The Love Thief by Daisy Jerico
Publisher: Prism Book Group
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Short Story (65 pgs)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by FernWhen the jewelry gallery she works at is robbed, Sandra is not just the prime suspect; she is the only suspect. Desperate to clear her name, she reluctantly agrees to work with sexy former jewel thief, Alex Daniels, to recover the jewelry and catch a thief.
He reminds her of the men who lounge half-naked across Ferraris in fragrance ads, aloof and confident in their looks. Alex can’t believe anyone as naive and trusting as Sandra can be for real. Thrown together to solve the robbery, Alex feels his heart begin to thaw towards Sandra. As his feelings become stronger, Alex must ask her to rekindle a romance to her recently paroled ex-boyfriend, who holds the key to solving the robbery.In the end, Sandra must decide if it is more important to clear her name or follow her heart.
Sandra Bowles is rudely awoken at 3am to be informed the gallery she works at has been robbed. Despite the cold night air, she rushes over, partly to check on the pendant she’d spent every spare cent on commissioning, but also with a sick feeling in her stomach. She’d been wrongly accused of being a thief years ago and had worked hard to rise above the stain to her reputation. She finds not only is her pendant gone, but once again she’s under suspicion of being something she isn’t – a thief. The only thief she knows is her ex-boyfriend, Derrick Dane. Convincing Detective Alex Daniels that isn’t as easy as she’d hoped. When Sandra learns Derrick has been let out on parole, her world is turned upside down.
I found this to be a funny, lighthearted romantic comedy. With cheesy one-liners and a bunch of wit, this should appeal to readers across most age ranges. There’s a good plot revolving around the theft, Sandra’s pendant. Both Derrick and Alex are well drawn characters and Sandra is caught in the middle. An enormous stray dog – Viking – rounds out the main characters and I greatly enjoyed the book, laughing aloud in multiple places from all their antics. I found myself really invested in Sandra and Viking, and despite a rocky start with Alex also came to really like his character. The plot takes center stage in this book, and while there is romance, it’s very chaste and sweet (a few kisses only). I was a little disappointed in how quickly the plot was wrapped up at the end. It felt a little rushed to me, but all the loose ends were tied up so overall I have no real complaints.
For readers wanting a sweet, funny story this is a great place to start. The romance is soft enough I’d feel comfortable letting teenagers read it, or my grandmother. Funny and romantic with a prominent plot it’s a great, traditional romantic comedy. Recommended.
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