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Time Thief #1
Keine Zeit für Traummänner
Peter Faa besitzt die seltene Gabe, über die Zeit zu gebieten. Als er erfährt, dass seine eigene Familie der hübschen Kiya Mortenson die Lebenszeit stiehlt, ist er entschlossen, dem Treiben ein Ende zu bereiten. Denn Kiya weckt Gefühle in ihm, die er nie für möglich gehalten hätte
400 pages, Paperback
First published May 7, 2013
42 people are currently reading
2694 people want to read
About the author
Katie MacAlister
121 books5,975 followersFor as long as she can remember, Katie MacAlister has loved reading. Growing up in a family where a weekly visit to the library was a given, Katie spent much of her time with her nose buried in a book. Despite her love for novels, she didn't think of writing them until she was contracted to write a non-fiction book about software. Since her editor refused to allow her to include either witty dialogue or love scenes in the software book, Katie swiftly resolved to switch to fiction, where she could indulge in world building, tormenting characters, and falling madly in love with all her heroes.
Two years after she started writing novels, Katie sold her first romance, Noble Intentions. More than thirty books followed during the years after Noble's publication. Her novels have been translated into numerous languages, been recorded as audiobooks, received several awards, and placed on the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists. She also writes for the young adult audience as Katie Maxwell, and for the mystery world as Kate Marsh.
Katie lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and dogs, and can often be found lurking around online.
Two years after she started writing novels, Katie sold her first romance, Noble Intentions. More than thirty books followed during the years after Noble's publication. Her novels have been translated into numerous languages, been recorded as audiobooks, received several awards, and placed on the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists. She also writes for the young adult audience as Katie Maxwell, and for the mystery world as Kate Marsh.
Katie lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and dogs, and can often be found lurking around online.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 230 reviews
May 31, 2016
I enjoyed the last Katie MacAlister I read, but this one turned out to be a disappointing flop. I was hoping for a nice mix of humor and romance with some added time travelling fun thrown into the mix! Unfortunately I did not manage to connect with any of the characters and the humor did not work for me. It was more stupid and annoying than fun.
The story itself was a bit of a bore. I was expecting real time travel, and a lot more of it, not just people travelling backwards in time by a few minutes at a time. That was a total disappointment! The mystery element of the story also failed to engage my interest.
All in all this was a disappointment.
Rating: 2 stars.
Audio Note: Celeste Ciulla's narration was adequate without being anything special.
The story itself was a bit of a bore. I was expecting real time travel, and a lot more of it, not just people travelling backwards in time by a few minutes at a time. That was a total disappointment! The mystery element of the story also failed to engage my interest.
All in all this was a disappointment.
Rating: 2 stars.
Audio Note: Celeste Ciulla's narration was adequate without being anything special.
May 19, 2013
♥♥♥♥4 Time Stealing Stars♥♥♥♥
Here's the story:
Meet Kiya:
She is down on her luck. She's been recently unemployed, broke, with a crappy car, and stuck in the middle of nowhere. She's rescued by a random guy and told about a job taking care of his grandmother's dogs. When she goes to the job, she's treated like a dirty outsider - but she is still hired. The grandmother and her sons are weird. She's not allowed to talk to the women and told she can live in a tent far far away from everyone else. She also assumes them to be Gypsies. But they are not - they are Time-Stealers. These people, similar to Gypsies, travel from place to place, stealing (and paying) time from other people. But there is a balance of karma that must be upheld. And then Kiya finds herself living the same thing over and over again.
And meet Peter:
He's also a Time-Stealer, is part of a police unit investigating murders, that potentially may have been done by his own family (the same family that Kiya is staying with). Also, a family that disowned him because he's part human.
I don't want to spoil the rest. But this is an engaging tale of murder, time-stealing, and humor. Kiya is a fun character, a doormat to no-one. Peter is cranky but has real depth of character. The family is a bunch of jerks.
I would have rated it a five, but there were a few things that bugged me.
1) The multiple mentions of id, ego & superego. I mean like on every other page. I get it, your foster mom was a psychologist. Let's move on.
2) Insta-love. I could do without that, but for some reason authors love 'love at first sight' plot devices.
Even with these annoyances, the concept of Time-Travelers was completely unique and I loved (almost) every page. Read this book if you enjoy adventure, puppies and other good stuff.
Here's the story:
Meet Kiya:
She is down on her luck. She's been recently unemployed, broke, with a crappy car, and stuck in the middle of nowhere. She's rescued by a random guy and told about a job taking care of his grandmother's dogs. When she goes to the job, she's treated like a dirty outsider - but she is still hired. The grandmother and her sons are weird. She's not allowed to talk to the women and told she can live in a tent far far away from everyone else. She also assumes them to be Gypsies. But they are not - they are Time-Stealers. These people, similar to Gypsies, travel from place to place, stealing (and paying) time from other people. But there is a balance of karma that must be upheld. And then Kiya finds herself living the same thing over and over again.
And meet Peter:
He's also a Time-Stealer, is part of a police unit investigating murders, that potentially may have been done by his own family (the same family that Kiya is staying with). Also, a family that disowned him because he's part human.
I don't want to spoil the rest. But this is an engaging tale of murder, time-stealing, and humor. Kiya is a fun character, a doormat to no-one. Peter is cranky but has real depth of character. The family is a bunch of jerks.
I would have rated it a five, but there were a few things that bugged me.
1) The multiple mentions of id, ego & superego. I mean like on every other page. I get it, your foster mom was a psychologist. Let's move on.
2) Insta-love. I could do without that, but for some reason authors love 'love at first sight' plot devices.
Even with these annoyances, the concept of Time-Travelers was completely unique and I loved (almost) every page. Read this book if you enjoy adventure, puppies and other good stuff.
June 7, 2016
I'm sooo disappointed. This book was behind awful! Starting with the heroine, who seemed to be stuck in the 1980s with her outdated psychology babble, going through the supposedly sexy hero who was as interesting as wallpaper and the humor and plot, which were not just boring but annoying!
I DNF at around 50% and I'm glad I didn't waste more time with it.
I DNF at around 50% and I'm glad I didn't waste more time with it.
April 10, 2013
I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway (thank you!), but it was not a term of the contest that I review the book as a condition of winning.
I find 5 star rating systems wholly inadequate to address what I really thought of this book. It definitely doesn't belong in the 4 star and above category with other books I have absolutely loved, however it also doesn't deserve to be in the three star and below category where books for which I have only lukewarm feelings live. Is it a 3.5? Maybe, possibly. Truth is, I am still not entirely sure how I felt about this book.
I liked the concept. As far as urban fantasy goes, this was a unique concept for me, so I liked that it was different than the standard genre staples. The world building wasn't bad, but the fragmented and drawn out way Katie MacAlister explained certain aspects of her world and those in it was a bit off-putting to me. Maybe that's just my impatience, but there were definitely moments when I was distracted from the story and found myself paging back (like a time thief, natch) because I assumed I had simply missed an explanation of something important due to unanswered questions. this is often a great way to develop a story, but with this book, this world, I found it unnecessary and distracting at times.
I have never read anything else from this author, but I found her development of Kiya, the main female lead, quite refreshing. She was a bit different from the norm. She spoke her mind, in humorous and ridiculous ways at times (calling attractive men "male models" to their face), but her lack of a filter was actually a bit endearing, charming and silly. I actually enjoyed the silliness (though I can definitely see it being a con for some). I did, however, have a hard time believing that Kiya was 32 - she struck me as much younger, like late teens/early 20s. I disliked the lack of back story for Kiya - why she lacked employment at 32 and what led her to that place in her life. While this should not matter, in this case it seems it was necessary for an understanding of her personality.
