A page-turner - romantic suspense, The Deception captures your attention from the very beginning and does not let go until the very end.

In this story we find Kate being called to identify the body of her sister which she has been searching for now for over two years. The characters are well developed and the author makes you feel as if you could actually know them in real life. Overall the story was captivating and I'm looking forward to reading more by this author in the future.

I really enjoyed this book. Loved how well Jason and Kate worked together. He’s trying to find her sister’s killer, but Kate insists on helping him. They were great together. Loved their chemistry and their connection. Stayed on edge, there’s a lot of suspense, as they are trying to catch the trafficking ring. Loved their happy ever after. As someone who has studied Human Trafficking for my Master's degree, I appreciate all the research that went into the book!

Another Maximum Security book. Kate wants to find out what happened to her sister and ends up hiring Jase. ARC from NetGalley.

I loved the characters and the storyline development of this book. It was absolutely one of my favorites so far and I can't wait to delve in to the next one that this author writes. The storyline was simple, enjoyable, and entertaining.

From instant attraction to a steamy love story the romance side of the tale balances the danger-filled, wild chase for justice suspense.
I liked the storyline, and I enjoyed the characters, yet there were times the plot was moving a bit slow or there was so much extra happening surrounding the characters that I lost focus and had to pause. Overall a good story and I believe that I would be interested to read future installments in the series.

Kate Gallagher had been searching for her sister for 2 years and is heartbroken when she identifies her body at the morgue. Kate’s sister has been brutally murdered now she is determined to find her sisters killer. This book was Steamy and filled with action and suspense. The chapters were short and quick. I wasn’t sure I liked the main male character at first but over time I changed my mind. Thank you to net galley for a copy.

It's been ages since I last read a book by Kat Martin. Luckily, this book didn't disappoint. It was packed with action ,suspense and some romance. Truly an engaging read for fans of mystery book. Although I haven't read the first book yet, I didn't have a hard time coping with the story.

I have to say, after a subpar experience with the first two Kat Martin books I picked up, I was worried about reading THE DECEPTION. I let it sit on my kindle for a while and eventually decided to pick up the audiobook, and boy am I glad I did! While the book was a little slow to start, once I finally got into the action and suspense plot, I was totally hooked. I actually resented my need to take a shower because I had to put my book down at a pivotal point!

For an average length book, Ms. Martin packed in a freaking ton of subplots and mystery development. I was on the edge of my seat. The story never went exactly where I thought it would go, but I was satisfied with every plot twist. The short, quick-to-read chapters kept me reading in breathless anticipation.

I will say, the romance grew on me. I was not a big fan of the hero at first and if I heard him or someone else say he’s “not a relationship guy” one more time, I was going to scream. He did grow on me, though, and I am glad he gave it a chance. I actually saw character growth in the way he noticed the heroine. At first, it was basically all about her boobs and butt, but as the story progressed and he got to know her, he appreciated her mind, bravery, loyalty, etc. I appreciated the effort to make him less of a superficial guy because I was about to give up on him after four chapters.

The heroine grew on me too. Honestly, I had a hard time relating to this tall, gorgeous blonde with a perfect career and amazing friends. Plus men kept basically falling at her feet drooling; it was getting a little ridiculous. But as the story went on and the heroine explored her own, personal motivations more, I enjoyed watching her stick doggedly to the hero and trust her instincts.

Overall, while I had to suspend my disbelief a little bit to really get into this book, I can’t rate it any lower because I enjoyed it so much! Was it the perfect story? No. But I ended the book with a huge smile on my face and with anticipation for the next book in the series, so I guess I am hooked!

**I received an ARC of this book in order to provide an honest review**

The Deception by Kat Martin is about Jason Maddox who works at Maximum Security and meets Kate Gallagher in unusual circumstances. They happen to be at the same bar one night and Kate was trying to forget about the death of her sister. Big attraction between them, they leave together and the chemistry is HOT! Unfortunately for Jason, Kate (at that time no last name) changes her mind and flees the bar. Fast forward to the next week and Kate decides to go to Maximum Security to hire them to find the killer of her sister and who sees her and decides to help? Jason. Hmmm…wonder how that will work out? Now if you want to find out how things do work out, you need to read this installment of the Maximum Security. You will not regret it!
Thanks to netgalley for and advanced reader copy of this novel for and honest opinion.

