Well, what a pleasant surprise this novel was. As usual for me, I'm starting to read a new-to-me author with the second book in her Search and Recover series rather than the first, but what a high-octane, dangerous, sexy and all-around terrific romantic suspense novel this is. It gets 5 stars from this reader.

Monty, the hero, is a computer nerd, but not your average computer nerd at all. He works for ICU, which I'd probably know more about had I read the first novel in this series first, but I do know that the men of ICU are mercenaries for hire, and they're the good guys. Monty is a workaholic hacker and programmer whose boss, Ryan, and his co-workers agree needs to take a break, so they ship him off to one of their safe houses/bunkers in the wilds of Alaska, but unlike their other safe houses, they've removed the temptation to communicate or hack from Monty, leaving him with no electricity, no computers, no phones, no heat aside from a wood stove, and no way to get back to civilization until they come to pick in up in about a week. There is a safe room under his cabin and it has a panic button, but if Monty uses it and it isn't a life or death emergency, they'll leave him there for another month, something he dreads.

Into Monty's solitary "vacation" falls Taylor. He's out chopping wood when he hears a scream, runs toward it, and finds the pretty but disheveled screamer struggling, but unable to get herself out of an icy stream. He rescues her, of course, but her story is a strange one, and since neither party seems to trust the other, there's a slow reveal as to how she got there. She's the owner of a matchmaking service, and it seems that the Russian mob has hacked into her database and is using it as a cover for human trafficking. When Taylor discovers this by accident, and when people around her start disappearing, she downloads her database to a flash drive and tries to run, but before she can, she's abducted by members of the Russian mob, and spirited off to Alaska, but saved when their small plane crashes, leaving the Russians dead, or so she thinks, giving her time to escape, but leaving her ill-equipped to do so.

What follows after Monty rescues Taylor from the icy stream and brings her to his cabin is a slow reveal of how these characters came to be there, what drives them, and something that's been sorely missing from quite a few of the books I've read lately, the opportunity for some actual character development. Both of these characters are distrustful of others, Taylor because of her cold, distant, and extremely wealthy father, and Monty, who grew up poor and ignored in backwoods Kentucky, and whose mother's many serial marriages, 7 of them, meant that she ignored her son too. The author skillfully reveals little bits of their history and personalities at a time, so that the reader is drawn into their story, instead of what too often happens, with the characters being mere devices to move the plot forward. As they wait for Monty's crew to retrieve them once his enforced vacation is over, their mutual attraction grows, but Monty barely dates, and doesn't do relationships ever, and Taylor has her own trust issues. When they learn that not all of Taylor's Russian kidnappers are dead, that more have arrived, and that their safe house isn't safe at all, this novel turns into one heck of a thrill ride of danger, action, and sexy romantic suspense, and I found it impossible to put down until I finished reading it at 4:00 a.m.

I don't where Ms. Farago has been hiding, or why I'd not heard of her or read her before now, but she is one very skillful writer, and yes, I'm backtracking to grab the first book in this series, and will be following it in the future. Although this book worked just fine as a standalone, if possible, start at the beginning, and I think you'll be as impressed by this author and her storytelling abilities as I was.

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

A definite change of pace for me. I havent read Lucy’s books before so a new author for me and I was a bit hesitant at first. But I found myself really sucked into this book. It has a plane crash, people getting shot at, romance, a hot nerd completely out of his element, just to name a few. I finished this book wanting more and now I can’t wait to read another Lucy Farago book!

An-on-the-edge-of-your-seat romance that takes you to the wild and beautiful mountains of Alaska with explosive chemistry, great writing, and tons of wicked adventures!

Lucy Farago is a must read author who clearly knows how to deliver an amazing thrilling romance. I love this series and cant' wait for the next book!

