives in Northern Virginia with her supportive husband, two lovely daughters, elegant Great Dane and not-so-elegant, but very sweet, English Bulldog. She loves to travel. Some of her favorite destinations are Canandaigua, NY, Edinburgh, Scotland and St. Augustine, FL. She enjoys spending time with her family, reading and of course, writing. To learn more about Tamra and sign up for her newsletter, which features exclusive giveaways and content, visit her website at www.tamralassiter.com.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
April 22, 2014
From the very beginning of the first chapter, everything about this book rang false. By the end of the third chapter, my disbelief could no longer remain suspended. I scanned the middle and final chapters for any signs of improvement. Finding none, I raised the white flag of surrender and shelved the book.
The novel has a catchy title, sharp cover art and a great promotional blurb. Unfortunately, the author’s execution of her plot line falls apart within the first few pages. There are too many problems to recount them all, so I will justify my rating using the Rule of Three.
First is the main story line, Sophia Taylor’s widowhood. As the promotional blurb states, Sophia’s husband of three months died in a traffic accident several months ago. As the story opens, she is told by one of her friends, Suzanne, that “Martin” is not dead but is an undercover CIA agent along with herself. She is also told that “Martin” married her to get close to her friend, Eliza, and Eliza’s fiancé, Roberto, who are suspects in a drug operation. Coincidentally, Eliza and Roberto disappeared three weeks prior to Martin’s staged death, and Suzanne states that she has known where they are all this time.
This sounds good except for at least six things. For instance, Sophie was never allowed to see the body. Wrong! Then, Suzanne announces that she and Martin are CIA agents while in the middle of a crowded restaurant. Really! Next, even in a joint task force, the CIA would not take point in a domestic drug investigation. That honor would fall to the DEA or DHS. Also, no government agency has either the time or the money to care about the mental health of thousands of people who are considered informants on any given day, regardless of what Sophie is told by Sam/Nate.
Plus, no government agency is going to spend the money necessary to “kill” an agent, neither in funeral expenses nor in the plastic surgery necessary to keep that agent operative in the US. Frankly, he would have “disappeared” to Sand Land or the Tundra for several years and the agency would have filed for divorce for him.
And finally, through embarrassingly personal experience, I know that a field agent’s handler would never allow an engagement to proceed, let alone wedding preparations and an actual ceremony. Pillow talk may be useful but marriage is a liability to an undercover agent, both to his career and to his life expectancy. There is simply no way, regardless of what the author intimated, that the handler did not know what was happening.
Second in the Rule of Three is the main subplot, Eliza’s disappearance. In the first few pages of the book, Suzanne tells Sophie that the CIA incarcerated Eliza four months ago as part of their investigation into the drug issue. Again, the author is choosing the wrong agency to do the wrong thing. Incarceration without charges or trial is a Patriot Act/DHS purview. And the chances that a suspected low-level foot soldier or dealer would be held in that manner for that long are quite low. That scenario is simply too expensive for what little reward might be generated.
And third is the writing itself. It was stilted and juvenile. The story is written in Sophie’s first person POV and there are an incredible number of “I” sentences. Sophie’s self-pitying, isolationist act comes off as annoying and her internal monologues sound like those of a flighty teenager rather that those of a person of her age and professional standing. And Sam/Nate’s dialog is actually more reminiscent of a female in one of those bodice-ripper novels so prevalent in the mid-twentieth century than it is of current speech.
There are certain costs to doing business as an author. One is the cost of a professional copy editor to clear out typos, misspellings and poor wording. Another is the cost of a content editor, a person who is not related by blood or friendship, who will critique the copy for flow, feasibility and feeling. And thirdly, there is the cost of conducting research, whether it is time spent on the Internet, time spent with a reference book, or time spent listening to a subject-area specialist. Ms. Lassiter might want to consider increasing her payments in these cost areas.
I received this book through the Goodreads First Reads Giveaway Program. That fact did not, in any way, influence my opinion of the book.
