Henry

by Maggie Carpenter

What happens when a handsome strait-laced physicist and a bright, beautiful hustler cross swords?

Smart, sexy, and sly, Jane Campbell picks pockets and plays long cons with equal skill, but when she lifts a wallet from a handsome, muscled man at a bar, to her horror he catches her.

Henry Gibson is not your average brainiac. He keeps his body in peak physical condition, and loves to wield a flogger even more than he enjoys exploring complex theories.

He’s not about to let a beautiful thief walk away unpunished.

He metes out his discipline and sends her on her way, never expecting to see her again. But fate has other plans.

If you enjoy steamy romance, an alpha male and a smart, sexy femme fatale, you’ll love this book. Escape the mundane. Scroll up and click the link for a wonderfully kinky escape. Authors Formerly released as Reforming Jane, this book has been rewritten and has a new, surprise ending.

170 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 5, 2024

About the author

Award-winning and best-selling author Maggie Carpenter has published over 120 romance novels, and is the recipient of a number Spanking Romance Reviews awards spanning a variety of genres. Her readers describe her books as, romantic, funny, suspenseful, beyond a five-star read, exciting romance with a ton of surprises.

Her work includes a best-selling twelve-book contemporary cowboy series, Cowboys After Dark, (http://amzn.to/2ihCNtp), a warrior fantasy trilogy, Warriors After Dark, (http://amzn.to/2iE0cDa) contemporary love stories, and several Victorian romances. His Willful Bride was a #1 best-seller for several weeks and a BookBub Feature Deal. She is best known for her smart, witty, strong-willed women who bring unexpected challenge, mystery and humor into the lives of passionate, dominant men.

Maggie has a history in show-business both in front of and behind the camera, but moved from Los Angeles to live in the Pacific Northwest to pursue her writing. She is an equine enthusiast who rides every day, and writes until the wee hours of the morning when her eyes close only because they must.

This author loves to hear from readers. You can contact her through her website: www.MaggieCarpenter.com. To sample her work for free, go to, www.3FreeBooks.com.

Reviews

[Cath · Rating 5 out of 5]

The main characters in this story are Jane Campbell, a self-made and very intelligent con woman, and one of her marks, Henry Gibson, who catches her as she tries to pick his pocket. He is a physics Brainiac, who had a great upbringing and has made plenty of money through other means as well. Henry is a man who likes to be in control, especially in the bedroom and gives her a choice of either, the cops being called and her handed over, or she goes back to his home to be spanked! Jane is all on own these days, as her mentor died some two years ago, and he had taught her everything about the long con and everything else she needed to keep herself safe. She is currently working on a long con with three young society type women, with a fake goldmine opportunity, all because of the way they treated and talked to wait staff. She is a sort of modern day Robin Hood, stealing form the rich and giving half of what she makes to those who are in need! After the spanking, neither thought they would see each other again, but neither could they forget what happened between them! Fate soon brings them back together, as she carries on with her con and the ladies want to go to Candles, where she first met him, but she takes a chance thinking he won’t recognise her in disguise. But he is far too observant for that!

He has figured out exactly what she is doing, but he wonders why she does such a dangerous thing for a living, when she is so beautiful and smart. He invites her for dinner, only for her to fall seriously ill, asking him to take her home where she can call her own doctor. She doesn’t want to be left alone, especially when her doctor says she needs someone to stay with her. She thankfully isn’t as ill as she thought, but has a condition that may mean she needs to quit her current con. Something her mentor always re-iterated to her and the only way she can truly keep herself safe. He brings his BDSM traits into a relationship with her, taking her v-card, as she quickly learns more about his life and neither can resist the other. A storm gives them longer together, without him having to leave her to get to work. Both are seriously falling for someone they never would have considered in their lives before and it starts to make Jane think about how much longer she can lead the life she does and wondering about what she might do in the future. This is a fascinating read that pulls you in to both characters, with some wonderful twists and a few surprises thrown in as well. I really enjoyed reading this steamy love story, with such a strong background to her current life and how things change as she comes to trust another man, especially when matters take an unexpected turn. A lovely twist at the end, which was somewhat expected, but still a surprise. I can’t recommend this book more than the 5 stars I can, although I would love to, as it is one of the best and most enjoyable stories I have read in quite some time. I would love to see a continuation of these characters, but that is unlikely. Hopefully there will be more stories along this thread to enjoy form the author. I can’t wait to see what comes. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.

