King Me

Forever Wilde #7

by Lucy Lennox

Falcon: Three years ago I arrived at the scene of an art heist to find Kingston Wilde tied to a radiator, claiming to be an innocent bystander in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was only later I learned he was actually, the elusive art thief I’d been tracking for years. And I was the one who’d let him sweet-talk his way out of my grasp. Ever since, I’ve made it my mission to get my hands on him again, and this time I don’t plan on letting go.

Unfortunately, fate has other plans. A priceless artifact has gone missing, and King is the only one who can help recover it. I thought nothing could be worse than being forced to work with the egotistical SOB, but I was wrong. Falling for the charming art thief in the middle of an operation is way, way worse. 

King: The key to being a good art thief is knowing when to call it quits. After one close call too many, I decide that time is now and head home to Hobie, Texas, intending to hang up my lock picks for good. Unfortunately, the FBI has other plans. Agent Dirk Falcon approaches me with an offer I can’t refuse: full immunity for my past crimes in exchange for helping him with one last job.

The catch? The job involves stealing from the very man who taught me everything I know. The same man who double-crossed me years ago. Pulling this off means trusting Falcon and his team, but how do I trust the sexy agent when he’s staked his career on taking me down?

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Contemporary, Crime, LGBT, Gay

298 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 14, 2019

About the author

I write M/M romance with humor, heart, and heat. Check out my backlist here on GR for a selection of series and standalone or visit www.LucyLennox.com!

I only keep a small list of my very favorite books and series in my bookshelf here. I read A LOT and it's hard to keep the list updated!

Reviews

[~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semi-colons~✡~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

~4.5~

Oh, WOW, this story is so much fun. Part art heist, part sexy romance, King Me is a Wilde *ahem* ride from beginning to end.

King never planned on being the most famous art thief in the world, but he was lured by an older man who promised him the world. Isn't that always how the story goes? Unfortunately, King's savior turned out to be a double-crossing, greedy bastard. Thank god FBI agent Dirk Falcon falls for King's innocent blue eyes.

Falcon is determined to capture the thief who's alluded him for years, so he's more than a little miffed when he has to ask for King's help instead.

This begins as an enemies-to-lovers story, but that doesn't last long. Falcon and King can't keep their hands off one another. Oh, hello, HAWT & PLENTIFUL sexy times! I hope Falcon's cats aren't scarred for life.

The plot revolves around a Hungarian coronation crown stolen by none other than King's previous lover and partner. Is the plot entirely believable? Not really. Does it matter? HELL NO. Because, as I said, this is about the FUN, the chase, the adrenaline, and the SEX but of course.

Big shout-out to Falcon's team of talented misfits, especially blushing and stammering Mouse whom I simply adored. Mouse must get his own story. Pleeeze!

Doc, Grandpa, King's sister MJ, as well as a few other Wildes, make an appearance, but I think King Me works fine as a stand alone.

This is my favorite in the series since Felix and the Prince. Keep 'em comin', Lucy. I know we're not done yet.

[Imme [trying to crawl out of hiatus] van Gorp · Rating 4 out of 5]

|| 3.5 stars ||

This story was definitely fun and engaging. It centres around a world-class art thief, King, and the FBI agent, Falcon, who has been trying to catch him for five years. However, a very important item has been stolen by King's former partner, and Falcon is now forced to make a deal with King that will grant the thief immunity for all his past crimes if he agrees to work together with the FBI to retrieve the stolen item.
There is a lot of sexual tension between them, but also tons of mistrust and second-guessing, which eventually results in a relationship that keeps you interested throughout but doesn't have enough emotional depth to make you feel truly invested.

All in all, the heist stuff but also the dynamic between (former) thief and special agent was all pretty entertaining, and so, even if there were definitely some flaws within the storytelling, I had fun with it.


'Forever Wilde' series:
1. Facing West - 1.0 star
2. Felix and the Prince - 4.0 stars
3. Wilde Fire - 2.0 stars
4. Hudson's Luck - 3.0 stars
5. His Saint - dnf
7. King Me - 3.5 stars

Novellas:
4.5. Flirt - 3.0 stars
9.5. Professor Platonic - 3.0 stars

Other Lucy Lennox books:
‘After Oscar’ series - var. ratings
Shy Sheldon - 2.0 stars
Virgin Flyer - 4.5 stars
Say You’ll Be Nine - 4.5 stars
Hostile Takeover - 4.0 stars
Prince of Lies - 4.5 stars

[Erth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh this was fun! Lennox made a great choice in writing a heist romance next, something so different from the previous book in the series. The heart of the story takes place over a pretty short love, but Falcon and King have met before and been enemies for years so know of each other at least. And, one of my catnips, competence porn!

