The Lady and the Thief (Deceived, #5) by Megan Derr

The Lady and the Thief by Megan Derr

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I received an ARC of this book from Less Than Three Press and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ever read a story where fun and exciting mysteries and adventures and stuff are going on? Daring do, and all that? Like a James Bond novel or film, or even an Austen Powers film? There is a specific individual that comes to mind I wish to mention – he’s a fella that appeared in several Bond films, if I recall correctly he was a fatter man who may or may not be from either Texas or Louisiana, and may or may not be involved in law enforcement. I’m taking the time to mention him so I can note: in the films James Bond is doing these exciting things, speeding past in a boat, in a car, on a train. Texas dude watches with his mouth open clueless to what all is going on. Ah, there we go – Louisiana Sheriff J.W. Pepper, appeared in ‘Live and Let Die’ and ‘The Man with the Golden Gun’.

Adeline is the lead character in this short work, and the only one whose point of view is shown. Adeline is like Pepper in Bond. Exciting stuff is happening, but Adeline is just getting whiplash from it occurring around her, and occasionally to her, but without her knowing why.

This specific story open with Adeline seducing James Bond, saving money, and letting the individual know of her plans to run away together to ‘have a life’. The next morning Adeline wakes up to wails – ‘my jewelry!’ – the person she had expressed her love to, James Bond, had left the premise with Adeline’s money and jewels (as well as her aunt/uncles stuff). James Bond is, of course, not James Bond, but the chamber maid Lissette. Think a moment as to why I’d mention Bond here in this way. I do not wish to be too specific.

Two years later, 21 year old Adeline is finally ‘out for a season’ (and yes, this book reads like a vaguely English Regency period romance, but it is close enough to give that vibe, while also be irritating at the obvious differences between the 800,000 Regency romances I’ve read, and this story here – which, and this should be or should have been obvious, is not a Regency romance). While at a ball, Adeline spots a newcomer pop in. It’s Lizette! In a ball gown! And . . . calling herself Lady something or other!

One thing leads to another and . . . the reader follows Adeline mostly locked in her room ‘grounded’ while stuff happens. Since we, the readers, are following Adeline, ‘we’ know nothing, since Adeline knows nothing. Well, we and Adeline do know ‘something’ is going on. But not much more than ‘something’. Meanwhile, as far as the reader knows, an intricate chess match between rival spies could be occurring, or a game of poker, or high-speed . . . horse races . . . or nothing at all. That’s all the information we and Adeline have of the activities. Nothing at all.

Picture reading ‘North by Northwest’, and we are the Hitchcock character (not the director, the character – Hitchcock popped up on screen as someone at Mount Rushmore, sees ‘weird things occur’ but has no clue what’s going on). That’s us and Adeline. We are Hitchcock, or Pepper, or . . . any of a million other people who are near action, can sense something is occurring, but has no inside knowledge and is only involved indirectly (well, Adeline is involved directly, in a way, but she doesn’t know it).

Because of all of that – this is one of the most frustrating stories I’ve read. Borderline boring. Maybe more than borderline.

Adeline is a skilled and trained swords-person (fencer). Isn’t stupid. Etc. etc. But spends the majority of the story, as noted, locked in her room, or without agency – having people do things to her. Either for or against her. Sure, occasionally she gets to stab someone, but super rarely. Mostly she’s locked in a room.

I do not really like reading stories where the character has no agency, and stuff just happens to them. Especially if most of the stuff is off screen and sometime near the end the character has to be sat down and have things explained to them because . . . they both had no agency to act, and had no opportunity to observe anything.

Adeline remained true to her first love, but this is not, by any means, a romance. I can’t even call it a spy story, even though everything that occurs is spy related – Adeline just isn’t involved in it. It’s like a Sherlock Holmes story, and we the reader are following . . . the person off to the side, who is both blind and deaf, who shines shoes for a living. Hears and sees nothing. Feels only shoes and shoe cleaning stuff. Yay?

Oh, and the main character is also overly emotional and angsty. Hehehe, gah.

Rating: …. I really have no idea. 2.75

July 3 2018




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