The One-Night Heist

Stolen Art, Stolen Hearts #1

by C. Rochelle

For fans of Knives Out, The Thomas Crown Affair, White Collar, The Art Thief, and The Mastermind, with the humor of The Blonde Identity mixed in, this dark MM rom-com asks, how much will you risk to get everything you’ve ever wanted?

As the sole heir to his family’s estate, Giancarlo Luxford is focused on one Auctioning off his late mother’s art collection to the highest bidder. A chance encounter with an ex-con has him setting his sights on a new goal, and nothing—not even the threat of mutual destruction—will stand in his way.

Longtime grifter Rowen Quincy only cares about the game, but after one too many bad decisions, he finds himself in a tight spot, dreaming of escape. Billionaire Giancarlo Luxford seems like an easy mark, and a ticket out of his situation, but this one-time heist may end up becoming the longest con of all.

IF YOU LOVE (a full list of Content, Tropes & Triggers to come on the author's website!):

Standalone Art Heist Adventure

Contemporary MM Romance

Monopoly Man + Con-man

Insta-Obsession & Mutual Destruction

(Lovers-to-) Enemies-to-Lovers (one-sided, really)

A Con Gone Wrong

Forced Proximity & Cat and Mouse Pursuit

Secret Relationship & Partners in Crime

So. Much. TENSION.

Unhinged Humor & Scorching Spice

Betrayal and Redemption

“Stop running from me!”

Corporate Villain Takedown (EAT THE RICH)

Then risk it all with The One-Night Heist!

—The One-Night Heist is book 1 in the Stolen Art, Stolen Hearts series of interconnected, contemporary romance standalones. Each book will see a different queer couple finding their HEA.

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Contemporary, LGBT, Enemies To Lovers, Forced Proximity, Contemporary Romance

398 pages, Paperback

First published August 28, 2026

About the author

Laugh, Cry & Clench Your Thighs!

Stay connected by joining my Clubhouse of Smut on Patreon, my Little Sinners FB Group, subscribing to my newsletter, and lovingly st@lking me in all the places: https://c-rochelle.com/

C. Rochelle here! I’m a naughty but sweet, introverted, Aquarius weirdo who believes a sharp sense of humor is the sexiest trait, loves shaking my booty to Prince, and have never met a cheese I didn’t like. Oh, and I write spicy Paranormal/Sci-Fi/Monster Why Choose + MM, MFF & MMF romance with dark, naughty humor and a #loveislove mentality.

Reviews

[Elizabeth]

Unconventional billionaire meets convicted art thief in this high stakes novel of finding love amid an art heist. The billionaire, Giano, has a serious obsession with the colour orange. His first love is Poppy #5, a Klimt painting featuring orange poppies in a green field. His second and most important insta-love is Rowen Quincy, a ginger haired consultant with the FBI's Art Crime team.

Against all reason, and despite, or because of, the danger emanating from his presence, I wanted this mysterious, achingly beautiful man. Not only to admire in an abstract sense, as I had with Poppy #5, but to make him mine.
Something just for me.

Giano's filthy rich, but his assets aren't liquid enough to spend in ways that are important to him. Enter Rowen, who can help Giano temporarily liberate some of his art to increase its value at auction. I will avoid all spoilers by leaving it there, but I'll just say that the book splits its time pretty evenly between the twisty plot and relationship building between Giano and Rowen.

Rowen agreed to my schemes because he missed his former life of crime, and against all good sense, I wanted to help him reclaim his former glory while protecting him with every resource I had at my disposal.
Anything he wants, he can have it.

I picked up The One-Night Heist because I adore heist movies (Oceans 11, The Italian Job, there's so many great ones to pick from...) and art history. I was hoping for a ton of art references and a plot full of twists and turns and intrigue. The book was fairly well written and will probably deliver for most. It would've been such a fun read if I hadn't intensely disliked Rowen's character. He's pushy, entitled, petulant, boorish and a bit of an asshat at every opportunity. He calls himself a dirtbag and I’m not arguing. He had a rough upbringing and these behaviours are his coping mechanisms. I personally didn't see much personal growth throughout the book- he kind of is who he is, take it or leave it. I would happily leave it but Giano takes one look at him and knows he's the one for him.

Giancarlo Luxford thought he was playing it cool, but the man practically had heart emojis blasting out of his eyeballs when he looked at me. The worst part was he clearly thought what he mistakenly felt was real. It’s because he doesn’t actually know me at all.

Giano is an unusual billionaire. He's a hopeless romantic, stuck in the unenviable position of hiding his sexuality and how much he loathes popular society. When he meets Rowen, he's struck by this instantaneous sense of possession and want. Insta-lust isn't my favourite trope in the world, so I had a hard time understanding the attraction. I think I'm going to be in the minority here, so probably just ignore my review and rating and go enjoy the book. The slavish devotion to a man he just met wasn't for me, especially when Rowen wasn't very nice to him. Giano spent the majority of the book trying to prove to Rowen how worthy he was of love, and all the while I was giving him major side eye. I did really like Mrs. Robert A. Winchester and Bob Decatur, who were both delightful side characters.

Despite everything, including common sense, I trusted this longtime art thief and self-proclaimed con man. I knew exactly how foolish that sounded on paper, but I couldn’t bring myself to believe the worst of Rowen, especially as I had the feeling it was what most people who encountered him did.

Rating: 3 stars
Angst: /5 I'm not giving a # for this one because I don't think I can rate it impartially. While I spent most of the book glaring at my kindle, I don't think it was very high angst.
Steam: 2/5

I received an advance copy of this book and this is my honest review.

