Prettiest Little Thief

by C. Abu-Khalaf

Monroe Whitlock is a master car thief with a penchant for adrenaline and a past she can’t outrun. When she crashes an expensive sports car, she finds herself at the mercy of its enigmatic owner, billionaire Lucas Knight. Instead of pressing charges, Lucas offers her a steal a priceless relic for him, and she’ll avoid prison.

As Monroe navigates high-stake theft and shadowy enemies, she and Lucas form an uneasy alliance that soon ignites into a passionate romance. But with secrets lurking in every corner and trust hard to come by, Monroe must decide if Lucas is her savior or her greatest downfall.

Genres: Enemies To Lovers

277 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 10, 2024

Reviews

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book in the Band of Thieves series and I’m not sure if Prettiest Little Thief is a debut novel but I loved this enemies to lovers’, grumpy/sunshine escapade as car thief Monroe finds herself caught between a rock and a hard place after she totalled the car belonging to billionaire Lucas Knight who gave her the ultimatum – go to jail or steal something he wants. It was a no brainer she was going to choose the latter leading to a treasure hunt that would take them to the wilds of Romania.

I loved Roe, she was such a badass heroine with her love of all thing's extra terrestrial. She didn’t want to steal but had to if she was ever going to clear her debt with a loan shark. She definitely kept the hero Lucas on his toes, their banter was wickedly funny. But when the loan shark got his hands on her, Lucas didn’t waste any time in rescuing her and forget about ‘touch her and die’ vibes, he’s more a ‘touch her and I’ll shoot your kneecaps off’ kind of action man. An attempt to protect Roe leads to Lucas proposing a marriage of convenience. He was always going to rescue Roe, he couldn’t protect his mother or sister, but he wasn’t going to let another woman down. In a story full of action and excitement he couldn’t help but fall for her. With fantastic secondary characters especially Fox and Evie who was Roe’s ‘ride and die’ as well as someone I’d be scared to mess with, and I’ll admit to being more than a little intrigued by Evan, I’m keen to read more from this series

[Erin Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨🔮🌞🌕🍄🌕🌞🔮✨
ARC REVIEW

Prettiest Little Thief - C. Abu-Khalaf

5/5⭐️

📚📚📚
The way I binged this one in one sitting!! O seriously just couldn’t put it down! This was a first try for this author and I 100% will be back for more! Monroe or Roe is our FMC Baddie! She finds herself in a bit of a situation that comes with a big ultimatum from hottie Lucas Knight! These two and their banter I was eating it up! Roe definitely owes some people but Lucas will be keeping her for himself. When things go bad Lucas will always rescue Roe with such great vibes. Overall i definitely recommend this one and I will be needing to read the rest of this series.

📚📚📚
If you like to read:
- Enemies to lovers
- Billionaire
- Badass fmc
- Grumpy x sunshine
- Possessive MMC
- Touch her and you 💀💀
- Marriage of convenience
- He falls first
… You should definitely check this out

📚📚📚

Thank you so much for sending me a copy for an honest review in my own words.

✨What’s a rec you have for one of the above tropes?

#books #booklover #smut #booknerd #bookfriend #bookish #booklovers #bookishcommunity #bookloversunite #instabook #bookporn #bookphotography #reviews #igbooks #ilovereading #smutty #bookaddiction #bookhoader #hotnsexy #fortheloveofbooks #bookrecs #yummy #givemeallthebooks #readingthepainaway #booktok #arc

[Good Booking Girl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prettiest Little Thief, an all-new steamy billionaire romance by best-selling author C. Abu-Khalaf 🖤

🖤 Forced Proximity
🔥 Grumpy billionaire MMC
🖤 Car Thief Sunshine FMC
🔥 Enemies to Lovers
🖤 “Mine” vibes

4-⭐️
2.5-🔥

This book! i inhaled it. I could not put it down. It had intrigue, romance, (mild) suspense, "mine" vibes.. and the chemistry between the two main characters... wooo-heee.. it took them a while but when they finally give in to their feelings, it's H-O-T!

