The Duplicity of Thieves

The Remnant #1

by K. Moret

"Make no mistake, little devil. We will meet again."

Four years ago, Josephine survived a night filled with horror and chaos. Now, fueled by a thirst for vengeance, she hunts for the truth. But when she runs into the charming stranger she encountered before her life fell apart, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to him. As their paths collide once more, they find themselves entangled in a web of deceit. Josie must confront the lies she’s been told and unravel the truth behind her own deadly tendencies. As she delves deeper into the secrets of her existence, she discovers the darkness within herself and the duplicity of those she once trusted.

NOTE: The Duplicity of Thieves is a dark romance retelling of the Greek myth of Pandora's Box. Please check CWs before reading.

Genres: Romantasy, Fantasy, Romance, Dark Romance

428 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 9, 2024

Reviews

[Bookishandbrewsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a Pandora’s box retelling and it’s so good! A swoon worthy mmc that has the filthiest mouth. A headstrong stabby FMC, and that ending. Omg.

[Tiffanie Wood-Heath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another favourite book of this year so far!

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. It had a really cool mix of author created elements mixed with well known characters from Greek mythology.

Sometimes when I read books like this they can feel too familiar and predictable, but not with this one! The author kept me on my toes the entire time and even the things I expected still had twists that had me up almost all night because I couldn’t put it down.

There was so many things that had me devouring this book. It was dark and gritty with a good helping of banter and morally grey characters aplenty. There was violence. There was spice. There was violent spice. It truly ticked a lot of the boxes I look for in a dark romantasy and was all around a great read for me. And on top of all of that, there was a thrilling story that I absolutely cannot wait to see the rest of.

[Samantha McJunkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just Wow!

I got the privilege of arc reading Scrimmage and could not wait to get more from this author! The Duplicity of Thieves left me mind f**ked in the most beautiful way! The retelling of Pandora’s box in a way you never imagined! I mean hit you in all the feels! Aedon nor Josie hold back much and put them together and it is 🔥🔥 and the ending! Like gollyyyy I had to process the book before I could even write a review! K. Moret writes in a beautiful manner to suck you in and then twist EVERY. THING. You thought you knew! I will be devouring anything and everything from this Queen!

[Sam B · Rating 5 out of 5]

We start off with Josephine, our bad ass, take no shit MFC with no memory of her past. She meets a handsome stranger at a bar where sparks fly before her night takes a turn for the worst, losing almost everything.
Fast forward 4 years, we discover she is the master of torture in the underworld. Then one fateful night she is again greeted by the mysterious stranger from before. The prince of the underworld, Aedonaeus. The intense smoldering explosion between these sworn enemies is nothing short of magic.
The twists and turns leave you wondering who to trust. I absolutely loved the back and forth between these two. It is a hot burn that will leave you wanting more and more. Fated for each other from the start.
Of course we end on a cliff hanger, so reader beware.

[Supa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loooove tragic, traumatized and badass characters, especially when they're women! And to have that in a Greek myth retelling? Oh, I knew I was going to love this! While the original story, Pandora's box is well-known, this book is a complete new twist on the story, something unique that I haven't seen that much before when it comes to dark retellings of myths. Because this one is dark. And I love it. There's no beating around the bush, it's in your face, the main characters tell you how it is, not sugarcoating things.

One of those books you just can't put down--or in my case, run home after work so that I could have at least a little time to read more before my other responsibilities came calling!

[Destinee · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐️ 3.5-4 🌶️

CAN WE JUST TALK ABOUT HOW HOT AND CHAOTIC THIS WAS!

This was such a fun time. But maybe I’m a weirdo for thinking that. This starts off with an ominous prologue and a chaotic first chapter.

Our FMC is an assassin after going through some shit and meets our MMC after not seeing him for a while.

We have what I am dubbing a crispy cinnamon roll for an MMC. He is morally grey but also a cinnamon role for Josie.

This was not a slow burn and honestly I was here for it. The spice was hot.

I loved the mythology aspect of this, the plot twists, and the cliffhanger that has left me refreshing Ks page for book 2 updates because I need to know what the heck just happened!!!!

Go pick this up and enjoy the wild ride!