[Kati *☆･ﾟ]

***no rating***
dropped @35%


i read one book by this author before (it might’ve been her debut) and i remember having the time of my life with it. well, until i didn’t. back then the MCs’ (sexual) dynamic just wasn’t working for me. sadly, i had the same issue here. i can’t tell you exactly why but as soon as Rowen and Giancarlo started to get intimate i wasn’t vibing with it anymore. pity, really. it sounded like a lot of fun.

so, it seems to be me, not the book.

also, i don’t like when characters in first-person pov so obviously withhold information from the reader for suspense sake. write it differently so the whole thing comes as a surprise or fucking tell me!


tho the general part about the art heists so far was very interesting.

[ivanareadsalot]

I would like to thank GRR for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

🖼️💰⌚

This was magnificent OMGdddddd I could have read this into 2027 and still cry for more!
This
Was
My first
C. Rochelle
But this definitely won't be my last. Rochelle's narrative was electric, compelling, and delightful, with tons of indulgent, charming-rogue energy to it. I look forward to becoming a vibrational match to Sprezza-slut because how aspirational fr!

I loooooove a luscious con/heist romance, and The One-Night Heist was beyond perfection! The energy gave me stars in my eyes! The romance was gorgeous, rom-com fun, and both MCs were charismatic and beyond easy-to-love! Rowen was a smooth and sassy operator, and Giano was downy soft despite the billionaire façade. I adored them both.

I will never get enough of an orphan (Rowen) WITH slick hands and a slicker hustle, protecting a yearning yet self-sabotaging heart that was made for loving. This dude was a menace with his emotions and omg his back and forth swings were making me mental! But Rowen's chaotic head-to-heart-space energy was understood, and I just wanted the best for him!

And I LOVE an on sight, down-bad babe (Giano) with secret, philanthropic endeavours, and a heart worth more than his billions.

I could watch this movie! They were just so delicious together! Rowen and Giano's chemistry was off the charts and the wayyy they'd made kissing so intimate…like they were devouring each other's hearts through their lusty emotional mouths and I was feral for their every juicy, lickable moment!

Ugh Rowen and Giano were both so precious, and also spicy hottttttttt, and stg aiiiiii'll be hungry for the rest of this series until I'm a ghost…haunting a homie to pick up installment #984 because please I NEVER WANTED THIS BOOK TO END SO CAN THIS SERIES ALSO BE FOR ALL ETERNITY PLEASE & THANKS!!!

[martina (the life of a chaotic reader)]

Time of death: 21%

Cause of death: boredom

Important notes: horrible character names

[˗ˏˋ ꒰ cait ꒱ ˎˊ˗]

dnf

received arc in exchange for an honest review

[holli chance]

this just wasn’t the read for me, and i guess i’ll start with the title, which is misleading. the actual one-night “heist” itself is more like a one-page heist, with zero build-up. the planning, usually one of the most fun bits of heist stories, is only mentioned after the conversation about it takes place, told rather than shown, which i found to be a common occurrence throughout the book. it struck me as odd that the heist happened as early on in the book as it did, the rest of the story focusing on the aftermath that ended up being somewhat unnecessary, to put it as spoiler-free as possible.

my main, and the most glaring, problem, however, is how there was a character’s thought (ie, when indicated by italics instead of the standard, general narration of a book) after almost every other paragraph. while that’s fun to have on an occasional basis in a book, the vast majority of these extra thoughts could’ve easily either a) simply been grouped in with the rest of the narration and made just as much sense, or b) been cut out altogether without losing any substance. i know this because i got to the point where they annoyed me so much i simply began skipping over the italicized thoughts. at first, i thought maybe it was just the one character whose pov was chapter 1, but when both characters narrated like that it was definitely overkill.

to add to that, there were also far too many italicized words per page, the kind intended for emphasis which, again, is fine in moderation. this got frustrating, too, and i finally just began skimming the book and focused mainly on parts with dialogue. even in doing so, i didn’t really miss much of the storyline, especially since the characters never mentioned to the reader what they were doing until after it had already been done (again, telling vs. showing). i get that sometimes this can be a fun reveal, the reader finding something out when the other main character does, but it can also lack in suspense when we don’t get the time to anticipate how the other character will react. again, this is something that’s understandable a couple times in a book, for shock factor or as a plot twist or device, but it happened enough times in this one that it got both boring and confusing; a character referencing something he did without elaborating on what that was; i had to go back a handful of times to see if i’d missed something but it was just both characters keeping things from the reader.

as for the story itself, there was never a legitimate reason for the heist to be necessary in the first place. even one of the characters mentions as much as things get resolved toward the end. this includes a random trip to italy, which rowen is staunchly against having to travel to when he’s the whole reason for it in the first place. characters who’d never before been mentioned suddenly show up in the last third of the book, and characters who’d rarely been mentioned suddenly play a large role that makes things a bit less satisfying. information about one mc’s past is revealed so late in the story that, had the reader known sooner, would’ve helped us make sense of his motivations.

when giano bought rowen a $55k watch like it didn’t make a dent in his bank account and yet needed his art collection to be “stolen” so he could get the insurance money that he clearly didn’t need, i was very confused and frustrated. i still finished (skimming) the book, only to find that all the build-up from the (superbly long) “tropes” list in the front matter rarely came to fruition. it made it sound like a major theme would be “eat the rich,” but really aside from rowen wearing a shirt with that phrase one time, everything from giano’s pov mentioned what i assume to be expensive brand names with a cavalier, everyday attitude. i get that he’d never known anything else in his privileged life, but he never really came around to shunning his expensive tastes & lifestyle. what’s more is how rowen seemed perfectly fine to have an hea with a rich guy in the end after hating them throughout the rest of the book, so there was nowhere near as prominent of an anti-billionaire theme as we were led to believe. the front matter list also led me to believe the book would be funnier than it ended up being.

there was also some other woman drama, unnecessary and confusing miscommunication that a single text would’ve fixed, and a confusing “i hate you so let’s hang out” back-and-forth that i didn’t quite get. a lot of that could’ve been either avoided or, at the very least, explained to the reader by letting us in on what one of the characters was up to instead of telling us after the fact.

i’m so sorry for the negative review, but this was a hard one for me. i felt let down that this is supposed to be a story about a heist but in the end has very little to do with the actual events of said heist. thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[⋆★taylor★⋆]

aggghhh I stopped at around 40%

-I just did not like Rowen
-the jillion italicized internal thoughts while we’re already in first person were really annoying me

I loved Villainous Things & Villains in Space but this was just not working for me 😔

[Lily Suzanne]

3.5 stars

I would have rated this one higher if the first 3/4’s of the book was as good as the last 1/4. I really liked both Giano and Rowen, they worked well together but I expected more. The heist was boring and based on the numerous tropes and triggers (the lists feel like they are both longer than the book), I expected the sex to be filthier, the crimes to be riskier and just way more exciting.

