“Instantly Have You Addicted” – Oprah Magazine#1 Contemporary Romance#1 New Adult Romance#2 Most sold book on Amazon#2 Most sold Fiction book on Washington PostTop 2 book in the entire Amazon Kindle store“My absolute favorite L.J. Shen to date. Indulgent and addictive.” – USA Today Bestselling author RS Grey“This book will ruin you for all other books in 2019” – Bestselling author BB Easton From … will ruin you for all other books in 2019” – Bestselling author BB Easton
From USA Today and Washington Post bestselling author L.J. Shen comes an enemies-to-lovers romance with a twist…
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.
more
I’ve sat on writing this review for a few days because I want to get it right. I had to say F it because I will never get it right. The build-up and hype surrounding this book was huge, yet I didn’t worry that it wouldn’t live up to the shout outs because it’s LJ Shen. I’ve read everything she has written and her writing just gets better and better. And that’s not to say her earlier books aren’t phenomenal, because they are, and they are some of my favorites. Instead it’s a show of the true talent of this author. She keeps perfecting her craft and because of that, I will always be a fan.
I digress with my praising for the author. Let me get into The Kiss Thief a bit now. The setting? Incredible! The plot? Amazing! The characters? Astounding! The fusion of old world Italian traditions in Chicago high society with mafia leanings, to political aspirations with a vengeful motive give this book a highly intriguing and suspenseful tone. Francesca Rossi is naïve, plain and simple. Admittedly, she kind of drove me crazy! The weight she put on fate and fairy tale traditions of the old world were silly. But you know what? I think LJ wrote her that way on purpose! She created this somewhat petulant innocent young woman to make us roll our eyes only to have her slowly develop into the inner strength she always possessed. And Wolfe Keaton! Man he is one of the best male leads I’ve read. I loved him! LOL. He is the epitome of an arrogant a-hole and I couldn’t get enough of him. The way he treats Francesca is deplorable, but I couldn’t get enough of him! Again, it shows the strength of the author’s writing because even though he is so bad and so rotten, he’s not completely irredeemable. He has his own issues that had to be resolved to get him there, but it happened—he was redeemed! The interactions between these two characters was rough at times, but fun and sexy at others. Fantastic biting dialogue at all times!
I rambled. Read the blurb, read other reviews, and you’ll get the gist of the story better. And then read the book. It’s good. It’s really effing good! The Kiss Thief deserves more than 5 stars.
This is the first book I’ve read by JL Shen, and it will not be the last. I enjoyed it! It was a bit long, but the story was good with great characters, good plot twists, a few curves thrown in for good measure.
Francesca is a naïve, young woman at 19, who thinks she’s in love with her long-time family friend Angelo, then she meets Wolfe at a masquerade ball where she plans to get her first real kiss from Angelo who she believes is her true love. But instead of Angelo kissing her its Wolfe and since Wolfe is a crass, mean unimpressed man who is a rich Senator on a mission of revenge.
The attraction between Francesca and Wolfe grows with every page into the book from hate to love and every emotion in between.
Get your copy from Kindle Unlimited like I did and enjoy several hours of good reading.
Looking forward to more books by JL Shen.
WOWZERS!! This book was ABSOLUTELY amazing.
Senator Wolfe Keaton is the ultimate Alpha-Hot-Hole you love to hate and hate to love. He is sexy, cunning, mysterious and fueled by anger.
Francesca Ross is young and beautiful. She may appear vain and naive at first glance, but she is strong, witty and fearless.
The Kiss Thief isn’t your typical romance/love story. This is a modern story inspired by historical traditions. It is a complicated, intriguing story with some dark themes.
Senator Keaton was a powerful man whose every calculated move was fueled by vengeance. (view spoiler) Francesca, the only daughter of that man, became a pawn on Keaton’s game. Senator Keaton thought he had her all figured out, but Francesca, while being the obedient daughter she was expected to be, had a flame deep within her that was waiting to be lit.
Wolfe and Francesca were two complex characters whose life was interconnected by tragedy and hatred. Theirs was
“a story of nemesis and a villain with no chance at a happy ending. Where the prince doesn’t save the princess. He tortures her. And the beauty doesn’t sleep. She’s stuck. In a nightmare.” . Their story began with a stolen kiss, anger and hate. Wolfe was cold, vulgar, calculated, rough. He was brute, yet he was a protector. Francesca thought she had her life all figured out. She had it all planned out even if she wanted more for her own life, she was content with what she thought she wanted, until a Wolfe stole it all way from her, but did Wolfe steal it all, or would he turn out to be the man who saved her?
5 ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP STARS!! This book went to straight the favorites list!!
This is a story about a beautiful young woman who was never given a say. Her father raised her to be exactly what he wanted for her. A housewife. Squashed her dreams. She knew she would need to marry within her lifestyle and she never doubted who she would marry. Until one day that too was taken from her….
“My wings are not meant to fly..”. “They’re meant to shield our family.”
Let me say that love triangles irk the shit out of me but if done right I end up loving them. So I was so hesitant about this book. I love this author and I was worried it was going to ruin it for me… It surprised the hell out of me. I fucking LOVE this book!!!!! The love triangle is there but I never wavered. I was never confused on who she should pick. Wolfe was perfection. L.J. has never had a problem creating an asshole who we can’t stop ourselves from falling for.
This book has a little of everything… love triangle, sexy, Virgin, mobsters, assholes, and so much more. I was so caught up in this book. This is a definite must read. I think this may be my favorite book by L.J. Shen!!
