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KÖNYVPROFIL
Megjelenés
ideje: 2019. január 7.
Oldalak
száma: 320
Fülszöveg:
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.
*A
recenziós példányt az írónő és a Candi Kane PR biztosította egy őszinte
értékelésért cserébe.*
Ez
a könyv... Ez a könyv a tökéletes kezdése a 2019-es évnek. Úristen, szavakkal
egyszerűen képtelen vagyok kifejezni, hogy mennyire is szerettem ezt a könyvet.
Megmosolyogtatott.
Nagyon
megsiratott.
EZ
A LEGESLEGJOBB KÖNYV, AMIT AZ ÍRÓNŐTŐL OLVASHATTAM.
A
szívem.
Szegény
szívem.
Az
érzéseim.
Tuti
tipp, mielőtt elkezditek olvasni: győződjetek meg róla, hogy van kb. egy 100
darabos papírzsebkendő a közeletekben. Nem, még talán ez is kevés. Biztos
ami biztos, legyen 200. Vagy több.
10000000000%-ig
biztos vagyok benne, hogy imádni fogjátok ezt a könyvet. Nagyon-nagyon tudom
mindenkinek ajánlani. ♥
“Francesca
Rossi, you’re even prettier than you were last summer.”
“You
always say that.”
“And
I always mean it. I’m not in the habit of wasting words.”
Ez a könyv kívül-belül tökéletes. Csak nézzetek rá erre a fantasztikusan gyönyörűséges borítóra. ♥ Amikor L. J. Shen először bejelentette a The Kiss Thief megjelenését, akkor azt mondta, hogy ez a könyv más lesz, mint amit tőle megszokhattunk. Minden szempontból más, és ez a borítóra is érvényes. És tényleg az. Nagyon más, mint a többi, de nekem lehet pont ezért tetszik. Annyira imádom a színeket, magát az egész kompozíciót, annyira csajos-hercegnős lett. ♥ Nem lett túl csicsás, semmi sincs túlzásban, ez így tökéletes ahogy van, és nem is tudnék jobbat elképzelni ehhez a történethez. Az írónő már a borítóval, fülszöveggel és a kis előzetesekkel és képekkel megvett magának, és amikor elkezdtem olvasni a regényt, akkor csak még jobban elkápráztatott. L. J. Shen egy hatalmas tehetség, akire érdemes odafigyelni és olvasni az alkotásait. Főleg, ha szeretitek a romantikus regényeket, mert akkor szerintem ő lesz az egyik legkedvencebb írónőtök.
Most pedig térjünk is rá magának a kötetnek a cselekményére.
“Kiss-thieving
wouldn’t go on my list of gentlemanly things to do, either.”
“You
kissed me very willingly, Nemesis.”
“Before
I knew who you were, Villian.”
A The Kiss Thief női főszereplője Francesca Rossi egy tizenkilenc éves gyönyörű, okos, kedves, elbűvölő fiatal hölgy. Francesca elérte azt az életkort, amikor már a The Outfit szerint házasodhat, és nekik az is a normális, ha egy nő fiatalon férjhez megy és elkezd családot alapítani, nem pedig az, hogy továbbtanul, munkát szerez, amiben sikeres is. Nekik a legeslegfontosabb a hagyomány és ennek a követése és megtartása. A The Outfit vezetője pedig a lány édesapja, akinek ő az egyetlen gyermeke, a legjobbat akarja neki, viszont elvárja tőle, hogy ő is kövesse a hagyományt. Francesca nagyon tiszteli az édesapját és az egész családját, viszont az egyetem igenis nagy álma, azonban nem akar csalódást okozni a nekik, így elveti ezt a lehetőséget, és házasságra készül.
Maga a történet a bállal kezdődik, ahol a lánynak megvan az esélye arra, hogy a The Outfit egyedülálló férfi tagjai közül kiválassza magának a párját, viszont ő már tudja is, hogy kit szeretne a jövendőbeli férjének. Azonban az egész történet során nagy szerepet játszik egy fából faragott doboz is, amelyben három rövidke üzenet található, és ezek azt a célt szolgálják, hogy a nők ezeknek a segítségével megtalálják a megfelelő társukat.
Francesca egész élete során nem igazán volt kapcsolatban férfiakkal, így ezen a téren tapasztalatlan. Az első üzenet viszont azt állítja, hogy élete szerelemétől fogja kapni a legelső csókját, szóval már izgatottan várja ezt az éjszakát. Azonban ezt a bizonyos első csókot nagyon is trükkösen ellopják tőle, méghozzá nem is akárki, hanem Senator Wolfe Keaton...
