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The Network #1
Once a Thief
Security consultant Rachel Anderson has three big problems.
1. The priceless gem she's providing security for has disappeared.
2. If anyone looks into her background, they'll discover she was once a thief.
3. The person who has the gem knows exactly who she is....
Because he's the man who raised her -- and trained her to be a cunning thief. She'd fled and made a new life for herself, determined to use her unique skills for good. But to retrieve the stolen gem and keep everything she's fought for, she's got to turn the tables and prove the student is now the master....
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 2005
About the author
Michele Hauf
202 books938 followersMichele has been writing romance, action-adventure and fantasy stories for over twenty years. Her first published novel was DARK RAPTURE.
France, musketeers, vampires and faeries populate her stories. And if she followed the adage 'write what you know', all her stories would have snow in them. Fortunately, she steps beyond her comfort zone and writes about countries she has never visited and of creatures she has never seen.
Michele also writes as Michele Renae, and you can find her erotica, chick lit, and Harlequin Romance titles at your favorite online retailer.
--From the author's website bio
France, musketeers, vampires and faeries populate her stories. And if she followed the adage 'write what you know', all her stories would have snow in them. Fortunately, she steps beyond her comfort zone and writes about countries she has never visited and of creatures she has never seen.
Michele also writes as Michele Renae, and you can find her erotica, chick lit, and Harlequin Romance titles at your favorite online retailer.
--From the author's website bio
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 4, 2011
Rachel... trained thief... under the tutelage of Christian Lazar... Lazar has a network of thieves with special talents, and part of the network's method of operation is to take street teens and train them... but Lazar only personally trained Rachel, isolated in his French country home - with brutal methods - with a love/hate relationship... He not only trained her in the thievery skills, but trained her with a very austere lifestyle - physical training - sex without orgasim - restricted food - competition - pain - sensory overload for punishment (locked in a room of bright light and pounding music)... guns/swords/hand to hand... rewarded to be obedient, punished if not... He found her at age of 14 when she ran away from her 5th foster home (she had been happy with her parents until the age of 5 when they died)... she is a machine - to use her body as he instructs... and it is 10 years later...
and during a fencing match, he falls over - she thinks he is dead, and grabs her various passports, some money, and the car to freedom - and 8 months later finds her in New York, in a warehouse loft, starting a security advice business... she is loving her freedom - to bath (not shower), to eat gummy worms, to read, to enjoy rubber duckies (her bath, her bra, her toilet seat)... when given a job, she breaks into said establishment, steals something, meets with the owner to return said items and give a detailed report on their security falacies and how they can be beefed up... until she is targeted for a museum job, where the curator wants insurance money - he hires her for advice (knowing her techniques), but also has a different burglar take the Rousseau ruby - planning to blame her... she goes a day earlier than scheduled, and catches the French theif - knowing that she must retrieve the ruby, she tries a few techniques - gets and looses the ruby... and thinks she can seduce him out of it, taking it once he is satiated - but he turns the table - giving her 3 orgasims, and she falls asleep - and he leaves for France (she overheard his plans)... so, knowing she must go to France to retrieve the ruby...
Back in France, she gets the ruby, but then she is confronted by Lazar, who had a stroke and is alive, and almost at full strength... and she is in for the fight of her life - he wants her back... she goes to Jason - the thief who taught her to open any safe by touch.... she had spent 10 days with Jason, she was attracted to Jason, but Jason feared Lazar - though they shared one true kiss that she never forgot (Lazar refused to kiss her, and she avoided kisses from marks) ... it ends up that Jason is the broker on the ruby deal, and that he was working with the theif - one of the network... and Jason and she talk, and kiss, and share bits - without a lot of committment - she finally fights and defeats Lazar, but leaves him alive... and returns home with the ruby, and a promise to call Jason... and in her loft, her neighbor, ends up to be Lazar's man - 'babysitting' her - and she has another fight - & Lazar shows up, and she is fighting for her life - and then there is a shot - and Jason had followed her and killed Lazar - and arranges for a cleanup...
The two make plans to leave together, but first she goes to the museum office - and embarrasses the curator who is accusing her of theft, when the ruby is in his safe...
and it ends with the Jason and Rachel at the oceanside in Wales - and making love, and making plans to be legit and to help others like her in said network...
and during a fencing match, he falls over - she thinks he is dead, and grabs her various passports, some money, and the car to freedom - and 8 months later finds her in New York, in a warehouse loft, starting a security advice business... she is loving her freedom - to bath (not shower), to eat gummy worms, to read, to enjoy rubber duckies (her bath, her bra, her toilet seat)... when given a job, she breaks into said establishment, steals something, meets with the owner to return said items and give a detailed report on their security falacies and how they can be beefed up... until she is targeted for a museum job, where the curator wants insurance money - he hires her for advice (knowing her techniques), but also has a different burglar take the Rousseau ruby - planning to blame her... she goes a day earlier than scheduled, and catches the French theif - knowing that she must retrieve the ruby, she tries a few techniques - gets and looses the ruby... and thinks she can seduce him out of it, taking it once he is satiated - but he turns the table - giving her 3 orgasims, and she falls asleep - and he leaves for France (she overheard his plans)... so, knowing she must go to France to retrieve the ruby...
Back in France, she gets the ruby, but then she is confronted by Lazar, who had a stroke and is alive, and almost at full strength... and she is in for the fight of her life - he wants her back... she goes to Jason - the thief who taught her to open any safe by touch.... she had spent 10 days with Jason, she was attracted to Jason, but Jason feared Lazar - though they shared one true kiss that she never forgot (Lazar refused to kiss her, and she avoided kisses from marks) ... it ends up that Jason is the broker on the ruby deal, and that he was working with the theif - one of the network... and Jason and she talk, and kiss, and share bits - without a lot of committment - she finally fights and defeats Lazar, but leaves him alive... and returns home with the ruby, and a promise to call Jason... and in her loft, her neighbor, ends up to be Lazar's man - 'babysitting' her - and she has another fight - & Lazar shows up, and she is fighting for her life - and then there is a shot - and Jason had followed her and killed Lazar - and arranges for a cleanup...
The two make plans to leave together, but first she goes to the museum office - and embarrasses the curator who is accusing her of theft, when the ruby is in his safe...
and it ends with the Jason and Rachel at the oceanside in Wales - and making love, and making plans to be legit and to help others like her in said network...
March 24, 2019
Great book
A thoroughly enjoyable read, thieves, lovers, friends, enemies all come together in this interesting romp across continents. I loved the characters and their story, this was a non-stop cover to cover read for me, I couldn't put it. This book has it all, plenty of twists and turns, action , adventure, and intrigue. I can't wait to read more from this author. This is one book you won't want to miss.
A thoroughly enjoyable read, thieves, lovers, friends, enemies all come together in this interesting romp across continents. I loved the characters and their story, this was a non-stop cover to cover read for me, I couldn't put it. This book has it all, plenty of twists and turns, action , adventure, and intrigue. I can't wait to read more from this author. This is one book you won't want to miss.
January 22, 2014
not a typical romance. intrigue and jewel theft... love and sex...
October 4, 2017
Thoroughly enjoyed this story!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews