I enjoyed this story although I feel it would've benefitted from a bit more background about Della and Col. the storyline was good and entertaining, the sex scenes were plentyful!! overall I enjoyed this and would read more from this author. thanks Netgalley x

For fans of Bridgerton! The synopsis of the book drew me in and I devoured this in one sitting. The spice and sass were definitely my cup of tea. I mean, yes it was predictable but the journey to the ending of the book was definitely worth while to read.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Allison Grey for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Lady Thief of Belgravia coming out January 18, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the set up was interesting. It had some mystery and action. The writing was a little modern, but it worked for me. There were a couple surprises. I wasn’t expecting spice and instalove. I thought it was borderline unprofessional of Cole since there was also the work aspect of it. He was her employer in a way. I don’t want to give anything away, but I thought a few of the circumstances could’ve been changed to make it better. But overall I enjoyed Cole and Della. I thought they were strong characters. I definitely want to check out more books by this author.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical romance!

In a Nutshell: Doesn't deliver what the title and the blurb promise. Focuses more on the 'stirrings in the stomach' than on the workings of the mind. Very disappointed because I hope for far better from the premise.

Story Synopsis:
1879. Della is a twenty-four year old pickpocket, and quite good at her job in the notorious Seven Dials area of London. Imagine her surprise when the Earl of Bradford hires her for a special task: she needs to steal back some very important documents from the evil Duke of Salisbury. Della doesn't work for anyone, but at the high reward he offers, she can't refuse. Now with the help of the Earl, whose name is Cole, Della needs to train herself to become a high-society lady so that she can get her work done quickly and earn enough to get out of Seven Dials.
The story comes to us through the limited third person perspective of Della and Cole.


Bookish Yays:
🍓 A pretty cover and an attention-grabbing title.
🍓 A narrative voice for both Cole and Della – a rare occurrence in this genre for the male lead to get his thoughts on paper. (Never mind that his thoughts were almost the same as Della’s!)
🍓 Never heard of a place called Seven Dials in historical London, so I learned something new. (I also learned that one can wiggle one’s backside even in a bustle gown. Who knew! What will I do with this knowledge? No idea!)

Bookish Mixed Bags:
🍍 The actual “heist”, if I can call it that, is decently executed. (This was the only thing that saved the book from getting a one star rating.) But this comes too late in the story. Moreover, every heist story has to have something going majorly wrong. This one was too smooth to be fun.
🍍 A couple of the secondary characters from Seven Dials – I’d have loved to know them better.

