This was a solid 3.75 stars read for me. Both Hollis Darby and Ana Newport are on the fringes of the ton--he chooses to separate himself because he wants to write, and she's been forced out by economic circumstance. That very real imbalance aside, this is a love story about two people hiding their actions from society and their emotions from themselves. There are some truly funny moments, and the mystery, though predictable, keeps things moving.

For me, the best part of the book was the penny dreadful sections--I like how that thrilling mystery related to the main narrative (no spoilers!) and the way Hollis' writing told us more about his character.

Hollis Darby secretly writes penny farthing novels. He is a member of the gentry, but his father impoverished the family by his gambling. Hollis secretly supports himself from his writing. Ana Newport, music teacher, has her own secrets. A few years back, Ana's family suffered financial setbacks, and society was not kind to them, and many of their treasures were stolen. Ana, has kept track of which items were stolen, and who took them, and she is slowly recovering the items. With their secrets, both Ana and Hollis are "one foot in each world, never truly part of either." Yes, this is a love story, but also a satisfying story of taking down evil men cheating others at gambling.

Sarah Eden continues the story of the Dread Penny Society members in this delightful novel, brimming with engaging characters and delightful dialogue. The two parallel stories written by the Dread Penny society are such a fun touch. In this novel, I especially enjoyed the story "Higglebottom's School for the Dead," written by Hollis Darby, under the pen name of Lafayette Jones.

Favorite line by Hollis, "My dear Miss Newport....I would wait a lifetime for you." Sigh!

This is a great addition to her Penny Dreadful series! In the first book, you get a peek at Hollis and Ana, so I was really excited to learn more about them in this book. Eden does an excellent job of balancing mystery and romance with character development. I loved this book and can't wait for the next one!

Overall I found the book in a slow pace in some parts,but I enjoyed it. I did like that we saw the penny dreadfuls. I found myself looking forward into reading it . Ana and Hollis together are cute . Overall I loved that Ana is getting back every thing she lost even though is by stealing. Hollis overall is wonderful on the way he is how he is a spy on the penny dreadfuls. The reasons they fell in Love was with valid reasons. I was happy that I could review the book . I recommend if you want to read If you want a cute romance novel that includes a side story in between. So you get two view points and the penny dreadful story, which I really was happy 😃 to read.

2.5

This book was a bit messy, it was marketed as a romance and sadly this was almost nonexistent, I was confused when most of the book revolved around solving a mystery. Also the penny dreadfuls added in the story, they were okay, I just didn't understood what was the connection to the plot, it doesn't serve to further it at all.

Sick of being their contact in the upper reach of society, Hollis would love nothing more than to show the Dread Penny Society (DPS) that he can be trusted more. Working to gain their trust, Hollis investigates a string of thefts that are making the young urchins of the streets more vulnerable. Which busy trying to catch this thief, Hollis becomes more acquainted with Ana Newport, the music teacher at Thurloe Collegiate.

Ana has her own wishes and secrets. She is the thief Hollis is looking for. Only stealing what was previously stolen from her and her family, Ana's foray into the world of the DPS comes at the perfect time. Working with Hollis, they come together to solve crimes and to save the streets urchins.

I loved Hollis in the first of the Dread Penny Society series, (The Lady and the Highwayman,) and couldn't wait for his story to be told! I'm happy to say that it didn't disappoint! Another win for Sarah M. Eden! The Gentleman and the Theif is a fun story set in the victorian era, in the world of author's turned crusaders. Eden does a fantastic job of making these characters come to life and providing two penny novels in the middle of the story. that works well to make the plot flow.

What a charming read! A very sweet slow burn romance.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars I enjoyed this sequel featuring Hollis and Ana, whose romantic potential were hinted at in the The Lady and the Highwayman. Eden does an excellent job developing her characters and making them believable, and I enjoyed everything about the main storyline. As in her first installment, Eden includes the penny dreadful stories, namely Hollis’s work and Mr. King’s (Elizabeth’s). I found these sections, while decent stories in and of themselves, ultimately distracting from the main plot. Because they weren’t as integral to the narrative, like they were in The Lady and The Highwayman, transitioning between the stories and the main action felt much more disjointed.

