Bittersweet Deception: Review

BOOK NAME:  Bittersweet Deception

AUTHOR: Liz Fielding

RELEASE DATE: June 1995

MAIN CHARACTERS:  Jason Warwick, Kate Thornley

GENRE:  Contemporary Romance
RATING:   ★★★★✰ stars

BLURB:

Bachelor Alert!

"Your word, like any other woman's, Kate, is worthless."

Kate's latest assignment was the answer to her prayers, but she'd have turned it down flat if she'd known that Jason Warwick was to be her boss! His devastating looks ensured constant female attention, yet he cynically branded all women as faithless and incapable of love. 

Kate wasn't interested in a temporary affair, but that was all Jason appeared to be offering.  So conjuring up an imaginary boyfriend seemed the best defense against his seductive charm. But who was Kate really deceiving-- Jason, or herself?

  
REVIEW

I read this book way back in college. It was my classmate’s book actually and I remember arguing with her to let me read it first. I really did my best to bargain with her. After hours of convincing pumayag din siyang ako ang mauna. You might be asking why did I exert effort in bargaining and use my super convincing power to have a first at this book? Simple- I got hooked at its blurb.  I was really picky when it comes to reading English books (di pa uso sa akin ang ebooks that time) so I was forced to buy it on book sales, in thrift stores wherein makakamura ako or I’m gonna borrow from the ones who have. So, when I read its synopsis, I immediately knew I’m going to enjoy it. And I'm right. It was a very nice read. 

If you’re an old-as-time reader, you’ll recognize the plot as cliché. The typical man-whore cynic billionaire hero meets the simpleton heroine-slash-cook. And because the heroine doesn’t want to get involved with the hero, she’ll going to create a make-believe boyfriend.  In the long run it will get busted and then they’ll realize they love each other- marry. End.

But wait—In this story, it’s not just the case. I like the twist and the circumstances in which the heroine uses, in conjuring up an imaginary boyfriend.

This book was a roller-coaster ride to HEA. Before we get to the juicier details, lemme introduce the characters.

JASON WARWICK

I like the name and like how handsome his name sounds (or I’m the only one who thinks Jason Warwick is a handsome name- forgive me), he lived it up with his looks. I fell in like with him from Chap1 up until the last. The enigmatic owner of Magnum television. A cynic who doesn’t believe in love and thinks that all women are gold-diggers or power-hungry individual.  A playboy who only uses women for pleasure. He’s your typical hero.  Handsome, rich, and sarcastic. 

KATE THORNLEY

A column-writer-slash-part-time-cook. A cool sister . A witty and sassy heroine. My favorite type. Kate had a bad experience in a relationship so even if she is attracted to Jason and proving that attraction when they met in person, she doesn’t want to get involved with him. Wary of his reputation and his reaction to his sister’s condition she manages to keep him at-arms length by pretending to have a boyfriend. 

THE STORY

Jason and Kate meet first in a party-specifically in the kitchen wherein Kate is doing his part-time as a cook.  Jason caught Kate in an uncompromising situation- where she is trapped in the kitchen sink with a drunken guest trying to make a pass at her. So naturally, Jason-the ever-cynic one enjoyed the show. Kate on the other hand did not bother trying to explain as she knows it’s worthless. The scene heated up when they banter with their personal opinions of each other.
I love this line uttered by Jason: 

“I know exactly what makes women run. Money, power, ambition. They will do anything for it. They frequently do.”

Not knowing what’s in store for them, they go on with their lives. Kate applied to Fullerton Hall to arrange and event and was offered a 6 month contract by Lady Maynard but she’s asked to stay full-time stay-in at the house.  When she moved in to the house, she’s shell-shocked-as-hell to find out that Jason owns the house and Lady Maynard is her aunt. Jason on the other hand thought Kate is there to seduce him and is after for his money. That’s when the cat-dog fight began.

As the story goes on, the sexual tension and attraction between the two grows but neither of them acknowledged it.  Then Jason thought or rather misinterpreted Sam-as mentioned by Kate who happens to live with her and constantly asks for money- as her live-in partner. Kate seizes the opportunity to widen the distance between them by going along with his wrong assumption. Meanwhile, as they both live on-edge, Kate continues her column in the newspaper and writes a fan-fic along with her recipes and published it once a week. The character is based on what’s happening between the two of them. It becomes a hit and so the publisher asks Kate to continue writing it.

I love the scene when Jason found out who Sam is- short for Samantha during the dinner party. It was a very thrilling scene because Sam was not supposed to be there, then suddenly she saved a little girl’s teddy from the pond at the back of the house and got herself into the water. Jason saved her, and after that he finally knew who Sam is. But it doesn’t end there. There’s more. As Kate column’s becomes popular, many have noticed the similarities in Jason’s attitude to Kate’s character in her column. Plus the fact that during Jason’s interview-before she accepted the offer at Fullerton Hall- he inadvertently slips Kate’s name on national television as to woman he finds very good in the kitchen as well as---

The media feeds on that interview and soon put the pieces together as to who the mysterious Kate is as well as the figuring who the characters are on the on-going popular story of Kate’s column in the newspaper. It became sensationalized and to lessen the damage- to her as well as to her sister, Jason offered her marriage. Kate thought the marriage to be temporary yet she doesn’t know Jason doesn’t plan on letting her go. During those times of cat-dog fights, jealousy-thingies, Jason fell for Kate and vice versa. They got married but it still doesn’t end it there. They still had problems along the way. Jealousy made Jason cranky plus Kate got pregnant, and she’s afraid of her husband’s reaction, which is futile because Jason loved the news and so they confess their feelings to each other. END.

BOTTOM LINE: I love the way Liz wrote the story, the twists she planned and how the events unfold slowly. The sexual tension is good. The lines even better. I love both the H/h.  So all in all if you’re looking for a light-good read- I recommend this one. ~

MEMORABLE LINES

Can’t remember any that struck me. The simple lines used were enough to make me feel the love and the emotions the writer wants to convey. x

But I particularly like this convo:

Jason: "I know exactly what makes women runs, Kate. Money, power, and ambition. They will do anything for it. They frequently do."
Kate: "Haven't you forgotten the most important emotion?"
Jason: "And what is that?"
Kate: "Love, Mr. Warwick."
Jason: "Love? Do you mean sex-- Kate? I hadn't forgotten. But that's not an emotion. It's a weapon."