The Kiss Thief

Now this is a way to start of your 2019 with a bang !!! LJ Shen knocks it out of the park with The Kiss Thief. This has got to be one of the most anticipated reads of 2019 and thankfully you won’t have to wait long to devour this goodness.

I don’t even know where to begin. What I will say is I started off feeling one way in this book and ending up feeling something completely different.

The writing is perfection, the characters intense and I found myself obsessed with this book. It literally checks off so many different romance must haves for me and with some seriously steamy moments I greedily gobbled this one up.

LJ Shen’s antiheroes are my favs and dare I say that my beloved Vicious has some serious competition.

TKT is one of those reads that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat, desperate to get to the next page while at the same time soaking up the one you happen to be on.

This is an absolute must read. It’s just soooo good.

The ANGST! At some points in the story I felt as though my heart would jump out of my chest! Shen is the puppet master to my emotions. She weaves these stories that will take you by surprise and make you want to throw your kindle across the room!

I loved the plot of the novel. The importance the past held, the family ties, the alliances. I love layered and complex situations. The only nick was that the ending felt rushed and not as polished as the rest. It felt as though it tumbled into an HEA. I wanted more of what the rest of the book provided. Hardship and the characters working hard to figure it out. Maybe I’m just mean to the characters *shrugs*.

One thing is undeniable though, LJ Shen’s writing is ART (yes, with capital letters). There are so many beautiful lines, perfectly weaved into context so that they don’t feel like punch lines sprinkled every few pages. She has an unbelievable talent for flowing sentences and the use of literary devices.

I definitely recommend this book! If you’re looking for an angst filled book this is definitely it!

L.J. Shen’s The Kiss Thief has started my year off with one of her best books yet! I was completely captured by these characters and by the end of the book I was totally in love with them.
This story has so many elements that I love. Wolfe Keaton puts the A in alpha. Francesca Rossi had such a huge character arc I absolutely loved it. She went from proper obedient daughter to strong and independent. The theme was even a touch darker without being too much.

You will laugh and you will definitely cry (at least I did!). This story was amazingly written and had me completely enmeshed in this story. I loved the uniqueness of the plot along with the growth. This book not only rates top for this year so far but the cover as well! The cover was absolutely gorgeous! This is definitely one book that is a must read!

I love this book! I wasn’t sure what to expect as love triangles, mafias, and high angst reads aren’t normally at the top of my list, but this is a book you do not want to miss! The writing was fantastic, and I was hooked from the very beginning. I needed to know what happened and how Francesca made it out of this mess.

This book definitely took me on a ride full of twists and turns. It showed that everything is not always as it appears to be. I there were times I wasn’t sure who to cheer for. Should Francesca end up with Angelo? Wolfe? Who was the good guy? There were times when I felt strong Beauty and the Beast vibes, but it was also completely unique and original. I fell hard for these characters. Even when I didn’t completely like them or the choices they made, I was completely addicted to their story and left guessing on how things would work out to the very end.

This story has so many layers. Not only was I addicted to the love story, I was completely intrigued by Francesca’s story with her family and Wolfe’s backstory. So much of Wolfe’s story was a mystery for so long, and I wanted so badly to know what made him the man he is today. It also broke my heart to see Francesca deal with her life as she knew it falling apart. Seeing her question things she had always believed to be true broke my heart, but her strength made me love her all the more!

Once I started reading, I couldn’t put this book down. I became that girl that avoided everyone and everything for just one more chapter. It was a beautiful love story. It will keep you on the edge of your seat, but you’ll never want to look away. You will unexpectedly fall for characters even when you want to scream at them from time to time. There are so many feels in this book, and it wouldn’t be the passionate story it is without embracing every single one of them. I’m so glad I took a chance on this one, and I can’t wait to see what comes next from Ms. Shen.

Such a heart gripping read!! Once I started reading I was drawn into the angst and heartache between Wolfe and Francesca. Their love story is unlike anyone else which makes them more powerful. This book was one of my favorite reads so far this year. L
J. Shen writes such amazing anti heroes and amazing heroines.

~The perfect pawn~

What if all your plans for your future, what you were groomed for as the sole heir to the Chicago mafia, The Outfit, goes awry in the most inconceivable way? Francesca Rossi was brought up on a very strict code, written by generations before her, set firmly in stone. Promised in her head and heart for one man but thrust at another, a man so cold and with walls built so high, she might not be able to weather any kind of life with him.

