Deadly Deception

In Deadly Deception by Misty Evans, FBI agent Roanna Punto ('Ronni') has been slowly recovering after a brutal injury on the job.  She is now ready to be back at work, and put those events behind her.  Ronni has always kept a big part of herself hidden though, and now she's also hiding the pain, fear, and mistrust that remains after her injury.

When she is summoned to San Diego, she is partnered with DEA agent Thomas Mann.  The same Thomas who was working with Ronni at the time she was attacked, Thomas who harbors incredible guilt that he was supposed to be protecting Ronni but in his mind he failed.

Irrationally attracted to Thomas, Ronni is determined to keep things professional between them.  Although she claims she doesn't blame him for the attack and her injury, her actions and lack of trust say differently.  This op will test their trust and togetherness.

Their assignment is to infiltrate Heaven's Gate cult and bring down the cult leader.  But Ronni's past is catching up to her and the last of her secrets are revealed.  The cult leader (Adam) is the half brother she saved once, years ago when a raid on a cult by the FBI took many lives.  A time in her life that she's never recovered from, Ronni is still emotionally scarred.  Between flashbacks, a developing relationship with Thomas, and increasing danger, will Ronni save Adam again or will the evidence against Adam be too much?  The heat of the job and the heat between Thomas and Ronni is enough to singe your fingers on the pages of Deadly Deception as not only does their relationship grow, but so does the mystery of what is happening with the cult.

Misty gives us realistic characters with relate-able emotions in Deadly Deceptions.  Thomas is funny to Ronni's serious, but you can feel the click between them even before they do!  Ronni has been through so much in her life, it is easy to feel for her.  She is conflicted, slow to trust, but at the same time her heart shines through.

Misty writes Deadly Deception with great flow, and seamless transitions between romance and suspenseful action, making Deadly Deception and easy book to fall into.  Misty gives us lots of plot twists you don't see coming, she keeps you guessing and catches you off guard.  I love all of the secondary characters in Deadly Deception.  In particular, Ronni's brother Adam plays a big role.  He is a strong secondary character who adds a lot of depth to the story.

I loved how Misty wrote both the cult aspect - the good and the bad to give the reader a good understanding of cult life.  She also writes about mental illness, and brings that out into the open.  She certainly did not shy away from any issues in Deadly Deception and I loved this!

Deadly Deception is book 2 in this series, but can definitely be read as a stand alone.  I'd highly recommend Deadly Deception by Misty Evans to any romantic suspense reader looking for a very well written book!  I will be waiting impatiently for Misty's next book!

5/5 stars :)