Sometimes I get really strong urges to read romance novels, particularly after coming off of a YA bender, I mean I like reading about teenagers but too much and they drive me up the wall. So then I feel like I absolutely need a change of pace and end up reading a romance novel. I landed on To Love A Thief by Julie Anne Long a few months ago because I wanted to read a book that I already had on my Kindle but I wanted a historical romance that would feel different from other regency romances — and thus I picked up To Love A Thief. Instead of a shy spinster or you know total society ladies, the main character of this book is actually a thief and so because it’s different my interest was immediately peaked.
Lily Masters lives in the slums of London with her sickly younger sister. To get by, she picks pockets and also has a bit of a silver tongue. One day, however, she picks the wrong pocket. To avoid a prison sentence, she agrees to pose as a rich lady for Gideon so that Gideon can make this woman he wants to marry totally jealous. And so, Lily is given lessons in how to be upper class and because she’s so good looking with a beautiful voice, takes the upper crust by storm. The two begin to develop feelings for each other, but must fight it because they are in different social classes and once Gideon has his engagement, they both go back to being strangers. And so, based on the genre and the summary chances are you can hazard a guess as to what happens next.
Y’all, To Love A Thief is awesome because Lily is quite the saucy lady. She’s always got a smart ass comment for Gideon and really keeps him on his toes. Plus, she’s the type of person who loves a good story. And honestly, if she was in real life I am 100% sure I’d love to have a bottle of wine with her because she comes across as incredibly interesting. While she starts out the book kind of crass, you can’t help but like her after seeing how much Lily gives to keep her and her sister afloat. It’s quite touching.
Gideon, the hero, is a total stick in the mud. Like, he’s of the noble class but he’s also kind of broke and so he practices as a barrister. Yet, he has some hidden depths as well. Like, he’s totally into poetry even though he’d never admit it. Anyways, he is all about the rules of class and society being followed and it takes Lily to teach him how to smile and have fun. Lily is the one who makes him happy, obviously, but he knows that he really should marry this lady who is tall and loaded and the queen bee. Of all the characters, Gideon changes the most and I quite liked his arc.
If you’re looking for steamy historical romance, pick up To Love A Thief. Like, there’s grown up scenes a plenty but it’s not so overwhelming as to be squicky. I really like Julie Anne Long has mastered character development with her writing style. I was super invested in Lily and Gideon and may have shed some anger tears because I am a glass case and all. I’d say that To Love A Thief is a solid read for fans of historical romance who are tired of typical upper crust leading ladies whose only worry is propriety and being a spinster. Seriously, Lily plus Gideon forever!
Disclosure: Purchased my copy for my Kindle
Other reviews of To Love A Thief by Julie Anne Long:
Phyl’s Quilts And Books – “The fairy tale feel and entertaining voice made it an enjoyable read.”
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Historical Romance is a nice break from the angsty/whiny/teenage drama!! (I’m on my third YA in a row right now, and I’m already planning my next non-YA read!)
Lily sounds like my ideal leading lady in historicals – I love a smart ass in the society where it’s not so much “appropriate” behavior!
-Jac @ For Love and Books
I used to read a lot of historical romance, like a lot. In high school (a billion years ago) I read all of Johanna Lindsey’s books like it was my mission in life. Seriously, if I had turned a little of the energy I spent tracking down all Lindsey’s books into my school studies I’d probably be a college professor by now, or a rocket scientist, or an Apple Genius!
Probably wine goes really well with historical romance. It’s only 10:30am here, so I should probably wait an hour before pouring a glass of red and downloading this book, right? 😉
Thanks for the rec! I have read some of her books here and there but I had never looked at her backlist! I’ll pick this one up now 😀
Thanks
I like how different this one sounds compared to the ones I normally see, where the woman is the one following the rules until some gorgeous rake comes along. I’m just kind of getting into the genre so I’m always looking for new stuff to check out.
Ooh, I really like the sound of this one! It makes me smile to think of how this thief and this man get along in this book – I can only imagine the banter. And of course, even though I know how it ends, I still want to read it to find out how they get there…