Review: Undeceived by Karen M Cox

Source: Review copy from Meryton Press
Rating: ★★★★★

He picked up the menu. “So, you better put on a good flirt for me, Liz darling, because I’m whisking you off to a charming little village near Lake Balaton day after tomorrow.” He leaned forward, a smug smile on his face. “By the way, sweetheart, Hungarian secret police just came in the door.” He stared into her eyes, mocking her even as he smiled in a way that made her insides heat up.

“You’re such an ass,” she whispered, and took a sip of her wine, putting on a fake, sultry smile of her own.

He covered her hand with his and looked right into her eyes. “And yet, you’re crazy about me.”

(from Undeceived)

Quick summary: In Undeceived, Karen M. Cox takes Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice to the Cold War era, following CIA agents William Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet on a journey to Hungary, East Germany, and Northern Virginia in search of double agents and moles. Elizabeth is a newbie agent and linguist who enters the world of counterintelligence when George Wickham convinces her to take a job investigating the legendary William “London Fog” Darcy. She has no trouble believing Darcy could have ties to the KGB, given a botched mission in Prague and, well, she just doesn’t like him. Darcy is skeptical of Elizabeth’s abilities but has no problem flirting with her for the job, except that he is drawn to her despite being so far above her career-wise. Despite his arrogance and mysteriousness, Elizabeth soon realizes that what she has been told about Darcy is not the truth, but will they find the real villain before it is too late?

Why I wanted to read it: Pride and Prejudice and spies…enough said!

What I liked: I absolutely loved this novel from start to finish. What a unique way to retell Austen’s novel, and it really works! I loved Darcy as the arrogant yet charming spy and Elizabeth as a strong woman determined to get ahead in her career on her own merits, not by her father’s legacy in the agency. Fitzwilliam as MI6 and Charlotte as FBI, not to mention the bumbling agent Bill Collins, were fantastic additions to the cast of characters. The novel was so different that despite keeping the basic plot of Pride and Prejudice, I had no idea how it all would play out.

What I disliked: Nothing!

Final thoughts: Undeceived is exciting and suspenseful, but above all, it ranks on my list of all-time favorite Pride and Prejudice retellings. This novel will definitely make my Best of 2016 list!

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Disclosure: I received Undeceived from Mertyon Press for review.

© 2016 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.

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