Luca is a billionaire - owner of a Tech company.
Monroe is a college drop out who is so deep in debt with a gang, she has to steal cars to help with repayments.

Unfortunately for Lucas, Monroe steals his car. Fortunately for Monroe, he's got a plan to bail her out of jail... and her debt.

The story also takes us on a treasure hunt. But most importantly, it takes us on a journey of how these two MCs fall in love.
the book does not end on a cliffhanger, per se` , but it does set the scene for the next book, leaving the reader wanting more!

I received a free ARC of this book. This review is my opinion

[Destiny Imperati · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Review ✨️

♡Monroe & Lucas☆

The way I completely binged this story is crazy!! Obsessed would be a total understatement. This book deserves all of the stars! Lucas is so damn protective, and I'm all for it. Monroe is a total badas☆ and I love it. This story was so easy to get into, and I found myself loving all of the side characters as well. Monroe is a car thief and just stole the wrong guys car. The events that happen after baffled me! I can't recommend this book enough if you love enemies to lovers and a good he falls first romance!

Thanks so much to the author and booksprout for the ARC!

[WinkingReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tropes:
• Enemies to lovers
• Billionaire
• Badass FMC
• SunshineXGrumpy
• Possessive MMC
• Touch her and you fucking die
• Marriage of Convenience
• He falls first 😩

"I don't not like you "🤭

Oh my God!! She's a thief....(my first reaction😅 i got excited). God!!😩 The man Lucas Knight is!!!
So Roe is a thief who steals cars to get money but one day when she's on her normal business(planning to steal a car) she runs into Lucas a billionaire who owns a tech company, and his car gets her attention and she takes it from him by pretending to be a valet( I was dieing of laughter in this scene cuz he was literally being robbed and he wasn't aware just giving his keys🤣🤣). Well it turns out she tried the wrong guy and gets jailed to get her freedom back Lucas offers her a proposition which later leads to another one🫠.But working together is hards because they're always on each other's throat.

One of my favourite scenes is when Lucas crippled another man for beating Roe when they were still enemies!!! Lucas falls first, and he's very possessive(we like them just like that).

I loved reading this book. It was a balance of everything, including tension. I liked how I would feel calm one minute, then next feeling tension/thrill it was exciting, and I enjoyed it🤗. I loved Evie and Fox but loved Sarah and Jericho more. I'm looking forward to their books. Aaaaaahhh Jericho😩.

⭐️Rate: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶Rate: 🌶🌶🌶

[Tasha Dzedzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was a good book and cute story. however it jumped a little ( you were told what happened instead of reading the events or after) some of the scenes where to short and anti-climatic, easily predictable. it had great potential, but kinda fell flat. I hope there will be a second book about the sister because I need to know what happens. i also believe she could get at least 2 more books out of this series. If she follows the main characters, best friends and the MMC sister

[Cesy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Monroe done f-ed up. Stealing is part of surviving for Monroe but she ends up stealing from the wrong guy. Lucas is respected, known and hella rich. So when Monroe steals his very expensive car and crashes it, he takes this opportunity to offer her a job.

Monroe has no other choice than to accept the job to steal something for him. What a better person for the job to steal something than a thief.

The book had action, fun characters, and little steamy steamy scenes. Fast paced and worth reading.

[Bookjunkie_Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first time I've read something from the author. I read the blurb, loved the blurb and signed up.

This story follows Monroe and Lucas. A car thief and a Billionaire IT CEO. Such an unlikely pair.

Monroe steals Lucas' expensive car and a punishment and to avoid going to jail, she'll have to do what Lucas asks like steal a rare antique box... one thing lead to another and you can already guess the rest.

I enjoyed it from beginning to end. I'm usually wary of new-to-me authors because I don't know what to expect. But with this book, I am pleasantly surprised.

[Marnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an awesome book!!!