Vita mia, what is love without a little risk?
A történet férfi főszereplője a harminc éves Senator Wolfe Keaton aki Chicago egyik legsikeresebb embere. Határozott, céltudatos, intelligens, minden nő álma. Nagy esélye van arra, hogy egyszer az Amerika Egyesült Államok elnöke legyen, és az az egyik legnagyobb célja, hogy ezt valóra is váltsa. Francesca és ő a bálon találkoznak legelőször, de egyáltalán nem utoljára, hiszen kettejük élete hamarosan, de tényleg nagyon hamar, sokkal jobban összefonódik. Wolfe azzal a bizonyos csókkal megpecsételte mindkettejük életét, és nem csak Francesca első csókját lopta el ekkor, hanem bizony a szabadságát is, már már másnap ő nem csak egyszerűen Francesca Rossi, hanem egyben Senator Wolfe Keaton jegyese.
Hogy miért pont őt választotta Wolfe? Mi van a háttérben? És mi történik, amikor mindenre fény derül? Megtudhatjátok, ha elolvassátok L. J. Shen The Kiss Thief című alkotását. Bízzatok bennem, nagyon, de nagyon, de nagyon megéri időt szakítani rá. Nem fogjátok megbánni, ha elolvassátok.
I
sucked in a breath, realizing for the first time what we were.
A
story of a Nemesis and a Villian 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.
Őszintén megmondva, eleinte picit féltem ettől az egész szerelmi háromszöges dologtól, de L. J. Shen, csakúgy mint mindent, ezt is remekül kidolgozta, nagyon jól fel volt építve. De most komolyan, van olyan, amit Leigh nem jól csinál? Zseniális ez a nő.
Én is szerelemes lettem mindkettejükbe.
A szívem majd megszakadt.
Elképesztően érzelmes ez a kötet.
Nagyon durván megsiratott. Főleg egy bizonyos jelent, de szerintem ha elolvassátok ott nektek sem marad a szemetek szárazon. Nem véletlenül írtam fentebb is, hogy kelleni fog a zsebkendő. Rengeteg érzelmet váltott ki belőlem. L. J. Shen az az írónő, akinek eddig az összes alkotása amit olvastam az mindig megsiratott. Mindig összetörte a szívemet. Apró, nagyon pici darabokra. És amikor ez megtörtén, akkor azt hittem, hogy nem lesz képes visszailleszteni a helyeikre ezeket a darabkákat. De megtette, nagyon is sikerült neki. És mindig hatalmas mosollyal az arcomon fejeztem be a regényeinek az olvasását. Ugyanez történt a The Kiss Thief olvasása során is nálam. Annál a bizonyos jelentnél mindkét karakterért megszakadt a szívem, ott nagyon sírtam, szerintem ez az érzelmi csúcspontja a kötetnek. De szerintem ez az "esemény" nagyon is sokat változtat a karaktereken, és ettől kezdve csak még érzelmesebb az egész. A vége pedig... Ohh. ♥
A legelső betűtől a legutolsóig imádom.
Angelo:
It was always you, goddess.
Az írónő írásmódja egyszerűen varázslatosan szép. Lenyűgöző. Imádom az ő könyveit olvasni, mindig annyira gyönyörűségesen vannak megfogalmazva a mondatai és elképesztően jól van felépítve maga a történet is. Leigh minden egyes alkotásával csak egyre jobban bebizonyítja azt, hogy mennyire is tehetséges. Az ő könyveiben mindig annyira sok kedvenc idézetet jelölök meg, és ez most is így történt. Rengeteg lett, nehéz is volt kiválasztani, hogy melyeket rakjam bele most az értékelésembe.
Szóval, a borító szemgyönyörködtetően gyönyörűséges, a történet zseniálisan jó és minden nagyon a helyén van, a karakterei pedig... El sem tudom mondani, hogy mennyire nagyszerűek.
“Would
you like the secret to disarming Wolfe Keaton, my dear girl?”
(…)
“Yes,” I heard myself say.
“Love
him. He will be defenseless against your love.”
