The best thief in the world may have met his match...
Austin Miles can get into any building, safe or vault in the world if he wanted to,but when a former cop obsessed with revenge threatens his most important asset,his reputation, he finds himself accepting a job that even the best would balk at. The only silver lining as he's putting his life on the line is the sexy,mysterious Jennifer Murray. Somehow when he's flirting with her the threat of death doesn't seem quite so bad.
Jennifer Murray thought she was going to her eccentric's mother's wedding. The only thing that made the ordeal bearable was the tall dark and handsome man across the hall from her. But when she learns her mother's true motives for elaborate wedding, it becomes apparent that this isn't a party. It's a job.
With both Jennifer and Austin after the same payday, there can only be one winner. But no one ever said the score of a lifetime would be easy...
Mallory Crowe has lived in Michigan her whole life and has been in love with romance ever since she'd skip to the end of every novel, just to make sure the hero and heroine survived and ended up together. She lives with her husband and three dogs. When she's not writing, she's spending too much time in front of the TV, hiking, or working with various animal rescues.
Book 1 in the newest romantic suspense series from award winning author, Mallory Crowe!
The best thief in the world may have met his match... Austin Miles can get into any building, safe or vault in the world if he wanted to, but when a former cop obsessed with revenge threatens his most important asset, his reputation, he finds himself accepting a job that even the best would balk at. The only silver lining as he's putting his life on the line is the sexy, mysterious Jennifer Murray.
Somehow when he's flirting with her the threat of death doesn't seem quite so bad. Jennifer Murray thought she was going to her eccentric's mother's wedding. The only thing that made the ordeal bearable was the tall dark and handsome man across the hall from her. But when she learns her mother's true motives for elaborate wedding, it becomes apparent that this isn't a party. It's a job.
With both Jennifer and Austin after the same payday, there can only be one winner. But no one ever said the score of a lifetime would be easy..." ••••••••••
REVIEW: THE COCKY THIEF is the first installment in Mallory Crowe’s contemporary, adult STOLEN HEARTS romantic, suspense series focusing on the Murray sisters-Jennifer, Toni and Melody- a trio of professional thieves whose latest high stakes contract is both deadly and rewarding. This is Jennifer Murray, and Austin Miles’ story line.
Told from several third person perspectives THE COCKY THIEF focuses on a theft that goes horribly wrong. En route to her mother’s wedding Jennifer Murray will be introduced to Austin Miles-a man who claims to be her future step-father’s lawyer but a man who has been hired to pull off a thirty million dollar heist. What ensues is the building relationship between Jennifer and Austin, and the realization that there is more than one thief attending the wedding nuptials.
Jennifer Murray comes from a family of thieves and cons. Their latest assignment finds the sisters, and their mother, working together for a payout that would set them up for life. Enter Austin Miles, a professional con man and thief who must work with the sisters when things begin to go horribly wrong.
The relationship between Jennifer and Austin is one of immediate attraction but Austin knows that to get involved with a potential mark could spell disaster for his business. Jennifer’s reluctance to pull off the heist is compounded by her attraction to Austin, and her desire to keep peace within the Murray family. The $ex scenes are seductive and intimate without the use of over the top graphic text and language.
We are introduced to Jennifer’s mother Isobel, and her sisters Toni and Melody, as well as James Weston- a hired gun; and ex-cop Scott Hart. The requisite evil has many faces including Isobel’s future husband Gregory Stranger, and billionaire businessman Jonathan Sterling.
THE COCKY THIEF is a story of action, adventure, romance and loss, but I was hoping for a more detailed resolution to the events that occurred-a theft of that magnitude should have generated a more thorough and ongoing need for retribution and revenge-perhaps there is more to the story in an upcoming installment. The premise is entertaining and engaging; the characters are colorful, dynamic and energetic; the romance is provocative and moving.
Wow! What a great beginning to Mallory Crowe's newest series. I am already waiting with bated breath for book two.
This book focuses on Jennifer Murray. She has two sisters, Toni and Melody and a slightly eccentric mother who has invited them to her wedding. Years have gone by without them seeing each other.