Whoa, what an addictive read I have discovered in new-to-me Author C. Abu-Khalaf’s latest book release, PRETTIEST LITTLE THIEF!!!

Lucas and Roe’s book was such a compelling read that I resented every moment that ‘life-y stuff’ made me put it down.

Monroe / Roe Whitlock was a reluctant car thief for a local body-shop, who for the most noble of reasons, was in debt to a loan shark for an interminable ammount. She was such a fabulous character, even being in the never-ending cycle of debt, that I couldn’t help but be heavily invested in what Ms Abu-Khalaf had in store for her. Turned out, there were a few bumps in the road to be had!!!

Her striking beauty brought her to the reluctant attention of the overworked grumpy billionaire even before she absconded with his McLaren but it was her ironic sense of humour, her internal and fierce strength and independence, her sassiness and particular criminal skill-set that had him intrigued enough to offer her a ‘get out of jail free card’. I loved that she was singularly unimpressed with Lucas’ ‘bougey’ and ‘ostentatious’ wealth and laughed away to myself when she repeatedly called him on it all.

She also got along with Lucas’ best friend Fox like a house on fire, much to the irritation of the uber-rich alpha gentleman, and all this made for absolutely compelling reading for me!

Enigmatic billionaire Lucas Knight was intrigued by the PRETTIEST LITTLE THIEF he’d ever come across. No one ever had the temerity to steal from him, yet she’d not only stolen his personally modified McLaren, but she’d crashed it and ended up in prison for it.

He had the contacts, the money, and the ability to offer her a deal to save her from prison.
Whoa, he was all kinds of grumpy, growly and gorgeous, but when Roe referred to him as a ‘Daddy’ my heart dropped like a stone. Even as I looooove age-gap romances, I don’t read ‘Daddy books’ and I feared that I might miss out on what could turn out to be an amazing read. Luckily for me, the chemistry between them was so strong as to be palpable, Roe never called him Daddy. My heart was all full of thanks, because I got to finish this fabulous book.

But I digress, Lucas was one hot as all hell sexy over-protective alpha; once he got over his severe case of surliness. Have I already implied how much I loved his character???

Holy cow, and that moment where he rocked up to get Roe out of her shocking situation??? 👀👀👀👀 You’ll know it when you read it!!!!! My romantic heart loved reading every word of his dangerous demeanour 😍

Secondary characters like Roe’s best-friend Ellie, who was an absolute badarse firecracker, along with the aforementioned Fox, ended up being a bonus couple that I just loved. I wouldn’t say it was quite a two-fer, like two romances in one book, but Roe’s ride-or-die-best-friend was seriously top shelf good people, and with Fox, really added a depth to the story that differentiated a good book from an awesome one.

The words within PRETTIEST LITTLE THIEF were poetic, passion-filled and romantic. Author C Abu-Khalaf wrote beautifully and meaningfully. I loved her romantic taste in cars and the metal band she attributed to Lucas’ gym workout whereby we, and Roe first discovered that his muscular body is covered in tattoos, another love of mine. Of course this was all icing on the cake of an already impressive age-gap, billionaire, enemies-to-lovers romance. In fact there were more delicious tropes in there than you could ever shake a stick at and that’s why for me, I’ll rate it at 5-romantic-drool-worthy-Stars! 🌹🖤🌹

#fbombromancereads #mumsalwaysreading #bookblogger #bookreviewer #marnsreads #marnsj

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ★★★★★
𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪:

Where do I even begin? This gem has been sitting patiently on my TBR list for what feels like ages, and I'm honestly kicking myself for not diving in sooner. My heart is still buzzing from the sheer thrill of it all!

From the moment I started turning the pages, I was completely swept away. This book is a vibrant rush of excitement and emotion, delivering exactly the kind of romance I adore. It's a fantastic ride, packed with so much energy and fun, and I genuinely did not want it to finish. I just wanted to keep living in Monroe and Lucas's world for a little longer.

