Two wrongs don’t make a right . . . except when they do.For con artist Chaney Rose, life hasn’t been easy. In desperate need of cash, she readily agrees to find Mischief, a stolen racehorse. Hunting for clues, she breaks into the suspected horse thief’s home only to be caught—with a few pilfered items in her pockets—by the police detective who’s tailing her. By-the-book Adam Thorne was fired from … was fired from his church because of his father’s involvement with the valuable thoroughbred. In a burst of Les Miserables-inspired grace, Adam tells the detective that he gave Chaney the stolen items.
Adam wants Chaney to find his missing father. When Chaney learns that Mischief’s owner intends to kill the racehorse, she needs Adam’s help expose the cruel plan before it’s too late.
Will a con artist with a conscience and a minister without a ministry risk imprisonment to do the wrong thing for the right reason?
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The Mischief Thief had me captivated from the beginning pages. From Adam, a minister without a congregation, to Chaney, a con-artist with a somewhat confusing moral compass to Tucker, a veterinarian with a complicated association, the author brings their own personal traits together to create an amazing cast of characters that are unforgettable.
The storyline was nothing short of magical. The suspense and twists kept me guessing the whole time. I enjoyed watching the characters being stretched to their limits and seeing God’s influence in their lives testing them. It’s a story of trust, learning to forgive, and meaningful relationships in spite of past baggage.
A very entertaining read. Highly recommended.
JOHNNIE ALEXANDER creates characters you would want to meet & imagines stories you won’t forget..
Genre: iNsPiRaTiOnAL RoMaNcE.
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THE MISCHIEF THIEF.
Ist book in the ROSE & THORNE SERIES.
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Released by MISTY WILLOW BOOKS on 6th MAY 2020.
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324 pages- 50 chapters- divided in 3 parts.
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Available for INR 377/- @amazonkindle
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THE MOSAIC COLLECTION.
Each month The Mosaic Coll.n releases one FAITH- BASED NOvel.
This is my 2nd read in The MOSIAC Coll.n
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CHARACTERS:
CHANEY ROSE- a con artist with cous MARSHALL behind bars.
Special Agent BENJAMIN GRANT, an honest officer.
MISCHIEF: a stolen racehorse.
ADAM THORNE: a minister, fired from the church due to his father’s (a vet) alleged involvement in the disappearance of the horse.
The horse belongs to Goon, Mickey Nolan & his 3rd wife has disappeared alongwith the horse to save him.
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adam WANTS chaney TO FIND HIS MISSING FATHER.
WHEN CHANEY LEARNS THAT MISCHIEF’S OWNER INTENDS TO KILL THE RACEHORSE, SHE NEEDS ADAM’S HELP TO EXPOSE THE CRUEL PLAN BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE.
Will a con artist ( with a conscience) & a minister (w/out the ministry) risk imprisonment to do the wrong thing for the right reason
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READ THE BOOK IF;
You believe that “good” still exists in ppl;
If you love horses;
If you believe kindness, humanity, faith are virtues not to be lost;
If you wanna read about a possible love story..
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This read has an old world charm to it.
Although lengthy, it’s uNpUtDoWnAbLe, it’s hopeful, it’s gives one positivity & optimism.
Loved reading it!
#noorthebookwormreviews
What a wonderful story!
We all have them. Life circumstances that we never thought we’d have to face. Perhaps not so overt or drastic as to steal to keep from going hungry. Perhaps more subtle, more “excusable,” more hidden. Sometimes, though, it’s simply all we have ever known. Like Chaney Rose.
And sometimes, we think we’re above all that. Like Adam Thorne. After all, he was a minister. A man of God. How would he have undesirable character traits?
Ms. Alexander poses not only these questions, but she mixes the two—Chaney and Adam—in a tale of mixed emotions. And perhaps some mixed ethics.
Iron sharpens iron as circumstance repeatedly throws Chaney and Adam together, smoothing the rough edges of their initial meeting.
A peculiar mix of near childlike guile and innocence and a sharp wit and cunning mind, Chaney rambles through her life, and into Adam’s. With no real conviction, save for concern for others—and especially for Mischief—the niggling guilt of her lifestyle and profession press against her. The kindness—the Les Miserable twist—that Adam shows her imprints on her heart, begging questions she’d not dared ask before.
Ms. Alexander builds the adventure, teasing the reader with every word, every page, pushing to the end, and [SPOILER] outcome.
