A fun heist novel with a small side of romance, Bond's newest title features magic, art, and complex family relationships. Dani has been alone and on the run since she helped the FBI arrest her mother, a famous art thief. When approached by a mysterious family friend and asked to do a job only her mother could pull off, Dani finds herself thrust back into a world of art and magic while also trying to make amends with her first love and her best friend. Learning that the stakes are higher than she could have ever imagined, Dani must plan a heist in under a week while also learning to love again. Readers looking for a breezy romantic comedy with a side of art might be disappointed by the relative lack of romance in The Frame-Up. The novel definitely focuses more on trauma and learning to navigate old relationships than it does on falling in love. While perhaps not a first recommendation for romance or heist lovers, readers who enjoy art history will devour the well-researched callbacks to famous heists and works of art.

2.75 stars. First, I want to thank NetGalley and Random House publishing for an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

The Frame-Up is a magical realism art heist that was not for me. I struggled to make it through 30% of the book. The premise was so promising, which is why I requested the arc, however, I was bored from the start. I also was confused half the time with all the new character introductions and subplots. This was also supposed to be a romance, but the FMC and her 2 love interests/options had no chemistry and no real love? The characters lacked depth and I didn’t feel a connection with any of them. The heist itself was fun, but as soon as the “magic” was brought in, it took away from what could have been an awesomely fun read. The writing was good, but also bland (does that make sense?). It seemed like the story wanted to be funny and romantic, but it just wasn’t? For those who read this and enjoyed it, I am happy, it just wasn’t for me.

Read this if you enjoy these tropes:
- Second chance romance
- Art Heist
- Found family
- Magic & magical realism

I read the first 10 chapters, but could not finish I didn’t care about any of the characters or what happened to them. I’m not even sure what the storyline was supposed to be.

DNF @ 20%. It felt like this book couldn't figure out what it wanted to be - the magic wasn't fleshed out well, but neither was the con artists/heist element. . Promising, but ultimately boring.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Frame-Up definitely wasn't what I was expecting when I read the book synopsis. I'm not sure I can review this book honestly without giving away a few secrets. I'll try to keep them to a minimum. So yes, magically gifted con artists and thieves -- check. The range of magical abilities was quite varied, and we didn't really learn how they came about or why some people possessed them, but that wasn't a huge problem for me. Yes, estranged mother, best friend, and love of her life -- check. She had a messed up childhood to say the least, but some of the relationships are mendable. Huh? A narcissistic demon who hires Dani to steal something -- nope, I was not expecting that... and it just gets weirder.

Pros: The storyline was unique and unexpected. It definitely took me by surprise. I liked how likeable the mark was and how genuine he was; oh, and how he was a great father. Dani is a great heroine who decides to do what is right no matter the cost. I love how she makes healthy choices for herself in the end.

Uncertainties: I just finished reading the novel less than 24 hours ago, and I am still not sure how I feel about the story. Perhaps I won't ever come down on one side of the fence or the other. I wasn't really a fan of a story with a demonic main character, though admittedly, this story wouldn't exist without him. His schemes and dreams were very central to the plot.

Mixed feelings put this books at 3 or 3.5 stars for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an ARC. All opinions are my own.

Dani Poissant used to work as part of a team that was able to steal valuable artwork. Some of the most famous art thefts were the results of their actions. They are good at what they do. But they have something else working for them...magic. Each member of their team has a different skill. Dani has the ability to reproduce any work of art. Her mother heads up the team. But a teen-aged Dani believes her mother is changing for the worst. This leads to her turning her mother over to the FBI.

Fast forward to the present and we find Dani pulling con jobs and avoiding her painting skills. But she gets the offer of a lifetime. She has the chance to steal a particular work of art. In order to do this, she must reassemble the team. If she can pull of this seemingly impossible heist, will she be able to reunite with her estranged mother?

As usual, with the novels about characters with "special skills", it takes a bit to establish what's going on. But once this was done, this novel proceeded on in an enjoyable fashion. The characters were well-developed and enjoyable. The dialog was crisp and lively. The pacing of the book as it counted down the days to the heist was lots of fun. I highly recommend this book.

Dani is estranged from her mother who is in jail after Dani ratted her out on a heist they were working on. Dani is propositioned by her mom’s former partner, Archer, to work a security job/heist for a wealthy family who are selling their patriarch’s art collection. Dani’s magical abilities come into play as she reconnects with her mom’s old crew to get the job done.

The premise of this book was really fun and unique! I went in not knowing a ton about the magical/whimsical aspects of what I was getting into which was a fun surprise. The pacing was a little off for me, but one of the characters featured Dani's dog Sunflower who stole the show if I do say so myself.

Thank you, NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I just didn't like this book it was probably me but I didn't like the characters, I didn't feel connected to their backstory, I couldn't really care about what was going to happen.

Sadly this sounded interesting but just missed the mark for me. It had such potential but it felt boring.

Dani is a magically talented art forger who has been hired to steal and replace a certain painting in a highly secured vault. She knows all about theft – she learned from her mother, an infamous, magically gifted master thief. But to pull off the job, she’ll need help from her mother’s old crew, who still hold a grudge for Dani’s key role in her mother’s arrest. Among them is her ex, Elliott. Can she smooth over old wounds to get the job done?