Jennifer meets a man on the plane who claims to be an attorney on his way to the same wedding who is delivering the prenuptial agreement for the couple to sign. They are very attracted to one another and you find out very early on that he is not who he portrays himself to be. He is actually a thief and con artist, one of the world's very best. You see, the bride will be wearing a borrowed necklace worth thirty-million-dollars and he is there to lift this monstrous diamond for a job he's doing. Little does he know that Jennifer and her sisters were taught from a very early age by their mother to be thieves and con artists, as well. Their mother has gotten them to her wedding, not to be a part of it, but to help their mother steal the diamond so they would all be set for life.
This book has a lot of suspense and it kept me on my toes. I am quite certain I'm going to love this series. It's a detour from her earlier writings and I truly enjoyed it. You can rest assured that anything written by Mallory Crowe is an excellent choice.
I honestly have been meaning to read this for a while now, but I absolutely loved it! I loved it so much I ended up reading the second book straight after, and staying up until 2am to finish them. The sacrifice was real
Honestly would really recommend reading this book!
One of my favorite movie series is the Oceans Eleven etc. with Ocean's Thirteen being my all-time favorite. I am a fan of reading about heists and thieves, and so when I saw this book The Cocky Thief by Mallory Crowe, I knew I had to read it. The book starts off with Austin Miles who is the best at what he does which is the extraction of goods, he leaves no trace and is at the top of everyone's list if they need something worth a lot taken. He is hired to retrieve an expensive necklace. Austin goes undercover as a lawyer and during his flight to the wedding, he meets Jennifer Murray. She happens to be the bride-to-be's daughter. The pair hit it off, and sparks fly. During the car ride to the wedding, we also meet another of Jennifer's sister Melody. Upon arrival, though, we discover that Jennifer and her family are thieves as well and that this marriage is just a set-up for her mother to steal the Dragon's necklace and of course she needs her daughters to help. The Cocky Thief reminded me of the movie The Heartbreakers which starred Jennifer Love -Hewitt which had a mother/daughter team of con-women. The Cocky Thief is filled with romantic suspense, action and adventure as we have the chemistry flowing strongly between Jennifer and Austin throughout the story and then Melody gets kidnapped , which sees the introduction of Jennifer's other sister Toni and a few of Austin's shady friends. If you love Heist novels and Romantic Suspense stories then The Cocky Thief by Mallory Crowe is the read for you.
I really enjoyed this book a lot. It was fun, entertaining, and kept my interest all the way through.
Love a good romance thief story. It had con artists, thieves, bad guys, and wacky mother and romance. I really like Jennifer and Austin together as a couple. They had some good chemistry and there is a nicely written sex scene. This was more about story than sex so that was good.
The story line and plot was very good and flowed very well. It was easy to follow and there was a lot of dialogue throughout the book.
I am totally going to read the next book in this series The Beautiful Thief.
Jennifer and Austin both con artist trying to pull off one of the biggest heists of their life. One must outsmart, outplay the other but the attraction between them is undeniable. What happens when emotions begin to play its part. Will they be able to execute the plan without hurting each other in the process?
This is my first Mallory Crowe book and I must say I enjoyed it right from the start. I like the suspense, romance and the thrill of not knowing who will get the job done. The pacing of each scene was good. This is a great start of a series and I highly recommend it.
I loved this book of Mallory's. It has humor, suspense, romance, with great characters. I have read some of Mallory's other books and so far have enjoyed them all, but I liked that this book had a twist, that not everything went as planned, and of course the happy ending. It kept me guessing and I didn't want to put it down. You won't want to miss it.
ARC for honest review with no compensation, Mallory Crowe sure know how to bring you in right from the start and doesn’t let up until the very last word…..awesome read! ! ! Jennifer Murray is the beautiful, well put together with legs that go on forever, the oldest of three daughters to Isobel the very crafty con artist, who is out to steal the famous Dragon Heart jewel. Jennifer and her sister Melody (other sister, Toni won’t respond but will show up later) are summoned to come to the wedding of their mother to a very wealthy man but in truth it’s for them to help her steal the Dragon Heart. Unbeknownst to the ladies another person is also there to do the same….. Austin Miles is a sexy, charming, handsome and man of many talents who is also a con man…he is sent to steal the Dragon Heart by a former cop but doesn’t have many details about the job or why the cop wants the jewel but if he doesn’t take the job he could be sent to jail so….another stolen identity gets him to where the jewel is but he doesn’t expect to meet another con artist that is there for the same reason….how will this all play out??? What happens next is a suspenseful, intriguing, clash of personalities and hot steamy scenes that keep you wondering what will happen next!! This is the first book in this series and can’t wait for book two….
