A Brilliant Deception by Kathleen Fuller

Genre: Mystery, Romance, Regency

Publication Date: February 2008

One Word Review: Fun

Author Website: www.kathleenfuller.com

First Line: “Another robbery!”

GoodReads Synopsis: Lily Thornton, daughter of the Duke of Breckenridge, unwittingly finds herself a suspect in a rash of jewelry thefts. In order to clear her name, she teams up with her best friend Emily's brother, the handsome Colin Dymoke, to find the real thief. To make matters worse, Lily's scheming former fiance keeps turning up and causing trouble while making Lily question her own self-worth. Thankfully, she has Colin by her side to help and protect her. As they work to solve the mystery, Lily fights her growing feelings for Colin, who is considered one of England's most eligible bachelors. Having been hurt in the past, she's reluctant to entrust her heart to someone again. Before long, the two of them are caught up in a web of intrigue and deception. They need to clear Lily's name before she and her family are ruined and all hope for romance with Colin is lost.

Kathy’s Review: I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun, lighthearted mystery with a touch of romance thrown in. Lily comes from a very wealthy family and is surprised when someone begins to frame her for the mysterious robberies that have been going on throughout the Ton. Colin is there from the beginning and comes to her rescue; soon they start working together to figure out who is framing Lily. I thought they had good chemistry, I’m not sure how believable it was that someone like Colin (who is supposed to be drop-dead gorgeous) would fall for Lily (who is supposed to be more than plain). I guess after getting to know each other they are able to look past his good looks and her plain ones? The mystery could have been developed a little more, like the reason why the burglar was stealing the bracelets could have been explained further and the end suspect was a little predictable. Overall, it was a fun read and I look forward to reading the other two books in the series.

Bookworm Rating: 4

Reading Order:
Book One: A Brilliant Deception
Book Two: A Clever Disguise
Book Three: A Daring Return