**I received this book as an ARC and in return gave my honest review**
Where do I even begin when it comes to reviewing The Kiss Thief? L.j. Shen is an amazing author!
The story started out with me rooting for Angelo, Francesca’s childhood crush. I mean how could I not root for him!? At first I really despised Wolfe, but there was something about him that left my heart open a bit for him and realized he wasn’t as bad or as mean as he was letting on. Or at least I hoped so! I kept that space open in my heart even through the tough things that were said/done to Francesca, and thank GOODNESS I did, because I loved Francesca and Wolfe together! But do they stay together? Does Francesca reunite with Angelo?
I don’t want to give away too much, so, read this amazing story and find out!
I am sorry I didn’t finish it..
It’s only February and this book is already in the running for the best book of the year. So gritty. So brutal. So gloriously complex. Amazing.
Loved that the main character wasn’t the typical, flat romantic heroine. Would have been a five-star read for me if the ending hadn’t been so sticky sweet, but that’s just my taste =)
L.J. Shen knocks another one out of the park with The Kiss Thief!! Wolfe Keaton is definately going to be your next book boyfriend! The entire story line is great! I was unable to put down until I completely finished the book!
I saw all the hype with this book when it came out but for some reason it didn’t call to me…now I’m sitting here wondering why I waited so long! I freaking LOVED LOVED LOVED TKT! Wolfe…I love warped, wounded characters who FINALLY pull their heads out of their a$$e$ and realize what’s right in front of them. This was a love story for the ages and one that I’m sure I will go back to time and again.
Another fantastic read by LJ Shen. She has a way of writing antiheroes that make you love to hate them. Wolfe is no exception! I absolutely loved this story. Wolfe and Francesca’s banter and chemistry is electrifying from the start. Definitely enemies to lovers trope that hooks you from the beginning and you won’t want to put it down! One click this highly recommended book! I dare you not to fall for Wolfe!
I really enjoyed this one and I didn’t think I’d like Wolfe Keatons character as much I did but pretty sure hes my favorite bad guy hero. Wolfe Keaton wants pay back for what happened to him long ago and he knows just how hes going to get his revenge but he doesnt expect it to come back and bite him. He decided taking the guy he hates most daughter as his wife and keeping his distance from her will be easy and has not intentions of falling for her but usually things happen when you least expect it. This spoiled brat he was expecting didnt ever come, instead he got a woman who was kind and loving and he slowly became I able to keep her from tearing down those walls that protected his heart. My feelings were all over the place with this one with it going back and forth with ripping my heart out and then piecing it back together again. The two enemies who hated each other ended up being just what one another needed and ended up being the perfect match.
Picking this book up turned into one hell of a ride that I won’t get over anytime soon! This story had absolutely everything that a good book truly needs and more. I had heard many good things but was still pleasantly surprised. This was the first time I had a full, 360 degree, experience learning what a it means to fall completely in love with a character that I had absolutely hated. It was one emotional ride. I think I experienced every emotion there is to have. I wondered what shape my heart would be in once I was finished. Now that I have, I know I’m better for it which is something only a true book lover can understand. Picking up this author’s work is worth it every time. I will be obsessed with Wolfe and Francesca for quite some time.
Ahhh…This book has absolutely stolen my heart for the new year and possible ruined me for all other books this year. I had no idea what I was going into with this book, I just knew that I had to read it because of who the author is. The Kiss Thief is a story that will make you fall in love and leave you breathless in the end. This book has left me feeling like no matter what I write in this review will even do it justice. So I am going to leave you with saying, that this is the must read of the new year that you absolutely do not want to miss.
Happy Reading Everyone!!
E P I C !
The hype was real with this story. Everything people have said is true!
Scooch over Baron Spencer (Vicious, book 1 in the Sinners of Saints), Wolfe Keaton has taken your seat as 2nd favorite for me. Troy Brennan (Sparrow) will remain my #1 in my list of favorite L.J. Shen anti-heroes.
This story grips you the very beginning and it holds you there. The characters they ALL consume you in one way or another. I even shed a few tears while reading this amazing, and truly on of the best books I will ever read this year.
Shen has set the bar very high with this one.
HOT! I really enjoyed the “historical” part in this contemporary romance and Francesca and Senator Wolfe Keaton are such a great character. You really want to hate Keaton in the beginning, but he has his charm. Definitly a must read!
{I received this as an ARC in exchange for an Honest Review}
“The Kiss Thief” was so good!! Such an Amazing Enemies to Lovers Romance. Wolfe and Francesca are so captivating! This story is definitely different from her other works and I so enjoyed it! I was so rooting for Wolfe from the beginning. There is just something about him that had me wanting him to win her heart. Francesca was amazing. I loved her. She may be stuck in this situation but she does not stay quiet. She fights back in her own ways and doesn’t take Wolfe’s crap. It was such a slow burning hate to love romance and it was so freaking good! They way they fell in love so hard was everything! I really enjoyed this book and this couple! You should definitely read it!!!
This book right here is my top read of 2019 so far! I don’t even have words to describe this amazing book. It gave me all the feels! It will forever be a book I remember.!!
Wow!! I can’t express how much I loved this story!! The emotions you experience while reading Wolfe and Francesca’s ever evolving story are gripping. From hate to love to heartbreak. Absolutely fantastic book!!
Good story and you have to read it to find out what happens.