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Lady Thief
A 25th anniversary edition of the author's first novel chronicles the romantic adventures of Jennifer Courtenay, a beautiful young woman who hides a dangerous secret from both London Society and the Duke of Spencer, and is accompanied by the Regency novella Masquerade. Reprint.
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 1981
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About the author
Kay Hooper
107 books2,453 followersKay Hooper (aka Kay Robbins) was born in California, in an air force base hospital since her father was stationed there at the time. The family moved back to North Carolina shortly afterward, so she was raised and went to school there.
The oldest of three children, Kay has a brother two years younger and a sister seven years younger. Her father and brother are builders who own a highly respected construction company, and her mother worked for many years in personnel management before becoming Kay's personal assistant, a position she held until her untimely death in March 2002. Kay's sister Linda works as her Business Manager, Events Coordinator, and is playing a major role in the creation and operation of The Kay Hooper Foundation.
Kay graduated from East Rutherford High School and attended Isothermal Community College — where she quickly discovered that business classes did not in any way enthrall her. Switching to more involving courses such as history and literature, she also began to concentrate on writing, which had been a longtime interest. Very quickly hooked, she asked for a Christmas typewriter and began seriously working on her first novel. That book, a Regency romance titled Lady Thief, sold to Dell Publishing in 1980. She has since published more than 60 novels and four novellas.
Kay is single and lives in a very small town in North Carolina, not far from her father and siblings. Deigning to live with her are a flock of cats — Bonnie, Ginger, Oscar, Tuffy, Felix, Renny, and Isabel — of various personalities who all like sleeping on manuscripts and whatever research happens to be spread across Kay's desk. And living amongst the many felines are two cheerfully tolerant dogs, a shelter rescue, Bandit, who looks rather like a small sheepdog, and a Sheltie named Lizzie.
The oldest of three children, Kay has a brother two years younger and a sister seven years younger. Her father and brother are builders who own a highly respected construction company, and her mother worked for many years in personnel management before becoming Kay's personal assistant, a position she held until her untimely death in March 2002. Kay's sister Linda works as her Business Manager, Events Coordinator, and is playing a major role in the creation and operation of The Kay Hooper Foundation.
Kay graduated from East Rutherford High School and attended Isothermal Community College — where she quickly discovered that business classes did not in any way enthrall her. Switching to more involving courses such as history and literature, she also began to concentrate on writing, which had been a longtime interest. Very quickly hooked, she asked for a Christmas typewriter and began seriously working on her first novel. That book, a Regency romance titled Lady Thief, sold to Dell Publishing in 1980. She has since published more than 60 novels and four novellas.
Kay is single and lives in a very small town in North Carolina, not far from her father and siblings. Deigning to live with her are a flock of cats — Bonnie, Ginger, Oscar, Tuffy, Felix, Renny, and Isabel — of various personalities who all like sleeping on manuscripts and whatever research happens to be spread across Kay's desk. And living amongst the many felines are two cheerfully tolerant dogs, a shelter rescue, Bandit, who looks rather like a small sheepdog, and a Sheltie named Lizzie.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
March 7, 2023
Let me just begin by saying I got this book in a second-hand bookshop as one of those books where its covered in wrapping paper and it just has the genre on it. I think my bf spent either $2 or $5 on it…and let me just say he should get his money back cause holy shit what a waste of money this fucking book was. I honestly had high hopes going into this book cause who doesn’t like Regency Era with a “feminist” heroine that is a thief? But it was very clear as I got through the first few chapters that this author didn’t know much about the Regency Era. Like Jenny feels faint at a ball cause everyone is mentioning the Cat and then the dude she’s dancing with is like “lemme take you home homie you lookin pale” AND THEN THEY JUST GET INTO HIS CARRIAGE ALONE AND HE TAKES HER HOME????? Like honey she would have been fucking ruined the moment she took one step into that carriage. And whenever she accepts a visitor she is by herself??? Im sorry but what kind of whore house is this godmother running. Everyone who’s seen half a second of Bridgerton knows that if a lady is accepting a visitor, especially a suitor, she is always accompanied by someone.
Okay now I gotta rant about how fucking stupid this book is and how I would read a paragraph and just stop and wonder about the stupidity of the characters and how not only the author but the editor read this shit and was like “yep this is it”. Fucking exhibit A: homegirl’s stepsister (deadass forgot her name I think its Meg? Which is kind of ironic cause my name is Megan) is riding her horse and is sooooo absorbed in thought that she doesn’t realize shes come out of the woods and is in a field! Oh No! And then the horse sees a hare is like “aight I’m out” and she falls from the horse. But is she scared? Is she frightened? Is there any emotion at all in the paragraph as she falls from the horse? No. It literally is like one moment this bimbo is atop the horse and the next shes not and shes like “how did I get down here??? Bitch what??? You know how painful it is to fall from a horse. And yes I speak from personal experience. But thats not even the worst part. This random dude helps her up and they make introductions and THEN HE BEGINS TO TELL HER HIS WHOLE LIFE STORY????? AND THEN LITERALLY AFTER TWO MINUTES HES SAYING HE WANTS TO COURT HER AND SHES LIKE “OMG I WANT THAT TOO”! BITCH YOU JUST MET THE FUCKING MAN WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!!! I think I literally lost my head for a good hour after I read that fucking chapter. But literally this bitch had no point at all in being in this story. She was useless and didn’t add to the plot or have any character development. Oh but she was the reason Jenny had to go to London! Shut the fuck up there could have been ten thousand other excuses to get Jenny to London. Actually let’s talk about this Jenny bitch.