I would certainly recommend this book if you enjoyed the first one!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Ana is an impoverished music teacher by day and the Phantom Fox by night, stealing back mementos stolen from her family when they went bankrupt. Hollis is a member of the Dread Penny Society and a nominal member of the aristocracy. But what does he, and the rest of the Dread Penny Society, do during his nights? And how will Ana and Hollis come together?
This is an sweet read made more fun by the two ‘penny dreadful’ novels that pop up through the book. It has an intriguing plot and the characters are interesting and entertaining.
I would recommend this book to my patrons and others. Still, I am unlikely to purchase for my library as it does not rank high enough on my scale to fit within my budget.

'The Gentleman and the Thief' is a delightful addition to Sarah M. Eden's Penny Dreadful Society series. For me a hallmark of this book is how completely likable the main characters are with each other and those with whom they associate. It is a joy to read a story without being assaulted by bad behavior or language. I especially appreciate the Penny Dreadful stories within the book. I can't recommend this highly enough, and would give it more stars if I could.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I have not read the previous book in this series, so I am reviewing this book as a stand alone. Hollis - a gentleman of slender means - is part of the Dread Penny Society, who are hunting down a thief known as the Phantom Fox. Meanwhile, he is falling for Ana - a music teacher, and also the Phantom Fox. Shenanigans occur!

This story was entertaining and amusing, a nice departure from the usual Victorian mysteries. It managed to nicely mix crime and romance, with neither losing out. It wasn’t as funny as I had been hoping for, but there were still a number of humorous moments to lighten the mood.

The penny dreadful books within a book were an entertaining diversion.

It felt rather unsatisfying to me that most of the villains escaped. I suppose this is so they can continue to wreak havoc for the next book in the series, but it leaves an unfinished feeling.

If you’re looking for a historical mix of crime and romance, with a dollop of humour, this could be the book for you.

I was given a free copy of this book, my opinions are my own.

The second installment of the Proper Romance Victorian Series keeps the adventure and romance going. Fletcher and Elizabeth make appearances but the book focuses on Hollis Darby, Gentleman by day and another Penny dreadful author by night, and Ana, music teacher at Elizabeth's school by day and thief by night. I really enjoyed this story and the penny dreadful stories intertwined.

I was provided with an electronic ARC through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I am loving this series by Sarah Eden. It’s unique, fun, witty, full of adventure and the characters are great! One thing that makes this series so unique is the inclusion of the Penny Dreadful novels that some of our main characters write. They add a lot of fun to the story.

I really enjoyed Hollis and Ana and how their relationship developed so naturally over the course of the story. Hollis was witty and charming and Ana was eminently likable. I also enjoyed getting to know some of the other members of the Penny Dreadful Society! I’m curious to see who the next story is about. I hope and feel like this series could just keep going on and on!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Sarah Eden can always spin a tale that keeps me so engaged & I stay up way to late to keep reading. This story had a little bit of mystery to it. The way the mystery was unfolded I felt was just the right balance of tension without frustrating the reader. There is a bit of a cliffhanger but the story between the H & h does get resolved. I think this is a fun and orginal idea for a series. I really enjoy how the "penny" stories are incorporated into the book & parallel the main story. As I read I come to want to know how all the stories end. Each character is well developed and I hope to read more of them in the future books. I found the h & H very likeable and complimented eachother well.

This is a story that particularly follows Hollis Darby, a member of the DPS a secret society of Penny Dreadful writers. Through certain events, he meets Ana Newport and falls fairly quickly.

Ana Newport, our heroine, is a music teacher by day and thief by night. She steals from the people who took what she believes is rightfully hers from her previously "wealthy lifestyle." When she meets Hollis Darby she is intrigued and thinks highly of him and his "gentlemanly ways."

I really enjoyed this story though I wish it would have incorporated both Darby and Newport more into it. It's weird as they are the main characters, but I felt like this added more of Lafayette Jones and Mr. King's stories than the actual story of our couple. It also had 3 pov's going which was a bit confusing and a little unnecessary as I really just wanted Hollis and Ana's story to unfold more.

There also was not much romance so I was a bit disappointed with that, it felt like there could have been so much more spark with that, considering their hidden secrets, but it just never really got there which made me sad as I really liked the characters.

This was still a good and cute read nonetheless but I just really wanted more romance between Hollis and Ana as there was so much potential for more heart-racing moments.

And lastly, this is more of a side note, but I had no clue this was a sequel in a series. I realized it after I had finished this story so as I was reading it there were some things that were a bit confusing for me. But that was definitely on my part and will definitely look into getting "The Lady and the Highway Man" as I did enjoy this book and am always on the lookout for some good regency series to get into!

