Tag: Samantha Kane

Guest Review: The Devil’s Thief by Samantha Kane

Posted October 8, 2018 by Tracy in Reviews | 2 Comments

Guest Review: The Devil’s Thief by Samantha KaneReviewer: Tracy
The Devil's Thief (The Saint's Devils #1) by Samantha Kane
Series: The Saint's Devils #1
Publisher: Loveswept
Publication Date: November 12, 2012
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Point-of-View: Third
Genres: Historical Romance
Pages: 297
Add It: Goodreads
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two-stars
Series Rating: two-stars

In Samantha Kane’s sensual tale of wicked passion, a desperate woman must resort to burglary—but the beautiful thief ends up stealing the heart of a rogue. 

The daughter of a reformed jewel thief, Julianna Harte knows a thing or two about stealth. When the foundling home she provides for finds itself in dire financial straits, Julianna is forced to do the unthinkable. In a bit of misguided Robin Hood derring-do, she slips through the window of a wealthy rake to search for a treasure she knows is there: an invaluable pearl. But when the towering and very naked occupant of the moonlit bedroom ambushes her with a bargain—a night in his bed in exchange for the pearl—Julianna doesn’t know if it’s masculine heat or sheer desperation that makes his terms so tempting.

Alasdair Sharpe had no intention of keeping his end of the bargain. Planning to offer his little cat burglar carte blanche instead, he promptly loses himself in the delights of unexpected pleasure. But when he awakes the next morning to find his family heirloom gone, fury quickly replaces sensual languor. Of course, Alasdair is more than willing to use seduction to reclaim his stolen pearl—and find the key to Julianna’s heart.

Julianna started a foundling home in a bad part of London with her father some time ago and it’s now in dire straits.  She hasn’t kept up with the rent, spending what little money they had to buy things for the children, like food and clothing.  Now the building has been sold and the new owner is demanding the back rent or they will be evicted.  Julianna doesn’t want to ask her father and his new wife for the funds fearing that she’ll be told to stop working with the children (she doesn’t really know her new step-mother so she’s unsure of her reaction to Julianna working in such a bad area).  She takes matters into her own hands and turns to thievery.

This may seem like it’s a bit far-fetched, but her father was a thief and she learned the art from him.  Now that he’s married to a respectable woman he has stopped his thieving ways, but Julianna decides she’ll steal this one time to get the money she needs. She decides to steal the Stewart Pearl (a pearl that has been in the Stewart/Stuart family for years)  – owned by the man who lives across the street.  Unfortunately when she’s exiting his room with the pearl in hand, she’s caught by the man himself.

Alasdair Sharp is shocked when he realizes the thief trying to steal his pearl is a woman.  He’s intrigued, however, and though he can’t see her properly he decides that he’ll make a bargain with her.  He tells her that he’ll give her the pearl in the morning if she spends the night in his bed. Even though Julianna already has the pearl she agrees to the night in his bed. Imagine how shocked Alasdair is when he wakes up and the pearl and the girl are both gone.

Julianna hocks the pearl to a very disreputable man.  Since the pearl is so well known, however, it’s her only choice.  When Alasdair starts following her (along with his friends) trying to figure out what she’s done with the pearl, they get to know each other better.  This causes Julianna to have second thoughts about pawning the pearl and now she’s determined to get it back. Of course the only way to do that is to steal it.

This was a book that I requested from NetGalley back in August of 2012.  I remember trying to read it back then and at that time I just couldn’t get into it.  I really liked Kane’s Brothers in Arms series, so I was surprised that this book wasn’t working for me.  I decided to try again and while I got through the book it really didn’t work for me.

The first scene where Julianna is caught and given the bargain was ridiculous.  I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help but roll my eyes.  Alasdair finds a thief in his room and instead of calling the watch he starts running his finger around her face and collar bone?  Really? I don’t think so. He asks why she wants to pearl and she says she needs it to pay the rent.  When he sleeps with her he gets immediately attached and in his mind is making plans to go shopping with her in the morning and make this woman his mistress. WTF?  He didn’t even know her name yet but he’s making plans for the future? (I mentioned this to Holly and she said he has Captain Save-a-Ho complex. LOL)   I guess he thought that’s his version of compensation as he had no plans to give her the pearl.