The novel has a catchy title, sharp cover art and a great promotional blurb. Unfortunately, the author’s execution of her plot line falls apart within the first few pages. There are too many problems to recount them all, so I will justify my rating using the Rule of Three.
First is the main story line, Sophia Taylor’s widowhood. As the promotional blurb states, Sophia’s husband of three months died in a traffic accident several months ago. As the story opens, she is told by one of her friends, Suzanne, that “Martin” is not dead but is an undercover CIA agent along with herself. She is also told that “Martin” married her to get close to her friend, Eliza, and Eliza’s fiancé, Roberto, who are suspects in a drug operation. Coincidentally, Eliza and Roberto disappeared three weeks prior to Martin’s staged death, and Suzanne states that she has known where they are all this time.
This sounds good except for at least six things. For instance, Sophie was never allowed to see the body. Wrong! Then, Suzanne announces that she and Martin are CIA agents while in the middle of a crowded restaurant. Really! Next, even in a joint task force, the CIA would not take point in a domestic drug investigation. That honor would fall to the DEA or DHS. Also, no government agency has either the time or the money to care about the mental health of thousands of people who are considered informants on any given day, regardless of what Sophie is told by Sam/Nate.
Plus, no government agency is going to spend the money necessary to “kill” an agent, neither in funeral expenses nor in the plastic surgery necessary to keep that agent operative in the US. Frankly, he would have “disappeared” to Sand Land or the Tundra for several years and the agency would have filed for divorce for him.
And finally, through embarrassingly personal experience, I know that a field agent’s handler would never allow an engagement to proceed, let alone wedding preparations and an actual ceremony. Pillow talk may be useful but marriage is a liability to an undercover agent, both to his career and to his life expectancy. There is simply no way, regardless of what the author intimated, that the handler did not know what was happening.
Second in the Rule of Three is the main subplot, Eliza’s disappearance. In the first few pages of the book, Suzanne tells Sophie that the CIA incarcerated Eliza four months ago as part of their investigation into the drug issue. Again, the author is choosing the wrong agency to do the wrong thing. Incarceration without charges or trial is a Patriot Act/DHS purview. And the chances that a suspected low-level foot soldier or dealer would be held in that manner for that long are quite low. That scenario is simply too expensive for what little reward might be generated.
And third is the writing itself. It was stilted and juvenile. The story is written in Sophie’s first person POV and there are an incredible number of “I” sentences. Sophie’s self-pitying, isolationist act comes off as annoying and her internal monologues sound like those of a flighty teenager rather that those of a person of her age and professional standing. And Sam/Nate’s dialog is actually more reminiscent of a female in one of those bodice-ripper novels so prevalent in the mid-twentieth century than it is of current speech.
There are certain costs to doing business as an author. One is the cost of a professional copy editor to clear out typos, misspellings and poor wording. Another is the cost of a content editor, a person who is not related by blood or friendship, who will critique the copy for flow, feasibility and feeling. And thirdly, there is the cost of conducting research, whether it is time spent on the Internet, time spent with a reference book, or time spent listening to a subject-area specialist. Ms. Lassiter might want to consider increasing her payments in these cost areas.
I received this book through the Goodreads First Reads Giveaway Program. That fact did not, in any way, influence my opinion of the book.
December 29, 2013
Per FTC guidelines, this review for I Take Thee to Deceive by Tamra Lassiter is for a book received fro free in a Goodreads.com First Read Giveaway.
Man How bad a day can one woman have. On page ten of this novel Sophie, our heroine finds out that her best friend who disappeared is actually in a secret jail because the CIA suspects her of running designer drugs out of her bakery. Her husband who had just recently died, is not really dead but was in fact a CIA agent who married her to get info and than faked his own death to end the assignment. Also practically everyone she is friends with is also CIA. Her week goes down hill from there.
