When Connie gets a sudden inheritance, she takes her dream vacation to Italy. On a whim, she kisses a stranger on the famous Ponte Vecchio. When her toes uncurl, she finds herself in a whirlwind fling.Jules Brand is down on his luck. A con job gone wrong lead to a murder, with him as the prime suspect. He returns to his good luck city, Florence to turn things around. When Constance asks him for … him for a kiss, he knows his luck has changed.
But Luck is a capricious mistress and Hagen Geier is bent on revenge. When Brand’s past catches up to him, Connie is caught in the cross-fire. She must rely on the charming con artist to get her out of it. She wouldn’t trust him with her purse, but what about her life?
more
No disclaimer for this book. I bought it fair and square. Now, on to the review.
A Kiss for Luck, book one in the Art of Lying series, introduces us to Connie Munro. She’s your average office employee longing for a better life, a life of adventure, all while shopping at thrift stores and trying to make ends meet. An inheritance from her aunt changes everything. Connie sets off for Italy to take care of her aunt’s estate and gets tangled up with Jules Brand, con artiste extraordinaire. This chance encounter takes Connie on a whirlwind adventure better than she could have ever imagined.
The Positives
McLaren has studied the thriller and suspense genre. I think this is what makes this naïve main character believable in her newfound role as a con artist. And, even though each next thing that happens seems crazier than the last, it still all flows and works together well. All of that understanding of the nuances of writing this crime thriller/suspense genre shines through to me.
I also loved Jules Brand. Not only does he have this nebulous identity, he also shows this fluid set of morals and beliefs that get a run for their money with this book. The fact that his sexual preferences, something McLaren works in well and flows naturally in the book, are almost as hazy as his morals is the perfect touch. This simple fact is portrayed well and allows for this marginalized group to see the representation. And, even though Jules may not always be the most honorable man, he isn’t a “bad guy”, which makes it even cooler.
I must mention McLaren’s sense of timing and pacing in the book. It kept me drawn in and wanting to read more. Yet I also had time to digest the action without being overwhelmed by it. This is a balance that is not always so easy to achieve, but McLaren has done well here.
The Critiques
Personally, I would love to have seen a little more of Rhys Cooper. He’s Jules Brand’s partner but is so much more. I’m not surprise at his ending (no I won’t spoil it by saying anything else), but I hope he comes back again in the series. Rhys Cooper was such an interesting character and, to me, his story hasn’t been told in its entirety yet.
Now, this last critique is me being fussy and nitpicky. Something about the layout bugged me a little. Overall, it was a clean, crisp format in the pages. I think part of it, though, is that the book is a sans serif font. On the computer screen I’m good with it, but something just didn’t feel quite right in the print edition of the book. Like I said, I’m being fussy and picky here. This is not enough for me to dwell on it. Plus, what does that tell you about the rest of the book that I’m hitting on this as a critique?
Summary
A Kiss for Luck is a fast-paced crime thriller that will leave you wanting more. Go check it out now. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed. This series is on my list to continue collecting.
This is a new author for me so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but was intrigued by both the book description and the location (Italy). When Connie Munro’s aunt dies mysteriously in Italy bequeathing her all her worldly goods our heroine jumps at the chance to make a long delayed trip to Europe and hopefully a life that might be a step up from her own hum-drum existence as a secretary in terms of excitement and romance. The trip turns out to be a romantic whirlwind with a classy thief who knew her aunt quite well. This is a fast-read, light hearted, yet adventurous, romp with all the elements of a Cinderella story and nicely crafted tonal homage to long-ago romantic classics like “”It Takes a Thief.” Italy, high class heists, a chance on love: what’s not to love? The books ends with the possibility of the main character Connie finding herself in future adventurous scrapes. If so, I’ll be there with her.