ROBIN’S FEATHERS
ALL | THE | FEATHERS!
I received a complimentary copy of this book, but was under no obligation to read the book or to post a review. I offer my review of my own free will. The opinions expressed in my review are my honest thoughts and reaction to this book.
#Blogwords, Tuesday Reviews-Day-on-Saturday, #TRD, Book Review Triple Header #3, The Mischief Thief, Johnnie Alexander, JustRead Publicity Tour
I loved the television show Leverage and as I was reading Johnnie Alexander’s The Mischief Thief, I kept thinking of the show. Well, come to find out in the author’s not, Alexander is a fan of the show too.
This book is interesting in that it’s a mystery with a main character who is a grifter. Although Chaney has a conscience about her thieving, it is the way of life she has always know. Alexander creates a character who is both a bit immoral but also vulnerable which makes her likable.
While I was waiting for some romantic chemistry to happen between her and Adam, it never came. But the grace Adam shows Chaney is what she needs in her life. She needs someone to show her the love of God and the fallible love of humans.
Since The Mischief Thief looks like the first book in a series, I’m hoping we get to catch up with Chaney and Adam again soon.
Disclosure statement: I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this story, but I found the premise interesting so I had to check it out. I was under the impression that this was a Christian suspense. I wouldn’t classify it as such. There was definitely an inspirational thread to it, but I found it to be more of a fun mystery rather than suspenseful. I very much enjoyed the writing which kept me turning the pages to find out what would happen. I love the TV show Leverage and the second half of this story reminded me of that show. The one complaint I did have was when the story came to the end, I was left saying, “What? That’s it?” The end was tied up for the story as far as getting the horse to safety, but I wasn’t done with the characters. Full review is at my author website.
I received this book complimentary as a participant in the JustRead reviewer tour. I was not required to give a positive review. All the opinions expressed here are honest and my own.
In Johnnie Alexander’s The Mischief Thief, a charming con artist trying to free her imprisoned cousin teams up with an ex-minister searching for his veterinarian father, who is suspected of stealing a racehorse. Together they plan the con of their lives.
I’ve read several of Johnnie’s romance novels and short stories. Her characters are endearing and genuine, and her books include sweet relationships with strong threads of underlying faith. As her first romantic suspense, The Mischief Thief delivers budding romance and deepening faith and has several suspenseful scenes. I did see a few plot holes I think could have been filled to make the story more credible and add to the suspense. Regardless, I look forward to reading more about Chaney and Adam.
I normally read clean romance, but this story with no romance was a great read!. I loved the characters, so not perfect, but likable and easy to empathize with. Having a grifter and a fired pastor as the main characters makes for an unusual pair and a unique plot. I guess the favorite part of the book to me is the grace extended to one so undeserving of it; but I guess, that’s the thing with grace–it’s undeserved. The plot is full of clever twists and turns. I highly recommend The Mischief Thief. I plan to read more of The Mosaic Collection and more from Johnnie Alexander. I got my copy through KU.
The Mischief Thief
Being a con artist comes natural to Chaney because she is so use to doing this, but she also has a heart, and feels guilty, and you just have to fall in love with her. And she fits so well with Adam. I love these two characters, with lives that are so different, yet are so good together. I love that Adam is so caring and shows God’s love and forgiveness to Chaney, instead of condemning her for her lifestyle. If only we could all be like him.
This is a different take on a story for Ms. Alexander from her Misty Willow series, which I love so much!!! This is her first time writing a suspense story, and I am so happy I was able to read this book with the Just Read Book Tours. And this is a story about horses. I love horses but don’t read a lot of books about them. I was hooked from the first page of The Mischief Thief, and though I had to read it over a couple of days, I really didnt want to take that much time. This book proves that Johnnie Alexander is an awesome author, no matter what genre she writes. I loved seeing the Johnnie Alexander writing style while reading this book that I know and love from her other books. It is just with this one, there are so many twists and turns to make this one an amazing clean, Christian suspense that anyone can enjoy reading. And I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves good clean books and loves a good suspenseful read. And if you love horses, you will like this one too! It sounds like this is Book one in a series, and I sure hope it is because I would love hearing more from Adam and Chaney! We need some romance going on!!