Another thing that irked me about Kiya were the constant references to her id, ego, and superego, and how "in tune" she was with those elements of her psyche. It really felt redundant, forced, and a bit jarring. We get it - your foster mother is a psychiatrist.
Peter is interesting, but again a little more backstory might have made him feel more believable. He was written to be conservative and old world, kind of wooden, yet much of his dialogue really wasn't and felt a little too modern to be believable. I think his character simply needs a bit of refining.
The love story - oh, what a let down that was. On the one hand, MacAlister goes out of her way to ridicule the "love at first sight" and "quick to fall in love" scenarios that proliferate in books these days (particularly in the YA genre), yet this love story is probably the fastest progressing, and therefore most unbelievable, love story I have read in the recent past (and I read a ton of YA, so that's saying something). I have a much easier time digesting and going with the flow when the characters are meant to me young, and therefore susceptible to such a quick fall, but in this case it didn't work for me. The characters were too old, too "wise" for that; moreover, nothing in the story suggested to me anything beyond the lust of a new relationship, much less love.
The story itself was actually fun, albeit pretty predictable, but as far as establishing this new world and the characters in it, this was a pretty solid introduction to a new series. Will I be buying the second in the series when it eventually comes out? I really am not sure yet. There are a lot of elements I liked, but a lot that I didn't. I will probably give it another shot if only because with the world and its characters already established I expect a more fulfilling story and more development of the characters.
I find 5 star rating systems wholly inadequate to address what I really thought of this book. It definitely doesn't belong in the 4 star and above category with other books I have absolutely loved, however it also doesn't deserve to be in the three star and below category where books for which I have only lukewarm feelings live. Is it a 3.5? Maybe, possibly. Truth is, I am still not entirely sure how I felt about this book.
I liked the concept. As far as urban fantasy goes, this was a unique concept for me, so I liked that it was different than the standard genre staples. The world building wasn't bad, but the fragmented and drawn out way Katie MacAlister explained certain aspects of her world and those in it was a bit off-putting to me. Maybe that's just my impatience, but there were definitely moments when I was distracted from the story and found myself paging back (like a time thief, natch) because I assumed I had simply missed an explanation of something important due to unanswered questions. this is often a great way to develop a story, but with this book, this world, I found it unnecessary and distracting at times.
I have never read anything else from this author, but I found her development of Kiya, the main female lead, quite refreshing. She was a bit different from the norm. She spoke her mind, in humorous and ridiculous ways at times (calling attractive men "male models" to their face), but her lack of a filter was actually a bit endearing, charming and silly. I actually enjoyed the silliness (though I can definitely see it being a con for some). I did, however, have a hard time believing that Kiya was 32 - she struck me as much younger, like late teens/early 20s. I disliked the lack of back story for Kiya - why she lacked employment at 32 and what led her to that place in her life. While this should not matter, in this case it seems it was necessary for an understanding of her personality.
Another thing that irked me about Kiya were the constant references to her id, ego, and superego, and how "in tune" she was with those elements of her psyche. It really felt redundant, forced, and a bit jarring. We get it - your foster mother is a psychiatrist.
Peter is interesting, but again a little more backstory might have made him feel more believable. He was written to be conservative and old world, kind of wooden, yet much of his dialogue really wasn't and felt a little too modern to be believable. I think his character simply needs a bit of refining.
The love story - oh, what a let down that was. On the one hand, MacAlister goes out of her way to ridicule the "love at first sight" and "quick to fall in love" scenarios that proliferate in books these days (particularly in the YA genre), yet this love story is probably the fastest progressing, and therefore most unbelievable, love story I have read in the recent past (and I read a ton of YA, so that's saying something). I have a much easier time digesting and going with the flow when the characters are meant to me young, and therefore susceptible to such a quick fall, but in this case it didn't work for me. The characters were too old, too "wise" for that; moreover, nothing in the story suggested to me anything beyond the lust of a new relationship, much less love.
The story itself was actually fun, albeit pretty predictable, but as far as establishing this new world and the characters in it, this was a pretty solid introduction to a new series. Will I be buying the second in the series when it eventually comes out? I really am not sure yet. There are a lot of elements I liked, but a lot that I didn't. I will probably give it another shot if only because with the world and its characters already established I expect a more fulfilling story and more development of the characters.
May 22, 2013
Kiya Mortenson has run into a string of bad luck. She was struck by lightning. Right after she checks out of the clinic with a fresh bill of health, her car decides to stop working on a very dangerous road. Luckily she is saved by a hunky looking man who takes her into town, and pays for her car to be towed. As it turns out, she’s going to need some cash to fix her car. Hunky guy who saved her mentioned his grandmother might hire a helping hand, so she heads off to their RVs. Meanwhile Peter Faa has also entered the town. With Peter’s (kind of) sidekick, a ghost in the shape of a glowing ball, they are determined to track down the killer of a recent string of deaths. Peter is a part of the Watch, a paranormal police order. He has with him DNA evidence that the killer is a member of his family.
I’m not new to MacAlister’s work. I greatly enjoyed her Aisling Grey series. So when this one popped up I was very excited to get my hands on it. MacAlister’s novels, or what I’ve read of them, are fast paced romantic comedies with a paranormal twist.
Time Thief introduces a new race of people called Travellers. Travellers, well they travel. They live a gypsy kind of life style, moving around from place to place. They can steal time, but have to pay for it or karma will literally bite them. Kiya ends up working for grandmother Faa, caring for her pugs. Because she isn’t a part of the family they set her up in a tent away from the RVs, and before long she runs into Peter Faa who is poking around in the woods. The first meeting between them doesn’t go well, but it isn’t long until Peter is hurt, and runs into Kiya’s tent. It doesn’t take long for Kiya to decide she is going to help him. Together they sort of put two-and-two together until they figure out who the murder is.
There is a ton of silliness in these pages, but it might be too silly for my taste. I’m so glad when the heroine isn’t a cop, P.I., detective, or working for some unknown kind of investigative company. Kiya starts out as just a girl down on her luck. She comes off as a little too dense for my taste. On top of that, first impressions mean a lot, and Peter Faa is kind of a jerk. In fact most of the people in the Faa family are jerks. While these two characters make a good match for one another, it bothered me when they didn’t see clues that are right in front of them. Peter is supposed to be a part of the other world Watch, but he’s too involved with watching Kiya to notice when something is buggy is going down.
Time Thief’s pacing was well done, but the silliness of it all was a little too much for my taste. The characters seemed a little too dense and random for my taste. Peter and Kiya decide they love each other awfully fast, so fast even Peter’s ghostly friend says something about it. The magic system was very neat and pretty different, and I enjoyed that Kiya wasn’t a stereotypical paranormal heroine.
- Beth
I’m not new to MacAlister’s work. I greatly enjoyed her Aisling Grey series. So when this one popped up I was very excited to get my hands on it. MacAlister’s novels, or what I’ve read of them, are fast paced romantic comedies with a paranormal twist.
Time Thief introduces a new race of people called Travellers. Travellers, well they travel. They live a gypsy kind of life style, moving around from place to place. They can steal time, but have to pay for it or karma will literally bite them. Kiya ends up working for grandmother Faa, caring for her pugs. Because she isn’t a part of the family they set her up in a tent away from the RVs, and before long she runs into Peter Faa who is poking around in the woods. The first meeting between them doesn’t go well, but it isn’t long until Peter is hurt, and runs into Kiya’s tent. It doesn’t take long for Kiya to decide she is going to help him. Together they sort of put two-and-two together until they figure out who the murder is.