I Take Thee to Deceive is a perfectly acceptable romance novel from Tamra Lassiter. For me it is one of the books you read while waiting to pick someone up from the airport, or while waiting to go on a trip. Enjoyable but ultimately forgettable. That is not to say it was a bad book. It was well written and the characters were pleasant to read about although fairly one note.
This novel is what it is, a dime store romance you read, and enjoy but 6 months from now will barely remember.
Man How bad a day can one woman have. On page ten of this novel Sophie, our heroine finds out that her best friend who disappeared is actually in a secret jail because the CIA suspects her of running designer drugs out of her bakery. Her husband who had just recently died, is not really dead but was in fact a CIA agent who married her to get info and than faked his own death to end the assignment. Also practically everyone she is friends with is also CIA. Her week goes down hill from there.
I Take Thee to Deceive is a perfectly acceptable romance novel from Tamra Lassiter. For me it is one of the books you read while waiting to pick someone up from the airport, or while waiting to go on a trip. Enjoyable but ultimately forgettable. That is not to say it was a bad book. It was well written and the characters were pleasant to read about although fairly one note.
This novel is what it is, a dime store romance you read, and enjoy but 6 months from now will barely remember.
May 23, 2017
Sophie thinks that the entire world is against her. Her best friend, Eliza disappeared without a trace, and four months later her husband was killed in a pedestrian vs. car accident. She did not understand why the world was against her but she knew she had to keep on going. One evening Sophie's friend Suzanne calls and says she is back in town and would like to meet for dinner. Sophie jumps at the chance and that is when her entire world turns upside down.
Sophie finds out that everything that has happened in her life was a lie, Eliza did not disappear but is being held in a federal prison on drug charges, and her husband did not die, but is a CIA agent that needed an out. Sophie doesn’t know who she can trust, but right now her only choice is Sam, whose real name is Nate and she thought he was her husband’s best friend, who is also in the CIA.
Sophie begins to realize that she has feelings for Nate as well and she is not sure how she should deal with them and if he even returns them. She has been deceived before, how can she be sure she is not being deceived again?
Sophie and Nate set out to find out what is really going on and who is responsible for distributing drugs in her town. This is a suspenseful story that keeps you hooked from the moment that Sophie walks into a restaurant to catch up with a friend to the final sentence.
Sophie finds out that everything that has happened in her life was a lie, Eliza did not disappear but is being held in a federal prison on drug charges, and her husband did not die, but is a CIA agent that needed an out. Sophie doesn’t know who she can trust, but right now her only choice is Sam, whose real name is Nate and she thought he was her husband’s best friend, who is also in the CIA.
Sophie begins to realize that she has feelings for Nate as well and she is not sure how she should deal with them and if he even returns them. She has been deceived before, how can she be sure she is not being deceived again?
Sophie and Nate set out to find out what is really going on and who is responsible for distributing drugs in her town. This is a suspenseful story that keeps you hooked from the moment that Sophie walks into a restaurant to catch up with a friend to the final sentence.
January 19, 2019
It's cute
I liked the characters, and it had good humor. Got a little boring in the middle but was a good read.
I liked the characters, and it had good humor. Got a little boring in the middle but was a good read.
July 13, 2019
Exciting
This was a fast read, due to I couldn't quit till the end. Great characters, action, and a little romance. A good story and a good read.
This was a fast read, due to I couldn't quit till the end. Great characters, action, and a little romance. A good story and a good read.
November 6, 2013
I really enjoyed this. I couldn't put this one down. I was on a few flights last week and this helped me passed the time easily. I was actually, disappointed when the flight ended because I wanted more time to finish. This went by so fast and easy.
Sophie has been through the wringer. Her best friend has disappeared and so has her fiance. Then her husband dies in a tragic accident. She's getting no where with the police in the investigation with her friend and she feels as though all of the rest of her friends have abandoned her.
