DECEPTIONS (Cainsville #3) by Kelley Armstrong-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 18, 2015

Olivia Taylor Jones’s life has exploded. She’s discovered she is not only adopted, but her real parents are convicted serial killers. Fleeing the media frenzy, she took refuge in the oddly secluded town of Cainsville. She has since solved the town’s mysteries and finds herself not only the target of its secretive elders but also her stalker ex-fiancé.

Visions continue to haunt her: particularly a little blond girl in a green sundress who insists she has an important message for Olivia, one that may help her balance the light and darkness within herself. Death stalks both Olivia and the two men most important to her, as she desperately searches to understand whether ancient scripts are dictating the triangle that connects them. Will darkness prevail, or does Olivia have the power to prevent a tragic fate?

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REVIEW: DECEPTIONS is the third installment (of five) in Kelley Armstrong’s adult Cainsville paranormal/fantasy series focusing on Olivia Taylor Jones’s (aka Eden Larsen) and her struggles to prove, one way or another, that her birth parents Pam and Todd Larsen may or may not be the notorious serial killers who murdered eight people, over twenty years before. Olivia’s continuing search for the truth finds our heroine facing the past, the present and the future through nightmares, memories, and magical travels.

Cainsville is a small town in Illinois, secluded away from the rest of the world, while its’ inhabitants of otherworldly beings struggle to keep their dying species alive. But a battle between the dark and light finds Olivia caught in a world she knows nothing about and has been forced to make choices that affect everyone and everything that she knows. Along with Gabriel Walsh-her mother’s former attorney and Olivia’s friend and current boss- Olivia continues to ‘see’ omens and portents of death and destruction in her search for answers about her present and her past. Olivia’s visions find our heroine entering the dreamscape and memories of long ago; a void or wasteland of visions, flashbacks and a consciousness that aren’t her own. Olivia will be witness to horrific acts of violence and death; her psyche will be forced to accept that which she is unable to understand. All clues lead to everywhere but nowhere; nothing is as it appears to be. Magic covers a host of sins-some sins run closer to the truth than others.

Once again, Kelley uses Celtic lore, myths, magic, fabled legends and supernatural beings to reveal a storyline filled with mystery, suspense and the fear of the unknown. There are Druids, Elves, Fae and other paranormal creatures all vying for Olivia’s attention-some are portents of death or disaster, while others seek Olivia for their own agendas.

The potential for a love triangle between Olivia, Gabriel and Ricky continues to build although Olivia’s heart currently belongs to only one man. The underlying sexual tension between Olivia and Gabriel is high; the attraction and impassioned desire is intense. Gabriel breaks my heart and I am unsure as to his future happiness, if any at all. I am not a fan of the ‘love-triangle’ trope-someone will always be hurt and in many cases it is the reader whose heart will break regardless of the outcome of the love triangle.

DECEPTIONS is a wonderfully detailed and amazing storyline that reveals many secrets and stories; the truth about what happened years before; and the reasons Olivia’s parents are currently serving time for the murders they may or may not have committed. Kelley Armstrong takes the reader into a fantasy world where the future of Cainsville rests upon the outcome of Olivia’s choices and acceptance. There are moments of heartbreak and sorrow; mystery and suspense; action, death and destruction. The premise is intoxicating and addicting; the characters are intense, enthralling and magical; the happily ever after is still to come.

Copy supplied by the publisher

Reviewed by Sandy

Omens
Cainsville #1
by Kelley Armstrong
Genre: adult, paranormal, suspense
Release Date: August 20, 2013

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of OMENS

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 20, 2013

Twenty-four-year-old Olivia Taylor Jones has the perfect life. The only daughter of a wealthy, prominent Chicago family, she has an Ivy League education, pursues volunteerism and philanthropy, and is engaged to a handsome young tech firm CEO with political ambitions.

But Olivia’s world is shattered when she learns that she’s adopted. Her real parents? Todd and Pamela Larsen, notorious serial killers serving a life sentence. When the news brings a maelstrom of unwanted publicity to her adopted family and fiancé, Olivia decides to find out the truth about the Larsens.

Olivia ends up in the small town of Cainsville, Illinois, an old and cloistered community that takes a particular interest in both Olivia and her efforts to uncover her birth parents’ past.

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Visions
Cainsville #2
by Kelley Armstrong
Genre: adult, paranormal, suspense
Release Date:September 3, 2014

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Click HERE for Sandy’s review of VISIONS

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 19, 2014

As #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong’s new Cainsville series continues, Olivia’s power to read omens leads to the discovery of a gruesome crime with troubling connections to her new hometown.

Omens, the first installment in Kelley Armstrong’s exciting new series, introduced Olivia Taylor-Jones, daughter of notorious serial killers, and Gabriel Walsh, the self-serving, morally ambiguous lawyer who became her unlikely ally. Together, they chased down a devious killer and partially cleared her parents of their horrifying crimes.

Their success, however, is short-lived. While Olivia takes refuge in the old, secluded town of Cainsville, Gabriel’s past mistakes have come to light, creating a rift between the pair just when she needs his help the most.

Olivia finds a dead woman in her car, dressed to look like her, but the body vanishes before anyone else sees it. Olivia’s convinced it’s another omen, a sign of impending danger. But then she learns that a troubled young woman went missing just days ago—the same woman Olivia found dead in her car. Someone has gone to great lengths to kill and leave this young woman as a warning. But why? And what role has her new home played in this disturbing murder?

Olivia’s effort to uncover the truth places her in the crosshairs of old and powerful forces, forces that have their own agenda, and closely guarded secrets they don’t want revealed.