This is a fantastic addition to the world of Penny Dreadful writers secretly working for the betterment of those less fortunate that Sarah M. Eden created, beginning with The Lady and the Highwayman. Both books can be read as stand-alones, but your enjoyment of The Gentleman and the Thief will be enhanced by having read the first. This story is one of taking pride in oneself and ones accomplishments, of courage under pressure, and of loving unconditionally. The hero wants to protect the heroine, but he never stifles her and never hold her back - he allows her to be strong and to be herself. This is turning into a very exciting Proper Romance series, and I can’t wait to see where we go next.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Sarah M. Eden takes us further into the life and times of the people in Victorian London and the Dread Penny Society.
Hollis Darby feels like the token high society member of the Dread Penny Society. Sure, he writes Penny Dreadful stories but feels like he gets light weight assignments in the Society.
Ana Newport works at Thurloe Girls School as the music instructor. She has secrets she doesn’t want known.
Hollis has been interested in Ana since he met her during the last doings of the society that introduced Fletcher and Elizabeth.
There is a little thief whose name is Very Merry, who makes their lives interesting. There are two Penny Dreadful stories told during the course of the book. The society continues to battle the evil men and networks they were fighting in The Lady and the Highwayman.
Hollis uses his skill in society and with cards to find a full place in the society. Hollis and Ana grow closer as befits a proper romance and knowing each other’s secrets cements their bond rather than tearing them apart.
I raced through this story. I didn’t want the pauses for the Penny Dreadful stories but I did want to know what would happen in them. A contradiction that just shows how well each portion was done.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book prior to publication.

The alternating chapters of penny dreadfuls was very unique, making it easier to become immersed in the time period. I really enjoyed the story about the ghost students! All in all, this is a good light read.

He's a gentleman by day, and a member of the Dread Penny Society by night. She's a mild-mannered music teacher by day, and a thief by night. Regardless of which identity is being represented at any given moment, they could never be together. Or could they?

Timid and unassuming--not to mention penniless--music teacher Ana Newport has a secret: she is a thief, "reacquiring" items that rightfully belonged to her family, stolen as trophies when her father went bankrupt. To her surprise and amusement, she has gained a streetname, the Phantom Fox. While she has no dreams or delusions of restoring the family's wealth, she is happy simply restoring some sentimental happiness. She is happy teaching students and working with music all day. So when Hollis Darby asks her if she would be interested in being his niece's private music tutor, she jumps on the opportunity, both for the sake of her income and that Mr. Darby has kindly offered to personally escort to and from the lessons.

Hollis Darby is a gentleman who writes Penny Dreadful novels under an assumed name, to protect his family's reputation--already damaged by generations of gambling, a reputation Hollis and his brother are desperate to restore to former glory. Hollis hasn't gambled in years, but when the Dread Penny Society takes note of a secret gambling ring--potentially led by an underling of the most dangerous man in London--Hollis must find a way in, especially when he learns his brother has already been lured into this dangerous web. Worse, he has realized that he has, unintentionally, drawn Miss Newport in as well...

The sequel to "The Lady and the Highwayman" returns readers to Victorian London and the Dread Penny Society, working to better the future of the city, particularly the poor and the orphaned. Combining mystery, subterfuge, and romance "The Gentleman and the Thief" will have readers hanging on to every word. Not to mention, waiting to get to the next installments of the stories-within-the-story, two Penny Dreadfuls--one written by Hollis, and the other by "Mr. King".

And, of course, there is brilliantly placed lingering plot threads, promising further adventures and romances, leaving readers eagerly awaiting more work from Eden.

A delightful read! Well written with some great characterisation, an engaging and thoroughly enjoyable storyline.

The Gentleman and the Thief is a sweet and fun Victorian Romance novel. I hadn’t read the first book in this series but I didn’t feel like I was at too much of a disadvantage reading the second installment. Little details would have been slightly clearer if I’d read the first, but this book could work as a standalone.

The character interaction is stellar, especially between the members of the Dreadful Penny Society. The relationship between Ana and Hollis is lovely and moves at pleasing pace. The plot is intriguing. I enjoy a riches to rags story that offers an uplifting ending.

I would recommend this novel to fans of delightful historical romance books.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All views and opinions are my own.

