This was a charming, easy listen. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I liked Della and Cole both as individuals and together as a team.

Thanks NetGalley for the audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved The Lady Thief of Belgravia. Inspired by Pygmalion/My Fair Lady/Pretty Woman but so much better! Personally, I never liked My Fair Lady b/c of the horrible way that Henry Higgins treats Eliza Doolittle, and I HATED the end b/c Eliza deserves so much better. I feel like The Lady Thief of Belgravia was like therapy, healing me from that ick feeling from the movie!

From the very start, Cole Winthrop shows much respect for Della Rose, despite her upbringing, her "line of work," and her lack of proper manners. Cole's role as both a lord and as a part of the Home Office.

Della and Cole's mutual respect for one another and their intense attraction for each other makes for a delightful match despite the improbability of any future. I loved hearing both of their perspectives (even if the male and female voices didn't match up between narrators) - Bella shows such tenacity, wit, and ferocity; I would read many more books featuring this heroine. Yes, Bella's transformation is likely way too quick, but I am okay overlooking this for such an entertaining story.

Surprised by everything working out well in the end (I couldn't figure out how they could make it work!), but it is a romance, so a HEA is guaranteed.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy.

This was great fun and, if I'd had time, I could have read it all in one sitting quite easily. The romance was compelling, the dialogue was funny, and the action/climax at the end had me postponing my food shopping so that I could find out what happened.

Della was the shining star of the story. She learns everything she needs to learn to fit in with high society, while never losing sight of her roots and remaining true to herself. I also liked the fact that she wasn't particularly embarrassed by where she came from and never shied away from the fact that she was a thief. (For most of the book, she was quite proud of the fact and, since she was mainly stealing from rich, white men, this made me like her even more.) She's also just an incredibly fun character, who throws herself head-first into danger to save others rather than shying away from it.

I liked Cole, too, especially his kindness and compassion, but I found his charisma lacking in comparison to Della (then again, everyone is lacking in comparison to Della). He accepts Della wholeheartedly for who she is, never once judging her for doing what she has (and had) to do to survive. The twist about him being a spy was good, if a bit under-utilised. We never see him doing any actual espionage until the very end, and even then, it's mostly Della doing the work. I could pretty much overlook this, though, since the story was so enjoyable.

The only reason this didn't end up getting five stars from me is that at times I felt like there were actually too many sex scenes, and they ended up detracting from the overall story. (I enjoy smut in my romance, so that's saying something.) I also felt like £10,000 was an exorbitantly high price for Cole to pay Della for her work. Even some wealthy gentry of the era wouldn't earn this much money annually.

But aside from that, I loved this. It was a delightful romp and I'd happily reread it in the future. The only thing I'd say is don't go in expecting a Six of Crows-type heist, it's not quite on that scale. Other than that, if you enjoy spicy historical romance and women being competent af, then you'll probably enjoy this one.

This was a very enjoyable experience into a historical romance era.
The writing reminds me of Lisa Kleypas; with the sassy heroine and the tortured yet titled hero
And it's certainly is an interesting take on the genre; where we usually see the ins and out regarding the fashionable ton of London, marriage-minded mamas and seemingly nonstop daily balls

The plot follows as the title suggest; our heroine is a thief
A lady thief!
She lives in the bad part of London, stealing to put food into her belly
When she nicked the pocket watch of a gentleman, he offered her a job
He needed her to steal back some papers and he would pay her ten thousand pounds!
She'd be remiss to reject his offer; that kind of money could change her entire life, and also the life of her best friend

There's intrigue, mystery, thrilling escapades, and it's so fun to watch Della Rose trying to navigate a life that's entirely different from hers
This does feel a bit modern than the historical romance I'm used to but it's still fun regardless
A solid four stars!

Thank you to Netgalley, Allison Grey and Dreamscape Select for providing me with this audiobook in exchange for an honest review

I thoroughly enjoyed this fun, fast paced, action filled rom com set in late 1800s London. Della is a talented pickpocket and Cole is a gentleman in need of her talents to expose a traitor to King and country. As Cole works to transform Della, a woman with serious academic ambitions, into a lady of good breeding the pair finds it hard to deny their chemistry. Both have walls built around their hearts but will they those walls to crumble?

