Dani is the daughter of the infamous Maria Poissant, renowned art thief and security advisor. Or, at least, she was before Maria practically disowned her after Dani betrayed Maria during one of her heists and sent her to prison. Now, Dani has been out of the life for a while, ignoring her magic and instead living a quieter, albeit still not completely legal, life. But when Archer, one of Maria’s old partners, shows up with an offer that Dani can’t refuse, she’s forced to go back to the life she thought she’d left behind. Not only will she have to re-connect with the found family that abandoned her after Dani’s betrayal, but she’ll have to pull off the most difficult art heist in history, one that even Maria has never attempted.

I received an advanced reading copy of The Frame-Up in exchange for an honest review.

The Frame-Up is a fantasy novel by Gwenda Bond. It’s a novel that takes place in our present world, with the slight caveat that there’s some people with magic out there, and they keep it secret from those who don’t have any.

But while The Frame-Up is a fantasy novel, it is also, first and foremost, a heist book. Dani’s main goal here is to steal a piece of priceless art from an eccentric millionaire’s collection, and there’s a lot of moving pieces to the operation. Not only does Dani need people who have a certain set of skills to help her, but she needs to plan for every eventuality, which gets harder and harder as one wrench after another gets thrown into the plans.

But luckily she’s got other people there to help her, and I think this was my favorite part of the novel. Dani is forced to reconnect with her old found family, who took Maria’s side after Dani betrayed her, and it’s not always easy. However, you can tell that there’s history between them as they interact, and you have to wonder how (or if) Dani will ever convince them to actually support her as she attempts the heist of a lifetime. I do wish we’d gotten more of this, though. I’m a huge fan of family and found family stories, and the emotions tied up in them, and this story didn’t completely satisfy them for me. Similarly, I wanted more of Dani and her mom. They have a very fraught relationship, but I wanted to see more of it to truly understand each of their choices near the end. I tend to like very character-based stories, though, and this focused more on the heist, so if you are more into that than into the relationships between characters, you might enjoy this.

There’s also a very minor love triangle happening here, between Elliot, Dani’s childhood best friend; Brad, the eccentric millionaire’s son; and Dani herself. I say “minor” because I thought it was fairly obvious who Dani would end up with from the beginning, and also because while it was a subplot, it was definitely a more minor subplot, and, in fact, could even be considered as part of the “reconnecting with old family” subplot.

Oh also, there’s a dog! And minor spoiler ahead for those who need to know whether or not the dog is OK at the end. If you don’t want to know, skip to the next paragraph. All right, you ready for the spoiler? The dog makes it through the book unharmed, and she’s such a sweet girl! I wish more novels had dogs like her.

The Frame-Up was such a light read. It’s the good book to read on a plane or on vacation, or just a quiet weekend. Since it’s so light on the fantasy, I think both those who like fantasy in our world, as well as those who just like heist novels would enjoy it.

The Frame-Up will be released on February 13. You can preorder your copy from Del Rey here.

An entertaining supernatural heist romance featuring a spunky con artist, her sidekick canine and the complicated relationship she has with her mother. If you like Ocean's Eleven style impossible art heists and books like Kelly Siskind's Don't go stealing my heart that also have some witchy/magical elements, this one is definitely a must read. Good on audio as well narrated by Shannon McManus. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!

The premise of this one hooked me with con-artists and a heist but ultimate it fell flat. There were too many tropes for the sake of tropes. The characters were not fully formed. The addition of magic was unnecessary and didn't bring anything to the plot.

Hoping for a fun heist book with a touch of romance, "The Frame-Up" left me thoroughly disappointed. Despite the promising premise of a daughter reconnecting with her art-thief mother for a daring job, the execution fell short of expectations.

The narrative was overwhelmed with too many tropes, making it feel like the author attempted to cram every possible element into the story. This approach proved overwhelming and detracted from the overall plot, leaving the reader with a sense of confusion rather than enjoyment.

Despite Gwenda Bond's previous works, the writing in "The Frame-Up" felt disappointingly amateur. The characters lacked depth, feeling one-dimensional and cliché, as if copied from a template. The attempt to introduce an otherworldly being as the mastermind behind the plot came across as ridiculous and mundane.

Moreover, the scenes that should have carried suspense failed to deliver, resulting in missed opportunities for engagement. Overall, "The Frame-Up" had the potential to be an exciting read but ultimately fell flat due to an excessive use of tropes, lackluster character development, and missed opportunities for suspense. A disappointing experience for those seeking a captivating heist and romance novel.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️ ☆ ☆ ☆ (2/5)

A story of magic and art thievery. An evil lord makes hell for a family of women. The women are generations with magic. One woman created a painting of the evil lord and bound him to it. The painting is sold and makes its rounds, dragging the lord around while he tries to free himself from it.

