Deceptive Calm

De: Patricia Skipper

Narrado por: Tanya Reuter

Against the turbulent backdrop of declared martial law in South Carolina, a stunning light-skinned beauty, Vanessa, lives in a Catholic orphanage for Blacks. After a series of racial traumas, Vanessa obtains the birth certificate of a deceased white baby and uses this document to assume the child's identity. She moves to California and enrolls at UC Berkeley under her newly acquired name.

Vanessa marries into one of California's wealthiest families. Her charmed life abruptly ends eighteen months after the birth of her first child who is diagnosed with sickle cell trait. Discovering that the woman he married is Black, as is his toddler son, Vanessa's ruthless husband plots his revenge but they both survive. The police investigation that follows seems pretty clear-cut until a curious, young detective uncovers some clues to her private life where nothing is as it appears. The aftermath of the discovery brings down a pillar of San Francisco society.

©2023 Patricia Skipper (P)2024 Patricia Skipper

the racist comments

it was uncomfortable to read and do not recommend to pple that dnt like rasim

Nothing really stood out.

The story just didn't involve any strong emotions in me. It was a cool story but rather bland.

History lesson

I dislike this book. I found the book Deceptive Calm redundant. Although there were characters in this story of the struggles with discrimination it felt more as though I was having a history lesson.

The snippets of history facts throughout the books.

I loved the plot and the point of view. it felt like was watching a movie rather than a book.

Decent Read

Deceptive Calm started out a bit slow for my taste. it was a fairly decent read, however I could have done without all of the unnecessary cursing and soft porn. I believe the overly descriptive nature of the sex scenes was more graffic than it needed to be. Most of all I was very disappointed with the end of the story. The fact that the end seems to suggest Barry was going to be with Vanessa in any capacity was stupid and unrealistic. Definitely not what I would consider a proper ending.

This book had so much potential

The book seemed good when I read the synopsis, but it did lack depth and the real plot of the story does not occur until the last couple of chapters of the book. Trigger warning this book also displays sexual violence and racial slurs. To be honest the plot was truly all over the place. There are lots of random historical facts thrown into the story and some have no relevance to the story at all.. I want to like this book so much but it’s a no for me

I love the book, hate the narrator

Deceptive Calm by Skipper Penny is a very unique drama filled novel. The way the author takes you through the lives of the characters, gives you a very indepth view of who they are and how they function. The first few chapters allow you to connect with them and the trials they go through in their personal lives and give a proper precurser to their personalities.

The author takes you through a time in American history where you can imagine the fear and hope that black people had during Civil rights. There are many racial slurs used to depict this. It also helps you empathize with the struggle of what it was to want to be who you are, but not be able to due to the prejudices of that time.

The author gave the main characters a sisterly feel but made sure they had extremely separate identiites. I felt the author provided two points of view to allow the reader to choose whom you could relate to more. The book also allowed you to envision the pros and cons of each character as well. Not making either character more likeable than the other by having them both go through conflicting and controversial storms in their lives.

The book says it's romance. I don't see romance. I see more of trauma. I think this book should have a trigger warning for Spousal SA and coercion. However, this trigger warning did not affect my opinion of the book. It actually did the opposite and engulfed me to feel something different and want to read more to get to the end.

I give this book a 3.5. I purchased the book on amazon audible and did not enjoy the narrator. But the book is so well written that I continued to listen. There was no inflection or feeling in the narrators voice so it took away from the suspence and emotion readers should be feeling. I also felt that while the ending was beautiful it was too abrupt and anticlimactic. I would have continued to listen to more had there been more.

T

Patricia Skipper has recently entered the literary scene, and her novel "Deceitful Calm" presents a perplexing experience for readers. My initial encounter with her work left me with a rather lukewarm impression, leading me to assign a modest rating of two stars.

The narrative straddles multiple genres, creating an uncertain reading experience. At various points, I found myself questioning whether I was immersed in a steamy romance, a commentary on martial law, or a gripping tale of racism and murder. This lack of coherence made it difficult to engage with the story on a meaningful level.

Moreover, the conclusion of the book adds to the overall confusion, leaving readers with more questions than answers. Instead of a satisfying resolution, it felt as though the story ended abruptly, deepening the sense of mystery rather than providing clarity.

Given this experience, I am hesitant to explore more of Skipper's works in the immediate future. Her debut leaves much to be desired in terms of narrative cohesion and clarity, making it challenging to recommend to others who seek a well-defined storyline. As I reflect on "Deceitful Calm," I find myself ambivalent about the prospect of delving into her future publications.

OVERVIEW OF BOOK

THE BOOK IS RIGHT UP MY ALLEY IN INTEREST OF GENRE'S. I ENJOYED THE STORYLINE AND ERA OF TIME OF THE BOOK. HOWEVER, THE NARRATOR DID ABSOLUTELY NOTHING IN CAPTURING THE CHARACTERS IN THE BOOK. THE AUTHOR WROTE A GREAT BOOK, I TRULY ENJOY A LOVE STORY WITH A HAPPY ENDING, I WILL BE PURCHASING A HARDCOPY OF THE BOOK TO ADD TO MY LIBRARY

THIS WAS MY FIRST TIME ORDERING AN AUDIBLE BOOK AND I LOOK FORWARD TO ORDERING MORE,

I couldn't finish

I can't finish this book, and I read at least 50% before making my decision.

I didn't connect with any of the characters except one. They weren't the main character, and the person died early in the book. I'm a 56 year old African American woman with roots in the south, and this book felt foreign to me. The Black characters weren't believable for me. They felt cold and sounded like they were pretending to be Black. I was prepared for the racism and sexism because that was how life was during that time period.

After reading the synopsis, I really thought this would be a book I would enjoy.

This book was a review for Onlinebookclub.org