Deception Island (The Legionnaires, 1)

This review was copied from my review blog: romanticallyinclinedreviews.blogspot.com and thus may be formatted strangely.

SOME SPOILERS

First and foremost, I am going to warn you that this romance novel is not for everyone. Deception Island by Brynn Kelly is dark, disturbing, and wildly violent at times. Reading the description on the back of the novel gave me no indication of how distressing this read was going to be.

Rafe Angelito is a former child soldier who thought he had finally escaped his past. When his son is kidnapped in order to ensure his cooperation in a ransom scheme he discovers that his worst nightmare has come true. Holly Ryan isn’t the daughter of a wealthy presidential candidate, she’s just a recently released convict with a desperate need for money to start her new life. Playing rich Laura is a dream job, until she’s kidnapped by people who want to trade Laura for ransom. When her identity is discovered she and Rafe find their lives, and the lives of Rafe’s son, at risk. Two people who have never learned to trust anyone are going to have to trust one another or face terrible consequences.

The rest of my review should not be a reflection of Brynn Kelly's writing abilities or style. I thought she did a wonderful job of setting the scene and creating unique, though damaged, characters. I'm afraid this novel was just not one that I enjoyed overall.

Based on the description I thought I was in for a thriller romance with the typical good versus bad plot line. I never expected that I was going to fall into a world of former child soldiers, torture, executions, and rape. When I am not reading romance novels, I’ll admit, I usually read about serial killers or other such crimes (think Lindberg kidnapping). When I’m reading a romance novel, I would really prefer that the execution of other characters be kept to a minimum. That was not the case in this book.

In romance novel the main characters are supposed to trust one another, sacrifice for one another, but above all, develop a believable love for one another. This novel fell short of that description. I normally avoid spoilers in my reviews, but I feel that this is an important spoiler to give. About midway through the book, following the reveal of Holly’s true identity, Rafe is so enraged that he chokes Holly. She survives this only by pretending to die. He is shown to be remorseful (and man, does he have some PTSD), she forgives his actions and the story moves on after that.

I did not forgive. I know that Rafe had a horrific childhood, and I am not surprised that he reacts violently, but I wanted to stop reading right there (I didn't, however). I find it hard to consider a man who would choke a woman nearly to death to be a hero. Not to mention that the choking incident is not the only moment in the book where Holly fears Rafe may kill her. I do not feel that, in a romance novel, the characters should ever have to fear for their lives from their counterpart.

I know that there are some people out there who might enjoy this novel, but I cannot consider myself one of those people.

Story Rating ~ 5 STARS!
Hero Rating ~ 5 STARS!
Heroine Rating ~ 5 STARS!
Heat Level ~ 3 Stars
Action Rating ~ 5 STARS!
Ending ~ 5 STARS!

I was in the mood for an actioned packed read and boy did I ever get it! This book was exactly what I was looking for and then some.

I was quickly pulled into this story, the action started immediately. I have to tell you, I love a story when the heroine is feisty and does a little ass kicking. Holly was also smart, brave, and strong. She definitely knew when to play dumb. Her backstory was dark, all she really wanted was to live a quiet existence alone. That was NOT what she got.

Rafe had a VERY TORTURED past. He tried very hard to forget all the dark ugly things from his past.

The story line starts off that Holly is just out of prison. She was set up to take the fall from the man she thought she loved. While in jail, she swore she would never fall for another man. She ends up being released early because she made a deal to pretend to be Laura a spoiled socialite sailing around on a yacht.

Rafe’s son has been kidnapped and the only way he can get him back is to kidnap Laura and trade her back for his son. He thought it would be an easy thing, kidnapping a spoiled rich socialite. Well, was he ever surprised when this socialite was not as the easy prey he thought she would be.

These two did not trust easy. At every turn she tried to escape but Rafe was always there to catch her. The banter between these two was fun even when things were so dark. As time passed they became attracted to each other, It seemed they were constantly trying to cool off. Then as their trust grew and the bad guys were on the way, they stole a night of wild passion. I was quite surprised as I thought this one was supposed to be low on the heat. I found the love/sex scenes were HOT and SENSUAL. OK this book is not filled with sex but what was offered up I took it and went to my happy place.

These two had it rough. At every turn there was another villain trying to kill them. This book goes into very dark places and these villains were bad to the bone. The violence that accrues might not be for readers who are faint of heart.

