The Kiss Thief Paperback – January 6, 2019

When you read a book and you literally can't stop thinking about it and it sticks with you for days after finishing it, you know you just read a masterpiece. That's what The Kiss Thief was, a complete masterpiece by LJ Shen.I was FLOORED by this book! Words to express how much I loved it are so hard to find. The plot was riveting, the characters were complex, the book was so full of such an array of themes and emotions it has literally has it all! Lies, mysteries, passion, rivalry, depth, growth, banter, steam, forgiveness, truth and love. How LJ was able to convey a story that encompassed all of that and more just proves how talented she really is.So, let's delve into the book - or at least I'll try to convey with words some of the things I loved throughout reading it!We meet Francesca, (or Nemesis as she's more aptly referred to later in the story by Wolfe.) Francesca is ill prepared to live, truly live her life. She has followed the path her parents set forth for her, and she's done so for her entire life. She's resigned to live this life that they've allowed her to and when we meet her, there's no indication that she even yearns for anything more than that. She's promised to Angelo, whom she's known since childhood and loves. She shares insight to her feelings for him and that she wants to be with him, the one thing she seems to truly agree with her parents on. But she's impatient for her future and her one act of rebellion occurs when she opens a box, a box revealing something that will set in motion a future not anywhere near the path in which has been laid out by her parents. A path that she has even less control over.Wolfe Keaton is a kiss thief... but he's so much more than that. He's honest and unforgiving in his pursuits. He's undeniably the big bad wolf. But, even a wolf has a hart and I loved getting to know all facets of his personality and getting to know who he was in his heart of hearts was an amazing journey to read."I'd learned people come and go out of your life frequently and without notice. Solitude was more than a life choice. It was a virtue. A vow of sorts"This right here to me stood out as a cry for help in a way. Wolfe was used to feeling abandoned by people, so he literally distanced himself from people and thought of his solitude as a coat of armor of sorts. But, in donning his armor he closes himself off to so many amazing things in life. Could their be someone strong enough to break through his 'fortress of solitude?'With one stolen kiss, everything changes. Francesca is not prepared when Wolfe comes to her home and even less prepared when she learns that her parents agreed to allow him to marry her. With no other choice, she goes along. But she's not as weak as she always let on and Wolfe is about to meet his match. His Nemesis."I am air. Invisible and insignificant, but vital ask the same"This line is so significant to me throughout the book because, it does seem as if Francesca feels invisible at times but she truly is air because she is vital to so many people's lives and their literal survival. Her growth throughout the book was astonishing and admirable."Arrogance is a disease, compassion is the cure. Most Gods didn't like Nemesis, but that's because she had a backbone"(Francesca = Nemesis!)As the story unfolds there is a lot revealed, the story always continually moving. There of course was a reason she was "chosen", Wolfe has a vendetta against her father and he'll stop at nothing to see him destroyed. He just didn't count on feeling anything for his little Nemesis."What are you going to do with my father?""I'm going to ruin him""And with me, what are you going to do with me?""Save you"But what he doesn't know, is that she is the one who will ultimately save him, she will be the one to break down his fortress of solitude and give his life purpose again."You took a hammer and broke down his walls, brick by brick. I watched as they collapsed, how he scrambled to try and rebuild them every time he left your room. Your love story was no fairy tale. More like a witch tale. Wicked and real and painful"Wolfe may have stolen a kiss and her 'freedom' but he also in a way gave her the keys to open up her own freedom. To discover who she really was and that in turn allowed him to open up to his own freedom. The path may have been broken and bumpy but it lead to something truly beautiful."We were no longer two strangers sharing a roof. We were entwined and entangled, connected with invisible strings, each of us trying to pull away, only to create more knots that made us closer"That quote RIGHT THERE! SWOON! As I read I could practically see the knots forming, becoming so unbreakable and strong, not even Houdini could undo those knots the strings created! I honestly can't put into words how much I loved this book. I highly recommend reading it. Wolfe Keaton won't just steal a kiss, he'll steal your heart!"Wolf Keaton was a kiss thief, but it wasn't only a kiss that he stole. He stole my heart too. Ripped it from my chest and put it in his pocket" ----- I feel you Nem, I totally feel the SAME WAY! Thank you Leigh, you wrote a truly remarkable book and I give you tons of kudos for a job well done!

This book hurt so good! The ending was anticlimactic which is the reason for a 4 star review, but it was almost a 5 star read. If you’re looking for a dark-ish mafia romance, this is it. It’s dirty, mean, thrilling, and exasperating. I loved every second of it!!!

