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The House of Steele #2
The London Deception
The House of Steele works for the good guys—but sometimes it's hard to tell heroes from villains…
The beautiful former thief had never met a lock she couldn't pick. Although Rowan Steele is now legit, she handles some of the family's most dangerous assignments. When she agrees to safeguard an ancient treasure, her heart—as well as her life—may be the price.
His outlaw days roaming the streets of London are behind him. Now Finn Gallagher's expert eyes authenticate the treasures he used to steal. When a major antiquities cache is threatened, he recruits Rowan to join him. Together, he figures, they can keep anything safe. Until an old enemy raises the stakes…
The beautiful former thief had never met a lock she couldn't pick. Although Rowan Steele is now legit, she handles some of the family's most dangerous assignments. When she agrees to safeguard an ancient treasure, her heart—as well as her life—may be the price.
His outlaw days roaming the streets of London are behind him. Now Finn Gallagher's expert eyes authenticate the treasures he used to steal. When a major antiquities cache is threatened, he recruits Rowan to join him. Together, he figures, they can keep anything safe. Until an old enemy raises the stakes…
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 2013
11 people are currently reading
84 people want to read
About the author
Addison Fox
145 books373 followersAddison Fox can’t remember a time when words weren’t a part of her life. In addition to being an avid reader, she loves writing novels about strong-willed and exciting heroes and heroines – individuals who are meant for each other and who deserve their happy ever after. After she makes them work for it, of course!
First published in 2010, Addison has written across romance genres including paranormal, contemporary and romantic suspense. A romantic at heart, she’ll take her heroes any way she can get them – from ancient warriors to computer geeks to sexy cowboys. She’s not picky - but she is deeply grateful her readers are willing to come along for the ride.
Addison lives in New York. You can find her at her home on the web at www.addisonfox.com or on Facebook (facebook.com/addisonfoxauthor) and Twitter (@addisonfox).
The House of Steele series for Harlequin Romantic Suspense launches in July with THE PARIS ASSIGNMENT.
And two new stories in the Alaskan Nights series will be out - FROM THIS MOMENT ON (Penguin eNovella, July) and JUST IN TIME (Aug).
Addison lives in Dallas. She loves to get email from readers.
First published in 2010, Addison has written across romance genres including paranormal, contemporary and romantic suspense. A romantic at heart, she’ll take her heroes any way she can get them – from ancient warriors to computer geeks to sexy cowboys. She’s not picky - but she is deeply grateful her readers are willing to come along for the ride.
Addison lives in New York. You can find her at her home on the web at www.addisonfox.com or on Facebook (facebook.com/addisonfoxauthor) and Twitter (@addisonfox).
The House of Steele series for Harlequin Romantic Suspense launches in July with THE PARIS ASSIGNMENT.
And two new stories in the Alaskan Nights series will be out - FROM THIS MOMENT ON (Penguin eNovella, July) and JUST IN TIME (Aug).
Addison lives in Dallas. She loves to get email from readers.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 9, 2013
This was an exciting book to read, from the time Rowan and Finn met as teenagers to their reunion and romance as adults. They met as teenagers when both attempted to steal a priceless bracelet from the same house. Rowan never saw Finn's face as he was masked, and was horrified when he was shot during their escape. She never knew what happened to him until they met again. Finn has gone to her for help protecting an Egyptian treasure. When attacks on them escalate Finn and Rowan will have to depend on each other to protect the treasure and themselves.
I really liked Rowan. The book opens with her as a sixteen year old thief. She steals as a way to cope with the loss of her parents, even though she knows it's wrong. This time she is stopped by another thief who is after the same thing. When a third group of thieves shows up, she and the stranger work together to escape. There is something about him that appeals to her. During their escape he is shot and sends her on ahead. The event makes her take a long look at what she's doing and she makes immediate changes. She spends the next twelve years wondering what happened to him and feeling guilty. When Finn hires her company, specifically her, to help him protect the treasures he is to authenticate there is something about him that seems familiar. When she discovers why she is furious with him for never letting her know he was okay. She also discovers that the old attraction is still alive and well and much more intense. I loved seeing them work together as they tried to figure out who was behind the trouble. I also loved the fact that Rowan is very capable on her own, that she's not dependent on Finn for protection. She's had a very successful career that has taken her into some risky situations and she's proud of that fact. At one point she even says "I'm sick to death of reading stories where the man has to swoop in to save the woman. ... All I'm saying is why can't it be both of them? Or why can't the heroine rescue the hero every once in awhile?" Rowan is very quickly falling in love with Finn, but there is one very important difference of opinion that they have that may keep them from a future together.
