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The Honorables #1
Honor Among Thieves
Grave robbing ain’t no job for a lady…
To pay off her recently deceased brother’s debts, however, Lorna Robbins must take drastic measures. When she happens upon a resurrectionist gang stealing his corpse, she does the unthinkable and joins the criminal outfit to save her family estate and her younger sibling. For the first time in her lonely, duty-driven life, Lorna finds herself leading a treacherous and exciting double existence. By day, she becomes a popular lady of the ton, relying on society gossip to help her body-snatching gang. By night, she becomes the grave robber known only as the Blackbird.
Surgeon and anatomy teacher Brandon Dewhurst relies on resurrectionists to bring him the specimens he needs to further his research on pregnancy. When his usual suppliers become unreliable, and then downright sinister, he’s reluctantly drawn further into the black market. As Lorna and Brandon both target the same body—a pregnant woman who is still very much alive—they find themselves powerfully drawn together time and again while trying to maintain their own respectable facades. But this daring duo is courting danger, and romance is a complication neither can afford.
Don’t miss this compelling first novel in a dark and dazzling new Regency series by bestselling author Elizabeth Boyce.
To pay off her recently deceased brother’s debts, however, Lorna Robbins must take drastic measures. When she happens upon a resurrectionist gang stealing his corpse, she does the unthinkable and joins the criminal outfit to save her family estate and her younger sibling. For the first time in her lonely, duty-driven life, Lorna finds herself leading a treacherous and exciting double existence. By day, she becomes a popular lady of the ton, relying on society gossip to help her body-snatching gang. By night, she becomes the grave robber known only as the Blackbird.
Surgeon and anatomy teacher Brandon Dewhurst relies on resurrectionists to bring him the specimens he needs to further his research on pregnancy. When his usual suppliers become unreliable, and then downright sinister, he’s reluctantly drawn further into the black market. As Lorna and Brandon both target the same body—a pregnant woman who is still very much alive—they find themselves powerfully drawn together time and again while trying to maintain their own respectable facades. But this daring duo is courting danger, and romance is a complication neither can afford.
Don’t miss this compelling first novel in a dark and dazzling new Regency series by bestselling author Elizabeth Boyce.
311 pages, ebook
First published October 27, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
February 23, 2017
Very, very interesting!
I thoroughly enjoy it! The parts where the plight of suffering people was shown were very touching and at the same time very uncomfortable.
The fact that the Resurrectionists existed and were in some way able to help finding a cure were in contrast to the basic belief that the dead should be left to rest in peace. Also, almost all of those unsavory characters were like vultures: just waiting to snatch a corpse and sell it to those who pay the most.
Having a heroine who's part of one of these gangs, even if a better one, was not an easy writing and less easy to enjoy reading!
But, I must admit that Ms. Boyce did a very good job in explaining the how and the why.
I enjoyed Lorna and her will to do everything to keep her brother safe. In her own way she was honorable and compassionate. I liked that she felt guilty because of what she was doing. I very much appreciated that when it has become too much she was willing to risk everything, even her own life, to do the right thing!
The hero, Brandon, is a surgeon who learned his gruesome job right in the middle of war. He suffered greatly while trying to save lives in very bad conditions. He also felt that what he's been doing is not enough and he's aware that there's something more that could be done to make things better, but in that period notions about basic hygiene were not contemplated. *shudders*
Their love story was lovely! I could understand why Brandon was bewildered as to why Lorna rejected his suit and I could understand why he thought it was because of his profession as it was underlined that the surgeons were not accepted as suitors.
If I think about how they’re viewed today I had to smile! LOL
At the same time I could understand Lorna’s reluctance. Her secret was a terrible a terrible one! And I liked Brandon more that he could understand her and accepts her actions when everything came out!
This was a very, very good book and I’m looking forward to Sheri’s story! :)
I thoroughly enjoy it! The parts where the plight of suffering people was shown were very touching and at the same time very uncomfortable.
The fact that the Resurrectionists existed and were in some way able to help finding a cure were in contrast to the basic belief that the dead should be left to rest in peace. Also, almost all of those unsavory characters were like vultures: just waiting to snatch a corpse and sell it to those who pay the most.
Having a heroine who's part of one of these gangs, even if a better one, was not an easy writing and less easy to enjoy reading!
But, I must admit that Ms. Boyce did a very good job in explaining the how and the why.
I enjoyed Lorna and her will to do everything to keep her brother safe. In her own way she was honorable and compassionate. I liked that she felt guilty because of what she was doing. I very much appreciated that when it has become too much she was willing to risk everything, even her own life, to do the right thing!
The hero, Brandon, is a surgeon who learned his gruesome job right in the middle of war. He suffered greatly while trying to save lives in very bad conditions. He also felt that what he's been doing is not enough and he's aware that there's something more that could be done to make things better, but in that period notions about basic hygiene were not contemplated. *shudders*
Their love story was lovely! I could understand why Brandon was bewildered as to why Lorna rejected his suit and I could understand why he thought it was because of his profession as it was underlined that the surgeons were not accepted as suitors.
If I think about how they’re viewed today I had to smile! LOL
At the same time I could understand Lorna’s reluctance. Her secret was a terrible a terrible one! And I liked Brandon more that he could understand her and accepts her actions when everything came out!
This was a very, very good book and I’m looking forward to Sheri’s story! :)
February 2, 2015
This is an enjoyable although rather dark story set amid the seedy underworld of nineteenth century London. In it, the author addresses a number of themes one might not expect to find within the pages of an historical romance, and does so in a very enlightening and interesting manner at the same time as she builds a tender and sensual romance between her central couple.
The book is set in the early nineteenth century, at a time when medical schools and teaching hospitals found it almost impossible to continue with their training and research programmes because of a scarcity of cadavers. The only bodies that were legally available were the corpses of executed felons, (and there weren’t enough of them), so the schools had to resort to illegal means of procuring the specimens they needed. This led to an increase in instances of grave robbing, as enterprising groups of criminals would dig up the freshly buried and sell them at a tidy profit.
In Honor Among Thieves, Lorna Robbins stumbles upon one such gang accidentally, when she catches them in the act of robbing the grave of her recently deceased brother. She and her much younger half-brother have been left in desperate financial straits, but her late-night encounter with the criminal gang gives her an idea. In return for not handing them over to the authorities, she wants to join them, declaring that if anyone is going to sell her brother’s body – it will be her.
Lorna quickly becomes a useful member of the Crib-Cross Gang, and finds herself actually exhilarated at the double life she is leading. Her status as the sister of a baron allows her to mingle in good society and ideally places her to hear the latest gossip as to who is recently deceased or who is at death’s door. So Lorna is both the quiet and correct “Miss Robbins” and “Blackbird”, infamous female body-snatcher – in which guise, she assists in planning and executing some truly audacious schemes. It’s a gruesome business, but for the first time in her life, she’s taking action and striking out on her own, which gives her a real sense of empowerment. But principally, she’s working with the gang in order to make enough money to be able to pay off their debts and to secure her brother’s future.
The Honourable Brandon Dewhurst was a surgeon in the army and now practices and teaches in London. At the behest of Douglas McGully, his superior at the Covent Garden School of Anatomical Studies, Brandon regularly purchases bodies from resurrectionists, something he hates doing while recognising that it’s the only way to obtain the necessary cadavers. Unfortunately, however, Brandon’s supply has all but dried up lately due to the fact that a rival gang - headed by the mysterious Blackbird - is ahead of the game and is snapping up all the freshest specimens!
Lorna and Brandon encounter each other at various society functions, and the frisson of their attraction is apparent early on. But Lorna’s potentially ruinous secret gets in the way of their burgeoning feelings for each other - and the more she gets to know the attractive young surgeon, the harder it is to face the prospect of telling him the truth.
The situation is worsened when Lorna discovers that Brandon has been more or less ordered to keep an eye on a young society matron, Lady Fenton, who is pregnant with triplets. McGully is engaged upon research into the anatomy and physiology of pregnancy, his ultimate aim to prevent unnecessary deaths in childbirth. He needs the bodies of deceased, pregnant woman in order to carry out his research, and the most valuable of all would be a woman who dies late in pregnancy. For various reasons, Lady Fenton is thought unlikely to survive – and is a prime target for London’s body-snatching gangs who know that they will be able to make a lot of money from the body of a young, pregnant woman.