Some of the Wilde family make an appearance but this one is set apart geographically, which is also a great choice.

[Denise H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enemies to lovers ! Once more, we get action, hot lovin’ and fabulous characters. I have loved the Wilde and Marian series. Now we have Dirk Falcon, @40, FBI,

on the global task force. He’s tall, lean, with gray-green eyes and salt n’ pepper beard scruff, and he’s gorgeous.
King is our Wilde man. King Wilde, a beautiful man,

28, dirty blonde, longer hair, plus he’s an art thief, the famous Le Chaton, the cat.

The big prize is the Hungarian Crown.


Our story is hopping around Europe, with a betrayal, investigations, plans, high tech gear, suspicion, and more.


Falcon needs King for a touchy job, and these men are sizzling in their attraction. Scorching flames keep their hotness going. They know they should be keeping clear of each other.


Our magnificent author keeps us happy with all the things we like in a story.
I highly recommend it. ENJOY !

========

[Cadiva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each time I read a book in this series, I think Lucy has outdone herself and then the next one comes along and it's just as good but in a totally different way.

This is a heist romance along the lines of Ocean's Eleven/Twelve where the agent and the thief have a history which complicates matters and brings a delicious tension to the narrative.

It's funny, fast paced and packed with wonderful historical nods and a love for art history which I totally appreciated.

Kingston being an art thief instead of the CIA/FBI agent hinted at during the Epilogue of the glorious book six (Grandpa and Doc's romance, which remains my overall favourite) was genius.

The rest of the book's plot won't be spoiled by me, suffice it to say, every bit of it just worked for me personally.

I loved King and I adored Falcon and their enemies to frenemies to lovers romance was perfect.

#ARC kindly received from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.

[Simone - on indefinite hiatus - · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hot thief nice heist story is my catnip, so resistance was futile. 😉 Thanks, Lorraine for putting this gem (no pun intended) on my radar! ❤

[Vanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars!! 💕💕 Loved it!! 😍. This is LL's first "thriller-heist" kinda book.. and it was "fun-tastic"!! 😁🤩. For those who love "Ocean's 11", "Thomas Crown Affair" or Entrapment"; this will be a nice treat, since it has a famous Art Thief "Le Cheton" 😳(Kingston Wilde) and the guy who's trying to catch him for many years, FBI agent Dirk Falcon. 😎. With a little bit of sizzling steamy sex thrown in and some twists, turns and one-upping; this book is quite the "Art-Heist-Thriller-M/M" 💖👑
The story grabs you right from the very first chapter, when King is double-crossed by his long time thieving-partner and he almost gets caught by Agent Falcon. 2 years later, Agent Falcon still hasn't caught Le Cheton aka King in action but he has enough evidence to bring him in for an FBI operation where his team needs King's special skills 😉 to steal a valuable piece of art (Hungarian royal crown 👑)back from the same thief (former partner/mentor/lover of King who betrayed him). King has been trying to make reparations ever since he almost got caught, and the deal of a clean slate offered by FBI in return for his expertise, is too good to refuse. And so starts the cat and mouse game between King and Falcon where they obviously don't trust each other, but have to work together to ensure the success of the joint operation. The stakes are high, Falcon needs the promotion, King needs to put this life of crime behind him and finally the entire reputation of the US tethers on how smoothly this operation goes without the knowledge of the world..😎😳😉. So obviously, King and Falcon find their attraction highly inconvenient for such a stressful time... but the intense chemistry cannot be denied for long and they come together in a HOT blaze of passion..🔥💕🔥 again and again.. despite the trust issues 💘😍
Will the operation be successful? 😢Will Falcon trust King to take on a risky task when the stakes get even higher? 😳What about King's revenge on his ex-partner? 😬And finally, once all this is over what kind of future can an FBI agent and an Art Thief hope to have together? 🙁 😍 To find the answers and more 💞, this book is a must read!! 🤩 Highly recommended to all fans of LL and anyone who loves a good art-heist movie/book. 💘👍👍

[Gustaf · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had sort of a rocky ride with the Forever Wilde series. I have loved some of the books to pieces and disliked some of them with passion. Admittedly this is the case with all of the Lucy Lennox books I have read, but especially with this series. King Me, however, is right up next to Felix and the Prince as my favorites.