This is no where near Ocean’s 11, this is one heist that lasts a few pages and then there’s the rest of the story which is more relationship based. I would love that normally but it was just meh. Once they get to Florence it gets way more exciting. Mick, Rowen’s foster brother is a joy and I love how he needles Franz, Giano’s long time friend and art dealer. I’m excited for their book.

I loved the twist at the end of the book and the epilogue was sweet. I wish we had more of that, of these two learning to be a couple. I would’ve loved them doing a heist together, one where they are physically pulling off together.

ARC received for review
All thoughts and opinions are my own

[Jen (Fae_Princess_in_Space)]

That was a fun, spicy and fast paced read! As someone who is absolutely fascinated with heists of all kinds (thanks Buzzfeed Unsolved) this really hit the spot for me - the author says she’s been through a heist hyper-fixation which inspired the book and it shows! I love all the fun little Easter eggs that are littered throughout the story!

It follows ex(ish) conman Rowen Quincey (yes Rowen not Rowan, it bothered me too 😹) and billionaire Giancarlo Luxford. despite being one of the top 1%, Giancarlo desperately needs to raise money due to the insanely strict rules his late mother left on his trust fund after her passing. He decides to do this by hiring Rowen to heist his own paintings, driving their value up so he can make maximum bucks at auction and stick it to his deceased overbearing mother.

This story takes us through the wealthy upper echelons of NYC to the streets of Florence as the boys try to ‘find’ the ‘missing’ artworks. We have brand names dropping everywhere and flights on private jets; very sumptuous.

There is a serious class difference between Rowen and Giano and Rowen brings it up A LOT, which is fair, but Giano does his best to offset this (and honestly I think a $54k watch does the trick). They have a sub/dom dynamic which they regularly switch which I thought was very interesting as I haven’t seen a lot of that dynamic. It helps to offset the disparity between them, as they mix up their relationship’s power balance depending entirely on the mood.

The reason it looses a star is simply that I just didn’t get the twist and the ramifications for the book’s plot: SPOILERS INCOMING STOP READING IF YOU DON’T WANT SPOILERS. Okay so there are strict rules placed on Giano’s money because his late mother knew he was gay, and the restrictions would only lift if Giano married and had children. But the twist is Giano himself is adopted (from the same place as Rowen was… but wouldn’t they have known each other as kids?? This is never explained… But I digress…) so if his mother was happy with Giano carrying on the ‘family line’ as an adopted child why the hell wouldn’t she have been cool with Giano marrying a man and adopting a kid himself?? But obviously we need that conflict from the mother for the plot to work… it just seemed like a massive plot hole to me 🤷🏻‍♀️ But, the vibes otherwise were pretty immaculate, so I’ll only dock one star!!

Read One Night Heist for:
✨ MM romantic suspense
✨ Inside job art heist
✨ Ex(ish) Conman x Billionaire
✨ Class difference
✨ Dom/sub switch dynamics
✨ High-flying lifestyle
✨ NYC & Florence
✨ Found crime family
✨ So much irl heist trivia!

Thank you to GRR for an ARC of this book; it’s available on 28th Aug 🎨

[Jordan Fischer | julietfoxreads]

Omg The One Night Heist was DELIGHTFUL! A billionaire and an art thief with heist shenanigans, this book is full of banter and some delicious spice. Rowen and Giancarlo have an unconventional relationship, but they are into each other IMMEDIATELY so they just have to spend the rest of the book figuring out how to make that work (despite some delulu on both sides). I had forgotten how much I love @c.rochelle_author’s writing style, its funny and irreverent with fun characters and very low angst. And omg, I’m really hoping there’s more to come because there are some side characters that I need more from 👀👀.

I will admit I read the last 25% at 3 am this morning on NyQuil so that bit feels like a fever dream, but a FUN fever dream? Anyways, this book is OUT NOW and if you’re looking for a fun read that’ll make you laugh and that’s a little bit different from what’s out there, YOU NEED THIS ONE.

[Lana]

💸 MONEYBAGS & HIS MENACE 🎨

My inner artist was living her BEST FUCKING LIFE with this one. 😂🎨 Seriously, give me art, a heist, two ridiculously intriguing men and C. Rochelle’s particular brand of quirky, witty, snarky chaos and apparently I am a very happy little book gremlin. 🤣

There’s just something about C. Rochelle’s writing that does things to my brain. It feels like it operates on the same slightly unhinged wavelength as I do — the humour, the random little references, the banter, the chaos… GIMME. 🙌😂 And while going back to work after summer break meant it took me longer to read this than I wanted, I was completely mesmerised every time I picked it back up.

And then there’s Rowen and Giano. 🥵🔥

Two men from completely different worlds who, on paper, really shouldn’t work… but MAN OH MAN, DO THEY FUCKING WORK. The chemistry between these two was absolutely insane from the beginning. The banter. The tension. The flirting. The push and pull. Rowen kept trying to push Giano away and Giano was basically like yeahhhh, that’s not happening. 😂 The man was determined and I was LIVING for it.