A special thanks to the author/publisher for a copy of this book. I am not required to write a positive review, the opinions here are mine alone. I am disclosing this with my review in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
Delightful rhetoric between characters, a fun read. “Would-a should-a-could-a’s” and “accidentally-on-purpose” give flavor to the narrative. A “nothing I can do” gesture. Believable inner thoughts and lovely Christian threads woven through both narrative and point of view characters. An intriguing plot and storyline with intriguing mystery elements and likable characters. Kudos to author Johnnie Alexander. I look forward to reading more of her stories and the other authors in the Mosaic Group.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up this book, but let me tell you, I loved every minute of it! This is my first book by Johnnie and definitely won’t be my last! The message behind this story was beautiful. A story of second chances, grace, forgiveness. I loved seeing the character growth in Chaney! And the testimony Adam gave her just by living was inspiring. He didn’t let circumstances get him down, or make him an angry bitter person. He just gave it all to God and continued living a life that showed God’s goodness, a smile on his face. This is a story that definitely kept you hooked from cover to cover, trying to figure out what was going to happen next. The characters were engaging and made you feel the story right along with them. I can’t wait for Johnnie’s next story!
I received this book for an honest review, all opinions are my own.
This new to me author has done a marvelous job with this heart stopping read that will have you on the edge of your seat as Adam and Chaney solve the whodunit mystery. I think the ending will surprise you. It did me.
Alexander has a gift to weave God’s grace and forgiveness into this beautiful story. To me, this is what made the story special.
I really enjoyed getting to know Adam and Chaney so much that I didn’t want to say goodbye!
Even the bad guys are awesome!
I highly recommend this book! You’ll not be able to put it down one you start this book.
My thanks to Just Reads tours for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review for this book. All opinions are my own.
I have been devouring mystery and suspense novels lately and The Mischief Thief is another suspense that grabbed ahold of me and didn’t let go! If life wasn’t so crazy for me right now I’m sure I would’ve finished this novel in one sitting, but even having to pick it up and put it down I could immediately get right back into the story and get lost in this world.
Chaney is a grifter that you can’t help but fall in love with. Pair her with Adam, the ex-pastor with a heart overflowing with grace and forgiveness, and the theft of a prominent race horse, and you’ve got one story that truly has it all. The character development is unparalleled and so true to life…if only more people extended grace like Adam does to Chaney, and his father.
The writing is wonderful, the plot keeps your attention, and you can’t help but continually turn the pages to find out what happens next. Plus, how can you not love a good suspense story involving a horse, am I right? You hate the bad guys and love the good guys, and the ending wasn’t exactly what I had expected, which was a pleasant surprise. I actually told my husband when I read the last sentence, “Aww! What a cute way to end the book!”
Another wonderful addition to The Mosaic Collection, as well as kick off the new series “Rose & Thorne”. I can’t wait to see what other adventures awaits Adam and Chaney!
*I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author and/or publisher through JustRead Tours. All views and opinions are completely honest, and my own.
What a fun read. I liked the nod to Les Miserables in the book blurb which sealed the deal for me reading it as I’m an avid fan of the classics. Also, I thought the storyline sounded fun. The character quickly worked their way into my heart and I had to find out what would happen.
This is book one in a series to come and I can’t wait to pick up the next book. Our two main characters are pretty much polar opposites but a chance encounter and grace extended mean that they are bonded together. As they search to solve a mystery the bond between them grows. Adam’s faith is astounding throughout the book and I loved seeing his character deepen and grow alongside Chaney.
The author does a wonderful job reeling you in and then hooking you with characters that won’t let you leave. Can’t wait for the second book. Highly recommend.
I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from JustRead Publicity Tours. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.
Loved it! In all honestly, I was a bit skeptical as I started. A bit wordy, not quite holding my attention. But as soon as Chaney met Adam, I was hooked. There was the perfect amount of skepticism between the characters, that hint of romance, and as the plot thickened, the suspense just built to keep the pages turning. I love the message of trust, hope and tough love this great read provides. The Mischief Thief is a fabulous addition to the Mosaic Collection and I highly recommend it, as well as Johnnie’s other works.
Her conscience stung as she tucked the box into her bag. Maybe because she was stealing from a minister. Was that a worse sin than robbing a regular person?
Though shouldn’t a minister forgive and forget? He might, but would God?
The Mischief Thief made me smile and it also made me want to cry. My heart was touched by a little girl who had grown up in a family of grifters and had learned at an early age the art of stealing and swindling. I admired her devotion to her cousin Marshall and I was moved by the young girl who had walked past houses at dinnertime and wished that she could be part of those families, instead of the family she had been given. I laughed when a grown-up Chaney Rose was able to convince a guard that she was the wealthy (and very spoiled) new owner of Mischief, the stolen horse that is at the center of this story. Is it any wonder that Chaney’s vehicle is named The Sting?