There is a ton of silliness in these pages, but it might be too silly for my taste. I’m so glad when the heroine isn’t a cop, P.I., detective, or working for some unknown kind of investigative company. Kiya starts out as just a girl down on her luck. She comes off as a little too dense for my taste. On top of that, first impressions mean a lot, and Peter Faa is kind of a jerk. In fact most of the people in the Faa family are jerks. While these two characters make a good match for one another, it bothered me when they didn’t see clues that are right in front of them. Peter is supposed to be a part of the other world Watch, but he’s too involved with watching Kiya to notice when something is buggy is going down.
Time Thief’s pacing was well done, but the silliness of it all was a little too much for my taste. The characters seemed a little too dense and random for my taste. Peter and Kiya decide they love each other awfully fast, so fast even Peter’s ghostly friend says something about it. The magic system was very neat and pretty different, and I enjoyed that Kiya wasn’t a stereotypical paranormal heroine.
- Beth
June 3, 2013
Time Thief, Traveller #1, by Katie MacAlister
Grade:D
“Unhand me, you deranged, if lovely, female!”
Kiya Mortenson is not having a good day after being struck by lightning, for the second time, having her car breakdown in the middle of Oregon and losing the job she was covering for a friend. After meeting a friendly stranger, Kiya sets out to try to find work taking care of five rowdy pugs for an elderly Traveller woman. The Travellers are not very happy to have Kiya around but she needs the job to fix her car and get back to her life. The more time Kiya spends with the Travellers the more she learns about the supernatural world and her own past.
Peter Faa is a Traveller who was never accepted by his family and has spent his life as an outsider. Peter has devoted his life to being a member of The Watch, the supernatural cops, who are now investigating the Faa family for murder. Peter never expected to find an outsider living with his family and Kiya soon snags all of his attention. Peter knows someone in his family has committed murder but it will take Kiya’s help to discover the actual killer.
I am so disappointed in this book for so many reasons. I liked the beginning which is told by Kiya in first person but then the book switches to Peter’s point of view in second person. What???I’ve never come across a book told like this and found it very distracting, confusing and annoying. This continues through the rest of the book and almost made me DNF the whole thing.
Kiya is one of the most annoying characters that I have ever read. She is flighty, ditzy and comes off as an idiot. She spends most of her time talking about her ego, id and superego or saying very inappropriate things that are supposed to come off as witty. I like my heroines to be strong, smart and sassy and Kiya was none of those things and just comes off as very immature thirty-two year old. Peter for some reason finds her adorable but spends his entire time yelling at her about bewitching him or how she is not smart. The two of them together drove me crazy.
As the book goes on and on it becomes even worse and again I have no idea why I kept reading. About halfway through we get one of the most awkward and unsexy sex scenes I’ve ever read. After this Kiya and Peter like to make uncomfortably gross jokes about his ‘beefy cock’.For example: “Suddenly, he was there, beefy-filled condom and all, thrusting inside me in a manner that left me as the incoherent one.” I never want to read about a beefy-filled condom especially in a romance novel. Besides the bad sex these two are trying to solve a murder that is already solved but takes forever to wrap up.
Time Thief was a big fail in my opinion and I will not being reading anymore of this series.
Grade:D
“Unhand me, you deranged, if lovely, female!”
Kiya Mortenson is not having a good day after being struck by lightning, for the second time, having her car breakdown in the middle of Oregon and losing the job she was covering for a friend. After meeting a friendly stranger, Kiya sets out to try to find work taking care of five rowdy pugs for an elderly Traveller woman. The Travellers are not very happy to have Kiya around but she needs the job to fix her car and get back to her life. The more time Kiya spends with the Travellers the more she learns about the supernatural world and her own past.
Peter Faa is a Traveller who was never accepted by his family and has spent his life as an outsider. Peter has devoted his life to being a member of The Watch, the supernatural cops, who are now investigating the Faa family for murder. Peter never expected to find an outsider living with his family and Kiya soon snags all of his attention. Peter knows someone in his family has committed murder but it will take Kiya’s help to discover the actual killer.
I am so disappointed in this book for so many reasons. I liked the beginning which is told by Kiya in first person but then the book switches to Peter’s point of view in second person. What???I’ve never come across a book told like this and found it very distracting, confusing and annoying. This continues through the rest of the book and almost made me DNF the whole thing.
Kiya is one of the most annoying characters that I have ever read. She is flighty, ditzy and comes off as an idiot. She spends most of her time talking about her ego, id and superego or saying very inappropriate things that are supposed to come off as witty. I like my heroines to be strong, smart and sassy and Kiya was none of those things and just comes off as very immature thirty-two year old. Peter for some reason finds her adorable but spends his entire time yelling at her about bewitching him or how she is not smart. The two of them together drove me crazy.
As the book goes on and on it becomes even worse and again I have no idea why I kept reading. About halfway through we get one of the most awkward and unsexy sex scenes I’ve ever read. After this Kiya and Peter like to make uncomfortably gross jokes about his ‘beefy cock’.For example: “Suddenly, he was there, beefy-filled condom and all, thrusting inside me in a manner that left me as the incoherent one.” I never want to read about a beefy-filled condom especially in a romance novel. Besides the bad sex these two are trying to solve a murder that is already solved but takes forever to wrap up.
Time Thief was a big fail in my opinion and I will not being reading anymore of this series.
May 26, 2013
Oh dear God, Katie, this book was kind of a mess! I understand what happened though, with her husband and everything... I'm so sad to give her books anything below a 4 star rating, but I just have to this time.
There were several plot errors, like our heroine knowing stuff before she was told. (Like who the last murdered person was.) I spotted a few grammar mistakes/typos and this usually doesn't happen with Katie's books. Or the mistakes aren't that obvious at least.
I feel obliged to tell everyone that I'm a big fan of Katie's work and that I absolutely love every single one of her books and series that I have read, but I'm kind of reluctant to continue reading this one. The characters's banter was humorous as always, if even a little unrealistic. I thought Kiya was often a bit too unrealistically portrayed, maybe her witty replies were even a little bit over the top to the point that I even felt a little annoyed when she opened her mouth.
I felt like there was no chemistry at all between the two main characters and that's just really a pity. I couldn't get into their relationship, but I know that if I could have that Peter would easily have been one of my favourite heroes. Peter's everything you could wish for in a potential love interest. He's kind, caring, not to mention incredibly hot and he has the most beautiful eyes Kiya has ever seen. (He's also kind of the underdog and I love me some underdogs.)
But the book just didn't live up to my expectations of Katie MacAlister, this was below average and not even the witty banter and humour in it could save the book. Katie could have added a lot more background to her characters (especially Kiya and Peter) to make their actions more believable. They fell in love instantly and are ready to get married only days after they met each other, which isn't at all how someone in their thirties acts. (That's what I meant earlier with the unrealistic nature of the story.) The world of the Travellers is rather interesting though, so maybe I will consider reading the next book after all. (I'm actually really curious what's going to happen with Gregory!) I don't know yet, I just feel like giving Katie a big hug, because you can just deduce from her manner of writing that she was rather unfocused and probably in a lot of pain when she wrote this book.
There were several plot errors, like our heroine knowing stuff before she was told. (Like who the last murdered person was.) I spotted a few grammar mistakes/typos and this usually doesn't happen with Katie's books. Or the mistakes aren't that obvious at least.
