Vibes: Sydney/Vaughn (if you know... you know) otherwise known as spy/handler, coiffed gentleman/brassy broad, My Fair Lady but make it espionage and also there's fucking

Heat Index: 6/10

It's rare for expert pickpocket Della Rose to get caught--and rarer still for the person she's stolen from to hire her to steal from a duke. But the payout Cole Winthrop (secret operative/lord) offers is too good to resist. In order for Della to succeed, Cole must teach her how to pass as a fine lady--but the more time they spend together, the more they get under one another's skin, and the harder it becomes to imagine the day they'll part.

Historical romances with lite mystery elements are hit or miss for me, and espionage historicals... even more so. But something about this one--maybe it's the fact that it's a debut--made me want to give it a shot. And I'm glad I did! It's a run romcom with fun sparks between a sleek, cool hero and a heroine who frankly doesn't give a fuck about his deal and turns his world upside down. It really does lean in to the My Fair Lady/Pretty Woman vibes, which keeps Della from coming off as grating. There are some aspects that could've perhaps been a bit tighter, but it's a debut with a strong voice and a focus on the love story, which is something I've found a lot of historical romances with mystery arcs miss. I enjoyed the undercover spy stuff (I mean really, it's more undercover than mystery but that all blends together for me) and I had even more fun watching Cole and Della fall in love and break through each other's walls.

Quick Takes:

--Della Rose is the type of character I have a hard time buying into: a tough, hardscrabble woman who eschews high society and doesn't need a man!!! Like, great, but I tend to prefer refined ice queens or women who actually like... do want to fall in love. And there were points in the beginning of the book where I was like "I don't know if this girl is going to work for me".

But she does work, and I want to get into why. Yes, Della is mouthy and brassy and an extremely competent pickpocket, and so on. However, she also has deep-seated vulnerabilities and fears, and the narrative makes it clear that these aspects of her personality? Are really driving a lot of that brassiness. And yeah, she does actually want to be loved. She's a bit awed by the luxury of Cole's home. She WANTS nice things. She WANTS a soft place to land. She WANTS to be touched and kissed and comforted by this compelling, accomplished man--but she doesn't trust that she can accept all of this and be safe at the same time. She believes the rug is going to be pulled out from under her, and she's prickly and guarded in advance.

Which like--should be something we see a lot of, and I think many writers believe they're conveying this, but they forget to write in the character beats Grey adds. I won't lie: at points, I was like "Della, get over this shit, be with him". But then Grey would write something that reminded me of why this woman was being so difficult. Because she's like me and you and every other woman who's a bit too snarky and a bit too frosty because she can't accept love. And she can't accept love because she doesn't trust it. WHEW.

--This is a heroine-forward romance, but Cole is still a strong hero. He's got his own tragic backstory, it's good if not super original, and he is a very good spy and he is hot and there is a moment when they're outside and he has her up against a wall or something and he jerks his glove off so he can finger her properly and THAT. SHIT. HIT.

However, where Cole shines is in being in love with Della. Like, these two are immediately attracted to each other, but I super disagree with the reviews that call this instalove. It's by no means an emotional or physical slow burn, but it's also not instalove or fuck first feelings later. It totally makes sense that these two would fall for each other relatively quickly. They're spending all their time together. And the more time Cole spends with her, the more he gets all heart eyes--and why wouldn't he? Della is a cool broad! They actually have a lot in common! Cole has a competence kink, and honestly, he's right for it.

What keeps Cole from being just... besotted and without conflict... is a little shallow compared to what Della's dealing with. But it does what it needs to do, and I actually really liked a hero that was basically on a "I love you but no, I can't give you everything you need" level. Their conflicts actually did make sense to me. They weren't the most original conflicts, but they didn't annoy me.

--Della is one of those characters that is like, only looking out for herself... but also like, that one person who super matters to her. And I enjoyed that she had a female friend (who I hope gets her own book) with a consistent presence. I also loved that they were kind of scammy together.

Cole also has a friend and mentor, who's basically a wise older woman. I enjoy historical romance heroes who get advice from women who've been around the block because the heroes themselves are dumb and don't understand how their hearts work.

--There are a lot of cute scenes where Della is acting undercover as Cole's COUSIN and he's like, desperate to have her, staring longingly, watching with irritation as she dances with other dudes.... And everyone is all "dude that's your cousin...."

--Audiobook note: solid narrator. I think she captured Della's voice and personality well, while also giving an appropriate gravity and lovelorn vibe to Cole.

The Sex:

The sex is good in this one! It starts a bit more chill and light, and builds as Cole and Della's feelings grow. I mean, I really loved that glove moment. I really did.

But you also get some super good angsty sex towards the end. Della was super living on the edge at points, but it made sense and reflected her getting all twisted up in the game as she fell harder for Cole.

Also, Cole is one of those guys who corrects her when she says "fuck me" and is like "um excuse me I am going to MAKE LOVE to you" which really. Reflects their different perspectives on shit. Cole is one of THOSE but then when shit hits the fan he's also one of THOSE. Good for Della.