Magic AND a heist AND romance should have ticked all the boxes but there was something about this book that didn’t quite connect for me until more than halfway through the book. I could tell that parts were supposed to create tension, but I didn’t really feel it. I wanted something – either the heist or the romance – to grab my attention and hold it tight, but neither of those elements really landed for me. It was only around the middle, when more backstory was revealed and the stakes became clear, that things started to interest me. And even that faded in and out as the focus of the story changed.

That said, it was still good. Nothing wrong with it (aside from a bit of a love triangle, which is simply a trope I don’t care for.) I just wanted to be enthralled more than I was. But it might be perfect for someone else. Four stars, plus bonus points for a good dog and a John Prine shout-out.

Representation: LGBTQ+ characters

CW: mention of suicide

The Frame-Up by Gwenda Bond
Contemporary romance with magic abilities and demon.
Dani Poissant is the daughter of a famous art thief. At seventeen, and fearing the mysterious influence of Archer, Dani worked with the FBI to stop her mother and crew from using their magic to steal. Ten years later, Dani is forced to go back to her mother’s crew to help her steal a painter of Archer that dates back to 1890. She has questions, but so do all those she betrayed. Why would they work with her again or trust her?

The magical elements are intriguing. Dani can reproduce a masterpiece that will fool the experts. Sunflower, the dog was my favorite character.
There are a lot of secondary characters that make up crew with unique abilities as well but needed a list to keep track of everyone. Unfortunately I lost interest at about 25% and it took me a few months to find the time to get back to it. Picking it up again, I was hoping for a unique magical painting switch but the demon manipulation, the FBI, and trying to reflame an old crush felt forced and unfocused for me.
This is the second disappointing read for me by this author. With so much new each month, it will probably be my last.
The ending is happy and successful.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley.

The premise of this book sounded so different and very fun but unfortunately I ended up not enjoying it as much.

I really liked the parts of the heist but the romance wasn't hitting for me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I had fun reading this one! It was a nice magical realism heist novel. It gave me old-timey vibes in the art theft, old-school action movie type vibe. The characters were likable and the story overall was enjoyable. Quick read though the ending was somewhat predictable. Highly recommend! Thank you for the ARC Netgalley!

Heists are my favorite, so this magical one was obviously a delight! Sometimes you have to learn the hard way that blood doesn't always mean family.

It pains me to say that I didn’t enjoy this book - I struggled wanting to pick it up and eventually gave up around 40% in. The cover and the blurb made this seem like such an exciting story but I just could not connect to it. I have loved some of Gwenda’s others books so this was really surprising for me.

The premise of this book was really fun and unique! I went in not knowing a ton about the magical/whimsical aspects of what I was getting into which was a fun surprise.

I think the plot overall was really interesting, but the pacing was a bit off and it felt like certain reveals should have been a bigger deal than they were made to be. The love triangle was a lil lack luster and I found myself getting bored because I wanted a lil more action on the romance front.

I loved the dog and rest assured she makes it through the whole book unscathed!

I have been waffling on my rating for this book since I finished it, but think I'm landing at a 2.5. It was enjoyable but nothing crazy amazing or ground breaking. I read via audio and I think that if I had been reading physically I may have DNF'd.

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It technically took forever for me to get into this book. I was insanely bored with it and got to about 40% before I gave up. I decided to skim it to get to the end. Then the book took like a complete turn and got paranormal-ish (even more so then the idea of magic being a thing) at like 75%. I was not expecting this at all. I still skimmed some of it but I read most of the last 25% and it was the most interesting part of the book.

This book had such an interesting premise that I was excited when I got it from NetGalley but it was tough to get through this book. I'm happy that I'm finished with it.

oof, was this a first draft? characters had no chemistry or intrigue to eachother or to me. the writing needs help, so does the plot.

Sometimes it really is an adventure to go into a book blind. Looking at the cover, I was like ok this is going to be a cute heist romcom. WRONG. I wouldn’t say it was a fantasy book, I guess magical realism? It was set like modern day modern world, but some people had magic. And this particular group used magic to pull off art heists. Her family is the best which is why she was tapped for the gig, but there is a sinister secret behind the painting she’s been tasked to steal and WOW. What a plot line that was. There was a bit of romance as well between her and Elliott (fellow con man) and her and Brad (son of the rich family— decent guy). But really the focus was on the heists, magic, and all the secrets.
So this one was a (pleasantly) surprising read for me as I completely misjudged what I was getting into!

Thank you NetGalley, Random House and Del Rey for an ecopy of this book for review!

Dani is estranged from her mother who is in jail after Dani ratted her out on a heist they were working on. Dani is propositioned by her mom’s former partner, Archer, to work a security job/heist for a wealthy family who are selling their patriarch’s art collection. Dani’s magical abilities come into play as she reconnects with her mom’s old crew to get the job done.
I was immediately drawn into this story. There was a bit of mystery around who or what Archer was and what happened between Dani and her mom that kept me interested in finding out what was going on. The secondary characters were compelling and I felt like they added to the story. I also liked the use of the magical world in this story. It was different than other stories I have read with the use of magic. I was not expecting the the way the story ended and I can’t tell if I was happy or disappointed in the ending. I think a little split but that could be because it wasn’t necessarily a full happily ever after. Overall this was a fun book to read with some very original ideas.