Why tf was this bitch so annoying and for no reason at all. Like she goes to fucking London and people are all talking about the Cat cause why wouldn’t they be since they’re the ones getting “robbed”. Actually, hold on, we gotta talk about this whole “robbing” thing before I continue. I get that she’s just looking for her dad’s ring and she’s super wealthy so she doesn’t need anymore money but if the book is going to be called Lady Thief and everyone knows the Cat is a thief THEN IT SHOULD LIVE UP TO ITS NAME AND SHE SHOULD ACTUALLY STEAL TF. And then at the end she’s like “and I’m going to return all the gold when this is all done. It’s in a special place and I’ve kept a record of how much I stole from whom.” BITCH WHAT????? IF YOURE GONNA RETURN THE JEWELS RIGHT AFTER YOU STEAL THEM YOU MIGHT AS WELL FUCKING RETURN THE GOLD AS WELL WTF. And the book honestly would have been more interesting if she was an actual thief (and did her ring side quest too) and kept everything. But I know the only reason the author had her return everything was so that it would make sense for the Cat to be pardoned at the end. Which is dumb. Give me angst. Anyways back to her in London and everyone talking about the Cat. Jenny is just sooooo pale cause everyone is asking her about the Cat and she’s like “oh no does everyone know?!” No bitch youre just a paranoid bitch who can’t act to save her life. Bitch everyone is asking you about the Cat cause they’re making conversation with you and you’re also new to society so they don’t know your opinion about the Cat yet, stupid. Also, why tf would you expect everyone to suspect you’re the Cat. Imagine youre just a random person. What would the odds be that the person you’re dancing with is the Cat. Literally 0 to none. If Jenny stopped being an overacting dipshit for two seconds she would have realized that. Also quick aside, but what was with her having yellow eyes?? Like I get the author wanted her to be like a cat cause that was her thief name but like… This isn’t Avatar, both the blue monkey one and the Fire Nation one. People don’t have fucking yellow eyes, get realistic. Also I really didn’t like that author was trying to make Jenny a feminist (I mean hello wearing pants in the Regency Era, letting Jenny and her mother be in control of their own fortunes lmao, etc) but then she would have Jenny say the most patriarchal bullshit like when the Duke is talking to her and goes, “Blah blah blah. Does that not sound logical?” and Jenny goes, “You’re asking a woman about logic?” Like what???
Now let’s get to the other stupid fucking character of this story: the Duke. Let’s begin when the Cat pulls his coach up and he’s totally fucking smitten by her weird fucking jaundice eyes. And then she goes to return his jewels and hes like “omg I’ve been looking everywhere for you I can’t stop thinking about you even though you barely said two words to me and I don’t know what you look like.” Be fucking forreal old man. Yeah, let’s not forget that age gap. He’s in his mid-thirties and shes fucking 20. I can excuse a 500 year old age gap between bat boys and fae women but I draw the line at a 15 year old age gap in the Regency Era. And then he’s like “you should trust me even though you know nothing about me.” (ALSO ON HER SIDE WHY TF DID SHE KEEP THINKING ABOUT THE DUKE BEFORE RETURNING HIS JEWELS LIKE BITCH YOU DONT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT HIM???) and she actually has some sense and is like “lol gurl I dont know you” and he’s all sad and disappointed that she doesn’t trust some random stranger with her real lidentity???? And then he wanted to “make sure shes a woman” and just fucking assaults her. Love that. How romantic. But I think the pinnacle of the audacity of men is when near the end he’s like “marry me!” and she finally concedes and THE NEXT FUCKING SECOND LITERALLY THE NEXT WORDS OUT OF HIM HE GOES “aight cool now stop being the Cat”. I ALMOST THREW THE FUCKING BOOK OUT THE WINDOW!!! And it isn’t until his bff is like why’d you do that that the Duke realizes he loves Jenny’s wildness and tried to tame her by saying that. NO FUCKING SHIT SHERLOCK LET HER DO HER OWN THING SHE DOESNT NEED YOUR BITCH ASS!!