I absolutely loved The Cocky Thief. It is a fantastic series starter. I don't think I've ever read a book in which all the major characters (and many of the minor characters) were all crooks of one kind or another. This book includes all of the Murray family--Isobel, Jennifer, Melody, and Toni-- as well as Austin Miles, Scott Hart, and James Weston. These are the 'good guys'. All of these characters are important in each book of the series. However, the romance is Austin and Jennifer.
The story starts out light-hearted but with all the twists and turns it veers between light-hearted to serious to deadly all the while building the romance between Austin and Jennifer. The story is full of surprises as the 'good guys' set out to bring down the truly horrible criminals. All of the surprises are realistic and serve to move the story forward. The characters are complex, layered individuals whom each have a strong motive to want the villains brought to justice.
While The Cocky Thief is part of a series with an overlapping story arc, it can be read as a stand-alone. Personally, I binge read the first 3 books in the series in a day and a half. I couldn't wait to see what happened next. So, yes, I definitely recommend reading the entire Stolen Hearts Series. I have already pre-ordered the 4th book, The Reluctant Thief and am waiting impatiently for it to release.
Cover to cover this book was crazy - in an awesome way!!
This book is the first one of the Stolen Heart Series, but if you followed through the Fractured Farrels Series, it would be even greater!! You don't need to read this series, but I totally recommend: the Farrels are awesome and you get the first looks on some of the characters from this new series!!
This books is about Jennifer and Austin. Both hero and heroine are not what you can call people based on morals. Well, they are thiefs, and this fact alone made the whole book a whole lot funnier!
They are sexy together and I liked that they didn't push their feelings, I mean, there wasn't that professing of love that you just can't believe! They have flaws and qualities, they fight for their goals and they learn how to make a good team (all of them, not just Austin and Jennifer).
I loved them all even with all their bad faces! Actually, that bad faces made them even more appealing!
I couldn't put the book down! And I can't wait for the next one!
This new series from Mallory Crowe is a great start. Having read the previous series, there is something to be said about knowing the back story but because of the character roles and the explanation that is in this story it is not necessary to enjoying this story. The new series name seems to be as much about the change of direction and new families/relationships.
Austin has been hired to get inside a very exclusive wedding and steal a prized jewel that has been borrowed for the bride’s wedding attire. When he gets on the airplane, his seatmate is the daughter to the bride. He doesn’t expect to be so attracted to her but he is.
Jennifer is flying to her mother’s wedding but she suspects that there’s more to the story that her mother has met her soulmate. Jennifer’s family is a family of thieves. Jennifer, her mother, and her sisters have made a life for themselves by scamming and stealing from others. They have mastered the art of the con.
There are a ton of twists and turns in this book and I loved them all. I can’t wait for the next story to come out to see if they continue as one of Jennifer’s sister’s story gets told.
The Cocky Thief, by Mallory Crowe, is the first in the Stolen Hearts series. Mallory Crowe provides her own uniqueness to her stories and that carries into this series. The Cocky Thief is a great introduction for this series and the characters have many characteristics that I adored. Austin is definitely a cocky individual and it carries through in his personality. Jennifer is comfortable in her skin and we see this in her interactions with Austin, as well as, those she knows and those that she's never met before. I enjoyed reading these characters on their escapades throughout the story and the introduction of additional characters that are certain to be carried further in the series. A great cast and I cannot wait to see what more comes in this series.
I can so see this book made into a fun and full of twists and turns movie! At the beginning I thought it would be a read with the characters similar to Sidney Sheldon's Tracy Whitney and Jeff Stevens - two master thieves in action (who I totally love).... and then the plot made a sharp turn, then another one, and another.... I was soon totally lost in a great story with the characters so interesting and lots of action and suspense. Great plot, plenty of action, unexpected and unpredictable ending. I hope some other characters from this book will get their own books too, and I will happily read more.
