Some love stories are picture perfect, like a rainbow after a rainstorm. That’s the complete opposite of us.Our story was tragic from the start. Grace was never meant to be mine. My father warned me and my twin, Jacob that she was forbidden fruit. I tried to stay away, but you know what they say, you always want what you can’t have. And did I want Grace. Too bad Jacob felt the same way.I wasn’t … Grace.
Too bad Jacob felt the same way.
I wasn’t going to let that stop me. I was going to make her mine.
Problem is I didn’t realize just how deep deceit could run, or the pains people would go through to keep us apart.
All I knew is that Grace was the girl of my dreams and I wanted her more than my last breath. . .
This book was previously published under a different title and cover in 2016. This is a refreshed cover, title, and storyline.
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This book was so full of twist and turns I had no idea which way was up half the time. I loved every minute of this book and couldn’t put it down. This was an amazingly written book.
Wow…Deceit never felt so good.
This is my first book by R.C. Stephens, but won’t be my last. I am a sucker for second chance romances and for fate always finding a way. This story was complex and intricate. I throughly enjoyed it from start to finish. Read this book.
3 Stars!
Having read Ms.Stephens’ work before, I’ve been meaning to pick up more of her books! When the synopsis for Deceit caught my eye I knew that It was the one I wanted to read next. I liked this story!
Grace and Knox’s journey wasn’t easy. I was glad that I got to be in their minds and I felt for them at certain points throughout. Their story was unique and I enjoyed that aspect of it! I just struggled to connect with these characters and I hate that I did.
Ms.Stephens created a good read with Deceit!
*I volunteered to read and review a copy of this book from Wildfire Marketing Solutions / the author*
5 EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER STARS!! The ride I went on with Grace and Knox will stick with me forever. Oh my….this ride touched all my emotion buttons, more than once….that is for sure. This book is forbidden, but so beautifully told. This book should definitely be a 1-Click for you.
°**° I absolutely loved Knox and Grace’s story °**°
Wow, what an epic love story. These two have known each other since their pre-teen years, and their connection as friends was soul-deep, even before they knew what that was. Anything between them was forbidden, but surely, true love trumps all? That answer for them would be a no.
Author RC Stephens has written her beautiful characters in a world we know is all too common, where innocent love was made dirty by the absolute hypocrisy and brain-washed judgement of adults. By parents who were meant to care for and nurture the minds of the children they are responsible for.
It’s also a world where religious leaders with reprehensible behaviour and a corrupt moral code create zealots who rule their families with an iron fist. Where absolute power corrupts absolutely.
In spite of this, Knox, verbally abused as the evil black sheep of the family, grew to become a legend, musically and as a person. He was a far better man than those who should have set an example, yet he was treated so badly. I loved the person he became, and in spite of the deceitful behaviour of the family, I loved his absolute devotion to Grace. There was so much unexpected depth to him.
And Grace, holy crap, in spite of what she had been through, and the loss she had suffered through lies and betrayal, she was such a strong person. Almost broken but strong in spite of everything. She had a reason to be.
RC Stephens is a must-read for me and she kept me so engrossed in this book that I had to hit it in one sitting! If an angsty story of familial deceit and irony pitted against a love that refuses to quit is what you’re after, then I highly recommend this 4.5 star read for you
This book was previously published as Where Promises Die and has been updated and re-edited.
From the synopsis I thought I was going to read another standard love triangle but the author turned my expectations upside down and gave me a story of love to last a lifetime. When Grace comes to live with Jacob and Knox her life changes forever and lets loose a wrecking ball into the brothers relationship.
I quickly began to feel like I was reading a family saga as the story unfolds over years. Grace and Knox form a strong friendship, from that first time Knox tries to coax her to smile and talk they quickly become what the other needs. They are brought up as brother and sister and so have been forbidden from becoming more. I adored the young love of Knox and Grace the road they have to travel is not easy and in a family of secrets getting a HEA will not be easy. I don’t want to say too much because of spoilers however the story and other characters made this a really enjoyable read.
They say that you can’t choose your family you can only choose your friends and after reading what is a family story as well as a love story, you will be thankful that you did not choose the Duncan’s to be your family because there are layers and layers of secrets and deceit (great book title) in this family, as well as a lot of distrust, anger and jealousy.
When Grace comes to live with the Duncan’s as child she is immediately drawn to Knox who becomes her best friend and the love of her life. Unfortunately Jacob his twin brother also has his sights set on Grace even at this early age adding to the tension that already exists between the brothers. Their fanatically religious father rules the family with a rod of iron including the girls and banishes from the family those who do not obey.
After Knox and Grace are caught together by the father Knox is banished from the family and goes on to become a famous rock star with the world at his feet, but all he wants is Grace. When his father dies he is summoned back home to attend the funeral and that’s where all the secrets of the family begin to unravel.
I wouldn’t say that this is a rock star romance as Knox’s career does not take up that much of the story. It is more the story of love that lasts forever against all odds. The part of the story during and after the funeral as everything comes to light might surprise you but it definitely is an interesting ending to the story.
Although I finished the book, it was not one of my favourite reads but I give it four stars because of the interesting twists and turns in the story and the surprising ending.
Deceit is a twisty and turny friends to lovers book that will keep you engrossed in the pages.
