Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Julie Anne Long - To Love a Thief

Ensnared!
Lily Masters has a gift for picking pockets and telling stories—skills that come in handy for surviving London's slums. She's proud of providing for herself and her lively young sister, Alice, and she's never been caught. Well, there's always a first time.
Enticed!
Gideon Cole is a brilliant barrister with an unfortunate weakness for clients who can't pay. His latest charitable misstep: buying the freedom of a daring, beautiful thief. To repay the debt, Lily agrees to his proposition: pose as the object of his desire and help him snare a wealthy bride. All he has to do is transform the impudent Lily into a diamond of the first water.
Enthralled!
But the education of Lily could cost Gideon his carefully planned future. While she plays cards with his invalid uncle, and Alice charms the servants, the honorable Gideon is harboring less than honorable thoughts. For sweet, stubborn, and sensual Lily has a way of slipping past a gentleman's defenses—especially when she's stealing his heart.


Comment: Until this book I had read two other titles by the author and both were additive, one more than the other. As soon as I saw the blurb of this story I was immediately interested in reading it. I decided to read it this month to allow me to read the rest of the author series next year. This book was really special for me and a pleasure to read.

This is Lily and Gideon's story. They meet when Lily attempts to pickpocket Gideon's watch but she can't be successful. However, she is eventually caught and Gideon is close by to save her from prison by making her work for the price he paid to rescue her. She is supposed to play his new found love interest to make the women he really wants jealous. But while they play with others' perception, can they also fake what's happening between them?

I enjoyed this book a lot. It's actually one of the few I liked best so far, in the year. I really liked the story, the character's actions and how everything played out.
I think this author has a great talent to write about character's motivations. It seems nothing they do happens without a reason, without a conjunction of happenings. I like how sure I will be of a good character development from this author.
I think it's one of her best talents on writing, this ability to add layers and layers of emotional and thoughtful characterization to the main characters and make them realistic in their actions.

The plot is actually seen a lot on romance, the Pygmalion story and Lily is improved to be as haughty and fake as the woman Gideon thinks he wants. But as a true heroine, Lily has a much warmer and kinder nature and not even her training to be someone different make her change who she really is. She might have been a thief by necessity but she is kind and only wants to be there for her younger sister. She has a huge soul and she doesn't hide her true feelings, she's vibrant and compassionate. All in all, a real heroine.

Part of the conflict is how Lily actually falls in love with Gideon while helping him make another woman jealous. Of course we know Lily is the one he should like and Lily could use that in her favor but she keeps her honor and her character. I liked how honorable she was.
Gideon is a wonderful hero, he helps those in need even when that works against him, but he helps and he paid his father's debts and he also has honor. I really liked to see these two fall in love and try to just do what they agreed on while still wanting the other to be something more.
I liked the romance a lot and how everything payed out.

There are a lot of secondary characters and they do have a part in the story, they aren't there just to fill up space. So, my only little issue with this book is how the end wasn't explanatory enough for my taste, especially after such weight on the characters. I'd have liked to see what happens for real instead of just speculation based on things that happen.

I really had a great time reading this story. So far, this author seems to work out wonderfully for me and I can't wait to read more.
This book was a very romantic story and full of sweet and tender scenes that reaffirmed the notion a good romance can be special and great.
Grade: 9/10

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