Minuette Sinclair's parents are in trouble and her fake fiancé is too. A legendary lost necklace might be their salvation, and Min is determined to find it and use it to buy her family and fiancé out of their misfortunes.
Master thief Bryant Westley is also looking for the fabled necklace. He knows Min’s got information he can use so he poses as her dance instructor and tries to seduce it from her. What he doesn’t count on are his feelings for her. He offers to partner up in the search – even though she is a distraction he can’t afford.
Things become more complicated when Min realizes that her convenient engagement means more to her fake fiancé than her and that she’s fallen in love with Bryant. Bryant realizes that he can’t double cross the young lady he’s come to love. Can they find the necklace together and admit their love before it’s too late?
Michelle McLean is a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl who is addicted to chocolate and Goldfish crackers and spent most of her formative years with her nose in a book. She has a B.S. in History, an M.A. in English, and loves her romances with a little heat, a lot of humor, and always a happily ever after.
When Michelle's not working, reading, or chasing her kids around, she can usually be found baking or diamond painting, which she accidentally got addicted to while bored one day. She resides in PA with her husband and two teens, the world's most spoiled dog, and two cats who absolutely rule the house. She also writes contemporary romance as Kira Archer.
For more info on Michelle and her work, visit her website at michellemcleanbooks.com.
I was blown away by this book. I've read my share of candy romances, where it's all so predictable and delicious, but this is not a candy romance. It's got romance -- oh boy, does it have that! But it's also a mystery, a coming of age story for a young Victorian woman, a love triangle, a treasure hunt, a bit of a scandal. The characters in this Victorian era finishing school are not well-behaved.
Minuette is a heroine to root for. She has fears like anyone, but she's brave when it counts. She's clumsy, but it's endearing and totally believable thanks to her wild island upbringing. From the beginning, the reader is led to feel Aunt Laura's hopes to refine Min Sinclair are hopeless. Bryant is truly a master thief, but one with a personal code of honor -- the best kind.
Arthur... oh, Arthur. I loved this character so much, and my heart broke for him a hundred times in the course of reading this book. Charlotte, Min's best friend, and Arthur, really make this book for me. Their loyalty and common sense make the larger-than-life-ness of Bryant and Min actually work. Bryant also has a loyal friend who surprises me with his devotion toward the end of the book.
I can't say enough about the depth and passion in this book. I just loved it, and finished reading it at nearly 2am this morning. The author has a gold-rush era historical romance trilogy coming out this year, and I simply cannot wait to read more from Michelle McLean.
My review of the earlier draft:
Sexy and suspenseful, this story kept me on the edge of my seat as well as making me fall in love with the characters. Lost treasure, hidden rooms, a regency era boarding school for girls, and a hot dance instructor who's really a master thief. What more can you want in a romance novel?! I really loved this and look forward to reading anything by Michelle McLean in the future.
To Trust a Thief is probably more Historical Mystery than Historical Romance, but it was still a super enjoyable read! Minuette needs to raise funds to get her father out of a sticky legal situation and her friend Arthur has some gambling debts to take care of. So when Min overhears a man talking about a missing necklace that is supposedly hidden at her aunt's home, she knows she must find it! But then that same man shows up as the new dance instructor, making it more complicated for Min to sneak about the manor.
I love treasure hunts! To Trust a Thief is all about a very flashy necklace that was thought to be just a legend. But then the clues just start piling up and Min knows the necklace must be real. Bryant is also after the necklace for unknown reasons, so he proposes a deal with Min. They each tell the other what they know about the necklace, and then share it when they find it! Of course they don't trust each other though and want the bounty for themselves! But treasuring hunting in the dead of night, alone, leads to more than either bargained for.
To Trust a Thief was just fun! I enjoyed learning more about this strange necklace, family secrets, and ghost stories! Min was a great character, and certainly not a proper lady no matter how hard her aunt tries! There are a few predictable twists along the way, but it's a quick, refreshing read so I didn't mind at all. I was just enjoying the ride!
To Trust a Thief is one very FUN read! There is intrigue, mystery, theft, romance, and a gutsy, ahead of her time heroine!
Minuette Sinclair is searching for a lost necklace, in an effort to save her family from total ruin. Bryant Westley, a master thief, is also looking for the necklace, for a client.
Bryant poses as a dance instructor in order to obtain information he needs from Min. Min fakes an engagement to her good friend, who actually loves her. As the story progresses, Min and Bryant become hesitant allies in the quest to find the necklace. Through near-death experiences, romantic tension, and the mystery of the jewels' whereabouts, can Bryant and Min figure out what they REALLY mean to each other?
AS I said, this was a fun read, Min is a great heroine! No fainting damsels here! The story is just long enough to keep the fast pace going!
This copy was provided by NetGalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC in exchange for an honest review!
