The Kiss Thief, a contemporary romance by LJ Shen stole my heart and will without a doubt be one of the best books you’ll read
this year. Check out my review, an excerpt and the release. Don't forget to get your copy 😊
Author: L.J. Shen
Release Date: January 9th
Blurb
They say your first kiss should be earned.
Mine was stolen by a devil in a masquerade mask under the black Chicago sky.
They say the vows you take on your wedding day are sacred.
Mine were broken before we left church.
They say your heart only beats for one man.
Mine split and bled for two rivals who fought for it until the bitter end.
I was promised to Angelo Bandini, the heir to one of the most powerful families in the Chicago Outfit.
Then taken by Senator Wolfe Keaton, who held my father’s sins over his head to force me into marriage.
They say that all great love stories have a happy ending.
I, Francesca Rossi, found myself erasing and rewriting mine until the very last chapter.
One kiss.
Two men.
Three lives.
Entwined together.
And somewhere between these two men, I had to find my forever.
MY REVIEW
The Kiss Thief by LJ
Shen is a phenomenal read that is full of angst, love, heartbreak and betrayal.
In one word, it is breath-taking.
Eighteen year old
Francesca Rossi has her life already planned out for her. Set to marry her
childhood crush and friend, Angelo Bandini. She is excited for this even though
her dreams of college and independence must be denied.
One night, however, her
true love’s kiss is stolen from a cold-hearted and ruthless man known as
Senator Wolfe Keaton.
Now, she is torn
between her childhood love and a taciturn and vengeful man who will use her
father’s sins against her to force her into marriage.
Francesca’s life is about to change irrevocably. The
question is: Will it be for better... or worse?
Emotionally gripping and page-turning, LJ Shen has written
a book that enthralls.
The story and writing are lush while the plot, characters and writing pull you
in. It is witty and the sarcasm is spot on.
The characters are
three-dimensional and are very well fleshed out. I’ve never seen two characters
that have prospered so well together.
Wolfe Keaton is proud,
condescending, rude and obnoxious. He cares for no one’s opinion but his own. I
enjoyed seeing him bite off more than he could chew with Francesca. How his
character slowly but inexorably grew. Like the garden that Francesca grows,
Wolfe changes under her care.
Francesca Rossi is
timid and plays by the rules. Her only wish is to make her parents proud. I
loved seeing this meek lady adapt to her surroundings. To finally take note and
demand the respect and love she deserves. She does not bend to Wolfe.
An epic read with
memorable characters that will stay with you long after the book is finished. The Kiss Thief stole my heart and will
without a doubt be one of the best books you’ll read this year.
I received an ARC of
this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
EXCERPT
“Are you sure you’re on my card?” I turned to
the man with a polite yet distant smile. I was still disoriented from the
exchange with Angelo when the stranger pulled me against his hard body and
pressed a possessive hand lower than socially acceptable on my back, a second
from groping my butt.
“Answer me,” I hissed.
“My bid on your card was the highest,” he
replied dryly.
“The bids are undisclosed. You don’t know how
much other people have paid,” I kept my lips pursed to keep myself from
yelling.
“I know it’s nowhere near the realm of what
this dance is worth.”
Un-freaking-believable.
We began to waltz around the room as other
couples were not only spinning and mingling but also stealing envious glances
at us. Naked, raw ogles that told me that whomever the blonde he’d come to the
masquerade with was, she wasn’t his wife. And that I might have been all the
rage in The Outfit, but the rude man was in high demand, too.
I was stiff and cold in his arms, but he didn’t
seem to notice—or mind. He knew how to waltz better than most men, but he was
technical, and lacked warmth and Angelo’s playfulness.
“Nemesis.” He took me by surprise, his
rapacious gaze stripping me bare. “Distributing glee and dealing misery. Seems
at odds with the submissive girl who entertained Bishop and his horsey wife at
the table.”
I choked on my own saliva. Did he just call the
governor’s wife horsey? And me submissive? I looked away, ignoring the addictive
scent of his cologne, and the way his marble body felt against mine.
“Nemesis is my spirit animal. She was the one
to lure Narcissus to a pool where he saw his own reflection and died of vanity.
Pride is a terrible illness.” I flashed him a taunting smirk.
“Some of us could use catching it.” He bared
his straight white teeth.
“Arrogance is a disease. Compassion is the
cure. Most gods didn’t like Nemesis, but that’s because she had a backbone.”
“Do you?” He arched a dark eyebrow.
“Do I…?” I blinked, the courteous grin on my
face crumpling. He was even ruder when we were alone.
“Have a backbone,” he provided. He stared at me
so boldly and intimately, it felt like he breathed fire into my soul. I wanted
to step out of his touch and jump into a pool full of ice.
“Of course, I do,” I responded, my spine
stiffening. “What’s with the manners? Were you raised by wild coyotes?”
“Give me an example,” he said, ignoring my
quip. I was beginning to draw away from him, but he jerked me back into his
arms. The glitzy ballroom distorted into a backdrop, and even though I was
starting to notice that the man behind the demi-mask was unusually beautiful,
the ugliness of his behavior was the only thing that stood out.
I am a warrior and a lady…and a sane person who
can deal with this horrid man.
“I really like Angelo Bandini.” I dropped my
voice, slicing my gaze from his eyes and toward the table where Angelo’s family
had been seated. My father was sitting a few seats away, staring at us coldly,
surrounded by Made Men who chatted away.
“And see, in my family, we have a tradition
dating back ten generations. Prior to her wedding, a Rossi bride is to open a
wooden chest—carved and made by a witch who lived in my ancestors’ Italian
village—and read three notes written to her by the last Rossi girl to marry.
It’s kind of a good luck charm mixed with a talisman and a bit of
fortunetelling. I stole the chest tonight and opened one of the notes, all so I
could rush fate. It said that tonight I was going to be kissed by the love of
my life, and well…” I drew my lower lip into my mouth and sucked it, peering
under my eyelashes at Angelo’s empty seat. The man stared at me stoically, as
though I was a foreign film he couldn’t understand. “I’m going to kiss him
tonight.”
“That’s your backbone?”
“When I have an ambition, I go for it.”
A conceited frown crinkled his mask, as if to
say I was a complete and utter moron. I looked him straight in the eye. My
father taught me that the best way to deal with men like him was to confront,
not run. Because, this man? He’d chase.
L.J. Shen is an International #1 best-selling author of Contemporary Romance and New Adult novels. She lives in Northern California with her husband, young son and chubby cat.
Before she’d settled down, L.J. (who thinks referring to herself in the third person is really silly, by the way) traveled the world, and collected friends from all across the globe. Friends who’d be happy to report that she is a rubbish companion, always forgets peoples’ birthdays and never sends Christmas cards.
She enjoys the simple things in life, like spending time with her family and friends, reading, HBO, Netflix and internet-stalking Stephen James. She reads between three to five books a week and firmly believes Crocs shoes and mullets should be outlawed.
CONNECT WITH LJ SHEN
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Cover Designer: Letitia Hasser at RBA Designs
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