Also idk if it was cause its a reprint, or the editor just never read the transcript and instead was like yep lets print it, but there were a ton of spelling mistakes. Like simple things where it looks like someone is just typing too fast and puts no instead of not. Easy shit like that that was just missed. Idk. I dont like sloppy books. But also the way this read it was very, um, how do they say it, shitty. The back of the book says, “I hope you enjoy Lady Thief…I ask only that you please remember that I was a tiny child when I began my writing career, hardly tall enough to reach the keyboard.” And like yeah I can tell the author was a child when she wrote this cause it reads like a fucking 5 year old wrote it. Let’s fucking pull out exhibit A where we meet Jason for the first time and he and Jenny are having a conversation and every. Single. Sentence. Jenny says she has to say his name. And then when it switches to Jason, the author can’t put “he said” no it has to be “Jason said” “Jason replied” “Jason growled” “Jason whined” “Jason shut the fuck up”. In three (3) pages (and I literally went back and counted) the word Jason is written 15 times. And let me tell you this ain’t Game of Thrones font. This shit is like fucking size 14 font. It’s fucking ridiculous.
Anyways I think I’ve ranted about everything I think that annoyed me. I mean, besides the ending. Shit was lame and anticlimactic. And then the bitch who this entire book is like I’m so tough look at me I don’t need any help like fucking deflates and it weepy and looking up to the Duke and goes “is it finally over?” Bitch shut up I wish you had been fucking shot instead of your father…or however he died, it didn’t really go into detail.
Oh yeah, the second story that was written 15 years later, Masquerade, was actually pretty good and kind of had a Beauty and the Beast vibe? I mean the story wasn’t awesome but it didn’t make me want to pluck my eyeballs out. They kind of fell in love way too fast but I was kind of expecting that since the fucking Duke fell in love in two seconds looking at the Cat. Nevertheless, I definitely wasted my time reading this shit. Book should have stayed out of print lol.
Okay now I gotta rant about how fucking stupid this book is and how I would read a paragraph and just stop and wonder about the stupidity of the characters and how not only the author but the editor read this shit and was like “yep this is it”. Fucking exhibit A: homegirl’s stepsister (deadass forgot her name I think its Meg? Which is kind of ironic cause my name is Megan) is riding her horse and is sooooo absorbed in thought that she doesn’t realize shes come out of the woods and is in a field! Oh No! And then the horse sees a hare is like “aight I’m out” and she falls from the horse. But is she scared? Is she frightened? Is there any emotion at all in the paragraph as she falls from the horse? No. It literally is like one moment this bimbo is atop the horse and the next shes not and shes like “how did I get down here??? Bitch what??? You know how painful it is to fall from a horse. And yes I speak from personal experience. But thats not even the worst part. This random dude helps her up and they make introductions and THEN HE BEGINS TO TELL HER HIS WHOLE LIFE STORY????? AND THEN LITERALLY AFTER TWO MINUTES HES SAYING HE WANTS TO COURT HER AND SHES LIKE “OMG I WANT THAT TOO”! BITCH YOU JUST MET THE FUCKING MAN WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!!! I think I literally lost my head for a good hour after I read that fucking chapter. But literally this bitch had no point at all in being in this story. She was useless and didn’t add to the plot or have any character development. Oh but she was the reason Jenny had to go to London! Shut the fuck up there could have been ten thousand other excuses to get Jenny to London. Actually let’s talk about this Jenny bitch.
Why tf was this bitch so annoying and for no reason at all. Like she goes to fucking London and people are all talking about the Cat cause why wouldn’t they be since they’re the ones getting “robbed”. Actually, hold on, we gotta talk about this whole “robbing” thing before I continue. I get that she’s just looking for her dad’s ring and she’s super wealthy so she doesn’t need anymore money but if the book is going to be called Lady Thief and everyone knows the Cat is a thief THEN IT SHOULD LIVE UP TO ITS NAME AND SHE SHOULD ACTUALLY STEAL TF. And then at the end she’s like “and I’m going to return all the gold when this is all done. It’s in a special place and I’ve kept a record of how much I stole from whom.” BITCH WHAT????? IF YOURE GONNA RETURN THE JEWELS RIGHT AFTER YOU STEAL THEM YOU MIGHT AS WELL FUCKING RETURN THE GOLD AS WELL WTF. And the book honestly would have been more interesting if she was an actual thief (and did her ring side quest too) and kept everything. But I know the only reason the author had her return everything was so that it would make sense for the Cat to be pardoned at the end. Which is dumb. Give me angst. Anyways back to her in London and everyone talking about the Cat. Jenny is just sooooo pale cause everyone is asking her about the Cat and she’s like “oh no does everyone know?!” No bitch youre just a paranoid bitch who can’t act to save her life. Bitch everyone is asking you about the Cat cause they’re making conversation with you and you’re also new to society so they don’t know your opinion about the Cat yet, stupid. Also, why tf would you expect everyone to suspect you’re the Cat. Imagine youre just a random person. What would the odds be that the person you’re dancing with is the Cat. Literally 0 to none. If Jenny stopped being an overacting dipshit for two seconds she would have realized that. Also quick aside, but what was with her having yellow eyes?? Like I get the author wanted her to be like a cat cause that was her thief name but like… This isn’t Avatar, both the blue monkey one and the Fire Nation one. People don’t have fucking yellow eyes, get realistic. Also I really didn’t like that author was trying to make Jenny a feminist (I mean hello wearing pants in the Regency Era, letting Jenny and her mother be in control of their own fortunes lmao, etc) but then she would have Jenny say the most patriarchal bullshit like when the Duke is talking to her and goes, “Blah blah blah. Does that not sound logical?” and Jenny goes, “You’re asking a woman about logic?” Like what???
