Title: Heart of the Steal
Publisher: Philtre Press
Release Date (Print & Ebook): July 11th, 2017
Length (Print & Ebook): about 80K words
Subgenre: Contemporary queer romance
Publisher: Philtre Press
Release Date (Print & Ebook): July 11th, 2017
Length (Print & Ebook): about 80K words
Subgenre: Contemporary queer romance
Book Blurb:
Responsible, disciplined William Fox channeled his love for art and his faith in the rules into being an FBI Art Crimes agent. Right and wrong, justice and injustice—the differences are clear, and Will has spent his career drawing a line between them. Maybe his convictions have cost him relationships, but he’s not willing to compromise what he knows is right. Until the night he meets Amory Vaughn.
As the head of his family’s philanthropic foundation, Vaughn knows very well that being rich and powerful can get him almost anything he wants. And when he meets endearingly grumpy and slightly awkward William Fox, he wants him more than he’s wanted anything. Vaughn is used to being desired for his name and his money, but Will doesn’t care about either.
When Vaughn falls back on old habits and attempts to impress Will by stealing a painting Will admires, their nascent bond blows up in his face. But Vaughn isn’t willing to give up on the glimpse of passion he saw the night he took Will apart. Before Will knows it, he’s falling for the man he should have arrested, and Vaughn has to realize that some things can’t be bought or stolen. Love has to be given freely. But can a man who lives by the rules, and a man who thinks the rules don’t apply to him, ever see eye to eye?
Heart of the Steal is a standalone romance with a happy ending. It features a Southern gentleman who thinks he’s always right, a buttoned-up FBI agent who secretly likes his buttons unbuttoned, and wall sex. And desk sex. And picnic blanket sex.
Quotes from the authors about the book:
“Writing this book with Roan was so much fun! It was a joy
to create these characters and take them on a journey to their hard-earned HEA.
Even if we had to suffer some pretty bad hotel breakfasts of our own.” --Avon Gale
“I adored writing with Avon. It felt like I got to crack open her skull and peek at her brain. Which is my idea of heaven :)” --Roan Parrish
“I adored writing with Avon. It felt like I got to crack open her skull and peek at her brain. Which is my idea of heaven :)” --Roan Parrish
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Excerpt
“So, William. You came. But something tells me the sentiment
behind my invitation has gone rather astray.”
“Then you admit that you left the Staunton painting and a
note outside my apartment,” he said flatly, and my eyes narrowed.
“Have I miscalculated your interest?”
William looked like he couldn’t decide whether to laugh or
yell. It was smoldering.
“You have miscalculated my profession,” he responded. We
were standing close enough to kiss, and when he reached a hand into his jacket,
my breath caught. I wanted to help him strip it off and kiss that spot of
barbeque sauce off his perfect mouth.
But he didn’t take his jacket off. He slipped his hand out
holding something from his pocket. A badge.
An FBI badge.
I was lightheaded. I spent three beats of my heart wondering
what the medical diagnosis would be for dying of sheer irony.
What I thought about Heart of the Steal
Will and Amory are very likable and interesting characters. I thought Amory Vaughn was a very complex and interesting character and I could seriously go for more about him. Will is very sweet too, with a bit of a taste for walking a little on the wild side with Amory. I just really liked these two together. They fit together well and while the story starts with physical attraction, they grow to really care for each other more than just sexually. There's a love scene in Heart of the Steal that just wowed me with the emotions it made me feel. It was outstanding.
Heart of the Steal is a sweet HEA and a satisfying love story. I love a story with great conversations, so for me, the aspect of the book I loved the most was Amory and Will working through what appears to be fairly major differences in their individual value systems. I loved Will's sister Charlie's contributions to getting these two together and the art angle was an interesting introduction to these characters.
Overall, I thought Heart of the Steal is a very lovely M/M love story that delivers.
An ARC was provided for review.
About the
Authors
Roan Parrish lives in Philadelphia where she is
gradually attempting to write love stories in every genre.
When not writing, she can usually be found cutting her
friends’ hair, meandering through whatever city she’s in while listening to
torch songs and melodic death metal, or cooking overly elaborate meals. She
loves bonfires, winter beaches, minor chord harmonies, and self-tattooing. One
time she may or may not have baked a six-layer chocolate cake and then thrown
it out the window in a fit of pique.
She is represented by Courtney
Miller-Callihan of Handspun Literary Agency.
Avon Gale wrote her first story at the age
of seven, about a “Space Hat” hanging on a rack and waiting for that special
person to come along and purchase it — even if it was a bit weirder than the
other, more normal hats. Like all of Avon’s characters, the space hat did get
its happily ever after — though she’s pretty sure it was with a unicorn. She
likes to think her vocabulary has improved since then, but the theme of quirky
people waiting for their perfect match is still one of her favorites.
Avon grew up in the southern United States,
and now lives with her very patient husband in a liberal midwestern college
town. When she’s not writing, she’s either doing some kind of craft
project that makes a huge mess, reading, watching horror movies, listening to music
or yelling at her favorite hockey team to get it together, already. Avon is
always up for a road trip, adores Kentucky bourbon, thinks nothing is as stress
relieving as a good rock concert and will never say no to candy.
At one point, Avon was the mayor of both
Jazzercise and Lollicup on Foursquare. This tells you basically all you need to
know about her as a person.
Avon is represented by Courtney
Miller-Callihan of Handspun
Literary Agency.
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