They go through battle after battle trying to stay alive, trying to get Rafe’s son. I was glued to the very last page hoping for a HEA. Did I get one, yes I did with a wonderful epilogue included.

Overall this was a great read for me. I look forwards to reading more of Brynn Kelly’s books.

There are several popular bestsellers in the crime writing world, including Lisa Gardner, Tess Gerritsen, and Tami Hoag, who began their careers writing romantic suspense and romantic thrillers before turning more and more to the 'dark side'. Brynn Kelly (a pen name for a Kiwi journalist) treads those same borders between the world's two biggest genres in her debut novel, Deception Island.

So much so that there are two different covers for this book, one that's more 'thriller-y' (above) and a paperback version that's more 'romance-y'. As a crime reader but not a romance one, I wasn't quite sure what I'd think of Kelly's debut, or how she'd blend what the differing audiences might enjoy, but overall I thought Deception Island was a smoothly told tale with plenty of action, and some heat.

It was a good solid read, a very promising debut. Kelly clearly has storytelling chops, and drops us straight into a fascinating situation, as Rafe, a French legionnaire with a murky past is forced by figures from his past into kidnapping a woman, only for plans to go haywire when the woman isn't who she seems. There's lots of nefarious things going on behind the scenes, and Rafe and Holly have to walk a tightrope in relation to each other, as well as various figures who're using them as pawns.

Deception Island kind of blends an action-packed jungle thriller, with lots of conspiracies and murky goings-on, with an unlikely slow-burn romance between two leads that are thrown together because of others, and have to work together even if they don't trust each other. In a way, it reminds me a little of the movie Romancing the Stone, with some swashbuckling action, a little humour, and a couple of interesting main characters who are put under pressure by challenges external and internal.

Like that movie too, it's best to just park your disbelief, and enjoy the unfolding tale for what it is. The action ebbs and flows, but overall Kelly held my interest throughout, and I thought the 'romance' aspects were handled pretty well, without overwhelming the thriller story. I can't speak for readers coming from the romance spectrum about whether for them there is too much or too little 'heat' and romantic action between Rafe and Holly. But I note Kelly recently won a couple of romance writing awards for Deception Island, so it must have impressed those romance-minded judges.

A good, exciting read with plenty to hold your attention, whatever 'genre' you enjoy.

Awesome book :-) Well written page-turner.

This is a book where the two main characters are playing a lot of cat and mouse internally in the beginning. One of my favorite passages showing this was Holly sizing up Rafe.
“This was a man accustomed to leading, a man who didn’t trust whomever he was taking orders from. That conflict could work to her advantage, as could his evident protective instinct, if she played it right. And if she was good at anything, it was playing people.”
I appreciated both characters having secrets, struggling to be smart and strong in the situations they were thrown into. The pacing was good and the danger was ever present. It was an easy read, and though evil was a contributing element there wasn’t gore or violence described to the point that it would trigger emotional distress. I would say that the mix is 75% action/suspense to 25% romance. It worked well for my tastes.
I was provided a free copy of the book in order to read it and write my honest review.

I found both pros and cons with novel, but I enjoyed it enough that I plan on checking out future books by Ms. Kelly.

What I liked was that the story was action packed, well plotted and nicely paced.

What I didn't care for was the lack( I wanted more) of more backstory on our hero and heroine. Speaking of- I found their romance a bit awkward/no real chemistry/not believable(take your pick).

I guess what I am trying to say is- a home run for the thriller/suspense angle but a swing and a miss for the romance.

ARC was provided from NetGalley for my honest review

I love desert island books this is a fact and I am yet to find one that doesn't live up to my expectations. When I saw this book on Netgalley I knew it was going to be for me and I wasn't wrong.
This book is full of drama, action and mystery. It has everything a typical stranded island scenario book has only with an added depth, making it something different.

Everyone has a past and some want to escape it, start fresh. Holly is given the opportunity to start over and change the path of her life. She is given the job of posing as an heiress as a decoy so the real Laura can spend her vacation in peace. All she has to do is sail around the ocean and look glamorous. Sounds easy right but what if someone sees her as a prize to make some easy cash. The problem is she was only the consolation prize and not the real deal. She finds herself trapped on a desert island with a terrifyingly good looking man who holds the cards to her fate.

Deception island is a honeymoon get away but Rafe isn't thinking about love. He has been forced into kidnapping a spoilt princess and now he has to look after her but as the days unroll he realises Laura isn't what he expected.