Secret societies, sneak thieves, gambling rings, human trafficking...I anticipated a nail biter full of adrenaline and shocking identityreveals. What we get is a cute, fluffy piece that wraps up tidily and stays well safe of the PG line throughout the book. Anything wrong with that? Absolutely not. I think I was anticipating something with more bite. And that's my fault due to my pre-conceived perception going in.

The story was soft and fuzzy, so if you're looking for something comfortable and cozy with cute romance, this is it.

I'd rate this book a PG.

The Gentleman and the Thief follows the romance between Hollis, gentleman by day and penny dreadful author by night, and Ana, piano teacher by day and thief by night. Hollis is part of a secret society of authors pooling funds to help the city's less fortunate, and Ana is seeking objects wrongly taken from her family after they went bankrupt. In the light of day, Hollis is in love with Ana and spends time with her among mutual friends and when she comes to teach his niece the piano. In the dark of night, Hollis thinks he is on the trail of a child thief who needs help, but really he is tracking down Ana's infamous alter ego. Together, they will uncover a high stakes gambling den, just one facet of a vast and dangerous criminal network.

This is a sweet story witch crackling banter -- not a firework crackle, but the kind you seek out in a cozy fireplace on a cold night. I've never seen that vibe of witty rapport, and I enjoyed it immensely. In addition, inatallments of Hollis' latest story are peppered throughout, a charming story about a ghostly school for children. Their friend Elizabeth, also a writer and the star of this book's predecessor, writes a story based loosely on her friends' burgeoning romance that appears across the boo, as well. Both of these stories-within-the-story were cute and didn't make me regret the change of pace.

My only wish is that it had gone a bit deeper with our characters. They have many layers, but their emotions are a bit flat and they come off too perfect (multitalented, unfailingly nice, no personal mistakes/traits that haunt them). Additionally, Hollis' preexisting love made me feel disconnected from their romance because I had missed out on some steps. This is not to say I did not enjoy them or their adventures. I recommend this to readers who like a light and pleasant historical romance. There's no angst or drawn out drama. It's many entertaining elements are refreshingly fun and well-executed.

I really loved this book by Sarah M. Eden. I loved that we were brought again into the world that we saw in “The Lady and the Highwayman”. I loved getting to know the characters from that book better. I also loved the Penny Dreadful stories that were in the book. I also loved getting to know Hollis and Ana. I loved that they weren’t what they appeared to be on the outside and I loved how that was one of the things they loved about each other. I love the adventure that was in this book and how they worked to solve a mystery. I look forward to reading more books by Sarah Eden and getting to know more about the Dread Penny Society.

I received a complimentary book from publishers, publicists, and or authors.  A review was not required and all opinions and ideas expressed are my own.

The Thief and the Gentleman was an absolutely delightful read. It reminded me of a pantomime play where the audience is asked to cheer for the hero and hiss at the villain. It is advertised as a Proper Romance, which it is, but it’s also way more than that. This book is a frolicking adventure with intrigue, mystery and a healthy dose of humour. The Thief and the Gentleman doesn’t take itself too seriously and expects its readers do to the same. It is pure entertainment that even the youngest readers can safely enjoy.

Thank you NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for this digital ARC copy.

An excellent mystery set in Victorian England. The hero writes penny dreadfuls and chapters of one of his and a second penny dreadful by another of the characters are interspersed with the main plot. I loved that many aspects of the plot reminded me of penny dreadfuls but in a fresh way.

I also loved the characters and the complicated plot of the book.

3.5*  In Victorian "penny dreadful" (installment or serialized stories) style, Sarah M. Eden handily weaves three tales together.  The reader is challenged to keep all the plot lines straight (and recognize reflections of the characters' strengths and insecurities from each storyline in the others) - it seemed that at times pieces got lost in the retellings.  This builds nicely on The Lady and the Highwayman, and although reading that is not a prerequisite to enjoying this story, some of the overarching goals that direct the efforts of the protagonists and the villains they work to bring down are better understood with that background knowledge.  I listened to that one on audiobook and the narrators' accents and inflections for the various characters in both books sounded in my head as I read this one.  Eden's creativity on the storylines in this book were a highlight and it is always a delight to get to know her characters better! 