I enjoyed the narration and appreciated the pacing. I looked forward to finding pockets of time to listen to this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my review.

"Sometimes we can't help who we love."

Love is the last thing on the mind of pick pocket expert Della Rose when she aims her talents on the pocket watch of the handsome Cole Winthrop. What she doesn't know is he's been watching her watch him the whole night. So begins the really enjoyable Regency romantic heist romp The Lady Thief Of Belgravia by prolific author Allison Grey.

Cole allows Della to steal his watch, with a bit of difficulty, to see how good she really is because he's very much in need of a thief. Once introductions are made Cole offers Della a great deal of money so she won't have to steal again if she can retrieve what was stolen from him by the notorious Duke of Salisbury.

The catch? Well it's a bit of a My Fair Lady scenario. He needs to train her to speak as an educated up scale lady. She must learn dances to attend the balls where they will "meet" the Duke. She will be taught the piano, to ride horses and be a Lady worthy of the Duke's attention and earn his trust. The hardest thing she will learn is hiding her growing attraction to Cole.

Reading and listening to voice actress Katy Sobey in her rich British accent do so many different dialects was so fun, not to mention her quick tone changes to some of the very spicy steamy love scenes that you must have earplugs in if listening in public.

This mash up of My Fair Lady and Bridgerton with a bit of Austin Powers is just a delight. Oh what is Della stealing back for Cole? Well suffice to say the pressure of the safety of the Queen and countrymen are at risk as is Cole's life and it all rests in the hands of, as Cole says, "the thief who stole my heart."

I received a free copy of this book/audiobook from the publishers via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

I was very excited to read this book based on the description, but after finishing it I feel disappointed and like it was misleading. The excitement and heist and “stealing for Queen and country” was a very small portion of the story, as the majority of it was showing how Della just magically became good at everything that ladies were supposed to be able to do in that time. Even in a fictional romance, there should be something she struggled with to make it a little more believable or interesting. The “sparking romance” was just sex, as much as the author could fit in at any given time. Lots of stirring or fire in the belly, nothing of connection or love until the very end, so it felt very artificial. There was so much potential for a great plot and likable characters, but ultimately I did not enjoy it. The book itself is one star, although I am raising it a full star for the audiobook version, as the narrator really did do a fantastic job for what she was given. Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Select for the audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4 stars ⭐️

I quite enjoyed this story overall. Why?
- Victorian London
- Heist and spies
- Tension
- Audiobook narrator

What I did not like were some odd things that are not necessarily historically correct, and while this story is a piece of fiction, I like historical fiction that reflect the times. I still recommend if you’d like an escape to this world, it’s fast paced and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

We need to be really clear on something up front, because it was not clear to me from the blurb: this is a romance novel with some heists. The romance is a major driver of the plot, with the My Fair Lady and thieving subterfuge coming in second. Once you are framed up on that, it is an excellent romance novel. If you are expecting high stakes thefts and sneaky spy stuff, it's there, but it's not the main point.

i don’t have anything very positive or negative to say about this to be honest. i didn’t have to force myself to finish it but it’s not anything groundbreaking or amazing. had it been written in the 1800s, it would’ve been an amazing class commentary. the romance was fine is suppose but i wished we had gotten even more of the thievery aspect. that’s one thing i liked about della rose, although she seemed a little bit like a kleptomaniac at times. the earl was fine i guess, i don’t have anything against him. my only (small) issue is the whole conflict about them not being able to marry if society thinks they’re cousins… it’s 1879 (?)… cousins getting married was normal😭. the modern language threw me off a bit but it was still readable in the end. 3.25⭐️

I received both an audiobook and an e-arc copy of the Lady Thief of Belgravia. My full review of the book is here:

https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/304203

My review for the audiobook is a little higher than for the e-arc version, as the narrator, Katy Sobey, does a spectacular job of bringing the characters to life, switching between Della's broad street accent, to the sophisticated voice of a lady; from the Earl's smooth charm to the arrogance of the Duke and everyone in between.

