Lately I’ve been finding Lesley Pearse’s books a bit bit snd miss. This one was just an ok read, not as good as her older reads.

Lesley Pearse never disappoints, I don’t think I’ve ever read a book by her that I’ve not enjoyed.
Another cracking good family saga read from this master storyteller.
When a strange man arrives at Alice’s mothers funeral and subsequently announces that he’s her father, though he’s not her Dad, a whole Pandoras box is opened. Told from both the perspective of Alice as she goes about uncovering her mother’s past, and her mother's, it’s a gripping read that I read in one day. Spanning decades this book not only offers a great plot but a look back over years gone by.
As Alice’s uncovers the truth about what made her mother the woman she was, she also discovers a lot about her own life and what might be missing from it

Another brilliant read from Lesley Pearse. Thoroughly enjoyed from the very start. Great characters and loved the storyline. What more could you want but another great title from her.

Thank you Netgalley.

A brilliant read and one I really enjoyed. The characters are loveable and varied, the plot is one that is engaging and medium paced. I found myself completely drawn into the story and enjoyed the writing style.

Another gripping Susan Lewis read what unravels like an onion with wonderful characters you can visualise and a story that captures your heart. A lovely read

Alice's mum has just died and she is approached by a man at the funeral claiming to be her dad. Not knowing what to do as the man she believes is her dad is back at home so she agrees to meet him without telling her dad or younger sister
What she is told by her biological dad makes her question everything she knew about her mum so she starts digging around to try and discover who her mum really was
Brilliant, loved it

Been reading Lesley’s books for years
And as always this is another great one
I would definitely recommend this book
Thanks NetGalley

Poor Alice when her mum dies a man claiming to be her dad comes forward.
With her mother gone and cannot answer these questions what is she to do?
As she digs deeper into her mothers past things start to emerge. Did she really know her mother at all?
This read is so unputdownable it really has you gripped wanting to know all the secrets and why.

Deception by Lesley Pearse is a family drama full of secrets and fundamentally bad choices which resulted in deception.
I’ve read and enjoyed many a Lesley Pearse novel, she is a great storyteller, however, this story just didn’t wow me as much as I expected it to! For me it was an easy read just not as good as her previous novels.
Big thanks to Lesley Pearse, Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for this eARC which is what I chose to read in return for my honest review.

A stranger comes up to you after your mother's funeral and says that he your father. Can this really be true? Why would he do this? Alice's relations with her mother were hardly close and she realises that she knows little about her past life. She sets out to find out more about that life warts and all.. What emerges is a colourful story with many highs and lows.
'Deception' is a very good well written, book. Never dull it reminds us of just how little we know about people and the choices they have about what to reveal, what to leave unsaid and what to embroider.
This is my first book written by Lesley Pearse but I shall now read more .Recommended.

I am a big fan of Lesley Pearse’s work and so was extra excited when I was offered a copy of her latest book, Deception, to review.

There is a strange man at Sally’s funeral. Her daughter, Alice, doesn’t know who he is until after when he approaches her and delivers some devastating news, he is Alice and her sister’s biological father but they already have a father that they adore, who is this man and what does he want? From her were are taken on a journey with Alice trying to find our all she can about her secretive mother and her life before children.

I loved the characters in Deception. They were very varied and had different though full, backgrounds and were well developed. Each one reminded me of someone I know aside from the bigamist, though I am sure more people would try if they thought they could get away with it!

The plot took us through all kinds of life events, some more shocking than others and we see how Sally wasn’t born with that name and the horrible life she experienced as a child. That devastating childhood lead to her being determined to be better but not necessarily a nice person, obsessed with getting everything she wants she manipulated many people to gain what she wanted.

I really enjoyed this and am already looking forward to Lesley Pearse’s next release.

Deception is the 30th book written by much loved author Lesley Pearse.

Written in dual timelines it is the story of Alice and her mother. After her mother's death Alice is approached by a man, who unknown to her, claims to be her biological father. Alice sets about unravelling her mother's secret past.

The plot was interesting enough to keep me turning the pages and while I would have said that Lesley was one of my favourite authors a few years ago I can't help but think this wasn't up to her usual standard. I can't really put my finger on it but whereas I would have been heavily invested in her characters and found it hard to put the book down I think it just lacked the wow factor I have come to expect.

I think readers who enjoy family saga's will enjoy this book and I will be looking forward to the next book with anticipation.

A good read.

This was a pleasant, cosy read, with intrigue to keep you guessing. The book starts where Alice Kent is on the way to her mother's funeral. She learns many things she didn't know. After the revelations, (2015), it goes back to 1950, telling of how all these circumstances unfolded, alternating between past and present.

The book got off to a great start. Then when it started going back, I at first wondered if it was for me. But the more secrets which tumbled out from various sources, the more I wanted to read on. Lesley Pearse knows how to tell a good story. I just feel she hasn't equalled the excellence of some of her earlier books lately. 'Rosie' was my first and favourite read by this author.

This book was an ok read for me. It is an easy read but it’s not one that I thought Wow that was good after I’d finished reading it.

I haven't read anything by Lesley Pearse for a while and I had forgotten just how enjoyable her stories are. This is a story of secrets and lies which I couldn't put down. Highly recommended.