A magical mystery, a love triangle, and a dog. Dani's family have special powers and now she's being asked to use them once again to steal a painting, This was a miss for me- it had too much going on (choose a theme, choose a trope) on one hand and not enough magic on the other, Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Over to others,

This book was absolutely nothing like I expected going into it, and while where it went ended up interesting I can’t help but feel like the summary of this book sells you on something very different. I was initially interested in this book because of the art and heist elements, and you get those, but more than anything it ended up turning into a supernatural mystery. The romance that’s being sold was also underwhelming for me, so I’m honestly glad it didn’t show up as much as it could have. THE FRAME-UP is an interesting read for sure, but it feels very different than what the promotion of it made me feel, and ends up a little more fantasy than exciting mystery where I think it wanted to. All in all, it was a decent read and if you’d like a supernatural-esque heist and a centuries-old family mystery to boot, this might be worth checking out!

The roughest part about this book for me was initially getting into it. It took me a few days to get through the first half with some dedicated time to reading it, but for some reason the chapters felt like they went on forever even if they were probably only a few pages. I don’t know if the plot just hadn’t truly started or what, but it was a struggle. Once the deeper levels of the mystery were revealed, it certainly went faster but I can’t say I was more drawn into the book at that point.

Plot-wise, I’m not going to comment on the heist because whether or not it’s realistic or believable isn’t necessarily the most important factor for me, plus the element of magic kind of changes the stakes. It is a bit frustrating for it to be sold as impossible and then the actual heist is relatively low-stakes/tension to read. And the romance subplot was a relative nonstarter for me, there just isn’t a lot of chemistry and I can’t see it going anywhere, so take that as you will.

I think the characters end up being pretty interesting, but I was a bit underwhelmed by the different thieves, and I think the most interesting ones end up being Brad (the dead billionaire’s son), the Curator, and Maeve Poissant in her diaries. The motivations struggle to feel deeply nuanced, which allows for some slightly interesting twists and turns, but are less impressive after finishing the book. There are some really cool elements of this book, but they struggle to form a fully interesting-to-read whole for me.

The premise sounded great, but it wasn't. I thought heists were supposed to be exciting, it wasn't.
This book was boring! Some of the heist bits were ok, but the romance was not good. And I am not happy with who Dani ended up with!
I wanted to give this author a go because people really seem to like her books, but it just wasn't for me. I'm not a big romance fan, so I was hoping the addition of a heist would make it better, but I just didn't like it.

I had expected Mission Impossible with fairy dust and got a good heist story with realistic characters who have differing magical talents. I like the way this one is written much better. The publisher's blurb is rather encompassing so there is no need to repeat it.
I requested and received an EARC from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey via NetGalley. THANK YOU!

This was such a a fun magical heist book! Dani is the daughter of a magical art thief who takes a seemingly impossible job to atone for a past error that got her mother arrested almost a decade ago. She attempts to pull together her old crew to steal a painting from one of the most secure art collections in the US. Working as an insider security consultant for the family who owns the collection, Dani must play a double agent while planning how to create a replica of the piece that needs to be stolen. The book includes unique magical system/powers, quirky secondary characters, a second chance romance, and attempts at reconciliation with friends and family. I was engaged throughout the story and enjoyed the pacing. I wish there had been more time for romance development, but overall, it was an enjoyable book.

Overall, this book had amazing potential. With a cast of characters with magic talents and a penchant for Ocean’s-Eleven-level-escapades, this should have been a fun, quick read. And for the first third or so, it definitely was. But I started to feel stuck between the under-developed chemistry between romantic interests, unbalanced pacing, and info-dumping. Dani almost immediately finds herself in a love triangle between her new boss and her childhood sweetheart. Unfortunately, there was such limited development between either relationship that I didn’t root for either side. There’s also an interesting subplot featuring Dani’s ancestor that delivered a great plot twist, but that twist was barely explored within the main storyline.

Beyond those issues, I did enjoy the book. The characters, while not fully developed, are fun and have good banter with each other. Their plan for the heist is interesting, and leads to a series of hijinks that are goofy and suspenseful.

I would recommend this to anyone specifically looking for a magical art heist storyline. If that specific storyline isn’t what you’re looking for, I think there are better fantasy, magic, and heist books that would hold your attention.
Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for the advanced copy!

DNF. I didn’t like how the magic was seemingly thrown in and remained confusing. Additionally, the explanation that criminals are the ones who mostly have magic due to the fact that they were poorer and more likely to commit crime was extremely classist.

I tried. I really did. Honestly, it's my fault. The synopsis clearly said "a magically gifted con-artist..."
I just didn't think they really meant...MAGIC. It just wasn't for me.
This review was collected as part of a netgalley promotion.

Did not finish book. Stopped at 34%.

- It feels like it’s doing too much in terms of quippy little sayings and metaphors.
- It just makes me feel disconnected from the plot and like I’m constantly reading a bunch of filler.
- This book suggests that the only people with magic are criminals? Aren’t there just normal people with other jobs who have magical abilities?
- And also… why magic? The magic feels out of place and unexplainable tbh.
- Saying most people who were born with magic were poor and that’s why they’re more likely to be criminals… I’m sorry what? Ew.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

This is a heist novel with a bit of magic in it. I want to distinguish this, because if you are hoping for a fantasy novel with a heist in it, you will be disappointed. This is not a book that intends to go deep into its magic theory, spending pages upon pages on how the magic works, who gets it and why, how they develop it, how they apply it, any of that. No. This is a book that looked at heist movies and said, I want a one of those. But with some magic.