Michelle McLean's debut historical romance is a wonderful read. Filled with romance, mystery, intrigue and characters I could really care about, this is a fun read. I am looking forward to seeing what else Ms McLean writes in the future!
Everybody's looking for the necklace! A legendary missing necklace could be the solution to everyone's problems. Min (Minuette, ugh, stupid name), an awkward, intelligent, curious young lady who needs money to rescue her father from jail. Her fake fiance, a sweet physician up to his neck in debt. Bryant, a handsome, mysterious thief masquerading as a dance teacher. The Evil Nobleman. The Mean Girl. Hijinks, love, and peril ensue.
A quick, fairly entertaining read, if rather trope-tastic.
Two people are on the hunt for a legendary necklace that could be the solution to all their problems is essentially the plot of Michelle McLean’s To Trust a Thief. Minnuette Sinclair needs money for her family, especially for her father, who’s being held in prison while awaiting trial. Bryant Westley is a thief trying to escape out from under the thumb of his employer, Lord Rellik. The two of them bump into each other right outside of a bookstore, and Minn takes it upon herself to spy on the handsome man whom she’d just met. I am still somewhat unclear as to why she takes to eavesdropping on someone she doesn’t know from Adam, but this is just one of the few harebrained acts that Minn commits throughout the whole book.
Minn learns about the legend of the Courtland Necklace and decides to go in search of it for both herself and her longtime friend, Dr. Arthur Carmichael, who is in dire need of funds due to gambling debts. Minn lives on the Courtland premises as she is related to the Courtlands by marriage and attends the finishing school run by her aunt. Her plans hit a snag when she runs into Bryant Westley, who is introduced as the new dance instructor at the finishing school. Due to Minn’s earlier shenanigans concerning Bryant Westley, she knows that he is a fraud and is on the lookout for the necklace as well. The undercurrent of their interactions is clear, as they are both aware of the others’ motives, lust and distrust each make their way to the forefront of the page, but I found this combination to be tiresome and liked it better when they actually just spoke to one another rather than the both of them trying to get the upper hand on one another. Minn uses her status of being engaged (as a matter of convenience rather than any sort of feeling) to keep her feelings for Bryant at bay but fails miserably as her frequent treasure hunts have her coming into contact with Bryant, and thus, the feelings continue to blossom.
The middle part of To Trust a Thief meanders for quite some time. Plenty of circling without much headway. I got tired of the many treasure hunts that take place and the characterizations of some of the supporting characters fall pretty flat. Everyone had their roles and there wasn’t any sort of depth or twist to their characters in any way. The last quarter of the book annoyed me to no end, honestly. It felt like it had the “Everything but the kitchen sink” type of vibe to it. Kidnappings, tragic deaths, rescues, declarations of love, it all takes place within the last 50-60 pages of the book. If you like a slow moving, sweet romance (no love scenes), then you might like To Trust a Thief, but I found the some of the plot devices and characterizations problematic. - Ronnie
Reviewed by: Rachel Book provided by: Publisher Review originally posted at Romancing the Book
This was a very interesting historical read. It masqueraded as having a simple plot line of a clumsy girl falling for a thief.
I was shocked and happy to see that it was so much more! Min is a hilariously awkward character that stumbles into discovering the truth behind a hidden necklace that she needs to find in order to save her mother.
Arthur, her best friend, who is secretly in love with her, promises his aunt that he will find the necklace and with Min by his side he’s more than happy to do so. He convinces Min that it would be advantageous for them to pretend to be engaged, therefore making it easier for them to be seen together and for her to ward off would be suitors.
They go about discovering the whereabouts of the necklace. Only, there is a definite hitch in their plans, and his name is Bryant.
Bryant is a thief sent to retrieve the necklace, but Min knows immediately that he is bad news. Unfortunately for her—he’s crazy attractive and knows just the right buttons to push to get her mind all fuzzy.
The story was a bit slow. I’m used to more fast paced dialogue in my historical romances, but once I got used to the writing style it turned into a very entertaining and lighthearted read.
Min was endearing from the start, but it was the character of Bryant that I really wanted to see more. I wanted to know more of his story, how did he become a thief? Why was he a thief in the first place? At first I thought he was some second son who had fallen on hard times. I think the author could have gone deeper into his back story and really filled in some of those blanks for the reader.
The story itself was solid and had a lot of interesting twists and turns. The author did a clever job with the “twist” at the end. I will of course be reading more of this author because I found her writing clean and entertaining. All in all I give it a lovely rose.