I received a complimentary copy of this book.  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Gentleman and the Thief
by Sarah M. Eden
Shadow Mountain Publishing
You Like Them You Are Auto-Approved
Shadow Mountain
Romance
Pub Date 03 Nov 2020 | Archive Date 17 Nov 2020

This is the second book in this series and I recommend you read the first one before reading this one. This is a charming tale of romance and intrigue. I really liked it. 3 stories in one. Thanks to Netgalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for my ARC.

4 star

A very clever and fun story! I'm usually no fan of Victorians, but this charming adventure won me over very quickly. The characters are very intriguing, and there is a hint that the book could grow into a continuing series - it would be a shame if this is not the case!

The Gentleman and the Thief by Sarah M. Eden, 368 pages. Shadow Mountain, 2020. $16.
Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Hollis keeps up high-class appearances for the sake of his family’s reputation, but his passions lie in pursuits unaccepted by those of his social standing. Ana has fallen from high society due to the loss of her family’s fortune, and she strives to bring restitution to her family, even if society won’t easily overlook their tarnished reputation. Despite all their trials and secrets, Hollis and Ana are determined to right some of the ignored wrongs around them, but can they continue to do so without being caught?
Something about the beginning was slow to get rolling and didn’t capture me as much as I wanted it to, resulting in a loss of motivation to continue reading the rest of the story. Hollis’s and Ana’s stories are well-written -- as well as the interspersed chapters of short stories mentioned in the book -- I just didn’t love reading it. The mature content rating is for illegal activity and mentions of prostitution.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

The Gentleman & The Thief is the second book in the Proper Romance Victorian series. A gentleman scribes penny dreadful novels by night and falls in love with a woman who is a music teacher by day—and a thief at night.

I loved the premise of this story. I love any story with a Victorian woman that does her own thing regardless of societal expectations. Although this is the second book in the series (which I didn’t realize until I was halfway through), I didn’t feel like I missed too much by not reading the first. The buildup was great, I love idea of the Dread Penny Society and their network. Unfortunately, the ending fell flat. I felt nervous for our heroes, but other than a small scuffle it was so anticlimactic. One of the men they’ve been after escape with just a half sentence mention with no foreshadowing. What happened to The Raven is barely mentioned. There was nothing to make me think I NEED to read the next book.

DISCLAIMER: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting installment in this series. I liked the characters and the intrigue. Part of it had my heart pounding as I worried for Hollis and Ana. I enjoyed how the two of them figured out the involvement of the other in their secret lives. But the intrigue continues so there must be more to the series. The additional stories from the Penny Dreadfuls that Hollis secretly writes was fun. Much lighter and fun than many Penny Dreadfuls which have that name for a reason. These were more just delightful than dreadful.
This series is different than most of Ms. Eden's books with double elements in the writing of intrigue along with the romance. So it is a change of pace. I do enjoy her books.

Sex: no
Language: no
Violence: a little
*I received a complimentary ARC of this book and voluntarily chose to review it.

Sarah M. Eden is one of my favourite authors: she writes in a compelling way and creates protagonist with a great depth of character, hence why I was very much looking forward to her new book. "The Gentleman and the Thief" wasn't as wonderful as her series "The Jonquil Brothers", but it was enjoyable nonetheless, although a bit long. I didn't especially like the penny dreadful novels, but it was interesting to see what they could look like and I appreciated the author making the effort to create stories within the story instead of referring to them in vague terms. I also liked the originality of the story, which changes from the usual historical romance books.
Overall, a good read, but not quite as compelling as Sarah M. Eden's other works.

I loved this book! And imagine my scream when I found out this was actually the second book in a series. What?? Now I need to go back and read the first book and definitely I'm excited for the next one in the series.
The storyline was so interesting and it flowed well, the characters were really interesting to follow and the setting was just stunning. It's witty, super fun, cute, addicting and everything I enjoy in this kind of novels.
The only reason for my 4⭐ is that I expected more of the romance. But that aside, this book was a delicious treat.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

Ana’s family lost all it’s money to a con man and was pushed to the edge of polite society when she was young. Now she makes a living as a music teacher and plots her revenge against those who wronged her family. Hollis is a gentleman of society but just barely since his family is destitute, ruined by gambling debts of his father and grandfather. He seeks to improve his fortunes and those of others and maybe to catch the eye of a certain pretty music teacher.

The love story is sweet and has very few obstacles. Ana and Hollis grow closer as they seek to bring down a gambling ring that threatens their families.