It’s macabre and it’s distasteful – but what the author does so very well is to show that while both of those things are true, there is also a very thin line between the good and the bad in her story. Digging up dead bodies and selling them is an abhorrent practice – but doctors and surgeons need bodies in order to be further their scientific knowledge and find cures for disease; and the body-snatchers are trying to make a living by supplying a demand. So where do the boundaries lie?
Both Lorna and Brandon are decent people who want to help others but find that they sometimes have to bend the rules in order to do so. In bringing their moral dilemmas to the fore, Ms Boyce very skilfully explores questions of personal and professional ethics – and ultimately shows the reader that sometimes grey areas exist for very good reason.
The romantic angle in the story also works very well, and there’s a good amount of sexual tension between the two leads. There is perhaps a bit of “insta-lust” going on at the beginning, but as the story progresses, their feelings for each other grow and deepen, and they make a very well-matched and engaging couple. Brandon’s tragic back-story is heart-wrenching, and I really liked seeing Lorna taking charge of her life, and the way the couple works together to help the heavily pregnant Lady Fenton in the latter stages of the story.
Honor Among Thieves may not be the perfect book for the squeamish, but it’s a very-well written story and the historical background is interesting and obviously well-researched. The main reason I haven’t rated the book more highly is that the ending is too overly dramatic for my taste - the final stages of the book are tense enough without injecting elements of melodrama! But taken as a whole, it’s a very enjoyable book, and one I’d certainly recommend to anyone looking for something a bit different from an historical romance.
The book is set in the early nineteenth century, at a time when medical schools and teaching hospitals found it almost impossible to continue with their training and research programmes because of a scarcity of cadavers. The only bodies that were legally available were the corpses of executed felons, (and there weren’t enough of them), so the schools had to resort to illegal means of procuring the specimens they needed. This led to an increase in instances of grave robbing, as enterprising groups of criminals would dig up the freshly buried and sell them at a tidy profit.
In Honor Among Thieves, Lorna Robbins stumbles upon one such gang accidentally, when she catches them in the act of robbing the grave of her recently deceased brother. She and her much younger half-brother have been left in desperate financial straits, but her late-night encounter with the criminal gang gives her an idea. In return for not handing them over to the authorities, she wants to join them, declaring that if anyone is going to sell her brother’s body – it will be her.
Lorna quickly becomes a useful member of the Crib-Cross Gang, and finds herself actually exhilarated at the double life she is leading. Her status as the sister of a baron allows her to mingle in good society and ideally places her to hear the latest gossip as to who is recently deceased or who is at death’s door. So Lorna is both the quiet and correct “Miss Robbins” and “Blackbird”, infamous female body-snatcher – in which guise, she assists in planning and executing some truly audacious schemes. It’s a gruesome business, but for the first time in her life, she’s taking action and striking out on her own, which gives her a real sense of empowerment. But principally, she’s working with the gang in order to make enough money to be able to pay off their debts and to secure her brother’s future.
The Honourable Brandon Dewhurst was a surgeon in the army and now practices and teaches in London. At the behest of Douglas McGully, his superior at the Covent Garden School of Anatomical Studies, Brandon regularly purchases bodies from resurrectionists, something he hates doing while recognising that it’s the only way to obtain the necessary cadavers. Unfortunately, however, Brandon’s supply has all but dried up lately due to the fact that a rival gang - headed by the mysterious Blackbird - is ahead of the game and is snapping up all the freshest specimens!
Lorna and Brandon encounter each other at various society functions, and the frisson of their attraction is apparent early on. But Lorna’s potentially ruinous secret gets in the way of their burgeoning feelings for each other - and the more she gets to know the attractive young surgeon, the harder it is to face the prospect of telling him the truth.
The situation is worsened when Lorna discovers that Brandon has been more or less ordered to keep an eye on a young society matron, Lady Fenton, who is pregnant with triplets. McGully is engaged upon research into the anatomy and physiology of pregnancy, his ultimate aim to prevent unnecessary deaths in childbirth. He needs the bodies of deceased, pregnant woman in order to carry out his research, and the most valuable of all would be a woman who dies late in pregnancy. For various reasons, Lady Fenton is thought unlikely to survive – and is a prime target for London’s body-snatching gangs who know that they will be able to make a lot of money from the body of a young, pregnant woman.
It’s macabre and it’s distasteful – but what the author does so very well is to show that while both of those things are true, there is also a very thin line between the good and the bad in her story. Digging up dead bodies and selling them is an abhorrent practice – but doctors and surgeons need bodies in order to be further their scientific knowledge and find cures for disease; and the body-snatchers are trying to make a living by supplying a demand. So where do the boundaries lie?
Both Lorna and Brandon are decent people who want to help others but find that they sometimes have to bend the rules in order to do so. In bringing their moral dilemmas to the fore, Ms Boyce very skilfully explores questions of personal and professional ethics – and ultimately shows the reader that sometimes grey areas exist for very good reason.
The romantic angle in the story also works very well, and there’s a good amount of sexual tension between the two leads. There is perhaps a bit of “insta-lust” going on at the beginning, but as the story progresses, their feelings for each other grow and deepen, and they make a very well-matched and engaging couple. Brandon’s tragic back-story is heart-wrenching, and I really liked seeing Lorna taking charge of her life, and the way the couple works together to help the heavily pregnant Lady Fenton in the latter stages of the story.
Honor Among Thieves may not be the perfect book for the squeamish, but it’s a very-well written story and the historical background is interesting and obviously well-researched. The main reason I haven’t rated the book more highly is that the ending is too overly dramatic for my taste - the final stages of the book are tense enough without injecting elements of melodrama! But taken as a whole, it’s a very enjoyable book, and one I’d certainly recommend to anyone looking for something a bit different from an historical romance.
October 21, 2014
Arc provided by Crimson Romance through Edelweiss
Release Date: October 27 th
TW's: Attempted Rape
I'm thirty five years old, and I have been reading practically all my life.
This means that I've read quite a good number of books so far...and hopefully _ o_O _ I'll be able to read many more.
This said, I must start by saying that I have the inkling, that had I read this story a couple years ago, I would probably had loved it! The intensity, the drama of it, oh, I would have probably devoured it!
o_O
But as things are now, I am afraid that this rating is more due to the story's merit in some aspects, instead of my actual appreciation of it.
This story for all the information that it gives us about how medicine was seen, and everything it involved two centuries ago, doesn't deserve a two star rating (a simple okay), but in the end I have to admit that I didn't like this.
It has some strong points:
_The originality of the plot;
_ The characters that start as originals...
_The "Honourables" concept..
_The fact that I learned more about the period in which the story takes places, than I have while reading I don't know how many dozens of historical romances...
But then something happens: In some vital moments, that should have been seen _like the moment in which Lorna decides to join the grave robbing gang_, the narrative stops, leaving us to wonder what happened to the characters.
When the narrative once again starts, we are told what has happened!
Since the story develops itself around this "event", I really disliked that I didn't get to see it.
Unfortunately, it is not an isolated event.
The romance
For me, this ended up being the problem with the story: Honestly, I wanted more of the grave digging business, _ o_O _ instead of the same old "speedy" romances in which the characters fall immediately in lust with one another, and can't start ripping each other clothes!
I am not saying that it didn't had some good or even funny moments, like the "rat throwing", and the "disaster with the dress" moments, but I really didn't understand why Lorna would become such an interesting figure in the town.
In fact, with the "dress incident" happening, I would think the inverse would happen....but I don't know practically nothing about the period. So...
But what really made impossible for me to enjoy this story, were the two attempted rapes that happen in a quick succession of time.
I really would appreciate _ as I think many other readers would _ of being warned about this type of thing before requesting arcs, or buying books.
Honestly, had I known about it, I wouldn't have requested it.
Because in the end _for me _ the story ends up feeling like those historical romances in which the female characters were constantly in danger of being raped :/
For me this could (should ) have been skipped.
The story already had a pretty heavy dose of drama happening,_ how does one even mentions a dialogue involving a very pregnant woman and people telling her that she is probably going to die, and people are going to rob her body? _ it really didn't need those descriptions happening.
