Wow, what an enjoyable read. Never before read this author, but will again. Small town girl, Gracie Miller, has a wonderful job as a jewelry designer, with a posh, elite, jewelry store, in New York. When she's tweeking the setting in a one of a kind ring she was commissioned to design, she discovers it's been swapped for a fake. A plan is put in place to discover when, where, why, and how this happened. Enter the world of the rich, and Gracie is on an adventure of a lifetime. This exciting mystery has it all. You will be transported to a world of travel, mystery and mayhem, family drama, romance, and jewelry, jewelry, jewelry. Really good mystery. 5 stars for this one. Thanks Netgalley and publisher for the ARC.

What a FANTASTIC read! Loved it from the very first page to the very end.
Perfect setting, characters, and story line. I highly recommend this one!

The Gem Thief pretty much had my name written all over it! I knew I needed a change of pace from all the contemporary romance I’d been reading lately, so when I saw that this book was a combination some of my favorite things (mystery, romance, intrigue, and travel) I knew it was going to be something I’d enjoy.

1. I really, really love jewelry so I was excited to find out that Gracie is a jewelry designer for a big company in New York City. She designs settings for beautiful gems and precious stones, and when she arrives at work one day to learn that one of her pieces was replaced with a forgery, our mystery begins. I was so excited to see how it all played out.

2. Gracie is a very sweet, caring person. She’s polite, warm, calm under pressure, a little insecure, and down to earth even though she works for such a prestigious company and such wealthy customers. She loves her job and puts so much of herself into each piece of jewelry she designs for her clients. She felt so much empathy for and compassion towards Dorcas when she learned of the theft and immediately wanted to help in any way that she could. She’s just an all around good person, who I could easily picture myself being friends with.

3. Quinn is Dorcas’s nephew, and works for the insurance company that insures Dorcas’s expensive pieces of jewelry. As soon as the forgery is discovered, he is called in to help. I liked Quinn a lot, and thought his devotion to his aunt was very endearing and made him even more attractive in my eyes. He’s a great listener, and opens his heart to those he cares about.

4. Dorcas is so much fun! She lived a normal, mainstream life until she fell in love with and married the founder of the Greek Cruise Line (GCL). Then her life became glitzy and glamorous, filled with expensive jewelry, luxurious living arrangements, and extravagant vacations. She loves to wear bright colors, and has the sweetest, most caring personality.

5. I was eager for the traveling to begin once Gracie, Quinn, and Dorcas decided to solve this mystery themselves. I wasn’t disappointed at all. Their first stop is to the Venetian Jewelry Show (I LOVE VENICE), where Dorcas went with her husband each year to buy a new piece of jewelry. The descriptions of Venice were spot-on, and sent me right back to the Grand Canal and the winding passageways. Then they board a fancy luxury cruise ship and explore the Mediterranean. I just loved reading about their visits to Athens, Santorini, and Dubrovnik to name a few. The descriptions of the scenery, sunsets, and weather were wonderful.

6. I loved the slow burning romance. Quinn and Gracie get off to a very rocky start, but their fake engagement brings out real feelings very quickly. And I loved that their love story grew from mutual respect, to friendship, to more. It wasn’t founded on a one-night stand or lust. It felt real and organic to me. And the romance is totally clean. There’s some kisses, but no sex whatsoever. There’s not even a mention of sex as a want or an option on either side, and I really loved that about the book.

7. I would have liked more suspense, but that’s just me. I love suspense!

8. I was annoyed that the ship had “floors” instead of “decks”. Nobody calls them floors on a cruise ship! You don’t get in an elevator to go up one or two floors on a ship, you go up one or two decks. So that drove me nuts. I hope that was fixed in the final version of the book. DECKS.

9. Let me get picky about geography for a second. At one point in the story, Gracie and Dorcas were standing at the edge of the Grand Canal looking at the Mediterranean Sea beyond. That’s the Adriatic Sea. And yes, that’s part of the Mediterranean so I guess it works, but if you look at a map you’ll see that the Med is down at the tip of Italy. You can’t see the Med from Venice. Technically the author isn’t wrong, but if it were me I would have been more accurate about it.

Obviously, I have very few complaints. I really, really loved reading The Gem Thief. I’ve been in a book slump for quite some time, and I flew through this one. It was refreshing, and it allowed me to escape to one of my favorite places. I loved the characters and the romance and the mystery. It was just very fun for me. The writing is wonderful, and I’m planning to look into more books by Sian. I highly recommend this one!

I absolutely loved this book! Its ambience reminded me of the wonderful movie "To Catch a Thief". This felt like an exciting journey, following the protagonist on her quest of getting the precious stones back. The pace was super quick, and I could literally picture myself running along with the characters.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. I enjoyed this contemporary romance about a jewel this. Gracie and Quinn have excellent chemistry and the classic " we-have-to - pose-as an engaged-couple" story line worked well for this book. I appreciated the super clean romance (on a Greek cruise!) that still made my toes tingle. Definitely an author I will watch for.

Thank you so much for this copy.

I loved this book and could not put it down! The characters were interesting and I loved how the romance between Gracie and Quinn developed. The mystery moved quickly! And I absolutely LOVED reading about Greece.

"The Gem Thief" is a romance with a mystery. Gracie is a jewelry designer who spots that one of her unique designs has been forged and the original piece stolen. The owner of the missing jewelry asked her nephew (Quinn) and his FBI agent friend to discreetly discover who did this. They asked Gracie to check the woman's other jewelry, only to discover that the last three pieces that were bought in Venice have been forged and stolen. They asked Gracie to pose as Quinn's fiancée and accompany them to the yearly jewelry show where those pieces were bought. She regularly checked the newly bought pieces to identify when they were switched out.

Quinn and Gracie spent a lot of time together and started to fall in love while at the jewelry show and on the Mediterranean cruise afterward. They encouraged and supported each other, but Gracie's convinced that Quinn has only fallen in love with her due to the ambience and their acting engaged. Gracie, Quinn, and his FBI friend work together to spot potential bad guys and uncover just how the jewelry is being forged and switched out. It was an interesting mystery and an enjoyable romance. The main characters were all very kind and likable people. Gracie and Quinn are well suited to each other and built each other up. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable mix of romance and mystery.

4.5 Stars

Gracie Miller moved to New York when she got her dream job of designing jewelry for one of the most prestigious jewelers in the world. When one of her wealthy customers brings in a ring she designed for an adjustment, Gracie discovers that it's been replaced with a fake.

When Quinn West receives a frantic call from his aunt Dorcas needing to see him right away, he drops what he's doing and heads over to her favorite jewelers. Upon his arrival, he's informed that her jewelry has been stolen. He immediately wants to call the police but his aunt refuses. She does not want cops or the press involved. The only thing he can think of to do is contact his old college roommate, Steve, who works for the FBI.

Together they narrow down the timeline and concoct a plan that will hopefully bring the culprit to justice. But the plan involves Gracie and Quinn going undercover as a newly engaged couple.

Before heading to Greece, Gracie and Quinn take a chance to get to know each other better. They have to be able to pull off being engaged. While on the cruise they both start realizing their feelings for each other are growing. But they can't afford to act on them. They need to stay focused so they can catch the jewel thief.

Just as their trip is coming to an end, they discover who's behind the theft. But Quinn can't shake the feeling that they're still missing something. Once they're back in New York, all the pieces start to fall into place and Quinn quickly discovers that Gracie could be in danger.

Will he be able to get to her in time to stop anything from happening to her? Will they be able to catch whoever's behind the attempt on her life before they succeed? Will Quinn and Gracie have a chance at their HEA?

Over the last year I have become a fan of romantic suspense. I have read some duds but I have also read some really good ones. This was one of the good ones. It had me guessing throughout the book who was behind the theft and why. Just when I thought I had it figured out, another curve ball was thrown and had me second guessing "whodunit".

I really enjoyed watching the relationship between Gracie and Quinn develop. I had no problem rooting for them from the very beginning. I loved that they became friends first. It helps make the relationship more believable. This was definitely a fun book! Not only did I love the story, I loved the supporting characters as well. Dorcas and Steve made the book even better. I wouldn't mind seeing Steve get his own book... ;)

If I had one complaint it would be that the book just ended. I really, really hate that! An epilogue would have been perfect!

This is my very first book be Ms. Bessey and I'll definitely be looking into reading more by her.

Thoroughly enjoyable! I'm always up for a good mystery, and this one kept me guessing. I really liked the premise and was intrigued by the concept. I know nothing about jewelry design, so I felt like I learned some things in this book, which is always a win. I had a few different suspicions of the villain throughout the story, but I ended up being totally wrong!

The romance added that little something extra that I just adored. Gracie and Quinn are a great couple, and I liked watching them get together. I appreciated that they took the time to get to know each other and learn about each other's likes and dislikes, which made it feel that much more believable. Their connection and chemistry really came off the page, and I just loved them. Overall, this was a book that I couldn't put down!

*I received an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Superb!

I couldn't put this book down! It has everything; action, adventure, romance, sweetness, emotion, suspense and humor.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy.

A fun story that keeps you engaged with likeable characters, and great descriptions of jewelry and places. Really enjoyed this on.

The Gem Thief by Sian Ann Bessey is a thrilling international mystery romance novel that will take you from New York City to many breathtaking Mediterranean ports in search of a gem thief in this gripping tale.

Gracie Miller works for a prestigious jeweler and when a valued client Mrs. Katsaros reveals that the ring inlaid with beautiful pink diamond that Gracie has designed for her is a fake, a suspenseful adventure begins.
With the help of Mrs. Katsaros's nephew Quinn and his FBI friend Steve, a cunning plan to retrieve a stolen diamond is set in motion,
When Gracie agrees to help catch the thief, she is not just putting her life at risk but her heart as well, when she agrees to present herself as Quinn's fiancee in this gripping tale.

I enjoyed this book tremendously. It has all ingredients of a successful story. A well thought out mystery, a alluring jewels, stunning scenery, thieves, love triangle and an international enigma.
I also enjoyed the romance angle. It is very clean and refreshing.
I particularly liked how Mrs. Katsaros and Gracie's relationship blossomed into kind and loving friendship.
The story is steady paced, the setting is magnificent and the characters well developed.
One of the most interesting books I have recently read.

Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a clean, sweet romance with some mystery. Gracie is thrown into a jewelry heist when she confirms that a ring of her clients is a fake. She agrees to pretend to be Quinns fake fiance in an attempt to get the thief. She embarks on a cruise to Europe with her client and Quinn. There they slowly discover that they like each other and discover who the real thief is.
I liked the suspense and the characters are well developed. This is an enjoyable novel for someone who is looking for intrigue and a little romance.

What a fun and engaging story! This is one of the best I've read lately. Readers will definitely enjoy this one. Adventure awaits!

Jewelry designer Gracie Miller is stunned to find the ring she created for Dorca Katsaros is a fake when her client comes in to have the ring resized. Dorca is equally shocked and summons her nephew, Quinn West to deal with this puzzle.

After discovering several pieces have been replaced with fakes, Quinn, Dorca and Gracie decide to fish for suspects along Dorca’s annual trip to the Venetian Jewelry Show, where a few of the pieces were purchased. The trip begins in Venice with the jewelry show and proceeds for a week as a cruise with stops to visit her deceased husband’s family in Italy.

Gracie and Quinn pretend to be engaged and pick out an expensive engagement ring while Dorca buys an exquisite brooch, both intended as bait for suspects.

This is a fun read with just the right combination of mystery and romance. The characters are well-drawn and believable. The tempo is good, and the twists keep the reader engaged.

What a sweet, fun and adventurous book with a mystery element to add more intrigue to an already promising plot! As rare as it is for me to genuinely like all of the main characters in a novel, this one definitely got high marks from me for its all-star cast. Gracie was intelligent and vibrant, Quinn was an absolute dream, Dorcas/Mrs. Katsaros was the sweet and stylish aunt that everyone wishes they had, and Steve was the humorous muscle. The romance was sweet and just enough to make it believable. The descriptions of the cities made me yearn and long to travel to Greece again and the detailed descriptions of the jewelry made me wish I was more of a jewelry fanatic!

This will without a doubt end up in my list of favorite books of the year.

This book is spectacular and a must read! So many good things about this book, fabulous characters, interesting plot line, exciting locations it is such a well rounded book one you will want to clear you calendar so you can read it in one sitting. There is no putting this book down! We all need a Dorcas in our life, she is just a great lady in this book. Quinn and Gracie are so adorable in their quest to find the thief but possibly find love in the process. I love the exotic locations they travel to and I really want to go on a cruise now. The great descriptions of the locations make it sound so beautiful and the perfect location for Quinn and Gracie to fall in love. The extended family is full of complicated characters and Dorcas has a wide array of friends. I did love to see that Gracie despite what she was wearing or the situation she found herself in, she was quick to listen and had something intelligent to contribute.