*SPOILERS Ahead* Clementine is a thief, a thief in the Robin Hood tradition of stealing from the rich to give to the poor. Pulled into this life by the man who rescued her from a terrible stint in foster care, Clementine has had doubts about her "career" in the past. Her latest job, stealing an unknown Van Gogh from a wealthy Nebraska family should be a piece of cake. However, while procrastinating the start of the job, Clementine pulls over to help a man stranded on the side of the road with car trouble, a gorgeous man with large sweaty hands (apparently Clementine finds sweaty hands incredibly sexy). Sparks fly immediately until Clementine realizes that the sexy, sweaty hand man is her mark for this job. Things enfold in an extremely predictable way (down to her ditching him to try to protect him *eye roll*). This all unfolds during the town of Whichway's (or Whatever's?) annual Elvis festival where sweaty hand man (Jack) is a very serious competitor in the Elvis tribute artist contest. This book is enjoyable enough with some steamy sex scenes, but the romance element is pretty quick and the plot was just too predictable/annoying for me to rate it highly.

A good book with likable characters who had a lot of chemistry between them. I really enjoyed it, it was very entertaining and I couldn't put it down once I'd started it.

4 stars, I recommend it.

Thanks to CD books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was one of my comfort reads last month and with its quirky setting, Elvis festival and a female Robin Hood, the story was nothing short of spectacular. We feel a kinship with Clementine from the very beginning. The story of a thief who steals from the rich to help the orphans is in itself extraordinary and when a shy hero is added to the mix . . . hmm! Can you really fight the urge to pick up a copy?
Siskind firmly establishes a jovial atmosphere throughout the story in spite of the traumatic events and the impending danger that loom all the time. Both Clementine and Jack hit it off from their accidental meeting and their chemistry grows as the time passes. Jack's family (especially his sister) and his home with all the abandoned reptiles did make a unique impression. The lengths Clementine goes to protect them all clearly earns her the title of Robin Hood. Who would have thought that a quaint little village known as 'Whichway' will witness such thrilling incidents quite worthy of a K-drama?
I cannot really go into the story without endangering the climax, so let me stop right here. On the whole, a lovely story with adorable characters. Highly recommended!

This was a sweet and cute romance. I enjoyed Jack's character and was amused by the Elvis storyline. I had a harder time connecting with Clementine, mostly due to the heaviness of her past. I was hoping for a fun little jaunt like Fox and O'Hare by Janet Evanovich and this book didn't quite reach that level. Overall it was cute and enjoyable but not my favorite book this year.

This was a cute book - I always enjoy heist stories. The banter between the main characters was entertaining. However, I thought the writing was a little boring, and it prevented me from really engaging with the novel.

I enjoyed this book a lot since I like Siskind's writing. This book is not as whimsical as the other book I have read by her but it was cute. I will say that it feels like Catwoman and Batman fanfiction but I enjoyed it a lot. It had a lot of elements (Elvis and keeping strange pets) that keep the book light. The book also deals with heavy topics (being an orphan, bullying, and a few others) that keep the book balanced. That being said, there were a few things that bothered me like supporting orphanages in other countries while ignoring what happens in the USA (where both characters are based). It was slightly tone deaf and made me cringe everytime Clementine thought about the orphanage in India. I think the book is a 3.5 stars for me but giving it 4 stars since I do like the pace and off beat character traits.

This book was fun. I wanted more character development out of Jack though. He was too nice, too selfless, too unrealistic. The town was cute, Clementine was a good female lead, and it was just fluffy enough.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun, quick read with an interesting plot that I hadn’t really read in a romcom before.

I loved the heroine, Clementine, from the very beginning. She’s fun, self aware, and wants to help orphans. I mean, what’s not to love?
And don’t even get me started on the sexy, kind hearted Jack David(as the synopsis puts it). He’s such a great male character!
The book was full of so many fun tropes, but also had so many very cheesy fun topics as well. Hello, Elvis imperonsations!!

I give the book a good 4 stars!!

2,5 stars

Unfortunately, it was not for me. I thought it was going to be a fun romcom but the story was not fun at all (too serious sometimes). The characters are quirky and maybe for that reason are not as appealing as they could be. Besides, the style is too narrative for a non-native English speaker.

This was a really fun romance book! I loved the plot and the fact that it involved art, as I looooove paintings. The romance between the two main characters was great, it was really well done!

