To Love a Thief

A total delight! Cute storyline, (Pygmalion with a twist), engaging characters that are not caricatures. Even the secondary characters are well drawn. An intriguing narrative style and sometimes hilarious dialogue with many laugh out loud moments. It makes for a compelling romance when you fully see for yourself WHY two people fall for each other, instead of just being told that that’s the case. I read this book twice in two days. Now, when I ‘m bored, down, just need a smile, I come back to it. It’s very much a keeper - perhaps this writer’s best, and that’s a high bar. 6 months later I m here again. Just reread it and still adore it! And this from someone raised on Georgette Heyer.

I thouroughly enjoyed this book and I don't say that too often. The author can WRITE! Her characters are well developed and you get to watch them fall in love BEFORE they hit the sheets. It was fun to watch the hero pursue the wrong woman for all the wrong reasons and then realize it. The secondary characters were also good. I highly recommend this author. I missed her first book but am going to go look for it and order it right now.

Gideon Cole was a great talent and was making a name for himself as a barrister of some regard, hard working and vigilant he won most cases, unfortunately most of his clients were poor and unable to pay. While it certainly added to his reputation, it wasn't supporting his efforts in winning him the hand of the current reigning queen of the ton, Lady Constance Clare. With no title and little wealth his `master plan' to wed the wealthy daughter of a Marquis was running into roadblocks. Lily Masters, also had a great talent - that of picking pockets and it was this talent that had her surviving the streets of St. Giles and able to provide for herself and her 10 year old sister Alice. She'd almost never been caught but that run of good luck was about to come to an end when she attempted to pick the pocket of Gideon. She escaped his clutches but a day later, it would be Gideon who came to her rescue and used his last 30 pounds to buy her freedom from a sure trip to Newgate prison. Gideon offered Lily a proposition to repay her debt in posing as the cousin of his friend and pretending to be Gideon's new love interest. Gideon was hoping that Lily (who he'd noticed was ever so much more beautiful after she'd been cleaned up) would give Lady Constance a case of jealousy and make the way to his asking her to wed that much easier. Unfortunately, as Gideon molded Lily into her new role, Lily slipped under his hard shell exterior and found the caring and gentle man beneath that was just beginning to realize that his `master plan' had one great flaw in it - it hadn't allowed for a little thief to steal his heart. *** With this latest novel by the author of RUNAWAY DUKE, Ms. Long proves that she is not a one-book wonder as she writes a totally charming and wholesome tale that will leave the reader sighing in great contentment. Her depiction of Lily, smart, strong and compassionate was brilliant and well quite literally, this `thief' will steal your heart. While Gideon kept up the pretense of wanting so much to triumph with his `master plan' the author softens your view of him with a deft hand that captures him in a perfectly poignant mood. I confess it brought tears to my eyes. In addition, she supports the story with a wonderful cast of secondary characters that will enchant the reader in this wonderful new entry. I highly recommend both this book and this author to be put on most romance lovers `auto-buy' lists. --- Marilyn, for www.romancedesigns.com ---

. I wish I could reach every reader of this genre to share the news that regency romance has an exciting new author. What enchanting stories Julie Anne Long tells! I was charmed to my toes by Ms. Long's first book, "The Runaway Duke", and now I have read her second, "To Love a Thief", straight through while dishes piled high. It's one thing to read a good book; however, savoring each and every page of a delicious book is as satisfying as - well - chocolate! "To Love a Thief" showcases the author's ability to engage her reader emotionally in a seamless gentle way. And she does it to you before you even realize it... It takes a word master to sweep you away completely. Nora Roberts has reigned supreme in weaving tales that completely captivate the reader - NOW we also have Julie Anne Long. *whispering*I won't be giving anything away by revealing one of the main characters is a thief, plain and simple. She was not a sophisticated thief but merely a struggling, "not-so-common" , street pick-pocket whose luck, for better and worse, was about to undergo a major change. In spite of her efforts to gallantly rise, ahem, SINK to the level her high-risk profession required, anyone could tell this was not a long term solution. Not only was the ceiling on earnings, promotion & benefits woefully inadequate, she was placing herself in grave danger. This irresistible pick-pocket needed a mega-hero FAST. Oh my, and what a hero Julie Anne Long created for her. He was everything a hero should be plus even more - sigh - & such is Julie Anne Long's writing skills, the inevitable magic between the two keeps you turning the pages. When you've read a great book, what you want to do and shouldn't do is tell all the "good parts". I will say that in this book, it ALL seemed to be good parts. Supporting characters in the book are so appealing that, really, I wished this was at least a triology. Another about his best friend and another about her little sister, a true minx. And some of those street urchins - so much left to build upon. A promise: "To Love A Thief" will steal your heart one word at a time leaving you yearning for more.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Julie Anne Long! This book is a treasure! My husband teased me because I carried it everywhere around the house with me so I could read it whenever I had a free moment. He said it was the first book since we've been married that I didn't ask him if he knew where I'd left it because I never put it down! In my opinion it surpasses Long's first romance "The Runaway Duke", which was my favorite book of last year. Long outdoes herself and is proving to be a unique and talented new voice in Regency romance. She is a master at developing charming, unique characters that you remember long after you've read the last page. The "intimate" moments between her protagonists are tender while being heated and lush at the same time. Even her antagonists are interesting and sympathetic in their own way. Gentle humor pervades her work, and she is quickly becoming my favorite romance write. The heroine and hero in this book, Lily and Gideon, are two of my favorite literary characters in recent and far memory. And I can see Lady Constance so clearly in my mind's eye! Her character is painted so vividly by Long's words. I wish Long wasn't so new so that she had a body of work that I could dive into while I await her next book.

I read this book, not knowing what to expect, I really enjoyed her first book...The Runaway Duke..and sometimes my expactations are high for the second book. Well, all I can say is that I was not disappointed. Ms. Long has another runaway hit on her hands. I found this story refreshing and funny. Gideon has his " Plan"...to marry Lady Constance, buy a townhouse and have a successfuly political career. All that is changed when he meets Lily, a pickpocket who he saves with his last 30 pounds. And then the fun begins, Gideon and his friend Kilmartin try to turn Lily into a lady to make Lady Constance jealous. But while teaching her he slowing falls in love with her. When Lily meets Gideon's Uncle Edward (who's always dying) she breathes new life into him. Kick back, grab a cup of coffee or soda and lose yourself in a enjoyable story that's laugh out loud funny. Plus you'll fall in love with Lily's younger sister Alice.