Usually one MC manages to worm his way a little further into my heart, but these two? DON’T MAKE ME CHOOSE. 😭😂 I adored all their little quirks and couldn't get enough of the way they bounced off each other. I also loved the exploration of their Dom/sub dynamic 👀🔥, especially as beneath all that sass and stubbornness were two men hiding their own secrets and wounds. Somewhere amongst the art theft and questionable decisions, there was a surprising amount of healing and growth too. 🥹❤️

And THE ART. 😍🎨 The references sprinkled throughout this book made my little artist heart ridiculously happy. Add in a heist, twists I did NOT see coming, fantastic side characters and enough chemistry to spontaneously combust an art museum, and yeah… I was having a fucking GREAT time. 😂🔥

Basically, C. Rochelle said art heist romance, threw in chaos, secrets, ridiculous banter, emotional damage and two men who absolutely should not fit together but somehow fit perfectly… and I said WHERE DO I SIGN? 🖼️🔐❤️

Now I need more from this world because Mick and Daddy Pinstripes… 👀 I HAVE QUESTIONS. 😂

*I received a complimentary copy of this book but this is my honest and voluntary review!*

[GiveMeBooksOrGiveMeDeath]

I knew I was going to love this book before reading it and I was absolutely right. Once again C. Rochelle writes another banger. Some of my favorite things to have in a story is tension and yearning between characters, and this book delivered. You can feel it from the moment Giano and Quincy meat, they feel instant obsession for each other. What could a billionaire and a “ex” conman possibly have in common? Apparently a lot. It doesn’t hurt they both want to tear each other’s clothes off every time they meet. While Giano is 100% gone for this man, Quincy takes a while to come to terms with his feelings. And we all get to enjoy the show as they use their bodies to convey those feelings before their hearts do. And the spice did not disappoint, there is even a bonus scene after the book available to download. (DO IT!) The banter between MMCs is delicious as well. And of course, there is a very happy ending. (a few in fact) ;) Overall I really enjoyed this book and I would highly recommend giving it a read, especially if you like her other books I can assure you this one won’t disappoint.

Tropes: Billionaire x Conman, Forced Proximity, One-sided Enemies To Lovers, Insta-obsession, “Yes, Mr.Quincy”
Con Gone Wrong, “Eat The Rich”

Story 5/5
Spice 4/5

[LauraSt]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Five freaking fantastic stars because WHAT DO YOU MEAN I AM THIS IN LOVE WITH THESE TWO???

Gio and Rowen were absolutely everything. I was hooked from page one. The internal monologues are so funny and quirky, the banter is fantastic, and Giancarlo being so completely DOWN BAD and obsessed with Rowen made me absolutely feral.

This man said Mr. Quincy and apparently I lost all ability to function.

And the best part is THEY’RE BOTH OBSESSED. Gio might be the more obvious one, but Rowen is just as gone for this man and watching these two circle each other while pretending they have anything resembling self-control was DELICIOUS.

AND THEN YOU’RE TELLING ME THEY’RE BOTH SWITCHES???

The versatility! The chemistry! The way these two want each other! 🔥 Some of those scenes had me literally SCREAMING. Thank you for your service, C.

But underneath all the heat and chaos, Rowen’s character development is what really carried me through this book.

This man has so many walls. So many hangups about what he deserves, what he can trust, and what happens when you actually let someone close enough to hurt you. Watching him slowly put those walls down and realize that maybe he DOES deserve to be wanted, cared for, and loved without waiting for the catch absolutely got me.

And Gio is basically standing there like PLEASE LET ME GIVE YOU THE ENTIRE FREAKING WORLD, while at the same time never having BEEN TRULY LOVED BEFORE!

Watching Rowen finally allow himself to FREEFALL and trust that Gio would actually catch him???

I WAS IN MY FREAKING FEELINGS. 😭

Because it wasn’t just Rowen admitting that he wanted him. It was Rowen finally trusting someone enough to stop protecting himself from the possibility of being happy.

Meanwhile, around this beautiful emotional destruction, WE’RE DOING A FREAKING HEIST.

The billionaire/con man/hidden secrets/partners in crime/EAT THE RICH plot was SO MUCH FUN. There was always another secret, another piece of the puzzle, another moment where I was trying to figure out who knew what and what the hell was actually happening. The entire heist storyline kept me completely engaged without taking away from the romance.

AND THE SIDE CHARACTERS.

MICK. 😂

The few times this man showed up, I knew I was going to laugh. I am absolutely going to be waiting for his book because I already know the level of chaos that man is going to bring and I NEED IT.

This book really gave me everything I wanted. The obsession. The tension. The ridiculous chemistry. The vulnerability. The character development. The heist. The secrets. The humor. The spice. THE SWITCHINESSS. 🔥 And underneath all of it, two people who desperately want each other learning that wanting someone and actually trusting them with yourself are two completely different things.

Gio and Rowen, I am OBSESSED with you.

Mr. Quincy 🤌🏼 Sir, yes sir.

Five freaking stars. READ IT. READ IT. READ IT!

[Jacqueleen the Reading Queen♡]

"𝚂𝚞𝚛𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎, 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎. 𝙷𝚎'𝚜 𝚊 𝚜𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚢 𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚋𝚒𝚝𝚌𝚑."

Most of what I've read from C. Rochelle has not been in the contemporary genre, but after reading this book I can tell you she does human relationships just as good as supes ;). Ro and Giano were both Dom, yet babygirl. The way in which they switched roles was such an interesting aspect of their relationship. They were so in sync, like it was something they'd done for years, not weeks.

"𝙳𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚖𝚢 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚙𝚞𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜, 𝚖𝚢 𝚐𝚘𝚊𝚕 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚁𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗𝚏𝚊𝚕𝚕. 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚖, 𝚢𝚎𝚜, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙 𝚖𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚘 𝚙𝚒𝚎𝚌𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚘𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗."