I wasn't a fan of the overall book, but the audiobook was very well done.

~Many thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review~

This book has a interesting premise. Badass lady thief hired by Earl to take down a Duke. But really we spend a lot of time learning how our lady thief, Della, is a prodigy at playing the piano and going from the slums to the ballrooms in just a few weeks. She also becomes an accomplished equestrian after two rides, previously being deathly afraid of horses. She then immediately goes to a party and attracts the attention of the most eligible bachelor in England. It's 1879 and she takes a lot of hot baths in her new private water closet at the Earl's house. I can suspend some disbelief but I cannot possibly believe she learned how to blend in at the Duke's ball in so short a time. I'm still reeling from the number of spoons she learned. And every time they had dancing lessons it ended with banging so how did she actually learn to dance. But let's go back to the description:

"The safety of the entire country rests on her shoulders. And this thief won’t let the small matter of falling in love get in her way." Well that sounds cool but the bulk of the book was about how she feels things "low in her belly." Like seriously, did the editor or author never reread the book to see how many times she felt something in her belly? Are there any other places we can feel desire? Not for Della in 1879 there isn't. Belly or bust.

This had a lot of smut, which is fine if you like that kind of thing. Unfortunately, it just didn't add much to the story (because she feels her desire in her belly) I was actually hopping for a murder just to spice things up, sadly, it's not that kind of book. The ending was very long and drug out with lots of do I love him or not because how can the Earl marry an orphan thief, it's 1879.

Soo I guess if you like feeling things in your belly, give this a whirl, but I don't recommend it personally. I do appreciate the opportunity to review the ARC.

Our leading lady, Della Rose, isn't your typical Victorian gentlewoman. She's a notorious thief with the quickest hands in Seven Dials. However, when she crosses paths with the dashing Cole Winthrop, her life takes an unexpected turn. Cole, intrigued by the scandalous whispers surrounding Della, enlists her help in a mission that involves theft, deception, and a good dose of her unique charm.

I am glad to get to read this as the premise of this book is undeniably intriguing. A thief and a gentleman teaming up to steal for Queen and country? Sign me up! Grey gives us a tale filled with suspense, mystery, and a touch of glamour as Della must transform from a child of the rookery into a lady, able to navigate the high-society world. Learning to walk, talk, ride, and flirt like a lady is no small feat for Della, but it's a journey that adds layers to the story.

The chemistry between Della and Cole is palpable, and as their worlds collide, the tension between them sizzles. The slow-burn romance is wonderful, and Grey does a great job of capturing their evolving relationship. The revelation of Cole's secret adds a layer of intrigue to the story, making the plot more than just a straightforward heist.

However, the pacing and execution left me wanting a tad more. Some moments in the story occasionally felt a bit rushed and certain plot points could have been explored in greater detail. However, overall an engaging and entertaining read.

The narrator of the audio version however did a great job of bringing Della to life. If the author had given us a bit more backstory in the beginning or given us more to the captured scene I would have rated this book higher.

The Lady Thief of Belgravia By Allison Grey is a classic My Fair Lady/ Pygmalian retelling, where a person from the lower classes is taken and remade into one of their betters for some ulterior purpose.

Miss Della Rose is the best pickpocket in the seven dials. She’s never been caught, that is until she pockets the watch of Cole Winthrop, the Earl of Bradford and he easily corners her. It helps that he’s also a secret operative, and looking to recruit her for a mission.

He needs a beautiful and stealthy thief infiltrate a high ranking peers to retrieve some stolen items. Della Rose has the skill, she just needs to be polished in order to complete this mission. Cue the incessant lessons and training that occurs for a few weeks time and makes her into a perfect London lady.

Through all of this training, Bradford takes hands on approach and feelings are caught on both sides. But just like north and south there’s a great divide in between the reality of Della and Bradford. The differences in their station and their lives is too much for them to breach… or is it?

