Heart Of A Thief (Silhouette Romantic Suspense)

by Gail Barrett and Eden O'Neill

Book One of the exciting new miniseries -- The Crusaders: Chasing legends, capturing hearts. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0373275846
• Release Date: April 2008
• Publisher: Harlequin Romantic Suspense
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.6" x 0.6" x 4.2"

Customer Reviews

Heart of a Thief By Gail Barrett

This book was absolutely fabulous! Gail Barrett continues to amaze me with her writing skills and ability to develop a story that holds the readers interest from page one until the end...and beyond. I can't wait to see what the next book in the Crusades series has to offer. Bravo!

This Thief Will Steal Your Heart

Gail Barrett is better than ever! This riveting tale set in romantic Spain had me spellbound from page one. The action is fast-paced; the hero is strong yet fallable; the heroine is courageous yet vulnerable. I loved them both. What I liked best was the way Gail was able to transport me to the exotic location with her descriptive skills. I wasn't just reading about the characters in the street, I was there with them, knew the names of the restaurants, heard the street sounds, smelled the food. It was a 214-page vacation to Avila for the price of a paperback! You gotta love that!

Buy This Book!

[...] Heart of a Thief is a fast-paced, exciting, and entertaining story, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it! I thought it was excellently crafted. In fact, I think this is the best of Gail's books to date! Before I started blogging, I read her other two books: Where He Belongs (a Golden Heart winner) and Facing the Fire. In Heart of a Thief, Gail's style/voice is certainly the most confident-sounding of all her books, in my opinion. I was completely drawn into the Heart of a Thief story with every word. I certainly wanted to reach in and throttle one of the bad guys, and I felt like I was dashing through the streets of Spain myself. I think her choice of setting the story in Spain gave the story a unique yet appropriate spin, and Spain suited the couple's situation perfectly. The story took me rushing through the ancient bowels of buildings, soaring high to tiled rooftops, and sprinting (or limping as fast as I could!) to escape my enemies. A couple hot bodies also engaged in some eyebrow-raising writhing on the sultry Spanish earth. (Whoohoo! :)) Gail's descriptions were so vivid I felt like I was in Spain (probably because Spain is all but her second home, she's been there so many times), and her meticulous choice of verbs prove her writing talent. I can still picture the scenes in the book, and it makes me feel like I was whirling along breathlessly, sharing this exotic adventure with the heroic couple. The book left me satisifed with a "good," solid romance ending, you know, the kind you expect in the genre. Only, what I most like about this book I think is that Gail developed her couple's relationship so that you didn't just expect that they'd get together simply because you knew you were reading a romance novel - In Heart of a Thief, you hoped that they'd get together. You want them to get together, like, "Ack! C'mon, you two! You really should be together!" And she kind of left it up in the air until right before the very end and then . . . Whew! They're going to be all right after all. And then, not knowing you had been so tense while reading the story, you get to the last page and smile, breathe a sigh of relief, and anxiously read the enticement for her next book! That kind of natural emotional investment in the couple's HEA (happily ever after) is the mark of a great romance writer and a great story. BOTTOM LINE: Buy this book! You will enjoy every thrilling second of it!

a fast paced race against time through Madrid and the surrounding countryside

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques Luke Moreno is a security expert hired to protect a priceless legendary necklace, the Gypsy's Revenge that has just been found. He has struggled his entire life to rise above his gypsy heritage... and a scandal five years ago when he was betrayed by the woman he loved and accused of stealing some extremely valuable gemstones from her mentor, don Fernando. Sofia Mikhelson is an antiquities expert known for her skill with amber and her talent for creating flawless reproductions of jewelry. Now a priceless artifact has been uncovered and she can't resist the allure of seeing the Gypsy's Revenge. The last thing she expected was to run into the thief who betrayed her love five years past. Just as the royal Roma family was about to regain possession of their legendary necklace, they are slaughtered and their necklace stolen, Luke and Sofia accused of the theft. Now Sofia and Luke must work together to recover the necklace and figure out who framed them in order to prove their innocence. However past betrayal is hard to overcome. Then there is the curse surrounding the necklace that anyone not of Gypsy blood who touches it will die... Heart of a Thief is a fast paced race against time through Madrid and the surrounding countryside. Legends, curses, heartbreak and betrayal are the name of the game, making us wonder how Sofia and Luke will ever make it out alive. One thing I especially liked about this book is somewhat unusual for a romance novel. Normally the focus of the story is on the heroine, but here Luke takes center stage. He has never forgiven Sofia for turning her back on their love and believing don Fernando when he accused Luke of the theft. When she reappears in his life, he is convinced she is a criminal like he believes don Fernando to be. So he is quite surprised at the anger she has for him. Luke has been scorned his entire life for his Gypsy blood so watching him slowly begin to realize his own prejudices and overcome his doubts to accept Sofia's love is quite moving. The suspense is well done, weaving legend and superstition into the overarching plot. I love the glimpse into gypsy life we receive, which gives a fascinating spin on the story in Heart of a Thief. While the story of Sofia and Luke has its own satisfying resolution, the story of The Crusaders is just beginning. We still have two more Roma treasures to find and I look forward to seeing what happens in book two, To Protect a Princess, due out in October 2008. © Kelley A. Hartsell, April 2008. All rights reserved.