Ro fought fricken hard. As in, ostrich head meet sand. His life has taught him to never need anyone and it's terrifying for him to ever think of what being vulnerable with someone else could do to him. And the moments when he showed it with Giano? OMG my heart! Those moments were just so sweet.

Plotwise there were a few twists I didn't expect. Some parts went places I did not see coming, such as the couple lined up for the next in this series. I'm definitely interested in seeing what a proper gentleman like Franz and a guy like Mick get up to behind closed doors! And of course if Mick ever gets to do his painting.

[isthisakink]

😌 oh thank fuck I’m not cursed to be stuck in the meh corner forever. This was such a fun read. I had a damn good time following the story and the characters. Was everything perfect? No. Was it still pretty fucking great, even with the spare wonky bits here and there? Absolutely. There’s a little something for everybody and I love knowing the fun will continue. The Big Twist was perfectly twisty, and while I didn’t nail it in one, it was one of my three guesses—and I somehow love that even more than the validation I usually enjoy when I’m right because it wasn’t my biggest suspect and it was done flawlessly. ~gEnUiNe SURPRISE aNd DELIGHT~ (imagine I said that in the ~aBuNdAnCe~ guy’s style.) I think this one is gonna be an instant hit. The only people to complain might be capitalist bootlickers, but they’ve been preemptively outshone by another bootlicker (wink-wonk) so we can all just ignore them and enjoy our smut in peace.



—I received an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews (GRR), all ratings, reviews, and opinions are my own.—

[Joyfully Jay]

A Joyfully Jay review.

4.25 stars

The One-Night Heist kicks off the new Stolen Art, Stolen Hearts series from author C. Rochelle. This an entertaining story about a bossy, lone-wolf, art thief and the surprisingly good-hearted billionaire who is happy to give him whatever he wants, in and out of the bedroom. If you have read Rochelle’s work before, this story has a lot of the hallmarks of the author’s style, including humor, some kink, slightly unhinged and morally gray characters, and lots of hijinks. I found it a lot of fun and an exciting start to a new series.

Rochelle sets the story up nicely here for the next book in the series, as well as provides some insight at the end of the story as to how future books will play out, and I am very intrigued. I found the story fun and playful and sexy, and I really enjoyed these guys together. I am very much looking forward to more.

Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.

[Britney]

As someone who loves a good heist movie, this was immediately my kind of nonsense.

Rowen Quincy is a former grifter and art thief who now works with the FBI’s art team recovering stolen pieces. At a work event, he meets Giancarlo Luxford—wealthy, deeply closeted, grieving his mother, and facing the possibility that the art collection he hoped to sell for a good cause may not be worth what he expected.

Enter Rowen.

A little flirting.
A little temptation.
And one very questionable idea planted at exactly the right moment.

From there, the story turns into a fun, fast-moving romp filled with adventure, humor, heat, big reveals, and a cast of side characters who clearly have more stories waiting in the wings.

The plot isn’t overly complicated, but it doesn’t need to be. It does exactly what a good heist romcom should do: keeps things moving, keeps things entertaining, and leaves you curious about what’s coming next.

Verdict:
Fun, clever, and easy to devour. I had a great time—and more importantly, I’m invested enough to want to see where C. Rochelle takes this series next.


ARC Disclosure: I received a complimentary e-book copy of this title as an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Britt ♡]

AHHHHH! This was so much fun! Such a difference from C’s last series but I had a BLAST! The humor, spice and romance you can always expect from C was here and Giano & Rowen also bring some emotion in their story too. I adored these two and this book FLEW by. I would get lost in the story and notice I got through another 10% so quickly. I was here for all of the heist fun and seeing the rich get fawked hehe (literally in Giano’s case) but he deserved it. This book was so unique with the art aspect and I love me a good heist story. I can’t wait to see where we go next with these characters!

[Amanda Winter]

This was SO much fun! Fast-paced, hilarious and full of the chaos and banter I’ve come to expect from C. Rochelle.

I loved Rowen and Giano and their ever-changing dynamic. Rowen is basically chaos personified, while Giano is much more calculated and knows how to make things go his way. Together, they were an absolute riot. Their chemistry was fantastic, and I loved how possessive they were of each other.

The heist itself was so much fun, with plenty of misdirection, sleight of hand, snide comments, intrigue and twists that kept me guessing. I also loved the inner monologues and random observations throughout the story—they added so much to the humour and made the whole thing even more entertaining.

The story takes us from the wealthy streets of NYC to Florence, with billionaire luxury, stolen paintings, private jets and a seriously ridiculous plan involving an inside-job art heist. What more could you want?

I had such a great time with this one and I’m already excited for the next book and whatever shenanigans Rowen and Giano get themselves into next!

[MeadowsLovesBooks]

Giancarlo, desperate and at the mercy of his mother's beyond the grave machinations, estate trustees and ruthless board members, devises a scheme with the criminally attractive, one-time art thief, now FBI consultant, Rowen Quincy.

What ensues is a “courtship” based on cat and mouse antics, thievery, goading and one upping each other as they try to outwit greedy billionaires and the FBI.

This was such a fun, low angst, spicy read and is an ideal pick if you’re looking for a clever, spicy rom-com, art heist adventure filled with two sweet men recovering from old hurts. ♥️

I really enjoyed the slightly unhinged, comedic hijinks of all the characters, particularly Rowen.

Read if you like:

💸 Billionaire x con man
💸 Witty banter
💸 Pickpocketing as a love language
💸 “Eat the Rich”
💸 Switchy dymanics

[Carol]

This book slapped so hard! I've always wanted to read a book with a character like Neal Caffrey from White Collar, and I felt like Rowen was exactly that! Mixed with good banter, and a millionaire that is more than what's inside his pockets as a love interest. The heist was interesting but I felt like it was a background to the real adventure that it was making two people be free with each other in a wolrd where they felt caged - chefs kiss!!

[Rei]

I was thrilled to get the chance to jump back into the mind of C Rochelle!! Even more exciting, we’re being given a totally unique storyline!

