The Devil's Thief by Samantha Kane

My Review...

The Devil’s Thief by Samantha Kane

There is a lot about A Devil’s Thief  that was awesome, but there were also a few things that were disappointing. Overall, I liked the story, I wasn’t bored, it flowed, the potential was all there, it just didn’t fully deliver ☹ On that basis, I have found it really hard to write this review.

Characters

√ On the plus side were the characters and their interactions. In fact, if Samantha Kane lined up her characters with little descriptions, much like the cast section of a play; and if upon reading that list you were to visualise each character and how they should look and act, on the whole, you would not be disappointed. 

√ I thoroughly enjoyed the friendship between the three main gentlemen who somehow managed to maintain a modicum of nobility and respectability through their weird concept of honour. They achieved this despite consorting with criminals, scandalising women and losing an inheritance. I can’t explain how it worked, it just did! 

√ The developing relationship between Julianna and her step mother, was also nicely done. This was especially evident in the misconceptions one can get when they are thrust into a living arrangement with someone previously unknown to them. Again, Samantha Kane was quite proficient in outlining their evolution from rivals to their almost familial relationship. 

√ Wiley and Blackman the two notorious blackguards of the tale were also brilliant. Wiley reminded me a lot of a how Oliver would have grown up had circumstance not turned in his favour. Blackman was hopeless, totally irredeemable but necessary to the story. I could almost hear his voice, not his dialogue, his voice.

× On the down side regarding the characters, was Alasdair Sharp, the hero. He just seemed, I don’t know... ignorant? And a little inconsistent. He didn’t seem to grasp the logic behind the events as they unfolded, he was volatile and he behaved eratically. Occasionally, I found myself thinking Julianna would be better of with someone else. Perhaps in an effort to highlight loves first angst, Samantha Kane went too far with the emotional highs and lows?   It somewhat tarnished the inevitability of destiny between Julianna and Alasdair.

Plot and Pacing

× The story itself seemed to run along a little bit and I had to remind myself that what I was reading was an ARC, it’s not a finished product. The optimist in me wants me to believe that those little wrinkles would be ironed out before the final product was determined. 

√  Despite my negativity in some of the above points, I want to say that The Devil’s Thief was really quite a lovely novel. It had a enough drama, plenty of light hearted moments, some wonderful if absurd characters and regular heated exchanges between our heroine and her beau (both passionate and fiery). It certainly wasn’t a hardship to read.

My Rating

❀❀❀-

Disclaimer

I obtained an ARC from the publisher with a view to providing an honest review. The thoughts expressed above, are entirely my own. I don’t really like the concept of rating novels as they are subjective and subject to change. A five star book today, may be re-evaluated when compared to future novels.

...And Back to the Book

The Summary

In Samantha Kane’s sensual tale of wicked passion, a desperate woman must resort to burglary—but the beautiful thief ends up stealing the heart of a rogue.

The daughter of a reformed jewel thief, Julianna Harte knows a thing or two about stealth. When the foundling home she provides for finds itself in dire financial straits, Julianna is forced to do the unthinkable. In a bit of misguided Robin Hood derring-do, she slips through the window of a wealthy rake to search for a treasure she knows is there: an invaluable pearl. But when the towering and very naked occupant of the moonlit bedroom ambushes her with a bargain—a night in his bed in exchange for the pearl—Julianna doesn’t know if it’s masculine heat or sheer desperation that makes his terms so tempting.

Alasdair Sharpe had no intention of keeping his end of the bargain. Planning to offer his little cat burglar carte blanche instead, he promptly loses himself in the delights of unexpected pleasure. But when he awakes the next morning to find his family heirloom gone, fury quickly replaces sensual languor. Of course, Alasdair is more than willing to use seduction to reclaim his stolen pearl—and find the key to Julianna’s heart.

Available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iTunes and Random House

The Author

Samantha Kane lives in North Carolina with her husband and three children.  She is published in several romance genres including historical, contemporary and science fiction.  Her erotic Regency-set historical romances have won awards, including Best Historical from RWA's erotic romance chapter Passionate Ink, and the Historical CAPA (best book) award from The Romance Studio.  She has a master's degree in American History, and taught high school social studies for ten years before becoming a full time writer.

Author's Website Samantha Kane

Book The Devil's Thief

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