I feel obliged to tell everyone that I'm a big fan of Katie's work and that I absolutely love every single one of her books and series that I have read, but I'm kind of reluctant to continue reading this one. The characters's banter was humorous as always, if even a little unrealistic. I thought Kiya was often a bit too unrealistically portrayed, maybe her witty replies were even a little bit over the top to the point that I even felt a little annoyed when she opened her mouth.
I felt like there was no chemistry at all between the two main characters and that's just really a pity. I couldn't get into their relationship, but I know that if I could have that Peter would easily have been one of my favourite heroes. Peter's everything you could wish for in a potential love interest. He's kind, caring, not to mention incredibly hot and he has the most beautiful eyes Kiya has ever seen. (He's also kind of the underdog and I love me some underdogs.)
But the book just didn't live up to my expectations of Katie MacAlister, this was below average and not even the witty banter and humour in it could save the book. Katie could have added a lot more background to her characters (especially Kiya and Peter) to make their actions more believable. They fell in love instantly and are ready to get married only days after they met each other, which isn't at all how someone in their thirties acts. (That's what I meant earlier with the unrealistic nature of the story.) The world of the Travellers is rather interesting though, so maybe I will consider reading the next book after all. (I'm actually really curious what's going to happen with Gregory!) I don't know yet, I just feel like giving Katie a big hug, because you can just deduce from her manner of writing that she was rather unfocused and probably in a lot of pain when she wrote this book.
April 8, 2013
My review can also be found on my blog Collections.
3.5 stars
Time Thief centered around a supernatural group known as Travellers. Travellers can steal time from others and can actually go back in time with however many seconds, minutes, or days they've taken. Stealing time comes at a price, though, and the victims must be given payment in the form of silver, otherwise the Traveller will suffer the consequences. Taking too much time can also lead to death for either victim or Traveller. Both reasons seem to have kept Travellers in check for centuries.
The whole Traveller and time stealing thing was basically simple and easy to understand. Only once you got all the information. And in this book, it was spread throughout the story, which may be why I got a little lost at times. I remember when I was a third into the book there was a conversation between the main characters where one was explaining the time stuff to the other, and while that character was getting it, I was left feeling a bit confused. It didn't affect my enjoyment of the book entirely. But for some reason I still think there was something I missed. I can't quite put my finger on what it was though.
Other than my slight confusion at times, the book was pretty fun! What made it that way were the main characters Kiya and Peter. Kiya was bubbly and quirky. She had a tendency to ramble and had a hard time keeping her mouth shut. She wasn't a mean-spirited person at all, but she was also not the type to back down from a fight. When other characters in the book managed to make her angry, I kind of just wanted to pat her head and say, "There, there." Peter was more of a serious, uptight person. Meeting Kiya threw him off though, and he gained a sense of humor and seemed more talkative than how I assumed he would be under normal circumstances. I did find some of the romantic things he thought and said to Kiya (and vice versa) cheesy, but I realized it suited their relationship, especially considering their personalities.
The other Travellers focused on in this book were the Faa family. They were being investigated by Peter (he's part of the Watch, basically the supernatural police) for murders that have occurred in the area. I think the Faas were always suppose to come off as distant and suspicious and irritating. I can't say I ever liked them, expect one of them who I won't name for possible spoilers. I didn't even like the grandmother. I felt she just stayed in the background while the men in her family did whatever they wanted, and she was too cold and concerned with blood purity. Sad thing was Peter is her grandson. He didn't grow up with them, so it was easy for all of them not to care, but I still felt bad for him. I almost wished things had gone a slightly different route by the end.
Time Thief might not have ended well for everyone; however, it was the ending that Kiya and Peter deserved. Overall, the entire book kept me entertained and laughing here and there. It was easy to get sucked into the story. There's a book two planned that will be focusing on a character introduced in this book, and I can't help but to wonder what will happen next.
June 8, 2013
3.5 of 5 Stars
Time Thief is a fresh and new paranormal romance read. Time Thieves are a new breed of paranormal species, so this book caught my interest. The characters are fun and there is a bit of mystery to the story as well.
Kiya is a quirky, snarky, entertaining heroine. She rambles when she talks, has a fabulous sense of humor, and she gets herself into trouble pretty easily. When Kiya's car breaks down, she gets a job as a doggy caretaker for an elderly woman who lives in her RV in the woods. The woman and her family are odd, but Kiya needs the money. It doesn't hurt that there are some seriously good-looking men about either. Peter is a time thief and a member of the Watch, a paranormal enforcement group. He is hunting down a murderer who is a time thief and also a member of the family that cast him out. When Kiya stumbles into Peter's path, he is intrigued and attracted to the woman, but also concerned that she may be helping the murderer.
I really enjoyed the paranormal in Time Thief. It is not often that I come across a new supernatural species, and the time thieves are very interesting. The time thieves' abilities are complicated and intriguing, and the structure of the paranormal is interesting as well. The Time Thieves are very snobbish about being pure blooded and very set in their independence and ways. Peter is not full blooded and set apart from his family, which makes him very distrustful of his family members and Kiya by association. Both Kiya and Peter are fun characters and are a good match for each other.
I enjoyed Kiya's personality, with her snark and bubbly commentary. However, as the book went on, Kiya's penchant for speaking in circles and tangents began to get old. She would talk to herself and describe how her inner personalities kept clashing. At first, it was entertaining, but by the later part of the book, I just wanted to stick to the conversation and story line taking place. The randomness of some of the commentary distracted from the plot at times.
Overall, Time Thief was a fun, entertaining read and a promising start to a new paranormal romance series. I like the freshness of the paranormal world and I enjoyed many of the characters. I would read more from this series in the future. Readers who enjoy light-hearted paranormal romance reads would likely enjoy this book.
*I received this book in exchange for an honest review*
Time Thief is a fresh and new paranormal romance read. Time Thieves are a new breed of paranormal species, so this book caught my interest. The characters are fun and there is a bit of mystery to the story as well.
Kiya is a quirky, snarky, entertaining heroine. She rambles when she talks, has a fabulous sense of humor, and she gets herself into trouble pretty easily. When Kiya's car breaks down, she gets a job as a doggy caretaker for an elderly woman who lives in her RV in the woods. The woman and her family are odd, but Kiya needs the money. It doesn't hurt that there are some seriously good-looking men about either. Peter is a time thief and a member of the Watch, a paranormal enforcement group. He is hunting down a murderer who is a time thief and also a member of the family that cast him out. When Kiya stumbles into Peter's path, he is intrigued and attracted to the woman, but also concerned that she may be helping the murderer.
I really enjoyed the paranormal in Time Thief. It is not often that I come across a new supernatural species, and the time thieves are very interesting. The time thieves' abilities are complicated and intriguing, and the structure of the paranormal is interesting as well. The Time Thieves are very snobbish about being pure blooded and very set in their independence and ways. Peter is not full blooded and set apart from his family, which makes him very distrustful of his family members and Kiya by association. Both Kiya and Peter are fun characters and are a good match for each other.
I enjoyed Kiya's personality, with her snark and bubbly commentary. However, as the book went on, Kiya's penchant for speaking in circles and tangents began to get old. She would talk to herself and describe how her inner personalities kept clashing. At first, it was entertaining, but by the later part of the book, I just wanted to stick to the conversation and story line taking place. The randomness of some of the commentary distracted from the plot at times.
Overall, Time Thief was a fun, entertaining read and a promising start to a new paranormal romance series. I like the freshness of the paranormal world and I enjoyed many of the characters. I would read more from this series in the future. Readers who enjoy light-hearted paranormal romance reads would likely enjoy this book.
