Book Review of
The Gentleman and the Thief
LONDON 1865
From the moment Hollis Darby meets Ana Newport, he’s smitten. Even though he’s from a wealthy, established family and she isn’t, he wishes he could have a life with her by his side. But Hollis has a secret: the deep coffers that have kept his family afloat for generations are bare, so he supports himself by writing penny dreadfuls under a pseudonym. If not for the income from his novels, he would be broke.
Ana Newport also has a secret. Though she once had a place in society thanks to her father’s successful business, bankruptcy and scandal reduced his fortune to nothing more than a crumbling town house. So Ana teaches music during the day, and at night she assumes the identity of the “Phantom Fox.” She breaks into the homes of the wealthy to reclaim trinkets and treasures she feels were unjustly stolen from her family when they were struggling.
When Hollis’s brother needs to hire a music tutor for his daughter, Hollis recommends Ana, giving him a chance to spend time with her. Ana needs the income and is eager for the opportunity to get to know the enigmatic gentleman. What neither of them expects is how difficult it will be to keep their respective secrets from each other.
When a spree of robberies rocks the city, Ana and Hollis join forces to solve the crimes, discovering that working together deepens the affection between them. After all, who better to save the day than a gentleman and a thief?
Lynn's Review
The Gentleman and the Thief by Sarah M. Eden is considered a proper romance book. I didn’t even know that was a category until recently. I love the idea of a proper romance because I like clean romance books. I don’t like romance that includes a lot of “steamy” details.
However, a lot of proper romance books are super cheesy and are hard for me to get through. I recently quit two of them because I just couldn’t take the sappy unrealistic storyline. Sarah M. Eden’s, The Lady and the Highwayman, and this book The Gentleman and the Thief though were ones that I enjoyed.
The storyline was different and fun. Both books are set in London in 1865. The Gentleman and the Thief is the second book in the series. They do not have to be read in order, but there is character information in The Lady and the Highwayman that is helpful to know.