A Veiled Deception (Vintage Magic Series #1)

A veiled deception!

This book is a fun book that is a blend of light romance and light mystery. Well written, very engaging, I could not put it down. I Really like Annette Blair's other books as well, but if you are looking for a steamy romance or a deep mystery - this will not be for you. This walks the fine like between the two genres but does not truly fit the classic mold for either. I was not sure if I would like this book since I am not into fashion, but I really enjoyed it and it was informative and interesting without being obsessive (for example like the coffeehouse mysteries, in which the coffee was like a main character of the book). I highly recommend to the next book in the series!

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Wedding Gowns and Mystery - what more can a girl ask for?

What I love is a good mystery with a little appeal to another of my loves involved and the cover of this book just called to me! And it did not let me down, a wedding dress, vintage clothes, mysteries current and past, some psychic "business" to help the mystery along and a few giggles and a happy ending for most. I will be reading the next in the series when it comes out!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

First in a new series.

Madeira "Maddie" Cutler has years of experience working for a top New York fashion designer. Maddie takes time off to travel home to Mystick Falls, Connecticut. Her youngest sister, Sherry, is getting married and Maddie cannot wait to help her plan and organize the event. Upon entering the house, Maddie finds a small gathering consisting of Sherry, her fiancé, all the future in-laws, and Jasmine. Jasmine turns out to be Sherry's nemesis, who clearly believes herself to be better wife material than Sherry and is out to prove it.

Sherry's fiancé is Justin Vancortland (the Fifth). Though his name hints at his family's social and financial status, his attitude is anything but snobbish. Unfortunately his mother, Deborah (never Debbie), cannot say the same.

Before Maddie even has time to settle in for the night, she finds Jasmine strangled with Sherry's wedding veil. Sherry is Detective Sergeant Werner's prime suspect, of course. Maddie learns that she is able to work magic with vintage clothes. In more ways than one. Maddie always knew she (and a few others on her late mother's side) was able to see ghosts, but until now had no idea that she could touch a piece of vintage clothing and view the people once connected with it. The Vancortland Wedding Gown has plenty to reveal.

***** Annette Blair brings her characters to such vivid life that I could easily picture Deborah oozing snobbishness from every pore. (NOT a pretty picture, believe me.) The main character, Maddie, comes across as a very strong-willed and protective woman with her feet planted firmly on the ground. That is, unless Nick Jaconetti is close by. Before this adventure, Maddie never considered herself to be psychic. Occasionally seeing a ghost and keeping mute about it is one thing, but visions were new to Maddie, so readers get to experience the surrealness of it all with her. There are more people present in the gathering than I mentioned in the synopsis, but they seem to be secondary characters this time around. I have no doubt that the other men will play larger roles in the future.

The author gives this mystery her signature style by adding some magic. Maddie plans to renovate a certain old building and open a vintage clothing store. The building comes with its own ghost (this one able to talk) or two. Let us just say that Dante is very charming and gives very good advice. It looks to me as though this mystery series has a sturdy foundation upon which to build. Fun, witty, and highly recommended! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Great Book, Fun New Series

I really liked this book, and the new promising series! Loved the combination of the paranormal/mystery/romance genre and the addition of vintage clothing and ghosts! Fun, easy read. Can't wait for the next one!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

filled with humor, the paranormal, two related mysteries, and of course romance

Madeira ¿Maddie¿ Cutler, a vintage clothing designer for a famous fashion house, is on her way to her hometown of Mystick Falls, Connecticut where she hopes to create the gown for her baby sister she raised. Maddie arrives in time for pandemonium; an angry Sherry watches her fiancé Justin¿s former girlfriend Jasmine hang all over him as if she is the bride. Upset Sherry makes a rash statement that she will kill Jasmine in front of witnesses.

Maddie goes to see the wedding dress Sherry¿s mother-in-law expects her to wear only to find Jasmine choked to death by a veil. Sherry is the number one and only suspect; she does not help herself as she refuses to provide an alibi. Maddie has visions of another woman wearing the same dress and concludes her visions are related to the Jasmine homicide, but has no idea how. She investigates Sherry¿s in-laws especially their past since the dress belonged to Justin¿s mother to understand what she saw and hopes to apply it to identify the killer.