We come to find out that her husband was a CIA agent and married her for an investigation and he's not even dead. Sophie does a lot of crying and yet she's still strong. She gets through everything and even furthers the CIA's investigation more than they did. It kind of made the CIA look incompetent but I still loved the story.
Sam's aunt was one of my favorite support characters. I couldn't put this one down and I definitely want to look into more of Tamara's novels. The one thing that got to me was Sam's wishy washy ways. Sophie must have a lot of patience because I was freaking out every time.
Sophie has been through the wringer. Her best friend has disappeared and so has her fiance. Then her husband dies in a tragic accident. She's getting no where with the police in the investigation with her friend and she feels as though all of the rest of her friends have abandoned her.
We come to find out that her husband was a CIA agent and married her for an investigation and he's not even dead. Sophie does a lot of crying and yet she's still strong. She gets through everything and even furthers the CIA's investigation more than they did. It kind of made the CIA look incompetent but I still loved the story.
Sam's aunt was one of my favorite support characters. I couldn't put this one down and I definitely want to look into more of Tamara's novels. The one thing that got to me was Sam's wishy washy ways. Sophie must have a lot of patience because I was freaking out every time.
October 10, 2014
This is a well written, well edited book. The plot grabs you from the beginning and keeps you engaged through about the first 2/3 of the book. The suspense is well done, up until that point. Unfortunately, the book sort of wants to be a romance, sort of wants to be a suspense novel. About 2/3 of the way in, the suspense peters out and veers into the unbelievable and the romance never seems to develop the right level of intensity. Even the one sex scene is indecisive and lacks any heat. So, this book starts strong, but you're definitely not left feeling satisfied at the end -- even though all the plot points are tied up with a bow.
August 11, 2016
Started out fast & was expecting a great read but it ended up not being my cuppa. Sophia had moments of sheer TSTL-itis and was a real wimp at times. She gets more injured from simple things than someone with brittle bone disease. I like my heroine's a bit less fragile. You only get Sophia's POV so you guess Nate's feelings and motives until the end. I would have given Nate a testosterone injection, but if you like a more beta hero, this would be a good book for you. Very clean for the first 3/4.
3-1/2 stars
3-1/2 stars
March 8, 2016
Really a good read!!
I was pleasantly surprised by this book! It definitely held my interest. I hoped, but was never quite sure until the end, of the ending. Ha. I'm trying to not give anything away. The story is interesting, and I only noticed a few punctuation errors. There were also some times I wasn't sure who was speaking, and had to re-read a sentence or two. Overall, I think this author has tremendous promise. The "bones" are there, just a few editing issues. Great story though! I enjoyed it.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book! It definitely held my interest. I hoped, but was never quite sure until the end, of the ending. Ha. I'm trying to not give anything away. The story is interesting, and I only noticed a few punctuation errors. There were also some times I wasn't sure who was speaking, and had to re-read a sentence or two. Overall, I think this author has tremendous promise. The "bones" are there, just a few editing issues. Great story though! I enjoyed it.
December 16, 2013
Five stars
this is a well put together, suspenseful, romantic and good story. I was a bit skeptical at first but it turned out that I couldn't put it down. can't wait to read her other book!
this is a well put together, suspenseful, romantic and good story. I was a bit skeptical at first but it turned out that I couldn't put it down. can't wait to read her other book!
December 10, 2013
DO NOT READ ANY MORE OF THE DESCRIPTION AS IT TELLS YOU THE STORY, but a Brilliant read!! Hooked! Ended a bit soon I would like more on Nate and Sophie!
December 17, 2013
It was a tolerable romance/suspense type of book, but I do NOT care for authors using the first person, present tense writing. Just a quirk of mine.
December 18, 2013
I really enjoyed this book. It was an easy read and I finished it in a few hours. The characters were believable and the plot was good.
January 5, 2014
Quick read...plot held the interest to keep reading. Will read more by this author.
November 3, 2020
Awesome story about overcoming overwhelming circumstances and finding love.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews