The Kiss Of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

A princess must find her place in a reborn world.

She flees on her wedding day.

She steals ancient documents from the Chancellor's secret collection.

She is pursued by bounty hunters sent by her own father.

She is Princess Lia, seventeen, First Daughter of the House of Morrighan.

The Kingdom of Morrighan is steeped in tradition and the stories of a bygone world, but some traditions Lia can't abide. Like having to marry someone she's never met to secure a political alliance.

Fed up and ready for a new life, Lia flees to a distant village on the morning of her wedding. She settles in among the common folk, intrigued when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deceptions swirl and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—secrets that may unravel her world—even as she feels herself falling in love. @goodreads 

This book is a re-read so I can continue on with the trilogy and I liked it the first time around but I loved it this time! Woot!



I loved this book, the atmosphere, the characters, the settings and the descriptions.

Lia is a strong character who decides she wants to live life her way and runs away with Pauline on her wedding day. Lia's family wanted to set her up in an arranged marriage to keep the peace, but it seemed to me they were already in a war regardless so I'm not sure how it would have played out. Lia had written a letter to the Prince for a meeting before their wedding, I think if this would have happened she would not have been so hateful about the idea, and of course, we wouldn't have had a book!

Lia and Pauline had a wonderful time working at an Inn/pub owned by Berdi. She didn't mind keeping the Princess hidden away as long as she worked etc. I loved the ambiance of the Inn/Pub and town.

There are assassins sent out after Lia and the Prince himself comes to find her. I was thinking the whole time, well he waits until she runs away to come to see her. Men! :)

So you have Rafe and Kaden, I wonder which one is the Prince. :) I loved them both but one more than the other. Swoon. Lol. There are other characters in the book that play good characters and bad characters. I thought they were all well played out. One of Lia's brothers, Walther, puts in a couple of appearances as well. I loved him!

There was a really sad part almost half-way through the book



And right at the end, an even more heartbreaking moment. I really hope Lia gets them all! She's strong, she can do this!

GOODREADS REVIEW:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1281027252