*I received this book from Bold Strokes Books and Netgalley for an honest review*
This book is about a con artist and an abusive relationship (and no, I’m not talking about Maria and Sebastian). Part of that is seen by the reader immediately. Part takes longer to come into focus, though it does by at least the 39% mark (more the potential, not the confirmation of an abusive relationship).
A con artist, by the way, who became violently enraged when her con was detected and broadcast to the world. The other party involved, the one who didn’t broadcast the information to the world, but was perceived to have done so – and even if the con artist (she thought to herself) believed this other party, this other woman’s words, that they didn’t tell the world about the con – she still . . . . lied about . . . the con artists identity (this is also part of the abusive relationship – getting enraged at the other party for your own actions. Getting enraged that the other woman didn’t immediately, and I mean immediately, tell the other woman her suspicions concerning the long-con Viola was running).
A long con? The book doesn’t seem to indicate some kind of criminal caper is going to be involved. No, it implies something like a retelling of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night would occur. Sure, the book is titled ‘Princess Deception’, so the reader knows going in that the princess is a lying deceiving type, but I’m wording things too harshly, yes? Perhaps. Perhaps not.
Twelfth Night is about a young woman named Viola who shipwrecks on an island and, to protect herself (history isn’t exactly kind to random wandering single unprotected women), she pretends to be a man named Cesario. There’s a weird love . . . mess that occurs. With Viola (as Cesario) falling in love with Duke Orsino; but Orsino is in love with Countess Olivia; and Olivia herself falls for Viola . . . as Cesario. Confusion galore.
Princess Deception? Well, it isn’t an exact retelling, of course. With one story set long long ago, and the other set . . . roughly around now. Viola and Sebastian are the twins of Deception and Viola plays Sebastian. There’s even a Duke for Viola to fall for, here a Missy ‘I don’t like my first name’ Duke (former soccer star). I suppose it would be pushing things to have the other ‘love interest’ in the story, Sebastian’s girlfriend I mean, be named Olivia – instead she’s named Maria in Deception (though one of Olivia’s servants in the play is named Maria; hmm, and Olivia’s uncle is named Toby – and Toby has a big-ish role in the Deception book).
As noted – Viola pretended to be a man in 12th Night (Cesario, though I’d originally misremembered and thought she played Sebastian). And in Princess Deception Viola plays Sebastian, or pretends to be him in certain circumstances. She’s doing this long con in Deception because Sebastian has a drug problem and Viola believes the best thing to do is to pretend to be Sebastian so that people wouldn’t hound him, and therefore allow him to recover in peace and quiet.
They can’t all just go ‘into hiding’, or the like, because Sebastian had been the front person for the effort to land . . . um, the World Cup? Something like that, to Belgium and the Netherlands (a joint bid), and the month long celebration of this bid was just about to kick off when Sebastian landed in the hospital. So – Viola gets a haircut, gets some masculine looking clothing, clothing that looks like Sebastian’s, cut to her own proportions, puts on a breast binder, and struts around as Sebastian. She just doesn’t wear his clothing because they aren’t actually the same height/shape.
Duke, the other main point of view character in this story, starts off the book deeply depressed about her place in life. For, you see, she had been a high rising, hard charging, and popular, wealthy soccer/football player. Until an injury ended her career. Through a teammate’s brother, she landed a job as a journalist (apparently, no one wanted to hire her on her own merits). Duke has been tasked with writing a story or stories, about the FIFA World Cup bid process.
Due to the fact that Duke had, in fact, once been famous, she’s recognized when she attends a particular event. Recognized by a young Princess. Of the Netherlands. Who invites Duke to get close, then watch a soccer match up in the VIP area. Before that, though, Duke had seen a speech given by Prince Sebastian – a welcoming to the festivities type speech. And Duke immediately knew, knew, that Sebastian was actually . . . . Princess Viola. Despite never having meet either, and the fact that her entire knowledge of Viola comes from some research conducted, while distracted, on the train up to the soccer match (research study needed for many reasons, including the part wherein she never before paid attention to royal types). Part of the ‘oh my god that’s Viola!’ is from phrases, and moves Sebastian does/says while giving the speech. Which I’d normally leave for the reader to find, but I need to say that so I can say – part of the OMG is the part where Sebastian has to be Viola because . . . of certain feminine aspects detected by Duke (I mean, seriously? In this day and age we are going to play the ‘men are men, which means super macho manly men, while women are feminine, and effeminate men either don’t exist or are actually women in disguise’ game? Seriously?, pfft).
Right, so, Viola-as-Sebastian and Duke interact. Duke doing things like interviewing Viola, Viola doing things like flirting outrageously and trying really hard to kiss Duke. Despite, you know, that not really being Sebastian’s style.
Life continues. The month long celebration continues. Duke continues studying the situation and building a story about the matches/bid; plus another story about Viola-as-Sebastian. Viola continues doing the long-con, and continues flirting hard with Duke. And playing power games (‘close your eyes, do you trust me? Close your eyes and let me slip you a drink . . .’).
One thing leads to another, and as you would expect, the truth comes out. As I said in the beginning of this review - this is a book about an abusive relationship. Because, really, it is. Viola plays power trips and does abusive-like moves throughout the book. Including the part where she becomes enraged by her lies being seen by Duke – turning it around and calling it Duke’s lies (somehow). Did I mention yet that Viola, as Sebastian, kept trying to kiss and seduce Duke? Yes? Well, it’s important to keep mentioning. Then, even though Duke is looking horrible – lost weight, bags under her eyes, Viola keeps up the abuse by hate fucking her – sure, she demands consent first, but still – hate fucking her – and continuing to play power control games during this hate fucking.
Viola is one of those ‘I’m doing the right thing! I’m helping my brother! All that you mention is just . . . what had to be done for the greater good!’ types. The ‘I’m a good girl’ type who gets enraged at others for doing much less …. Um . . . fuckery to her. I’m not wording this right. Ironically Viola is probably making things harder for Sebastian, even though she’s ‘trying to help him’, but, meh. She’s ‘doing the right thing, even if that means lying and deceiving the world’ then getting angry at anyone who calls her on her deceit and lies. Viola is a horrible human being.
Duke? Eh – oddly, I had to stop reading the book originally because of Duke. Part of it was because of her hyper-conscious about gender roles (aka – the person calling ‘himself’ Sebastian has to be Viola because . . . of the feminine traits Duke sees). Part is because of the ‘journalists and photographers, who I despise, were horrible when I was a famous athlete’; ‘I need a job, I despise journalists, I’ll do that’ vibe. Oh – and later it turns out she didn’t really need a job, despite the vague ‘must find work, must keep working, must . . . do my best!’ vibe. Because of reasons. Like the various sponsorships she was able to retain through not revealing that she was a lesbian. So, initially, I disliked the book because I disliked the Duke character. Then the nastiness that is Viola became revealed, and so that’s two main POV character to dislike. Oops, there are only two in the book.
Weird. First 39% of the book, I was thinking that this was the best of the Princess books. But . . . alas . . ..
As an aside, and I’m sure it doesn’t matter in any real way, but, of the roughly 15 plays I’ve read by Shakespeare, Twelfth Night is nowhere near the top of the list of favorite plays. No, it’s one of those that I didn’t really like when I read it decades ago. I didn’t enter this book expecting to dislike the book because of that, though. Nor did I enter expecting to like it because it’s a retelling of a Shakespeare play. So, just an aside of no importance.
Rating: 2.67
April 3 2018
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