*I received this book in exchange for an honest review*
May 16, 2013
How to review this book??? I will just have to be as honest as possible without giving away anything. Sorry guys but I just don't "DO" spoilers...
We have a brand new novel from one of the most humorous writers today! Kiya is a unique woman. She starts out the book, with a broken down heap of a car sitting in a doctors office while waiting for her appointment because she has been struck by lightening AGAIN! Yep lightning DOES strike the same spot twice!
This book is a laugh a minute! I read this book long into the night, and woke my husband from a sound sleep when my laughing got out of control. Talk about a mess a minute! Peter and Kiya are just too much fun!
I have been a fan of Katie MacAlister's books for a while now, and this one is right up there with her other books. We still have the same type creatures as we find in all her other books. And the Watch are alive and well in this book.
I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who wishes a good laugh and who loves a bit of romance thrown in. And mystery, boy do we have a mystery! And as usual Katie MacAlister uses her humor and all sorts of twists and turns to keep us off our feet for the entire novel.
When I turned to the last page in my Kindle I was nearly crying because I wanted MORE!!!! Luckily I know her novella is due out in August with the next book in the series due out shortly thereafter! Thank God for that!
Well what are you waiting for? Go grab your own copy!!!!
We have a brand new novel from one of the most humorous writers today! Kiya is a unique woman. She starts out the book, with a broken down heap of a car sitting in a doctors office while waiting for her appointment because she has been struck by lightening AGAIN! Yep lightning DOES strike the same spot twice!
This book is a laugh a minute! I read this book long into the night, and woke my husband from a sound sleep when my laughing got out of control. Talk about a mess a minute! Peter and Kiya are just too much fun!
I have been a fan of Katie MacAlister's books for a while now, and this one is right up there with her other books. We still have the same type creatures as we find in all her other books. And the Watch are alive and well in this book.
I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who wishes a good laugh and who loves a bit of romance thrown in. And mystery, boy do we have a mystery! And as usual Katie MacAlister uses her humor and all sorts of twists and turns to keep us off our feet for the entire novel.
When I turned to the last page in my Kindle I was nearly crying because I wanted MORE!!!! Luckily I know her novella is due out in August with the next book in the series due out shortly thereafter! Thank God for that!
Well what are you waiting for? Go grab your own copy!!!!
June 4, 2013
Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Pack Alpha - Michelle L. Olson:
*eARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Time Thief was a fantastically unique story with incredible, witty dialogue, fabulous characters, & great undertone.
I've met some delightful heroines in my time as a Katie MacAlister fan girl, but none as wonderful as Kiya Mortenson! She's quirky, energetic, spontaneous, and easily loved. Her inner dialogue is hilarious, and while she had traits I wish I had, there was a lot about her that I could relate with as well. She's just one of those heroines that you can't help but root for.
Peter Faa,our hero, is Kiya's opposite. He's disciplined, determined, and stoic a lot of the time, but he's got this incredible dry sense of humor and a heart of gold.
Our leading couple along with the supporting cast create a wonderful filling for this delightful new world. The Travellers and all of the history that Katie has created for them carve a new niche in the Paranormal Romance genre by being unlike anything I've encountered before, and something I am eagerly hoping to get lost in again very soon.
LITERAL ADDICTION gives Time Thief 4 1/2 Skulls and definitely recommends it if you're looking for something fresh, funny, sexy and new.
*eARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Time Thief was a fantastically unique story with incredible, witty dialogue, fabulous characters, & great undertone.
I've met some delightful heroines in my time as a Katie MacAlister fan girl, but none as wonderful as Kiya Mortenson! She's quirky, energetic, spontaneous, and easily loved. Her inner dialogue is hilarious, and while she had traits I wish I had, there was a lot about her that I could relate with as well. She's just one of those heroines that you can't help but root for.
Peter Faa,our hero, is Kiya's opposite. He's disciplined, determined, and stoic a lot of the time, but he's got this incredible dry sense of humor and a heart of gold.
Our leading couple along with the supporting cast create a wonderful filling for this delightful new world. The Travellers and all of the history that Katie has created for them carve a new niche in the Paranormal Romance genre by being unlike anything I've encountered before, and something I am eagerly hoping to get lost in again very soon.
LITERAL ADDICTION gives Time Thief 4 1/2 Skulls and definitely recommends it if you're looking for something fresh, funny, sexy and new.
June 21, 2013
3.5 actually. Set apparently in the same world as the dragons and the dark ones. (would be nice to occasionally read of a new series that isn't joined at the hip to an old series). As per Ms MacAlister's usual style, at least part is in first person. Some people find this a turnoff. I'm largely ambivalent as long as the person's head I'm in isn't too much of a nimrod. The downside is many authors write the whole book in first person so you get nobody else's POV. This one switches, although she didn't do as she did in Steamed - alternate first person POVs.
I found myself wishing she'd written the whole book in 3rd person. The h was a chatterbox, and as per usual, she didn't know she was otherworldly. At least the whole world wasn't coming down on her head for using powers she didn't know she had. The H was...special. It wasn't touched on but the h might have been as well.
The issue with the whole time travel thing I had was... was he in two places at once there or did his mind go back by itself. It almost gives you the feeling it's the latter.
I found myself wishing she'd written the whole book in 3rd person. The h was a chatterbox, and as per usual, she didn't know she was otherworldly. At least the whole world wasn't coming down on her head for using powers she didn't know she had. The H was...special. It wasn't touched on but the h might have been as well.
The issue with the whole time travel thing I had was... was he in two places at once there or did his mind go back by itself. It almost gives you the feeling it's the latter.
July 27, 2013
I should have liked "Time Thief" more, and I'm not sure why I didn't. I just couldn't get all that interested in the story or the characters, and I had to push myself to finish it.
Perhaps one factor is the shifting POVs, there's some 1st person from Kiya's character, and some 3rd person, and I couldn't figure out why or when to expect the shift -- and I'm not sure what it added to the story, except to explain some of the random supernatural stuff in the story.
Kiya is supposed to be assertive and smart, but instead of showing her as light-hearted and sweet, her responses to various perils make her come across instead as oblivious and ditzy. Peter is done better, but he doesn't get much development at all, so you don't get to know him much.
The various supernatural situations and the whole time-stealing phenomenon get all twisted around to suit whatever's happening in the plot, and it's just too much work to keep it all straight.
Perhaps one factor is the shifting POVs, there's some 1st person from Kiya's character, and some 3rd person, and I couldn't figure out why or when to expect the shift -- and I'm not sure what it added to the story, except to explain some of the random supernatural stuff in the story.
Kiya is supposed to be assertive and smart, but instead of showing her as light-hearted and sweet, her responses to various perils make her come across instead as oblivious and ditzy. Peter is done better, but he doesn't get much development at all, so you don't get to know him much.
The various supernatural situations and the whole time-stealing phenomenon get all twisted around to suit whatever's happening in the plot, and it's just too much work to keep it all straight.
May 10, 2013
This Book confused me a bit.I was like this :
">But as always in Katie MacAlister's books I laughed a lot
August 1, 2013
Goodreads really needs a DNF option. The writing was juvenile and what was especially annoying was how no one really talked to each other. It was irritating. Maybe something interesting did happen but I don't know because I only made it through the first half of the book and couldn't deal with anymore.