A Necessary Deception (Search and Recover #2) by Lucy Farago blew me the fuck away; my first experience of this very talented storyteller but certainly not my last.
I'm not exactly sure quite what I was expecting here with this, but can definitely say this was all good, and this snuck up so stealthfully taking me completely unawares.
If I could award this more stars I bloody would I thought it was that good.
This was a very addictive pulse-racing, romantic suspense; with a slow-build heat escalation between the two main characters Taylor and Monty.
I found "A Necessary Deception" to be in itself more story and action-based; With the romance between these two slowly progressing in the background as our story unfolds.
The sexual heat of this excellent narrative was dialled up notch by notch; building an almost sense of anticipation for the players as well as the reader; until it finally acclimated in Monty and Taylor being unable to deny the red-hot chemistry that had been built up between them anymore.
And when it finally does happen; the emotion and sentiment I felt here, was just so believable.
I adored the interaction between Monty and Tyler; they had such a rapport; the extreme circumstances of there situation had cultivated in such a deep connection; which had formed much faster than is usual.
especially in terms of Monty; he doesn't play well with others; a mixture of his past baggage and solitary personality combined.
He's also so different to your usual action hero; being his teams resident computer geek.
Montys really rocks the smart, hot nerd vibe; but he's also able to handle himself and is buff to boot; Taylors one lucky girl finding her own personal Rambo way out in the boonies.
So this is set in the Alaskan Wilderness; where Monty has been offloaded by his team-mates for an unwanted vacay at one of there safe houses after screwing up on the job.
Stranded and without power, all he wants is to return to his beloved control room but knows he has to suck it up and deal.
Enter Taylor; CEO of her own matchmaker company; she luckily finds herself rescued by the hot computer expert after being abducted from her home by persons unknown and then after giving them the slip; taking an actual tumble into Monty's creek.
It's not long before these two are teaming up and fighting for survival as they try to escape the attention of Taylors Russian pursuers.
So; For a book with very few in-depth character portrayals; rather than the main two and also one so lengthy this was surprisingly good.
And All-though we spend all our time with both Monty and Taylor "A Necessary Deception" was also packed full of action, intrigue, suspense and romance.
It also had a surprisingly humorous vibe to it at times; the humour actually helping to actually defuse the stress of the whole sorry scenario.
This was told in my favourite dual POV and was such an intense experience overall.
And although part of a series can definitely be read as a standalone; I did and had no issues following along at all; the stories are connected but each is also seperate.
I can't stress enough how well written and engaging this was; this author has a talent for making you actually believe what your reading.
Romantic Suspense is not my usual go-to genre but this is one that certainly ticked all my boxes.
This is one read I highly recommend it was fantastic from start to finish; a job well done by the author.
Give it a go you might surprise yourself.
Thank You to the Author for providing me with an ARC of "A Necessary Deception (Search and Recover #2) " of which I have reviewed voluntary.
All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

The book is well written and I liked the characters very much. But it fell short for me in some places.

A Necessary Deception is something unusual for me, but in a good way. The hero is very different from what I have read from before but that actually makes this book more interesting and more fun. I love that Lucy Farago was not afraid to color outside the line. Her characters were both fascinating and the banters is really entertaining. Steamy with a lot of twists and turns, well developed plot and characters, this action packed romance-suspense book will keep you on the edge. A must read!

8 stars- I have just finished this book and ended up buying book one in the series. Fast, sexy, hot, fun and full of action, twists, surprises, and many turns. What would happen when you find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time, or possibly the wrong place and the right time? This book will keep you guessing and entertained from the word go. The characters are well developed and have a great connection.

This was an intriguing romantic suspense with the hero not the usual action-guy type, but rather the team’s ‘tech geek’. Still army-trained and capable of holding his own physically, Monty knows his greatest strength is his brain. Taking an off-the-grid vacation on Alaska, he doesn’t expect to run into anyone, certainly not a beautiful woman he has to fish out of a creek.

Pursued by Russian thugs, online matchmaking agency boss Taylor Moore isn’t sure if she’s jumped from the frying pan into the fire with Monty. Eventually choosing to trust him, the two of them end up on the run through the wilderness, relying on each other’s wits and resourcefulness to stay alive.

I really liked that Monty wasn’t the he-man type and that Taylor got to do her fair share of rescuing even though she was very much out of her element. I did wonder how she could be quite so tech-challenged if she’d created the algorithms to make a successful matchmaking service, though I don’t know enough about the field to really make assumptions. It was a very minor quibble, though, much like a few typos and odd word choices I found sprinkled through this ARC which I hope would be corrected by the time the final version goes to publication.