Francesca egyáltalán nem az, akinek az olvasó gondolná. Eleinte úgy látjuk őt, mint egy tökéletes, ugyanakkor egy picit naív hercegnő, aki mindenkinek engedelmeskedik, illedelmes, semmi rosszat nem tesz. Azonban ő ennél sokkal, de sokkal több, és ezt a cselekmény előrehaladtával ő be is bizonyítja. Sokkal önállóbb, függetlenebb és találékonyabb ő annál, mint aminek elsőnek hinnénk. Egyáltalán nem olyan ártatlan, mint amilyennek ő látszik, sőt, a történet vége felé már igazán harcos is, kiáll magáért, megmutatja, hogy milyen erős is ő valójában. Nekem jelenleg ő a legkedvencebb főhősnőm L. J. Shen könyveinek női főszereplői közül.
Wolfe Keaton... Ohhh úristen! ♥ Készüljetek fel, mert Wolfe el fogja rabolni a szíveteket és nem fogja visszaadni nektek. Wolfe az elején, sőt egy jó ideig egészen titokzatos, nem sokmindent tudhatunk meg róla. Nekem mindig a titokzatosabb karakterek a legnagyobb kedvenceim, szóval nekem Wolfe is instant szerelem volt. ♥
Angelo pedig... Ő is egy tökéletes könyves álompasi. ♥ Nagyon-nagyon-nagyon-nagyon remélem, hogy egyszer neki is fog esélyt adni Leigh és megírja az ő történetét is, mert én nagyon kíváncsi vagyok rá, és biztosan elolvasnám. Imádtam ezt a férfit, annyira édes, imádnivaló és ahhh. ♥ Tökéletes. Egyszerűen tökéletes.
Is
it you that I love. It is you whom I want. It is you whom makes living a
spectacular thing I want to experience, rather than participate in reluctantly,
every day.
Mindent figyelembe véve, L. J. Shen The Kiss Thief című regénye a 2019-es év egyik legjobbika, és szerintem ebben az évben meg is fogja tartani ezt a pozícióját, nehéz lesz ezt felülmúlni. Már több könyvet is sikerült az írónőtől olvasnom, és bátran ki merem jelenteni, hogy eddig ez a legeslegjobb, amit tőle olvastam. A The Kiss Thief egy történelmi romantikus modern köntösbe öltöztetve egy maffiás és egy kényszerházasságos szállal megfűszerezve. Nem egy tipikus tündérmese, sokkal, de sokkal több annál.
Hat csillagos kedvencem lett. ♥ Nagyon őszintén tudom ajánlani minden romantikakedvelőnek.
BELEOLVASÓ
“Are
you sure you’re on my card?” I turned to the man with a polite yet distant
smile. I was still disoriented from the exchange with Angelo when the stranger
pulled me against his hard body and pressed a possessive hand lower than
socially acceptable on my back, a second from groping my butt.
“Answer
me,” I hissed.
“My
bid on your card was the highest,” he replied dryly.
“The
bids are undisclosed. You don’t know how much other people have paid,” I kept
my lips pursed to keep myself from yelling.
“I
know it’s nowhere near the realm of what this dance is worth.”
Un-freaking-believable.
We
began to waltz around the room as other couples were not only spinning and
mingling but also stealing envious glances at us. Naked, raw ogles that told me
that whomever the blonde he’d come to the masquerade with was, she wasn’t his
wife. And that I might have been all the rage in The Outfit, but the rude man
was in high demand, too.
I
was stiff and cold in his arms, but he didn’t seem to notice—or mind. He knew how
to waltz better than most men, but he was technical, and lacked warmth and
Angelo’s playfulness.
“Nemesis.”
He took me by surprise, his rapacious gaze stripping me bare. “Distributing
glee and dealing misery. Seems at odds with the submissive girl who entertained
Bishop and his horsey wife at the table.”
I
choked on my own saliva. Did he just call the governor’s wife horsey? And me
submissive? I looked away, ignoring the addictive scent of his cologne, and the
way his marble body felt against mine.
“Nemesis
is my spirit animal. She was the one to lure Narcissus to a pool where he saw
his own reflection and died of vanity. Pride is a terrible illness.” I flashed
him a taunting smirk.
“Some
of us could use catching it.” He bared his straight white teeth.
“Arrogance
is a disease. Compassion is the cure. Most gods didn’t like Nemesis, but that’s
because she had a backbone.”
“Do
you?” He arched a dark eyebrow.
“Do
I…?” I blinked, the courteous grin on my face crumpling. He was even ruder when
we were alone.
