Heart of the Steal
Publisher:
Philtre Press
Release Date (Print
& Ebook):
July 11th, 2017
Length (Print &
Ebook):
about 80K words
Subgenre:
Contemporary queer romance
Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34928609-heart-of-the-steal
Links on author
sites:
Purchase Links:
Book Blurb:
Responsible, disciplined William Fox channeled his love for art and his
faith in the rules into being an FBI Art Crimes agent. Right and wrong, justice
and injustice—the differences are clear, and Will has spent his career drawing
a line between them. Maybe his convictions have cost him relationships, but
he’s not willing to compromise what he knows is right. Until the night he meets
Amory Vaughn.
As the head of his family’s philanthropic foundation, Vaughn knows very
well that being rich and powerful can get him almost anything he wants. And
when he meets endearingly grumpy and slightly awkward William Fox, he wants him
more than he’s wanted anything. Vaughn is used to being desired for his name
and his money, but Will doesn’t care about either.
When Vaughn falls back on old habits and attempts to impress Will by
stealing a painting Will admires, their nascent bond blows up in his face. But
Vaughn isn’t willing to give up on the glimpse of passion he saw the night he
took Will apart. Before Will knows it, he’s falling for the man he should have
arrested, and Vaughn has to realize that some things can’t be bought or stolen.
Love has to be given freely. But can a man who lives by the rules, and a man
who thinks the rules don’t apply to him, ever see eye to eye?
Heart of the Steal is a standalone romance with a happy ending. It
features a Southern gentleman who thinks he’s always right, a buttoned-up FBI
agent who secretly likes his buttons unbuttoned, and wall sex. And desk sex.
And picnic blanket sex.
Quotes from the
authors about the book:
“Writing this book with Roan was so much fun! It was a joy
to create these characters and take them on a journey to their hard-earned HEA.
Even if we had to suffer some pretty bad hotel breakfasts of our own.” --Avon Gale
“I adored writing with Avon. It felt like I got to crack
open her skull and peek at her brain. Which is my idea of heaven :)” --Roan
Parrish
Excerpt
“So, William. You came. But something tells me the sentiment
behind my invitation has gone rather astray.”
“Then you admit that you left the Staunton painting and a
note outside my apartment,” he said flatly, and my eyes narrowed.
“Have I miscalculated your interest?”
William looked like he couldn’t decide whether to laugh or
yell. It was smoldering.
“You have miscalculated my profession,” he responded. We
were standing close enough to kiss, and when he reached a hand into his jacket,
my breath caught. I wanted to help him strip it off and kiss that spot of
barbeque sauce off his perfect mouth.
But he didn’t take his jacket off. He slipped his hand out
holding something from his pocket. A badge.
An FBI badge.
I was lightheaded. I spent three beats of my heart wondering
what the medical diagnosis would be for dying of sheer irony.
Reviewed by:
This is a light, fluffy, super sweet read.
A little awkward and a little funny. William being a little awkward and Amory being a little funny, and a lot charming.
I didn't have a hard time getting into the story, but I did have a little trouble staying focused in the middle. I guess I expected more action, like some Thomas Crown Affair shit. (yes, they even mention this movie in it) So I was a little surprised at all the fluffy moments. Avory is a gentleman through and through, even when he's being a dick. So you can't NOT like him. At the same rate, I also can't connect with that, because I don't know people like that in real life. Yes, yes, I know it's fictional, but I need something to connect me to these characters. I thought he would be a little more "villainous" in his thievery, but it was actually more comical. I also loved Amory's explanation in the end about why he took the things he did. It's a pretty different way to view the world.
I also thought it was cute how Amory thought William was being cute when he as being so "moral". William would get a little huffy and grumpy fighting between his body and his mind. Though, I thought he could be a little immature at times.
I also loved his twin sister, she was a breath of fresh air.
Yes, there's insta-lust, but I thought it was done pretty well. It only escalated from there. I won't say it's insta-love because it took them months and a whole lot of dates to get to where they got. I will say Amory doesn't give up when he wants something.
All in all, I loved the sweetness, Audrey (the cat), and the way they worked on their relationship and didn't give up. Especially being so opposite. That Amory understood William, paid attention, and did things for him he knew William would appreciate. Being from a different "world", he wanted William to be himself and enjoy their time together Also, the Harry Potter references tickled my fancy.
I just think it dragged a little in the middle, and maybe it's because I *was* expecting more action. Hopefully, for you, going into this knowing it's going to be a silly, sweet book, it won't have the same effect on you.
I give the book a 3.5*
A little awkward and a little funny. William being a little awkward and Amory being a little funny, and a lot charming.
I didn't have a hard time getting into the story, but I did have a little trouble staying focused in the middle. I guess I expected more action, like some Thomas Crown Affair shit. (yes, they even mention this movie in it) So I was a little surprised at all the fluffy moments. Avory is a gentleman through and through, even when he's being a dick. So you can't NOT like him. At the same rate, I also can't connect with that, because I don't know people like that in real life. Yes, yes, I know it's fictional, but I need something to connect me to these characters. I thought he would be a little more "villainous" in his thievery, but it was actually more comical. I also loved Amory's explanation in the end about why he took the things he did. It's a pretty different way to view the world.
I also thought it was cute how Amory thought William was being cute when he as being so "moral". William would get a little huffy and grumpy fighting between his body and his mind. Though, I thought he could be a little immature at times.
I also loved his twin sister, she was a breath of fresh air.
Yes, there's insta-lust, but I thought it was done pretty well. It only escalated from there. I won't say it's insta-love because it took them months and a whole lot of dates to get to where they got. I will say Amory doesn't give up when he wants something.
All in all, I loved the sweetness, Audrey (the cat), and the way they worked on their relationship and didn't give up. Especially being so opposite. That Amory understood William, paid attention, and did things for him he knew William would appreciate. Being from a different "world", he wanted William to be himself and enjoy their time together Also, the Harry Potter references tickled my fancy.
I just think it dragged a little in the middle, and maybe it's because I *was* expecting more action. Hopefully, for you, going into this knowing it's going to be a silly, sweet book, it won't have the same effect on you.
I give the book a 3.5*
About the
authors:
Roan Parrish lives in Philadelphia where she is
gradually attempting to write love stories in every genre.
When not writing, she can usually be found cutting her
friends’ hair, meandering through whatever city she’s in while listening to
torch songs and melodic death metal, or cooking overly elaborate meals. She
loves bonfires, winter beaches, minor chord harmonies, and self-tattooing. One
time she may or may not have baked a six-layer chocolate cake and then thrown
it out the window in a fit of pique.
She is represented by Courtney
Miller-Callihan of Handspun Literary Agency.
Avon Gale wrote her first story at the age
of seven, about a “Space Hat” hanging on a rack and waiting for that special
person to come along and purchase it — even if it was a bit weirder than the
other, more normal hats. Like all of Avon’s characters, the space hat did get
its happily ever after — though she’s pretty sure it was with a unicorn. She
likes to think her vocabulary has improved since then, but the theme of quirky
people waiting for their perfect match is still one of her favorites.
Avon grew up in the southern United States,
and now lives with her very patient husband in a liberal midwestern college
town. When she’s not writing, she’s either doing some kind of craft
project that makes a huge mess, reading, watching horror movies, listening to music
or yelling at her favorite hockey team to get it together, already. Avon is
always up for a road trip, adores Kentucky bourbon, thinks nothing is as stress
relieving as a good rock concert and will never say no to candy.
At one point, Avon was the mayor of both
Jazzercise and Lollicup on Foursquare. This tells you basically all you need to
know about her as a person.
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