Annette Blair, renowned for her sensational bewitching romantic fantasies provides a new series filled with humor, the paranormal, two related mysteries, and of course romance. The protagonist is a beguiling intelligent free spirit who prefers a laughter and lay back lifestyle, but knows when the situation calls for a serious spin. She is glue that not only holds A VEILED DECEPTION together but turns the tale into an outstanding read.

Harriet Klausner

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Mystery with a few ghosts added

Good plot with enough twists to keep you entertained. I appreciate fabric art, so a mystery with references to vintage fashions was a double benefit. I would definitely read more of this series.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A Good Read

I really enjoyed this book. It was a fast, easy read, hard to put down. When I was finished reading I wanted more. Hope the author will provide more.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Loved It!!!

This book was such an enjoyable read. It was quick and fun. Her writing style is so much fun and so easy to read. I enjoyed the characters so much I cannot wait until the next installation in this series. It was obvious that the author is intimately familiar with the subject matter in the book and it made it easy to get into the story and the characters.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Wonderful new series!

I'm a big fan of Ms. Blair's Accidental and Triplet Witch series ~ so much so, that I pre-ordered the first book in this new series several months ago. My anticipation was not in vain. A Vintage Magic series starts out with a fun, if a little bit darker (a murder to be solved), fast-paced read that is full of ghosts, romance, suspense and humor. I instantly liked the character of Maddie and I'm hoping for more of her in the next installments. As an avid "collector" of vintage items myself, I found this to be a unique and fascinating storyline.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A good time!

This book was a lot of fun. I enjoyed the mystery plot, but even more I enjoyed the characters. The fashion and mystic flairs to the story added enjoyable spice. Great for a relaxing afternoon, or when you need to lower your blood pressure in the waiting room!

veiled deception

i just loved this book . it kept you on the edge from beginning to end . i just wished she had more of these types of books out now.

Nice book

A good book for a rainy day. Good character development and interesting plot line.

Spectacular

This is some of Annette Blair's best work. I have read it twice since I bought it. The plot twists where awesome, characters original, and places are real. It is a great book and I recommend it to anyone who wants an escape. On August 2nd, 2009 Annette Blair will be at Some Enchanted Evening in Spencer Mass. She will be reading from her newest book set to be released that week.

Loved this one

Wonderful fun characters, great story line. I want to get the entire line of books in this series!

A nice twist to Psychometry

Nice premise and has good potential for sequels - a fashionista, familiar with both contemporary and vintage designs, tired of the high life in New York, comes home to help her sister get married. Turns out that past betrayals centering around the wedding gown worn by all brides to the groom's family for generations have left an imprint - and a clue to a current murder in the bride's family home. The heroine has to deal with her unexpected psychic gift, revelations about her deceased mother, altering the groom's gown to suit her sister, her hunky on/off again lover since high school, the goofy kid she teased who's grown up into a police detective (with a bit of a chip on his broad shoulders), the wedding itself, the murder for which her sister &/or her fiance are suspects - as well as her feeling that the time has come to move home and open her vintage dress shop (for which she has been collecting goodies in all those nifty New York consignment shops). The plot is fairly well woven, the author name drops fabulous designers and throws quite a few good twists in.

Great Mystery

I love Annette Blair books and this was no exception. It is a wonderful mystery.

Has it all -- paranormal, romance, mystery!

The ending was perfect!

Caught and held my attention right away

After struggling to read another mystery, I picked up this book and got hooked right away. Offbeat and fun characters, interesting 'abilities' and just plain addictive. I'm pleased to see that Annette Blair is releasing the next in the series in August, however, I don't want to wait that long!

Blair's First Vintage Magic Mystery is definitely MAGIC!

Original, fast paced, funny! Love the cast of characters, the premise of solving cold cases brought to light by Maddie, aka Madeira, the amateur sleuth who owns a vintage dress shop in Mystic, Connecticut. I'm looking forward to more.

Once completed, a very nice story

Hard to follow in the beginning, but once into the story it was good.