“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
Out of the galaxy stars for The Kiss Thief by L.J. Shen
ARC received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review – Opinions expressed are my own.
When I saw this book on NG I jumped at the chance to be able to review ( I had purchased both the book & kindle format upon release)
This author is a To Be Read “for me” ALWAYS
I actually was hooked on this author’s work after reading Dirty Headlines ( Fall 2018 ) & have now pretty much made my way thru her entire backlist of books
The Kiss Thief is a favorite read so far of 2019 it’s SO GOOD & in some cases trying to form logical sentences as to why “escapes me” !!
This book ticks so many of my FAV book box lists
Angst & more angst
Arranged marriage
Age difference
Quirky heroine
If I wasn’t happily married “Senator Wolfe Keaton for president” – wouldn’t mind being his First Lady LOL
AMAZING sexy times & chemistry
So many laugh out loud – funny moments ( talking to vegetables anyone )
Nicknames – so loved Nem ( aka Nemesis ) & Narcissus
Great plot twists
So well written – could not put it down – first book in a very long time where I pulled an all nighter with work the next day !
This author does not disappoint with anything I have read – awesome read !!!
I read this book in one day. The main characters initially have a love/hate type relationship, but as the story unfolds secrets are revealed that change the way you view the character dynamic. This was a romance but told in a way that the romance snuck up on me and kept me intrigued to know more.
I was very excited to read this book. I had heard a lot about it and was intrigued. I am happy that I read this book. I enjoyed it but did not love it. First, I will say that this is a dark romace. There is content in here that will be big turn offs for many and possible triggers for others. So, please do some research before buying/reading this book. I think this is one of those books that you either love or hate. For me the biggest drawbacks to this book was the characters. I found it very hard to connect with and like, Francesca and Wolfe. Wolfe was very cruel and honestly a jerk. For me his redemption came too late to increase his appeal. Francesca was simply immature and frustrating.
I couldn’t put this down!
This will absolutely be one of the best books of 2019!
I love a good anti-hero and this one was great! I literally stayed up all night because I couldn’t put it down.
LJ Shen is a new author to me and this story along with the beautifully emotional writing style definitely held my attention. At times the age difference between the two characters showed and I would have liked to have read a confrontation between the father and daughter, but overall still a satisfying read. I will look forward to checking out other stories by this author.
LJ Shen spins a tale like no other. Absolute perfection.
First book I’ve read by LJ Shen and I couldn’t put it down.
Prepare your hearts and minds babes, because the mastery of this book will ruin you with the book hangover of the year. L.J. Shen is well known for giving us the best alpha holes ever written, but honey you’re not ready for Senator Wolfe Keaton. He’s confident, diabolical, and cunning. He wears his pride and principles as a shield, and he’ll never kneel. Not for any man, nor woman for that matter. That is until a pretty bird in a guilded cage brings him to his knees. Francesca Rossi is elegance refined. She’s polished to shine, bright and unsullied, a beautiful trophy on her father’s shelf. Smile pretty, marry a Made Man, comply – a life she was happy to live, until the proverbial rug is not so eloquently ripped out from underneath her. Everything Francesca knows her life to be is about to be tested. A reckoning is coming, and with it, she’ll find her strength.
“Falling in love was so tragic. No wonder it made people so sad.”
On the surface you have a cold man seeking vengeance for the life stolen from him, and a young woman with the belief she’s lost her one chance at true love. Beneath the surface however, you’ll see a man who finds his heart and the girl who fills it; a girl who finds her wings, and the man who gives her the freedom to fly.
The plot of this book was so intricately crafted with plot twist after plot twist. With each consecutive chapter, author L.J. Shen weaves a work of art, pulling our heart strings along the way. Her books have the unique capability of warming your heart, smashing it to smithereens, then piecing it back together, and The Kiss Thief is the pinnacle of them all. Casting an old world feel, the Kiss Thief is riddled with nuances of a time long forgotten, propelling us to the past while still in the present. The love between Francesca and Wolfe isn’t ideal or easy, it’s raw, all encompassing, and obliterating. Their love will leave you breathless and dying for more.
No words I can write will convey just how much I enjoyed The Kiss Thief. This book will touch your heart and warm your soul. It’s not just a story, but an experience, and with that you need to experience it for yourself. Buckle up and enjoy the rides babes. xoxo
The Kiss Thief is here!!! LJ Shen awesomeness, y’all. <3 <3 <3
LJ Shens best work yet! Wow! I honestly think that I might be speechless for once in my life. I know that whatever I write won’t give this book the justice it deserves. IT’S THAT GOOD!!
So I’m just going to go with….
This book will tick you off….
It will make you cry…
It will make you swoon…
It will make you fall in love with another a$$hole…
IT WILL GIVE YOU ALL THE FEELS AND MORE!
Go read it..you will NOT be disappointed!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
The Kiss Thief is an unexpectedly, tumultuous journey. Kisses are stolen. Lives are changed. Things are lost.
The reader will be helpless to stop this runaway train from crashing most spectacularly. They will waver. They will wonder. They will be lustful, loving, and torn.