Anyway, this was a super cute first book out, and I definitely want to read more from Allison Grey. There were points in the last act where I was definitely thinking "Please pull yourselves together", but then... it did. I really liked how the book came together in the end. Yay! Always nice to see a new historical romance author dipping their toe in the water.

Thanks to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for providing me with a copy of this audiobookbook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for an advanced copy of this audiobook in return for an honest and unbiased review.

Dela Rose is the best lady thief in all of London. She dreams of one day leaving behind her old life, where she lives in a brothel with her best friend and goes to bed hungry every night, to live a life of leisure. Lucky for Dela, a handsome Earl has just offered her a job and a place to live in his luxurious home. The job, become the lady of an evil Duke’s dreams and steal precious papers back for the Earl. The pay, 10,000 pounds. Deal cannot resist the chance at a new life; but how far will she fall when she finds love.
This audiobook was read so well and I enjoyed the voice actor who recorded it. The flow of this books and the 1800s, English setting was what drew me to it in the first place. The love story was sweet and the story was really engaging. I will say, I was not prepared for the on-page sex scenes, and I do not believe they were needed to make the story as good as it was. However, I enjoyed the book immensely and will pick up others by this author.

Content Warning: Attempted sexual assault, talk of sexual assault, talk of working as a prostitute, physical abuse, talk of family member death.

4 Stars

I was expecting more thievery and discovered that the reality was more akin to Pretty Woman / My Fair Lady / Pygmalion.

While the concept here is fantastic I wasn’t the right reader for this. I’ll just write that the insta aspect and my need to try and the need to try and suspend disbelief at some of the facts of the story, made me not enjoy this one as much as I had hoped to. But don’t let my opinions sway you, a lot of readers have really really enjoyed this one. While this wasn’t the book for me, I will read future work by the author.



Thank you to Dreamscape Select and NetGalley for the audiobook

Thank you NetGalley, Allison Grey and Dreamscape Select for this ARC and opportunity to review.

Katy Sobey did a great job with the narration. She really made the characters come to life.

Della Rose, a notorious thief and Cole Winthrop, a wealthy gentleman, find themselves in an unlikely situation. He needs a thief. She needs to have the means to start a new life and pursue her dreams. Together they make a deal that will help them both solve their problems. However, the plot thickens when they begin to catch feelings for one another despite their social status and history.

I enjoyed this story. There is some smut mixed in, for me this was not a problem.

Thank you to Allison Grey, Dreamscape Select/Storm Publishing, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to a free eaudio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This wasn't a bad book, but it ended up not really being to my taste. Waaayyy too much sex, even for a romance. There had to be, like, half a dozen sex scenes. Relatively graphic, and started pretty early. I was looking forward to My Fair Lady meets Ocean's Eleven, but it seemed they spent more time forking and feeling inadequate than heisting or lady-training. And the heisting went way too smoothly for them--everything happened exactly right until the end, because, you know, climax. A great heist plot has NOTHING going according to plan--Ocean's movies, Mission Impossible movies. That doesn't mean the characters have to be dumb or incompetent, rather life and people are truly unpredictable and they have to be clever and skilled enough to think on their feet and improvise.

The duke was a creepy misogynistic asshole to be sure, but he didn't really strike me as dangerous, or very smart. On the villain scale I'd give him a thumbs-down-raspberry.

Brandon was super sensitive, which isn't necessarily bad, but he wore his heart on his sleeve and came off as needy. He was likeable enough and somewhat sympathetic, but that's about it. Whenever the story mentioned he could fight, I was surprised, because he did not seem like the type. I could see him fencing, where there's rules and honor, but not "no-rules" scrapping. Hard to believe he's a spy. What I wonder is how he allowed the letters to be stolen from him to begin with; I can't remember if the narrative said. Doesn't really lend confidence in him.

Della was sympathetic, but I didn't like her much. She struck me as self-centered/interested, but I suppose a person in her position in life needs to be. Doesn't change the fact that it wasn't an endearing quality. Also, I didn't care for her liberal use of the F-word. Again, I suppose it's realistic for someone in her position to use such crass language, but that doesn't mean it was endearing. Unless the tone is dark and gritty, it's always jarring to hear that word in a historical. Kicked me right out of the story. And I'd think she'd have stopped once she began lady training.

Also, it baffled me that someone so determined not to sell herself would allow herself to go to bed with her employer. He wasn't paying her for sex, but he was still paying her. She was still working for him. Gray area, I guess.

Overall, the writing wasn't bad, the pace slow but steady, but the story just wasn't what I expected/wanted it to be. Read this book for romance, not for action.

This was a fun read! With delightful and unexpected twists I never saw coming. It felt a bit slow sometimes and was a bit spicy for my taste but overall I really enjoyed it. If you like regency romance and a good heist you’ll gobble this book up for sure.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

The Lady Thief of Belgravia feels like it was written for me. I am the target audience, and I am so happy that this book has found me. What drew me in? You might ask. It's Victorian, it has a thief, a spy, a heist, a library, and a sweet romance between our leads. It also has a fake relationship--but not the kind you're thinking of. It's a fun adventure, and a good time all around.

