Blog Tour + Review: The Kiss Thief by L.J. Shen


They say your first kiss should be
earned.
Mine was stolen by a devil in a masquerade mask under the black Chicago sky.
They say the vows you take on your wedding day are sacred.
Mine were broken before we left church.
They say your heart only beats for one man.
Mine split and bled for two rivals who fought for it until the bitter end.
I was promised to Angelo Bandini, the heir to one of the most powerful families in the Chicago Outfit.
Then taken by Senator Wolfe Keaton, who held my father’s sins over his head to force me into marriage.
They say that all great love stories have a happy ending.
I, Francesca Rossi, found myself erasing and rewriting mine until the very last chapter.
One kiss.
Two men.
Three lives.
Entwined together.
And somewhere between these two men, I had to find my forever.
Mine was stolen by a devil in a masquerade mask under the black Chicago sky.
They say the vows you take on your wedding day are sacred.
Mine were broken before we left church.
They say your heart only beats for one man.
Mine split and bled for two rivals who fought for it until the bitter end.
I was promised to Angelo Bandini, the heir to one of the most powerful families in the Chicago Outfit.
Then taken by Senator Wolfe Keaton, who held my father’s sins over his head to force me into marriage.
They say that all great love stories have a happy ending.
I, Francesca Rossi, found myself erasing and rewriting mine until the very last chapter.
One kiss.
Two men.
Three lives.
Entwined together.
And somewhere between these two men, I had to find my forever.

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EXCERPT
“Are you sure you’re on my card?” I
turned to the man with a polite yet distant smile. I was still disoriented from
the exchange with Angelo when the stranger pulled me against his hard body and
pressed a possessive hand lower than socially acceptable on my back, a second
from groping my butt.
“Answer me,” I hissed.
“My bid on your card was the highest,” he replied dryly.
“The bids are undisclosed. You don’t know how much other people have paid,” I
kept my lips pursed to keep myself from yelling.
“I know it’s nowhere near the realm of what this dance is worth.”
Un-freaking-believable.
We began to waltz around the room as other couples were not only spinning and
mingling but also stealing envious glances at us. Naked, raw ogles that told me
that whomever the blonde he’d come to the masquerade with was, she wasn’t his
wife. And that I might have been all the rage in The Outfit, but the rude man
was in high demand, too.
I was stiff and cold in his arms, but he didn’t seem to notice—or mind. He knew
how to waltz better than most men, but he was technical, and lacked warmth and
Angelo’s playfulness.
“Nemesis.” He took me by surprise, his rapacious gaze stripping me bare.
“Distributing glee and dealing misery. Seems at odds with the submissive girl
who entertained Bishop and his horsey wife at the table.”
I choked on my own saliva. Did he just call the governor’s wife horsey? And me
submissive? I looked away, ignoring the addictive scent of his cologne, and the
way his marble body felt against mine.
“Nemesis is my spirit animal. She was the one to lure Narcissus to a pool where
he saw his own reflection and died of vanity. Pride is a terrible illness.” I
flashed him a taunting smirk.
“Some of us could use catching it.” He bared his straight white teeth.
“Arrogance is a disease. Compassion is the cure. Most gods didn’t like Nemesis,
but that’s because she had a backbone.”
“Do you?” He arched a dark eyebrow.
“Do I…?” I blinked, the courteous grin on my face crumpling. He was even ruder
when we were alone.
“Have a backbone,” he provided. He stared at me so boldly and intimately, it
felt like he breathed fire into my soul. I wanted to step out of his touch and
jump into a pool full of ice.
“Of course, I do,” I responded, my spine stiffening. “What’s with the manners?
Were you raised by wild coyotes?”
“Give me an example,” he said, ignoring my quip. I was beginning to draw away
from him, but he jerked me back into his arms. The glitzy ballroom distorted
into a backdrop, and even though I was starting to notice that the man behind
the demi-mask was unusually beautiful, the ugliness of his behavior was the
only thing that stood out.
I am a warrior and a lady…and a sane person who can deal with this horrid man.
“I really like Angelo Bandini.” I dropped my voice, slicing my gaze from his
eyes and toward the table where Angelo’s family had been seated. My father was
sitting a few seats away, staring at us coldly, surrounded by Made Men who
chatted away.
“And see, in my family, we have a tradition dating back ten generations. Prior
to her wedding, a Rossi bride is to open a wooden chest—carved and made by a
witch who lived in my ancestors’ Italian village—and read three notes written
to her by the last Rossi girl to marry. It’s kind of a good luck charm mixed
with a talisman and a bit of fortunetelling. I stole the chest tonight and
opened one of the notes, all so I could rush fate. It said that tonight I was
going to be kissed by the love of my life, and well…” I drew my lower lip into
my mouth and sucked it, peering under my eyelashes at Angelo’s empty seat. The
man stared at me stoically, as though I was a foreign film he couldn’t
understand. “I’m going to kiss him tonight.”
“That’s your backbone?”
“When I have an ambition, I go for it.”
A conceited frown crinkled his mask, as if to say I was a complete and utter
moron. I looked him straight in the eye. My father taught me that the best way
to deal with men like him was to confront, not run. Because, this man? He’d
chase.


**ARC provided in exchange for an honest review**
"Our hearts were tarnished. Stained. And guilty.
Unpredictable to a fault. And bound to break."
I was really looking forward to The Kiss Thief the moment
I read the blurb. I especially love the arranged/forced marriage trope, so I
was extra excited about this book. I have read one book by L.J. Shen before and
unfortunately ended up not liking it. But I wanted to give this author another
go because everyone around me really loves her books. I was really intrigued by
the characters, and especially by Wolfe. He is just the type of arrogant hero I
enjoy reading about. However, I just couldn't fully connect to the characters as a couple,
and I think the immaturity of Francesca played a big role in it. I know she is
just 19, but some of her decisions were very childish. Towards the end they
both made some inconsiderate decisions that could've totally been
avoided, and I just didn't like the unnecessary drama.
"He was hell wrapped in a heavenly rugged mask. He
was fire. Gorgeous to the eye, lethal to the touch."
So why rate it three stars you may ask. Because I think
the story had a lot of potential, and it kept me interested until the end. I
was invested in the development of the characters, I wanted to know what would
happen to them. I hate love triangles, so I was happy that it wasn't
predominant in this story. I liked L.J. Shen's writing style, and I think she
definitely has grown as an author. I just think this book wasn't my cup of tea.
I normally love a big difference in age between the characters, but in this
book I would've liked it if they were closer to age. Or that at least
Francesca was in her mid-twenties. Give this book a chance if you enjoy this
author's books or if the blurb sounds good to you.

About the Author
Before
she’d settled down, L.J. (who thinks referring to herself in the third person
is really silly, by the way) traveled the world, and collected friends from all
across the globe. Friends who’d be happy to report that she is a rubbish
companion, always forgets peoples’ birthdays and never sends Christmas cards.
She
enjoys the simple things in life, like spending time with her family and
friends, reading, HBO, Netflix and internet-stalking Stephen James. She reads
between three to five books a week and firmly believes Crocs shoes and mullets
should be outlawed.
Connect with
L.J. Shen
Website: http://www.authorljshen.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorljshen/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lj_shen
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorljshen/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/authorljshen/
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2KSFkad

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