This evening I was able to finished To Trust A Thief by Michelle McLean. I must say that the story was intriguing. Here's why:
First off you have a few characters that really make the story come to life:
Minuette Sinclair: Heroine, father and mother still stuck on Nevis and she needs to find away to get them to England. Bryant Westley: The Thief trying to get the Courtland lost necklace. Dr. Arthur Carmichael: Friend of Min and fake fiancé. Secretly hoping it actually happens. Lord Rellik: The bad guy who hires Bryant to get the necklace. Lady Katherine Worthwright: Wretched young lady who doesn't like Min. Aunt Laura: also Lady Courtland, owns Thornmont where she started a finishing school.
Is it possible to trust a thief? Well, that is what Min needs to find out. Or should she just go on this adventure along?
Honestly, I found this story entertaining. First off when you have a fake engagement, it usually makes the things very interesting. I love how Min tends to be accident-prone, which makes Min fabulous. I actually like that quality in a heroine, because it tends to make them more relatable if they are flawed. Boy is Min flawed. Then you have Bryant who wants out of being under Lord Rellik's thumb. Somehow he develops a conscious along the way. I enjoyed seeing how Bryant and Min learn to trust one another as they try to find the jewel.
Overall, it is a well thought out story with lovable thief and a feisty heroine. So, if you are looking for a little adventure and mystery you might want to read To Trust a Thief. I thought it was an adventure worth taking.
This is a Quickie Review. For the full review, please visit The Romanceaholic.
Expected Release Date: January 21, 2013 Publisher: Entangled Publishing Imprint: Scandalous Author’s Website: http://www.authormichellemclean.com/ My Source for This Book: Netgalley Part of a Series: No Series Best Read In Order: N/A Steam Level: Chaste Pet Peeves: Too Stupid To Live Moment(s), Love Triangle Favorite Tropes: Clumsy Heroine, Physically Imperfect or Scarred, Serious Illness or Injury
Though I can’t deny that the book was highly entertaining overall, my final rating would have been higher had it not been for an incredibly too stupid to live moment on the heroine’s part that resulted in a majorly tragic disaster towards the end.
That said, even with the fact that a major event in the end left a sour taste in my mouth, this book was, quite simply, fun. I think partly due to the fact that this was a “sweet” romance, with nothing more than a few kisses and a bit of wandering hands, the main focus was on the escapades of Min and Bryant as they planned and plotted both with and against each other in search for the necklace. It was quite an adventure, when all was said and done, and despite having several of my pet peeves, I still enjoyed it.
Recommended for fans of clumsy heroines whose plans often outshine their abilities, of heroes with tarnished pasts yet golden hearts, and of tons of mischievous adventure, sprinkled with a good dose of chemistry and seasoned with a dash of good old-fashioned romance.
Bryant Westley is a master thief of all things that is until a strong minded Minuette comes into the picture. Now Bryant has gone from a ruthless, uncaring thief to putty in her hands. This wouldn’t be so bad if they weren’t both after the same thing…or the fact that being with him puts her in terrible danger. Knowing he couldn’t bear to lose his most precious and desired treasure, Bryant must find a way to get her out of this alive or lose her forever.
Minuette Sinclair is far from being an eloquent lady. A tomboy at heart and a klutz would fit her better. To make matter’s worse she eaves dropped on the wrong conversation and now she is racing to find the treasure before Bryant can get his hands on it. This should be easy, though, considering he seems to only want his hands on her and to make things more complicated she feels the exact same. Not a good mix when you are rushing to find hidden treasure.
It seems Minuette’s reaction to Bryant is completely mutual. Both having an overwhelming desire for each other creates a bit of a problem considering Bryant’s employer is a crazed criminal who is in a big hurry to get his jewels and they seem to spending more time exploring each other than searching for it.
This book was an extremely slow start. The repetitive reminder of Minuette’s life decisions seemed to take up the first seventy pages of the book and is the biggest reason for the rating. To the author’s credit and future readers the book picks up in pace a good bit after the first seventy pages and the plot was quite enjoyable. Overall, it was a good read but not something I think I would pick up again.
I really wish I didn't have to say this but this book was a bit of a disappointment. I had high hopes but it just didn't meet them.
I liked the characters of the book. Min was a lovely heroine that I really liked. She was a sweet character and her antics had me laughing. I found her to be a strong heroine.
Bryant was a fine hero. He would do anything to protect the ones he loves, even if it means stealing or tricking a dangerous man. He was sweet and definitely attractive.
The two were very cute together. Not too much spice with these too-they were mostly a sweet couple.
The problem was the pace of the book. We would get long drags of time where nothing would happen and I would almost lose interest. But then something exciting would happen for a couple of pages and draw my attention back to the book. And then it would drag again. Even those few and far between moments of action felt underwhelming. I would read that all this exciting stuff was going on, but I didn't feel like that excitement was conveyed in a way that I truly felt it. It wasn't boring but I did have to skim frequently.
To Trust a Thief was an okay book. I didn't love it, but it was fine-a nice read. I liked it, but not more than that.
