A Veiled Deception

Annette Blair just can't seem to get away from her paranormal roots, and I am perfectly happy with that!
I've followed Blair through many of her romance books, but this is the first in her mystery series and it is exactly what I expected from her. Fun, light, and engaging, this book hits all the marks.
When Maddie moves home to help with her sisters wedding and accidently stumbles over a corpse you would think she would high tail it back to NYC, but she doesn't. Maddie also makes a shocking discovery while trying to fit her sister into her vintage wedding dress that she sees flashes of the past from another woman wearing the exact same dress. Somehow the points connect and Maddie decides to use her new powers to find the killer since she show more is not happy with the speed of the local police department.
I ate this book up and quickly grabbed book 2. If you enjoy fast reads with unexpected twists that keep you guessing, this series is for you! show less

First Line: My father would never have asked me to take a leave of absence from my job in New York City if he could have handled my sister's wedding and the "Jezebel" plotting to preempt it without me.

Madeira (Maddie) Cutler takes a leave of absence from her design job in a New York fashion house to go home to Connecticut to help with her younger sister's wedding. Sherry is looking forward to having Maddie design a spectacular wedding dress just for her, but at dinner they learn that the groom's mother has an heirloom dress and veil that she fully expects to be used. Not only that but a former girlfriend is draped all over the husband-to-be.

When the Jezebel later turns up dead, Sherry is the prime suspect, and Maddie isn't about to let show more something like that spoil her sister's wedding. What she knows that most other folks don't is that she's going to have a little extra help: Maddie not only can see the occasional ghost, she can touch fabrics and see things associated with the clothing's past.

This is a light, fun read-- perfect for curling up on a cold winter afternoon. I loved Maddie's fashion- and fabric-inspired way of cursing ("son of a stitch", "wooly knobby knits", etc.). It shows a lot more education and imagination than the usual profanities. I also loved the bits that dealt with design and vintage clothing.

The mystery was a bit weak; the killer seemed very obvious to me, but all the characters clucked and scratched everywhere in the barnyard but inside the hen house. Me? I was enjoying myself and more than content to watch them cluck and fuss. When I need something light and fun, I know that I'll be able to turn to this series for a pleasurable read. show less

Maddie Cutler has always seen the ghosts in her hometown, so she is not surprised to be greeted by them in the windows of her childhood home. She has come home to help her sister, Sherry, plan her wedding and fend off a less than thrilled future mother-in-law's interference. Plans are further complicated by the recent appearance of the groom's old girlfriend who is acting more like a fiance than an old friend. When this old girlfriend turns up murdered, Maddie's psychic powers go into overdrive with the help of a vintage wedding gown.

I loved this book. It has all the chick lit touches that make it fun to read, shoes, clothes and old boyfriends. It also has a pretty decent mystery that keeps you turning the pages. What really grabbed me show more though was the sly humor that often made me chuckle. The other charm was the author's ability to create a feeling that these people really knew and cared for each other. A sense of home, if you will. show less

Madeira Cutler, NYC designer, comes home to assist planning her sister's wedding. At the engagement party and old girlfriend of the groom turns up dead, strangled with the bride-to-be's veil. This was an interesting mystery with the heroine on the cusp of making a career change. I found the basic story to be good, and the touches of psychometry (ability to discern something from contact with an object) when dealing with vintage clothing to be fun. However, the constant labeling of every person and event by the brand name labels associated with them was annoying, especially when it referred to everything; men's and women's clothing, accessories and even their perfumes. Just too much, dating the story, and unbelievable.

Madeira, Mads for short (a N.Y. fashion designer w/ a penchant for vintage clothing) comes home to help her youngest sister who is getting married. Someone wants the bride dead....only they've killed the wrong woman. The monster-in-law to be is pretty narcissistic and is planning the wedding around the bride to be...there are skeletons in the closet and ghosts too....some of who actually talk to Madeira!

The book started off in a rather annoying manner...with a cop who has held a grudge against Mads since 3rd grade acts out in a non-professional manner, her BFFL (Best Friend For Life) has double standards when it comes to men....and we don't really get to know that Mads' mother died when she was 10 in a car accident...until more than show more midway through the book. Most of these things can be ignored.....

There was a good mystery, a good plot, a decent romance, and well written paranormal experiences. If you like vintage clothing and the description thereof, that'll be another thing in this book's favor.

I've the second one in the series on order....... show less

It's been a long time since I read a fantasy novel that felt so fresh and compelling. The story was engaging and the protagonist seemed like a real person. The prose was clean and descriptive without being flowery.
I can't wait to read book 2!

The beginning of the novel is a bit confusing since you're literally dropped in the middle of many characters and it takes a little while to have all their interrelations explained and untangled. Once past that, the plot kicks in nicely. Overall, a nice read.