At nineteen Finn had been very drawn to the beautiful girl he rescued during a mutual robbery attempt. When it was over he discovered who she was, but because of his own background there was no way he was going to make contact with her. Over the next twelve years he took his experiences as a thief and turned them into a very successful business as an authenticator. He also kept track of her and her activities, happy to see that she had turned her life around. When he needed her expertise for the Egyptian job he was looking forward to seeing her again. He didn't expect that hint of attraction to be even stronger for the grown woman. I loved watching him try to fight it in order to keep things strictly business. He is disturbed by the attacks on them and wants to protect Rowan though she fights him on it. When he gives away his identity as that thief he doesn't really understand her fury until he learns just how big an impact it made on her life. In spite of his successful legitimate business he has never quite given up his old ways and discovers that it is a very big drawback in Rowan's eyes. I liked his appreciation of Rowan's abilities and how well their abilities meshed. There were some very intense situations that they got out of because of their teamwork. By the end he had to decide if he was willing to let his past dictate his future.
The progression of the mystery itself was very good. It was interesting to see that one of the bad guys is revealed to the reader from the beginning, showing how various strings are being pulled. The identity of the puppet master isn't shown until the end of course. The author did a great job of stringing me along there, because I didn't suspect at all. There were several intense events that increased the tension all the way to the climax. I could not put it down until it was over.
I really liked Rowan. The book opens with her as a sixteen year old thief. She steals as a way to cope with the loss of her parents, even though she knows it's wrong. This time she is stopped by another thief who is after the same thing. When a third group of thieves shows up, she and the stranger work together to escape. There is something about him that appeals to her. During their escape he is shot and sends her on ahead. The event makes her take a long look at what she's doing and she makes immediate changes. She spends the next twelve years wondering what happened to him and feeling guilty. When Finn hires her company, specifically her, to help him protect the treasures he is to authenticate there is something about him that seems familiar. When she discovers why she is furious with him for never letting her know he was okay. She also discovers that the old attraction is still alive and well and much more intense. I loved seeing them work together as they tried to figure out who was behind the trouble. I also loved the fact that Rowan is very capable on her own, that she's not dependent on Finn for protection. She's had a very successful career that has taken her into some risky situations and she's proud of that fact. At one point she even says "I'm sick to death of reading stories where the man has to swoop in to save the woman. ... All I'm saying is why can't it be both of them? Or why can't the heroine rescue the hero every once in awhile?" Rowan is very quickly falling in love with Finn, but there is one very important difference of opinion that they have that may keep them from a future together.
At nineteen Finn had been very drawn to the beautiful girl he rescued during a mutual robbery attempt. When it was over he discovered who she was, but because of his own background there was no way he was going to make contact with her. Over the next twelve years he took his experiences as a thief and turned them into a very successful business as an authenticator. He also kept track of her and her activities, happy to see that she had turned her life around. When he needed her expertise for the Egyptian job he was looking forward to seeing her again. He didn't expect that hint of attraction to be even stronger for the grown woman. I loved watching him try to fight it in order to keep things strictly business. He is disturbed by the attacks on them and wants to protect Rowan though she fights him on it. When he gives away his identity as that thief he doesn't really understand her fury until he learns just how big an impact it made on her life. In spite of his successful legitimate business he has never quite given up his old ways and discovers that it is a very big drawback in Rowan's eyes. I liked his appreciation of Rowan's abilities and how well their abilities meshed. There were some very intense situations that they got out of because of their teamwork. By the end he had to decide if he was willing to let his past dictate his future.
The progression of the mystery itself was very good. It was interesting to see that one of the bad guys is revealed to the reader from the beginning, showing how various strings are being pulled. The identity of the puppet master isn't shown until the end of course. The author did a great job of stringing me along there, because I didn't suspect at all. There were several intense events that increased the tension all the way to the climax. I could not put it down until it was over.
