The Kiss Thief - L.J. Shen

Book: The Kiss Thief
Author: L.J. Shen
Genres: Romance, Contemporary
Format: Kindle e-Book - Kindle Unlimited
Publication Date: 6th January 2019

My Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕
Date Finished: 4th December 2019

Description:

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.

Review:

This has been borrowed from the Kindle Unlimited library.

The Kiss Thief starts with a party - one almost from the 1800's, as Francesca points out - with waltzes and masquerade masks. She wants to kiss her childhood sweetheart Angelo that night but after spilling that secret during a dance with Senator Wolfe Keaton when he goads her, he steals her first kiss by wearing Angelo's mask.

What follows is a lot of political posturing and violence as Wolfe threatens to bring down Francesca's mob father unless he can marry Francesca. It's not a romantic gesture, it's a power play.

Of course, things start to change as they begin to know each other. Feelings start to change. Francesca gets a freedom she never thought she'd get while being a part of The Outfit - the mob. Wolfe is going to allow her to go to college and get a job.

I cried like a baby near the middle of this. Wolfe was a little rough with Francesca and though he instantly regretted it, I had tears pouring down my face at the scene that was playing out in front of me.

This is definitely a bit of a tit-for-tat type story both in regards to the romance, and in the political power plays going on between Wolfe and The Unit. One does something, the other retaliates.

They do finally work things out - and thank God for that! - but not without a lot of ups and downs. It is a really nice love story, with love conquering all evils in this book. I thought they were a lovely couple by the end.

I do feel the story finished quite quickly, not the epilogue parts but the last chapter before.

I'm going to keep an eye out for more of the authors books.