The Lady and the Thief is set in an alternate Victorian-era where queer relationships were accepted instead of criminal. Having openly queer relationships in a Victorian book was quite refreshing and not something that I often see. Despite this, I had a really hard time getting through this book. There are quite a lot of characters in the book that it became difficult for me to follow who was whom and what their role in the story was. Additionally, the main character was acting so childishly that I just couldn't begin to like her character.

This is a short story so it had the difficult job of creating and interesting story while giving the storyline and the characters some depth.

Unfortunately, this author tried to cram too much into this book and left me feeling completely confused because of the many different storylines that were happening at once and the fact that the main character seemed to have the most dull storyline out of all of them.

I think the author was a bit over ambitious in what she could do with a limited number of chapters because this story needed son fleshing out and a different POV.

*3 stars

The Lady and the Thief is my first experience with Megan Derr’s writing. I was immediately struck by the synopsis which offers us a taste of what the reader can expect: the story of a teenage orphan, Adeline, who, while in the care of her aunt and uncle, falls in love with her maid. Then the maid turns around and steals from them, including taking the only piece of jewelry Adeline has left of her mother. Now, older and wiser, Adeline is at a ball when she sees who other than her former maid, the love of her life. Only, her maid is no longer Lisette, as Adeline once knew her, but Lady Wisteria.

I expected a romance when picking up The Lady and the Thief, with a bit of mystery—and was pleasantly surprised that the mystery is quite strong in this one (you can’t take the mystery lover out of me, I’m afraid). This was a fun read. I really liked Adeline in her innocence and straightforwardness. She was not going to back down until she found out what Lisette/Lady Wisteria was up to. I can definitely see, too, why Adeline was drawn to Lisette. She’s charming and earnest in her concern for Adeline. Even I wanted to trust her even despite her past actions, wanting to at least hear her out. The chemistry between the two was palpable. The novella has a Victorian feel to it, time period wise, but I really appreciated, even with that, the fact that same sex marriages were not only acceptable, but encouraged in the world Derr has set her story in. If I had any complaints, it would be that it was too short, and so the characters weren’t as fleshed out as I might have liked (forever my complaint about short stories and novellas). I hadn’t realized this was part of a series, but I would like to go back and read the earlier books in the series.

I felt that there was something or a lot of somethings missing in the way that this story was presented. It had strange pacing at times and I just never really became engaged with the characters. I kept trying to read it but found that after several months of trying to get through it, it still couldn't keep my attention long enough for me to finish it all the way through.

I always really want to like lesbian romances, but I often find them disappointing. I gave this one a good shot, but halfway through I realised I just wasn't into it.

So, so much is missing from this. I didn't realize when I downloaded it that it was only a novella; there is an ok story in here, but it would have only benefited from more space. First, the world-building gets no treatment. It's pseudo-historical but obviously a bit fantastic. This is marked as book 5 in a series, and based on character interactions, I'm guessing it's one of those series that just takes place in the same world, since nothing seemed to depend on earlier events. It would be tempting to assume that all the world rules were established in previous installments. However, based on how short the book was, and how little world-building appeared in this installment (i.e., none), it seems unlikely that clear backstory was given in previous novellas.

The plot, too, is rushed. The characters lack depth, so their actions lack motivation, so the plot is hurried and pointless.

It can be difficult in the space of a novella for an author to create complex and complete character growth, but Megan Derr manages to just that with a compelling and engaging storyline besides. The reader will fall in love with Adeline and Lisette and want more of their adventures together once the story closes.

Pretty good fantasy with two young women and the heroes. There is some action, some intrigue and derring-do, and some romance. It is apparently part of a series I haven't read or likely will read, but this story was enjoyable and quick.

This was a nice novella. I liked the idea very much and the aesthetic the story worked with.
But it took me way longer to read it through than I expected.

In a way it feels like this story had on the one hand more content than I thought it would have for its length, but on the other hand wasn’t as captivating as I wanted it to be.

Lisette is a very interesting character, but we barely got to know her. And Adeline, the main character, isn’t bad, but also didn’t impress me as a main character. I know that she has been raised in this very controlling environment and she ends up in very dangerous and surprising situations, but from someone who’s greatest talent is something like FENCING I expected a bit more.

I think I would have liked it more if it was the story of Lisette. A young, fearless girl who is plotting revenge for her own family, who takes on all the pretentious opponents, comes into their houses in a disguise to work against them and falls in love with a victim of their intrigues in the process, which throws her off her initial plan...

Still, an alright read all in all.

While I fell in overwhelming love with the characters of this book, and the hints of worldbuilding that exist behind the scenes, I felt like the pacing could use a good deal of work and ultimately the ending left me wanting more.