It was too much, and it ended up vulgarizing an original idea.
Bottom Line: A great concept and good writing. Unfortunately in the end _for me _ it ended up falling short of all its potential.
October 29, 2018
This book starts out very startlingly, ebbs into almost a buddy-movie vibe for a bit, turns on the heat with the romance, and then floors me with the sudden viciousness of one of the villains. This new-to-me author took me through a gamut of emotions while telling a good story. From time to time, I felt the period detail could have been stronger. I wanted to be more wowed by the practice of a Regency-era anatomist, but I wasn't exactly disappointed either. I liked the main and secondary characters a great deal. Of course, Bluebell the bloodhound was one of my favorites.
There was a lot that appealed in this well written book. The gore that was oh-so-fitting for a Halloween read. The aura of friendship that surrounded the characters. I particularly liked Blackbird's interactions with her resurrectionist gang. There is also a thread of sinister that runs throughout, and the hero, Brandon, unwittingly places his love interest's alter ego in the direct line of fire. Lorna is capable and bright, but I think standing on her own two feet for so long hampers her ability to accept help. It comes 'round to bite her later.
I think it is particularly worth noting that Elizabeth Boyce has penned some sensual scenes that excel at demonstrating deep emotion during the physical act itself. Brandon savors, and is deeply in love with Lorna before he even realizes it himself. But as you read their love scenes, you know. He takes little for granted in their relationship, and works for his woman in all ways.
I am definitely reading more books in this series.
I should note that I actually read this book in The Honorables: The Complete Series, but for purposes of listing the book in the Halloween challenge, I wanted to leave the review with the standalone.
Book source: Purchased as anthology.
There was a lot that appealed in this well written book. The gore that was oh-so-fitting for a Halloween read. The aura of friendship that surrounded the characters. I particularly liked Blackbird's interactions with her resurrectionist gang. There is also a thread of sinister that runs throughout, and the hero, Brandon, unwittingly places his love interest's alter ego in the direct line of fire. Lorna is capable and bright, but I think standing on her own two feet for so long hampers her ability to accept help. It comes 'round to bite her later.
I think it is particularly worth noting that Elizabeth Boyce has penned some sensual scenes that excel at demonstrating deep emotion during the physical act itself. Brandon savors, and is deeply in love with Lorna before he even realizes it himself. But as you read their love scenes, you know. He takes little for granted in their relationship, and works for his woman in all ways.
I am definitely reading more books in this series.
I should note that I actually read this book in The Honorables: The Complete Series, but for purposes of listing the book in the Halloween challenge, I wanted to leave the review with the standalone.
Book source: Purchased as anthology.
May 1, 2015
I knew this story would be worth the wait. An exciting story of rival resurrectionists, gangs who steal corpses. Yep! That's right...not money, silver or gold. Your BODY is what they want. Just imagine:
London fog falls across the land.
And darkness...is close at hand.
It's Friday night.
And under the moonlight.
Resurrectionist. Artichoke Boys close in from every site.
Stench. Hangs in the air.
And the smell is more than you can bear.
The hound. Bluebell sniffs in search of blood.
While Blackbird monitors the neighborhood.
They WILL...possess You.
Believe me when I tell you.
This book, Honor Among Thieves is a thriller.
And...by the end your pulse will be POUNDING, but not from fright.
So turn off the lights.
Because no one can save you from the entertainment of the rival Crib Cross gang that's about to strike.
My first story by this writer and definitely not my last. Elizabeth Boyce knows how to create a story among unusual circumstances, while keeping you entertained amidst a developing (non fluff) romance and wonderful proses. This is one night to microwave the popcorn, chill the soda, and put the kids to bed. You'll not want to be disturbed once you begin reading this captivating novel.
As I read the story between Lorna, a young aristocratic woman whose never had a London Season but instead joins a resurrectionist team and Brandon, a lonely anatomist/surgeon who purchase corpses for the purposes of advance medical knowledge, I kept thinking, how did this author come up with these intriguing ideas. Of course, the accuracies of the historical teachings were solely fictional. Undoubtedly, without these types of documented historical occurrences (corpes stealing) medical science would not be what it is today IMHO.
Honor among thieves is the first book in the The Honorables series. A series about five men who meet at Oxford college and form a band of brotherhood. They are the younger aristocratic sons (hence the name, Honorables) which means they will never be Lords of the peers, nor matchmaking mother's first choice. These are men who work ordinary jobs and make their own fortune. I hope, all the men will have a tantalizing story like Brandon and Lorna, one of the most magnificently stylized serial kick off I've read.
Note: This sensual story contains an excessive amount of profanity, but is well worth a read, especially if you enjoy historical suspense pagetuners.
London fog falls across the land.
And darkness...is close at hand.
It's Friday night.
And under the moonlight.
Resurrectionist. Artichoke Boys close in from every site.
Stench. Hangs in the air.
And the smell is more than you can bear.
The hound. Bluebell sniffs in search of blood.
While Blackbird monitors the neighborhood.
They WILL...possess You.
Believe me when I tell you.
This book, Honor Among Thieves is a thriller.
And...by the end your pulse will be POUNDING, but not from fright.
So turn off the lights.
Because no one can save you from the entertainment of the rival Crib Cross gang that's about to strike.
My first story by this writer and definitely not my last. Elizabeth Boyce knows how to create a story among unusual circumstances, while keeping you entertained amidst a developing (non fluff) romance and wonderful proses. This is one night to microwave the popcorn, chill the soda, and put the kids to bed. You'll not want to be disturbed once you begin reading this captivating novel.
As I read the story between Lorna, a young aristocratic woman whose never had a London Season but instead joins a resurrectionist team and Brandon, a lonely anatomist/surgeon who purchase corpses for the purposes of advance medical knowledge, I kept thinking, how did this author come up with these intriguing ideas. Of course, the accuracies of the historical teachings were solely fictional. Undoubtedly, without these types of documented historical occurrences (corpes stealing) medical science would not be what it is today IMHO.
Honor among thieves is the first book in the The Honorables series. A series about five men who meet at Oxford college and form a band of brotherhood. They are the younger aristocratic sons (hence the name, Honorables) which means they will never be Lords of the peers, nor matchmaking mother's first choice. These are men who work ordinary jobs and make their own fortune. I hope, all the men will have a tantalizing story like Brandon and Lorna, one of the most magnificently stylized serial kick off I've read.
Note: This sensual story contains an excessive amount of profanity, but is well worth a read, especially if you enjoy historical suspense pagetuners.
November 1, 2014
What an absolutely fantastic novel! Boyce takes this rather chilling concept and turns it into the most fantastic story. The fun and approachable style in which the author writes this novel adds to the aura surrounding the story. Combine this with the unique and complicated trials that the characters face and you have a wonderfully complex tale. Boyce’s descriptions make the scenes pop in a very vivid manner, firmly placing her readers smack in the middle of the tale.
The main characters in this novel are quite intricately crafted. I loved how many different levels there are to these two. Their secrets and doubts are just as important to who they are as are the things that they share with the public. I really enjoyed the fact that although they may not share everything about themselves with everyone else, they also aren’t fake.
When it comes to the supporting cast, the unique and memorable character names will catch your attention and quite possibly make you giggle once, twice, or every time you read them. I love how she begins to develop The Honorables here as well, both as individuals and as a group. The story of how they came to be is quite enlightening, and really allows you some insight into who these characters are. The peak at the individual members of the group is great as well. I can’t wait to meet them all in more depth throughout the series.
This story was gripping from beginning to end. It is the start to a fantastic series that I’m definitely looking forward to following.
Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this work in exchange for an honest review.
The main characters in this novel are quite intricately crafted. I loved how many different levels there are to these two. Their secrets and doubts are just as important to who they are as are the things that they share with the public. I really enjoyed the fact that although they may not share everything about themselves with everyone else, they also aren’t fake.
When it comes to the supporting cast, the unique and memorable character names will catch your attention and quite possibly make you giggle once, twice, or every time you read them. I love how she begins to develop The Honorables here as well, both as individuals and as a group. The story of how they came to be is quite enlightening, and really allows you some insight into who these characters are. The peak at the individual members of the group is great as well. I can’t wait to meet them all in more depth throughout the series.