“Have
a backbone,” he provided. He stared at me so boldly and intimately, it felt
like he breathed fire into my soul. I wanted to step out of his touch and jump
into a pool full of ice.
“Of
course, I do,” I responded, my spine stiffening. “What’s with the manners? Were
you raised by wild coyotes?”
“Give
me an example,” he said, ignoring my quip. I was beginning to draw away from
him, but he jerked me back into his arms. The glitzy ballroom distorted into a
backdrop, and even though I was starting to notice that the man behind the
demi-mask was unusually beautiful, the ugliness of his behavior was the only
thing that stood out.
I
am a warrior and a lady…and a sane person who can deal with this horrid man.
“I
really like Angelo Bandini.” I dropped my voice, slicing my gaze from his eyes
and toward the table where Angelo’s family had been seated. My father was
sitting a few seats away, staring at us coldly, surrounded by Made Men who
chatted away.
“And
see, in my family, we have a tradition dating back ten generations. Prior to
her wedding, a Rossi bride is to open a wooden chest—carved and made by a witch
who lived in my ancestors’ Italian village—and read three notes written to her
by the last Rossi girl to marry. It’s kind of a good luck charm mixed with a
talisman and a bit of fortunetelling. I stole the chest tonight and opened one
of the notes, all so I could rush fate. It said that tonight I was going to be
kissed by the love of my life, and well…” I drew my lower lip into my mouth and
sucked it, peering under my eyelashes at Angelo’s empty seat. The man stared at
me stoically, as though I was a foreign film he couldn’t understand. “I’m going
to kiss him tonight.”
“That’s
your backbone?”
“When
I have an ambition, I go for it.”
A
conceited frown crinkled his mask, as if to say I was a complete and utter
moron. I looked him straight in the eye. My father taught me that the best way
to deal with men like him was to confront, not run. Because, this man? He’d
chase.
A THE KISS THIEF A MOLYON
A THE
KISS THIEF A GOODREADS-EN
A THE KISS THIEF INNEN BESZEREZHETŐ
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BOOK
PROFILE
Publishing
date: January 7th, 2019
Print
lenght: 320
Blurb:
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.
*ARC
was kindly provided by the author and Candi Kane PR in exchange for an honest
review.*
This book...
It's the best to start 2019 with The Kiss Thief. OMG, I can't even tell you how
freaking fantastic it is.
I
smiled so much.
I
cried so much.
IT
IS THE BEST L. J. SHEN BOOK I HAVE READ SO FAR.
My
heart.
My
poor heart.
My
emotions.
Pro
tip before you start reading it: make sure you have like 100 tissue paper
around you. Scratch that. Make it 200. Or more.
I'm
10000000000% sure you will love this book. I can very-very highly recommend it.
“Francesca
Rossi, you’re even prettier than you were last summer.”
“You
always say that.”
“And
I always mean it. I’m not in the habit of wasting words.”
This novel is super beautiful inside and outside too. Just look at that fantastic and gorgeous cover. ♥ When L. J. Shen first announced the release of The Kiss Thief, she said that this book will be a different one in every way, and because of that, the cover will be a little bit more different than we are used to from Leigh. And it is. It is so different than the others, but maybe that's why I really love it. I absolutely adore the colours, the style of this book cover, it is really girly-princessy. ♥ Also, it is not too fancy, it is perfect and I can not imagine anything better for this story. She already amazed me with this cover, the blurb and the little teasers and I was totally blown away when I started reading the story itself. L. J. Shen is a super talented author and she really deserves all the attention she gets and a lot more. I can highly recommend you all of her books if you are a romance reader, I think she will be your new favourite author.
And now, let's jump into the story.
“Kiss-thieving
wouldn’t go on my list of gentlemanly things to do, either.”
“You
kissed me very willingly, Nemesis.”
“Before
I knew who you were, Villian.”
The heroine of the story is the nineteen years of Francesca Rossi. She is a clever, beautiful, kind and amazing young lady. She reached that age when, according to The Outfit, she can get married, and for them it is normal if a woman gets married and start a family while she is very young, and they don't really support women going to college or university and to have a job and being successful in it. For them, tradition is one of the most important thing, and they encourage their children to follow their rules too.
The leader of The Outfit is Francesca's father, she is an only child, and he wants the best for her, but he also wants her to follow the rules and get married as soon as possible. Francesca respects her father and her family, however, one of her biggest dream is to go to college and get a real job, but she also doesn't want to disappoint anyone, so she is planning to find a husband.