Now let’s get to the other stupid fucking character of this story: the Duke. Let’s begin when the Cat pulls his coach up and he’s totally fucking smitten by her weird fucking jaundice eyes. And then she goes to return his jewels and hes like “omg I’ve been looking everywhere for you I can’t stop thinking about you even though you barely said two words to me and I don’t know what you look like.” Be fucking forreal old man. Yeah, let’s not forget that age gap. He’s in his mid-thirties and shes fucking 20. I can excuse a 500 year old age gap between bat boys and fae women but I draw the line at a 15 year old age gap in the Regency Era. And then he’s like “you should trust me even though you know nothing about me.” (ALSO ON HER SIDE WHY TF DID SHE KEEP THINKING ABOUT THE DUKE BEFORE RETURNING HIS JEWELS LIKE BITCH YOU DONT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT HIM???) and she actually has some sense and is like “lol gurl I dont know you” and he’s all sad and disappointed that she doesn’t trust some random stranger with her real lidentity???? And then he wanted to “make sure shes a woman” and just fucking assaults her. Love that. How romantic. But I think the pinnacle of the audacity of men is when near the end he’s like “marry me!” and she finally concedes and THE NEXT FUCKING SECOND LITERALLY THE NEXT WORDS OUT OF HIM HE GOES “aight cool now stop being the Cat”. I ALMOST THREW THE FUCKING BOOK OUT THE WINDOW!!! And it isn’t until his bff is like why’d you do that that the Duke realizes he loves Jenny’s wildness and tried to tame her by saying that. NO FUCKING SHIT SHERLOCK LET HER DO HER OWN THING SHE DOESNT NEED YOUR BITCH ASS!!
Also idk if it was cause its a reprint, or the editor just never read the transcript and instead was like yep lets print it, but there were a ton of spelling mistakes. Like simple things where it looks like someone is just typing too fast and puts no instead of not. Easy shit like that that was just missed. Idk. I dont like sloppy books. But also the way this read it was very, um, how do they say it, shitty. The back of the book says, “I hope you enjoy Lady Thief…I ask only that you please remember that I was a tiny child when I began my writing career, hardly tall enough to reach the keyboard.” And like yeah I can tell the author was a child when she wrote this cause it reads like a fucking 5 year old wrote it. Let’s fucking pull out exhibit A where we meet Jason for the first time and he and Jenny are having a conversation and every. Single. Sentence. Jenny says she has to say his name. And then when it switches to Jason, the author can’t put “he said” no it has to be “Jason said” “Jason replied” “Jason growled” “Jason whined” “Jason shut the fuck up”. In three (3) pages (and I literally went back and counted) the word Jason is written 15 times. And let me tell you this ain’t Game of Thrones font. This shit is like fucking size 14 font. It’s fucking ridiculous.
Anyways I think I’ve ranted about everything I think that annoyed me. I mean, besides the ending. Shit was lame and anticlimactic. And then the bitch who this entire book is like I’m so tough look at me I don’t need any help like fucking deflates and it weepy and looking up to the Duke and goes “is it finally over?” Bitch shut up I wish you had been fucking shot instead of your father…or however he died, it didn’t really go into detail.
Oh yeah, the second story that was written 15 years later, Masquerade, was actually pretty good and kind of had a Beauty and the Beast vibe? I mean the story wasn’t awesome but it didn’t make me want to pluck my eyeballs out. They kind of fell in love way too fast but I was kind of expecting that since the fucking Duke fell in love in two seconds looking at the Cat. Nevertheless, I definitely wasted my time reading this shit. Book should have stayed out of print lol.
August 23, 2012
This is the author's first book and it shows. There were many times where I had to roll my eyes, by I always did so with a smile, too. There's alot of cliche moments, especially concerning the dialogue, and her descriptions of love. Rather than feeling the couples were in love I was immediately told they were. It was rather anticlimactic how quickly everyone paired up. It lacked the subtlety and craft that I KNOW Hooper does well in her later works. Despite this I was able to enjoy the story, because Hooper manages to sell it convincingly, if not expertly. Also, another reason I might have enjoyed this more than I should have was the constant echoes of Georgette Heyer. The plot points resemble many of Heyer's, and even the names were very familiar (Ware, Standen). I had fun playing a kind of "Where's Waldo?" with all the Heyer references. The Regency staples were there, but the story does take quite a few liberties in terms of historical attitudes. While the characters may not have been incredibly unique or completely fleshed out, they were endearing all in their own ways. The mystery too, is somewhat simplistic, and somethings are a bit unanswered, (ie the purpose of the missing ring) but, those can be forgiven if what you're really after is a light short sweet read.