Bookish Nays:
🌶 The character development is almost non-existent. Della and Cole meet within the first few pages of the book, so we get their backstory only in bits and pieces through their conversations. The Duke was so idiotic that I failed to understand how Britain’s best spies also had failed to recover the stolen property from that nincompoop. The overall effect is very flat.
🌶 All the steamy stuff - aargh! I expected ‘My Fair Lady’ combined with a daring heist plan. What I didn't realise was that the focus of the writing would be more on the intense physical attraction that Della and Cole feel for each other. Every single scene with the two of them contains at least one instance of stirrings or feelings or some other kind of physical palpitations, no matter whether they were alone or with anyone else, whether they were talking or quiet, whether they were dancing or horse-riding… heck, even during the heist, their libido isn’t in control. It was over the top and cringeworthy. I am no prude, but there has to be a way in which lascivious scenes/thoughts are incorporated into the plot smoothly. You can’t shove them into every single scene!
🌶 Anachronisms in the writing, especially but not only in the conversations. Imagine someone saying “plant a bomb” in 1879 – Sheesh! Moreover, Cole promises Della 10000 pounds if she completes her assignment. Really? In ‘Pride & Prejudice’, written just seven decades before this story is set, Darcy’s annual income of 10000 pounds makes him the richest man around for miles. Was inflation so much that by 1879, earls had 10000 pounds – worth almost 15 million pounds today – to spare as reward money, no matter how valuable the item? Also, the use of the F word (even by the Earl, not just by Della) – a nope for the periodic setting.
🌶 Too many illogical occurrences! (I know romance is not to be read with logic, but this book isn't a plain romance, so heck yeah, I'm using my logic!) Cole hires Della as a last resort and takes her to his mansion on the very day they meet, saying that “time is of the essence” as the job needs to be completed urgently. And then he plans to invest a few weeks in training her to become a proper lady, with horse riding, lessons, piano lessons, social behaviour training, language polishing, and what not! Then the plan is for her to meet the Duke and woo him into trusting her enough so that she can carry out the job. I fail to see how any of this can be called “urgent.”
🌶 Della’s makeover itself is fraught with goofs. She isn’t taught art, but is trained to play the piano, apparently because the piano can be learned well enough within a few weeks to impress the high society snobs. Seriously? The piano is easier to master than painting? Has any musical novice attempted playing dual-clef classical sheet music within that tiny time frame? Moreover, Della’s accent keeps changing even before her training. She pronounces or skips the final ‘-ing’ as per her convenience, no consistency at all. It was also very convenient that Della had access to the “classics” and loved books that most of us today would yawn at. (Books by Homer, Plato and their ilk.) Not once did Della struggle to adapt to the drastic change in her life, which made the whole thing even more unreal.
🌶 The ‘relationship” – An Earl lusting after a beautiful thief? Definitely possible. An Earl pursuing a serious relationship without a single thought about society or scandal and not a tinge of regret or doubt, not even once dwelling on the what-ifs? Unlikely. And not a single person throwing looks of derision at their union? Impossible. Nothing about their relationship felt rational.

I never pick up steamy romances, and this book isn’t indicated as such anywhere. (I don’t think “sparkling romance”, as used in the blurb, indicates “steamy” or “spicy”.) To any reader who enjoys raunchy love stories, this book might work better. But I just kept rolling my eyes and almost fractured them in the process.

Then again, the “steam” isn’t the only reason I am steaming right now. There was so much potential in the base premise, but the execution needs a whole lot of developmental editing to make sense. Della was a strong character, so it is sad that her character wasn’t allowed to shine on her own merits.

Apologies to the team behind the book, but It’s a no from me. I hate being so harsh on an ARC, especially when it is a debut work, but I struggled with this read all the way, and found barely anything to justify my efforts. This might work better for regency romance lovers looking for a smutty romance story and not for a historical heist novel. Maybe its marketing ought to be changed as the current blurb doesn't give a true idea of the content.

1.5 stars.

My thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Lady Thief of Belgravia”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. Sorry this didn’t work out better.

Della Rose a pickpocket from seven dials steals a pocket watch from a gentlemen, little did she know that one action would lead to her embarking on a secret mission and falling head over heels for the man she’s helping.

The romance in this book was absolutely spot on what I needed, I felt like I was in a bit of a slump after my last book and this was the pick me up I so desperately needed. It is a slow burn, full of steam mixed in with secret agents.

It almost had an Oliver Twist meets Bridgerton vibes and I was here for it.

It was really fast paced, even though the chapters were quite long they didn’t feel like it.

I really hope I get the opportunity to read from this author again in the future.

Yet another book whose content is seriously misrepresented by the publishers summary. Sigh.

I was excited to read this, as a female Victorian thief getting mixed up in some light spy craft sounds like a great premise for a novel. I was expecting a sort of adventurous period piece crossed with a RomCom.

Alas, there’s very little actual thieving and adventure in this one, and the tone is largely dominated by lengthy, cringey, and very open door smutty romance.

I have no issue with a genre like this existing for those who enjoy it or with the inclusion of the occasional open door sex scene being present in books that occupy other genres. But I don’t like being misled, and it’s especially disappointing because the concept here (or at least the alleged concept according to the publishers summary) was a good one. I love the idea of a clever, light historical heist novel with a cute love story on the side.