Want that? You've got it. It's got the bit where you find out the job, the bit where you get the team together, the bit where it's all a little wobbly. It's got a cute dog, a love triangle, a fancy gala, a really sketchy customer, and a terribly fraught emotional backstory to complicate the whole thing. It's got the supply run and picking out the dress for the gala and the point where you think it can't work but it has and the point where you're sure it has worked and it hasn't. It has all the things you want in a heist. Also the cute dog is not harmed in the making of this book.

But notice that those things were not the magic training sequence, the wise wizard mentor, the cool spell, or any of the other genre furniture for fantasy. Okay? Because this is a heist book, with some fantasy elements. Dani Poissant and her border collie Sunflower are absolutely here for your art theft needs. (I really, really like Sunflower.)

Ten years ago Dani Poissant turned her art thief mother into the FBI. Now she's been forced by her mother's old partner to fulfill the job her mother had been working towards before she was jailed. To do that she needs to assemble her mum's old crew who shunned her, including her best friend Mia and boyfriend Elliott.

This book has such a great premise, a team of magical art thieves trying to pull off a heist in what is a very secure facility, all while dealing with the FBI, rival thieves? Not to mention the extremely creepy painting that everyone seems to want.

While I enjoyed this book immensely I found the pace a bit slow, and some parts not fully developed, such as the magic realism and the romantic triangle. The magic stuff just felt too subtle and could've been explored much further. I felt we were told more than saw any romantic chemistry between Dani and her two potential suitors and found the one she picks to have even less chemistry with than the other guy. On page they barely saw each other to really make me believe after ten years they'd be compatible again.

Overall this was a fun and enjoyable read. If you like magic realism, a good old-fashioned heist and a dog named Sunflower, this is one to add to the TBR pile.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey and NetGalley for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book! The pacing was slower than I expected, but I enjoyed the writing and the characters enough to keep me reading. It's a second chance romance, which is my absolute favorite, so having that woven in kept my attention and kept the plot moving. I thought this was really fun and unique!

The Frame-Up introduces a world of magical realism with high stakes heists and intriguing characters.

I truly wanted to love The Frame-Up, but found it to be quite boring. It's premise is so promising and exciting, yet I could not seem to care about any of these characters or their situation. Yes, there are high stakes and a time crunch so, theoretically, it should be engaging; however, it was not at all exciting with relatively no action (which I don't need a book to have in order for it to be thrilling or compelling) and minor twists and turns that didn't have great payoff.

The magical realism should have been intriguing, and it was for a brief minute, but it was so scattered and unfocused that it fell to the wayside and felt much like an afterthought. There are cool powers and cool characters and cool circumstances, but it doesn't go much farther than that: cool.

Maybe it was the pacing, perhaps it was the characters, or something else entirely; but I found The Frame-Up disappointing, unsatisfactory and boring. It was well written and there were many things I did enjoy, but overall I was left wanting. With that said, I am looking forward to exploring more of Gwenda Bond's works.

A huge thank you to Gwenda Bond, Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I love a good heist book or movie, so why wouldn't I like this book? It bored me. Took me repeated attempts to get past the first few chapters, hoping the story would improve, but it didn't. I didn't like the MC and therefore was not invested in her story. Too much Sunflower, the dog, which is probably an unpopular opinion. The pacing of the story was not good. The magical realism did not fit the story. The "romance" was weird as there was zero chemistry between the two characters, and we're just supposed to accept the fact that they were fated to be together.

Would not recommend.

A con artist with a bit of magic has to do one more job... with the mother's old crew that outcasted her, which also means working with the guy who broke her heart. Dani Poissant is the daughter and former accomplice of the world's most famous art thief, Maria. Dani was close with her mom's crew... until Dani turned her mom over to the FBI. Ten years has passed with her mom still in prison and Dani being outcasted and exiled from contacting her mom's crew. Yet a mysterious man hires Dani for a job and offers her the chance to reunite with her mom and the crew again. Dani's got an impossible job ahead of her, and I'm not talking about the heists, but rather the dark family secrets her mom has been hiding and the old wounds...especially facing her former best friend and the love of her life who left her when she turned her mom in. Dealing with these old feelings is difficult enough but having to work on an important art heists will only complicate it. This book... was unfortunately really really boring. For a book with magic, heists, and second chance romance, I thought it would be perfect for e yet the story itself was so boring and the characters gave me absolutely nothing. I wasn't rooting for the romance, I wasn't really rooting for anyone. I found myself spacing out while reading it and wanting to DNF it so many times but just forced myself to make it to the end. The characters don't really feel like they have any depth, there is absolutely no chemistry between Dani and her former best friend. I just didn't care at all what happened by the end, and that is so unfortunate because i had high hopes for this book with it's cute premise. If you enjoy second chance romances with heists, give this a go, maybe you'll have a better time with it than I did.

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*