The story begins with a masquerade party, where she can find the perfect husband out of The Outfit's single members, but she already know who she wants. In the story, a wooden box has a huge role, because in it, there are three little messages and they serve to help find women their true love.
So far, Francesca did not really have any kind of relationship with men, so she is unexperienced. The first message says that the love of her life will kiss her that night, so she is so excited for this party. However, that first kiss of hers is stolen by someone, and he is Senator Wolfe Keaton...
Vita mia, what is love without a little risk?
The hero of this story is the thirty years old Senator Wolfe Keaton, who is Chicago's most desirable man. He is very intelligent, good-looking, determined, he knows what he wants and he always get what he wants. He is every woman's dream. And also, he is most likely to be the next president in the United States of America. It is one of his biggest dreams, and he really wants to make this come true. He and Francesca firstly meet in the masquerade party, but it is not their last meeting, because not so later, their lives are interweaved in a deeper level. With that stole kiss, Wolfe not only stole her first one, but he also stole her freedom too, because from now on, she in not only Francesca Rossi, but the fiancée of Senator Wolfe Keaton.
Why did he choose her? What is behind his decision? What happens, when the truth is revealed? You can find out if you read The Kiss Thief by L. J. Shen. Trust me, it is really-really-really worth it. You won't regret reading it.
I
sucked in a breath, realizing for the first time what we were.
A
story of a Nemesis and a Villian 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.
To be honest, at first, I was kinda afraid of this whole love triangle thing, but L. J. Shen did amazing with it, just as with everything, it is really well-written. But honestly, is there anything that Leigh can not write? I don't think so. She is a genious.
I fell in love with both of them.
My heart is broken.
This book is super emotional.
I cried hard. Like that ugly cry type of cry. There was a scene which really made me cry, and I am pretty sure that if you will read it will also make you cry. As I have already mentioned above, you will need a lot of tissue paper while you are reading this novel. L. J. Shen is the author whose books always make me cry. These books always shatter my heart into tiny pieces, and I am not sure that it can be fixed. But as the story progresses, she manages to put these pieces back into their places and I always finish these novels with a big smile on my face. That's exactly what happend when I was reading The Kiss Thief too. While I was reading that scene I mentioned, I was crying so hard, my heart broke for both of these characters for different reasons. But in my opinion, this "event" make them change a lot too, and from now on, the story is even more emotional. And at the end... Ohh! ♥
I love it from the very first letter to the very last one.
Angelo:
It was always you, goddess.
Leigh's writing style is absolutely magically beautiful. Captivating. I really adore reading her novels, she always write so beautiful sentences, the story is always well-built. She, with every of her new releases proves that she is a really talented author. When I am reading one of her books, I always mark lots and lost of quotes, and it is so hard to decide which ones should I include in my reviews. This happened with The Kiss Thief too, there are so many amazing scenes in this novel.
All things considered, the cover is super stunning and eye-catching, the story is genious and her characters... I can't even tell you how amazing they are.
“Would
you like the secret to disarming Wolfe Keaton, my dear girl?”
(…)
“Yes,” I heard myself say.
“Love
him. He will be defenseless against your love.”
Francesca is a lot more than you think about her at first. When the story begins, we can think that she is like a perfect but at the same time a little bit naive princess, who is obedient, well-behaved, she does not do anything wrong. But she is a lot, like really lot more than that person. She is a lot more independent, strong. She is not that innocent, and we can see as the story progresses that she is really badass and a fighter, and she also shows that how fierce she is. Personally, she is my biggest favourite heroine from all of L. J. Shen's novels.
Wolfe Keaton... Ohhh OMG! ♥ Be ready, Wolfe will steal your heart and he won't give it back to you. At the beginning of the book, and for a long time, Wolfe is a little bit mysterious, we don't really know a lot of things about him, we really get to know him with Francesca. My biggest favourites are always the mysterious characters, so Wolfe was an instant love for me. ♥
And Angelo... Ohh, he is also a perfect book boyfriend! ♥ I really-really-really-really hope that Leigh will give him a chance and some day she will write her story too. Pretty please? I am so curious, I would definitely read his book too. I adore him so much, he is so sweet and adorable and ahh. ♥ Perfect. Simply perfect.
Is
it you that I love. It is you whom I want. It is you whom makes living a
spectacular thing I want to experience, rather than participate in reluctantly,
every day.
