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Title: My Favorite Thief
ISBN: 0553584413
Author:
Karyn Monk
Publicate Date: 2003-12-30
Publish: 2003-12-30
List Price: $7.50
Average Customer Rating: 4.0
Format: Mass Market Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $0.01
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $0.01
Amazon Merchant Price: $7.50
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1: Heart-rending and sweet
Charlotte Kent walks into her hostess' chambers and interrupts a jewel thief in the middle of plundering the lady's jewels. But before he can get away, a maid also walks in and quickly shouts an alarm to everybody in the house. Charlotte offers herself up as a hostage so the jewel thief, after a number of struggles and shots fired, escapes with Charlotte in tow. Charlotte is convinced her captor is the Dark Shadow, a notorious jewel thief who has been terrorizing London high society the past several months. Charlotte's help puts her at great risk but it doesn't faze her. What she can't put behind her, however, is the attraction she felt towards him.
Charlotte's dangerous encounter with the Dark Shadow throws her headlong into an intrigue that could threaten her life and those of her loved ones. But the Dark Shadow is not who he seems, but then again, neither is Charlotte. Unlike most of the single ladies in her society, Charlotte has a dark and violent past that has left her crippled and with brutal scars on her soul. Her only sense of peace comes in helping those who are in a similar situation as she was as a child. But then her past meets up with her in the form of her very abusive father. Released from prison, he locates Charlotte and tries to extort money from her. Charlotte has no choice but to turn to the Dark Shadow for help.
This was a moving story. It was poignant, heart wrenching, and made me sigh. The storyline is fast-paced but the brilliant writing adds wonderful depth to the characters so nothing is sacrificed for the sake of action and intrigue.
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2: Not bad...
"My Favorite Thief" started out so strong and so entertaining that I was sure I had a keeper...what a disappointment. First of all, this was Harrison's book. I LOVED him. He was well developed and sexy as hell. As for Charlotte, well..she seemed rather flat to me. But her lack of character is not what kept this story from being great. It was that there were so few scenes with the h/h interacting. I felt like they barely knew eachother. The fact that they had so little time together throughout the book made their mutual declaration of love ring false...I felt no chemistry at all... All in all, this wasn't awful, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it either...
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3: Well Worth the Wait!
When Charlotte Kent was first introduced in Karyn Monk's The Prisoner, readers fell in love with the sweet-natured child who suffered with a permanently injured leg. Since then, we've waited for Charlotte to grow up and have a book of her own. In My Favorite Thief, Ms. Monk doesn't disappoint as she presents the very unconventional story of Charlotte and Harrison Payne, the earl of Bryden.One of Ms. Monk's trademarks is to challenge her characters and really make them earn their happy ending. My Favorite Thief is no different. Both Charlotte and Harrison must deal with personal demons from their respective pasts. Charlotte's arrives in the form of her scurrilous, blackmailing, abusive biological father. Harrison must figure out who is now determined to destroy him with a past secret, and also face his fear that he might be following his deceased father down the road to madness. Unusual circumstances bring these two people together and soon they realize that, if they can rescue each other, they just might be able to save themselves and the families they hold dear. All this drama could be heavy in the hands of another author, but Ms. Monk is known for imbuing her novels with delightful humor and unforgettable characters. Charlotte's family is back in full force -- she and all her "siblings" were rescued from London's dark streets and prisons as children and adopted by Haydon and Genevieve, Lord and Lady Redmond. So, too, are the hilarious band of servants that watch out for Charlotte and the collection of young prostitutes and thieves she herself is sheltering from the streets. My Favorite Thief tickles the funny bone and touches the heart in equal measure. It is another one of Ms. Monk's books that should not be missed!
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4: Terrific Victorian romantic suspense -- Highly recommended
Intimately familiar with the challenges of poverty and necessity, Charlotte "Lottie" Kent offers her abductor advice rather than resistance during a foiled robbery attempt. Little seems to faze this sassy young woman who is under the guardianship of the Marques of Redmond. The administrator of a London refuge shelter for unfortunate women and children, Lottie attends high society events hoping to secure support for the shelter. While attending a social event, raise money for her center. While at one of these galas, Lottie interrupts a robbery attempt, and helps the wounded thief, dubbed Dark Shadow by the press, escape.It does not take Lottie long to identify the thief as Earl Harrison Payne, and when her deadbeat father shows up demanding money, she is forced to resort to extortion to protect her family and the shelter. Specifically, she demands that Harrison heist jewels that she might sell to dodge her father's threats. Lottie's demands bring about an unexpected chain of events. Harrison cannot resist the quiet charm of this crippled woman with a heart of gold. But they both will soon find themselves in danger and must join forces to identify their common enemy. Author Karyn Monk pens an unexpectedly delightful Victorian romantic suspense with MY FAVORITE THIEF. With a quick moving plot and original characterizations, Monk draws upon expected qualities which make her work sparkle. Seldom does fiction allow a less than physically perfect heroine, but both Lottie's physical challenges and family challenges lend her an unexpected yet delightful vulnerability. Harrison's motives especially will keep readers guessing with his dark reputation and high societal position. With an unexpected and intriguing conclusion, readers will find themselves quite satisfied with this delightful read. MY FAVORITE THIEF comes highly recommended.
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5: Not the usual Karyn Monk thrill.
On the first page I thought that this book was going to be another delightful read. BUT it rather dragged until about the middle. If you stick with it, you will enjoy it. It is a different plot and Karyn's writing is always wonderful. Having 2 medically plagued lead characters was rather much for me but the plot saved it.
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