Review of Deceptive Calm
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Da Mabanda
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Review of Deceptive Calm
[Following is a volunteer review of "Deceptive Calm" by Patricia Skipper.]
Friendships in fiction often feel like convenient plot devices — a best friend who pops up to give sage advice, then disappears. But in Deceptive Calm, the bond between Vanessa Vaughn and Trisha Bibbs isn’t a side note; it’s the very heart of the story, pulsing with a kind of emotional vitality that I genuinely didn’t expect going in. The novel tells the story of Vanessa, a woman trapped not just in a violent marriage but inside a web of secrets about her true racial heritage, fighting to save both herself and her son. Yet what struck me early on, and stuck with me long after, was how survival wasn't just about fighting evil — it was about the people who chose to stand beside you when everyone else turned away. And in my opinion, nobody stands taller than Trisha.
Trisha’s loyalty is something fierce, something almost raw. I can say I felt it in the way she didn't flinch when danger started stalking Vanessa and Brett; she just dug in her heels and became the shield they needed. In a world where Vanessa’s own husband and in-laws were plotting her murder, Trisha’s presence wasn’t just comforting — it was life-saving. There’s a scene early in the chaos when Trisha literally pulls Vanessa and her toddler from a wrecked car teetering on a cliff’s edge. I still remember how my heart skipped, not only because of the danger but because of how instinctively Trisha risked herself without hesitation. It made me think, family ties are supposed to offer that kind of loyalty... but sometimes, chosen bonds are even stronger.
I liked the strong portrayal of female friendship between Vanessa and Trisha; it was powerful and emotional without being overly sentimental. Their relationship wasn’t polished or preachy — it was messy and scared and beautifully human. They argued, disagreed, feared for each other, and still held on. In a novel filled with villains who wear smiles and corruption hidden behind prestigious names, it was honestly refreshing to find something pure — messy, but pure.
That said, if I’m being honest, I disliked that Trisha wasn’t given even more page time in the first half of the book considering how crucial she becomes later. Early on, the narrative leaned so much into Vanessa’s internal monologue and setup of her "perfect life" that it sometimes kept Trisha hovering in the background longer than I would have liked. I’m not sure if the author intentionally delayed deepening their friendship’s portrayal early to mirror Vanessa’s own emotional isolation, but I think giving Trisha a stronger presence upfront would have made their later scenes hit even harder. It almost felt like discovering a hidden treasure halfway through the book — thrilling, but leaving me wondering why it had been tucked away so long.
I gave Deceptive Calm 4 out of 5 stars. I deducted that one star mainly because of that imbalance: Trisha is too pivotal, too magnetic, to be relegated to the sidelines for even a minute. If the book had woven her more tightly into the early chapters — maybe a few flashbacks to their first moments of friendship or even a richer layering of their bond while Vanessa still lived in the gilded cage of her marriage — it could have transformed an already strong emotional core into something utterly unforgettable.
Still, I think this book is the kind that lodges itself somewhere between your ribs and stays there. It’s about secrets, survival, the lies we tell to stay alive, and the brutal truth that sometimes, blood isn’t thicker than loyalty freely given. And honestly, as I closed the final page, I found myself grateful for stories that remind me that heroes aren’t always the ones with power — sometimes, they’re just the ones who refuse to leave when things fall apart.
******
Deceptive Calm
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Friendships in fiction often feel like convenient plot devices — a best friend who pops up to give sage advice, then disappears. But in Deceptive Calm, the bond between Vanessa Vaughn and Trisha Bibbs isn’t a side note; it’s the very heart of the story, pulsing with a kind of emotional vitality that I genuinely didn’t expect going in. The novel tells the story of Vanessa, a woman trapped not just in a violent marriage but inside a web of secrets about her true racial heritage, fighting to save both herself and her son. Yet what struck me early on, and stuck with me long after, was how survival wasn't just about fighting evil — it was about the people who chose to stand beside you when everyone else turned away. And in my opinion, nobody stands taller than Trisha.
Trisha’s loyalty is something fierce, something almost raw. I can say I felt it in the way she didn't flinch when danger started stalking Vanessa and Brett; she just dug in her heels and became the shield they needed. In a world where Vanessa’s own husband and in-laws were plotting her murder, Trisha’s presence wasn’t just comforting — it was life-saving. There’s a scene early in the chaos when Trisha literally pulls Vanessa and her toddler from a wrecked car teetering on a cliff’s edge. I still remember how my heart skipped, not only because of the danger but because of how instinctively Trisha risked herself without hesitation. It made me think, family ties are supposed to offer that kind of loyalty... but sometimes, chosen bonds are even stronger.
I liked the strong portrayal of female friendship between Vanessa and Trisha; it was powerful and emotional without being overly sentimental. Their relationship wasn’t polished or preachy — it was messy and scared and beautifully human. They argued, disagreed, feared for each other, and still held on. In a novel filled with villains who wear smiles and corruption hidden behind prestigious names, it was honestly refreshing to find something pure — messy, but pure.
That said, if I’m being honest, I disliked that Trisha wasn’t given even more page time in the first half of the book considering how crucial she becomes later. Early on, the narrative leaned so much into Vanessa’s internal monologue and setup of her "perfect life" that it sometimes kept Trisha hovering in the background longer than I would have liked. I’m not sure if the author intentionally delayed deepening their friendship’s portrayal early to mirror Vanessa’s own emotional isolation, but I think giving Trisha a stronger presence upfront would have made their later scenes hit even harder. It almost felt like discovering a hidden treasure halfway through the book — thrilling, but leaving me wondering why it had been tucked away so long.
I gave Deceptive Calm 4 out of 5 stars. I deducted that one star mainly because of that imbalance: Trisha is too pivotal, too magnetic, to be relegated to the sidelines for even a minute. If the book had woven her more tightly into the early chapters — maybe a few flashbacks to their first moments of friendship or even a richer layering of their bond while Vanessa still lived in the gilded cage of her marriage — it could have transformed an already strong emotional core into something utterly unforgettable.
Still, I think this book is the kind that lodges itself somewhere between your ribs and stays there. It’s about secrets, survival, the lies we tell to stay alive, and the brutal truth that sometimes, blood isn’t thicker than loyalty freely given. And honestly, as I closed the final page, I found myself grateful for stories that remind me that heroes aren’t always the ones with power — sometimes, they’re just the ones who refuse to leave when things fall apart.
******
Deceptive Calm
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