Some will be confused, others indignant but most of all they will be understanding. It’s a nontraditional romance. (Like you would expect anything else from LJ Shen.) It’s full of passion, lust, and love. It’s not the stuff Disney sells but it feels more real.
Reviewed for Sweet Spot Sisterhood
Lucky me. I started off 2019 with an incredible book. The Kiss Thief by L.J. Shen is an arranged marriage mafia-themed romance with all the things I crave. Angst, a struggle between two men, a resilient heroine and a growly hero…the list goes on. Do not miss this gorgeously written five-star read!
i’m so excited for this book! I haven’t read a mafia romance in FOREVER
Wow! What a ride. The Kiss Thief was a roller coaster of twists and turns and emotions. From the first page I knew I was in for it and I right. I couldn’t stop reading. I was so engrossed in the story that I didn’t want to.
Francesca, as fearless as she is naive. I loved and admired her backbone of steel, her hopeful heart and ability to charm and infuriate Wolfe in the same breath. Sheesh, I don’t know if there are enough words to talk about Wolfe Keaton. That man is a force and then some. A force for good or evil, it was hard to say most of the way through. He was flippant, rude, condescending and prideful. But there was something irresistible about his too. It was in small ways that he took care of Francesca without her even knowing it…
It was a twisted game of who could outsmart and out maneuver the other between Wolfe and his nemesis. But with vengeance was on the line, it was a game Wolfe wouldn’t lose. However, he never planned on the turn his life would take when actually started to fall for Francesca. It was gradual, and achingly sweet to witness. Seeing him torn up over the thought of losing her for good, because of his actions, gave me the flutters.
The Kiss Thief blew me away. It gave me more than I could’ve hoped for. It was deceptive, it was dark, it was dramatic, it was dangerous, it was sexy. And it was oh so smartly written. In a nutshell, it was L.J. Shen at her absolute best. And that ending, was absolute perfection. I didn’t want it to end.
Cover:
Hot scenes:
Dominance:
Characters: Francesca Rossi – Wolfe Keaton
Enjoy the POV:
We can read this story from Wolfe and Francesca’s point of view. Enjoyable and it is not difficult to follow the story for the reader. The author’s style is not unknown to me because I have had the opportunity of reading her works: Sparrow and the first three parts of Sinners of Saint series. All of her books are brilliant, and The Kiss Thief is no exception. The author built the plot precisely and gradually. You always get a crumb which makes you want to know more, and the end is no exception. I would have read more.
Read more: https://gcksbookreviewblog.blogspot.com/2019/01/arc-review-kiss-thief-by-lj-shen.html
3.5 Stars
So I am a big fan of this author so was so excited to get my mitts on an advanced copy of the Kiss Thief and for the most part I really did enjoy this: it was as usual extremely well written and such a page-turner and I, of course, read it in one entire sitting.
The kiss thief tells the story of senator Wolfe Keaton a powerful man with a hidden agenda and secrets that run deep and Francesca Rossi first daughter of the Chicago outfit whose father has built his legacy on the backs and hearts of the people of Chicago.
With an informal agreement to marry her childhood companion Angelo Bandini and supposed love of her life Francesca is naturally horrified and beside herself when her father hands her over for marriage to the senator himself what follows is an unconventional courtship where these two start to fall deeper down the rabbit hole the more time, they spend together.
So as I said I did enjoy myself here the reason this didn’t get a higher rating from me was mainly a personal one.
I am not a fan of love triangles and this one predominately featured one at its centre.
I just can’t get to grips with them and they irritate me to the point of madness because of this I usually try to give them a wide berth.
That being said because I’m such a fan of this author I decided to take a chance and while I am glad I did I still wanted to scream in frustration constantly at the immature antics of the trio involved here.
I will say know it was quite apparent who Francesca favoured from quite an early onset so this had that on its side at least.
I also wasn’t a fan of the constant OM/OW drama from both sides.
In my opinion, they were both behaving as badly as one another and two wrongs definitely don’t make a right.
That aside: the rest of this I enjoyed, and though not a perfect full house from my corner there were enough positives here to keep me on board and invested overall.
Can I just add as a side note I loved this pairs nicknames for each other so unique.
Referring to Francesca as a teenager all the time: not so much she was hardly that and an eleven year age gap is nothing in the scheme of things.
This one still does get a thumbs up from me it was overall an extremely engrossing read.
I voluntary reviewed an Arc of The Kiss Thief.
All opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/9460945-bex-beckie-bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
http://www.beckiebookworm.com
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.
Hold on to your hearts ladies cause the Big Daddy of All Predators -Wolfe Keaton has gatecrashed the Booklandia. This masked marauder is here to whisk Princess Rossi away on his Black Stallion. You will lose your hearts too, to this Brutish Buccaneer and if you’re extremely lucky- your panties too in the process.
“Once a Thief ; Always a thief
I wanted to see for myself if the rumours of your beauty were true”
Senator Wolfe Keaton has not only stolen Princess Francesca Rossi’s first kiss, he has stolen her dreams, her life and is working his way to steal her heart too. Al, these she’d been safeguarding for Angelo Bandini.
