Double Deceit is the aptly named story of a hero and heroine who both hide their identities while they are courting. I’ve read a lot of books in which one of the main characters assumes a false identity, and they can be tricky; it’s hard to build upon a relationship based on deception. Fortunately, Lane manages to make this one work, but barely.

Alexandra Vale is a tall, forthright woman with a passion for antiquities. Still single at twenty-six, she decided a long time ago that she would never find a man who would accept her over-sized frame and unwomanly interests. Her father helps perpetuate her feelings; he’s a dedicated gamester who insults her at every opportunity, and she assumes most men are probably like him. Then suddenly one day he comes home and informs Alexandra that thanks to a successful dice game, she is now an heiress with a substantial property. In less than a month, Sir Linden will turn over his property, and it will be held in trust for her until she marries.

Tony Linden has never gotten along with his father. While growing up, Tony could never satisfy his him, and after a while he gave up trying and earned a reputation instead as a rake and a wastrel. Though he has done nothing to perpetuate his bad reputation for some time, he is still only barely received. When he is summoned home quickly one day, he prepares himself for yet another of his father’s lectures on proper behavior. Instead he finds out that his father is a worse gamester than he ever was – the estate is lost and his family is about to be thrown out in the street. Tony resolves to do what he can to save his mother from disgrace, so he packs his bags and heads for the Vale estate to court the woman who will soon take possession of his family’s home.

Tony knows his bad reputation will precede him, so he takes the precaution of bringing along his cousin Jon. Jon will act as Tony, and he will assume another persona – that of Anthony Torwell. Tony, like Alexandra, has a passion for the antiquities, but he has always used an assumed name during his pursuits – he’s afraid that no one will take the notorious Tony Linden seriously as a scholar. Anyway, he figures that if he lets Jon be “Tony,” he can quietly court Alexandra and she will get to know the real him. Then when he proposes he can tell her the truth.

When Alexandra’s butler announces that Tony Linden has arrived, she makes a decision similar to his. She is sure that her father won the Linden estate dishonestly, and that marrying Tony may be the only honorable thing to do. But she’s not sure is she can really stomach a man with Tony’s reputation. So she switches identities with her cousin Sarah, who is crippled. She figures that Sarah will be safe because of her disability, and she can decide if she can stand to marry Tony.

After this elaborate initial set-up, the plot becomes much less complicated. Alexandra (who calls herself Merideth as part of her deceit) has discovered a Roman ruin on her father’s property. Tony, who is calling himself Anthony, finds out about it and they spend a lot of time together digging up the site. As you might guess, Tony falls hard for Alex, but he thinks he is supposed to be courting Sarah. Alex returns Tony’s affection – and she’s thrilled that he takes her work seriously even though she’s woman. But she thinks she’s supposed to be considering Jon’s suit. Meanwhile, Jon (who is a shy vicar, and definitely not a rake) is getting along famously with Sarah. Before you know it, they all think they have fallen for the wrong person, when actually they have fallen just right. Can they ever sort out this mess?

Your enjoyment of this book will depend on how well you can tolerate all this deceit, which is the type that could easily be sorted out if everyone would just tell the truth. This part of the plot is really the book’s major weakness, because it just doesn’t make sense for everyone to be so deceptive when they are all going to have to tell the truth anyway. And it takes far longer than one would think for the truth to emerge, too. Every time Alex or Tony would resolve to confess, something would happen to distract everyone. This is the type of scenario that would drive me crazy in another book, but I didn’t quite mind so much here since both parties were guilty.

If you can get past the deception, than the rest of the book is very enjoyable. Alex and Tony are both well-developed characters, and their mutual interest in archaeology really ties them together. This is not one of those books where the characters pursue their hobbies behind the scenes; they are constantly working together and having fascinating discussions. Their romance is believable on several levels. They are compatible professionally and physically, and although the sensuality level never strays beyond kisses, Alex and Tony certainly have some steamy thoughts. They are also compatible in the sense that they both have been misjudged and unappreciated for their talents. All of these factors combine to make their romance a very satisfying one.

Unfortunately, I did feel that the deceit detracted from the romance somewhat, which is the reason for the B- grade. Not every reader will be able to tolerate all the duplicity. If you think you can, I encourage you to forge ahead, because Alex and Tony are quality characters who share a winsome romance.