Author Johnnie Alexander was able to show Chaney’s vulnerabilities even when she was acting her worse and isn’t that the case in real life? Aren’t we all capable of displaying those good/bad qualities? I especially liked minister Adam Thorne because even when he was released from his church duties due to his father’s actions, his Christian witness was still strong. His understanding and grace were exactly what Chaney needed to see!
If you enjoy Christian fiction with a little mystery and a lot of forgiveness and second chances, you will want to read The Mischief Thief. There isn’t an obvious romance between Chaney and Adam but there is a special friendship that could easily deepen into something more. Johnnie Alexander, I am looking forward to another book that will continue this relationship between Chaney and Adam!
I received a complimentary e-book from the author and The Mosaic Collection. I wasn’t obligated to leave a positive review. These are my own thoughts.
I loved the story! A “no account” grifter with a heart of gold! Amazing story of love, friendship, betrayal and faith in God! Can’t wait for book 2!!
The Mischief Thief (Rose & Thorne #1) by Johnnie Alexander
Okay with this book I didn’t know what to expect at first but I had a filled day reading it. The unexpected and uncanny collaboration between a con artist and a minister, the irony still makes me chuckle.
Chaney whose deep need for family and her greatest fear of spaces makes her do whatever it takes to recuse her cousin from jail since she’s riddled with guilt that she put him in there. The irony of her life is that beyond all that “bad” she is surprisingly good and sweet.
Adam, a minister was given the boots when a situation involving his father was the perfect opportunity the church council needed to fire him. That feeling of helplessness he just experienced prompted him to extend grace to this girl who both intrigued him and was caught by the police for breaking into his house.
When reading this I was willing a romantic connection but alas I got the memo that this was not that but a connection equally as deep filling the need for family and trust. Adam was patient and was able to discern the heart of Chaney.
I had a pause and think moment when Chaney was contemplating her origin as drifters, hum! how does my origin affect me a person and can I change it?
The feeling of connection to people that love you for who you are and seek only better for you in a gift more precious than gold for it makes the soul find rest and stay grounded.
The Mischief Thief allows me see how Grace and mercy is needed in my world and how I can choose to extend mercy and grace to others.
My thanks to the author and The Mosaic collection for a copy of this book. The opinion in this review is my own
The Mischief Thief is a page turner, and I’m glad I had a day to sit and relish every page in one sitting. The author indicates the plot is inspired by a fusion of Les Miserables and Leverage, and she hit the nail on the head. Chaney Rose is a thief with a conscience and has a loyalty streak a mile wide. Both characteristics create more than a few problems for her. Adam Thorne has the rug pulled out from under him by church people, yet he manages to cling to trust in God. A gracious, giving man who puts feet to his faith, he shows mercy to Chaney, something she’s never experienced. Their journey to find the horse named Mischief and Adam’s father is filled with thrills and chills. Messages of forgiveness, God’s grace, and second chances are woven through the story without being preachy. Although he doesn’t appear in the book until quite late, I loved Adam’s dad. A steady, forthright, and compassionate man. As Nate Ford from Leverage says, “Sometimes the bad guys make the best good guys.” Highly recommended.
The Mischief Thief (The Mosaic Collection) (Rose & Thorne Book 1) “The Mischief Thief” was a delight. I mostly read romance, but this book had so much mystery and heart that I found myself turning pages way into the night until I found out how it would end! I should always know that anything Johnnie Alexander writes will be in top form! Chaney and Adam are great characters, and I’m quite anxious to see where this series leads now that I know that “Rose and Thorne” ARE the characters! If you like a good mystery, check out “The Mischief Thief.” You will be so glad you did!
A cute story about two mismatched people trying to save a horse named Mischief. Chaney Rose is a con artist and Adam Thorne is a minister, but circumstance throws them together. I enjoyed their story and loved how they were protecting the horse from the bad guys.
Ms. Alexander presents thought-provoking dilemmas, and wisdom as the story unfolds. I love her references to Les Misérables as this is one of my favorite dramas. The priest is Les Mis is willing to help someone begin a new life by offering forgiveness. Adam is very much like this priest.
The story is well written, and the characters are compelling. This book is perfect for anyone wanting to read a wholesome romance with mystery and suspense.
I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
By: Sharon Rene