I received a complementary copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
In The Lady and the Thief we meet Adeline, a young noble lady living at her aunt and uncle’s after they took her under their wing when her parents died. Adeline is a fierce young lady with a secret: she is in love with one of her maids. As Adeline’s love for Lisette grows, she starts planning their escape, dreaming of a future where they could both live together, as equals, unrestrained by society’s standards. But the very next day, Adeline wakes up to find Lisette gone… and with her, all of the family’s silver and jewellery. When two years later, Adeline stumbles upon Lisette at a ball, she is faced with a multitude of questions: why did Lisette leave? why did she steal? Was their love even real? Adeline will soon find out that Lisette is playing a dangerous game and she should better stay out of it… but will she?
How refreshing to read a book featuring LGBT+ characters! I’ll be honest, I don’t stumble upon LGBT+ storylines very often and there is a serious lack of it in literature, so this was a little gem in itself, just for that reason.
I loved the fact that, in this specific historical setting, sexual orientation is not a divide. It is accepted and people are free to marry someone of the same sex if they so desire. The only prejudice in this case is the matter of class; hence why Adeline and Lisette’s love is so forbidden, not because they are both women, but because one of them was born in the nobility while the other one is a servant.
It is an interesting story with its parts of intrigue and young love. Because of her love for Lisette, Adeline gets tangled into situations that are beyond her control. She becomes an unaware pawn in the game played by her relatives and guardians.
I liked the fact that this book is mainly female fronted, and all the female characters in it are strong and powerful women who take matters into their own hands rather than expecting men to take charge.
The book is however really really short and only took me a couple of days to finish, and because of this, I felt a bit un-satiated. It felt more like a short story than an actual book, and it felt a bit rushed. I would have loved for all of the storylines to be expanded further into a longer book.
The Lady and the Thief is book number 5 in the ‘Deceived’ series, but it can be read as a stand-alone book.
If historical fiction and LGBT+ storylines are your cup of tea, then don’t hesitate to check it out, aswell as the rest of Megan Derr’s work, as most of her books are LGBT+. She has written an extensive collection of stories, so there is plenty for you to get lost into!

So, so much is missing from this. I didn't realize when I downloaded it that it was only a novella; there is an ok story in here, but it would have only benefited from more space. First, the world-building gets no treatment. It's pseudo-historical but obviously a bit fantastic. This is marked as book 5 in a series, and based on character interactions, I'm guessing it's one of those series that just takes place in the same world, since nothing seemed to depend on earlier events. It would be tempting to assume that all the world rules were established in previous installments. However, based on how short the book was, and how little world-building appeared in this installment (i.e., none), it seems unlikely that clear backstory was given in previous novellas.

The plot, too, is rushed. The characters lack depth, so their actions lack motivation, so the plot is hurried and pointless.

This book began nicely, and the main reason why I picked it up was the F/F theme, but then soon the story kind of started falling apart. Adeline was a strong character in the beginning, but then when push came to shove, she really did not stand up like I kept expecting of her to. That is the major reason I did not enjoy the book more. But the writing was quite good.

this was a quick and twisty novella - although perhaps not quite as twisty as i would like, seeing as there are very heavy clues about the major villains and nothing that's particularly surprising. but it was still a good read, and i thought that both lisette and adeline were very realistic and well-developed characters.

there was the tiniest, tiniest whisper of fantasy that seemed out of place because it was so much of a sidenote, but seeing as this is a a"standalone series" with each books being their own thing but set in the same world (i think?), then perhaps that fantasy aspect gets developed more in the other ones.

href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38615885-the-lady-and-the-thief" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="The Lady and the Thief (Deceived, #5)" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1519003150m/38615885.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38615885-the-lady-and-the-thief">The Lady and the Thief</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1427650.Megan_Derr">Megan Derr</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2448168113">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I rec'd an ARC from Less Than Three Press/NetGalley for an honest review.<br />A quick, angst filled romance from Ms. Derr with Lisette and Adeline and a storyline of intrigue, drama and liberal doses of sword fencing. Just my delight. Ultimately there's a satisfying ending. <br />4 stars for sure!
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/31134832-gail">View all my reviews</a>

Ever read a story where fun and exciting mysteries and adventures and stuff are going on? Daring do, and all that? Like a James Bond novel or film, or even an Austen Powers film? There is a specific individual that comes to mind I wish to mention – he’s a fella that appeared in several Bond films, if I recall correctly he was a fatter man who may or may not be from either Texas or Louisiana, and may or may not be involved in law enforcement. I’m taking the time to mention him so I can note: in the films James Bond is doing these exciting things, speeding past in a boat, in a car, on a train. Texas dude watches with his mouth open clueless to what all is going on. Ah, there we go – Louisiana Sheriff J.W. Pepper, appeared in ‘Live and Let Die’ and ‘The Man with the Golden Gun’.

Adeline is the lead character in this short work, and the only one whose point of view is shown. Adeline is like Pepper in Bond. Exciting stuff is happening, but Adeline is just getting whiplash from it occurring around her, and occasionally to her, but without her knowing why.

This specific story open with Adeline seducing James Bond, saving money, and letting the individual know of her plans to run away together to ‘have a life’. The next morning Adeline wakes up to wails – ‘my jewelry!’ – the person she had expressed her love to, James Bond, had left the premise with Adeline’s money and jewels (as well as her aunt/uncles stuff). James Bond is, of course, not James Bond, but the chamber maid Lissette. Think a moment as to why I’d mention Bond here in this way. I do not wish to be too specific.