From Lala’s Book ReviewsOMG! I had seen this book all over instagram a couple of months back and with the cover alone, I wanted to read this book! Now, I didn’t actually read any reviews that anyone had posted, so I really went inside of this book blind other than the synopsis thatI didn’t even read fully. I had spend the past couple of nights staying up late into the night to keep reading about Francesca and Wolfe.When I went into the book, I thought it was going to be set in a fictional world with royal families, instead it’s set in modern day Chicago with the Italian mob and the senator for the state looking for revenge.Francesca comes from money, dirty money but money nonetheless, and has been sent off to boarding school over seas. she has essentially been raised to be the perfect wife to have children and be by her husband’s side. She has always dreamed of marrying her childhood friend Angelo who’s the son of a man working with her father. It seems to be a match made in heaven with two of the most power Italian families coming together except when one of the tests of fate being that her first kiss was stolen by a rude man who happens to be the senator and thinks she’s a spoiled child.When Senator Wolfe sees Francesca, he sees her as a way to get what he wants and that’s to see her father’s empire go down burning to nothing. He wants to have his own justice for everything that her father has taken away from him over the years, and Wolfe doesn’t care what he has to do or who he has to hurt.Wolfe is an arrogant man who gets everything he wants. He came from nothing and has became a senator at a young age. He been hardened by the things that he has seen from a young age. He’s a womanizer who yields to no one.At first I wasn’t sure how to feel about Wolfe because yes he may be attractive, arrogant, and have the “I don’t care about anything” attitude which is something I like in my book boyfriends, but at the same time he was very hot/cold and for a while it seemed like we were never going to get close to his character because his walls were so thick. Over the course of the book, we get a glimpse into his past and all of the secrets that has hardened his heart.Francesca may look like the girl who has had everything handed to her and sure she hasn’t had to work a day in her life, but has more morales and values that some people who have been to hell and back. She has a caring heart even for those who have hurt her, yet she’s able to fight the man who has so many bending to his will because of his personality. She fights the arranged marriage to Wolfe tooth and nail.Somewhere along the way and even through his tough exterior mind games, Francesca sees something in Wolfe that calls to her and makes her fight this persona that he puts up. The only thing is that Wolfe still isn’t sure what his feelings for Francesca truly are and how she fits into his life considering that he thought she wouldn’t be as feisty as she is.As far as I’m, concerned Angelo was never really a love interest despite Francesca prior feelings for him. I think Angelo had trouble accepting the fact this his perfect plan of marring someone who convenient (not that he made Francesca to be a trophy wife or anything because he did care about her as a person), but she was someone who was always just there for him, and when his plan was destroyed by Wolfe’s engagement; he didn’t talk the news well.Th Kiss Thief is a dark and heavy contemporary that isn’t for the faint of heart. There’s a lot of cussing and steamy scenes that isn’t for everyone, but it really is a gritty, beautiful book that had me captivated and reading late into the night.The writing of this book is pretty great because it’s told from Francesca and Wolf’s POV, and they have very distinctive voices where it’s obvious who’s talking. In books in the past with alternating POV some of the character’s voices sounded so much a like, but not in this book. You can feel the difference in their mindset and the thing that drives them throughout the entire book!

The book was really and good and just what I needed for a Saturday night quick read! The man was handsome, powerful, and the ever most brooding. I loved the plot in the beginning it seemed to I have me torn of which way she would love. However great I found the book I do have some draw backs with it as well. Firstly, I feel like the plot flattened after the first 6-10 chapters. I wish the author held on to the mystery of which man she’d choose to love forever for a bit longer. I feel this would have added extra intensity to the lust of the romance between Wolfe and the main female character. I do think the sex scenes were done well but I feel often times authors fail to see that the excitement is in the build up. Secondly, I love the main female I think she is soft and some quirks that I feel set her apart. I feel her character development flattened too besides her relentless obedience to her family. I fell the author did a great job in the beginning by mentioning the characters fear of being so renowned and only known for her beauty as she would lose it one day. I wish these fear were explored more in depth and I would have loved to see her character development with these issues. I do feel like the romance was rushed, but the lust was exciting and I applaud the author for not making Wolfe automatically love her from the beginning. This was a really good book I recommend you form your opinions and leave a review! If anything the lust of it all is exciting and daunting in a really beautiful way!