The story centers around the Duncan family in small town Iowa. Orphan Grace comes to live with them and befriends one of the twin boys in the family.
As life goes on Grace falls in love with her childhood friend Knox. Knox feels stifled and unloved in his religiously strict household. He has a great musical talent and an artists soul. He questions and pushes against the family beliefs, but doesn’t leave because of Grace. Eventually the young pair are found out and Knox is banished from the family.
The story then jumps three years forward to Knox being a well known rockstar who is suddenly pulled back home. The longer Knox remains in Iowa the more family secrets, ill will, hate and deceit are revealed.
The plot is multi layered with deceptions, secrets, and lies coming from all the members of the family. Knox is struggling to remind Grace of the love they had. Knox had left Grace with his family thinking that she would finish high school and then come find him. Grace expected Knox to keep promises made in youth. Both are felling hurt and betrayed by the other, while broader betrayal swirls in the family.
The book is very insular to the family members and the farm they all grew up on. Mainly due to the seclusion that their parents religion enforced on them, as well as, all the lies the family holds.
The story walks us through the siblings learning secrets, learning who and what to trust, and Knox trying to win Grace back from his twin.
No one leaves the house unscathed by events that happened before and after Knox’s banishment.
The story wraps with the characters learning to trust and love again. To be open to new experiences and new things. To being able to shed cruel and poisonous individuals in their lives.
Knox and Grace become a team that supports the other in their endeavors. You see their childhood love return, but grow into something bigger, brighter and more solid.
Deceit mires them all throughout the book, but by its close the characters are to remove themselves from the fall out and lean on each other.
Grace and Knox….. wow. What a journey.
An emotional roller coaster, for sure.
Love, trust, lies, broken promises and hidden secrets are just some of the things that you will find in this book.
I don’t want to say anything else for fear of giving spoilers.
I really enjoyed this book and give it 4.5 stars.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher/author to review for Stephanie’s Book Reports.
Some love stories are picture perfect, like a rainbow after the rainstorm. That’s the complete opposite of us. Our story was tragic from the start. Grace was never meant to be mind. My father warned me and my twin, Jacob that she was forbidden fruit. I tried to stay away, but you know that they say, you always want what you can’t have. And did I want Grace. Too bad Jacob felt the same way. I wasn’t going to let that top me. I was going to make her mine. Problem is I didn’t realize just how deep deceit could run, or the pains people would go through to keep up apart. All I knew is that Grace was the girl of my dreams and I wanted her more than my last breath.
I will go ahead and warn you that this book is super emotional. This is the story of a relationship that is forbidden, but that doesn’t stop them from wanting what they wanted and the world be darned for telling them they couldn’t be together. Jacob and Knox are brothers and the day Grace came to live with the a war began. They both like her more than they really should. Their father has put his foot down and marked her as forbidden, so neither on of hem were to lay a hand on her. Boys will be boys though or maybe it is just human nature to want what you can’t have and to not pay attention to a thing your parent says about this person. This is the story of a couple who want to be together so bad but their family will never let this stand. I was a good read and you have to read it to find out what happens. I will not tell you. It is a good book though and one a lot of you will love.
Wow, I could not pull myself away from this story. It’s an emotional rollercoaster with many twists and turns that had me tied in knots!
Grace arrives in Sade, Iowa at the age of eleven after her mother’s death. She has an immediate connection with thirteen year-old Knox that turns into the two being best friends. Both are overcoming challenges and rely on each other for support. Knox’s ultra-religious parents treat them as brother and sister, but as they grow older, the two begin a forbidden romantic relationship. It is by no means an easy road for the two of them. And there are times that you want to scream at them. However, the end result is a beautiful love with a very happy ending.
In addition to Grace and Knox’s wild ride, there are family members and a couple of side characters with interesting stories of their own. After all, “all this family knows is deceit.” I can’t say more without spoilers, but there’s never a dull moment with everything that’s going on.
This book is perfect for fans of small town romances and family drama. I highly recommend it.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Grace has had a tragic life and when she meets Knox, they are drawn to each other instantly. This is a beautifully written emotional roller coaster which is a forbidden romance, and is filled with heartbreak, drama, angst, secrets, lies, twists, family beliefs, and love. I was completely captivated throughout this addictive page turner, and I recommend for all.
Their relationship is anything but normal, it’s a secret, forbidden… but they can’t seem to let go of one another. The day Grace came to live with them a war was waged between brothers Jacob and Knox, both liked her more than they should, but their father put his foot down and marked her forbidden, neither of them were to lay a hand on her. But Knox doesn’t always do as he is told.
As much as Knox tried to avoid her, the more he was drawn to her, Grace was the light in his dark world. The love they shared was instant and bone deep, an addiction neither could deny, and it lead them down a dangerous path. One that had them fighting for their love at every turn…
Between the pages of Deceit you will meet a young couple bound by their love, but forcibly pushed apart by their families belief’s and secrets. This story is destined to wreck your heart, you can see that this couple belongs together, but they are smothered in obstacles, no one wants them to be together. You will go through many stages with this one, one moment you will be smiling, the next you’ll be angered or upset…it’s an drama-filled emotional roller coaster ride. I loved this story so much, it’s perfectly penned words touched the recesses of my heart, and left me in awe of the strength of it’s characters. Highly recommend!
I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher, and I am voluntarily leaving my honest and unbiased opinion.