The Kiss Thief

by L.J. Shen

They say your first kiss should be earned.

Mine was stolen by a devil in a masquerade mask under the black Chicago sky.

They say the vows you take on your wedding day are sacred.

Mine were broken before we left church.

They say your heart only beats for one man.

Mine split and bled for two rivals who fought for it until the bitter end.

I was promised to Angelo Bandini, the heir to one of the most powerful families in the Chicago Outfit.

Then taken by Senator Wolfe Keaton, who held my father's sins over his head to force me into marriage.

They say that all great love stories have a happy ending.

I, Francesca Rossi, found myself erasing and rewriting mine until the very last chapter.

One kiss.
Two men.
Three lives.
Entwined together.

And somewhere between these two men, I had to find my forever.

• ISBN10: 1732624712
• ISBN13: 9781732624719
• Publish Date: 7 January 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: LJ Shen
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 322
• Language: English

Reviews

[Linda]

2.5 stars
The Kiss Thief didn't really work for me. Wolfe and Francesca didn't go together at all. She was fairly naive, and a follower - until she started growing a back-bone. And on top of that, Wolfe was too arrogant and cold for me to think he'd be with anyone, really.
The overall plot also didn't make much sense to me - Francsesca's mafia boss father who was all tough one minute, but also extremely doting, then all of a sudden he became erratic, stepped out on his family, and let his biggest enemy take his daughter.
Francesca had been in love with Angelo since she was very young, and she was sure they were going to get married. Only, because of a box with predictions, she got fooled by Wolfe. And that didn't really make sense to me either. Especially with the way he treated her. He did more than one unforgivable thing in my opinion. Which means that I was never able to be behind the couple or their so-called love.

[Cocktails and Books]

3.5 Cocktails

I loved this story until I got to the end. There was such a build up about what Wolfe was going to do to Arthur Rossi and then there was nothing. I wanted the HEA, but I would have loved to see what Wolfe's revenge was.

[Romance Schmomance]

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What a freaking honor it was to get my hands on The Kiss Thief! It was more than I expected and I am completely obsessed with Wolfe and Francesca. It has been so long where I've read a book that I wanted to re-read for the first time. Man I wish I could have that back again because their story is worth it and so much more.

I'll be honest, I was so damn nervous to read this book. Ever since I've read the blurb and seen the teasers, just the thought of a love triangle had me wondering if I really wanted to go through with it and read this. But I'm a huge fan of L.J. books and I knew I was going to read it no matter what. When it comes to my favorites, I'll read anything they write. The Kiss Thief is probably the best of L.J.'s work, hands down, we can agree to disagree, but those are my thoughts.

Wolfe flippin' Keaton, ladies and gents, prepare yourself for possibly one of THE best book boyfriends out there to date. Right from the very beginning where we meet this man who just holds a lot of power, walks around with the confidence and the attitude of someone you don't want to mess with, PERIOD. I was enamored by him and just hooked on everything about him. I was constantly dying to know more and why he was the way he was. And the true reasons behind the arranged marriage with Francesca. Don't worry, true to all of L.J.'s hot hole heroes, he's right up there on the crude and a-hole scale, he excels in that with flying colors.

Francesca surprised me so much, she had her teenage tantrums at times, but I adored her love for gardening. It was such a quirky thing for her to do, but the reason why she does it just had me absolutely loving her character. She's not a scared little girl and is well matched with Wolfe. Despite growing up with a silver spoon in her mouth, she doesn't always act in that manner, which is another reason to adore her. For someone so young, she sees so much. There's more to her than what she shows. And Wolfe will get a healthy dose of it.

I know many are worried about the love triangle, trust me, so was I. It's tough for me to explain this, it's really one of those things that you have to read for yourself. It was a love triangle and then it wasn't, you'll see a lot of growth with Francesca's character and that will really show you her thoughts and emotions when it comes to these two men. I think the best way to describe is that L.J. wrote it in a way you're not really emotionally invested in the other part of the triangle. Yes, there were some moments that had me stopping and really looking at the situation, but I carried on. She's no saint in this one, but everything just flowed into the story so effortlessly. I don't think it could have been told any differently.

Everything about this book was amazing, loved all the moments between Wolfe and Francesca. And I just never wanted it to end, I've already re-read my favorite parts several times and just highlighting like crazy. I really wasn't expecting some of the angst that nearly tore my heart apart. My goodness guys, I wasn't prepared for it at all, it hits you like a freight train.

What a way to start off my reading year, TKT is my first book of the year and the first to be added to my #RSFAVE list for 2019! All the highest recommendations.

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