I knew I was in for a treat when I saw that Sarah M. Eden had written another story about the Dread Penny Society, and I was right. The Gentleman and the Thief has an old-timey, Victorian feel and is filled with delightful surprises, mystery, and adventure. The two Penny Dreadful stories included added to the pleasure.

Hollis had the appearance and manners of the perfect gentleman. Yet the company he keeps and the secret activities he engages in might belie that image. All he wants is for the Dreadfuls to allow him to be more than just a pretty face in the Society, allowing him the opportunity to do something truly useful. And little did he expect the opportunity would present itself in the manner in which it did!!

I loved the characters! Very Merry, the seven-year-old urchin, was quite possibly my favorite. Which, I suppose, just makes sense because she stole the hearts of everyone she came in contact with.

As the DPS continues its work to rescue the afflicted, they are again confronted with the evils in the city of London. It was such an adventure!

The Gentleman and the Thief is a continuation of the saga that started in The Lady and the Highwayman. Each story has a clear ending and yet leaves the mysterious man who is responsible for the crime and mayhem at large in the shadowy streets of London. You will want to read the entire Proper Romance Victorian series, in order.

The thing that is fun about this book is the you get three stories. One is the main story and it has romance and intrigue. The other two are fun penny dreadful stories. One is about a ghost school for boys and the other is about 2 friends and a mysterious thief.

I've enjoyed the Jonquil Brothers series by Sarah M. Eden, and I thought this one sounded interesting, but this book ended up not holding my interest the way I thought it would. The characters were likable enough, but it was just a little dull at times. I will admit that I read this out of order. This is the second book in the series, but it's a companion series, so I don't think it mattered all that much story-wise.

I thought the way the book cut back and forth between what was currently happening and the penny dreadful stories felt choppy. I wasn't a fan of the placement of those stories in the book, and I didn't feel invested in those stories the way I did with the main story line. But even with those things I view as flaws, I liked the characters and the overall plot, and I want to read more about them. I enjoyed this enough to give the other books in the series a try, and I do plan on reading book one soon.

Thanks to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book.

I was very impressed with this book- it was the perfect blend of mystery, romance, and fun. When I first saw “Penny Dreadful” in the series title, I was a tad worried that it would be bloodier or more violent than I would choose. However, Eden has played on the concept to make it less terrifying but still as thrilling. Ana and Hollis both lead double lives, and make for some of the most fascinating characters. Though they come from fairly different backgrounds, they are more similar than they originally realise. It makes for a sweet and enjoyable romance, but that doesn’t distract from the mystery at hand!

One aspect of this book that I really loved was the Penny Dreadful chapters. It was almost like reading an extra book, which is always a lovely feeling. It felt like we were getting more insight into Hollis as a writer, as well as the universe as a whole.

I was slightly concerned that being the second book in the series, I might be lost without having read the first. However, that wasn’t a problem at all. (I have added it to my reading list, though! And the third coming out, as well.) Like many mystery series, it can absolutely be read as a standalone book.

I didn't know this was book 2 in the series when I starting reading it so wonder I felt like I missing something. It lessened my enjoyment some, but not enough that I stopped reading the book.

I loved the concept and setting of this book. The characters were also well written. Overall, this was a witty, very light on the romance, novel with a predictable but still fun mystery.

Ana and Hollis are both impoverished members of the gentry. Ana teaches music at a girls' school, while Hollis writes penny dreadfuls under a pseudonym. While Hollis still maintains the facade of respectability, thanks to an older brother who's working to restore the family name and finances, Ana's family has been ruined by scandal. Ana is determined to take back what was stolen from her family, even if that means adopting a secret life as a thief.

This novel deals with serious subjects, yet the writing style is light, fun, and engaging. I enjoyed the mix of intrigue and romance. This is my first book by Sarah M. Eden, but I'm looking forward to reading more.

I love the idea of romantic historical mysteries focusing the plot on the infamous Penny Dreadful. The mystery was engaging but not too scary more along the lines of a cozy mystery. The characters Hollis and Ana are excellent I love their chemistry and when the secret identity will be revealed. I loved the addition of the short stories the author added from the perspective of her characters. I thought it really added to the setting of novel, especially since they are penny dreadful writers. Overall, The Gentleman and the Thief is an excellent addition to The Dread Penny Society, filled with intrigue, engaging characters and romance.

I have really enjoyed this series. Book two in the Penny Dreadful Society picks up with Hollis and Ana. I loved being able to reading of their adventure that ends with a great HEA. The penny dreadful stories mixed throughout is so clever and incredibly talented! Another winner from Sarah Eden!

Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including Netgalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

3.5 stars
Though this can be read as a stand-alone, I strongly suggest reading the first book in the series before this. I hadn’t and found the beginning confusing as I tried to understand what Dread Penny Society was, and who all the characters were.
The novel focuses on a group of Penny Dreadful authors and their exploits as the Dread Penny Society, a secret organization intent on making Victorian London safer for those in the lower classes. One such member is an aristocrat named Hollis Darby, who is determined to prove he’s more useful to the group than simply their ticket to attending society balls and soirées. As he investigates the Phantom Fox, a thief known to sneak into wealthy houses and steal items under their owner’s noses, he finds himself falling for Ana Newport, a music teacher who’s father has fallen on hard financial times. While he has secrets, gentleman aren’t supposed to earn their livings writing whimsical stories after all, he discovers that perhaps Ana has secrets of her own.
I found the blurb very misleading. It hints at them playing cat and mouse and that’s not what I got. Though it’s present briefly in the beginning, the story quickly diverts into catching a gambling ringleader who’s also involved in other unsavoury criminal activities.
There’s more emphasis placed on the mystery aspect of the novel than the romance. And while I did enjoy watching the Dread Penny Society chase criminals and protect those who are unable to protect themselves, the novel fell short awakening any sparks between Hollis and Ana. Their relationship progressed way too quickly for me to have any investment in them. That said, I didn’t dislike them together. I thought they had cute moments, but ultimately I was indifferent to them. Maybe my opinion will change after I’ve read book one.
Along with the main mystery romance plot, we also get little chapters from two of the Penny Dreadful stories. Their tone differs immensely, one being geared towards children and while the other being more romantic, that it did draw me out of the main story line.
While I realize this review makes it sound like I didn’t enjoy this book, I did. I liked the mystery aspect, the friendships between the Dread Penny Society, especially between Hollis, Fletcher, and Brogan. I just wished there was more romance than what we got.
I’m still interested in reading more by Sarah M. Eden.

Please note: I received an advance digital copy of this book through NetGalley from Shadow Mountain Publishing and Sarah M. Eden in exchange for a honest review. This does not influence my opinions in any way.

This story premise has so many things going for it—a secret society, the Victorian setting, mystery, suspense, romance, even a cheeky young thief. Even without having read the first in the series, I had no trouble acquainting myself with this world and the characters, and while I suspect there may be an overarching story to the series involving one villain in particular, it didn’t prevent this book from being able to be read and enjoyed as a standalone novel. That said, this story was a bit of a mixed bag for me. As much as I enjoyed some aspects, there were others that kept pulling me out of the story world.

First, the things I enjoyed. Hollis and Ana were a sweet couple, and their relationship was a gentle progression from acquaintances to friends to more, with a little twist of “I wonder what s/he’d think of my secret identity” thrown in. Personally, I would have liked to have felt more chemistry between them, as the author tended to rely on telling more than showing to portray their growing attachment, but in many ways this story was more about the mystery than it was about the romance. And I did enjoy the mystery and the action it brought at the end.

As to the things that pulled me out of the story, there were occasional word choices that threw me, such as the word “sparking” (meaning courting), which I’ve only ever heard used in an American (specifically Appalachian) context. I also got a bit of a shock when Hollis referred to Ana as his “light o’ love,” which I’ve only ever heard used in reference to ladies of ill repute! But the more frequent culprit was the author’s tendency to explain or point things out to the reader, often on the assumption that the reader wouldn’t understand the period or the subtext. Unfortunately, there are few thing that pull me out of a story more quickly.

My final confession is that I didn’t really see the point of including the two stories from the penny dreadfuls. They were interesting in their own way, but they didn’t do anything to further the main story and therefore felt more like interruptions to me.

My personal preferences notwithstanding, I can see this series appealing to many readers who enjoy sweet historical romance with a good mystery/suspense plot woven in.

This book was refreshing just as the characters were. Eden does a great job coalescing the writing style of the set era with the story line, and although it took some getting used to on my part, by the book's end, I was reading freely and felt fully immersed in the time period. Doing so is difficult, and I applaud Eden for her successful attempt. The plot itself is unique, and offers a unique, romantic take on a plot line that reminds of the web-series Purple Hyacinth. Again, a great read and a great pick-me-up from a book slump. Would definitely recommend to friends and family interested in the time period or just a fun read in general.

What a fun way to weave together the romance, adventure, and mystery! It was lovely for Hollis and Ana to develop a relationship and have that foundation as they become more involved in the investigation together, and the complications that arise with their own secrets. I enjoyed their banter and flirting, and the gentlemanly manners of Hollis. The author brought the Victorian era to life, and there is no mistaking it for another! The little details and historical tidbits are fascinating and really establish the setting. I love the idea of a secret society whose mission is to help the helpless and rescue those in need. It makes them seem like superheroes in a way, but all too human. While the entertaining excerpts from the penny dreadful stories are interspersed throughout the book, I found myself anxious to return to the main plot and read quickly to see what would happen next. An exciting addition to the series and a wonderful cast of characters!

Disclosure statement: A complimentary copy of this book was provided from a tour group, publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, OR borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.

It was an okay book. I hadn't read the one before it and maybe that would have made it better. I like that one of the characters is named Hollis as that's an important name in my family so it was cool to see it in a book. The writing was just okay no glaring issues but nothing outstanding either. I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading it but it wouldn't be one I recommend either

The Gentleman and the Thief is the second book in Sarah M. Eden's absolutely charming The Dread Penny Society series. The first one had an interesting setup - penny dreadful stories interwoven with the main story. It really worked there, but was it a fluke? It's an unusual premise... But no, not a fluke! This second volume was just as captivating as the first.

Hollis Darby comes from a good, wealthy family...except the family is no longer wealthy. To support himself, he writes penny dreadfuls under a pseudonym. He is also a member of the Dread Penny Society, a secret organization that helps children of the streets and other unfortunates. When he meets music teacher Ana Newport, he is immediately taken with her. But Hollis isn't the only one with secrets - by night Ana is the "Phantom Fox", a thief who breaks into the homes of the wealthy to regain sentimental trinkets which were stolen from her family unjustly. Can a romance be built upon secrets? And when they join forces to find evidence of wrongdoing in a gambling den, will they even make it out alive?

This story was utterly delightful! I just adored Hollis and Ana individually, but they were even more captivating together. Hollis wanted a more important role in the Dread Penny Society. While others were out fighting injustice, Hollis? He went to parties. It was an essential job, but parties? I could understand his frustration. Ana was a music teacher when she wasn't being the Phantom Fox. She wanted to recapture treasured items stolen when her father lost his business and hoped to help the broken man rejoin the land of the living. Hollis is totally drawn to Ana, and she to him. Together they were amusing and oh, so sweet. Don't mistake sweet for boring, however; you could feel their attraction. I couldn't help but smile at their banter. It was fun revisiting characters from the first book. What really made this book fun, though, are the penny dreadful stories woven together with Hollis and Ana's story. One story was written under Hollis's pseudonym about a school for ghosts, while the other penny dreadful shadows our hero and heroine's romance. I hope we will be honored with many more adventures of the Dread Penny Society!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC copy of this book available to me.

A fun read. The male protagonist (Hollis) is struggling to have his abilities recognized by his peers, the female (Ana) is struggling to keep hers hidden, and they are (of course) keeping secrets from each other. Both characters are equally strongly written and obviously smitten with one another.

One quibble is that while I enjoyed one of the side stories from the Penny Dreadful books (which could have made a good novel on its own), the other I just kept skipping past.each time its new chapter popped up.

Don't expect any hot sex scenes in this, although in my opinion the book doesn't need them to be enjoyable. The book does leave you wanting more, if only to solve the mystery of who the criminal mastermind is. Of course, that's a good reason to come back to this series for the next book.

The Gentleman and the Thief by Sarah M. Eden is a great read. I enjoyed every minute of this fun story and very much appreciated the escape it afforded me this week. The characters in this novel are the best! From upper-crust elites to devastatingly poor street urchins, and those with hearts of gold willing to do whatever it takes to save the lives of those less fortunate to those who relish belonging to the seedy underbelly of London society, this novel truly portrays a unique and well-crafted cast of characters sure to delight any reader. Hollis and Ana, our hero and heroine, clearly have chemistry very early on but are hesitant to declare their feelings because both are keeping some BIG secrets. But as they spend more time with one another, as they grow more comfortable in each other’s company, their relationship blossoms into something genuinely sweet and realistic. In addition to the excellent characters, I was thrilled to read more penny dreadful serials. In this novel readers are treated to two new installments — one a delightful romantic mystery and the other a super fun ghost story. I found myself as excited and engaged in these serials as I was in the main story.

Hollis is an excellent hero with a relatable issue. He is a full-fledged member of the Penny Dreadful Society, but because he’s not originally from the mean streets as the other members are he often feels like the outsider. And, it doesn’t help matters that his fellow PDS members only see him as a socialite. But what’s really frustrating to Hollis is that he doesn’t really belong to the upper-crust set either as his family coffers are basically empty. Hollis is a man without a place and he just doesn’t feel like he fits in anywhere — that is until he meets Ana. What I appreciate about Hollis is his need to be seen for who he truly is. Too often we judge others by what we see or hear, or by first impressions only, and we never really get to know the true person. What a shame this is! How many friendships might we be missing out on because we judge too hastily?

The Gentleman and the Thief is a fantastic Historical Romance/Suspense novel I highly recommend. It’s engaging, it’s fast-paced, and it’s so much fun. Purchase yourself a copy today — you won’t be disappointed that you did!

I received a review copy of this novel in eBook form from the publisher, Shadow Mountain Publishing, via NetGalley. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

3.75/5 ✨

This novel had many aspects that I really enjoyed: it had a lovely cast of characters, a swoonworthy and very cute romance and a mystery element that kept it interesting. If you’re looking for a sweet historical romance that’s more 🥰 and less 🔥, this one’s for you!
The Dread Penny Society is a group of authors who secretly fight for the social and political causes of their working-class readers and it’s what connects all of the books in this series. So I first loved the idea that some of the characters’ works that they sell were included in The Gentleman and the Thief but two different stories kinda just made the book drag a bit. I personally think that one story would’ve been enough.
However, The Gentleman and the Thief was an enjoyable and very sweet read.

Thank you to Shadow Mountain Publishing for providing an eARC through NetGalley!

I found that this read started off slow and I almost put it down. It was hard to get into, but I'm glad I stuck with it. The book picked up halfway through and had a nice pace to it. The characters seemed to mesh well and I really liked Ana. She seemed to bring a fresh perspective to the story. I'm a huge fan of historical fiction and romance, so this was a nice read.

My review will go live on the Book Confessions Blog on 11-28-20.

The Gentleman and the Thief, by Sarah Eden, is a tale full of twists and turns. Hollis Darby and Ana Newport are an odd pair. Hollis's family is wealthy and well-known in society, while Ana's family has worked hard and moved up from the lower rung of society. However, her family has also suddenly lost it all. The next oddity is that they both have secrets. Hollis has taken to writing penny novels, not acceptable in society, in and attempt to keep his family afloat. Ana has been secretly reclaiming items that were wrongly taken from her family!

This is an interesting tale to follow as Hollis and Ana not only build their relationship; but work against the wrongdoings taking place in their world!

This tale is unique because it has a penny novel interwoven with Sarah's tale!

This is actually the second in a series, which I quickly realized once I started reading. I think things were well enough explained that it didn’t affect the relationship between Ana and Hollis, though I struggled a bit with the Dread Penny Society and its members.

“Getting invited to parties—that was Fletcher’s highly important role for Hollis. The others thwarted criminals, saved lives, uncovered vast and dangerous plots. He went to parties.
Pathetic.”


Ana’s family once moved the circles of the elite, but after her father’s business partner ruined their business and absconded, her family was ruined. Now she teaches music at a women’s college and does her best to support her ailing father – and spends her nights stealing back her families’ keepsakes. While Hollis is still one of the elite, second son of a noble family, they are similarly impoverished, though it’s well-hidden. To keep up appearances for his older brother and his children, Hollis gambled his way through Eton and now writes penny dreadfuls under a pen name to support himself. He’s also a member of the Dread Penny Society, a group whose purpose is to help the downtrodden and poverty-stricken underclasses, from saving child thieves from the police to supporting schools to teach the trades. Hollis is the only gently born member, though, and he feels like his work – convincing those of his class to donate to the schools – isn’t as important as the work everyone else is doing. But that all changes when reports of a new thief and a high class gambling ring become entertwined. Finally he’s being trusted with more than just going to parties. But will his involvement mean putting his burgeoning relationship with Ana in danger?

“He was a member of a respected and elevated family, a welcome part of the very Society from which she was dis- tanced. Her poverty and lowered status had created a chasm. The necessity of taking up sneak thievery to regain what had been taken only broadened that gap. There was no escaping that reality.”


I liked Ana. Music teacher by day, thief by night – I thought it was very interesting, but I did wonder where she learned her cat burglary skills. I also liked that Hollis was an author, though we didn’t see much of that on the page, besides the chapters of one of his novels. For all the heavy topics, this is a very light and sweet book. In terms of violence, even the big bad guys don’t do more than a few vague threats, and handholding and a few kisses are as far as the sexual content goes. Most of the angst revolves around the secrets they’re keeping from each other – Hollis’ involvement in the Society (and his penny dreadfuls) and Ana’s thieving. It’s a little worse on Ana’s side, as she’s terrified of losing her position at the ladies’ school if anyone, even Hollis, finds out. I’m not usually a big fan of the main characters keeping secrets from each other, so I was pleased it was mostly resolved by the halfway point of the book. That’s when their relationship slowly picks up steam as well, as before that point a lot of the book is taken up with uncovering the gambling plot. It was much more prominent than I expected, given I thought this was mainly a romance novel. I’d almost say this was historical fiction with strong romantic elements.

I really enjoyed the two penny dreadful novels interspersed with the stories. With that being said, I do think it a bit jarring switching back and forth between three different narratives, and I do think it took away from the main story. I would’ve liked to see more time spent with Ana and Hollis spending time together. What was on the page was nice, but I just wanted more!

So, overall, 3 stars, and I’ve added the first book in the series to my TBR.

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.