December 11, 2014
3.75
In true Katie MacAlister fashion there are some hilarious moments. The character way of speaking, especially in intimate moments, was the most off putting for me. At times the way of speaak was in a way too formal. But it did remind me of Pia and Kristoff in Crouching Vampire Hidden Fang (one of my most favorite Katie books)
In true Katie MacAlister fashion there are some hilarious moments. The character way of speaking, especially in intimate moments, was the most off putting for me. At times the way of speaak was in a way too formal. But it did remind me of Pia and Kristoff in Crouching Vampire Hidden Fang (one of my most favorite Katie books)
March 18, 2016
The storyline itself was so promising, but I couldn't handle those characters. Unfortunately, the main characters were all over the place and almost gave me a whiplash about a million times. I have been in love with MacAlister's previous book series (e.g. The Dark Ones, Aisling Grey etc.) and am very sad that I didn't like this book.
Read
May 6, 2013Couldn't get into the heroine at all.
July 1, 2015
Schon alleine wegen des Dr. Who-Kommentars ^^
January 5, 2022
Similar in style to many of her other books. I liked the characters and the creative cursing. The idea of a Time Thief is interesting and well crafted in this.
December 25, 2018
I'm doing the free month trial of the Audible Romance package while binging on books at the end of the year, and interspersing the romances with the more mainstream fiction I read. This romance is definitely on the romantic comedy side, with a main character whose narration style reminded me of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plumb character. Kiya has thoughts on everything. And many of them are hilarious and very telling about who Kiya is. And entirely too many of them are about arguments between her id, ego, and superego, which got old and repetitive very fast. I'd taken a psychology class and didn't need another one bashing me in the skull over and over. I get it. She's into psycho-babble. But, there are other interesting psychological theories that she could have trotted out, courtesy of her foster-mom's line of work as a mental health counselor, and this seemed like lazy research almost as much as a joke told entirely too many times that we didn't get jokes about projection or confirmation bias, just the dang id, ego, and superego ad naseum.
I liked Kiya for the most part, and the story's plot was, um, unique. We have time traveling folks called "Travelers" who are similar to but not to be confused with Romani people, a distinction that again, was made over and over as if she thought the readers wouldn't get it if she only explained the distinctions once, twice, or three times. And these Travelers could take time from other people, and by doing so increasing their own lifespan while shortening the others'. This had a karmic consequence, in that if the "victim" didn't receive fair compensation for their time in the form of silver compensation, the time thief would suffer an appropriate penalty given the amount of time taken. Interesting concept.
I loved the idea, and some of the characters. The passel of pugs Kiya was charged with dog-sitting was awesome, as frankly I'll probably read a book just to read about a group of 5 pugs hanging out sniffing stuff. Kiya was certainly unique, as was the pug-mom / head of the family of Travelers.
But, so many of the other characters, including the love interest, Peter, and his cousin, Gregory were so similar, you couldn't really differentiate the characters. Those two especially, I could not keep these two apart as they were the same person. They were both ridiculously attractive and spoke exactly the same way. Kiya meets Gregory first, and with her reaction to him, I thought HE was the love interest, not Peter. So confusing and unnecessary and why exactly did he also have to look like a male model? I guess this is a series, so they're setting him up for his own quirky outside of the family gal. Not sure I'll find out if that is indeed the premise for book two, as this was fun, but not that compelling that I'm actively seeking more in the series.
I liked Kiya for the most part, and the story's plot was, um, unique. We have time traveling folks called "Travelers" who are similar to but not to be confused with Romani people, a distinction that again, was made over and over as if she thought the readers wouldn't get it if she only explained the distinctions once, twice, or three times. And these Travelers could take time from other people, and by doing so increasing their own lifespan while shortening the others'. This had a karmic consequence, in that if the "victim" didn't receive fair compensation for their time in the form of silver compensation, the time thief would suffer an appropriate penalty given the amount of time taken. Interesting concept.
I loved the idea, and some of the characters. The passel of pugs Kiya was charged with dog-sitting was awesome, as frankly I'll probably read a book just to read about a group of 5 pugs hanging out sniffing stuff. Kiya was certainly unique, as was the pug-mom / head of the family of Travelers.
But, so many of the other characters, including the love interest, Peter, and his cousin, Gregory were so similar, you couldn't really differentiate the characters. Those two especially, I could not keep these two apart as they were the same person. They were both ridiculously attractive and spoke exactly the same way. Kiya meets Gregory first, and with her reaction to him, I thought HE was the love interest, not Peter. So confusing and unnecessary and why exactly did he also have to look like a male model? I guess this is a series, so they're setting him up for his own quirky outside of the family gal. Not sure I'll find out if that is indeed the premise for book two, as this was fun, but not that compelling that I'm actively seeking more in the series.
April 20, 2018
A DNF in my library. For clarification purposes, I 'read' the audible edition.
I love a sci-fi/fantasy/time-travel romance and the description of this book pretty much promised all of the above as well as sizzling chemistry. Yes, the premise of this book entails sci-fi/fantasy/'time' and romance but it seemed to be more about a typical day in the life of the main character rather than a specific adventurous event in her life requiring (romantic interest) protagonist's help to solve a dilemma. I found this book slow and kept waiting for something to happen. I lose interest when it takes more than a few sentences to establish the plot, much less chapters and chapters. It seemed the first four and a half chapters was an introduction to the characters and the backstory.
The last sentence of Chapter 5 was the first sentence bearing even the resemblance of action, stating the protagonist was stabbed. That's it. He was stabbed. The very next sentence started a new chapter and had nothing to do with the stabbing. The next mention of anything remotely actionable was late in Chapter 6. It was disappointing that true action didn't take place until Chapter 8.
This book did what it was designed to do as far as paint a comedic picture of the characters and their reactions, but in doing so, at least for me, it cast sincere issues about taking their problems and dilemmas seriously. I couldn't, although it may have been because the characters didn't or didn't seem to.
The book, entitled, Time Thief, never mentioned the crux of the plot, time theft. That is, until over 40% into the book. By that time, I'd lost interest, surviving on hope alone.
Regardless of my opinion of this particular book, I truly think this author is remarkable. She has such a way with words. They flow. Their unique. She melds them into amazing structure. But more than her way with words, she is downright gifted when it comes to Dialogue. She should be teaching courses called 'Engaging Dialogue', or 'Using Dialogue to Streamline Your Story', or 'Dialogue, Show Through Telling'. She even used Dialogue as her opening sentence. Need I say more.
I love a sci-fi/fantasy/time-travel romance and the description of this book pretty much promised all of the above as well as sizzling chemistry. Yes, the premise of this book entails sci-fi/fantasy/'time' and romance but it seemed to be more about a typical day in the life of the main character rather than a specific adventurous event in her life requiring (romantic interest) protagonist's help to solve a dilemma. I found this book slow and kept waiting for something to happen. I lose interest when it takes more than a few sentences to establish the plot, much less chapters and chapters. It seemed the first four and a half chapters was an introduction to the characters and the backstory.
The last sentence of Chapter 5 was the first sentence bearing even the resemblance of action, stating the protagonist was stabbed. That's it. He was stabbed. The very next sentence started a new chapter and had nothing to do with the stabbing. The next mention of anything remotely actionable was late in Chapter 6. It was disappointing that true action didn't take place until Chapter 8.
This book did what it was designed to do as far as paint a comedic picture of the characters and their reactions, but in doing so, at least for me, it cast sincere issues about taking their problems and dilemmas seriously. I couldn't, although it may have been because the characters didn't or didn't seem to.
The book, entitled, Time Thief, never mentioned the crux of the plot, time theft. That is, until over 40% into the book. By that time, I'd lost interest, surviving on hope alone.