The sex scene is one of the most humorous I’ve read in a while.  Yes, she was a virgin and doesn’t tell him, so he thinks she’s experienced.  He doesn’t move gently and when he discovers that he just took her virginity he wants to pull away but can’t make himself do it.  She doesn’t want him to stop so she wraps her legs around him.  What happens then you ask? Well, “he slid farther into her exquisite cavern.”  Cavern?  How big is it in there?  Is there anything less sexy?  Then he immediately thinks about how tight she is. Make up your mind!   Alasdair’s disgruntled because he feels she lied to him about her experience but she never told him she was a virgin, right?.  He says to her that he thought she wanted it and she says to him that she did, indeed, want it.  He then asks her if she only slept with him to get the pearl – like that was really in question.  Duh!  She was stealing it, of course she wants the pearl you stupid man! He is then shocked and says something like you should have told me that you needed it that badly.  What?  I WAS STEALING YOUR FAMILY HEIRLOOM, YOU NUT! How badly did you think I needed it?  I laughed through this whole scene because it was just sheer entertainment – absolutely nothing sexy about it.

Anyway, the story involves Alasdair trying to find out who the thief is so he goes to his friends.  It is mentioned that these friends were Saint’s Devils.  Being book 1 in a series I have no idea who or what those are.  Is this a spin-off from another series?  No idea and nothing was explained about it. The friends play a big roll in the book but it kind of felt like Sherlock Holmes and Watson.

Alasdair was angry for a large portion of the book and then he was claiming he was in love.  I personally didn’t see anything that would have caused these two people to love each other except lust.  Their characters never talked about who they were as people or got to know each other better.  I just didn’t buy the HEA I was given.

Rating: 2 out of 5

The Saint’s Devils

two-stars


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Guest Review: The Devil’s Thief by Samantha Kane

Posted November 7, 2012 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 0 Comments

Judith’s review of The Devil’s Thief by Samantha Kane

In Samantha Kane’s sensual tale of wicked passion, a desperate woman must resort to burglary—but the beautiful thief ends up stealing the heart of a rogue.

The daughter of a reformed jewel thief, Julianna Harte knows a thing or two about stealth. When the foundling home she provides for finds itself in dire financial straits, Julianna is forced to do the unthinkable. In a bit of misguided Robin Hood derring-do, she slips through the window of a wealthy rake to search for a treasure she knows is there: an invaluable pearl. But when the towering and very naked occupant of the moonlit bedroom ambushes her with a bargain—a night in his bed in exchange for the pearl—Julianna doesn’t know if it’s masculine heat or sheer desperation that makes his terms so tempting.

Alasdair Sharpe had no intention of keeping his end of the bargain. Planning to offer his little cat burglar carte blanche instead, he promptly loses himself in the delights of unexpected pleasure. But when he awakes the next morning to find his family heirloom gone, fury quickly replaces sensual languor. Of course, Alasdair is more than willing to use seduction to reclaim his stolen pearl—and find the key to Julianna’s heart.