Love this book easily 5 stars out of 5. If like me you are a desert island lover this book will not disappoint. I recommend it to readers who like a good full on story with action. It is a romance novel however this book is much more.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 4.5 stars!! The story description really fell short of the actual experience from this debut novel from Brynn Kelly. I really enjoyed this story, it sucked you in from the first chapter and was on all cylinders throughout. The story begins with Rafe who is a soldier from the French Military and is using his skills to kidnap an American Heiress, who happens to be the daughter of a prominent senator looking on the fast track for a presidential election. If he kidnaps the daughter, he can exchange her for his 9 year old son, who was kidnapped by a militia group whose leader happens to be his brother. Rafe abducts the heiress and takes her to an island to wait for instructions.....Deception Island. The two are forced to align themselves against elements of the island and pirates. The surge of adrenaline has fueled an attraction towards one another, but each has confessed that they are incapible of having feelings of love as it is a vulnerable emotion and they don't do vulnerable. Rafe is becoming confused by the heiresses comments because it does not seem to align with her public persona, and soon discovers that he has kidnapped the wrong person. Holly is a body double for the Senator's daughter, who agreed to do this so she can start a new life after spending 6 years in prison for fraud and white collar crimes. Holly decides that her best strategy for staying alive is to keep Rafe attracted to her. The plan works and the two give in to their attraction but affirm that they will not act beyond their time on the island because deep down they know they are too broken to hope for more.

Rafe receives a message on the island that changes the plan and he is fearful that he will never see his son. His first instinct is to provide safety for Holly and devise a plan so she can escape the island while Rafe goes after his son. Holly wants to help Rafe, but he wants to shield her from his brother, who is a terrorist. Their plan is foiled and both are in danger that can effect many, many people.

The story takes a darker turn and we learn more about Rafe and Gabriel's upbringing and the horrific events that shaped their lives. Rafe is fighting to have light in his life which is why his son is so important to him and Gabriel is pure evil who will stop at nothing to strengthen his regime.
The two are reunited and Gabriel gives Rafe an ultimatum that could hurt the people he loves.

This story had a lot of depth and the author did a great job with allowing you to feel empathy towards Rafe and Holly. By the end of the story, I wanted them to have an HEA.

Holly is just out of prison when she gets her real ticket to freedom playing body double for a well-known politicians daughter while on a yacht traveling the seas. Things get complicated when she is abducted. Rafe’s son is kidnapped and the only way to get him back is to do a little kidnapping of his own. He is tasked with abducting a well known American politician’s daughter. Unfortunately for him, he gets Holly the imposter and not the real thing. As the two spend time together on a remote island Holly finds herself drawn to Rafe. Can the two both find a way out and keep everything they want and need – Holly her freedom and Rafe his son – while keeping each other?

There was a lot about Deception Island I enjoyed. First was the setting. They are on this amazingly beautiful remote island. It sounds amazing except for the snakes and spiders they always talk about. Second was the action and suspense. This story started off with a bang and really kept it going most of the story. It was definitely a page turner towards the end with me needing to know how everything fit together and how it would all resolve itself. The characters of Holly and Rafe definitely were two I liked a lot. Holly was pretty kick ass. She had a rough time growing up and clearly got mixed up in some bad things landing her in prison but she was scrappy and loyal when it came down to it. Rafe was the reformed bad (and I mean really bad) boy with a heart of gold. With the love of his son pushing him forward he would do anything to get him back. I loved when we got these two getting to know each other, bond and really understand their motivations. Plus these two had good chemistry and things got a little steamy on the island at certain point.

My only real issue was even with all the action in the beginning it took me a while to really get into it and become invested. I really needed to get to know Rafe and Holly for that to happen which was a little bit into the book. Also at the end there was a LOT going on and it was a bit much I thought and a little hard for me to take it all in and follow it. Still neither of these was something major that it took too much away from my enjoyment.

If you like romantic suspense heavy on action with great complex characters this would be one to pick up!

Deception Island started out slow for me. While there was lots of action in the first few chapters, I felt the lead characters didn't start to really develop until almost mid-story. Then, I couldn't put the book down! The action, the suspense, the twists, and romance were well thought-out and paced just right throughout the middle and end of the story promising a climactic conclusion. Even though I gave Deception Island four stars, I would highly recommend this book, and look forward to reading Ms. Kelly's second one. I read an ARC from Netgalley in trade for an honest review.