Monroe been through so much, carrying a past that would crush most people, yet she faces the world with such fierce independence and a sharp wit. I truly adore her resilience and strength. she's the kind of character you root for with all your might. Honestly, if I could reach into the pages, I’d pull her out and give her the biggest, most comforting hug. She deserves all the good things.

Then there's Lucas. Talk about a force of nature! He carries himself with this undeniable air of arrogance, the kind that usually makes you roll your eyes, but with Lucas, it's different. Beneath that polished, self assured exterior, there’s a surprising depth of care and a protective streak that just makes him utterly irresistible.

The very concept of a thief meeting a powerful billionaire has always held a special place in my imagination, I’ve always wondered how incredibly cool that dynamic would be! And let me tell you, this book didn't just meet my expectations, it utterly blew them out of the water! The way their paths cross, the high stakes world they navigate, and the undeniable spark that ignites between them is just electric. It’s an alliance born out of necessity that slowly, beautifully, transforms into something intensely passionate and deeply felt.

And the side characters! I adored every single one of them. Fox and Evie's blossoming connection was a joy to watch, and I found myself smiling whenever they were on the page. Jericho, with his loyalty and unique charm, added such warmth. Sarah and Evans also brought their own special flavors to the story, making the entire cast feel like a vibrant, breathing community. They weren't just background figures, they were necessary to the magic of the story.

This story keeps you on your toes with high stake situations and really gets your adrenaline pumping. It’s full of action and thrilling moments that had me holding my breath more than once. But even with all the excitement and danger swirling around them, the heart of the story remains firmly on the evolving connection between Monroe and Lucas. Their journey is a tangled dance of distrust and powerful attraction, a push and pull that makes their eventual bond feel incredibly earned and so, so satisfying. The chemistry between them is simply undeniable, making every interaction sizzle.

𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗦: Billionaire romance, thief fmc, marriage of convenience, enemies to lovers, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, opposite attract

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tropes: enemies to lovers, grumpy/sunshine, bad*ss fmc, possessive mmc, billionaire, marriage of convenience, he falls first.

Prettiest Little Thief is the first book in C. Abu-Khalaf's first ever series titled 'Band of Thieves'. The fmc, Monroe, crashes the car she steals, and is now unfortunately at the mercy of the owner, Lucas. He gives her an ultimatum: go to jail or steal a priceless relic for him and stay out of jail, taking readers on a story of a treasure hunt. As always, with treasure comes danger.

He ends up falling for Monroe first, and becomes all possessive. When the people after Monroe, loan sharks and the whole reasons she stole Lucas' car in the first place, get their hands on her, Lucas will always protect Monroe, as he couldn't save his mom or sister. He then proposes a marriage of convenience to be able to protect her, but now that she's his, he won't let her go. The book has good twists and turns making in an entertaining and thrilling read.

[Sahar Ruiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not stop reading this book! It is so good and I'm tempted to start it all over again! Prettiest Little Thief Band of Thieves Book 1, by Christina Abu-Khalaf is a fast-paced, thrilling romance full of action, suspense, and undeniable chemistry between its lead characters. Monroe, a fierce young woman who lives life on the edge, stealing cars for a living. But her latest heist takes a sharp turn when she unknowingly steals and crashes the car of Lucas, a hot shot billionaire.
Lucas makes Monroe an intriguing offer: steal a priceless family relic for him, and she’ll avoid jail time. How could she not ACCEPT this deal! During the time spent together, theres thrill, danger, and a romance that is undeniable between two. I love the chemistry between Monroe and Lucas in book 1. I cannot wait for book 2 to be released!

[Alison Schillfarth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok its been a long time since I read a romance book, I am absoutley blown away. I picked up this book one morning and did not set it down until 3am the next morning. I stayed up all night until I couldnt keep my eyes open, first thing in the morning I read until the book was complete. It was that good. Something about this romance just left me wanting to read more. The disdain slowly turning into curiousity, and then into romantic feelings. This was such a good book I cannot wait for the next book. I think this is a great book for any reader but if you like romance novels than this is a must have.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucas and Roe are absolutely perfect!

Monroe, aka Roe, isn’t a bad person. Crappy life circumstances required her to take a loan from a scummy loan shark. In order to pay back this debt, she starts to steal cars to be stripped for parts she gets Pennie’s on the dollar but managed to scrap by to pay off the loan. So what does she do? Steals and wrecks the beautiful machine that belonged to Lucas Knight. Now she has to navigate how she’s going to make it up to Lucas for wrecking his car and how she’ll pay back the loan shark.

Life isn’t so simple when you’ve the eyes of the one and only Lucas Knight starring back at you ❤️

P.S. Roe’s love for aliens is literally the best!

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Monroe is an amateur car thief. Pretending to be a valet, she spots a dreamy car and decides to take it for a quick spin. The tall drink of water of a man is not so happy and when Roe crashes the car, Lucas strikes a deal with his little thief.

Something about Roe melts the heart of Lucas and its fun to watch these two bicker and Roe is the perfect person to challenge Lucas. She has him rethinking everything he knew what he wanted.

The only way to protect Roe is to marry him but little does anyone know that he will never give up what belongs to him.

[L KQ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wrong Car to Steal

Monroe steals Luca's car right in front of him but ends up crashing it, landing her is a bit of a mess. The deal she strikes with him to keep out of jail and keep her safe gets complicated and dangerous. It was an enjoyable read with and entertaining plot. I cannot wait till the next installment.

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

[Nikki Hensley · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I've picked up a book that I didn't want to put down. This one kept me up and flipping pages waaay too late into the night. The characters were immediately engaging (I love a good enemies to lovers trope!) and the plot line is fast paced and constantly leaves you guessing. I hope we get a second books soon!

[Nicole Sargent Kunkel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good story. This is the first book I have read from this author. If you like billionaire, enemies to lovers, with some grumpy/sunshine vibes, this book is for you.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good!! Definitely a slow burn with some action. Shorter chapters, such a good fast read!!

[Marcie M · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a great read!! The twists and turns just added to how great it was. The author wrote an amazing piece! I can't wait to read more!!

[Fatma · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐

ARC Review

Tropes:
Morally Grey MCs
Boss x Employee
Marriage of Convenience
She steals from him, then for him
Enemies to Lovers
Grumpy MMC
Sassy FMC
Opposite Worlds
Billionaire Romance

This was such an exciting story! I loved every minute of it! The tension and suspense had me glued to the edge of my seat!

Monroe hasn't had the easiest life resulting in her dropping out of college & steal cars in order to pay for her mother's medical bills. That is until she steals from the wrong guy and is forced to work for him, to avoid prison.

Lucas only has his sister left in his life and is willing to do anything to save her from her abusive husband. Including stealing an ancient family heirloom and whole else is better for the job than the girl that stole your McLaren.

These two were a joy to read! While the attraction to each other was instant, their affection grew overtime and was genuine. The growth & acceptance they showed each other was so heartwarming. They both have questionable pasts, but both didn't hold it against one another. They understood each other and supported them for the future.

The suspense in this book was something else. I was glued to the book to see if they'd give the heirloom and didn't find Sarah! The obstacles they overcame, Monroe & Lucas make a wonderful team! Also, that ending!! I'm excited for the next book in the series!

[Justine Dupuis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I kept seeing this book being talked about on IG and TikTok so I finally decided to read it and
I loved it! Its definitely a slow burner and since it's a slow burner I thought it would be a good idea to read it during church....at one point I thought i was going to throw my kindle across the church because of a certain scene hahah I was blushing and red! After that I couldnt put it down haha the ending though the way the ending leaves you on the edge ughhhh! Definitely worth the read! I can't wait for the second book! I will not be reading the second book during church! Lesson learned lmao 🤣