It was intense, different from the other books, yet so very Lucy Lennox. The chemistry between King and Falcon was palpable. The way they danced around each other, not sure if they could trust each other should've annoyed me but it didn't, and when they finally got together it was hot. And I mean really hot. Yet tender and sweet. Sure there were moments when I wanted the men to just get their shit together and the heist to be done. I'm impatient like that, but the journey of this one was so good it didn't bother me. One of my main complaints about the Forever Wilde series have been all the closeted men, and there's nothing of that here. Finally. Thank god.

Michael Dean made an amazing job narrating this. Seriously I could listen to that man reading the bible and it would still be HOT. This was the perfect audio for long dog walks and cooking.

Reread August 2022.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun book. It really kept me on the edge of my seat. Reading about the art heist was fun and hard to put the book down. I never really thought a book about art heists sounded interesting, but it actually really was. My favorite in the series by far (Felix & the Prince being second fave) although the final book does sound promising too. I also love books where law enforcement has to team up with a criminal to complete a mission, just adds a fun layer to the story.

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was ridiculous and very entertaining but it is not a romance - it's a heist/revenge adventure with a side of sex/feelings.

Very reminiscent of White Collar and Matt Bomer's character...🥰

Can't say I felt a connection to either character, but I didn't dislike them either which is a step up from the rest of the Wilde brothers!

If the 'romance' had been more balanced and established as something serious earlier (instead of the last couple of chapters) this would have been interesting to see the elusive and wandering Wilde brother all settled down.

[Cat the bookworm (semi hiatus ish) · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first book where one of the MCs was an art thief and forger- and what better potential partner for a thief than the FBI agent who’s been chasing him for years?

King, the elusive, mysterious Wilde brother, doesn’t only have an art degree - he’s the infamous Le Chaton, the legendary cat burglar who’s been chased by Dirk Falcon and his team for years. When the Hungarian crown goes missing, Falcon turns to King for assistance, knowing that only Le Chaton is good enough to find it. Turns out - he’s right, because King immediately pins the theft on his former lover and partner, Elek.

I loved the push and pull between Falcon and King, and the way they both needed to learn to open up and trust each other. What I loved even more though was the heist planning, it gave me some Ocean 11 vibes.

So while the romance was good, it wasn’t entirely gripping, especially when compared to the previous book (tbf, almost every book would have had its difficulties to be a worthy match for that one) - 4 well deserved stars for King and Falcon’s book

[haletostilinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before this book, Kingston Wilde was basically a complete mystery. What the Wilde family knew about him is what we knew about him, and what we knew was completely off base - because King has been lying to his family for years.

He isn't a part of the CIA or anything like that - he's actually a notorious art thief, and has been for the last five years...but now, he's hanging up his hat, so to speak, and is ready to come home.

But first, there's Dirk Falcon and a little thing called the FBI to deal with. And yeah, I know Dirk is such a funny name, but the man himself is pretty damn great. And King thinks so too with the way he feels completely head over heels for him. But no worry, Falcon falls head over for heels for King right back.

Remember at the end of the last book when some mystery man showed up before Doc and Grandpa's wedding and King booked it out of there? Well this book goes into what exactly was going on and why.

This book was fun from the first page. If real life didn't get in the way, I wouldn't have put it down. The story was intriguing, the characters were interesting, and the romance was riveting (and also these two were smoking hot together. Their sex scenes *fansself*).

So, turns out that when King was in grad school as a very talented artist, he caught the eye of an older man named Elek, a Hungarian art collector...and thief. He had a puppy love for the guy - on his side of things - but when the man betrays him two years prior to the start of the main action, King can't let it go and is bent on revenge against the guy.

So much so that he goes to great lengths to get him to have his comeuppance, even agreeing to work with Falcon, the man who has been hunting him, the notorious art thief known as "Le Chaton" and his task force in order to get to the guy - of course, not without full immunity if he does what they're asking of him, of course.

Over about the next week or so, King starts to fall for Falcon and Falcon for him as they plan a heist of their own for important government reasons. It complicates things, but makes things so much for interesting.

I also loved how seamlessly King fit into their task force group, and the secondary characters in that group were great characters and I really enjoyed them.