It wasn’t enough that Julianna Harte turned out to be inept thief or that she was going after the most perfect pearl in the world.  It certainly was more than annoying that she took Mr. Sharp at his word and thought he had given the Stewart Pearl to her as fulfillment of their carnal bargain.  No, Julianna Harte turned out to be a highly intelligent and very complicated woman and one that managed slowly to drive Alasdair Sharpe to look at himself through a whole different set of inner lenses helped along, of course, by the Saint’s Devils, men who were closer than brothers, bound together by their shared childhood boyhood experience and connected more deeply than even blood brothers.  In this first novel in a new series, the reader meets Mr. Alasdair Sharpe for the first time, along with several other gentlemen who have tasted of life’s finer things, loved many beautiful women, faced some dastardly and evil people, all the while managing to maintain a sense of honor, a clear-cut sense of right and wrong, and determination to use their life experiences to right some fairly substantial wrongs.
However, at the core of this story is the budding relationship between Miss Harte and Mr Sharpe–her need for money to support her foundling home, and his need to recover a priceless family heirloom.  In addition to meeting the fascinating heroine who prefers to move through society and its events nearly invisible, the reader meets Alasdair and several of his bosom buddies, some unsavory characters who put Julianna’s life in danger, a young man who has been locked into crime before he was able to walk, and some members of society who turn out to be surprising support for Julianna’s charity efforts.  It is a story that could easily get bogged down in the repartee between the men who make up The Saint’s Devils, but in this instance I think such passages are important to establish the nature of the relationship between these men, what binds them together, the depth of their regard for one another as friends and their bond to one another, and the character and persona of each of the men as a foundation for the coming novels that will tell their individual story.  There are also the humorous, maddening, and very erotic encounters between Alasdair and Julianna, most of which end up with them falling into each other’s arms and not always because they are madly in love.  Often their encounters are couched in angry and adversarial conversation.  I think this novel also challenges readers to look beyond the obvious, to try to see people beyond the prejudices we all carry around with us much as society did to Julianna in judging her as plain, ar at the very least, easily dismissed when compared to the young women who were often styled as the Incomparables
This is a novel that once again reeks with Ms Kane’s unique style and her evident expertise, with her commitment to detail, with a story line and intensity that are uniquely her own.  It is a love story first and foremost, but careful reading of this first novel will, I fully believe, set the stage for all the novels to come.  It is a fine piece of writing and readers who love historical romance fiction will find here a book that begs to be read and enjoyed, feasting on the historical context of that time, and allowing the characters to impress with their view of their reality.  So I recommend this novel and hope you will take the time and make the effort to enjoy and learn.

I give this novel a 4 out of 5.

You can read more from Judith at Dr J’s Book Place.
This book is available from Random House Digital – Loveswept. You can buy it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher for an honest review.


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What I Read Last Week

Posted August 8, 2011 by Tracy in Features | 7 Comments

Hello there!
So I’m back on my regular work schedule! As much as I loved getting off early I love this schedule so much more. I can get up a little earlier, have time to stop for coffee and read a little before work and still not have to get up at the butt crack of dawn. Yes, I have to work later in the day but it just works for me. I’m just a happier person this way. 🙂
My hubby is gone again – off to his yearly Sturgis trek. He left last Wednesday and I expect him home sometime between the 11th-13th. Don’t you love how he really pinned that arrival time down for me? lol Men! This means, of course, that I’m a single mama right now. The girls have been really good. This past Friday we went with some friends to a Jethawks game – they’re a (relatively) local minor league baseball team. They lost but they had a great fireworks show after the game and overall we just had a really fun time.
Nikki and I were talking this past week when we had lunch and we were talking about ereaders, etc. I think I may have come up with the A-#1 gadget for lazy people i.e. me. A remote control page turner for my ereader! Seriously! Either a plug in/tether or a remote that I can hold in my hand so that if I’m laying a certain way or have my arms crossed I don’t have to uncross my arms in order to push the button on the ereader to turn the page. What? Too lazy? Oh come on!  You know you’d love it too!
Work this week was a tad strange with my boss gone. I have a interim boss but it kind of still feels like my other boss is just on vacation. The week was crazy busy so there wasn’t a whole lot of time to think about things though so that was nice. 🙂
Being a single mama cut into my reading time as there aren’t two parents to tag team. lol So here’s what I read this past week:
First up was Prisoner of Love by Samantha Kane. I hate to say that this was my Tracy’s TBR Challenge read for the week because I hate to think that I bought it and let it sit so long…but I did. *sigh* This was Very, Wolf and Michael’s story and it was a good one. Kane really knows how to rock the historical ménage. You can read my review here. 4 out of 5
My next read was Never Cry Wolf by Cynthia Eden for The Book Binge. This is book four in the Night Watch series but it’s the first one I’ve read. It was the story of bad ass alpha Lucas and Sarah who is a charmer (literally) who is seeking sanctuary with Lucas’s pack. But Sarah’s got quite a few hidden secrets despite that she’s spilled the beans about the war that’s about to be started against Lucas’s pack. This was a good story though I got frustrated with Sarah more than a few times. I loved Lucas and his pack – great pack dynamics. 4 out of 5
Next up was The Many Sins of Lord Cameron by Jennifer Ashley. Oh those Mackenzie brothers. They are pretty messed up yet I love them so much. They had such a crappy childhood and they’re so very dysfunctional but yet I can’t help but pull for them. This was Cameron’s story (obviously). Ainsley Douglas is a thief as far as Cameron is concerned. He caught her in his rooms and later found out what she stole but that was 6 years ago. He wanted to bed her then but she stayed faithful to her husband and wouldn’t sleep with him. Cameron wants nothing more, now that Ainsley’s husband is dead, to bed her. But is that all he wants? Ainsley works for the queen and is rarely let out of her sight but is allowed to attend a house party at Cameron’s brother Hart’s house so that she can try and retrieve some love letters that the queen doesn’t want anyone seeing or knowing about. Cameron and Ainsley become more than enamored with each other but Cameron has so, so, so very many issues from his first marriage to work out that Ainsley’s just not sure she can ever break through them. I really liked this book A LOT. I wanted Ainsley and Cameron together in the worst way and my heart just hurt when I read about Cameron’s marriage to his psycho first wife. Just a great story – definitely recommended. 4.5 out of 5
Last for the week was Serpent’s Kiss by Thea Harrison. I know this doesn’t come out until October – it’s book 3 in the Elder Races series – but when Holly let me read the ARC I just couldn’t let it sit there unread! lol This was the story of the Wyr Rune. He’s a gryphon and made a bargain with the uber powerful vampire, Carling, in the previous book. In this story he’s keeping that promise/bargain but he also decides to help Carling in her quest to not fade away as so many extremely old vamps do. There’s a whole lot more to it but I don’t want to give it all away. This was definitely a slower read for me than the others but still very good. I loved Rune and I loved Rune and Carling together – just a great pairing. 4.25 out of 5