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahhhh

This book was interesting, exciting, gripping, and by the gods, so much more! First book for this author and I'm following with my 💀. With a bada$$ fmc and an obsessive mmc, I can't wait to read more about their explosive love. And the cliffy was great, left me wanting more without any heartbreak which is what I like. Can't wait for book 2!

[Christa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into this completely blind. I got to the dedication and had to back track to the trigger warnings. I recommend reading those first. I personally think the description of this book does not do it justice or sell the book, unfortunately. The storyline was so good, very unique & overall I loved it. The FMC is pretty UNHINGED as is the MMC, I couldn't get enough of either particular type of crazy. The SMUT was Smutting for sure, very steaming but didn't take away from the plot, which I thought was great considering most books that are full of spice tend to lose the story.
---Josie, our FMC has had alot of trauma in her past that has left her full of rage with a thirst for revenge and taste for blood.---
I enjoyed watching Aedon bring Josie out of the darkness while being consumed by her darker bits.

[Midnight Fantasy Fables · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me hooked from the beginning. This dark romance is beautifully written. I loved the characters and instantly fell in love with them. The world building was fantastic, I love greek mythology and everything that pertains to it. The smutt was on point! It had all my favorite tropes, morally gray men, secret identity, destined to be together, and more. If you like, "touch her and", "you are mine", and "who did this to you". Then you are going to love this book.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am OBSESSED with this book. I haven’t read a full novel in literally like 5 years and I could not put this down. All throughout the book there were turns and twists that I never expected. The intricate details help you see the characters in all their glory and absolutely make you fall in love. I will never date a man again now that I have Aedon in my life. 🖤

[Mag · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVED this book. I got this as an ARC read and I am so thankful because I ate this up! The character dynamics were to die for, with all my favorite booktok tropes. I feel like it is so rare to find a well-written morally gray FMC, but this book landed the mark perfectly! Can’t wait to read more from this author!

[Gyula · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75⭐️
3.5/5🌶️
Dual/first person POV
Book 1 in a trilogy
Format: e-book
Check the triggers

Such a refreshing romantasy

This book has caught me so off guard, I will definitely be struggling through a reading slump after this. This has it all for me: the fantasy world is original; the 2 MCs are fire; the spice is spicing; the cliffhanger I did NOT see coming; the! pacing! is! perfection!

Ok, I will be honest: the prologue did have me slightly confused but I kept going & right from chapter 1, I was hooked from all the intrigue & mystery. My favorite part of all is how there is NO info dumping. The backstory is given to us slowly over the course of the plot; which circles that prologue all the way to the last chapter & brings it full circle.

But the couple really makes this book! The MMC is down BAD for her; he really comes into his yearning😂The FMC is not written as annoying or petulant or childish but more so determined & tenacious. Their chemistry leaps off the page at you from the millisecond that they meet. They are written so sexy & fun & even though they do “stuff” from the beginning, I still feel like their relationship builds like a slow burn with such tenderness amongst all of the dark fantasy elements.

& listen, is there spice from chapter 1? Yes but is the spice just right for the scene/for the situation every time it’s on page? Also yes.

But I do have some critiques: this did need another pass of editing because often times the writing & specifically the dialogue felt disjointed & clunky. Also, the magic system/fantasy world needed to be better fleshed out because it was confusing at times; which I’m hoping for more world building in the next book

Easter egg alert: Ms K, I see what you did there with both of their full names being 9 letters long. Now I am down bad for these 2🥵

[Michelle Wages · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good! Great characters and the story was engaging. My only complaint is that there could have been more world building, which is strange to say because I usually want less! Worth reading for sure!

[Ilea Schneider · Rating 5 out of 5]

The beginning was more confusing than anything I’ve probably ever read, but my god it was worth it. Can’t wait for the next one.

[Nicole Aylward · Rating 5 out of 5]

You had me at the trigger warning page with “the name Deerak”. Go glad that pulled me in. Great book. Also fuck that guy

[Dilu Rajapakse · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeah didn’t work for me

[Jaime · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pacing was weird and so were the characters’ actions. Probably won’t continue on because I found myself not caring what happens.

[Aspen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite not knowing much about the background, the story line was intriguing and was kept me interested. I enjoyed the characters, the world building, and all the Greek mythology that was woven into the story!

The story is well written for a debut novel, and I’m looking forward to reading Moret’s next book and seeing how her writing improves!