The Deception by Kat Martin
Subgenre: romantic suspense
Release date: 10 Sep 2019
Publisher: HarperCollins
Format: ebook and print
Length: 384 pages
RRP: A$53.99 (hc); US$9.99 (ebook)
It is the underbelly of society. Where money is made from people’s circumstances. Where people are dispensable.
Jason Hawkins Maddox is a bounty hunter. He gets his man, or woman, and knows many ways to achieve that. He is ex-marine and knows his way around weapons, and tactics. He also believes that he is a loner, but it is the meeting with Kate, in the bar, then in his car, that changes his mind.
Kathryn, or Kate as she is known, Gallagher has her own business in Dallas. She is then told about her sister. Her sister is lying in the morgue. Kate is determined to find out what happened to her sister especially as it seems she has become a drug addict and a prostitute. But it is the strange tattoo on her sister’s neck that may tell a different story.
Kate goes to The Max (Maximum Security) looking for a private detective to help her. Jase just happens to be there and all though his specialty is bounty hunting, he is happy to investigate Chrissy’s death so that he can be with Kate again. As they start to dig deeper for the reasons for Chrissy’s death, Hawk worries about Kate’s safety, and his own. Kate is determined to help investigate and does actually come in handy for some of the things and places they need to go.
When I first read ‘I want to come and help’ I was, like Hawk, very sceptical that somehow Kate would actually get in the way of the investigation. But spoiler, she actually did what she said she would do, much to my relief.
The story moves at a pace, as does the investigation. What might be distressing is the nature of Chrissy’s abduction and subsequent murder. Ms Martin certainly takes the reader into the depths of society’s underbelly, but fortunately the good men and women win at least one battle, but then need to fight another.
Reviewed by Heather

This was my first read by this author and it did not disappoint. I loved the romantic suspense aspect of it. Although this is part of a series, I felt like this could be read as a stand-alone. This book was full of action, suspense and very steamy! I definitely want to read her backlist.

This was my first Kat Martin, I'm not sure it worked for me. I ended up DNF at 26%. I didn't love how the two main characters Kate and Jason seemed to have this instant attraction, that also distracted Kate from finding her sisters killer. I love romantic suspense, but it seemed like their romance and Kate's desire to find her sister's killer were two seperate books. This is the second book in a series and I may try to read it again if I read the first book.

I've been enjoying Kat Martin's Maximum Security series, and each novel I read is better than the previous one. The Deception kept me glued to my Kindle until I finished reading this exciting romantic suspense novel at 5:00 a.m., and it gets 5 stars from this sleep-deprived reader.

Kate Gallegher, a beautiful, smart, and savvy business entrepreneur has been searching for her missing sister, Chrissy, for the past two years. Chrissy left home at age 16 and hasn't been seen since, that is until Kate is called to the morgue to identify her sister's bruised, battered, beaten, and obviously drug-addicted body. To try to get that picture out of her head, she heads to a local bar to drown her sorrows, meets a handsome, hunky cowboy, and since their chemistry is incendiary, they nearly have sex in the back of his SUV, but Kate calls a halt to it, and he simply drives her home.

Furious about what happened to her sister, she decides to hire a private investigator from the highly regarded Maximum Security Agency (The Max) to help her discover where her sister had been for the past 2 years, what had happened to her, how she ended up in the morgue and who killed her. The local police, who seem to have been of little help, don't seem too eager to spend time looking for the killer of a drug-addicted hooker. When Kate enters The Max, she's shocked to discover her aborted one-night stand, Jason (Hawk) Maddox, a bounty hunter, and because of their mutual attraction, and his skill at finding people who don't want to be found, he agrees to take on her case.

It's not long before their search for Chrissy's killer turns into a whole lot more--like bringing down a sex trafficking ring that's been flying under the Texas police radar for some time. It's a search fraught with danger, and while Jason would prefer to leave Kate out of it, she's not sitting idly by, but insists on trying to help locate and bring down those responsible for her sister's death. It's also not long before they discover that Chrissy's death matches similar deaths all over Texas, and as the search progresses, and clues are discovered, Jason can't help but be attracted by Kate's beauty, grit, stamina and courage, and their almost one-night stand turns into one dangerous, steamy, sexy romance, with both parties knowing that once the case is solved, and the killers and sex traffickers brought to justice, their relationship will end--or will it?

Kat Martin knows how to write gripping, gritty, sexy, romantic suspense novels that are simply impossible to put down, and although I'm a fairly recent fan of her work, this series has grabbed my attention and continues to improve and impress with each new novel. While this novel works as a standalone, I'd suggest reading these novels in the order written, since some of the characters from previous novels turn up as supporting cast members in this one. In short, this was one terrific read and I'm happy to recommend it.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

Kat Martin is a perennial favorite of mine, and THE DECEPTION is a reminder why. She consistently delivers a fine balance of action, suspense and romance, with exciting plot twists and relatable characters. Kate Gallagher is fresh off the experience of identifying her sister at the morgue when she winds up a roadside bar, dancing with a sexy stranger. When Jason Maddox takes her out to the backseat of his SUV, though, reason cuts through the haze of desire and cooler heads prevail. Turns out, when she goes into Maximum Security to hire someone to investigate her sister’s death, Jason is the one to step up. Their chemistry is off the charts, and their descent into Dallas’ criminal underbelly of sex, drugs and human trafficking is exciting and nerve-wracking. This is one that was hard to put down.

*Originally published at Frolic: https://frolic.media/romantic-suspense-wrap-up-august-september-2019/

I loved the twists that Kat Martin is known for! Jason (Jase, Hawk, Maddox - take your pick of names) was the classic alpha, never going to settle down type. Kate, just trying to seek resolution to her sister's murder, inserts herself into Jason's life, beginning of the end to his bachelorhood. I love these The Max heroes. The suspense is always edge of your seat, and the chemistry is always quite warm, and the HEAs are always wonderful.

This is the second book in the Maximum Security series by Kat Martin, but not reading the first one did not cause me any issues following or enjoying this story. It seems they are standalone stories involving various employees of the company.

Kate Gallagher has been searching for her missing younger sister for two years. She is heartbroken to "find her" by identifying her body at the morgue. Kate feels like she failed Chrissy when she was a teenager, so she is determined to find out who killed her sister. She hires Jason Maddox, an employee of Maximum Security, to locate Chrissy’s killer and bring him to justice. Kate doesn't just hire him, but insists she be involved in the investigation. Jase is determined to keep her safe, as well as find Chrissy's killer. It turns out that there is a lot more involved in this case than finding Chrissy's killer.

Both Kate and Jase were great characters. They were both smart, determined and perseverant. They wanted to bring Chrissy's killer to justice, but when they found out that there were other victims, they were determined to protect and save them as well, even putting themselves at risk. The beginning of the book almost put me off, with the accidental meeting of Kate and Jase and his chauvinistic attitude towards the attractive woman he observed in the bar, but it was short lived as the story picked up. I liked that even though Jase was the investigator, he allowed Kate to take the lead a few times and this wisely got them some information to help them along. As the case went along and the human trafficking storyline became evident, the story moved along quickly. It was tense as I read nonstop, to see what was going to happen. They were in danger and the suspense kept the story moving quickly. This was a well-written story that ended well, with great characterizations, an interesting plot, and some romance and sizzle. I will definitely go back and read the first story in this series.

Jase and Kate were great characters who worked well together. They meet by accident at the lowest point in Kate's life. She has just discovered her missing sister was murdered. She tries to drown her grief in alcohol and sex but can't go through with it. Jase was a part of that night Kate thought she'd never revisit, but he is the first person she encounters when she decides to hire an investigator to look into her sister's death. The two clash a bit at first, and Kate's brash way of refusing to let Jase do his job without her causes most of the conflict. As they get further into the investigation, it becomes obvious that so much more is going on than they could have ever expected.