*I received a free copy from NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing but will still be giving my honest review of this book.*

Eden's The Gentleman and the Thief is the perfect combo of soft Victorian romance and a mystery novel. In this diverting novel Ana must be a wonderful music teacher, dutiful daughter, good friend and a clever sneak thief. Righting the wrongs that Society played in her family's financial ruin is something that makes Ana pull through each day. On the other hand Hollis has one foot in the Upper ton's world and one in the "lower classes" as the secret author of penny dreadfuls including being a member of a secret society of dreadful authors that save the destitute, downtrodden and neglected children of London. Both become entangled in a dangerous affair involving underworld card sharps, gambling dens, thievery and the education of children, will Ana and Hollis make it through with their friendship intact in addition to keeping their heads?

Such a fun book! It's great to see Fletcher and Elizabeth again and so involved, not just mearly mentioned. They are such a fun couple, and I love how Flecher talks! Hollis is actively pursuing Ana in The Gentleman and the Thief and it's adorable. I enjoy watching the man fall head over heals. They get into lots of scrapes together and trust in each other despite not having all the information. It's a blast to have the two penny dreadfuls thoughout the book. They are a very fun addtion to the main story yet not taking away from it. I hope more are to come from Sarah Eden like this to further the story and I want to read more of the the fun Penny Dreadfuls!

I was so excited to receive an ARC of this title from Netgalley! The previous installment in this series, The Lady and the Highwayman, is probably my favorite book I have read this year and I was so excited to see Fletcher (my love) and Elizabeth back in this book. But this is not their story. It is focused on Fletcher’s best friend Hollis Darby and Elizabeth’s friend Ana Newport. Their mutual attraction began in the first book, and as this story begins, the seed of their relationship is already planted.

In The Lady and the Highwayman, my focus was on the delicious romance and the adventure, while excellent, came second. This book was the opposite. The mystery of the gambling house and Ana’s exploits at thieving were the best parts of the story. For that reason, I didn’t fall quite as in love with this story. Ana and Hollis were both a little bland. They were sweet, but they didn’t have any fire. No suspense. No will they, won’t they. Apart from writing penny dreadful, being sweet to children, and good at cards, there is nothing much that stands out about Hollis. Ms. Eden’s books are usually dripping with chemistry.

That being said, this story was so much fun. It had me cheering for the good guys, loving the servant spy network, and celebrating every time Fletch made an appearance. I can’t wait for the next one! I hope Brogan will be the hero!

3.5 stars but rounded up. This is the second in the Proper Romance Victorian series and I had read and enjoyed the first "The Lady and the Highwayman". Hollis Darby is from a wealthy family whose father and grandfather had gambled away the family fortune. He now supports himself writing penny dreadful stories that are popular with the working class. Ana Newport is a music teacher at a school. She once lived in society until her father's business ended in bankruptcy and scandal. She has her own secrets.

The story to me is more historical fiction with a romance on the side. The main plot of the story is about the Penney Dreadful Society. The authors have banded together to help children get away from being exploited by villainous characters. They are looking for a child who has been pressed into stealing. And they take on a gambling operation as well. Much of the book is focused on these plot points more than on the blooming romance of Hollis and Ana.

In addition between each chapter there is a chapter from two penny dreadful stories. One about a ghost school written by Hollis. The second about the theft of goods from a country house written by Mr. King another penny dreadful author. The first story is for fun but the second can be related back to the main story. This device was used in the first book in the series as well. It is almost like getting three stories in one. I enjoyed it more in the previous book. This time, it felt like it interrupted the flow of the narrative. But I can see the author sticking to her format throughout the series.

Overall I liked the book. The Hollis and Ana were well thought out and they worked together for a fun adventure. I appreciated seeing the characters from the previous book as well. My enjoyment was enhanced by having read the first book. This adventure could stand alone but you wouldn't understand the Dreadful Society and the work they are trying to accomplish. My biggest negative was there was no development of the romance. Hollis is smitten at first glance. But how was the feeling reciprocated? Was the difference in station considered? (It was in Mr. Kings story.) The romance was very secondary to the plot.

I always appreciate that Sarah Eden writes clean books. No steamy scenes and only a few mild curse words. Thank you NetGalley and Shadow Mountain for the eBook in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this book and looked forward to the next one! Usually I don't enjoy Regency/Victorian Romances by American authors, (they come across as too modern and American), but this one surprised me. A great Victorian Romance/Mystery.