Stuck together in a cabin in the wilderness is one of my favourite tropes when written well, with a slow build romance, and this one is done superbly. Though it’s part of a series, it reads very well as a standalone and I’d definitely be interested in reading more by this author. Five stars for a very good romantic suspense!

The second book in the Search and Recover series, A Necessary Deception by Lucy Farago has a character accidently becoming involved in a mission. I liked the idea of this suspense romance from the beginning. Monty Buchannan is on a mandated Alaskan vacation from work and technology. The Investigative Collection Unit intel expert, Monty has new experiences that are more than the being off the grid experience he was expecting. Life becomes very interesting for Monty.

Taylor Moore’s remake won my approval from the get go. She has made herself into someone of substance and purpose. Many would say creating a matchmaking service may not seem like much of a purpose but will so many looking for love in real life, I think it must be a needed service. However, it does seem an odd one for the criminals to go after. That makes this an interesting story as well as an action-packed one filled with danger but romance, too.

A Necessary Deception is a terrific escape. I love a brainy hero and Monty is smart everywhere except when it comes to love. Taylor may not be a genius but she believes in happily ever after. Put these two together in the wilderness of Alaska with the Russian mob chasing after Taylor and sparks fly. It was fun watching Monty deal with first the perceived abandonment by his coworkers and then his unexpected feelings for Taylor. Taylor has worked so hard to clean up her act only to find out the Russians have hijacked her company website and when she discovers their incursion put her on the run.
This story sucked me in and kept me riveted from the first page to the last. Just when I thought I knew what was going to happen the author surprised me with an unexpected twist. Though this is part of a series it can be read standalone.

Monty was forcefully secluded in a cabin in the wilds of Alaska. He heard a sream and ran to find A woman stuck in the water. He took Taylor back to the cabin so she could warm up and put dry clothes on. Unbeknownst to him she was running for her life and danger wasn't far behind. This is a fast-paced, suspenseful read. The only negative aspect of this book is the stilted writing. The story doesn't always flow so it detracts from the story.

While the storyline does follow the typical romance novel formula, the story itself is unique, some of the scenes go far out of the box, and some scenes seemed to be a bit rambling, yet with the mix of romance and suspense, the story gives something to many readers.
There's a lot of banter in the story, most of the dialog between Monty and Taylor Moore is some kind of ribbing, teasing, and poking each other. Even in serious situations. I am all for a great, smooth, sarcastic repartee, but it has to be smooth, it has to flow, it has to stay on the pleasant side of the awkward moments. Unfortunately, in my opinion, at times this was not succeeded here.
With Taylor Moore having a few ditzy moments, and me not being very found of Monty at all, I surprised myself by finishing the book. So there is enough intrigue, tension, attraction, and chemistry in the tale that kept pulling me to it, even though it did take me three days to finish it.

Necessary Deception is a fun romantic suspense that readers can start and finish quickly or enjoy over the summer break. (I know what break if you work or have kids)

The characters are well developed, the authors ability to write banter without taking away the story is a feat. Their is sex but it fills in the time where the characters are waiting to something to happen.

While this is book 2 in a series it is completely a stand alone novel. I didn't read book 1 and the author blends the update and the new story together keeping readers engaged until the very end or what readers think is the end. Trust me you turn the page and find the story is still moving forward with the ending you hoping to find. There is no cliff hanger. The story will leave readers happy and with a smile on their face.



Thank you to the Netgalley and the publisher Lyrical Press for the advance copy of Lucy Farago A Necessary Deception.

Interesting story, it dragged a bit at the beginning but once it got going I became invested in the story and the characters. Monty was a great character, he was so quirky you couldn’t help but love him.

Sheesh, I guess Ryan doesn't believe in luxury vacations.

At least she has some sense of caution.

Plane crash? Debutante?

The bunker is so cool.

It's so exciting to find a new author! I loved this book. Monty and Taylor are a formidable team and their romance is definitely sigh worthy. Full of action and suspense, this story will keep you on the edge of your seat. Taylor is a great female character. She was strong when she needed to be...stronger than she thought. I liked that Monty rescues her and she rescues him right back. I can't wait to read more by this author.