Two years later, 21 year old Adeline is finally ‘out for a season’ (and yes, this book reads like a vaguely English Regency period romance, but it is close enough to give that vibe, while also be irritating at the obvious differences between the 800,000 Regency romances I’ve read, and this story here – which, and this should be or should have been obvious, is not a Regency romance). While at a ball, Adeline spots a newcomer pop in. It’s Lizette! In a ball gown! And . . . calling herself Lady something or other!

One thing leads to another and . . . the reader follows Adeline mostly locked in her room ‘grounded’ while stuff happens. Since we, the readers, are following Adeline, ‘we’ know nothing, since Adeline knows nothing. Well, we and Adeline do know ‘something’ is going on. But not much more than ‘something’. Meanwhile, as far as the reader knows, an intricate chess match between rival spies could be occurring, or a game of poker, or high-speed . . . horse races . . . or nothing at all. That’s all the information we and Adeline have of the activities. Nothing at all.

Picture reading ‘North by Northwest’, and we are the Hitchcock character (not the director, the character – Hitchcock popped up on screen as someone at Mount Rushmore, sees ‘weird things occur’ but has no clue what’s going on). That’s us and Adeline. We are Hitchcock, or Pepper, or . . . any of a million other people who are near action, can sense something is occurring, but has no inside knowledge and is only involved indirectly (well, Adeline is involved directly, in a way, but she doesn’t know it).

Because of all of that – this is one of the most frustrating stories I’ve read. Borderline boring. Maybe more than borderline.

Adeline is a skilled and trained swords-person (fencer). Isn’t stupid. Etc. etc. But spends the majority of the story, as noted, locked in her room, or without agency – having people do things to her. Either for or against her. Sure, occasionally she gets to stab someone, but super rarely. Mostly she’s locked in a room.

I do not really like reading stories where the character has no agency, and stuff just happens to them. Especially if most of the stuff is off screen and sometime near the end the character has to be sat down and have things explained to them because . . . they both had no agency to act, and had no opportunity to observe anything.

Adeline remained true to her first love, but this is not, by any means, a romance. I can’t even call it a spy story, even though everything that occurs is spy related – Adeline just isn’t involved in it. It’s like a Sherlock Holmes story, and we the reader are following . . . the person off to the side, who is both blind and deaf, who shines shoes for a living. Hears and sees nothing. Feels only shoes and shoe cleaning stuff. Yay?

Oh, and the main character is also overly emotional and angsty. Hehehe, gah.

Rating: …. I really have no idea. 2.75

July 3 2018

I liked the story enough. But there's so much more that could've been done, the concept itself is amazing,, I was waiting for more honestly since I expected way more. However, the author did well in writing, Furthermore, I was kinda curious in what sanctuary was this supposed to be. Everyone was ok with same sex marriage, fluidity was a thing of normalcy

Though I wouldn't have known it, this book is #5 in Derr's Deceived series. Not to worry, though, I looked it up, and you don't need to have read the others to enjoy this one, buuuuut to be honest, I'll probably be seeking them out as well.

Her whole life, Adeline has been at the mercy of others, but all that's about to change. She's saved some money, sold off most of her jewels, and is planning to run away with her lover, Lisette, a maid in her aunt and uncle's household. All that changes, however, when Lisette takes off in the middle of the night with Adeline's savings.

Two years later, during her coming out year (the joke is not lost on me here), Adeline is busy trying to find a spouse and enjoying all society has to offer when she runs into Lady Wisteria, better known to her as Lisette. Things get more interesting from there.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read, for sure. I started it about noon at work after finishing up another book, and I was done before Jeopardy at 7pm. I liked Adeline and Lisette well enough, and I appreciated their tension. It can be hard to build when much of the romance seems to have been in the past, but Derr knows how to pick it back up and keep the reader invested in their *possible* future. Plus, I had to get to the bottom of Lisette's nefarious activities.

If you're worried about hot and steamy scenes, fear not. I'd say it's a solid PG-13. There is plenty of romance, tension, and banter, but most talk of sex is just that, memories of encounters without much detail. So if you like romance without all of the detailed sex scenes, definitely give this one a go. 

I'm fresh off of a couple of Ocean's 8 screenings, so I am all about the jewel thieves, and Lisette didn't disappoint.

Adeline has saved the money she’s made from her embroidery and her fencing tournament wins so that she can run away with the maid she has fallen in love with. The following day, Lisette is gone along with all Adeline’s money and jewellery. Over two years later, Adeline sees a flash of the red hair she once loved.

This has a historical setting in terms of the nobility, hierarchical structures, dress and transport but also has an alternate-reality setting in terms of the openness with regard to sexual orientation. Even though it is the fifth book in a series I don’t feel I’ve missed anything by not reading any of the others.

It is an enjoyable, quick read with good characters, some intrigue and a sweet love story.

Book received from Netgalley and Less Than Three Press for an honest review.

I thought that this book was really cute, but it's not really my thing to read typically. I did however like the fact that people were incredibly open with their sexualities and no one was discriminated against as it is something that really needs to happen in real life more often.