I love a good con book. I just love a good bad guy. This has the vibe of 'Leverage' which is one of my favorite TV series. A team of cons with a point man going after something. The Murray family is something else. I have to say I didn't care for Isobel in the beginning of the book i wondered if she cared about her daughters or just some them as assets to her end game. By the end of the book her love for them was obvious. The best part of the book for me was when the team formed. Again probably bc of my addiction to Leverage but still. I enjoyed Jennifer and Austin. Their chemistry was hot without taking over the book. Im really hoping the other books have this same team vibe🤞🤞🤞🤞
'The Cocky Thief' was an interesting and different read. I liked the storyline and how it played out. The story took a twist that I didn't see coming. And for me, that was impressive. The characters were an array of personalities. Austin made a great lead. He's cocky, arrogant and quite handsome. But in his line of work, that's what it takes to be successful. Jennifer was the female equivalent of Austin. She was pretty feisty as well. I loved Toni and her no nonsense attitude. She told it how it was and didn't mince words. I look forward to reading more of the 'Stolen Hearts Series'.
I don’t usually come across heist stories. Usually this is something I’d watch rather than read. I liked Austin and Jennifer together. I enjoyed reading the details and how each character worked together to implement the plans. I didn’t like reading about Isobel and that’s because, to me, she was the brains to the operation. Each character had their personal demons and why they wanted to be involved. It caused the story to be somewhat mysterious because of that. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
This is another great series in the making by Mallory Crowe! Going up against each other in a large heist, Jennifer and Austin have an attraction to fight. Their interactions are great. I loved the story and couldn't put it down. There were humorous parts throughout, as well as romance and some suspense. I can't wait for the next book in the series. *I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. This is my honest review.*
I was a little sceptical with this series. It s a change for me, so it took a while to get into the storyline. Theft, 3 sisters and an excellent con mother. Things don’t go as expected and there is a tragedy. Won’t say much as I hate spoilers. Good story, mild on sexual encounters. If you are looking for mild romance this is good for you. Will follow onto book 2 in series to see where my opinion goes.
This is much more of a heist story than a romance. Austin is a thief. He meets Jennifer on his way to a planned heist. Turns out she's a thief too and the daughter of a thief. They're after the same thing he is. It was a good story with lots of action and lust between the two of them, but don't expect a sweet romance.
I was really intrigued by sister Melody and Blondie. She's tougher than expected. Can't wait to read their story in the next book.
I couldn't put this book down. I was caught up in figuring out whose playing whom. Throw in Hart's involvement and then Blondie at the end, it was like a maze of trying to figure out who the players are and their end game. Can't wait to read next book. I received a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it. The opinions and views on it are my own.
I knew the title of the book, but I never expected it to be how I read it. It was even better! Austin and Jennifer are very similar. They are both very good at what they do. I'm actually excited to read more about them and the rest of the family. I know Melody and Toni are going to have amazing stories.
It’s not easy to understand, a con family, mother n three daughters, they all apart until the last job of their con mom.
Then, there were guys inside the projects, another thief, ex cop and a guy with guns? Too many things inside the book n made u confuse, u don’t know what’s happening but it’s a nice distraction when u always reading g the same lines books.
Jen and Austin are after the same thing. When the heist goes sideways this story becomes a rollercoaster. In the midst of running for their lives, elaborate plans, and a crazy family of women their attraction explodes. Mallory Crowe has created a host of characters that you are compelled to get to know better. This is a total must read!
I don't how,but I had forgotten how talented an author Mallory Crowe is. Austin and Jennifer's story is filled with non stop action, wonderful characters and intriguing scenes that you want to read over and over again. Their are some surprises in the end that I didn't see coming. Those are the best kind.
Wow. What a fabulous book. It was full of action and just so fast paced. Mallory's writing makes it so easy to forget how long you've been reading for because it just flows seamlessly. This is going to be a great series.
This was a really amazing story. Unlike anything I've read before and because of that, it kept me interested. I didn't want to put it down. Can't wait to read the other books in this series.