5 stars +++

[Stats23 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice departure from some of her more recent cowboy themed stories, this is a contemporary story based in England and featuring a straight laced physics researcher and an extremely competent con artist. They first meet under an unfortunate situation where, for some reason, Jane tried to steal Henry’s wallet but he caught her red handed. He subsequently made her bottom the same color. Henry is everything he seems to be, straight-laced, competent and dominant. Jane on the other hand is not so much a criminal as a modern day Robin Hood! Her back story is one of sadness until “saved” by a con artist extraordinaire. As a mentor and father figure he taught her everything she knows, but she is on her own now. Henry wants to teach her how to live and love inside the laws of the land. Their relationship is both sweet and saucy and Jane is so drawn to Henry that her life begins to change in every way, but can they make it last? The story has lots of cheeky humor, some disciplinary yet also sensuous spankings and some sex scenes to die for. All in all this is, to me, a 4.5 Star story leaning more heavily to the top end. I really enjoyed it and look forward to more of this genre.

[Rose Seals · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written, full of action, steam, spankings, drama and real life. Fast paced reading. Both Jane and Henry have lived so very different lives and childhoods. Jane was on the streets till Bernie found her and took her in. He taught her how to survive by using scams and taking from people who could afford it. After Bernie's death, she lives in his home and continues to do what he taught her. But she always seems to help people who really need it. Henry was the opposite of her - more uptight and straight laced but does have a kink side he doesn't show much. He catches her trying to pick pocket his wallet and he offers her a choice- to be spanked or the cops to be called. She makes the best choice for both of them. Lots of hot steamy scenes. Glad to see they get their happily ever after. Would strongly recommend.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Merilu Keenum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jane and Henry have an immediate impact on each other’s psyche and a strong sexual attraction. They’re both highly intelligent, but their life’s path is vastly different. I love how patient Henry is and nonjudgmental about Jane’s ‘work’. The passion and her responsiveness to his dominance is off the charts.
Maggie Carpenter brought these two characters to life: their personalities mesh, their sense of right and wrong isn’t different just skewed by experience, and the love they feel shines. Jane is sassy, soulful, and funny. Henry’s inventive bedroom behavior satisfies Jane’s every need! I loved this couple!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Rhonda Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved 'Henry' with its unique storyline. Outwardly, these two people were a complete mismatch. Jane was an orphan who became an extraordinary pickpocket. She tried to steal Henry's wallet and got caught. Henry is a physicist with a genius IQ and an avid people watcher. From watching her for several nights, he finds Jane very interesting, wondering what type of game she plays. After catching her he gives her a choice - surrender to the police or take the punishment he intends to dole out. This starts a relationship between these two that proves to be confusing, and exciting, and keeps their chemistry alive.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Knight Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful read about paying forward unfortunately through the art of grifting. Henry met Jane one evening at a bar called Candles, where she picked his pocket. He realized immediately what she had done gave her two choices of him turning her over to the police or coming home with him for a well deserved paddling. You can guess she chose the paddling which sets off a chain reaction for the future when they meet again at the same bar by accident, where upon she's running an long elaborate con on some women. You will absolutely love the surprise ending.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Mandy Foley · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Henry meets a stunning young woman in a bar he is intrigued, when she tries to steal his wallet he has to punish her, it’s obvious she enjoys her spanking punishment, but he lets her go. Jane is stunned when Henry not only catches her but also spanks her, but will their paths cross again? Are these two destined to meet again?.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ams · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved Jane! She was so clever and Henry absolutely matched that.
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Kinky smut that added to the story.
Overall I really enjoyed the plot and setting, Jane had great character development for such a short novel.

Lost one star because the ending wasn’t my favourite. The book as a whole was still excellent.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Morgan Schell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Things don't travel too deep into the bdsm lifestyle, yet you are given a good taste of what can happen. Henry makes a lovely Dom and Jane is quite the ornery Sub. Both are very clever people in their respective "jobs" and I enjoyed them using their wits against each other. It was a fun story showing off plenty of hard and soft spots for each character.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Diana Lea · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a roller-coaster ride this was! I adored Jane's courage, intelligence, and great big heart for others - especially a scene at the airport! And of course Henry was a real heart-throb. It was going along nicely with the growing relationship between the two of them but I really wasn't expecting the things that happened to bring about the ending of this book! Very well done!!!

[Nate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed Henry and Jane’s story. I thought it was an intriguing read. And am voluntarily leaving my review.

[Robin Mellon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unexpected live

I loved Jane and Henry. What an uplifting story of 2 people from very different backgrounds realizing they were meant to be together