Thank you NetGalley, CD Books and Kelly Siskind for lending me an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion!
Clementine Albernathy isn’t your typical twenty something woman, she’s also a master thief. Clementine isn’t stealing from the rich for her own gain, though, she’s using the money to support orphaned children. So she’s not in the wrong, right? Clementine runs into Jack Davis while dealing with a broken down car and he’s hooked instantly. Clementine can’t get Jack off her mind, either. When they meet again Jack knows he wants to make sure he doesn’t lose track of her and Clemetine realizes he’s her next mark.
This was my second Kelly Siskind read! I read New Orleans Rush a few months ago and once again Kelly has written a fun and flirty read that keeps you smiling like a dork the entire time.

2 Stars
The blues sounded really good to me, But when I stared to read it, it just wasn't for me. I thought it was going to be more "White Collar". Loved that show. The book was as much as a hit for me.

This was an amazing story and not at all what I expected. It was sweet and funny and had twists I definitely didn't see coming. Jack was adorably awkward and his and Clementine's chemistry was off the charts. I wasn't ready for it to end but I'm glad they got their happy ever after.

Clementine has been raised since the age of 14 to be a high-end thief. Jack is a wealthy businessman - and Elvis tribute artist - who doesn't know he's sitting on an unsigned Van Gogh. Naturally Clementine falls for her attractive mark and hijinks ensue.

I REALLY appreciated the feminist point of view of this romance - she is good at fixing cars and saves him when he's broken down on the side of the road, for example. Also the trauma that both Clementine and Jack have gone through, particularly in their childhoods, is dealt with in a beautiful way (although his in no way compares to hers!). I thought the sex scenes were the perfect balance between steamy and thoughtful/reflective. I also really appreciated that the end wasn't "ok they fell in love, happily ever after" - that happened earlier, and then the second half of the book was like a crime thriller. This departure from the typical romance formula was unexpected and appreciated.

My only points of contention were the foundation of the plot/characters (a little incredulous!) and how quickly they fell in love. Overall a cute, feminist romance though, that I will recommend to romance lovers!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars

I remember reading a con inspired romance many years ago and loving both the tension of two con artists trying to outdo each other while falling in love. It was a fun read and when I read the summary of this, i crossed my fingers and hoped for something similar.

This started well and the philanthropic thief was an interesting premise for the female lead. Add in an awkward but attractive male lead and you’re off and running. I liked the two person point of view for this novel as it showed that there was more going on in their personal lives that influenced their actions. I liked the way the first half of the book developed but the momentum stuttered a bit towards the conclusion.

Overall, I thought this was a fun little departure from the standard tropes and worth the read.

Things that whet my literary soul’s appetite: bad ass independent female leads with a fully developed character.
Things that dry out my literary soul: weak-willed males who are boring as a month of Sundays, and the women that fall for them.
I thought this story would have read like Suzanna Enoch’s fast-paced cat-burglar series starring the o.g. femme fatale: Samatha Jellicoe. Instead it read more like a backwoods rendition of a bland 1980s small-town cliche. For some, the slow romance may be intriguing, but I felt bored, especially as the conflict in the book was addressed early— which is open-minded for a romance and could have been seen as progressive! but the way it was written was so stifling and too drawn out for my speed.
I was looking for adventure and intrigue, with dashing hints of romance, but this story was overlong and spent too much of it’s energy wasted in a bullied past and not enough time to draw a reader in on what they have become in their present.

I received an ARC from the author and publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book was "fine" - I felt like the story brought in all these fun elements, and then left them out of the main story! Between Elvis reenactments, reptiles, and con-woman-ing it was just too all over the place in terms of fun plot additions. The ending, however, was great and brought in some quirky fun.

Kelly is always fun and rom com and those are two things I love! Don’t Go Stealing My Heart was just that! I really enjoyed this book! The storyline was fun and made it for a quick read!

This book had such a fun sounding synopsis that I actually bumped it up my list as I've been in the mood for happy reads. Unfortunately I didn't really connect with the main character Clementine. I don't know if it was because of her job (a thief!) or just because she wasn't all that interesting but I spent much of the first half of the book debating whether to DNF or just keep going. The book did get better toward the end when Jack featured more but that's probably the only positive I got.

Failed to connect with the heroine. Was expecting a lovable anti-heroine but found her too 'sterile', for lack of a better word, in her mindset and POV and it just didn't make for an engaging read for me nor did it endear her to me so I would want to know what happened to her