Most politicians have hidden agendas, and Senator Wolfe Keaton is no different. He sets his sights on Francesca dressed at the masquerade ball as the goddess Nemesis.

Francesca/“Nem” was able to hold her own against this male and others, admirably. Wolfe’s walls slowly crumble against all her pureness and goodness of heart.

What a tale! An emotionally riotous, passionately biting, and ultimately bonding romance!

OMG the book everyone is talking about! What an incredible read from Leigh, this one rocked my world and blew my mind!!

With her reputation for writing the best Alphaholes, we have a new top dog in town, Senator Wolfe Keaton – you will love him, you will hate him, you will drool!! Cold, calculating, ruthless and callous – he is a man who has been wronged and is on a mission to take down the people responsible, keeping himself in check with his own rules and boundaries, that is until he meets Francesca, steals her first kiss and blows his own plan to smithereens.

Francesca Rossi, the only child of a mob boss, brought up to be beautiful, have impeccable manners, always on her best behavior, to be submissive and always a step behind the men. She is smart and caring and has a backbone of steel, and inner strength that shines, I loved her.

These two together are so very powerful, their story starts off full of hate, anger and misery but develops slowly through the story as they get to know one another. The story is full of drama, angst and emotions – be prepared for one particular scene in the middle of the book that changes the whole tone of their relationship!!

I was riveted from the beginning to the end and its unlike anything I have read for quite a while, its one of those that will stay with you. There’s lots of reviews out there for this book, but its one of those you just have to read for yourself and make your own mind up – for me it was superb, one of her best yet, hats off to Leigh, well done!

4.5 STARS — Not a bad way to start of the New Year that’s for sure. If you’re looking for a story that keeps you on your toes, this is it.

The Kiss Thief by L.J. Shen is a mafia based, arranged marriage romance – in the literal sense. But it is so much more than that. It is an unpredictable, rollercoaster of a story as well. I absolutely loved it.

The epilogue of the story hints of the story of a stolen first kiss between Francesca Rossi and the much distinguished, and older Senator Wolfe Keaton. Francesca is the only child of the head of the Chicago mafia – Arthur Rossi. Upon Francesca and Wolfe’s first meeting, you may be surprised to see how their relationship develops; since their initial introductions didn’t go so well. You get to know the internal workings of the relationship between Francesca and Wolfe. Add in Francesca’s childhood friend and potential love interest Angelo, and you have the workings of a love triangle of sorts.

Shen does a fabulous job with her character development. Both Wolfe and Francesca are well rounded, multi-dimensional characters. And her story is realistic (at least in my opinion) and not predictable in the least. It is a thoroughly entertaining read and highly recommended.

I started this book and COULD NOT STOP! The story is mesmerizing, the words I can’t even describe how much emotion there is in. all. of. the. words. Get ready to fall really hard for Wolfe & Francesca!

Francesca Rossi had her life all figured out. As the only child of the head of the Chicago crime family, Francesca knew she was to be married within the organization, be a dutiful wife, have their children and she would do all this with her childhood crush Angelo Bandini. All of her hopes come crashing to a painful end when she learns her father has given her away to Senator Wolfe Keaton as a means to pay off his debt. Francesca considers Wolfe a “monster”. “A story of a 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.”

This story is dark but has laugh out loud moments. This story is traumatic and also full of healing. This enemies to lovers, slow burn passionate and all consuming love affair will easily become one of you all time favorites.

I thought that I had already read my favorite book by L.J. Shen. It was great, although The Kiss Thief stole my heart. It was captivating, entrancing, and just down right amazing. Just when you think that you have read the ultimate contemporary romance, you’d be wrong … unless it’s this baby right here.

L.J. did her research. She knows how to pull us in and put us under a spell. You think you are rooting one way and then pulled in another direction. Who is deserving? Who will she love? Who will get the girl? And not just any girl, but the ultimate girl. The one that every man wants on his arm.

Seriously … this story was so beautifully written, and I adored each and every minute of it. If you happen to not know the divine powers that L.J. Shen holds within those talented little hands, do yourself a favor and take a chance on The Kiss Thief. You can thank me later!