Undeceived by Karen M Cox - Blog Tour & Review

Today the blog tour for Karen M Cox’s latest book, ‘Undeceived’ has a stop here for my review of the book. I’ve enjoyed my previous reads of Karen’s stories (here are my reviews of ‘Sunkissed; Effusions of Summer’, which features a 'Northanger Abbey'-inspired short story by Karen M Cox, ‘Find Wonder in All Things’ which is a modern version of ‘Persuasion’ and my favourite story by her, the US-Depression era 'Pride & Prejudice' retelling, ‘1932’) so I was keen to sign up to read this one.

Undeceived is a ‘Pride & Prejudice’-inspired story which, unusually, is neither Regency nor contemporary – instead it’s set in the early 1980s. Darcy is an established CIA agent and Elizabeth is new to the Agency. The CIA believes it has a mole in its Eastern European area of operation and Elizabeth has been tasked with surveilling Darcy, under cover of being his interpreter, to work out whether he is the mole. Unfortunately, she and Darcy do not get off to the best start. Before she is even given the assignment she has come to the conclusion that he’s not an agent she’d like to work with, after he is condescending to new recruits in a guest lecture that he delivers. Elizabeth sums up the ‘lesson’ thus:

“I have learned that there are some fatal flaws that even extreme hotness can’t erase.”

However, they are thrown together in each other’s company. Although Elizabeth finds Darcy frustrating, she is fascinated by him in equal measure. At first she is somewhat prejudiced against him, but as a fair minded person, she is willing to put that to one side to discover the truth and over time she comes to her own conclusions.

I thought this was a really exciting and compelling read. From the very first, you are drawn in, as the book begins with quite a dramatic scene before flashing back to previous events. I enjoyed the fact that the setting was quite different – the spy world, by its very nature, is not your run of the mill setting. There is also an element of mystery to this, as there are parts written from the point of view of the mole; and it’s not clear who the mole is. There are some clues, some red herrings and some twists. I enjoyed a little bit of speculation regarding the identity of the mole, and indeed speculation regarding other characters. In general I was quite successful in my conclusions, although there was one person who I didn’t suspect of being different to their initial presentation.

I enjoyed this different reason for Elizabeth’s prejudice. Not only do she and Darcy get off on the wrong foot, but this is compounded by further arrogance when she actually meets him one on one, and then she is asked to investigate him. I will be fair to her though, despite having a poor view of his personality, she is fairly unbiased from the first as regards his patriotism, though of course she is on the lookout for any sign of it.

I also liked that the author had chosen a timeframe for the story that I’m not used to seeing (as she did in her book “1932”), as most Austenesque reads are either Regency or contemporary, although I am not familiar with the nuances of the cold war so I might have missed some of the references there.

The story isn’t a direct ‘Pride & Prejudice’ re-telling, but there are moments from the canon story that are recognisable. For example, there’s a mirroring of the Netherfield stay, a Hunsford, a meeting at Pemberley and some re-adapted lines that you’ll recognise, such as:

‘He had never been as betwitched by any woman as he was by her, and if it were not for the fact that she worked for him, he really believed he might be in danger of falling for her.’

We get quite a bit of time in Darcy's head, and the description of his feelings towards Elizabeth are good to see. He also takes actions which put him in danger so that she isn't put in danger... sigh! All of this helps build your goodwill towards him, and helps you forgive his initial attitude.

For those of you who like to know these things, this book has some sex scenes but they aren't detailed at all and would be easy to skip.

I would certainly recommend this book. It was exciting, perilous, romantic and a very satisfying read. I was hoping for a wonderful reading experience from this author and I feel she really delivered. I would rate this as a 5 star read.

Many thanks to Meryton Press, Karen M. Cox and Jakki Leatherberry for allowing me to take part in the blog tour for 'Undeceived' and for providing me with an e-ARC for my honest review.

Book Blurb:

During the last gasp of the Cold War, Elizabeth Bennet, a young, forthright counterintelligence officer, embarks on an exciting assignment that would make her late father, a fallen CIA officer, proud. She transfers to Europe to investigate the legendary and elusive William Darcy, an officer in line for the coveted Soviet station chief position who’s suspected of being a double agent.

William Darcy appears to lead a charmed existence, but now he finds himself fighting for his career and against his growing feelings for the young woman he doesn’t know is watching his every move.

Elizabeth wants to throw the book at him, but the facts don’t match her preconceptions. Is Darcy being set up? Are there darker forces at work? Or is William Darcy a skilled double agent after all? Nothing is as it seems, however, and the closer Elizabeth gets to the truth about Darcy, the more she spirals into danger.

Undeceived, the new novel by award-winning author, Karen M. Cox, is part romance, part spy game suspense—inviting readers to uncover the villain in this variation on Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen’s classic tale. 

Author Bio:

Karen M Cox writes novels accented with romance and history. All three of her published novels: 1932, Find Wonder in All Things, and At the Edge of the Sea, have garnered awards from the independent publishing industry, taking top honors three out of the five times they were recognized. Last year, she also participated in Meryton Press’s inaugural anthology, Sun-Kissed: Effusions of Summer, with her short story, “Northanger Revisited 2015.” Her fourth full-length novel, Undeceived: Pride and Prejudice in the Spy Game, will be released in early 2016. 

Karen was born in Everett WA, which was the result of coming into the world as the daughter of a United States Air Force Officer. She had a slightly nomadic childhood, with stints in North Dakota, Tennessee and New York State before moving to her family’s home state of Kentucky when she was almost twelve. She lives in a small, quiet Kentucky town with her husband and children, and works as a pediatric speech pathologist. She spends her off hours reading, writing, and being a wife and mom—and spoiling her new granddaughter.

Links

• Blog • Facebook • Twitter • Pinterest • Amazon Author Page • Instagram: karenmcox1932 • 

Since this is a blog tour there are lots of other stops which you can visit, some of which have a chance to win a copy of the book!

Undeceived by Karen M Cox blog tour schedule:

1 Feb: Guest Post & Giveaway at My Jane Austen Book Club 

2 Feb: Excerpt & Giveaway at So Little Time… 

3 Feb: Excerpt & Giveaway at Romance Novel Giveaways 

4 Feb: Author Interview & Giveaway at More Agreeably Engaged 

5 Feb: Review at Tomorrow is Another Day

6 Feb: Guest Post at My Love for Jane Austen 

7 Feb: Review at My Kids Led Me Back to Pride and Prejudice

8 Feb: Character Interview & Giveaway at From Pemberley to Milton 

9 Feb: Review at Margie’s Must Reads

10 Feb: Guest Post & Giveaway at Austenesque Reviews 

11 Feb: Excerpt & Giveaway at Best Sellers and Best Stellars 

12 Feb: Review at Half Agony, Half Hope

13 Feb: Review at Babblings of a Bookworm

14 Feb: Excerpt & Giveaway at Just Jane 1813

15 Feb: Review at Diary of an Eccentric