by Shana Galen
Series: Covent Garden Cubs #2
Pub. Date: Sept. 1, 2015
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
My Rating:
Sultry Scale:
She's beyond his reach...
Gideon Harrow has spent his life in London's dark underworld-and he wants out. A thief and a con, he plans one last heist to finally win his freedom. But when everything goes wrong, he finds himself at the tender mercies of one of Society's most untouchable women-Lady Susanna Derring.
...and out of her depth.
Susanna has spent her life in London's glittering ton, under the thumb of a domineering mother-and she wants out. When a wickedly charming rogue lands at her feet, she jumps at the chance to experience life before it's too late. But as she descends into London's underworld, she finds that nothing- not even Gideon-is as it seems. As excitement turns to danger, Susanna must decide what price she's willing to pay...for the love of a reformed thief.
This book made me feel like a snob. And I'm not a snob. At least I don't think I am. Why do I feel like a snob you ask? Well, the main character in this book is not a dashing duke or an enticing earl... he is a thief from Seven Dials. And I found that I was just not as attracted to his character! How horrible is that? Gideon was gentlemanly enough for a thief. He was quite witty and patient, and I liked his personality. But despite all of that, I just couldn't connect with him the way I wanted to. Pity, that.
I also did not realize this was the second book in a series until after I started reading... and I didn't have time to go back and read the first book. While I would not say that its absolutely necessary for you to read the first book, there was A LOT of character overlap. So I would strongly suggest you start with the first book. The series is focusing on a gang from Covent Garden - those who make ends meet by less than honest means. And it seems that each book may follow one of the less fortunate who finds their HEA with a member of the gentry.
In this installment, our titled lady is Susanna, daughter of an earl. Susanna is a society miss who is being absolutely smothered by her over-protective mother. She can't even go to the bathroom by herself! Just when Susanna is at wit's end, she happens upon Gideon breaking into her home and demands that he take her to Vauxhall Gardens. This begins a series of misadventures for the pair which force Susanna and Gideon together into a sort of love-hate relationship. I liked Susanna well-enough, but again I was still feeling snobby because I kept hoping that Gideon was going to turn out to be an undercover earl or missing marquess. I must have been feeling the plight of a distressed damsel when I read this because I was feeling a lack of hero worship. C'est la vie.
I did like the abundance of street slang in this story. Although I had to look up words sometimes to see what they meant, it added something different to the story and I was able to get a picture of these downtrodden people speaking roughly throughout the book. Overall I liked the story and I will continue reading the series - I will just make sure the next time I pick one up, I am not in the mood for a dashing duke to take me away from it all.
As a side note, I liked that the cover accurately represented the couple in the book. I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Covent Garden Cubs Series
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