This story was gripping from beginning to end. It is the start to a fantastic series that I’m definitely looking forward to following.
Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this work in exchange for an honest review.
January 3, 2015
Honor Among Thieves starts with the winning E. Boyce combination of historical insight, feminist gusto, smoldering passion, and compelling storytelling, while plumbing the depths of the darker side of the Regency, and of human experience. The glimpse into the underworld of body snatchers that Boyce gives us, both precise and lush, set against the essential medical research the seedy work supported, raises intriguing questions of medical and personal ethics that Boyce expertly explores through the lens of her hero and heroine, whose motives differ but whose dedication to their divergent ends is equally fierce. Devotees of romance will be enthralled by Lorna and Brandon's honest, raw, guileless lust, while lovers of history and philosophy will be drawn into the complicated web of connections among the highest of society, the most dedicated of professionals, and the most debased of criminals that surrounds the resurrectionists.
April 6, 2015
Great story. Really liked it a lot. It was very different from your normal historical romance novel, in a good way!
Very interesting story line and plot on how the medical field in the 1800's needed bodies for science, and how hard it was to get them. So body snatching was sort of a profession and the competition of body snatchers\resurrectionists was serious.
I really liked the hero, Brandon and the heroine, Lorna. They were a great match! They had great chemistry together. A couple of well written sex scenes too.
She was a strong female heroine, not a whiny simpering one. Well, she did become a resurrectionist. If the story follow true to history, which in this case I believe it does, There were a lot of body snatchers back then, which made for an interesting story.
He smart, handsome and a doctor, not an earl or duke. This wasn't a light fluffy read as it was a little dark (not to extreme) in the underworld of London.
This would make for a great audible book with right narrator for sure!
Very interesting story line and plot on how the medical field in the 1800's needed bodies for science, and how hard it was to get them. So body snatching was sort of a profession and the competition of body snatchers\resurrectionists was serious.
I really liked the hero, Brandon and the heroine, Lorna. They were a great match! They had great chemistry together. A couple of well written sex scenes too.
She was a strong female heroine, not a whiny simpering one. Well, she did become a resurrectionist. If the story follow true to history, which in this case I believe it does, There were a lot of body snatchers back then, which made for an interesting story.
He smart, handsome and a doctor, not an earl or duke. This wasn't a light fluffy read as it was a little dark (not to extreme) in the underworld of London.
This would make for a great audible book with right narrator for sure!
November 2, 2014
I finished Honor Among Thieves last night and I'm still reeling. It's been a good long while since a novel, especially a Regency romance novel, made me laugh, cry, swoon, and cringe all within the space of a few chapters. I knew going in that this series was darker than Ms. Boyce's previous series, which I looked forward to since I prefer thrillers and dystopian genres.
I was not disappointed! In fact, I am impressed by how well Ms. Boyce tackled the seediness of the resurrectionist underworld. I was horrified by the gangs of body snatchers, but I also felt sympathy for some of them, which truly speaks to the author's ability to develop her characters.
If you're looking for a dark thriller that also has steamy love scenes and truly likable, yet flawed, protagonists, then this book is for you!
I was not disappointed! In fact, I am impressed by how well Ms. Boyce tackled the seediness of the resurrectionist underworld. I was horrified by the gangs of body snatchers, but I also felt sympathy for some of them, which truly speaks to the author's ability to develop her characters.
If you're looking for a dark thriller that also has steamy love scenes and truly likable, yet flawed, protagonists, then this book is for you!
October 14, 2014
Another amazing historical romance from Elizabeth Boyce. The fast-paced plot carries the reader along, constantly seeking answers to the mystery Boyce lays out. At the same time the romance scenes cause the reader to linger. The historical details that Boyce chose to shape her story around are dark, fascinating, and unbelievable. It all adds up to a terrific read.
October 30, 2014
Quite a long review--I "First Looked" this for Heroes and Heartbreakers. Review copy provided.
Hallowe’en is the time when readers yearn for the macabre and the other-worldly. Is there a romance that might satisfy that need? Look no further than Elizabeth Boyce's Honor Among Thieves, where impoverished gentlewoman Lorna Robbins and surgeon/medical researcher Brandon Dewhurst meet repeatedly, in the back alleys of London’s East End and also in the sophisticated drawing rooms of the Ton.
The two are honorable, courageous individuals who are grappling with life and death decisions—to wit, the morality of culling and selling corpses to doctors who need them to pursue scientific research. Working with their respective gangs, they compete with each other for bodies…and Lorna’s flair for invisible risk-taking raises the stakes, as when an aristocratic corpse—a “plum specimen”—vanishes from the home of the deceased. Brandon wondered,
How had the other gang done it? He tried to imagine a group of rough, dirty louts waltzing out with a fresh body in front of the deceased woman’s neighbors, but couldn’t conjure the picture. Body snatchers didn’t operate like that. They kept to the dark and scattered like cockroaches at the first sign of trouble.
Brandon decides to investigate the rival gang. He also reluctantly realizes that he’ll have to get his hands dirty and do the skulking in person. His mission, directing the acquisition of bodies for scientific research, is too important to be out-sourced, especially if there’s a new, more successful gang in town. With the exception of his oldest, closest friends from university, who long ago dubbed themselves The Society of Honorables, Brandon is seldom able to relax of an evening. But figuring that even resurrectionists need to wet their whistle, Brandon arranges to meet with his supplier, Slee, at The Fox and Hare. Or was it The Fox and Hound?
A frustrated growl rumbled in his chest. Too many foxes, hares, and hounds—not to mention stags, crowns, and kings—littered the names of establishments. Brandon vowed that if he ever had occasion to own a public house, he would call it The Purple Tortoise.
Providing some much needed comic relief, Brandon’s backhanded sense of humor comes out in his musings and in his conversations with his “Honorable” friends.
Lorna and Brandon start making the rounds of London society at the same time, both tasked with getting close to Lady Fenton, a society matron carrying triplets. The expectation is that she and her unborn children will die in childbirth and Brandon and Lorna’s respective employees want to harvest Lady Fenton’s corpse. Very much on the dark side of the macabre ledger thus far!
Neither Lorna nor Brandon is accustomed to meeting the social expectations of the Little Season—when it comes to conversation, dancing, simply fitting in, they stand out noticeably. Lorna is very uncomfortable at exposing herself to so many people.
After years of living a quiet, country life with Daniel—followed by the harrowing months of tending Thomas, and then dark nights filled with dark work—she felt like a subterranean creature shoved into the light for the first time.
Newly exposed subterranean beings can be quite awkward in society, like during a lively country dance, when Lorna’s dress starts to unravel during a reel. Brandon whisks Lorna off to a quiet room where she can make repairs, but her ruefully joyous laughter at her predicament leads him to take a surprising liberty with her person. Perhaps these two have been living a little too long among the sick and sainted departed! Lorna’s insouciant composure is understandable, however.
There was nothing for it but to laugh. After the things she’d endured with Thomas and her gruesome work with the Crib Cross Gang, losing her bodice in front of a ballroom full of strangers didn’t seem such a catastrophe, after all.
What followed, well, she still wasn’t quite sure what to think. It should not have happened. His hands had no business on her underthings, and his tongue most assuredly ought not to have touched her neck.
Touch wasn’t even the right word for what happened. He’d tasted her. Exhaled hot breath against her. Enveloped her in his warm scent.
In this compelling story, there is no easy way to separate the sinners from the saints. The grave robbers are looking to make a living; the doctors are using cadavers to further medical knowledge. When one afternoon Lorna finds herself in the vicinity of the anatomy school (where Brandon lives and works…so possibly not just happenstance), a lecture is about to start. The public lecture “on advances in the field of obstetrics” is of acute professional interest to two women that are hovering in the doorway. Mrs. Fisher and her companion, Doris Watling, are midwives. The midwives thirst for knowledge, not just for knowledge’s sake, but to learn how to save the lives of their clients, impoverished pregnant women. Here the questionable work of Lorna and Brandon is portrayed as an integral part of the quest to save lives in childbirth. Lorna has had a bellyful of bullying by men and when she and her friends are denied entry, she lets loose.