But what happened here wasn’t that. We don’t ever really here how the protagonist plies her trade. The actual theft at the center of the novel feels like an afterthought in the end. And the schlocky romance that takes over the story seriously damaged the quality of what could have been a fun read.

This was a fascinating story, an exciting historical fiction, shades of Gergette Heyer. Some really good characters and an absorbing storyline, with lots of action to keep me engaged. A very dramtaic and satisfying conclusion.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book - I've seen it reviewed elsewhere as a cross between Bridgerton, James Bond and My Fair Lady, and I agree (though actually re the Bridgerton ref, this is set in the 1870s rather than Regency; though it has the same light, fun feel). Fabulous characters, a galloping plot, and a thoroughly enjoyable read. Solid five stars from me.

From the book title I was expecting more of a mystery than a regency romance. I really enjoyed the book but found there were too many bedroom scenes for me. The book started off quite slow but the pace picked up. I really enjoyed the plot and character development but I would have liked more details about the heist. I don't mind spice in a book but I wasn't expecting it from the blurb.

If you're looking for something light and fun, then this will be a quick read. I'm looking forward to see what Allison Grey brings out in the future.

3.5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Overall, I thought that the plot of The Lady Thief of Belgravia was rather fun and easy to read, but I was a little underwhelmed at certain parts of the book. I think my favourite part of the book was Della Rose and her charming personality. I liked how she was a strong female character and did not let anyone hold her back. But I expected to know more about her instead of her budding romance (even though I know this is ultimately a romance novel) I guess I was looking forward to get to know Della Rose as the protagonist more, and I was a little disapointed at how predictable the ending was. Nevertheless, a fun read!

Never judge a book by its cover. Well I did and this cover led me to expect a Regency type romance with maybe some mystery thrown in, and perhaps a little bit of originality since the Lady is a thief. My bad.

I did get some of that but the whole thing was very heavy on the romance which led very quickly to a succession of long bedroom scenes which were not really very interesting. I also spent a lot of my reading time wondering how on earth the author was going to reconcile the two characters according to the rules of society in London 1879. The answer was unrealistically.

Not a bad book but not really my cup of tea.

This was really fun! I loved the headstrong main character and her development over the story! The premise is also so fun, I would love to see more of this by the author.

I was excited to read a twist on “My Fair Lady.” I always seem to enjoy a strong woman who has received a bad lot in life get elevated in society by a ‘prince charming.’ I, also, love a good historical mystery! This book had all of these.

My biggest issue is that I felt like neither main character was developed enough for me to really get involved with the story. I have to say the majority of the plot seemed to be just about getting to the spicy scenes and a bit of banter and how good Della was at everything thrown in between.

All in all it wasn’t up my alley, but for those who love a rags to riches story with a good amount of spice, this might be the one for you.

Thanks to Storm Publishing and Net Galley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

There was so much of this book that was unexpected. I eagerly looked forward to diving into this after reading the synopsis - Victorian England with thieving and a heist? I knew this would be a book for me. What I got was actually even more than expected. There are elements to the story that could not be predicted from the description of the book and they contributed rather pleasantly to my reading experience.
Having grown up an orphan, Della had to learn to navigate the darker side of London. She is the best pickpocket around, never having been caught until trying to steal from Cole Winthrop. He is not your ordinary gentleman, Turns out he has been watching Della for a little while, hence why she gets caught. He has a proposition for her: he needs her to steal something that was stolen from him (it’s actually more than that, but describing the nature of the item(s) in question would be a spoiler). In order to succeed, she must become a lady. She moves into his house to pose as his cousin and trains with the housekeeper in manners and rules of society, learns to play the piano and other things needed to succeed in this mission.
We’ve got ourselves an excellent blend of forced proximity and forbidden (due to the social class difference) romance in this story. The relationship between the two main characters is authentic and evolves very naturally. The plot is pretty solid and the story quite enjoyable. It is told from the perspective of both main characters and that definitely added to the overall enjoyment of the book. For those looking for a little more spice in their books, this is an open door romance with some rather steamy scenes between the Della and Cole. The attraction between the two characters is quite palpable.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for an e-arc of the book. The opinions expressed are honest and my own.