October 2, 2013
The London Deception is the second installment of the House of Steele miniseries from Harlequin Romantic Suspense. The House of Steele is comprised of four siblings who formed a high-end security firm that caters to the wealthy clients wherever they might be. This book focuses on the youngest Steele, Rowan, and someone from her past.
The setting was special to me because I have lived in London and Cairo, so I enjoyed taking a trip down memory lane revisiting in my mind, places I know well. Rowan and Finn met up many years ago while committing a burglary in one of the wealthy neighborhoods of London while they were both still in their teens. Fast forward 12 years, and they are now both legitimate business people, but their larcenous pasts still haunt them, and it seems for a time might prevent them from finding their HEA.
This is romantic suspense at its finest. So much so that I didn’t know who the “bad guy” was until it was revealed. Early on in the book, I decided to slow down my reading speed because the overall intensity of the mystery and the romance was so delightfully complex, I didn’t want to miss one delicious word of it.
This was a reunion story, a well crafted mystery and a redemption story all rolled into one outstanding book. Romantic suspense junkies (like me) will eat this one up. The Paris Assignment is the first House of Steele book. Buy this one, too. I’m hoping that the other two siblings will get their stories as well.
I like to end my reviews with a favorite scene of mine. Look forward to the dinner scene with Finn, Rowan and her grandparents, Alexander and Penelope Steele! (Chapter 12)
(I was given a complimentary copy of this book by the author in exchange for my honest review.)
The setting was special to me because I have lived in London and Cairo, so I enjoyed taking a trip down memory lane revisiting in my mind, places I know well. Rowan and Finn met up many years ago while committing a burglary in one of the wealthy neighborhoods of London while they were both still in their teens. Fast forward 12 years, and they are now both legitimate business people, but their larcenous pasts still haunt them, and it seems for a time might prevent them from finding their HEA.
This is romantic suspense at its finest. So much so that I didn’t know who the “bad guy” was until it was revealed. Early on in the book, I decided to slow down my reading speed because the overall intensity of the mystery and the romance was so delightfully complex, I didn’t want to miss one delicious word of it.
This was a reunion story, a well crafted mystery and a redemption story all rolled into one outstanding book. Romantic suspense junkies (like me) will eat this one up. The Paris Assignment is the first House of Steele book. Buy this one, too. I’m hoping that the other two siblings will get their stories as well.
I like to end my reviews with a favorite scene of mine. Look forward to the dinner scene with Finn, Rowan and her grandparents, Alexander and Penelope Steele! (Chapter 12)
(I was given a complimentary copy of this book by the author in exchange for my honest review.)
April 16, 2019
So I finally got around to reading this book, and I liked it as much the first one in the series. The cover kind of sucks, but that's Harlequin's doing. The woman in the picture does not look like someone who could scale a building or survive an archeological dig. She'd have to haul pounds of makeup around.
April 16, 2019
Great book. Lousy cover. Way too much makeup on the heroine.
October 10, 2013
I really liked the first book in this series, so I pounced on The London Deception as soon as it was available. This one starts off well, but veers off into the Land of WTF before letting the hero and heroine ride off into the sunset.
Rowan Steele grew up in a loving home with her grandparents, but the loss of her parents caused her to have a troubled adolescence. The idea that she would steal as a teenager because the thrill of it made her actually feel something goes far beyond the usual, often somewhat vague "I was abused and nobody loved me" backstories that troubled heroines get saddled with in romantic suspense. It also explained why the teenage Rowan might encounter a semi-professional thief like Finn Gallagher on a London rooftop. It's an encounter that manages to be both romantic and traumatic for Rowan and as we see later in the book, it shapes her life to some degree.
The main story takes us forward in time several years. By now, Rowan's grandparents have taken her in hand and she works for the family security business. Perhaps more surprisingly, Finn has also gone legit and is a self-made business success story. The two meet once more when Finn hires Rowan's company for a project and she gets the assignment. As part of his business, Finn is involved in making sure that artifacts from an archeology dig in Egypt are properly documented and verified and since Rowan has an interest in the dig, she jumps at the chance to be involved.