“I hate to break it to ya, Mr. Luxford, but your expensive hole is looking a helluva lot more Dollar Store at the moment.”

Giancarlo and Rowen were disastrously perfect!! We sort of jump right into a fast paced story and embark on a grand heist. The adventure involves all the fun, spice and jealousy one could ask for. Gian comes from a family with money and Rowen is a lover of the finer things even though they aren’t easily (or legally) attainable for him 👀. But despite their differences in class and social circles, they find themselves rubbing elbows and determine they could both benefit from helping each other.

Something I found so unique about this story was how I couldn’t exactly pinpoint the era it took place in. I mean there was definitely modern technology involved throughout the book, but I just kept getting the vibe of old Hollywood.

[Julia Toth]

This was such a fun read! It was fast paced and had the humor we are used to getting from C. Rochelle's characters. I loved the characters inner monologues and extra observations, and I feel like these made it more enjoyable for me. I loved Rowen and Giano and their ever changing dynamic. There was misdirection and a bit of sleight of hand and you never knew what's coming next and that is what made it so much fun in my opinion.
There was great banter, interesting characters, snide comments, elegance and intrigue. Rowen is chaos personified and I loved how he was able to control the narrative, but that didn't always work and for the other times there was Giano who was educated in how to make things go your way. Rowen and Giano's chemistry was great and I loved how possessive they were of each other.

This was a lot of fun and I'm very excited for the enxt book and more shenanigans!

[Cas ✨]

Do you ever read a book and it was so much more than you were expecting, so you have to let it marinate in your noggin for a while before you can condense your thoughts into a coherent review? Because this was one of those reads for me.

I knew I was going to love it based on the teasers and snippets shared with us ahead of time and because I haven’t read anything by C that I haven’t loved (because her brand of chaos is very much like my own). But even knowing that didn’t prepare me for The One-Night Heist. I’m generally pretty good at picking out foreshadowing and knowing the general direction a story is going, but even I was blown away by the plot twists at the end. I think that novelty and excitement combined with all the things that I love about C’s writing (the heat, the humor, the nerdy references and easter eggs, and the character growth) really made this book special.

I was immediately immensely protective of Giancarlo, which annoyed me at first because how dare you make me care about an obscenely wealthy man, lol. But that man was so affection and touch starved that I wanted to wrap him up in a blanket and coddle him; then we find out that he has a heart of gold (to go along with this gold leaf lube 😏😂) and it made even more sense why my brain’s babygirl radar pinged at first sight. Then comes in Rowen, like a veritable wrecking ball, all bluster and foul mouth and equally starved, and I knew it was going to kill me when he inevitably hurt Giano (but I knew to trust the process, and C, because even when it hurts, it hurts so good lol). I was glued to the screen from the moment they first interacted.

Their chemistry was off-the-charts, both inside and outside of the bedroom (and hotel room, and on the plane… 🤭), and the spice in this particular book was *delicious*. I love when the steamy scenes skirt the line of k!nk even when they’re not explicitly k!nky; I mean how many authors do you know that can make discussing safety and status sexy? Because C does, along with so many other things that I might not necessarily like under any other circumstance but she can make me go “yeah, okay, that’s hot”.* 🥵

Pivoting back to tamer waters, there were so many interesting and well-written supporting characters too, making the world that she created even more rich and three dimensional. I hope that we get more books with Giano’s & Rowen’s friends/siblings, because I have so many questions!! But I’ll wrap the review there so I don’t spill any of the good stuff. I think that this is one that will be best going in without too much information about the plot, so you get the full rollercoaster experience.

Thank you, C, for the advanced copy! It’s always a pleasure to read for you.
(All opinions and thoughts are my own and have not been influenced by my place on her ARC team as I strive to keep all of my reviews honest and true to my values.)


*This is a bonus thought for GR/SG (not zon/etc): I will say, I had to giggle to myself a little because reading so many of C’s works has given us a (maybe unintentional) glimpse into her own… tastes? 😏 because themes start repeating, and that’s not a bad thing! But it does make me laugh when she has protested in the past (me thinks the lady doth protest too much, and all that lol) that she doesn’t have a thing for leather boot licking or swapping cum&spit back and forth, and yet… here it is for the third? or so time? hahaha (love youuuu C!)

[KendallshipsMM]

⭐ **4 stars**

🧠 **ADHD Chokehold Scale: 3.5/6 — Pleasantly Engaged to Locked In**

Apparently the way to a billionaire's heart is:

**Be a hot former art thief and exist in his general vicinity.**

😂

Because Giancarlo basically takes one look at Rowen and goes:

**THAT ONE.**

Rowen?

He's thinking:

*"Sure. One night."*

Giancarlo?

*"Absolutely fucking not."*

😂

And thus begins the very normal and completely reasonable relationship between a billionaire and an ex-con/former art thief who now consults with the FBI's Art Crime division.

I was immediately intrigued by the premise because this is SO different from most of the MM romance I've been reading.

Art theft?!

Cons?!

FBI Art Crime?!

A billionaire hiring a former thief to steal his OWN late mother's art collection so the notoriety will increase its value?!

**THIS IS MESSY.**

I approve.

😂

Giancarlo's inheritance came with stipulations controlling what he can do with his mother's collection, so apparently we've decided crime is the solution.

As one does.

I also really liked Rowen.

And can we please have more romance characters with distinctive physical features?!

Rowen has red hair and gap teeth, and I loved that.

Give me memorable-looking MMCs!

Not every romance hero needs to look like he was assembled in the Hot Man Factory using the same six settings.

😂

The spice was also great.

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

No complaints there.

Where this lost a star for me was mostly **expectation versus execution**.

The author's description promises:

*"So. Much. TENSION."*

Cat-and-mouse pursuit.

Mutual destruction.

Enemies-to-lovers.