I know, you’re all saying what? That’s it?  Yep – that’s what happens when my hubby leaves me! lol  More this week, I swear. 🙂

My Book Binge reviews that posted last week:
Happy Reading!


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Review: Prisoner of Love by Samantha Kane

Posted August 3, 2011 by Tracy in Reviews | 6 Comments

Veronica Thomas has been in love with two men since she was seventeen. One introduced her to passion. The other has shown her how to satisfy it. Now that she’s older, she still wants them both.

Wolf Tarrant was more than willing to share Very with his best friend and lover, Lord Michael Kensington. But two years ago, Michael ran from the unconventional relationship growing between the three of them.

When Michael returns from America, things have changed drastically for all of them. Rushing headlong into a scorching, passionate reunion may be a bad idea. Michael’s secrets have the power to keep them apart forever, but Very and Wolf have secrets of their own.

Held prisoner by their fears, the three struggle to overcome lies and mistrust to find the freedom to love one another as they have always desired.

Wolf and Michael had been lovers for years. But Michael kept running away from the feelings he had for Wolf, thinking that they just weren’t normal. But he always returned and Wolf always took him back. Michael also had strong feelings for Very but he was afraid of them too. He realized that he wanted both Wolf & Very together and instead of facing the pair and figuring out if it would work, he ran.

Very always knew that she loved Michael and accept Wolf as part of the deal knowing that Michael loved him. She wasn’t prepared for to feel the love for Wolf but now that she has it she wouldn’t give it up for anything. After two years the pair finally marry but deep inside they’re both still quietly waiting for Michael’s return.

When Michael does return the reunion is one for the history books. Hot and wonderful and loving and I could feel the love emanating from the trio. But after 2 full days of doing nothing but eating and having sex they have to slide back into reality. Unfortunately Wolf and Very weren’t prepared for the reality Michael provided when his wife walked in the door. Wolf and Very are sad, disappointed and very, very angry but there’s more to the story than they first realize. When they do get all of the facts will it be enough to allow Michael back in their lives? And if they do, will he end up running again?

I have to say that I’ve been waiting for this story from the first moment that this trio was introduced. I wanted to see all three of them find the love and wonderful relationship that I knew they could have. But I certainly wasn’t prepared for the way the book went but that was a bonus. Kane definitely surprised me with how the book came together but it was done so well how could I complain? lol

First Wolf and Very’s relationship – it was so great. I have to admit to almost wanting Michael to just not come back. If he was going to hurt them then I wanted him far, far away. But the way the story was written it just wasn’t complete without Michael there. Michael had his many issues and he had to work them out in his head. I wish we would have gotten a bit more from Michael and his thoughts but his inclusion in the relationship really hinged on Wolf and Very’s acceptance of him. This passage when Wolf asks Very about love really got to me:

“Why does a person love another? What makes you love someone in particular, and not someone else?”
“Well,” Very said tentatively, not sure he really wanted an answer. “I don’t know.”