Most of the time when I write a review, I won't tell you about the story itself but I will tell you about the inner workings of the story...if you want to know about the story line...read the synopsis...that's what it's there for :)
I loved the story of Min and Bryant.
This book had good and bad, happy and sad, danger and heartwarming moments. It was an all around good book. This book is a stand alone. It was a multi pov but could have used a lot more of Bryants pov. There were so many things that he was involved in that I would loved to have seen his point of view during them instead of finding snippets or just the end result. The action leading up to that would have made this book even better. I would have given it a full 5 stars if it would have more of Bryants POV.
The story line and dialogue was really good. I loved all of the characters (the good and the bad. The story flowed really well and the description to detail was written well enough to easily visualize the scene but was not overdone to make the story boring.
Gah, I love that cover. It's so gorgeous. I have this strange fascination with historical era and dresses and such (no history lessons please, I steer clear of those). And I love historical fiction, so when I had the chance to read this one, I was like 'ta da, absolutely!'
This historical fiction packs a punch, there's romance, mystery and thrill. I love the plot. Historical fiction - romantic mystery is a win-win combination for me. The characters are very well etched out, not to mention a certain drool-worthy personality. Ahem, ahem.
I like the mystery and adventure that the book takes me through. It's neither predictable nor forced. Everything is in just the right amount at the right place. The editing is flawless and the book made for a quick read since it grasped my attention easily.
And the romance is just yum (can I describe it like that? lol).
The only problem I had with the book was that some of the situation stretched beyond the realm of reality.
Overall, a good historical fiction that had me rapt and reading with ease.
First off I'd like to thank Michelle McLean and Entangled Publishing for letting me read and review this book and for letting me host a stop on the tour! Even though this is my first time reviewing a romance novel for a blog/book tour I'm still going to start with the front cover - because I like it. This cover is pretty believable. Minuette and Bryant were awesome characters and the models on the front are posing in a way that I think is true to the characters. Bryant is protective of Min and Min is succumbing to Bryant's amazing-ness but doesn't want to.
Disclosure: This ebook was provided to me free of charge through NetGalley for the sole purpose of an honest review. All thoughts, comments, and ratings are my own.
Really interesting tale that had my attention the whole time. The pace was wonderful and the characters engaging. Great dynamic in the relationship that made it very believable. Beautiful storytelling that entertained the whole time!
It had really great flow and did the job of making me think at times. I love a book that taps into my emotions. I am a real sucker for a sexy romance!! I laugh, I cry and I wish the hero were real so he could be mine! LOL
I would love to see more from this author! Definitely one to watch in the future.
TO TRUST A THIEF by Michelle McLean is an exciting historical romance set in 1855 England. Fast paced thrill ride from beginning to end. While searching for a treasure,danger lurks and love blossoms. Filled with danger,secrets,legend,family heirloom,deception, murder and love. As Bryant and Min struggle with their attraction, fight their enemy can they learn to truly trust each other? While, Min starts out a little childish to me, she comes into herself,it was great to see her character develop as the story moves along. A must read story! Received for an honest review from the publisher. RATING: 4.5 HEAT RATING: SWEET REVIEWED BY: AprilR, My Book Addiction and More/My Book Addiction Reviews
This was a sweet romance, which was a nice change of pace from some of the more steamy romances out there. When the feisty young lady and the master thief are both desperately looking for a famous missing necklace, they agree on an uneasy partnership to try to reach their goal, even though neither trusts the other. What neither one counts on is finding love along with their search for riches. The story takes a violent turn when the villain of the piece decides to become involved near the end of the search and they have to learn to trust each other if they’re going to prevail. I liked the klutzy, spunky young Min and the determined, emotionally and physically scarred Bryant and enjoyed the story of this unusual pair.
This book will have you hooked from the beginning.. and keep you guessing throughout the entire story. It has so many twists and turns that will leave you will find it hard to put down because you will be wanting to know what happens next. It's funny, sad and in the end you are pulling for the main characters. If you like stories set in the 1800's then this is a perfect story for you! Some might need some tissues! A must read easy to relate to the main characters and storyline.
I don't normally read regency-type romance, but thought I would take a chance on this one as the synopsis was so intriguing. I loved the main characters, Min especially - a woman before her time and a rebel struggling to find her place within the confines of society. Bryant was a great match for her - glad he turned out to be a good guy! The search for the necklace was believable and fun to follow. This was a good read and thoroughly entertaining!
The story of a master thief, an adventurous young lady, a necklace, villains and intrigue aplenty makes for a fun light read. The style is clean, but not memorable. Reads like a Young Adult historical romance.
An addictive read that was hard to put down. The characters are humorous and you gain sympathy with them easily. It was a fun mix of action and romance and enjoyable read. Chick lit with a bit of substance!