And I went into this expecting to be absolutely white-knuckling my Kindle while these two lunatics chased, betrayed, fucked, and destroyed each other.

😂

I didn't quite get that.

There was tension.

There was conflict.

There were plenty of questionable decisions.

But I didn't feel that intense cat-and-mouse energy quite as strongly as the description made me expect.

So I do wonder if this was slightly overhyped for me going in.

Had I gone into it knowing less?

Maybe my experience would've been different.

Because here's the important part:

**I still really enjoyed the book.**

A four-star book is a GOOD BOOK.

I was fairly engrossed.

I liked Giancarlo and Rowen.

I enjoyed the spice.

And most importantly, it gave me something I haven't read twenty-seven variations of already.

The uniqueness of the premise did a lot for me.

My ADHD Chokehold landed around **3.5/6** because I was definitely engaged and interested in seeing where everything went, but it wasn't quite at that *I cannot think about anything else and society needs to leave me alone until I finish this* level.

Still?

Art heists + con men + billionaire obsession + crime + MM romance?

**SIGN ME UP.**

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A solid four stars.

And apparently if a hot ex-art thief tells Giancarlo he's only getting one night...

Giancarlo hears:

**Challenge accepted.**

[Kay Daniels (Kay Daniels Romance)]

The One-Night Heist was fresh, fun, and fast paced. It was pure reading enjoyment.

Rowan Quincy is a con man/art thief turned FBI consultant who is snarky as hell 😂 and the billionaire, Giancarlo Luxford, loves every salty inch of him from the moment he meets him. Rowan is everything that Giano isn't; unrefined, brash, bossy, and Giano wants him with a deep nonsensical passion. One of the biggest problems with that want is, according to society he's in the closet and according to the terms of his mother's will, he's supposed to remain that way. 🥺 That is only problem number one. Problem number two is that Giano wants Rowan to help him steal his mother's art collection and he's not sure what turns him on more, Rowan's brilliant and mischievous mind in helping him or the way he dominates Giano behind closed doors. Both are quite fun and super hot, so I agree with Giancarlo's assessment.😉

Giano is like a lost puppy 90% of the time, but the 10% that he wasn't is when he had to put on his socialite mask, or commanded Rowan and brought that man to his knees. Again, hot as hell when Giano took charge, but also super cute when he was a puppy. Giano also kind of broke my heart since his story is deeper than just Mr. Moneybanks billionaire living the plush life, but I'll let you dig deeper into his pockets to find the depth behind all the gold.  

The bigger topic to discuss...didn't I just say that Rowan dominated Giano, so how is it that Giano sometimes commanded Rowan...well, that was half the fun of reading about the dynamic between these two. They could flip on a dime as they not only tried to navigate their feelings, but as they were caught up in their heist, they were also caught up in a heist of their own emotional making. It was great to watch them wiggle through both situations.

The story was both hilarious and full of heart, which made it the best of both worlds. I loved how Rowan was so bossy one minute, but a simpering sub the next all because he was twisted up and hot for daddy moneybags. Rowan constantly made me laugh as he's one of those characters that is very self aware, but also doesn't want to acknowledge what's happening at the same time. It was super cute and hot all at the same time and I loved it! 

The One-Night Heist is a romping, good, fun adventure with laughs, con men, hijinx, emotions that nobody wants to admit to, and a billionaire that is more like the penniless thief than either would ever admit. Because let's face it, once you remove the high priced clothes or the low end sneakers, everyone arrives in the same birthday suit. 😉 Basically, they want the same things, but Rowan wants to protest and wine about how they get there all while Giano wants to shower him with diamonds and pearls. I mean, who should ever put up with such ghastly behavior, ridiculous. 😉😂

[patrícia]

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was such a fun, chaotic, ridiculously addictive art-heist romance. Rich assholes, stolen art, morally questionable decisions and two men who absolutely should not be trusted with each other. 😂

And yes, there is insta lust — these two were basically doomed from the start. Cocky Rowen + obedient moneybags Giano? Delicious. Their personalities fit together so well, and I loved the topping-from-the-bottom dynamic, the bossy + swoony energy, and the chemistry between them. The bedroom scenes were 🔥🔥🔥, even if the mine/yours possessiveness occasionally got a little much for me.

The whole rich-people-robbing-rich-people thing worked brilliantly for me. Give me morally grey assholes stealing art from other morally grey assholes and I'm happy. 😂 The cons, the cat-and-mouse, the ridiculous wealth and the humour made this incredibly entertaining.

And C. Rochelle's TW/trope list is on another level. If you know, you know. And if you've read Cole McCade, you really know. 😂 There is A LOT going on here, so definitely check the warnings if that's something you need.

Rowen was a bit of a mixed bag. I loved him as a scoundrel, thief and liar, especially whenever that cocky façade cracked and we got to see his vulnerability. But there were also moments when I wanted to shake him and yell WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?! 😭 Some of his choices didn't make much sense to me, and at times it felt like his character development couldn't quite keep up with the intensity of the relationship.

That was probably my biggest issue overall: I loved their dynamic more than I always understood them as people. I wanted a little more emotional groundwork beneath all the chemistry and obsession.

Also, Giano, we get it. You're rich. 😂 The endless luxury-brand descriptions were sometimes a bit much. Coat, shoes, watch, shirt, trousers… at some point I felt like I was reading his wardrobe inventory.

The art side of the story was a huge highlight for me. Gustav Klimt is one of my favourite artists, so seeing Poppy Field woven into the story was such a fun surprise. And the whole Poppy #5 meaning? 👀 Perfect.

And now I'm fully living for Mick and Franz. I need their story immediately, please and thank you.

Overall, this was fun, filthy, chaotic and ridiculously entertaining. Not quite a 5★ because I wanted more depth and consistency from the characters, but I had a damn good time.

Rich assholes. Stolen art. Questionable morals. Hot men.