I received this early audiobook courtesy of Netgalley and Dreamscape Select in exchange for an honest review. This was also my first time listening to narrator Katy Sobey. Sobey did a spectacular job, and I can't wait to listen to another book one of her narrations.

The Lady Thief of Belgravia follows Cole and Della. He’s an earl who needs a thief, and she’s a thief who wants a better life.

The book started off strong, and I enjoyed it. But then there was less plot and more smut. I’m not a fan of smut, but I can usually skip it. This book mentions her thighs more times than I was comfortable with. I also wonder when the f-word became popular to use. Is that time period appropriate? I have no clue.

Della’s character is pretty awesome, though she acts so stupid sometimes. She was already “flawed” and didn’t need to be made stupid along with it. She’s supposed to be street smart. Cole on the other hand was too focused on what’s in his pants than on life. And it happened at the strangest times. I liked his personality otherwise.

I would recommend this book to people who are looking for smut over plot. The writing was solid otherwise. And the plot that did happen could have been amazing with less smut.

I received this book from Netgalley for my honest review.

Five stars for narration (4 stars for the book itself - refer to that page for the whole book review).

'The Lady Thief of Belgravia' is a wonderful and fun Pygmalion-meets-heist historical romance.

Orphan Della Rose, nicknamed Rosie Diver for being the best diver (slang for pickpocket) in London, is a plucky, well-read and resourceful woman with dreams of academia. Her skills come to the attention of Cole Winthrop, Early of Bradford, who needs to transform her into a well-bred woman so she can retrieve important papers stolen by the Duke of Salisbury.

There is an instant and palpable chemistry between the two who try to fight their attraction to focus on the mission. Della surprises Cole with her sharp intellect and sense of adventure which he's sorely after a broken engagement due to his job. I loved how well they complemented each other and just how supportive Cole was of Della.

Katy Sobey as narrator did a brilliant job with Allison Grey's 'The Lady Thief of Belgravia', a wonderful and fun Pygmalion-meets-heist historical romance. She brought this book to life for me in a way that I did not get from reading the book myself.

I love her voice which captures Della's vulnerability as well as her independence and moxie with her rookery accent as well as her posh accent. She also created enough a difference between the characters for me to be able to follow along if my attention slightly wandered. If you see a book with Katy as narrator, know that you'll be in good hands.

There is an instant and palpable chemistry between the two who try to fight their attraction to focus on the mission. Della surprises Cole with her sharp intellect and sense of adventure which he's sorely after a broken engagement due to his job. I loved how well they complemented each other and just how supportive Cole was of Della.

This book irself was thoroughly enjoyable as I enjoy a good adventurous historical romance. However the pacing got lost from the repititious steamy scenes at the expense of the upcoming mission. I don't have an issue with steamy scenes, but I found that it belaboured the point - they can't stay away from each other but they live two different lives, etc.

The biggest let down for me was the baffling final conflict and outcome. Della's ultimatum to Cole was unreasonable especially since knew he was nursing heartbreak from a woman who demanded the same. There was alternative outcomes for the two of them to get what they wanted, including becoming partners in work as well as life given Della's talents and sense of adventure. Plus it would've opened up for a series. A real shame.

Thanks to Storm and NetGalley for the ARC.

I really wanted to love this! This promised a historical romance with a sassy heroine and some suspense. Unfortunately, I was bored. There’s no establishment of the individual characters before they’ve made a deal. Nevermind the lack of suspicion on Rose’s part. How is she one of the best pickpockets if she jumps into everything without consideration? She’d tricked easily into taking the fall for someone! Then there was much waxing poetic about their differences in status. Then the action starts. All in all, it was disjointed and dull.

The narrator was wonderful!

I love the title, the cover and the premise of this book. Who doesn't love a lady thief? There were a couple of things that niggled me about the book. Firstly the FMC uses the the f-word, which I don't find offensive in the least but I did think that it took me out of the time period of the book. The book is stated to take place in 1879 and I may be wrong, but I don't think common use of the f-word was prominent at the time.?? Secondly, for a book named The Lady Thief of Belgravia, I wanted more thieving. I suppose there were several scenes with the thievery and I truly enjoyed them and I think that's why I was longing for more.

All in all I really enjoyed this book and the characters. Very well done as a debut novel and I look forward to reading more works by Allison.

Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Select, Storm Publishing and Allison Grey for the ALC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Della Rose is a thief, and is hired by Cole Winthrop. She needs to learn to talk, walk and dance like a lady to be initiated into the "ton" as Cole's cousin. Cole is, in fact, hiring Della to steal back ledgers that were stolen from him in exchange for 10,000 pounds.

I really enjoyed this audiobook and listened to it from start to finish.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Dreamscape Select for an audio ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

From what I can find out, this is Ms. Grey’s debut novel. She is now on my must-read-anything-she-writes list.

The Lady Thief of Belgravia is a blend of adventure and romance in Regency England and is presented with a deft hand. The main characters and supporting cast are believable and do have some depth considering the size of the cast. The writing is very good and the mechanics of an intricate plot and excellent dialogue disappear in presenting a compelling story.