A master spy and a beautiful thief find love and intrigue in each other’s arms. . . Forced to do the bidding of a corrupt government minister, Marianne de Bonnard agrees to plant incriminating evidence in the offices of France’s most notorious spymaster. Under cover of night, the tightrope-walking thief puts her skills to good use—until her aerial stunt is foiled when her target appears in the … appears in the window and, with consummate poise, helps Marianne off the wire and into his lair. The tremors that run through her body are not just from fear; there’s an unwanted frisson of desire there, too. But is it because of her elegant, wickedly handsome host . . . or his proposition?
Nicolas Valette has had plans for his graceful trespasser since he witnessed her unique skills at the Cirque Olympique. Sinuous as a cat, Marianne is perfect for his next mission, but she refuses his generous offer for fear of disobeying her family’s tormenter. When their mutual enemy auctions off her virginity to the highest bidder, Nicolas leaps at the chance to purchase her cooperation. Keeping her will be like trying to tame a wild animal, but what’s life without a little risk? Besides, Nicolas and Marianne both want the same thing: revenge—and, perhaps, something else that’s equally delicious.
Praise for To Steal a Heart
“[To Steal a Heart] is rich with espionage and suspense. Multidimensional believable characters and fast-paced plotting propel the story forward to its moving conclusion.”—Publishers Weekly
“The writing and characterization are superb, the romance is hot, snarky and tender and the hero is delicious. I couldn’t ask for much more in an historical romance and I’m eagerly awaiting whatever Ms. Bateman comes up with next.”—All About Romance
“The sexual chemistry between the two built so steadily that I thought I would go up in flames if they didn’t stop battling each other and give in to their needs.”—Kilts and Swords
“A memorable entry into the world of historical romance . . . Secret agents and steamy sensuality join forces and ignite the pages.”—Jenerated Reviews
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Spies and mayhem. A prison escape caused a page-turning, stay-up-late frenzy. Loved it!
Awesome tale of France & England as they interacted during their wars! Also The love story was sweet as well. Really Enjoyed this book!!
This is the best book I’ve read in a long time. The characters jump off the pages. You never know what will happen next. Just divine a musst read
(2.5 rounded up)
Set in a fractious period of French history, our heroine made for an intriguing character. A former aristocrat turned cirque performer and thief, Marianne is just trying to get by and protect her younger sister Sophie. Nicolas is an accomplished spy with his eyes set on revenge.
It has been a while since I’ve read a historical romance based outside England so this was a treat. Gritty Paris in the grips of revolution was an interesting backdrop for Marianne and Nicolas. Honestly, Marianne was my absolute favorite. Her sarcasm and snark often made me laugh out loud, especially when Nic has said something particularly obnoxious. The sexual tension between the two and Marianne’s slow acceptance of her feelings proved to be an engaging rollercoaster of emotion.
I was thoroughly engaged and excited for the caper but when Nicolas takes it upon himself to train Marianne the book started to slow for me. Marianne is expected to operate on a need-to-know basis with virtually no information. Sure, he is a spy and I suppose that could be expected but Nic’s enigmatic persona and his high-handedness started to grate on me. While we do get both POV’s I didn’t notice a real pattern to the changes. It wasn’t, one chapter Marianne and the next Nicolas. Readers spent the bulk of their time with Marianne, guessing at Nic’s feelings/position.
Nicolas gave zero tells during Marianne’s POV. Even as an experienced romance reader, I was left feeling cold and unattached. As written, Marianne had no clue that Nic had feelings for her which made his eventual declaration fall flat for me. His pseudo-vendetta against Napoleon was shaky at best. I’m no stranger to alpha characters but this one just didn’t fit the bill for me. The age gap was a bit steep, 19 and 35, and it made the power imbalance pretty much insurmountable.
Overall, I like Marianne and the atypical job she brings to the story. I think Nic could have used a lesson in communication. Even if he received a D, he may have picked up some tricks to bring more to this relationship with Marianne. Not my favorite of Bateman’s but you can’t please every reader.
CW: Violence, sexual assault
Great way to pass the time while keeping safe.
Thoroughly enjoyed!
Loved it!
Marianne de Bonnard high wire artiste at the Cirque Olympique in Paris has been blackmailed for years by Duval a corrupt government minister, she agrees to plant incriminating evidence in the offices of France’s most notorious spymaster, in fact she’d agree to almost anything to keep her sister Sophie safe. Under cover of night, the tightrope-walking thief puts her skills to good use, that is until her aerial stunt is foiled when her target appears in the window and, with consummate poise, helps Marianne off the wire and into his lair.& he has been watching her for over a year
Nicolas Valette has had plans for his graceful trespasser. Marianne is perfect for his next mission, but she refuses his generous offer for fear of disobeying her family’s tormenter. When their mutual enemy auctions off her virginity to the highest bidder, Nicolas leaps at the chance to purchase her cooperation. He bids a ridiculously high price for her & has to do the same for her sister when she is also auctioned. Marianne agrees to help Nic on his mission to rescue a prisoner.
Everything doesn’t go smoothly, there’s a flight across France & encounters with smugglers. Nic & Marianne are so attracted to each other but fight it. The verbal interaction is lively & very entertaining.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book, the plot was very well paced & certainly kept me turning the pages. The characters were well drawn & certainly weren’t two dimensional. The chemistry between Nic & Marianne was scorching. Marianne was strong willed but Nic pushed her to her limit in training for the assignment. Nic absolutely gorgeous. A very good first novel & I look forward to the other two books in the series
Outstanding storytelling. A cut above all other writers. Look for more wonderful stories by this author. A don’t miss book!