This story was exciting from start to end, and where King and Falcon end up at the end of this is wonderful and oh so sweet. Was this story 100% realistic? Nah, but who cares? It was fun and entertaining and very well written with a steaming hot romantic couple that takes center stage - and it feels believable when they fall for each other fairly quickly as well.

Overall this was a big thumbs up for me, I loved it from start to finish. Is there a way for there to be more Wilde siblings? Because I won't want to finish this series any time soon, I am loving it so much.

Two massive thumbs up from me!

[Bookreader87(Amanda) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Wilde ride

This story is so different from the rest of the series and I loved it.
Kingston Wilde is an art thief that has been on the radar of the FBI. Agent Falcon and his team have been trying to nail him for 5 years. When an important piece is stolen the FBI has no choice but to ask Kingston for his help.

[Jennifer☠Pher☠ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5★'s Rounded Up!!

Oh man, I loved this. I mean LOVED IT!!

I was a little on the fence at the beginning, I mean, I had this teeny little voice whispering ’CRIMINAL’ and I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to ignore it.

Ha, but then I totally ignored it and just enjoyed the ride. And believe me, this was one Hell of a ride!

It was exciting and fun, silly and sexy. It read like a movie and I didn’t want it to end. I loved the setting, I loved the cast of characters, the adventure and so much the sweet, sweet, sweet.

I loved the hot as fuck too.

I just loved all of it! Kingston Wilde. What a name, right? He was not at all what I expected him to be. He was so much more. What a switch for a Wilde! He wasn’t a bad guy per se, but he did very, very bad things. How crazy for a Wilde!

Dirk…no, let’s just call him Falcon, yeah? Ok, Falcon. He was brilliant. He was so Alpha and so responsible and so caring and to see him come undone was fantastic.

I think this might be my favorite of the series so far. I really loved all of it and can’t wait to see where we go next.

[Sanaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

This book was so much fun. Lucy sure knows how to write a book filled with the right amount of humor, action, and some very sexy moments. It was a Wilde (see what I did there? Lol) ride from the first to the last page.

I've been wanting to read King's book for the longest time. And him, Falcon and the rest of the clan did not disappoint. I'm not going to go too much into the plot because it's something you need to read to enjoy. So do that. And enjoy 😉

“Please,” I said again. Who the fuck was in charge of my mouth? That fucker needed a ball gag.

King Me is exactly what you'd expect Lucy to write. This was probably one of my favorite books in this series. And I know there's going to be more and I. Can't. Wait.

[Starr (AKA Starrfish) Rivers · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF 29%.

I must be in the minority. I find the detective, Falcon, to be stupid. He's supposed to be my big muscly hero.

Nope.

[ivy]

DNF @ 51% - ughhhhhhhhh. I was really enjoying this. Everything about it really, and then I just… lost interest. It’s me, not the book.

[Airy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly? I love this book because it's set in Europe and I can relate to the places. And of course I love the story. King is such a great character and falcon has the biggest heart. A great read. ❤️❤️❤️

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars for me ... I enjoyed this read. Fun, light and sweet ❤️

[Love Is All Around · Rating 4 out of 5]

RECENSIONE A CURA DI EVELYNE
Aspettavo di poter leggere la storia di King dopo che ho visto apparire un sexy agente alla ricerca di un famoso ladro d’arte al vigneto dei Marian.
Non ho mai avuto un grande interesse verso King, perché il suo personaggio è sempre rimasto sullo sfondo, poco presente e poco nominato. Uno di quei personaggi di cui ci si potrebbe facilmente dimenticare ma che impiegano poco tempo per entrare in scena e prendere il sopravvento rispetto ai precedenti. Non avevo mai avuto modo di apprezzare la personalità frizzante e il suo spirito battagliero. Lo ricordo perché era stato introdotto durante il ritrovo Wilde/Marian ed è stato proprio in quel momento che è intervenuto l’agente Falcon alla ricerca di aiuto per il furto d’arte.
Continua sul nostro blog!

[Eugenia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book took me 6 months to finish.

‘Nuf said?

My rec? This one plus the first one were my least liked in the bunch. King Me was a ridiculous exercise in an extreme suspension of disbelief. Believe me.

[Halle Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars 🌟

[⋆｡°✮ Lucy InTheSky ✮°｡⋆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't give this book more than 3.9⭐.

First 1/3 of the book wasn't engaging, it was more action than drama or romance and I think the author should have used that third of the book for King and Dirk's history, to really build up that story.