“The notice says the lecture is open to the public, with no exceptions given. As Mrs. Fisher has rightly pointed out, we are the public. Instead of policing, you should welcome newcomers. You, sir, will not stand in the way of my scientific curiosity,” she finished with a flourish.
Fortuitously, Lord Sheridan, an old friend of Brandon’s, is in the vicinity. He arrogantly applauds Lorna’s speech and ushers her and her new friends into the building. The Society of Honorables makes wonderful allies, it seems.
The hubris and greed of Lorna and Brandon’s respective employers push them into making demands that tip the scales from scientific research at any cost into the dregs of proposed murder. Together Lorna and Brandon risk their lives and the lives of those that depend upon them to save the very pregnant Lady Fenton from certain death.
Couples are often prevented from achieving their happily-ever-after because of the dreaded “big mis” or misunderstanding, but who would argue the difficulty of telling the man with whom you are falling in love that you are Blackbird, the notorious grave robber? Even after they make delectable love, Lorna is afraid to share her broken secrets with Brandon, although she savors the memories of their night.
With his mouth and other hand, Brandon set out to explore her like an undiscovered country. He kissed, licked, and stroked a path from sternum to navel, which he treated to a tongue kiss as passionate as those he’d given her mouth . . . “Look at you,” he murmured into the curve of her hip. “Like cream dusted with cocoa.” Her freckles, she realized he meant.
Brandon and Lorna have so very much in common. Unusually passionate about helping others and furthering scientific knowledge, both embracing the sweet joys of the countryside, and unafraid to be different in a time when conformity was almost a religion, these two were destined for each other. When they finally experience the joy of revelation, of intimacy, and of feeling whole, all wrapped up in a fairytale ending, it’s intensely satisfactory. Honor Among Thieves is a romantic version of a very grim (or Grimm) fairytale where the danger and horror of the journey is balanced by the exquisite and hard-fought peace of the ending.
Hallowe’en is the time when readers yearn for the macabre and the other-worldly. Is there a romance that might satisfy that need? Look no further than Elizabeth Boyce's Honor Among Thieves, where impoverished gentlewoman Lorna Robbins and surgeon/medical researcher Brandon Dewhurst meet repeatedly, in the back alleys of London’s East End and also in the sophisticated drawing rooms of the Ton.
The two are honorable, courageous individuals who are grappling with life and death decisions—to wit, the morality of culling and selling corpses to doctors who need them to pursue scientific research. Working with their respective gangs, they compete with each other for bodies…and Lorna’s flair for invisible risk-taking raises the stakes, as when an aristocratic corpse—a “plum specimen”—vanishes from the home of the deceased. Brandon wondered,
How had the other gang done it? He tried to imagine a group of rough, dirty louts waltzing out with a fresh body in front of the deceased woman’s neighbors, but couldn’t conjure the picture. Body snatchers didn’t operate like that. They kept to the dark and scattered like cockroaches at the first sign of trouble.
Brandon decides to investigate the rival gang. He also reluctantly realizes that he’ll have to get his hands dirty and do the skulking in person. His mission, directing the acquisition of bodies for scientific research, is too important to be out-sourced, especially if there’s a new, more successful gang in town. With the exception of his oldest, closest friends from university, who long ago dubbed themselves The Society of Honorables, Brandon is seldom able to relax of an evening. But figuring that even resurrectionists need to wet their whistle, Brandon arranges to meet with his supplier, Slee, at The Fox and Hare. Or was it The Fox and Hound?
A frustrated growl rumbled in his chest. Too many foxes, hares, and hounds—not to mention stags, crowns, and kings—littered the names of establishments. Brandon vowed that if he ever had occasion to own a public house, he would call it The Purple Tortoise.
Providing some much needed comic relief, Brandon’s backhanded sense of humor comes out in his musings and in his conversations with his “Honorable” friends.
Lorna and Brandon start making the rounds of London society at the same time, both tasked with getting close to Lady Fenton, a society matron carrying triplets. The expectation is that she and her unborn children will die in childbirth and Brandon and Lorna’s respective employees want to harvest Lady Fenton’s corpse. Very much on the dark side of the macabre ledger thus far!
Neither Lorna nor Brandon is accustomed to meeting the social expectations of the Little Season—when it comes to conversation, dancing, simply fitting in, they stand out noticeably. Lorna is very uncomfortable at exposing herself to so many people.
After years of living a quiet, country life with Daniel—followed by the harrowing months of tending Thomas, and then dark nights filled with dark work—she felt like a subterranean creature shoved into the light for the first time.
Newly exposed subterranean beings can be quite awkward in society, like during a lively country dance, when Lorna’s dress starts to unravel during a reel. Brandon whisks Lorna off to a quiet room where she can make repairs, but her ruefully joyous laughter at her predicament leads him to take a surprising liberty with her person. Perhaps these two have been living a little too long among the sick and sainted departed! Lorna’s insouciant composure is understandable, however.
There was nothing for it but to laugh. After the things she’d endured with Thomas and her gruesome work with the Crib Cross Gang, losing her bodice in front of a ballroom full of strangers didn’t seem such a catastrophe, after all.
What followed, well, she still wasn’t quite sure what to think. It should not have happened. His hands had no business on her underthings, and his tongue most assuredly ought not to have touched her neck.
Touch wasn’t even the right word for what happened. He’d tasted her. Exhaled hot breath against her. Enveloped her in his warm scent.
In this compelling story, there is no easy way to separate the sinners from the saints. The grave robbers are looking to make a living; the doctors are using cadavers to further medical knowledge. When one afternoon Lorna finds herself in the vicinity of the anatomy school (where Brandon lives and works…so possibly not just happenstance), a lecture is about to start. The public lecture “on advances in the field of obstetrics” is of acute professional interest to two women that are hovering in the doorway. Mrs. Fisher and her companion, Doris Watling, are midwives. The midwives thirst for knowledge, not just for knowledge’s sake, but to learn how to save the lives of their clients, impoverished pregnant women. Here the questionable work of Lorna and Brandon is portrayed as an integral part of the quest to save lives in childbirth. Lorna has had a bellyful of bullying by men and when she and her friends are denied entry, she lets loose.
“The notice says the lecture is open to the public, with no exceptions given. As Mrs. Fisher has rightly pointed out, we are the public. Instead of policing, you should welcome newcomers. You, sir, will not stand in the way of my scientific curiosity,” she finished with a flourish.
Fortuitously, Lord Sheridan, an old friend of Brandon’s, is in the vicinity. He arrogantly applauds Lorna’s speech and ushers her and her new friends into the building. The Society of Honorables makes wonderful allies, it seems.
The hubris and greed of Lorna and Brandon’s respective employers push them into making demands that tip the scales from scientific research at any cost into the dregs of proposed murder. Together Lorna and Brandon risk their lives and the lives of those that depend upon them to save the very pregnant Lady Fenton from certain death.
Couples are often prevented from achieving their happily-ever-after because of the dreaded “big mis” or misunderstanding, but who would argue the difficulty of telling the man with whom you are falling in love that you are Blackbird, the notorious grave robber? Even after they make delectable love, Lorna is afraid to share her broken secrets with Brandon, although she savors the memories of their night.
With his mouth and other hand, Brandon set out to explore her like an undiscovered country. He kissed, licked, and stroked a path from sternum to navel, which he treated to a tongue kiss as passionate as those he’d given her mouth . . . “Look at you,” he murmured into the curve of her hip. “Like cream dusted with cocoa.” Her freckles, she realized he meant.
Brandon and Lorna have so very much in common. Unusually passionate about helping others and furthering scientific knowledge, both embracing the sweet joys of the countryside, and unafraid to be different in a time when conformity was almost a religion, these two were destined for each other. When they finally experience the joy of revelation, of intimacy, and of feeling whole, all wrapped up in a fairytale ending, it’s intensely satisfactory. Honor Among Thieves is a romantic version of a very grim (or Grimm) fairytale where the danger and horror of the journey is balanced by the exquisite and hard-fought peace of the ending.
November 1, 2014
Boyce shows a grittier and "more real" side to the Regency period by focusing on a group of non-titled men (and the women they lurve) whom call themselves The Honorables.
