“A Brilliant Deception” is anything but. The plot is thin, the romance weak, and the characters stereotypical. The upside is that it’s fairly short, so you won’t have to spend a ton of time not liking it – I read it in two-ish hours. I have to give Fuller a little bit of leniency, here, as she’s originally a Romance author, but I doubt I’ll be looking to read the second book.
The plot of this story is as follows: gangly young woman (Lily) has pretty best friend (Emily), who has gorgeous older brother (Colin). Jewels have been stolen from wealthy members of society; Lily ends up with one on her pocket; Colin comes to her aid to see who’s been framing her. Along the way, Lily and Colin fall hopelessly in love as Colin realizes there’s more than just appearance, and Lily comes to a similar conclusion.
I could see myself recommending this to a YA audience. Although it’s a romance, there are no explicit scenes, and it’s very easy to read. Both of the romantic and mystery plot lines are simple, and YA’s can easily identify with Lily’s struggle of not feeling “enough” because she’s not stereotypically pretty like all of the other girls. She’s also not very confident, with seems to go along with being insecure in her own body (again, relatable). However, I wouldn’t recommend this for an adult reader who’s looking for an exciting read.
Predictable, Stereotypical, Unoriginal
My flaw with this book mainly rests around the point that it’s a cookie-cutter novel. There is:
1.. a mystery plot, but it’s predictable as to who stole the jewels, why they stole them, and why they’re in Lily’s pocket
2.. a predictable character/romance plot straight from the awkward-friend-and-brother-fall-in-love handbook
3.. the character who turns out to not be at all what he seems
4.. even a butler named – get this – Blevins
It’s all very simply done and I prefer more challenging reading.
Conclusion
I will keep this review short as I don’t want to seem like I’m hating on Fuller – I’m sure she’s a fine author in her own right. However, this book didn’t sit well with me as I wasn’t engaged and couldn’t get past all the bland-ness of it. But, if you want an easy read because you’re younger, don’t want to think too hard about what you’re reading (I’ve been there!), want a heartwarming romance story where the awkward girl gets the guy, or want a book that you actually can walk away from – try this book. There are a million reasons to give something a shot, and a negative review from me shouldn’t stop you if this book has been on your reading list.