Edit: read the short story "Masquerade" at later date
I had to give the novel another star because I liked this short story so much better than the novel it accompanies. It's another Regency, this time with a misunderstood rogue and an independent minded woman stuck together by random circumstance (the weather). It is both a sweet and intense romance that plays out predictably but enjoyably. I'm not crazy about HEA's but Masquerade does it just right. This is no insult to the romance in the book, but my favorite part of the story is the politics of the servants and the minutiae of manor life. I really like those kind of details in my historical fiction. This book is worth buying for the short story alone, imo.
Edit: read the short story "Masquerade" at later date
I had to give the novel another star because I liked this short story so much better than the novel it accompanies. It's another Regency, this time with a misunderstood rogue and an independent minded woman stuck together by random circumstance (the weather). It is both a sweet and intense romance that plays out predictably but enjoyably. I'm not crazy about HEA's but Masquerade does it just right. This is no insult to the romance in the book, but my favorite part of the story is the politics of the servants and the minutiae of manor life. I really like those kind of details in my historical fiction. This book is worth buying for the short story alone, imo.
February 8, 2015
I'm inclined to forgive a lot in this book - it's the author's very first book, and judging by the back cover I'm not even sure she wanted to have it released again. She's sounds like she's rather embarrassed by it, and she'd much rather you not read it. Which is a bit odd for a back cover, but it succeeded in making me feel more kindly towards it as a whole.
If you're going to read this, you're going to have to suspend belief. Really, really suspend it. It's really, really cliche and it definitely feels like a first novel. It's not even the situations, which happens for me a lot I'm romance novels, the characters are pretty unbelievable and they just feel... Well, like the author was young. Maybe it was the dialogue and the development? I'm really not sure. But you know what? Despite all of it, it was a fun read and I actually quite liked the novella. Would I recommend it? No, not really. I think this book was more for readers who were already fans of Kay Hooper and wanted a peek at her beginnings rather than for readers seeking a regency era romance.
If you're going to read this, you're going to have to suspend belief. Really, really suspend it. It's really, really cliche and it definitely feels like a first novel. It's not even the situations, which happens for me a lot I'm romance novels, the characters are pretty unbelievable and they just feel... Well, like the author was young. Maybe it was the dialogue and the development? I'm really not sure. But you know what? Despite all of it, it was a fun read and I actually quite liked the novella. Would I recommend it? No, not really. I think this book was more for readers who were already fans of Kay Hooper and wanted a peek at her beginnings rather than for readers seeking a regency era romance.
October 28, 2015
I can't believe I'm going to say this but, holy cow, this was a lovely, solid read. It was found in the endless boxes of Regency Romance Novels at my Grammy's and most of that stuff has turned out to be fluff to trash. This, however, had a solid story, a strong heroine, a non-stupid hero, and an inexplicable but amusing supporting character appearance by Beau Brummel. The hero and heroine were functional human beings. They had brains. They acted in pretty sensible ways. They fought but then they talked it out and moved on to solving the Mystery.
... I don't even know how to wrap my head around all of this.
(It's not perfect and I spotted some editing glitches but wow.)
... I don't even know how to wrap my head around all of this.
(It's not perfect and I spotted some editing glitches but wow.)
January 15, 2011
Very old-fashioned - well, it is from 1980. Just like the books I read as a kid (Heyer, Holt, Whitney).
July 12, 2011
Great fun. You can tell it's an early work but still... great fun.
October 17, 2009
fun regency romance with a mystery thrown in.
May 25, 2018
I am almost embarassed to admit how much I actually enjoyed this book. I picked it up to read during a flight and was sorry my flight didn't take longer! It was apparently the author's first foray into the world for Regency romance (and it shows) but through it all is a solid story and writing that is good.
Don't get me wrong, it is FULL of romance novel clichés, like, every single one of them. I actually sighed and rolled my eyes several times in the beginning but then I let myself enjoy the story for what it was. I truly liked the cast of characters; I would love to delve more deeply into their world. The mystery of Jenny's motives for becomming a highway woman was well-done. I felt myself drawn into the tale and rooting for her. My biggest wish is that the author would revisit the story and re-write it to its true potential.
Masquerade, the bonus novella was a lot better written but the story wasn't quite as compelling. To be expected as it is a novella and thus can't get overly complicated with its plot but I liked the story well enough (it had a bit of a beauty and the beast feel to me, which earns it a lot of forgiveness).
All in all, I got what I paid for, a feel-good romance, filled with likeable people, and a dash of mystery and suspence thrown in for good measure. I liked the writing well enough that I will likely look for more works of the author.