This first installment, focusing on Dr. Brandon Dewhurst, shows the underbelly of the resurrectionist business--the men who robbed graves in order to supply anatomists with bodies to further their research.
Like Boyce's last series (the Once a... series) there is amazingly lush descriptions of the surroundings, clothing, and mannerisms of the time. And, like the previous series, there is some super-hot sex scenes. But this time around, there's more emotional pull (at least for me) and I found myself crying--tears of "oh my gosh!!!"; tears of "that is so sad!!"; tears of "sooooo sweet!!!"
So, romance lovers--read this book, you won't regret it.
You might regret the time it takes for Ms. Boyce to get the next book published. I'm hoping it's Henry!
This first installment, focusing on Dr. Brandon Dewhurst, shows the underbelly of the resurrectionist business--the men who robbed graves in order to supply anatomists with bodies to further their research.
Like Boyce's last series (the Once a... series) there is amazingly lush descriptions of the surroundings, clothing, and mannerisms of the time. And, like the previous series, there is some super-hot sex scenes. But this time around, there's more emotional pull (at least for me) and I found myself crying--tears of "oh my gosh!!!"; tears of "that is so sad!!"; tears of "sooooo sweet!!!"
So, romance lovers--read this book, you won't regret it.
You might regret the time it takes for Ms. Boyce to get the next book published. I'm hoping it's Henry!
October 25, 2014
When I say that Elizabeth Boyce's new novel is dark, think resurrectionist gangs and anatomists struggling to learn the mysteries of the human body. When I say that this book is also fresh and fascinating, imagine how that darker side can compel a Regency story and give it something new. When I say this book is forward, think steamy, intense love scenes and a shocking, dramatic climax. Boyce expertly weaves it all together with page-turning detail and unforgettable characters. It all ended too soon, so I'll just have to get in line for the next in The Honorables series. I hope it's not too long!
December 12, 2014
Ooh a fascinating topic, a fast paced caper, and some HAWT steamy action between the two main characters kept me turning the pages late into the night. I dropped two best-sellers to the side of my bed when I got a hold of Honor Among Thieves and I wasn't disappointed.
I cannot wait to know which of The Honorables we'll get to read about next. I don't know why but I'm predicting Henry. Write like the wind Ms. Boyce, write like the wind!!!
I cannot wait to know which of The Honorables we'll get to read about next. I don't know why but I'm predicting Henry. Write like the wind Ms. Boyce, write like the wind!!!
Read
July 18, 2018An unusual historical romance involving rival resurrectionist gangs and surgeons in need of fresh bodies. The heroine falls into body-snatching out of necessity--as in, she witnesses her brother's grave being robbed, and she realizes if anyone should profit from his corpse, it should be the family he tortured and left in dire straits, not a bunch of strangers--and the hero is a surgeon who takes in stolen bodies. The two are attached to rival gangs, though they initially meet and develop a relationship completely in above-board society interactions.
The book embraces the morbid and the graphic, though I did think the balance it struck in finding humor and unexpected light & goodness was more successful than not. It made me feel all the gratitude for medical science and the history of medical science, and the protagonists were both interesting and dynamic. The opening pages of the book should be an indicator of whether it's too dark for a given reader--the heroine's despicable brother is dying violently of syphilis, and he's assaulting and harassing everyone he can on the way out (his caretaking sister included), and then she learns firsthand of the debts she'll be expected to pay--but there is A LOT to also specifically warn about along the way, including threatened assault, assault, murder, attempted rape, torture, misogyny, racism. Lorna also has what are described as something like panic attacks that I thought were described in pretty harrowing ways. There was too much villain POV for me (granted, my preference in romance novels is zero villain POV), especially because the villain was one-dimensional and goes around literally kicking urchins out of his way and being sexist and racist. There was also some tedious typical romance novel conventions (the hero's gang of five friends who've given themselves a silly group name--the Honorables--and are closer than brothers and naturally will all be falling in love in the succeeding books) that bugged me precisely because there was otherwise a lot of unconventionality to this novel. But I did appreciate that the hero and the heroine operated in interesting moral territory, and that they forged their connection--and found interesting solutions to their challenges--because they bridged different worlds and communities--society, city, country, medical, and criminal.
Dog spoilers.
The book embraces the morbid and the graphic, though I did think the balance it struck in finding humor and unexpected light & goodness was more successful than not. It made me feel all the gratitude for medical science and the history of medical science, and the protagonists were both interesting and dynamic. The opening pages of the book should be an indicator of whether it's too dark for a given reader--the heroine's despicable brother is dying violently of syphilis, and he's assaulting and harassing everyone he can on the way out (his caretaking sister included), and then she learns firsthand of the debts she'll be expected to pay--but there is A LOT to also specifically warn about along the way, including threatened assault, assault, murder, attempted rape, torture, misogyny, racism. Lorna also has what are described as something like panic attacks that I thought were described in pretty harrowing ways. There was too much villain POV for me (granted, my preference in romance novels is zero villain POV), especially because the villain was one-dimensional and goes around literally kicking urchins out of his way and being sexist and racist. There was also some tedious typical romance novel conventions (the hero's gang of five friends who've given themselves a silly group name--the Honorables--and are closer than brothers and naturally will all be falling in love in the succeeding books) that bugged me precisely because there was otherwise a lot of unconventionality to this novel. But I did appreciate that the hero and the heroine operated in interesting moral territory, and that they forged their connection--and found interesting solutions to their challenges--because they bridged different worlds and communities--society, city, country, medical, and criminal.
Dog spoilers.
September 16, 2017
"The corpse thief and the surgeon" is maybe an unexpected concept for a romance, but the author pulls it off beautifully. This book was dark and gritty but utterly gripping and I couldn't put it down (I made my husband sad because I snapped at him when he tried to talk to me, and had to explain it wasn't him, it was OMG this book). I loved the ways the hero and heroine kept getting pulled into each other's universe in their normal lives, it reinforced the idea that they were meant to be despite the bad circumstances they'd come from.
Check this out if you want an unusual historical with a concept you'll never forget!
Check this out if you want an unusual historical with a concept you'll never forget!
October 26, 2014
Elizabeth Boyce has done it again, with another Regency that kept me enjoying every word. If you've read her Once a ... books, this one has a very different feel. Two words: grave robbing. If you are looking for a standard Regency, one that features the necessary, plot-enhancing social gaffe intermixed with polite conversation at balls or a house party, move along because this is not your book. Oh, don't get me wrong, you'll find some of those things in this book, but you'll also find so much more.
While I did enjoy this book, I must admit that this is not my favorite of Boyce's novels to date. That honor goes to Once an Heiress, her second book, which surprised me by how much I found myself drawn to the hero (not my typical reaction in a romance novel, which earned it extra points). It was hard for me to put a finger on why my enjoyment of Honor Among Thieves did not quite live up to how much I've enjoyed Boyce's previous work, and I think it is this:
My favorite kind of reading is series, and I knew going in that Honor Among Thieves was the first of five stories about The Honorables, a group of five friends (one each to be featured in each story). However, I did not feel like The Honorables were given enough airtime, if you will. I hope this isn't too much of a spoiler when I say that they were mentioned throughout, but that the group as a whole did not come into play until near the end. For me, as an avid reader of series and one who loves character development above nearly all else in the series that I read, I would definitely have appreciated an earlier introduction to these characters that I know we will be meeting again. This is probably just my own quirky issue, though, so take it for what you will.
I would recommend Honor Among Thieves to friends, and I am looking forward to the next installment of the Honorables... and wondering who will be featured next!
While I did enjoy this book, I must admit that this is not my favorite of Boyce's novels to date. That honor goes to Once an Heiress, her second book, which surprised me by how much I found myself drawn to the hero (not my typical reaction in a romance novel, which earned it extra points). It was hard for me to put a finger on why my enjoyment of Honor Among Thieves did not quite live up to how much I've enjoyed Boyce's previous work, and I think it is this:
My favorite kind of reading is series, and I knew going in that Honor Among Thieves was the first of five stories about The Honorables, a group of five friends (one each to be featured in each story). However, I did not feel like The Honorables were given enough airtime, if you will. I hope this isn't too much of a spoiler when I say that they were mentioned throughout, but that the group as a whole did not come into play until near the end. For me, as an avid reader of series and one who loves character development above nearly all else in the series that I read, I would definitely have appreciated an earlier introduction to these characters that I know we will be meeting again. This is probably just my own quirky issue, though, so take it for what you will.
