Review : Maid of Deception by Jennifer McGowan

Summary (from Goodreads) 

Title : Maid of Deception (Maid of Honor #2)
Author : Jennifer McGowan
Publication Date : August 26th 2014
Publisher : Simon & Schuster
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Beatrice Knowles is a Maid of Honor, one of Queen Elizabeth I’s secret protectors. Known for her uncanny ability to manipulate men’s hearts, Beatrice has proven herself to be a valuable asset in the Queen’s court—or so she thinks. It has been three weeks since the Maids thwarted a plot to overthrow the Queen, and Beatrice is preparing to wed her betrothed, Lord Cavanaugh. However, her plans come to a crashing halt as rumors of a brewing Scottish rebellion spread among the court.

Beatrice’s new assignment is to infiltrate the visiting Scottish delegation using her subtle arts in persuasion. The mission seems simple enough, until the Queen pairs Beatrice with the worst of the lot—Alasdair MacLeod. Beatrice cannot help but think that the Queen is purposefully setting her up for failure. But Alasdair could be the key to unlocking the truth about the rebellion….and her own heart. Caught in a web of ever-more-twisting lies, Beatrice must rise up among the Maids of Honor and prove what she’s known all along: In a court filled with deception and danger, love may be the deadliest weapon of all.

 Personal Thoughts

Maid of Secrets, the first book in the Maid of Honor series, was a favorite last year. It had strong characters, a swoony romance and a great historical setting, which is a genre that hasn't failed me as of yet. Despite that, I was a little wary about starting Maid of Deception because Beatrice wasn't the most likeable of the characters and she rubbed me the wrong way in certain scenes. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Maid of Deception.

Beatrice was a little bit of a tough character to grasp at first. She came across as naive because of how obsessed she was with getting married to Lord Cavanaugh. Her whole life she has been led to believe that she was useful because of her beauty and her ability to charm men. Once she started to open up to the reader, it was easy to sympathize with her. She was the kind of character that grew in front of the eyes of the reader and I, personally, enjoyed watching her mature into a strong and independent young lady who gained a better understanding of herself. Maid of Deception told the story of her self-discovery along with the different plot lines. The other characters were also absolutely wonderful. Alistair, the Scottish lord, who constantly flirted with Beatrice, was one of my favorites. He and Beatrice had a subtle romance that developed mostly in the background. There weren't many scenes with them together, but the few scenes they were present in were sweet and the chemistry between them was off the charts! Alistair definitely knew how to make a girl melt into a puddle. I was glad that Alistair was there to push Beatrice's buttons and to show her that she was much more than just a beautiful girl who charmed men to gain their secrets. Speaking of the romance, a quick word about the cover. If you like me are worried that this will have an odd love polygon of some kind, don't fret at all! Beatrice only has eyes for Alistair and there are no third or fourth parties involved.

It was also an absolute delight to meet all of the other Maids. These girls are such a tight group and the friendship and loyalty that exists between them is one of my favorite parts about this series. Strong female relationships always manage to make a book stellar in my eyes. Meg and Rafe were secretly still going strong and I was happy to get a few glimpses of this happy couple. Jennifer McGowan also made an interesting reversal to Queen Elizabeth's character. She was the kind of villain that I loved to hate. She was twisted and manipulative and I loved her as a villain. The plot in Maid of Deception was slow if you compare it to Maid of Secrets but there were so many twists and turns that made me gasp and had me on the edge of my seat. The secrets, the revelations and the drama of the people at court was thrilling. Some of the Maids especially learned some very surprising things about themselves. I really love Jennifer McGowan's writing style. She has a way of hooking in her readers and I love how she used real history as her source material and yet crafted a unique story.

Maid of Deception fortunately did not suffer from any kind of sophomore book syndrome. It was as brilliant as Jennifer McGowan's debut and I have no doubt that this lovely author will continue to excel in the subsequent books. Historical fiction with a dash of romance fans, don't miss out on this wonderful series!

Rating

Cover : 3/5
Plot : 4/5
Characters : 4/5
Writing : 4/5

Thank you to Edelweiss and Simon & Schuster for the e-ARC of Maid of Deception.