Regardless of my opinion of this particular book, I truly think this author is remarkable. She has such a way with words. They flow. Their unique. She melds them into amazing structure. But more than her way with words, she is downright gifted when it comes to Dialogue. She should be teaching courses called 'Engaging Dialogue', or 'Using Dialogue to Streamline Your Story', or 'Dialogue, Show Through Telling'. She even used Dialogue as her opening sentence. Need I say more.
July 15, 2020
It’s an interesting setup, but I found the story to be terribly awkward and uncomfortable. For starters, the main character had the annoying habit of innocent cussing, like when you’re a child so you replace the words and say holy jebus instead (this actually comes out of the main characters mouth and it’s one of the less annoying ones). Then the romantic scenes made me cringe with some of the word choice and weirdly sexual moments in front of the entire family. The main character constantly talks about some psychology concept that makes it seem as if she has three parts of her mind babbling to each other and making her do things. I wouldn’t mind that if that was just part of her character, but it’s described as if everyone ought to have this kind of relationship with their mind so it comes off peachy. Then again the main character in general was a bit annoying to me because she never seemed to stop talking. If you’re not phased by much, you might enjoy the story. It’s not completely original, but it’s interesting and the desire to figure out secrets can keep you going. However, I personally did not enjoy the experience.
July 11, 2019
I normally give Katie's books a 5 since they have me intrigued and laughing constantly. This one was a bit less enjoyable, guess I prefer Dark Ones and Dragons, but still hard to put down.
Kiya is an interesting mortal/witchling in training. Her 2 moms, as she labels them, are witches, and it seems her life revolves around keeping them out of trouble. Their latest escapade has her trying to rescue them from selling magic to mortals, and trying to keep out of Otherworld's prison system.
When she finds herself babysitting pugs and falling in love with Peter, a member of the Watch (and because of this, a person she should NOT get involved with), she feels like she just might be over her head in problems.
Getting everything sorted out in Katie's books means lots of awkwardness on the part of the protagonists, and lots and lots of chuckles on the reader's end.
If you enjoy lighthearted mystery/romance, try this, or actually any, of Katie MacAlister's books. They will really lighten your heart!
Kiya is an interesting mortal/witchling in training. Her 2 moms, as she labels them, are witches, and it seems her life revolves around keeping them out of trouble. Their latest escapade has her trying to rescue them from selling magic to mortals, and trying to keep out of Otherworld's prison system.
When she finds herself babysitting pugs and falling in love with Peter, a member of the Watch (and because of this, a person she should NOT get involved with), she feels like she just might be over her head in problems.
Getting everything sorted out in Katie's books means lots of awkwardness on the part of the protagonists, and lots and lots of chuckles on the reader's end.
If you enjoy lighthearted mystery/romance, try this, or actually any, of Katie MacAlister's books. They will really lighten your heart!
May 1, 2013
Reviewed courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.
Quick & Dirty: If you enjoy a good murder mystery mixed with familial betrayal, the otherworld and a romance, then this is a book for you. Peter Faa has to figure out which member of his family is a murderer and protect the woman he has come to love.
Opening Sentence: “You know that saying about lightning never striking twice in the same place?”
The Review:
This story is about Peter Faa who is a member of the Watch, which is the cops for all things not mortal. He hunts down magical beings that commit crimes. His newest case involves catching a murderer who happens to be a part of his own estranged family. His family is a group of travellers. This means they can take time from someone and add it to their own time. When they do this they must give that person some money to replace the time they have stolen. This is also a story of Kiya Mortenson, who is about to find out a lot about herself that she never knew. She gets involved with Peter’s family when she is hired to watch five adorable pugs belonging to Peter’s grandma. At first Peter believes she is involved somehow, but as he gets to know her and realizes someone in his family is stealing her time he starts to have feelings for Kiya and her for him. Can they solve who is murdering mortals for their time and find love in the process? Read Time Thief to find out.
I loved the main characters Peter and Kiya. When they first meet they do not understand each other and always seem annoyed around each other, but there is already some sexual tension between them. Peter is a tall, dark and handsome man with violet eyes. Unfortunately, he is a bit grumpy and does not like to let anyone in. His family disowned him as a child and it has effected how he reacts to others around him. Then we have Kiya who is his the total opposite. They do not really describe her physically, but we learn a lot about her personality. She is always so happy and bubbly. Also, she is friendly and talkative to everyone she meets. She is very in tune with her inner self and has conversations with her id, ego and superego because of her psychologist foster mom. She has been struck by lightning twice with nothing more than a lightning flower left. (This is actually an interesting occurrence and you can see what a lightning flower is online). The relationship between Peter and Kiya does happen really quickly but nothing seemed forced about it. Peter was the typical alpha male wanting to protect his woman and Kiya is the typical modern woman who gets annoyed at him when he acts like he can dictate to her. Their relationship will have you laughing and saying how sweet all at the same time.
Some other important characters include Peter’s entire family, especially his grandmother, Lenore. She is an older woman who absolutely loves her five pugs. She may be an older woman but she rules her family with an iron will. Unfortunately, she shuns Peter because he is not fully a part of their family. The whole family hates outsiders. Anyone who is not a traveller is mahrime, which means unclean. Those who are mahrime are not travellers or are half breeds such as Peter. Because of this everyone except Lenore and her one grandson Gregory treat Kiya with disrespect when she comes to work for Lenore and the pugs. Gregory is a nice guy who helps Kiya gets the job with his grandma. He is many girls’ dream guy. He is a tall, blond surfer looking guy. Then there is William and his son Andrew who are the worst about treating Kiya badly. Unfortunately, anyone of these family members could be a murderer. I have to mention the pugs. Without them this story would have been lacking. They all have a personality of their own, especially Terrance who has a tendency to want to mate with everything he comes across. Next there is Sunil, a 17 year old Indian ball of light. He is what is called an animus, which is a spirit of someone who has died and attached itself to someone. Sunil is attached to Peter. To find out why he is attached to Peter you will have to read the book. Sunil is the happiest dead person I have ever read about. Everything makes him happy. Whenever he travels somewhere with Peter he wants to stop at all the tourist attractions because he said the government would not put up signs if they did not want you to see the sites. He also likes to help Peter with his crime solving. Kiya is shocked the first time she meets Sunil but they become fast friends. Lastly, there is Peter’s boss, Dalton, a man Kiya meets in the beginning at the hospital after she gets hit by lightning. The poor man is seriously allergic to sagebrush. Dalton has a secret though and starts acting weird. What could be going on with him?
I really enjoyed reading this book. It kept me on the end of my seat through the whole book. I could not wait to find out who the murderer was and see what would happen to Peter and Kiya. I also liked that at the end of the book MacAlister explains the history of the travellers. Also, she gives you a glossary to explain the otherworld words used in the story which was very helpful. I recommend this book to mystery lovers and romance lovers alike. This is a great story for all adults looking for a good paranormal story.
Notable Scene:
I shook my head at that bizarre thought, but before I could ask my inner self- ego, id, and superego- what was up with the odd thought processes, the world seemed to shimmer and shake and spin, making me blind for about three seconds.
When my vision returned I was stunned to find myself in the middle of washing a cup, the very same cup I’d been drinking out of a few minutes before. Even worse, I was speaking familiar words. “I can’t believe in this day and age people have that sort of prejudice against gypsies.”
FTC Advisory: Signet/Penguin provided me with a copy of Time Thief. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Quick & Dirty: If you enjoy a good murder mystery mixed with familial betrayal, the otherworld and a romance, then this is a book for you. Peter Faa has to figure out which member of his family is a murderer and protect the woman he has come to love.
Opening Sentence: “You know that saying about lightning never striking twice in the same place?”