I would recommend Honor Among Thieves to friends, and I am looking forward to the next installment of the Honorables... and wondering who will be featured next!
August 26, 2016
5 well deserved stars.
I was looking for something completely different from that last Historical I read. (That was a rom-com that was way too modern for my liking and had lots of made up stuff) Wow, what a difference this book was, especially as it is set almost exactly in the same year !!! Dark and gritty and very real feeling. Fantastic character development throughout and a new author for me who is now an auto buy. The streets of London are described in a very read, gruesome, dirty and 'smelly' way (as they probably were)
The heroine has just buried her half brother who has died mad from syphilis. Back in those days ladies did not generally go to funerals, so she goes to the cemetery that night to 'curse' and 'spit' on his grave, as he left debts of $1500 pounds that she cannot repay. She collapses to the ground a little further away and when she comes to, her brother's body is being stolen from the grave by a motley gang of men and a dog. Therein starts her story. What else could a daughter and sister of a Baron do to earn the money back to pay the debt... (not a spoiler as this all happens in the first chapter)
The hero on the other hand is a surgeon, teaching anatomy at a nearby hospital. He is also one of the recipients of lots of 'stolen' bodies from a different gang. I'm not going to reveal the story any more as you really need to read it for yourself. I couldn't put this book down - it was also very well written.
It is the first in a series. The hero has 4 friends, each with their own books after this one (one has only been released this week - Aug 2016). You can read this book as a stand alone, as the story is completely resolved. I will say the second book (a novella) is quite a light-hearted and fun read, but almost as good. All 5 of the 'Honorables' flit in and out of the books as minor characters.
Also the romance scenes were very steamy and you really felt the love between the h/h - it was beautifully done I thought.
I was looking for something completely different from that last Historical I read. (That was a rom-com that was way too modern for my liking and had lots of made up stuff) Wow, what a difference this book was, especially as it is set almost exactly in the same year !!! Dark and gritty and very real feeling. Fantastic character development throughout and a new author for me who is now an auto buy. The streets of London are described in a very read, gruesome, dirty and 'smelly' way (as they probably were)
The heroine has just buried her half brother who has died mad from syphilis. Back in those days ladies did not generally go to funerals, so she goes to the cemetery that night to 'curse' and 'spit' on his grave, as he left debts of $1500 pounds that she cannot repay. She collapses to the ground a little further away and when she comes to, her brother's body is being stolen from the grave by a motley gang of men and a dog. Therein starts her story. What else could a daughter and sister of a Baron do to earn the money back to pay the debt... (not a spoiler as this all happens in the first chapter)
The hero on the other hand is a surgeon, teaching anatomy at a nearby hospital. He is also one of the recipients of lots of 'stolen' bodies from a different gang. I'm not going to reveal the story any more as you really need to read it for yourself. I couldn't put this book down - it was also very well written.
It is the first in a series. The hero has 4 friends, each with their own books after this one (one has only been released this week - Aug 2016). You can read this book as a stand alone, as the story is completely resolved. I will say the second book (a novella) is quite a light-hearted and fun read, but almost as good. All 5 of the 'Honorables' flit in and out of the books as minor characters.
Also the romance scenes were very steamy and you really felt the love between the h/h - it was beautifully done I thought.
April 17, 2015
Full review on my blog which can be found at http://bit.ly/1qKuiSE
I know this is a book that will stay with me long after I finished reading it. The writing, the character development and the plot were all superb but these are not the main reasons why this book will stick in my memory. It was the world that Elizabeth Boyce chose as her setting for Honor Among Thieves, the underbelly or dark-side to Edwardian medical advances.
Set in 1816 this book exposes the reader to the familiar world of the ton in only brief glimpses; it isn’t a historical romance about ballroom dances, dashing dukes and blushing debutantes. Instead, from the very first chapter the reader is shown a world were morality becomes a decidedly grey area with both Brandon and Lorna being drawn further and further into the seedy world of Edwardian grave robbing.
“He lived amongst the dead and fought to save the dying. He had seen men’s intestines spill from their bellies and had sawed off limbs without flinching while his patients screamed. There was little left in the surgical world that bothered him, but the pregnant ones got him every time”
I loved reading about this world with its gruesome and realistic portrayals of resurrectionists in the early eighteen-hundreds, a world that Elizabeth Boyce doesn't shy away from describing...
I know this is a book that will stay with me long after I finished reading it. The writing, the character development and the plot were all superb but these are not the main reasons why this book will stick in my memory. It was the world that Elizabeth Boyce chose as her setting for Honor Among Thieves, the underbelly or dark-side to Edwardian medical advances.
Set in 1816 this book exposes the reader to the familiar world of the ton in only brief glimpses; it isn’t a historical romance about ballroom dances, dashing dukes and blushing debutantes. Instead, from the very first chapter the reader is shown a world were morality becomes a decidedly grey area with both Brandon and Lorna being drawn further and further into the seedy world of Edwardian grave robbing.
“He lived amongst the dead and fought to save the dying. He had seen men’s intestines spill from their bellies and had sawed off limbs without flinching while his patients screamed. There was little left in the surgical world that bothered him, but the pregnant ones got him every time”
I loved reading about this world with its gruesome and realistic portrayals of resurrectionists in the early eighteen-hundreds, a world that Elizabeth Boyce doesn't shy away from describing...
February 2, 2015
Elizabeth Boyce astounds me with her wordsmithing, and I read everything she writes. So when is a romance more than a romance? When it's suspenseful, ripe with three-dimensional characters, and a creepy, heinous antagonist the reader doesn't see coming. Throw in grave-robbing and a desperate protagonist and you have a story that crosses genres, capturing the best of all. I know a story is good when I look forward to sliding into bed each night to return to where I left off the night before. This story opens with a remarkable chapter that truly sets the stage, and the story just escalates and blooms from there. There's mystery and sensuality, historical accuracy and twists. All in all, my kind of read.
March 2, 2015
This book is excellent. Highly recommended to anyone who likes historical romances but doesn't want to read more of the same old tropes. I love how many great, non-formulaic novels have been coming out in the past few years.
July 30, 2017
It's probably a 2.5 and that's not a reflection of the quality of writing, which is very good. I loved the concept of grave-robbing and it added some unique flair to this tale, but at its heart this story is a very traditionally heterosexual romance with total HEA. Just not really my jam. (But it did make me want to read other books about "resurrection men" in the early 1800s!)
However, for people (wait, who am I kidding - for women) for whom it IS their jam, this is an original entry and will probably be pretty enjoyable. The two main characters are nicely thought out, have some emotional backstory that deepens them, and are self-aware enough not to make you roll your eyes as they relate to each other and face the challenges in the narrative. The historical detail seems spot on (I'm not an expert) and the dialogue as well as descriptive bits use language appropriate for the time period, which is nice consistency. The few sex scenes included were explicit but tasteful.
I enjoyed the beginning, which focuses more on the grave robbing and dissection aspects, than the second half, which focuses on the romance. I don't think I'll read others by this author but I can see why she's popular.
However, for people (wait, who am I kidding - for women) for whom it IS their jam, this is an original entry and will probably be pretty enjoyable. The two main characters are nicely thought out, have some emotional backstory that deepens them, and are self-aware enough not to make you roll your eyes as they relate to each other and face the challenges in the narrative. The historical detail seems spot on (I'm not an expert) and the dialogue as well as descriptive bits use language appropriate for the time period, which is nice consistency. The few sex scenes included were explicit but tasteful.
I enjoyed the beginning, which focuses more on the grave robbing and dissection aspects, than the second half, which focuses on the romance. I don't think I'll read others by this author but I can see why she's popular.
December 15, 2017
4.5 with the extra half point for Victorian anatomy drawing and grave robbery. I did overall quite enjoy this silly romp, though was a bit troubled by the condescending male physician in regard to her panic attacks. while it's nice to see panic attacks portrayed at all and his point of view is likely accurate to the period, it was still paternalistic and a bit uncomfortable. That said.. grave robbery and romance and a fabulous hound dog who made me cry. Dog lovers beware- it's ok, and ends happily, but there is still eventually doggy death of old age.