Thank you to Netgalley & Penguin for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Penguin for my advance copy of #Deception by #LesleyPearse
When Alice approach’s a man at her mothers funeral, she is shocked when he says he is her father.
Alice has a father, Ralph. The man who has been at her mothers side since Alice can remember.
Could this man’s sad story be true ?
Alice sets out to discover the real story of her mothers life
I didn’t feel this was one of Lesley’s best books but it is readable.

Description 🔖

Following the funeral of Alice’s mother Sally, she is approached by a man; Angus Tweedy who claims to be her biological father. This is a complete shock to Alice and she is struggling to reconcile the fact that Ralph, the man that has loved and raised her isn’t her true father.

Alice always knew that her mother had faults and kept secrets but learning this information sets her off on a path to find out more about her life before Ralph. She wants to uncover the whole truth; the good and the bad.

General Thoughts 🤔

Before starting this book, I didn’t know if I was going to be getting sad vibes, happy vibes or something in between and to be honest, I feel a mix up of all of the emotions after having finished. Following Alice’s journey into her mother’s past felt like I was experiencing all of the surprises along with her. It was certainly a reminder to me that we’re all just humans. We tend to hold our parents to such a high standard when in reality they make mistakes and bad decisions the same as anyone else.

Characters 👫👭👬

I really liked Alice, mostly due to her ability to be rational and level headed. No matter what she found out, she always seemed to be able to keep calm and understand things from her mother’s perspective. Not only that but she carried the burden of this on behalf of her younger sister and her dad to protect them. It was interesting to read about Alice realising that some of her own character traits were inherited from her mother.

Fleur was probably my favourite character to read about in the story. What a complicated, troubled and yet incredibly strong woman she was. Despite a bad start in life and many obstacles, she seemed to keep going. Some of her decisions were questionable but I found it difficult to judge her for them. She hadn’t had an easy life and even when she did find her peace, I’m sure her past troubled her right until the end.

Writing Style ✍️

The book was told from both Alice and Fleur’s perspectives and straddled two different timelines. Alice’s chapters were present day and Fleur’s went all the way back to the 1940s. I loved this structure in the book and I particularly liked going back in time. I thought that Lesley Pearse did a fantastic job of capturing the era she was writing about; especially the 1960s. I felt all of the hippy vibes through the pages.

What I liked most about this authors writing was her ability to create characters that were complicated and messy but very relatable and likeable. It wasn’t the kind of story where I was wish wishing for a happy ending for everyone, I felt like I was wishing for contentment and closure. Which I suppose is arguably a happy ending.

Conclusion and Scoring 🎖

I found parts of this book heart warming, parts of it difficult to read and parts of it sad. So basically it made me feel many many things and I thoroughly enjoyed it all. If you like a character driven story that spans different times in history, then this is definitely a book for you.

‘What happens when the person closest to you has led a life of deception?’

My thanks to Penguin Random House Michael Joseph for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Deception’ by Lesley Pearse.

While I didn’t take to Lesley Pearse’s 2021 murder mystery, I was encouraged by bookish pals more familiar with her writings that it was a rare miss. So I welcomed the opportunity to read her latest novel, which is a family drama.

After the funeral of her mother, Sally, Alice Kent is approached by a man named Angus Tweedy. She is shocked when he claims to be Alice’s and her younger sister, Emily’s, father. In addition, he tells her that he had served time in prison for marrying Sally bigamously.

This revelation raises many questions for Alice and she feels betrayed, especially when she learns that her mother had changed her name a number of times. Before talking to her sister or Ralph, the man that she had always considered their father, Alice is determined to uncover the truth about Sally.

The narrative moves between Alice in her present (2015) as she follows the trail of Sally’s life by seeking out various people and flashback chapters from 1950 onwards that detail events in Sally’s earlier life.

‘Deception’ is the kind of novel that was perfect for reading in the garden on a summer afternoon. While family dramas are not a genre that I often seek out, ‘Deception’ proved an easy and entertaining read. It also demonstrated that my friends had been right when they praised Lesley Pearse.

I have read all of Lesley Pearse's books and enjoy them a lot. She is very good at weaving a compelling storyline. This book is well written but I didn't quite enjoy it as much as some of her other books. I didn't really like the characters very much.
There is a lot of mystery and intrigue in this book. There were a lot of characters and it was hard to keep up with what was happening. The dual timeline was easy to follow though.
There are some difficult subjects in this book, and it is shocking and emotional in places. I liked reading this book and I would rate it as 4 stars, but it's not my favourite book that she has written.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC.

A definite 5 Stars for Deception. I have been a fan of Lesley Pearse for many years and have enjoyed her books. Over the years her style has changed but I felt this one was back to her style from the start. I was drawn in from the first page and couldn’t put it down.
Telling the story of Janet/fluer/Helen and Sally in a dual timeline. After Sally passes away her daughter Alice becomes aware that she wasn’t the woman she grew up believing she was.
As Alice tries to track down the ghosts of Sallys past a whole different person emerges.
Definitely going to be one of my favourite books of the year so far.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House for a ARC of this book.