The Reluctant Thief

The Westcotts #4

by April Kihlstrom

A handsome lord poses as a street ruffian to catch a ring of thieves preying on the aristocracy...and never counts on falling for the gorgeous lady whose life he has saved. Now the deception he spins could be his undoing, for it is a lie that masks a loving heart...

Genres: Regency, Historical Romance, Historical Fiction, Romance

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 1, 1998

Reviews

[Catsalive · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a stupid, childish, self-centred girl Rebecca is: oh, no, she's being kind-hearted & knows better than her victim what he needs. Grr! Hugh is an idiot, too, so I guess they deserve each other. Once again I must remind myself that she's probably only about 17 & certainly acts it, running off willy-nilly against all sense & principle because she knows best. Well, there's only Penelope to go now: poor Miss Tibbles will deserve a rest from this family of pig-headed children.

[Anne Neville · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hugh Rowland isn’t fit to marry (or so he was told). Being unattached, Hugh is a perfect fit for Sir Parker’s unorthodox assignment: to go undercover as a street thief and infiltrate a crime ring masterminded by members of the Ton. Hugh is doing well with his assignment, too–until he rescues Rebecca Westcott from a rogue in the street. When Rebecca insists on “saving” her street thief by installing him as a servant in her family’s house, Hugh struggles to maintain his disguise. As for Rebecca, she cannot understand why she feels that the rough and criminal servant is the only man she could ever love . . . if she could save him from himself.

http://www.numbersonthespines.com/201...

[elstaffe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe this would have had more charm for me if I’d read others in the series, but as it was I wanted to shake the heroine by her shoulders for being so...I don’t know exactly how to describe it. Too forward thinking and weirdly stalkerish/possessive of this dude, without seeming to have any notion of propriety? Not that I’m in favor of being a stickler for propriety, but her just following him out into the street to make sure he wasn’t going back to his nasty old
life veered a little too close to too stupid to live. Plus the kidnapping? Was that really necessary? She annoyed me less towards the end of the book but by then the damage was done.