The Review:
This story is about Peter Faa who is a member of the Watch, which is the cops for all things not mortal. He hunts down magical beings that commit crimes. His newest case involves catching a murderer who happens to be a part of his own estranged family. His family is a group of travellers. This means they can take time from someone and add it to their own time. When they do this they must give that person some money to replace the time they have stolen. This is also a story of Kiya Mortenson, who is about to find out a lot about herself that she never knew. She gets involved with Peter’s family when she is hired to watch five adorable pugs belonging to Peter’s grandma. At first Peter believes she is involved somehow, but as he gets to know her and realizes someone in his family is stealing her time he starts to have feelings for Kiya and her for him. Can they solve who is murdering mortals for their time and find love in the process? Read Time Thief to find out.
I loved the main characters Peter and Kiya. When they first meet they do not understand each other and always seem annoyed around each other, but there is already some sexual tension between them. Peter is a tall, dark and handsome man with violet eyes. Unfortunately, he is a bit grumpy and does not like to let anyone in. His family disowned him as a child and it has effected how he reacts to others around him. Then we have Kiya who is his the total opposite. They do not really describe her physically, but we learn a lot about her personality. She is always so happy and bubbly. Also, she is friendly and talkative to everyone she meets. She is very in tune with her inner self and has conversations with her id, ego and superego because of her psychologist foster mom. She has been struck by lightning twice with nothing more than a lightning flower left. (This is actually an interesting occurrence and you can see what a lightning flower is online). The relationship between Peter and Kiya does happen really quickly but nothing seemed forced about it. Peter was the typical alpha male wanting to protect his woman and Kiya is the typical modern woman who gets annoyed at him when he acts like he can dictate to her. Their relationship will have you laughing and saying how sweet all at the same time.
Some other important characters include Peter’s entire family, especially his grandmother, Lenore. She is an older woman who absolutely loves her five pugs. She may be an older woman but she rules her family with an iron will. Unfortunately, she shuns Peter because he is not fully a part of their family. The whole family hates outsiders. Anyone who is not a traveller is mahrime, which means unclean. Those who are mahrime are not travellers or are half breeds such as Peter. Because of this everyone except Lenore and her one grandson Gregory treat Kiya with disrespect when she comes to work for Lenore and the pugs. Gregory is a nice guy who helps Kiya gets the job with his grandma. He is many girls’ dream guy. He is a tall, blond surfer looking guy. Then there is William and his son Andrew who are the worst about treating Kiya badly. Unfortunately, anyone of these family members could be a murderer. I have to mention the pugs. Without them this story would have been lacking. They all have a personality of their own, especially Terrance who has a tendency to want to mate with everything he comes across. Next there is Sunil, a 17 year old Indian ball of light. He is what is called an animus, which is a spirit of someone who has died and attached itself to someone. Sunil is attached to Peter. To find out why he is attached to Peter you will have to read the book. Sunil is the happiest dead person I have ever read about. Everything makes him happy. Whenever he travels somewhere with Peter he wants to stop at all the tourist attractions because he said the government would not put up signs if they did not want you to see the sites. He also likes to help Peter with his crime solving. Kiya is shocked the first time she meets Sunil but they become fast friends. Lastly, there is Peter’s boss, Dalton, a man Kiya meets in the beginning at the hospital after she gets hit by lightning. The poor man is seriously allergic to sagebrush. Dalton has a secret though and starts acting weird. What could be going on with him?
I really enjoyed reading this book. It kept me on the end of my seat through the whole book. I could not wait to find out who the murderer was and see what would happen to Peter and Kiya. I also liked that at the end of the book MacAlister explains the history of the travellers. Also, she gives you a glossary to explain the otherworld words used in the story which was very helpful. I recommend this book to mystery lovers and romance lovers alike. This is a great story for all adults looking for a good paranormal story.
Notable Scene:
I shook my head at that bizarre thought, but before I could ask my inner self- ego, id, and superego- what was up with the odd thought processes, the world seemed to shimmer and shake and spin, making me blind for about three seconds.
When my vision returned I was stunned to find myself in the middle of washing a cup, the very same cup I’d been drinking out of a few minutes before. Even worse, I was speaking familiar words. “I can’t believe in this day and age people have that sort of prejudice against gypsies.”
FTC Advisory: Signet/Penguin provided me with a copy of Time Thief. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
July 22, 2017
I had completely forgotten but I have absolutely read this one before, although I do not have a note to that effect anywhere as best as I can tell. It didn't seem familiar but as soon as I cracked the cover the first night, rolled up in my sleeping bag, there was definite deja vu. I read a few pages, skipped ahead, didn't recognize the new part, skipped back, became more convinced, skipped farther ahead, and finally said out loud, "I'm pretty sure I've read this before." My husband helpfully responded, "yeah, you did; I recognized the cover."
As I remember, the main female character is annoyingly chipper, the main male character is annoyingly secretive and dark, and the story wasn't great-- it didn't feel like these two were fated or destined, or even a particularly good fit.
Having refreshed my memory about this, I'm happy to delete the sequel from my TBR list.
As I remember, the main female character is annoyingly chipper, the main male character is annoyingly secretive and dark, and the story wasn't great-- it didn't feel like these two were fated or destined, or even a particularly good fit.
Having refreshed my memory about this, I'm happy to delete the sequel from my TBR list.
December 10, 2018
DNF at 42%
There are a lot of good things in this book : an original plot with unusual characters set in a funny universe.
Sadly, the female MC has the attention span of a goldfish. While it's something that would have made for an endearing secondary character, in a story told mainly in the first person by the main character, it quickly becomes annoying. All the conversations our MC starts - in order to, you know, move the plot forward a bit - get side-tracked after a few sentences. At the begining of the novel, I found it rather amusing, but the more the story progressed, the more I wanted her to be able to focus on the main plot (time thiefs!) instead of, say, how cute the dogs in her care are (we get a LOT of dog care in this book) or how beautiful the main male character's eyes are (it's mentionned every time they see each other!).
There are a lot of good things in this book : an original plot with unusual characters set in a funny universe.
Sadly, the female MC has the attention span of a goldfish. While it's something that would have made for an endearing secondary character, in a story told mainly in the first person by the main character, it quickly becomes annoying. All the conversations our MC starts - in order to, you know, move the plot forward a bit - get side-tracked after a few sentences. At the begining of the novel, I found it rather amusing, but the more the story progressed, the more I wanted her to be able to focus on the main plot (time thiefs!) instead of, say, how cute the dogs in her care are (we get a LOT of dog care in this book) or how beautiful the main male character's eyes are (it's mentionned every time they see each other!).
March 29, 2020
This review is for the 2 books and novella that make up this series. Hilarious. Quirky characters and snarky lines. If you like the Diesel series by Janet Evanovitch or The Case Files of Dr. Matilda Schmidt by Cynthia St. Aubin, you'll enjoy this. Laugh out loud humor and cleverly written. Disappointed this series didn't continue, it has the potential to be an amazing series, and imho is funnier than most of the Dark Ones series.
August 23, 2021
How can a book entitled 'Time Thief', and a description that talks about travelling through time to track down a murderer, start of with a ridiculous woman bumping into sequential incredibly handsome men while her head fills with lustful thoughts. It's impossible to take this seriously, and I refuse waste mote time hoping it might get better.
October 13, 2018
A pleasant fantasy for adults. Yes, it’s a romance, although, not the sticky, gooey type. The sci-fi, world building, and detective mystery keep the action from getting too smarmy. I suppose the proper term is magical realism.
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