Don't get me wrong, it is FULL of romance novel clichés, like, every single one of them. I actually sighed and rolled my eyes several times in the beginning but then I let myself enjoy the story for what it was. I truly liked the cast of characters; I would love to delve more deeply into their world. The mystery of Jenny's motives for becomming a highway woman was well-done. I felt myself drawn into the tale and rooting for her. My biggest wish is that the author would revisit the story and re-write it to its true potential.
Masquerade, the bonus novella was a lot better written but the story wasn't quite as compelling. To be expected as it is a novella and thus can't get overly complicated with its plot but I liked the story well enough (it had a bit of a beauty and the beast feel to me, which earns it a lot of forgiveness).
All in all, I got what I paid for, a feel-good romance, filled with likeable people, and a dash of mystery and suspence thrown in for good measure. I liked the writing well enough that I will likely look for more works of the author.
July 7, 2025
I have read other reviews berating the book for missing the mark by allowing the characters too much time alone together; completely out of keeping with the period.
For me; the stumbling block is in the math.
Correct me if I have gotten something wrong but here is how I read it.
In Lady Thief; Jenny Courtenay and Meg Ross share a mother- Correct?
Meg Ross’ father is Sir George Ross the former next door neighbor, who married the widow( the girl’s mother) 2 years after the death of her first husband, just 6 years previous.
Do I have all those details correct??
Here comes the sticky part: The Rosses have been married 6 years, how is it Meg is 16, almost 17, just 3 years younger than her step-sister Jenny??
Now the author is new as we are told this is her first book but what excuse does the editor have?? Shouldn’t someone have caught this time line blunder??
For me; the stumbling block is in the math.
Correct me if I have gotten something wrong but here is how I read it.
In Lady Thief; Jenny Courtenay and Meg Ross share a mother- Correct?
Meg Ross’ father is Sir George Ross the former next door neighbor, who married the widow( the girl’s mother) 2 years after the death of her first husband, just 6 years previous.
Do I have all those details correct??
Here comes the sticky part: The Rosses have been married 6 years, how is it Meg is 16, almost 17, just 3 years younger than her step-sister Jenny??
Now the author is new as we are told this is her first book but what excuse does the editor have?? Shouldn’t someone have caught this time line blunder??
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 25, 2023
Lady Thief is Kay Hooper's first published work from 1981 and it was a Candlelight Romance #665. The novella included here is Masquerade from 1984 and it was in the Anthology 'Hearts of Gold'. I would rate this entire book 3.5 stars.
July 27, 2018
Good book
June 13, 2021
Could not get into this. I'm not reading anymore of her old works. Maybe I'll have better luck with the newer works.
library
July 30, 20210
March 11, 2022
2.5 round up
February 27, 2014
Lady Thief is (according to the book cover) Ms. Hooper's very first novel - and it shows. Despite this I still (mostly) enjoyed it. Yes there were some rather glaring mistakes, cliches and eye-rolling moments but I still liked it. I think it was the basic idea behind the book that I liked and as a first novel it's not so bad (at least not all of the time). This would've been better as a longer novel where more development was dedicated to the characters and the plot.
There is a charming, likable (if almost too perfect) heroine, and a charming likable hero - but they don't have the very strong character development or depth that I like. There is some just not a lot. In fact we learn very little about the hero's backstory aside from his name, age, physical description and that he has a mother and served in the military. We get some character traits but not a lot. The heroine we get a bit more in depth but we don't get to see her grow. And some of the decisions she make's (like why she took up being the Cat) are a little mind boggling because while they kinda sorta make sense if you squint - most of it really doesn't.
We also get some side characters - a villainous step-father who (unfortunately) does not get his comeuppance, a mother who is weak, shows some backbone and virtually disappears from the story, a stepsister who falls in instalove with a man who rescued her (who also virtually disappears from the story) and Beau Brummell (whom I liked). There are some other side characters but they don't play any strong role in the story, except of course - for the villain.
The story's pacing really threw me about half way through when Spencer and Jenny were confessing their love for each other and proposing marriage and then a page later declared the engagement off. I kinda blinked and wondered if I missed a whole chunk of the book. There were times in the book (like the aforementioned) that I blinked and felt I missed something. It sometimes felt a little forced or like there was just not enough pages so the author wrapped up what should've been twenty pages into one. We are also told more than shown (like with the love between Meg and Robert, or even Spencer and Jenny).
Anyway - there were problems, beyond the pacing or the not-making-sense, lack of explaining there were also minor things - like characters/subplots kind of dropping off the pages of the book (the sister, the stepfather), the fact that Jenny wasn't chaperoned while all these 'gentleman' called on her, the fact that everything was tied up so neatly at the end. There is just a sense of where's the ending and what the heck is that it? Too many lose ends, not to mention a fairly flawed story - in spite of this I still oddly enough liked it. I didn't come away feeling like I hated it. I liked it and it was fun (despite everything that was wrong). Though I still wanted to see her stepfather get his.