Overall, the story featured two very strong characters with plenty of chemistry. The plot moved pretty quickly, and the suspense level was maintained throughout. I've enjoyed many of Kat Martin's books, and this was no exception.

Net Galley provided an ARC for honest review.

Good addition. The mystery is interesting and the two main characters are made for each other. This series is off to a great start. Plenty of danger, tension and romance as the story moves in some different and unexpected directions.

Kate's sister went missing two years ago and is finally found but unfortunately shes dead. Now shes on a mission to find her sisters killer and bring justice to him. Not feeling like the police are doing enough she comes across Jason Maddox who is a bounty hunter who is known for getting the job done. As they find her sisters killer they end up coming across a trafficking ring as well as so much more then they planned but Kate is willing to risk everything.

Wow this book was something! First off want to point out that I did receive a copy of this book for my honest review and I will tell you now that I loved it. There was so much going on for it. I'm not much into books that involve trafficking and all the works but I just couldn't put this book down. I loved how loyal Kate was, she didn't accept no for an answer and make sure she was an active participant in finding out what happens to her and making sure it doesn't happen to others. Then there was clearly going to be a bit of romance between the characters and a bit of baggage. I mean Jason works a high risk job and after what Kate has gone though with her sister he didn't want to take the chance that if something were to happen to him then Kate would have to deal with the grief of loosing yet another person she cares about. I loved seeing how the investigation played out and overall this book was really good I really enjoyed it!

The Deception
(Maximum Security #2)
by Kat Martin

ebook, 384 pages
Published September 10th 2019 by HQN Books




Goodreads synopsis:
“Fans of romantic suspense won’t be able to put this book down until the final page is turned.”—Publishers Weekly on The Deception

When missing turns to murdered, one woman's search for answers will take her to a place she never wanted to go…

After searching for her sister for two long years, Kate Gallagher is devastated when she’s called to the morgue to identify Chrissy’s body, the runaway teen the victim of a brutal attack. Guilt and grief send Kate into a tailspin. She failed Chrissy once…she won’t do it again. Even if finding her sister’s killer means following a lethal bounty hunter into the heart of darkness, placing both their lives in danger.

Working at Maximum Security has taken Jason Maddox down some dangerous paths, but never for a client he’s so drawn to, or for a case so monstrous. As clues lead them deeper into the city’s underbelly, connections to human trafficking draw them closer and closer to peril, but even Jase’s warnings can’t convince Kate to walk away. As the deadly operation puts a target on their backs, they’ll have to decide what matters most: the truth…or their lives.

***

4.5 Stars

This is the second book in the Maximum Security series by Kat Martin. It is another great episode of the series. It is one I couldn’t put down once I dove head first into it.

Kate Gallagher has just identified the body of her baby sister, Chrissy at the morgue and to quell the growing river of tears inside her, she goes dancing at a local bar where Jason “Hawk” Maddox is waiting to meet a client. He works for Maximum Security as a private investigator and bail enforcement agent. Things get hot and heavy between the two of them. But before they get much past the kissing stage, Kate bolts never revealing her name to Jason.

Quite coincidently they meet days later when she is looking for someone to investigate her sister’s death. She wasn’t sure the police were spending enough time on the case. Jason wants to do that for her.

Jason had decided from the very beginning that being in a relationship isn’t for him and spends most of the book trying to talk himself out of the fact he has feelings for Kate. Kate, on the other hand, spends most of the book trying to either get herself killed or give Jason a heart attack.

I felt like the act of them getting together and acknowledging their relationship took so much longer than it should have given the length of the book. Despite that, I thought this book was great. It kept me interested the entire time and all the characters were well crafted and I could see them appearing in another book in the future, especially the undercover FBI guy Mark.

I have yet to read book one in the series called THE CONSPIRACY. Some how I have acquired two different paperback copies of it. There is no doubt I will get to it eventually. I have read the novella
SHADOWS AT DAWN and thought it was wonderful too. Book three in the series already has a title but doesn’t have any info on Goodreads yet. It is titled THE BETRAYAL. I am already totally curious about that one.

This is a great romantic suspense series that you will want to follow from the beginning… so hop into it now!

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.