There's a lot of potential and it's an entertaining story but somehow it didn't work for me as I found the characters a bit underdeveloped.
The historical background is vivid
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A loose My fair lady retelling that sees a Victorian pickpocket recruited by a Lord who is secretly working for the government and in need of her particular talents to help seduce a scoundrel in possession of important documents.

I really enjoyed this dual POV, opposites attract romance. It was steamy, full of great banter and had the right balance of action, adventure and romance. Perfect for fans of authors like Evie Dunmore or India Holton and good on audio too.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review. This was a wonderful debut and I'm excited to read what the author writes next!

Steam level: open door, some explicit scenes

thank you for the review copy!

i was very excited to read this debut as i am a fan of historical books and also strong female characters! unfortunately for me this one just missed the mark. i think the characters needed a little bit more fleshing out. the only one that i felt was intriguing was della! i wanted to love cole so much but he felt a bit dry to me. i would absolutely love to see future titles from this author because there is definitely promise!

Thank you Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the chance to review this book.

The characters were cartoonish, with very little depth. They served their one purpose and only that purpose: Bad Guy, Spunky Heroine, Hot, Rich Hero. Della at least she had some sort of personality. Cole was supposed to be charming, but had as much charm as a piece of cardboard. As far as the romance goes- they were into each other physically, but the relationship didn't really have any depth to it and neither character had any growth within it. The connection was all physical, which was disappointing as the sheer number of explicit sex scenes became repetitive and almost gratuitous.

The plot was all over the place, heavy-handed, and seemed very unlikely. Everything was hilariously easy when it came to the actual spying/thieving (which there wasn't much of), and the Bad Guy turned out to be incredibly bad at BEING bad. The stakes always felt low because Cole and Della spent so much time in bed/thinking about being in bed that the plot kind of faded into the background, so I never felt a sense of urgency.

The writing is choppy and words/phrases not always period appropriate, which rips you right out of the story every time it happens. There was also an inconsistency in the way Della's lower-class accent was portrayed. Sometimes it was indicated when she was with her friend, sometimes it wasn't.

I was looking for a tense, dramatic espionage story with a dash of romance, but this feels like all flashy marketing, no real substance.

It was 1879 and Della Rose was on the look out for someone affluent on whom to use her skills. She was the best pickpocket in London and had never been caught, so her confidence was high. But Cole Winthrop had an agenda and had been watching Della for some time, so when she approached him, he was ready. Cole needed a thief to catch a thief. When his father's papers had been stolen, Cole was determined to carry on his father's work, and he needed to get the papers back. So Della had a new job; one she was prepared to work for as the end result was good.

As Della slowly learned to be a lady, she was prepared by Cole - who was an Earl - about the person she needed to get close to; the person who she needed to steal from. And she wasn't impressed. But she was determined to do her job, and do it well...

The Lady Thief of Belgravia is the debut novel by Allison Grey and I quite enjoyed it. The cover is gorgeous and the premise was intriguing. Della was a strong character - she had to be in her situation - while Cole was a "nice guy", kind and caring, but hard and cold when necessary. My only quibbles were the use of the "f" word, which, when I googled, wasn't around back in 1879. And the over use of the fully described sex scenes - after about the 5th or 6th time, the tone of the story was changed for me. Oh, and the £10,000 agreed on for Cole to pay Della converts to £1,532,390.16 today - so perhaps not!

With thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

I love me a good historical romance. They're literally my romance jam. This is a debut novel by Allison Grey and it was adorable. The premise of a female thief taking down one of the richest people in the country during this time period had me super excited to read this arc and it did not disappoint!

I recommend this book to anyone who loves a historical romance and a little spice to go with it. 🌶️ Thanks @netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.