Bonus Story - Masquerade:
The bonus novella Masquerade also included with this book bumped my rating for the overall book by one star. It was short, sweet and will leave you with fluffy feelings. To summarize the novella in a few words - An heiress is stranded in the country at the start of a snow storm, finds shelter with reclusive rake and falls in love. While there are a few misunderstandings they aren't major, angst-ridden, tortured affairs. It's light and pleasant, with amusing banter and likable characters. I enjoyed it a great deal.
Overall for this book, I liked it. It doesn't really make a whole lot of sense why (withLady Thief) but there it is. Masquerade was a charming little short novella that is good when you want something light and don't have a lot of time. 4 stars.
There is a charming, likable (if almost too perfect) heroine, and a charming likable hero - but they don't have the very strong character development or depth that I like. There is some just not a lot. In fact we learn very little about the hero's backstory aside from his name, age, physical description and that he has a mother and served in the military. We get some character traits but not a lot. The heroine we get a bit more in depth but we don't get to see her grow. And some of the decisions she make's (like why she took up being the Cat) are a little mind boggling because while they kinda sorta make sense if you squint - most of it really doesn't.
We also get some side characters - a villainous step-father who (unfortunately) does not get his comeuppance, a mother who is weak, shows some backbone and virtually disappears from the story, a stepsister who falls in instalove with a man who rescued her (who also virtually disappears from the story) and Beau Brummell (whom I liked). There are some other side characters but they don't play any strong role in the story, except of course - for the villain.
The story's pacing really threw me about half way through when Spencer and Jenny were confessing their love for each other and proposing marriage and then a page later declared the engagement off. I kinda blinked and wondered if I missed a whole chunk of the book. There were times in the book (like the aforementioned) that I blinked and felt I missed something. It sometimes felt a little forced or like there was just not enough pages so the author wrapped up what should've been twenty pages into one. We are also told more than shown (like with the love between Meg and Robert, or even Spencer and Jenny).
Anyway - there were problems, beyond the pacing or the not-making-sense, lack of explaining there were also minor things - like characters/subplots kind of dropping off the pages of the book (the sister, the stepfather), the fact that Jenny wasn't chaperoned while all these 'gentleman' called on her, the fact that everything was tied up so neatly at the end. There is just a sense of where's the ending and what the heck is that it? Too many lose ends, not to mention a fairly flawed story - in spite of this I still oddly enough liked it. I didn't come away feeling like I hated it. I liked it and it was fun (despite everything that was wrong). Though I still wanted to see her stepfather get his.
Bonus Story - Masquerade:
The bonus novella Masquerade also included with this book bumped my rating for the overall book by one star. It was short, sweet and will leave you with fluffy feelings. To summarize the novella in a few words - An heiress is stranded in the country at the start of a snow storm, finds shelter with reclusive rake and falls in love. While there are a few misunderstandings they aren't major, angst-ridden, tortured affairs. It's light and pleasant, with amusing banter and likable characters. I enjoyed it a great deal.
Overall for this book, I liked it. It doesn't really make a whole lot of sense why (withLady Thief) but there it is. Masquerade was a charming little short novella that is good when you want something light and don't have a lot of time. 4 stars.
March 25, 2015
I have really enjoyed this book. The story could be considered rather simple and predictable (it is the first book written by the author) but it is entertaining. I would have liked a longer ending, some kind of epilogue to wrap up the story (e.g. the stepsister's courting, the reaction of the other and the stepfather).
--------------------
Jennifer Courteney, bajo su adorable rostro, guarda un peligroso secreto que la sociedad inglesa y el Duque de Spencer están dispuestos a descubrir. Un secreto que podría costarle la vida.
***
El año pasado se publicaron en español dos novelas de Kay Hooper, 'Jaque al miedo' y 'Enfriar el miedo', ambas editadas por Terciopelo, y que forman parte de una serie de trilogías protagonizadas por personajes con dones especiales que usan para resolver crímenes. En ellas apenas hay romance, pero la trama paranormal está muy bien desarrollada.
Pues bien, en Lady thief, la primera novela escrita por la autora (alrededor de 1980), cambiamos totalmente de género. Del paranormal, pasamos a una novela histórica ambientada en el Londres de la Regencia, en la que una joven dama de veinte años, Jennifer Courtenay, se convierte en ladrona (a la que llaman Cat). Pero esta ladrona no 'roba', sino que asalta a los miembros de la alta sociedad londinense (siempre a hombres) y toma prestadas las joyas y otros objetos valiosos con tal de descubrir al asesino de su padre, quien robó el anillo de éste último. Después, todo es devuelto a sus respectivos dueños.
Nadie, por supuesto, sabe la verdadera identidad de Cat.
Una noche, la víctima de Cat es el Duque de Spencer, quien rápidamente se siente atraído por su ladrona. Cuando ésta va a su residencia a devolverle sus pertenencias, el duque no puede evitar rendirse ante los encantos de su asaltadora, y la besa.