We get their story in the present day with a few sentences that imply the hunt has been going on for years. 🤨

So naturally, when these two clash, I didn't get that feeling of it being something unique and special.


Both characters are well thought out, but them coming together should have been dealt with more drama and angst.


🗼🗼🗼🗼🗼
I can't really tell when King has been mentioned substantially in the previous books, this is my first run in with the man. And it's a shame too, because he seems quite the character - blonde, sleek, different, very smart, an art expert. With him I got the feeling he's really something else.

No wonder Dirk falls for the guy.


💟What I really liked in this book💟

👑Both characters are simple, mature, they don't fool around as far as their attraction to one another goes.

👑Loved their dialogues.

👑Dirk Falcon - hot daddy with a badge, yummy!

👑Very sexy spicy parts. 🥵

👑A great epilogue.


Overall these two are one of the most memorable couples. They're down to earth, the age gap is there and it's delicious and I honestly really liked them both.
They're staying in Hobie, so I'm hoping to hear from them more.

[Tamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this book as part of the 2019 Members' Choice Awards Challenge.
Categories: Best Military/Intelligence Officer/Spies

It was kind of fun, even though it had several elements I don't really enjoy in romance books.
It's kind of a heist / romance story, and I needed to flex my suspension of disbelief muscle a bit, but ultimately it was okay.

[Renée · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars - very cute but a lot of suspending disbelief.

[Aղցela W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was book 7 in the "Forever Wilde" series. Kingston Wilde is the elusive Wilde turns out he is the elusive cat burglar named "Le Chaton" he is wanted by every law agency in Europe. While on a job his lover and partner double crossed him and left him handcuffed but he talked his way out of it. Agent Dirk Falcon has been chasing the elusive cat burglar he has been duped by King before. When a crowd is stolen in Hungary Falcon and his team know it wasn't King and they need his help to get it back. This was a good read both of them don't trust each other because each of them is leaving something out of why they wanted to do the job. Falcon showed up at the lodge to get King but he was smart enough to ask MJ to arrange immunity from prosecution in the US. I liked the team that was working with them although Ziv let it be none that he didn't trust King. King knew it was Elek Kemény who stole the crown his former lover who used him. These two begin hooking up and its hot. When his boss wants to basically set King up it doesn't sit well with Falcon or with me but he was willing to do it only he changed the plan and it left Falcon feeling like he was being used. I loved that Doc and Grandpa showed up in Paris along with MJ and Neckie to check on King. This book was well written with no errors in grammar or spelling. There was in error in the audio version it pronounced wrong instead of Dirk. I am looking forward to reading and listening to the next book in this series.

[Shelby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love heist movies and well this heist novel is just as great. Of course you knew there was going to be all sorts of "we shouldn't" when you throw a thief and the FBI agent tracking him together. But of course we already knew we'd love the thief. Kingston's a Wilde. We love the Wilde's so, of course, from the start we're on King's side. I really enjoyed the introduction to King and his thievery. And his first meeting with Falcom was fun.

Of course the main part of the story starts off with King having to fear what Falcon really wants. And we have to spend a lot of time figuring out whether they can truly trust each other. But I liked them figuring out each other and how their relationship would really work. Of course when you're looking to re-steal the Hungarian Crown. Well things are going to get interesting when King's ex is clearly the one involved. Revenge can be sweet if it's handled correctly. There's a good cast of side characters in this one that aren't the main part of the family. Though I did really enjoy King's and MJ's relationship.

I'm really enjoying this series as a whole and can't wait for the next book.

[yaishin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't love it. It was good but I felt that throughout the whole book King seemed to have the upper hand. Even when Dirk kept the forged nature of the stolen crown. It was a small issue not related to their relationship but a mistake done long ago being corrected. But King's secret rendezvous with Elek? That was one serious trust issue and nobody seemed to take it that way. The end result was satisfactory so the whole KING-DIDN'T-TRUST-DIRK-BUT-ASKED-TO-BE-TRUSTED-IN-RETURN thing was forgiven. I was angry the whole time and honestly it made me dislike the whole book. The more I write the more I'm reducing the stars and I'm not even sorry. I was disappointed truly.

[Caipi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally enjoyed listening to this great art heist romance, fabulously narrated by Michael Dean (Pauley)!!

4.5 stars

[Kati *☆･ﾟ]

I started it, then put it down in favor of another read and I'm not sure I’m going to pick this up again. So, DNF for now.