June 15, 2017
Undecided
I'm giving it a 4 star because I was entertained. I'm still wondering if I liked it. The main characters personalities are discernible. Some of the others are not developed. It's about resurrection men selling corpses to anatomy doctors for dissection. Attempted rape, some murders and vulgarity. Not a pg rating. I read the whole thing. I was entertained.
I'm giving it a 4 star because I was entertained. I'm still wondering if I liked it. The main characters personalities are discernible. Some of the others are not developed. It's about resurrection men selling corpses to anatomy doctors for dissection. Attempted rape, some murders and vulgarity. Not a pg rating. I read the whole thing. I was entertained.
March 18, 2019
I couldn’t bear to finish this book, but forced myself to finish it. I am appalled at the violence and cruelty.
I read historical fiction as a pleasant escape I could just watch the evening news if I wanted to be traumatized.
I read historical fiction as a pleasant escape I could just watch the evening news if I wanted to be traumatized.
June 10, 2025
The sexual violence and first person writing from the point of view of a murderer and rapist was just unreadable. It was a pretty horrifying addition to an otherwise thoughtful romance novel. I’m not finishing and will not read the rest of the series
January 2, 2019
An absolute Favorite. One of the books that got me reading again for fun.
June 29, 2022
Excited to continue the series and this new (to me) author.
October 23, 2014
Honor Among Thieves is an unusual historical romance, one that's in the same vein as Brenda Novak’s A Matter of Grave Concern. The heroine in Honor Among Thieves reluctantly joins a group of resurrection men when her elder brother leaves her family in steep debt. In order to repay these loans, Lorna Robbins needs ready cash yesterday. Due to her higher social station she can gain information and access to corpses that most resurrection men cannot. Before long, Lorna and her band of men are snagging all the best corpses in London. Unfortunately, this success brings suspicion, making it more difficult to keep her secret life as Blackbird separate from her life as Lorna Robbins.
Complicating matters is Brandon Dewhurst, a younger son who became a surgeon. At the behest of his mentor, Brandon has been purchasing specimens from resurrection men to further the study of pregnancy. This is certainly not a job Brandon relishes, but he is aware of the advancements that this research could bring to women. The only trouble is that Brandon’s supply has diminished because of the success of the mysterious Blackbird and her gang of men.
When Brandon and Lorna meet, sparks fly; however, their romance is put on hold with Lorna’s secrets. It’s hard to romance a girl, when she’s off stealing bodies (and when you have no idea that this is what she's doing in her spare time).
In all honestly, I feel on the fence about Honor Among Thieves. There were elements that I liked, and there were elements that I thought were not so good. What I liked about this one was the uniqueness of the storyline. In most historical romances the leads are well-to-do or there’s a Cinderella story element to it. This is not the case here. Lorna is deeply in debt and Brandon is a simple surgeon. Yes, he’s got a stable income, but he’s not rolling in the dough. Brandon is not riding in on a white horse and saving Lorna by covering the cost of her debt. This setup is great; I like that these characters had more of a “working class” feel to them. They were still part of the upper crust, but they had much more to worry about than ton gossip.
I also liked the focus on resurrection man. After reading the disappointing A Matter of Grave Concern, I was intrigued by those that stole bodies for science. The immediate, visceral reaction to this is that it is repellent and wrong; however, in Honor Among Thieves, I thought the motivation was explained, and explained well. The abhorrent act of stealing someone's body is for the greater good. Without these corpses to study, surgeons would have no understanding of how the human body works or how to save lives. Getting the surgeon's perspective on this issue was great and necessary considering this was the heroine's "job".
What I was not a fan of here was the sensationalism that continued to crop up. The last third of the book really went over-the-top with it's villain and violence. The villain was introduced late, and his actions towards women, seemed to come from nowhere and seemed to be added for shock value rather than for the sake of the plot. The grave robber Slee seemed to hate women, but the violence that was shown here felt out of place after reading the first two thirds of the book.
I also felt that there could have been greater development of the main characters. Lorna and Brandon were interesting and unique characters in the realm of historical romance and I would have loved for that to have been explored more. It was continually stated that they both had baggage, but I never really got the sense that their past experiences influenced their present actions.
The romance itself was fairly tame, and although I did feel that it was grounded in an instant attraction, I think the author did a good job of showing how this connection grew as these characters got to know one another. Personally, I would have liked to have spent a little more time with the characters after Lorna’s secrets were revealed, but it did resolve itself nicely.
Ultimately, Honor Among Thieves was a solid read in the historical romance genre and I appreciate the fact that this was a departure from the normal historical setting. If you can get past the over-the-top villain, I think readers will find the uniqueness of the plot interesting and refreshing.
Originally published with similar reads at The Book Adventures.
*Review copy provided by the publisher via Edelweiss.
Complicating matters is Brandon Dewhurst, a younger son who became a surgeon. At the behest of his mentor, Brandon has been purchasing specimens from resurrection men to further the study of pregnancy. This is certainly not a job Brandon relishes, but he is aware of the advancements that this research could bring to women. The only trouble is that Brandon’s supply has diminished because of the success of the mysterious Blackbird and her gang of men.
When Brandon and Lorna meet, sparks fly; however, their romance is put on hold with Lorna’s secrets. It’s hard to romance a girl, when she’s off stealing bodies (and when you have no idea that this is what she's doing in her spare time).
In all honestly, I feel on the fence about Honor Among Thieves. There were elements that I liked, and there were elements that I thought were not so good. What I liked about this one was the uniqueness of the storyline. In most historical romances the leads are well-to-do or there’s a Cinderella story element to it. This is not the case here. Lorna is deeply in debt and Brandon is a simple surgeon. Yes, he’s got a stable income, but he’s not rolling in the dough. Brandon is not riding in on a white horse and saving Lorna by covering the cost of her debt. This setup is great; I like that these characters had more of a “working class” feel to them. They were still part of the upper crust, but they had much more to worry about than ton gossip.
I also liked the focus on resurrection man. After reading the disappointing A Matter of Grave Concern, I was intrigued by those that stole bodies for science. The immediate, visceral reaction to this is that it is repellent and wrong; however, in Honor Among Thieves, I thought the motivation was explained, and explained well. The abhorrent act of stealing someone's body is for the greater good. Without these corpses to study, surgeons would have no understanding of how the human body works or how to save lives. Getting the surgeon's perspective on this issue was great and necessary considering this was the heroine's "job".
What I was not a fan of here was the sensationalism that continued to crop up. The last third of the book really went over-the-top with it's villain and violence. The villain was introduced late, and his actions towards women, seemed to come from nowhere and seemed to be added for shock value rather than for the sake of the plot. The grave robber Slee seemed to hate women, but the violence that was shown here felt out of place after reading the first two thirds of the book.
I also felt that there could have been greater development of the main characters. Lorna and Brandon were interesting and unique characters in the realm of historical romance and I would have loved for that to have been explored more. It was continually stated that they both had baggage, but I never really got the sense that their past experiences influenced their present actions.
The romance itself was fairly tame, and although I did feel that it was grounded in an instant attraction, I think the author did a good job of showing how this connection grew as these characters got to know one another. Personally, I would have liked to have spent a little more time with the characters after Lorna’s secrets were revealed, but it did resolve itself nicely.
Ultimately, Honor Among Thieves was a solid read in the historical romance genre and I appreciate the fact that this was a departure from the normal historical setting. If you can get past the over-the-top villain, I think readers will find the uniqueness of the plot interesting and refreshing.
Originally published with similar reads at The Book Adventures.
*Review copy provided by the publisher via Edelweiss.
May 8, 2015
4.5/5.0
This is a delightful cat and mouse story where the reader stays on the edge of his seat waiting to see if Brandon uncovers Lorna’s secret.
Read full review in the 2015 May issue of InD'tale Magazine.
This is a delightful cat and mouse story where the reader stays on the edge of his seat waiting to see if Brandon uncovers Lorna’s secret.
Read full review in the 2015 May issue of InD'tale Magazine.
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