The Smoke Thief

A surprisingly, light, wonderful read. I was not expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. Actually, I planned only to scan the first few pages to see if it would be interesting since I had nothing better to choose from. Yet, I couldn't put it down from page one. There is plenty of action, suspense, and romance. I love this new interesting world Abe created with shapeshifting dragons. I love the concept with the jewels. I love this new and interesting world, and I can't wait until the continuation.

Wow, I grabbed this because I liked the cover. I'd never heard of 'paranormal romance' before, (I work in a bookstore, I grab books at random alot!). This book turned out way better than anything I was expecting. Normally any romance novel I read I forget about a week or two down the line. This book was different in that the romance took a back seat to the story and actual character development (something completely unheard of in most romance novels). It's a Cinderella story, a mystery, a romance, historical, paranormal--and an all around good story. Abe has created a world that I would love to see her explore again, her new take on dragons is amazing, and so totally creative. I am in awe of her word-smithing and would happiy hunt down another one of her books.

Shana Abe's "The Smoke Thief" provided me with one of the most enjoyable light, fun reads I have had in a long time. As a matter of fact, I picked-up the book at about 3:00 PM on a rainy afternoon, and except for a dinner break I read straight through to the last page in one sitting. The main characters, both Alpha personalities...one in feminine form, are extremely likeable, (super sexy too), and the little boy urchin, Zane, is adorable - very Dickensian. The author's descriptive paragraphs, especially of the two dragons/drákons, lithe, beautiful, sensual, soaring together through the sky, are absolutely wonderful. The tale of "The Smoke Thief" takes place in mid-18th century England, however, the beings involved have a history that goes back to a time before mankind walked the earth. These shape-shifters, called drákons, originated deep in the woods of the Carpathian Mountains and here they carved the quartzite, mining diamonds and precious gemstones. They had/have the ability to change from human form to smoke to dragon. When man, the Other, began to encroach on them and their territory, the drákons vanished from the known world. They did not take all their people with them. They left a legacy behind with the castle that was their home-base - one son and one daughter to live and procreate amongst the Others while hiding their true nature from the world. There was one stone, the most precious diamond, called Draumr, that was kept hidden from all the drákons by their High Council. "Too powerful to be destroyed, too dangerous to look upon - because to look at it would be to ache for it." Then their royal princess, beloved by all the shape-shifters, was stolen by a mortal man along with the Draumr, the one thing that would ensorcel her and keep her from returning to her people. Although she eventually found a way to save herself and her kind, along with the precious jewel, she left behind half-blooded children. Darkfrith, a secluded village in the misty hills of northern England, is the home of the drákons in the world of the 18th century.The males of the drakon tribe are committed to hide their dangerous secret - that they shift their shape from human to dragon and back again. Clarissa Rue Hawthorne, a sensitive young girl living in Darkfrith, is of mixed blood, (part drákon, part mortal). This handicap keeps her apart from other children in the tribe, an outcast. She is the object of derision and constant harassment by the other females because she is different. On her seventeenth birthday she disappears and is presumed drowned when her clothing is found in the river, torn to pieces by the swift current. Some years later the drákon leaders learn that a mysterious jewel thief, more effective than any cat burglar, is divesting the English nobility of their most precious gems. They realize that only a fellow drákon could disappear into thin air, like smoke. It is essential to their continued existence that the secrecy of their race and its

This was an extremely good book. I feel like I can let another race of shape shifters into my family of stories now. The Drakon have existed for centuries among us. They have lived with us, mated with some of us and now only a few among them can change back to their mythic selves. This is an important fact for the rest of the story. They exist together in the shire zealously guarding their secret selves and only venturing out into the world when it is required to keep up their human personas. Clarissa was born into this world a half-breed. Her father was human. She was looked down upon and treated unfairly all of her life because of her parentage. She loved Christoff then with all the passion in her young heart. One day, after discovering a talent in herself that none of the other females had, she escapes the shire and ventures out into the world. She goes to London and assumes a new identity, and a new vocation as a thief. She is dubbed "The Smoke Thief" because of her abilities manifesting as she steals from humans. Christoff is the leader of their kind. He is strong, wealthy and arrogant. He is a man accustomed to power and being obeyed. He puts one of the Drakon's greatest treasures on display because he has heard of the Smoke thief and knows that this is no mere mortal, but one of their kind. He hopes to draw the thief out and bring him back to the shire for justice, all the time thinking this thief was a male of their species. He gets more than he bargained for when he finds that it is a female. A female that he knew as a child. There is much more to the story, but you should read the book to find out. It is really good. Reading about Christoff's efforts to bring Clarissa back into the life of the Drakon and of her inability to walk away from him made this one the best stories I have read all year.

After finishing THE SMOKE THIEF by Shana Abe', I feel it prudent to report - Ms's. Feehan, Kenyon, and Holly - make some room in the shape-shifters' realm; there is a new kid on the block and she ROCKS! Make room because here come the Drakon's! They've lived for centuries in northern England's green hills and mountains, guarded, honored and treasured - extraordinarily beautiful and sensual creatures - able to shape-shift from human to dragon and back again. A close tribe that keeps to themselves except for the few that escape - `runners' who are swiftly found, brought back to Darkfrith and punished. Alerted by rumors from London of a jewel thief, `that could disappear in smoke' the Drakon council knew that this was not a human, but another `runner' who had fled Darkfrith without permission. Christoff `Kit' Langford, the Alpha leader and enigmatic Marquess of Langford, knows that the `runner' must be caught before revealing the existence of Drakon's to mortals and planned to dangle the Langford diamond, the tribes' most tempting jewel, as bait in order to trap him. What Christoff, or the council never expected to discover was that the `runner' was not a he but a she. After years growing up as an outcast in Darkfrith, as a Halfling - half drakon, half mortal - Clarisa Rue Hawthorne on her seventeenth birthday had orchestrated her `death' and fled. Rue knew that a female had not been capable of `Turning' in over four generations and on that day that she had `Turned' -- as an Alpha female - she would be destined to be Kit's bride. After having loved Kit her entire life, she could not have endured being married to him without his love in return. For the last nine years, she had lived in London masquerading as a widow and relished her freedom. When captured by Kit, who in the process lost the famous Langford Diamond, Rue would offer Kit a proposal to help him reclaim the jewel in return for her freedom. Kit accepted her challenge - all the while expecting to win not only the diamond, but something more precious - this most amazingly beautiful woman, Rue, as his willing bride. - I loved this book! From the very first pages I was totally mesmerized by this fascinating, highly imaginative, and sensually thrilling world of the Drakons. Kit and Rue's sensual dance was exotic, totally bewitching and one, which will leave the reader panting for more. Whether on land or in the air, Shana Abe' has created vivid and exhilarating imagery in the mating dance of the Drakons that is sure to please the most discriminating fans of historical fantasy and catapult this author right up the ranks with the likes of Kenyon, Holly, and Krinard. I for one will be very anxiously awaiting future sequels to this spellbinding new series featuring the Drakons!