I was anticipating a lot more mystery and sleuthing, and found that this was more extreme makeover.

I listen to the audiobook version, narrated by Katy Sobey and found that she had a voice that once you got used to provided an appropriate voice for this book. I neither found it improved upon the story or distracted from it. Sobie does a good job delineating her character voice work and injecting emotion into her reading.

Overall, I didn’t love this book, but I didn’t hate it. I wonder if I was expecting a simple romance if I would’ve enjoyed Della’s extreme makeover more.

Thanks to Dreamscape Select (Storm Publishing) for my advance listening copy. Opinions are my own.

I loved this book! Great plot, chemistry between the characters, adventure, and spice. It's Bridgerton meets the Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels, and fans of each will love this book! I typically have a hard time being able to focus with British narrators, but this one was very easy to understand and engaging. Great narration.

3.5 (not rounding up)

This is a play on “My Fair Lady”/“Pygmalion” and is also set in Victorian times but in this case Della is the fastest pickpocket in rough Seven Dials and the Cole, an earl, is an aristocratic gentleman by day, spy for the Home Office by night, or vice versa. He is desperate to retrieve documents that, though coded, could endanger spies everywhere, as well as convict the man who stole them and who is believed to be committing treason. The only answer remaining is to hire quick-fingered Della after first making her a gently-born lady who would appeal to the villainous duke in question. With an obscene amount of money offered, of course Della is determined to succeed.

First things first, this, despite the more quirky/complicated premise, could easily be a Julia Quinn or other titillating historic romance. If you don’t know what that means, basically, there’s a lot of sex. In this case, since Della is not an innocent at the start of the story it doesn’t even take as long for the thoughts or activities to begin.

That aside, it is a fairly unbelievable story, especially how she passes as a pianist after just a few weeks of playing, but the story is still fun. You feel for her and her belief in creating something better, not just for her, but for her dearest friend since back in the orphanage, Violet. They dream of a time when they can live together in a better neighborhood with Violet pursuing her gift at painting and Della becoming a scholar, as she is very well read in the classics and very intelligent.

How can you even pursue a relationship with a man who’s been formally introduced as your cousin, not to mention that you are the daughter of a prostitute and are a notorious yet uncatchable thief? Is there any hope?

The audio book was pretty well narrated and it was quick to get through, but the unexpected first mentions of genitalia felt a little off after listening to the story’s beginning. Having already mentally likened it with other romances with similarly cartoonish covers (à la Martha Waters, etc.), I was not expecting such graphic dialogue and scenes and could’ve done without quite as much of it. Still, the unique caper (and the fact that I’d already agreed to review the audiobook) kept me interested in seeing it through.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for providing an unbiased review.

* a thief & a spy team-up
* regency romance
* opposites attract
* great chemistry and banter
* a little suspense

This was fun! Really enjoyed the concept and plot and the characters were definitely loveable, but for some reason this just didn't fully grab me? I liked it but didn't love it. Audiobook was great though!

Rating: 3.5 stars

Just when I think I may be tired if regency era hijinks, along comes a fun book like this. The Lady Thief of Belgravia is a sweet romp through the posh world of London and surrounding country homes through the eyes of an orphan turned pickpocket who's struck a deal with a Lord, as one does in these stories. Instead of feeling tired and overdone, Grey has created a fresh yet familiar story filled with emotion, deceit, and of course old timey banter. I very much enjoyed this story and the narration was very well done. A perfect read for a cozy weekend at home.

4.5/5 I really enjoyed this audiobook! The banter through the book was not overdone or too much it was enough to convey the story and character development without seeming childish. The relationship development between the 2 main characters was realistic not real 3rd act breakup or miscommunication trope which was also a nice treat.

I really enjoyed this period piece. The chemistry between these two characters was off the charts and I was rooting for them the whole time! This was such a slow-burn love story and I just wanted them to be together. The plot was also very interesting. Being a pickpocket and from a bad part of town made the heroine so interesting. They made such a great pair because they are so opposite. I hope the author is going to make this a series and expand this world because I thoroughly enjoyed it.