He took the power. MY power
Wolfe Keaton was A KISS THIEF
If you love-hated the #HotHoles , you ain’t seen nothing yet. Leigh has surpassed her earlier work in not only the gorgeous offbeat cover, but equally Fabulous off beat story too. It has a very scarlett-Rhett vibe and takes me back to my Mills & Boon days. The writing is sharper, shows teeth, the vengeful notes are stabbing. Leigh doesn’t shy away from flaunting his vicious intentions. He’s not here to make friends. In fact he’s here to make men & women kneel in his presence and beg for scraps of his goodwill.
Wolfe will give EVERY HOT HOLE a run for their money. He’s drop dead sexy, ruthlessly ambitious & passionately patriotic. Leigh has AGAIN proven why she’s the QUEEN OF creating lickalicious ALPHAHOLES. This story is completely new in plot, setting and tone. The intricate story keeps you ON YOUR TOES throughout. It has a sinister and darker vibe. People constantly change sides and loyalties and an undercurrent of danger, betrayal and blackmail is buzzing at every step.
“How about you give me what I really want, Rossi? Your PRIDE”
On the other end, Francesca is princess of the Rossi clan-The Outfit. Born and bred to stand a step behind the men, She’s polished, sophisticated and ladylike. A perfect asset to act as an arm candy to Senator on the rise in politics. She merely changes cages and a no walled prison is still suffocating as any for her crushed ambitions and dreams.
I am an unwanted puppy, running from door to door in the pouring rain, looking for shelter
By the end of the story, the princess turns into a warrior and ends up winning your heart. Her mettle is so strong, her enemies end up underestimating the steeliness of her spine.
A particular scene in the middle of the book was so cruel, it brought tears to my eyes and from that point on, both the characters seem to change their tint. The scene was quite dark and it was a catalyst in changing the course of the story. Brilliance of the scene was in the tears. You’d expect them to be of hatred, but they are of sacrifice and martyrdom.
I am a rusty barbwire, twisted together, knotted in a ball of fear!
Francesca tops from the bottom and uplifts the scene by sheer endurance. The ensuing “Walk of Shame” is a slap on the face (you’ll understand it when you read it) I swear it’s akin to seeing a rough diamond being faceted and polished to sparkling brilliance right in front of your eyes. There’s enough fire in her to inspire others to draw on her courage and bravery. S.U.P.E.R.B !!!
“Leave,”
“I’ll never doubt you again, Francesca”
“LEAVE!!!”
I believe LJ was a bit apprehensive about this out-of-the-box story and I can somewhat understand. She’s pushed the envelope, written scenes with sadistic pathos(you’ll get it when you read it), she has shed her comfortable blanket and penned some chilling sentiments. But a lion is a lion at the end of the day, he’ll starve before eating grass. so her fears will prove to be unfounded when ALL her readers-old and new will LOVE the story!!
This story shows a lot of growth as a writer on Leigh’s part and will definitely endear her more to the readers.The noteworthy thing in Leigh’s characters is that they don’t change their spots. The assholes don’t spout flowery monologues and fangs don’t get withdrawn. The characters remain true to their traits right up til the end.
“He’s in hate with my father and in lust with me”
It’s an oxymoron that you love-hate these characters with equal fervour.
Brilliant writing, thoroughly enjoyable ride which came to an end so soon, I didn’t even realise it. I wish the book went on and on and never ended. It’s been ages since I read a paperback and kept the lights on, much to my husband’s irritation, but I couldn’t help it!! Wolfe just bit me hard and carried me away in his fangs. I hope his knees heal soon cause he has a lot of genuflecting in his future
5 plates full of Humble Pie
The Kiss Thief by LJ Shen is a phenomenal read that is full of angst, love, heartbreak and betrayal. In one word, it is breath-taking.
Eighteen year old Francesca Rossi has her life already planned out for her. Set to marry her childhood crush and friend, Angelo Bandini. She is excited for this even though her dreams of college and independence must be denied.
One night, however, her true love’s kiss is stolen from a cold-hearted and ruthless man known as Senator Wolfe Keaton.
Now, she is torn between her childhood love and a taciturn and vengeful man who will use her father’s sins against her to force her into marriage.
Francesca’s life is about to change irrevocably. The question is: Will it be for better… or worse?
Emotionally gripping and page-turning, LJ Shen has written a book that enthrals. The story and writing are lush while the plot, characters and writing pull you in. It is witty and the sarcasm is spot on.
The characters are three-dimensional and are very well fleshed out. I’ve never seen two characters that have prospered so well together.
Wolfe Keaton is proud, condescending, rude and obnoxious. He cares for no one’s opinion but his own. I enjoyed seeing him bite off more than he could chew with Francesca. How his character slowly but inexorably grew. Like the garden that Francesca grows, Wolfe changes under her care.
Francesca Rossi is timid and plays by the rules. Her only wish is to make her parents proud. I loved seeing this meek lady adapt to her surroundings. To finally take note and demand the respect and love she deserves. She does not bend to Wolfe.
An epic read with memorable characters that will stay with you long after the book is finished. The Kiss Thief stole my heart and will without a doubt be one of the best books you’ll read this year.
I received an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.