Taking everything into account, The Kiss Thief by L. J. Shen is one of the best reads in 2019, and I think it will keep its place in this list of mine, because it is really an unforgettable story and I already want to reread it. I have already read several books by Leigh and I really do think that so far, this novel is her best work. It is truly a masterpiece. The Kiss Thief is a historical romance set in the modern days, it is not your typical fairytale, it is a lot more than that.
Six stars favourite. ♥ I can really honestly recommend it to every romance reader.
EXCERPT
“Are
you sure you’re on my card?” I turned to the man with a polite yet distant
smile. I was still disoriented from the exchange with Angelo when the stranger
pulled me against his hard body and pressed a possessive hand lower than
socially acceptable on my back, a second from groping my butt.
“Answer
me,” I hissed.
“My
bid on your card was the highest,” he replied dryly.
“The
bids are undisclosed. You don’t know how much other people have paid,” I kept
my lips pursed to keep myself from yelling.
“I
know it’s nowhere near the realm of what this dance is worth.”
Un-freaking-believable.
We
began to waltz around the room as other couples were not only spinning and
mingling but also stealing envious glances at us. Naked, raw ogles that told me
that whomever the blonde he’d come to the masquerade with was, she wasn’t his
wife. And that I might have been all the rage in The Outfit, but the rude man
was in high demand, too.
I
was stiff and cold in his arms, but he didn’t seem to notice—or mind. He knew how
to waltz better than most men, but he was technical, and lacked warmth and
Angelo’s playfulness.
“Nemesis.”
He took me by surprise, his rapacious gaze stripping me bare. “Distributing
glee and dealing misery. Seems at odds with the submissive girl who entertained
Bishop and his horsey wife at the table.”
I
choked on my own saliva. Did he just call the governor’s wife horsey? And me
submissive? I looked away, ignoring the addictive scent of his cologne, and the
way his marble body felt against mine.
“Nemesis
is my spirit animal. She was the one to lure Narcissus to a pool where he saw
his own reflection and died of vanity. Pride is a terrible illness.” I flashed
him a taunting smirk.
“Some
of us could use catching it.” He bared his straight white teeth.
“Arrogance
is a disease. Compassion is the cure. Most gods didn’t like Nemesis, but that’s
because she had a backbone.”
“Do
you?” He arched a dark eyebrow.
“Do
I…?” I blinked, the courteous grin on my face crumpling. He was even ruder when
we were alone.
“Have
a backbone,” he provided. He stared at me so boldly and intimately, it felt
like he breathed fire into my soul. I wanted to step out of his touch and jump
into a pool full of ice.
“Of
course, I do,” I responded, my spine stiffening. “What’s with the manners? Were
you raised by wild coyotes?”
“Give
me an example,” he said, ignoring my quip. I was beginning to draw away from
him, but he jerked me back into his arms. The glitzy ballroom distorted into a
backdrop, and even though I was starting to notice that the man behind the
demi-mask was unusually beautiful, the ugliness of his behavior was the only
thing that stood out.
I
am a warrior and a lady…and a sane person who can deal with this horrid man.
“I
really like Angelo Bandini.” I dropped my voice, slicing my gaze from his eyes
and toward the table where Angelo’s family had been seated. My father was
sitting a few seats away, staring at us coldly, surrounded by Made Men who
chatted away.
“And
see, in my family, we have a tradition dating back ten generations. Prior to
her wedding, a Rossi bride is to open a wooden chest—carved and made by a witch
who lived in my ancestors’ Italian village—and read three notes written to her
by the last Rossi girl to marry. It’s kind of a good luck charm mixed with a
talisman and a bit of fortunetelling. I stole the chest tonight and opened one
of the notes, all so I could rush fate. It said that tonight I was going to be
kissed by the love of my life, and well…” I drew my lower lip into my mouth and
sucked it, peering under my eyelashes at Angelo’s empty seat. The man stared at
me stoically, as though I was a foreign film he couldn’t understand. “I’m going
to kiss him tonight.”
“That’s
your backbone?”
“When
I have an ambition, I go for it.”
A
conceited frown crinkled his mask, as if to say I was a complete and utter
moron. I looked him straight in the eye. My father taught me that the best way
to deal with men like him was to confront, not run. Because, this man? He’d
chase.
THE
KISS THIEF ON GOODREADS
PURCHASE
THE KISS THIEF
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Audio
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AUTHOR
LINKS
Website:
http://www.authorljshen.com/
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Teasers and pictures used in the header and in the review are not mine. Credits to the owners.
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