Wolf laughed softly. “I don’t either.” He chewed his lip a moment. “You can say, ‘Oh, I love his wit, or his strength, or his tenderness. Perhaps his kindness or his intelligence.’ But the truth is that he may be no more witty, no stronger, no more tender, or smarter or kinder than any other man. Less so than many, actually. And still you will love him.”

Some of the other passages in the book were quite touching – I wish I could share them all but I’d be copying half of the book! lol

Kane also brought in past characters and dealt with Ian, Sophie and Derek’s inability to conceive a child. I loved the way this was handled and would love to see even a little short about their lives now. (A little cryptic, I know)

I love this series and this was a wonderful addition to it. I can’t wait to see who’s next…although I have my suspicions. lol

Rating: 4 out of 5


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Guest Review: Love’s Fortress by Samantha Kane

Posted October 3, 2010 by Ames in Reviews | 2 Comments

Ames‘ review of Love’s Fortress by Samantha Kane

Gideon North wants a wife. She must be practical and hardworking. But above all, she must have a hearty constitution. Horribly injured and scarred from his PeninsularWar service, Gideon does not want to deal with a wife who flinches every time shelooks at him.

Gideon’s estate manager Charles Borden was his sergeant in the war. Inseparable but almost always at odds, the two men agree that Sarah Whitley is the perfect wife for Gideon. Strong, beautiful and intelligent with a dry sense of humor, Sarah bears her own marks from a life spent in the shadows.

When Sarah learns to let go of her past fears, she frees both men to acknowledge the love and attraction that has always existed between them. The three become intimate but the eroticism of their encounters in the bedroom does not guarantee happiness.

Gideon’s defenses mire them in the past. Only together can Sarah and Charles break through to build a future with Gideon.

Love’s Fortress, book 7 in Samantha Kane’s Brothers in Arms series, was deep. Gideon lost part of his leg in the war and he’s burned on his face and arm. So his requirement in a wife is someone who can look past the scars and no one has been able to – until his neighbors set up a meeting with Sarah, a reverend’s daughter. You see, aside from the fact that Sarah knows how to run a household and raise children (she’s the eldest of a bunch), she has a birthmark on her face and that makes her singularly qualified to deal with and know to some extent what Gideon has been going through since the war. She’s used to people looking at her, and not always kindly.

Sarah is drawn to Gideon. She doesn’t judge a man by how he looks, since she’s been there enough. But Gideon, she can tell, is a leader and a strong man. He isn’t cruel, but he is hard. And they get along very well.

Gideon’s friend, Charles, is worried that now that Gideon is going to get married, that he won’t be needed anymore. Gideon and Charles are just friends, although they both want the other – but after the events that led to Gideon’s scars, these two men haven’t been able to bridge that gap between their desires and reality. But Sarah – Gideon wants things to be good for her so he invites Charles’s to their bedroom and these three hurting people quickly realize that three is better than one and with two ganging up against one, Gideon is going to have to open up and move beyond the past.

Ok, the reason I said Love’s Fortress was deep was due to all the hurt (physical and emotional) that all three characters are holding in. Charles saved Gideon’s life during the war and took care of him afterwards. He’s wanted Gideon all this time but Gideon never let anyone in because he thought he was less than a man because of his injuries. Sarah has had to deal with suitor after suitor rejecting her because of her birthmark. But these three people together worked so well and they balanced each other out perfectly. What made this book so good was Sarah’s practicality. You’d think a virgin on her wedding night would run screaming from the house if her husband brought another man to their bed, but when asked why she accepted Charles, she said because obviously her husband wanted it. So refreshing! Sarah made this book work for me, she was such a strong character and at no point did she melt into the background when the men finally acted on their attraction for each other. She was the bridge for these guys, and she was a good strong bridge. LOL

I have to give Love’s Fortress a 4.25 out of 5. Definitely a must read for those who like threesomes!

The series:

At Love’s Command

Love’s Strategy

Love Under Siege

The Courage to Love

Retreat From Love

Love’s Fortress

This book is available from Ellora’s Cave. You can buy it here in e-format.


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