Yeah. I was entertained. 😂

[Arcturus170]

I received an advance copy and this is my honest review.
4.5*
I had so much fun reading this book. Cackling laughter, sweaty palms, big feelings, and I grinned through every one of Rowan’s chapters because he’s ridiculous. The plot twist was a nice surprise, even after I spent a whole day theorizing about it before finally having the time to read again. Nicely plotted with enough secrets to hide an extra in their midst.

I enjoyed the couple of times Rowan gets to surprise everyone while maintaining plausible deniability. The scenes are very cinematic, right out of Thomas Crown Affair. I could just imagine the gasps and chattering audiences and playful music as pieces of Rowan’s schemes come together one by one with perfect timing. I’ll admit, though, part of me wanted a scene with a hundred look-alike actors distracting and confusing the authorities as the real thief gets away. Maybe in the next book. Daddy Pinstripes is known for his fedora hat, after all… 🤔

The spicy scenes are plentiful and fun. Love the power shifts, back and forth. Rowan and Giano aren’t predictable together and that keeps us on our toes. It also reinforces the give-and-take equality of their relationship, which I appreciate, given the obvious power imbalance.

I do have to mildly gripe that Giano and Rowan do a poor job of trying to keep their association secret. Not to mention joking about the whole scheme right from the beginning in front of key side characters. But that’s the dramatic irony, right? Part of a heist story is knowing about what’s behind the curtain, but never enough to give away all the fun. We get lured in for the bigger reveal later and I love how that plays out here.

I’m also gonna vent that I put the book down twice because I had big feels. First, when Rowan adds a cherry on top of his already big heist. We are led along with unease that something isn’t quite right and when it hit me what, I slammed the book shut and started shouting. I got real mad/sad about it, sent a text essay to a friend, and then slept on it, only to pick back up and realize that little part of Rowan’s scheme backfires spectacularly and I loved it. The second time I put the book down was right after a big angsty moment. My emotions were all over the place and I really had to think about all the ways things could go wrong vs the fewer ways things could go right. The author pulls off that trick perfectly with a few misdirections, surprises, and sleight of hand. 🐇🎩👏

Overall, this book is great fun, with spice, scheming, and lots of laughs. Can’t wait for the next one in the series.

[Shabby -BookBistroBlog]

I don't even know how I should write the review, it sounded so promising that I requested the arc. Giancarlo luxford comes from upper echelons of nyc old money families. Mommy died and left him everythg but with a heavy stipulation.
His obviously gay son needs to marry and procreate.
His money is tied in investments and art which he needs to liquidate and to drive the price up, he needs to stage an art theft.
Enter Rowen Quincy.
Seasoned thief, pickpocket and now an FBI asset.
When both meet, it's sparks, sizzle and chemistry. So obviously they get into Dom/Sub coupling, switching roles constantly.
The end twist is......weird because it renders whole story plot useless and unnecessary.
Plot started good but was a false lure. The heist, which was in the title and main reason story exists, was just talked about, never shown in motion
The writing could've been good but every 4th line in italics DROVE ME CRAZY.
Every 4th line!!!
Characters were juicy but soon became insipid.
For a Gazillionaire, Giano was stuttering, bumbling fool at best. Rowen was all attitude.
If giano could buy him a 55k watch, why couldn't he have money for himself?. He looked like he wasn't extravagant, so he wasn't picking pennies, yanno
Constant big brand names dropping was a literal show-off on authors part
Look at me I know stuff! *eyeroll*
The secret in the end..ughhh....if he wasn't who he was, then he didn't need the stipulation, so Make it Make sense!!
I'm sorry I tried not to nitpick, skip over italics, sigh on yet thousandth big brand, there wasn't anything left to enjoy.
Nothing was happening!
“3 stars for Poppy #5 ”
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[Lionelle Pmuls (That's Slump Backwards & It's What I Do)]

4,5 moneybags Stars ⭐ | 5 🌶️
ARC Read: 24/08/2026
I received this ebook for free from the author and I'm leaving this review of my own accord. Thank you C. Rochelle & GRR for this gift. 🥰

What to expect from this book? 🤔
🫶 MM Art Heist Adventure Romance
💰 Monopoly Man x Con-man
💙 Insta-Obsession
🖼️ A Con Gone Wrong
💛 Forced Proximity
💰 Secret Relationship
💙 Bratty MC
🖼️ High Banter
💛 D/S Dynamic
💰 "Good Boy"
💙 Cat and Mouse
🖼️ Scorching Spice
💛 Mutual Destruction
💰 So. Much. TENSION.
💙 Unhinged Humor
🖼️ Partners in Crime
💛 Betrayal and Redemption
💰 “Stop running from me!”
💙 Corp. Villain Takedown (EAT THE RICH)
💛 Neurodivergence Rep
💰 Hurt/Comfort

Format: Ebook/ARC
Cover: 5/5

I'm a big fan of heist movies and C. Rochelle's work so this was just up my alley!
It's really a fun book.
I loved the story and the MCs SO FREAKING MUCH.

Series: Standalone
Story: 5/5
POV: Dual - 1st Person
Plot: 5/5

Main Characters:
5/5 - Rowan Quincy: he/him, cis-male, art thief, con-man
5/5 - Giancarlo Luxford: he/him, cis-male, billionaire
Side Characters: 5/5
Steam Level: 5/5
Romance: High Focus

Humor: Medium Focus
Angst: Medium Low Focus
Cheating? No
The Ending: 5
HEA/HFN/Cliffhanger: HEA

Favorite character? Rowen
Enjoyment: 5/5

Hope this review was helpful.
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!!Please remember that all my reviews are a matter of my personal taste. Your opinion and what you are willing or want to tolerate in the books you read is your own. We all have different opinions and preferences when it comes to the kind of books we enjoy, so it's important to respect that. It's just a book... but reading is still political!
No AI was used to make this review. These are my own words. And I support real artists.