Las cosas se ponen difíciles cuando Jennifer y su hermanastra se trasladan a Londres durante la temporada. Jennifer tiene miedo de que la descubran. Y así ocurre. El duque de Spencer la reconoce en un baile y le ofrece su ayuda.
La historia en sí es bastante sencilla y corta (200 páginas); es más una novela de investigación que de romance, sin embargo, la relación entre los protagonistas es importante en el desarrollo de la historia.
Los personajes, incluidos los más importantes, están caracterizados mínimamente. La autora no le da hincapié a sus caracteres, sino a la situación en la que se encuentran.
Al final del libro se echa en falta un epílogo en la que se cuenten, aunque sea superficialmente, cómo los personajes siguen con sus vidas después de que el crimen se haya resulto: el romance de la hermanastra, la reacción de la madre, la del padrastro...
En definitiva, para pasar el rato.
--------------------
Jennifer Courteney, bajo su adorable rostro, guarda un peligroso secreto que la sociedad inglesa y el Duque de Spencer están dispuestos a descubrir. Un secreto que podría costarle la vida.
***
El año pasado se publicaron en español dos novelas de Kay Hooper, 'Jaque al miedo' y 'Enfriar el miedo', ambas editadas por Terciopelo, y que forman parte de una serie de trilogías protagonizadas por personajes con dones especiales que usan para resolver crímenes. En ellas apenas hay romance, pero la trama paranormal está muy bien desarrollada.
Pues bien, en Lady thief, la primera novela escrita por la autora (alrededor de 1980), cambiamos totalmente de género. Del paranormal, pasamos a una novela histórica ambientada en el Londres de la Regencia, en la que una joven dama de veinte años, Jennifer Courtenay, se convierte en ladrona (a la que llaman Cat). Pero esta ladrona no 'roba', sino que asalta a los miembros de la alta sociedad londinense (siempre a hombres) y toma prestadas las joyas y otros objetos valiosos con tal de descubrir al asesino de su padre, quien robó el anillo de éste último. Después, todo es devuelto a sus respectivos dueños.
Nadie, por supuesto, sabe la verdadera identidad de Cat.
Una noche, la víctima de Cat es el Duque de Spencer, quien rápidamente se siente atraído por su ladrona. Cuando ésta va a su residencia a devolverle sus pertenencias, el duque no puede evitar rendirse ante los encantos de su asaltadora, y la besa.
Las cosas se ponen difíciles cuando Jennifer y su hermanastra se trasladan a Londres durante la temporada. Jennifer tiene miedo de que la descubran. Y así ocurre. El duque de Spencer la reconoce en un baile y le ofrece su ayuda.
La historia en sí es bastante sencilla y corta (200 páginas); es más una novela de investigación que de romance, sin embargo, la relación entre los protagonistas es importante en el desarrollo de la historia.
Los personajes, incluidos los más importantes, están caracterizados mínimamente. La autora no le da hincapié a sus caracteres, sino a la situación en la que se encuentran.
Al final del libro se echa en falta un epílogo en la que se cuenten, aunque sea superficialmente, cómo los personajes siguen con sus vidas después de que el crimen se haya resulto: el romance de la hermanastra, la reacción de la madre, la del padrastro...
En definitiva, para pasar el rato.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 13, 2013
One of the first books published by Kay Hooper, Lady Thief is straight romance. It’s a great historical romance with none of the psychic mystery elements that make some of Hooper’s later works so wonderful.
If you like romance, this is a great book to read. It was written a few years ago, so you won’t find the erotic love scenes that seem to dominate current romance genre, but, it is well written and very interesting.
I am a great fan of Kay Hooper and highly recommend this title to anyone interested in reading romance.
If you like romance, this is a great book to read. It was written a few years ago, so you won’t find the erotic love scenes that seem to dominate current romance genre, but, it is well written and very interesting.
I am a great fan of Kay Hooper and highly recommend this title to anyone interested in reading romance.
October 12, 2012
i love gender blender books and i was delighted when i found this one. This book is one of my old time favs. It has romance, suspense, mystery and a tinge of adventure. Overall i loved every bit of this book.
Want to read
January 13, 2016Another (as yet) unread book picked up during the annual book fair on Hamilton green. I think maybe Susan recommended it to me...? Or at least told me she'd heard of it? But I could be making that up. Let me know if it that's a misremembrance, Sus! :)
dnf
December 30, 2013Absolutely horrendous. Couldn't even finish it. Remind me never again to pick up mass-market author's first work. You'd think she'd have rewritten this by now; it's a complete embarrassment.
September 16, 2014
All time best romance ever. it is one that is simple and sweet. I have read thus so many times, i'm surprised that I don't have it memorized.
October 26, 2014
Her first book.
October 30, 2016
This was a great book that kind of reminded me of Zorro except its a women not a man doing the thieving. A great love story on all angles!!
March 22, 2013
Was her first novel and wasn't all that good.
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