The plot centers mainly on Rowan and Finn getting reacquainted with each other and also working through everything that happened to them that long-ago night when they first met at a heist. Before the two even leave for Egypt, they find themselves at the receiving end of threats and attacks in a plot that gradually builds up tension as it progresses.
Had the steady build in tension continued and led to a good payoff in the end, my grade on this book would be much higher. Instead we just get a story with a rather abrupt tying up of loose ends, a solution that makes little sense and a villain whose motivations really do seem contrived. Disappointing end to a promising story.
Rowan Steele grew up in a loving home with her grandparents, but the loss of her parents caused her to have a troubled adolescence. The idea that she would steal as a teenager because the thrill of it made her actually feel something goes far beyond the usual, often somewhat vague "I was abused and nobody loved me" backstories that troubled heroines get saddled with in romantic suspense. It also explained why the teenage Rowan might encounter a semi-professional thief like Finn Gallagher on a London rooftop. It's an encounter that manages to be both romantic and traumatic for Rowan and as we see later in the book, it shapes her life to some degree.
The main story takes us forward in time several years. By now, Rowan's grandparents have taken her in hand and she works for the family security business. Perhaps more surprisingly, Finn has also gone legit and is a self-made business success story. The two meet once more when Finn hires Rowan's company for a project and she gets the assignment. As part of his business, Finn is involved in making sure that artifacts from an archeology dig in Egypt are properly documented and verified and since Rowan has an interest in the dig, she jumps at the chance to be involved.
The plot centers mainly on Rowan and Finn getting reacquainted with each other and also working through everything that happened to them that long-ago night when they first met at a heist. Before the two even leave for Egypt, they find themselves at the receiving end of threats and attacks in a plot that gradually builds up tension as it progresses.
Had the steady build in tension continued and led to a good payoff in the end, my grade on this book would be much higher. Instead we just get a story with a rather abrupt tying up of loose ends, a solution that makes little sense and a villain whose motivations really do seem contrived. Disappointing end to a promising story.
August 5, 2014
I enjoyed how Finn Gallagher and Rowan Steele met. It was unique and unusual. And it makes this book stand out. This is the second book in the House of Steele series which encompasses the same set of people/family. I believe there are two more books in this series too The Rome Affair and Manhattan Encounter. The last book The Paris Experiment followed Rowan's brother, Campbell. This whole series is just a family affair.
Finn convinces the House of Steele siblings to send Rowan to London in order to have him and her travel to Egypt to authenticate some artifacts from a tomb. But Finn has other motives for getting her over there, personal reasons. I enjoyed following along as Rowen remembered her wayward days as a thief and how that past is what brought her to this current circumstance.
The story was easy to follow but the bad guy, although, revealed in a flashback earlier in the story wasn't really in the life of Rowan at the present and I thought that wasn't a really fair way to introduce the bad guy since we don't get to see how someone acts just how Rowan saw that person from the past and her recollection of them. (I'm not telling you who the bad guy is.) :)
I already have the next two books in the series and I will definitely be checking them out.
4 Stars
Finn convinces the House of Steele siblings to send Rowan to London in order to have him and her travel to Egypt to authenticate some artifacts from a tomb. But Finn has other motives for getting her over there, personal reasons. I enjoyed following along as Rowen remembered her wayward days as a thief and how that past is what brought her to this current circumstance.
The story was easy to follow but the bad guy, although, revealed in a flashback earlier in the story wasn't really in the life of Rowan at the present and I thought that wasn't a really fair way to introduce the bad guy since we don't get to see how someone acts just how Rowan saw that person from the past and her recollection of them. (I'm not telling you who the bad guy is.) :)
I already have the next two books in the series and I will definitely be checking them out.
4 Stars
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December 29, 2014"Ancient history, hidden treasure and suspense fill Fox's latest. The sexy, sizzling chemistry between the characters, plus the intriguing plot, will hook readers." RT Book Reviews, rated 4 stars
Miniseries: House of Steele
Miniseries: House of Steele
October 25, 2013
Review to come...
July 5, 2014
I enjoyed reading this book. I liked it better than the first one in this series.
January 1, 2015
A fun, romantic read.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews