Jared Towers and his cousin, Mia Benson, have a mission and it’s big and risky. Their fathers cheated many out of millions through a Ponzi scheme and avoided justice by fleeing the country with the help of their wealthy and enabling friends. Jared and Mia have a plan in which they can recoup a lot of that money and surreptitiously repay the victims but will need help. They assemble a team to pull off a series of capers that definitely cross over into the gray area of the law. He reaches out to hacker Audrey Abbott, who he only knows as Data (she only knows him as Mr. Green) and has used for other projects. They’ve never met but have communicated often by flirty texts. When they do finally meet in person, Jared realizes his instincts were not only correct about her hacking skills but that she’s someone he’d like to see off the clock.

I loved the whole concept of this story and what Jared was really up to. Audrey was also interesting in that what drives her to accept these assignments is the need to provide care for her grandmother. There are two other members of the team, the art thief and the forger, who add flavor to the mix, especially Nikki the thief. Jared’s attraction to Audrey ramped up quickly and the story detoured too far in that direction, seriously dragging for me as I was much more interested in the caper.

I enjoyed the story once it redirected back to the team’s planning for and execution of the art theft. I really liked the characters, who were very well developed, and the whole effort to plan their first theft. But, it took a while for the story to get back on track for me. Once it did, though, I had a hard time putting it down. The romance had issues because it developed so quickly but I was invested in these two working. I definitely plan to continue the series. 3.5 stars

It Takes a Thief by Sloane Steele
Counterfeit Capers #1

Jarred and his cousin Mia have a plan they have waited years to implement. It is a bit Robin Hood-ish and meant to right wrongs perpetrated by their fathers. To achieve their goal they need some help, though. So, a few savvy women are hired to carry off a heist and in the process of perfecting the plans…a team is born, friendships are made, and romance is kindled. What more could one ask for in a book?

What I liked:
* Jared/Jay: intelligent, focused, dedicated, strategist, secretive, warm, rich, problem solver/fixer, witty, likes Audrey
* Audrey: computer hacker, IT savvy, brilliant, loves her grandmother, hard worker, values honesty, likes Jared
* Mia: a bit stiff and by the rules, rich, has her guard up, prickly, rules oriented, focused, intelligent, intriguing – can’t wait to read her book
* Nikki: thief, quirky, good friend, skilled at her job, adrenaline junkie, loves money, moral compass iffy, hope she has a book of her own
* London: counterfeiter, artist, quiet – still waters run deep, would like to learn more about her and hope she has a book
* Grandma: has Alzheimer, raised Audrey, the reason her granddaughter works so hard and is working to make ends meet.
* The plot and future books to look forward to
* The way the three women worked together to solve problems
* The friendship that developed
* The growth exhibited in characters
* That the couple has a HFN ending
* Knowing that there are more books to look forward to

What I didn’t like:
* The fathers of Mia and Jared and what they did
* That it took me more time to engage with the story than I thought it would

Did I enjoy the book? Yes
Would I read more in the series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Carina Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

Sloane Steele’s It Takes a Thief is a delightful caper spiced with humor, suspense and romance about two polar opposites who come together for the art heist of the century.

Jared Towers and Audrey Abbott are as different as chalk and cheese. Jared is charming, charismatic and so debonair. He can talk his way out of anything and he has the ability of making people eat out of the palm out of his hand within minutes of meeting them. On the other hand, Audrey might be a whiz when it comes to computers who can hack into any IT system, however, people are a completely different story. Reclusive Audrey would sooner be locked in an empty room with a computer for hours than have to speak to single person for any length of time – until Jared comes into her life with a daring proposition she simply cannot say no to.

Despite their differences, Jared and Audrey are united by a desire to take care of the people they love who need it most. Jared wants to right the wrongs of the past and is assembling a team of thieves to steal back the possessions his father had pilfered and passed on. Meanwhile, Audrey will do whatever it takes to ensure that her grandmother does not have to worry about anything ever again. Jared and Audrey had joined forces purely for business purposes, but the more time they spend together, the more they realize that the biggest danger the two of them face is losing their hearts…to one another!

A zesty and compelling read spiced with zingy banter, nail-biting intrigue and poignant romance, It Takes a Thief is a witty, charming and absorbing tale where the stakes are high, the chemistry between the leads is electric, the pace never flags and the passion is red-hot. Sloane Steele’s It Takes a Thief is an enjoyable romp that will delight and enchant readers and have them eagerly anticipating the next instalment in Sloane Steele’s Counterfeit Capers series.

This was a very thrilling and fun read! I enjoyed the entire art heist aspect of the story a little too much and I was just so invested from the word go. This Robin Hood-esque ragtag group of thiefs really grew on me and I absolutely fell in love with all of them! It makes me so happy that this is a series because I get more of these characters that I love.

The romance did seem secondary to me, while the heist made up the main plot of the story, but that is definitely not a complaint. I absolutely loved, loved, loved the heisting!

A very entertaining read all in all. ❤

In this one I encountered the characters Jared and Audrey who happen to have different personalities. They also have some interesting skills. They both have their reasons on why they do what they do but they are not for themselves. They come across a big payoff so they team up but with their goals in mind. Then there happens to be emotions that grow in the mix. Since this was my first time reading this author this did have the ability to keep me interested and turning the pages. With a long time reader such as me that is a feat. A good chemistry all the way around I would say with what a outcome.

3.5 stars!
I have mixed feelings about this book. My attention was going in and out. There were moments I couldn’t turn the page faster and other moments I had to go back and re-read. It’s almost like their love and the plot was two different books. There could have been more character development, maybe a bigger plot twist? I was really more interested in the heist. Heist books are generally my favorite, this one missed the mark by a few memos.

This one was okay, but it wasn't my favorite. I really liked Data, Audrey, she was interesting. I also really liked Nikki. However, by the end of it, I was hoping that Data, Nikki and the painter would go off and form their own little crew sans Jared and Mia.

I don't think the relationship really worked for me. I know that Steele tried to show that they had a relationship online before hand, but it didn't really mesh that they went from COMPLETELY professional, to maybe I'll say this thing (and Steele tells you it's flirting, even though it doesn't REALLY feel like flirting) to WOW, I am attracted to you, and we shouldn't get involved, BUT LET's GET INVOLVED ANYWAY really quickly. I just didn't buy it.

Again, the chemistry was better between the other operatives.

I also really didn't like Jared OR Mia. So, I wouldn't really recommend this one.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Mary – ☆☆☆☆
This is a first for me from this author and it sounded interesting. I was not disappointed, although I wasn't expecting it to end where it did.

Jared and his cousin, Mia, are trying to right wrongs done to their families by their own fathers. But in order to do this, they have to have people with the knowledge in the art of stealing and not getting caught. They have to find a forger (London) to make copies of the items they want to replace, a grifter (Nikki) to replace the forged item with the real one, and a hacker (Data/Audrey) to take care of all of their computer needs.

What Jared wasn't expecting was to have a strong pull towards the hacker. He has been using her expertise for a while now but when they met, the sizzle was there for them both.

Can this new team work together to make a wrong right? What happens when Audrey learns who Jared really is?

I really enjoyed this story, it is full of suspense that will keep you wondering how they will pull this job off without getting caught. With a romantic interest thrown in to make it even better. I cannot wait to see what happens in the next book.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the first book in a series, and I really enjoyed the setup, the reveal, and the twist – as well as the romance, which is rather wonderfully nerdy!

Jared and his cousin, Mia, suffered greatly when their fathers escaped justice after a huge Ponzi con. They have recovered most of their status by hard work and being independently wealthy, thanks to their mothers. They now want to right the wrongs the best they can, and plan on using the wealth of their absent fathers' friends to fund such restitution. To do that, they have to find suitable individuals to do the deeds themselves... and so they engage a thief, a hacker, and a forger.

I love how it all falls into place (haha!) or rather, how they have to really work at overcoming all the challenges and through it become a cohesive team, as well as Jared and Audrey forming an unexpectedly close bond. Mia really isn't impressed with how things work, as she is so careful of the plan working out.

Hugely entertaining story with the promise of some more crazy adventures to come, and I am hoping more passionate romance for one of the team!

Jared and Mia are cousins trying to right a wrong. They put together a team that is very much needed in order to succeed. Jared falls for one of his partners, but doesn't admit to her who he really is, so eventually it blows up in his face. Whether she will forgive him and they will get their happy ending remains to be seen. I loved the show Leverage and this has the feeling of that show. This book was exciting and kept me turning the pages. I can't wait to see what happens with the rest of the characters in this book.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

"It Takes a Thief" by Sloane Steele was something of a modern-day Robin Hood tale. For some time, Jared Towers and his cousin Mia Benson had been working to plan a series of art heists in order to generate funds to make reparations to the victims of a Ponzi scheme masterminded by their fathers. Jared and Mia assembled a team consisting of thief Nikki, forger London, and hacker Audrey to help them pull off the thefts from their fathers' rich friends, who had also benefited from the scheme. I really enjoyed the way those three came together and not only started solving problems as they arose, but also formed an unlikely friendship as the story progressed.

Jared had worked with hacker Audrey in the past, and they'd always had a bit of an online flirtation. Their relationship felt somewhat rushed to me after they met in person, however. Audrey and Jared had great chemistry, but I would have liked to see more emotional build-up. The conflict between them seemed a bit forced to me as well, and it dragged on for longer than necessary. Most of their problems could have been cleared up with a simple conversation, and it always drives me crazy when couples fail to communicate, no matter the extenuating circumstances.

Overall, while I think I enjoyed the heist part of the plot more than the romance, it was still a fun read and I would recommend it. Fans of light romantic suspense and TV shows such as Leverage are likely to enjoy this story. The next book in the series promises to be even more interesting IMO, now that much of the groundwork for the art thefts is in place.

*Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Ocean's Eight meets You've got Mail.

I love a good heist story -as my Netflix history can confirm- sprinkle in a tale of romance, and this seemed like the perfect book for me.

The premise of the story was refreshing, it wasn't your more commonly use trope. It Takes a Thief merged socialites with characters from the dark web. What should have been a band of misfits became a great team of friends. As I was reading the book, the emphasis was on Audrey and Jared yet the author created enough intrigue with each supporting character that I knew I needed their story before I even finished this one.

Audrey and Jared were endearing characters and I was rooting for them. I loved Audrey's growth from hermit to confident woman aware of her own worth, and even though Jared dabbled between right and wrong, I was there for it! The romance was swoony and although I felt it was quick in places with more telling than showing, it worked. The author had a tough job of balancing the heist storyline with Audrey and Jared's romance and she pulled it off successfully. As well as feeling the excitement of the heist and the mission behind it, I was rooting for Audrey and Jared through it all.

"Tomorrow we can go back to hacker and fixer. Tonight, we can just be two people in love."

I took a chance on reading a new author by the synopsis alone, and I'm very glad I did. The writing flowed easily, it enabled me to care for the characters and want to see them succeed. This is definitely one heist I want to see through to the end.

Jared is determined to right the wrongs of his father even if it means replacing priceless works of arts with forgeries so that the originals can be returned to their rightful owners. In order for his plan to be successful he needs help and one of the people he wants to recruit is Data, who’s off the charts computer skills he has used in the past.

Audrey has worked with Jared in the past however they have never met. When they finally do meet neither was expecting the attraction they would feel for each other especially since both of them haven’t been completely truthful about their motivations.

I enjoyed seeing the relationship unfold between Jared and Audrey and the capers that all the members of the team find themselves involved in.

Jared Towers and his cousin Mia were affected by their fathers' crimes. Now he's a fixer and uses his connections to bring a thief and hacker together for an art heist. As the hacker, Audrey just wants the money so she can afford care for her grandmother with dementia. Their orbits never would have connected in person if not for the job, and there's more at stake than a stolen painting.

I really liked Audrey, isolated and shy in the beginning, with her only connection to the "real world" being her roommate, job, grandmother, and assisted living staff. She still had a sense of sass along with her humor as she ribbed her unnamed benefactor online. Jared came in on Mia's plan to humiliate the men assisting their fathers and wants to have a hands-on approach. This is especially true when he meets Audrey; they have an instant attraction that they eventually give in to. He doesn't explain who he is, who Mia is, or why they're putting together this elaborate plan, so it all blows up in his face.

Think of this as the romance novel version of Leverage, if you enjoy bad guys getting one over on worse guys. I hope there's more to this series because all of the characters in it were lots of fun, not just Audrey and Jared.

Man, I love a good caper! Getting a team together was the easy part, having a plan move smoothly was tricky. Jared and Mia are determined to get revenge on their fathers, the plan is give back to those their fathers stole from and make things right. They’ve got a hacker, a thief and a forger. The plan is genius: replace art with forgeries and watch the plan their fathers carefully constructed fall apart. The vibe from the team is electric as they work together to straighten out the kinks and learn to trust the others. As this motley crew molds into a family of friends there is a shift as they are finally let in on the real reason for the heists. The perfect start to a new series now that the group has done a job or two it’ll be exciting to see where else the series takes them. I received my copy from Netgalley but wrote my review voluntarily.

So awesome!

This is the story of Jay, who, along his cousin Mia, plans to steel some pieces of artwork from their father's friends, in order to undo the wrong they did to innocent people who they tricked. They hire a hacker, a thief, and an art forger. He knows the hacker, Audrey, from previous works when they flirted a bit. As they get to know each other sparks fly as they get closer and closer.

This was truly an awesome book! It felt like an unique plot, very well written, the story was fast paced and kept you wanting to know more about what was going to happen. All the characters are well developed and though each is very reluctant in the beginning they transform into a great team, all melting a bit their protective walls.

Jay and Audrey have a lot of chemistry going on between them, there are sensual moments, very hot ones and some difficult ones as she gets over her feelings of betrayal and they explore their love.

This book was a great read, sweet, fun, fast paced, keeping me engaged. Can't wait to read the next ones!

4.25⭐

This was a really enjoyable introduction to a new series that reminded me so much of one of my favourite TV shows Leverage, and I was hooked from the start.

Thanks to a well-written and plotted storyline that nicely introduces the five central character's thief Nikki, hacker Audrey (data), and forger London who are all pulled together by cousins Mia and Jared to pull off 12 heists so the cousins can lure their con men fathers out of hiding and provide compensation to their victims.

And with an engaging romance between Jared and Audrey as well as plenty of planning for the heists, themselves this was a really entertaining read, and I'm excited for what comes next as the team take on more heists and deal with the consequences of those they've already stolen from finding out their art is now fake.

Would recommend.

It Takes a Thief is a fun, sexy, enjoyable read. I do have a few quibbles with it, but overall, it was exactly what I wanted - a heist book with romance!

Overall, the book feels very light. There is a subplot with Audrey's grandmother being in a nursing home and having dementia, but otherwise it never dwells on anything too difficult. There's a lot of quippy back and forth between Audrey and Jared and also Audrey and the other members of the group. This book definitely passes the Bechdel test - the trio of women who are hired to steal the art that Jared wants stolen get to know each other and become a convincing team by the end of the book, which I loved. Plus, competence porn abounds! Audrey is good at hacking, Nikki is good at stealing, and London is good at art (or counterfeiting, tomato, tomahto). The combo of an all women team, plus Mia, Jared's cousin, being the "evil" mastermind of the Robin Hood scheme is real sexy, not going to lie. I love to see women being badass in my romance novels, and It Takes a Thief delivers that in spades.

One thing I would like to point out is that while Carina seems to be labeling it a romantic suspense or a mystery/thriller, I personally do not consider It Takes a Thief to be either of those. This is a pretty standard contemporary romance with a bit of tension around the actual theft of the art, but there are never any parts where I feel that Audrey or Jared are actually in danger. Basically, I didn't feel a suspenseful vibe and I get anxious over ... well, literally everything. *Shrug* Anyway, your mileage may vary, but I did not get a thriller feel from this one.

My biggest complaint is that It Takes a Thief could be a bit shorter. The group manages to squeeze in a second heist in the last 20% of the book or so, but it feels rushed and kind of squished in as an afterthought. There are two chapters near the 80% mark that honestly feel like they were each the end of the book (and would have been fine stopping points), and when I turned the page to more story, I was surprised to see I wasn't done yet. This gives it a bit of a draggy feel at the end, which I think could have been tightened up.

What I loved was the communication between Audrey and Jared. Though they are both reasonably keeping secrets from one another (they are, after all, committing an illegal art theft), as they get to know each other, they are good at communicating their feelings. There is a "big secret" type moment that causes them to have an argument, but afterwards, Audrey tells Jared how she feels about what he did - what a novel idea! - instead of just expecting him to read her mind. I think I loved it so much because it felt like the antithesis of one of my least favorite tropes of "it would work out if the main characters would just fucking talk to each other."

All in all, I would recommend It Takes a Thief as the start to a fun series. I will definitely be picking up the next book in the series, Between Two Thieves, which luckily has a scheduled publication date in June, so I won't even have too long to wait!

Content warnings: Audrey's grandmother is in a nursing home with what appears to be dementia, Audrey's mother was addicted to drugs and is referenced a few times

Review will be posted on Smexy Books closer to release date

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

This rule follower loves the thrill of a heist romance so I grabbed It Takes a Thief by Sloane Steele as soon as I read the description. While I have some quibbles with the execution of this one the steam is applause-worthy & I see potential in the series, particularly for fans of authors like Katie Reus.

Jared Towers is a wealthy, sort-of fixer, and also the son of a Ponzi scheme runner who fled the country after stealing from people. Jared & his cousin Mia—whose father is also guilty—come up with a scheme to steal artwork that their fathers own before their fathers can liquidate them.

So Jared hires “Data," a hacker he's worked with in the past, who turns out to be Audrey. Audrey knows nothing about Jared's real identity or his motivations behind the theft & she has her own reasons for wanting to be involved.

Fast forward to sparks between them erupting into flames & Audrey finding out Jared’s secrets...

The premise of this one is intriguing, the steam is delightful, & Jared is a devoted hero.

On paper everything is there for me, but the romance loses a lot of power after the conflict, which seems to drag on for a considerable amount of the book & which I didn’t entirely understand (or maybe buy?) the reason for. Some aspects of their relationship also feel rushed to me, particularly at the beginning, when I would have enjoyed more build-up.
​
Overall the romance could have been tighter but It Takes a Thief is a fun read.

3 ⭐️. Release date: 04/27

It Takes a Thief by Sloane Steele is the 1st book in her new Counterfeit Capers series. We meet Jared and Mia (cousins), as together they plan on their series of heists as payback against their fathers. A number of years ago, their fathers were exposed for a Bernie Madoff financial scam, causing many people to lose their money; a number of those people were put into financial binds. The fathers are in hiding, leaving the children and their wives to suffer the backlash against them; of something they had no idea what was happening.

Years pass, and now both Jared and Mia have inherited from their mother’s trust funds, which they plan to use to help out all those people who were hurt financially. They will aim at their fathers’ cronies, who have valuable art, for which they eventually will sell to allow the fathers’ to return home, cashing in on those invested art. Jared and Mia plan to steal the various paintings/sculptures, replace with forgeries, and provide compensation to the victims; which they plan to do 12 heists (in three books 😊). But they need to find people who can help them perform the necessary deeds; so, they need to find the best in those fields who will not get caught; a thief, a hacker and a forger.

At this point, Jared takes center focus, as we meet the ladies who are the best. Audrey (Data) is a hacker, Nikki is the thief and London is the forger. It was great to see Data and Nikki, who are totally different, but who become friends. Mia when meeting both of them, wasn’t sure she could trust them, but in time that will change. Jared, who spent most of the time with Data and Nikki, started to fall hard for Data (Audrey), though she is a loner (buried in her hacking world), she too started having feelings for Jared. London comes in later, when hired by Mia to forge a painting. They were a very good group, and the three ladies helped each other plan their parts in the heists.

What follows is a wonderful story, giving us a glimpse at how hackers and thieves work, as well as enjoying a slow build romance between Jared and Audrey. The romance closer to the end, has some hiccups, but we do love them together and hope they stay together.

It Takes a Thief was a fun and witty adventure, as well as being exciting and suspenseful when they were on the job. I do not want to say too much more, since you should be reading this without spoilers. Sloane Steele did an excellent job writing this wonderful suspenseful story, with a group of great characters. I look forward to the next two books, which will continue with more heists to come.

I received a complimentary copy of It Takes Thief in exchange for an honest review. I was actually pleasantly surprised by this book. The plot was semi appealing, and I went into this with low expectations. What a mistake. I got sucked into the plot and character development, and was captivated by the "outside the box" thinking. Maybe that is why I would never be a good heister. Thanks for the pleasant read Ms. Steele. I'll be looking forward to the next adventures with Audrey, Jared, Mia, Nikki (my favorite), and London.