I liked this novel, it was kind of like a Mr and Mrs Smith knock off. I especially appreciate that its long.

This was so much fun to read! It's kinda like Mr.and Mrs. Smith except she's a thief and he's an FBI Agent! 10/10 for the romance+suspense!

Amazing journey that had a couple twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat! Loved loved loved this book! I couldn’t stop turning the pages!

I liked this book. I liked the heroine and the fact that she wasn't a whiny, egotistical brat but that she was kind of kick butt and she knew how to stand up for herself. She was plucky. This had some funny parts in it and I liked that it didn't have a bunch of angst.

A light-hearted and fun story. I liked the sassy heroine and the give and take play between the two main characters. What I didn't like were all the flashbacks. While it was interesting to get more of the backstory, they often seemed ill-timed to me and interfered with the pacing of the story. All in all, however, an enjoyable read.

Fun, fun and fun read. Love the premise and keep me on my toes vibe.

4.5 stars

I’d heard good things about this book when it first came out, and I wasn’t disappointed. Stealing Mr. Right is a fun, light-hearted read in the best caper movie tradition; our heroine, Penelope Blue, is a highly skilled jewel thief and her husband, Grant Emerson is an FBI agent. Right from their first meeting, they are locked into a sexy game of cat and mouse in which neither knows how much the other knows and wants to find out.

Thievery runs in the Blue family, because Penelope is the daughter of the infamous Blue Fox, one of the best in the business. When he disappeared after a heist gone wrong a decade earlier and her stepmother abandoned her, it left Penelope alone on the streets, to fend for herself. Fortunately for her, she was befriended by a street-wise kid named Riker and together they did what they had to survive; stole, ran scams, always moving onto bigger and better jobs.

When the book opens, they and their team are about to steal a fabulous two-million dollar necklace – the very one that Pen’s dad was attempting to steal when he was caught. It’s kind of a point of honour that she should finish the job, but things go wrong when she recognises the man accompanying the necklace’s owner – it’s her very own gorgeous, six-foot-two, former-football-player-turned-FBI-agent husband, Grant. Pen, Riker and the other members of their team, Jordan and Oz, get out and regroup, but it’s clear Grant’s involvement was no coincidence, and Pen thinks he must be stepping up his search for the fortune her father left behind when he disappeared/died.

The story of exactly how a thief and an FBI agent got married is told in flashback throughout the book, and it’s very well done. Penelope believes Grant is out to locate her father’s money, and she’s playing along to find out exactly what he knows while she is searching for it, too. She maintains she married Grant as a way of “keeping your enemies closer” and that as soon as her father’s stash is found, they will go their separate ways. It’s very clear to the reader, of course, that she’s head over heels for Grant, but she maintains that self-deception almost all the way through.

What the author does so cleverly is to muddy the waters where Grant is concerned, making the reader wonder as to his true motives. When we – along with Penelope – first meet him, he’s friendly and open, a gorgeous guy chatting up/being chatted up by a woman he’s interested in. Because the story is told entirely from Pen’s point of view, he remains something of an enigma, and in the sections of the book set in the present, she sews the seeds of doubt and makes us wonder if he really is the good guy who would do anything for the woman he loves, or if he did marry Pen for ulterior reasons of his own.

Tamara Morgan has crafted a terrifically entertaining story which, while for the most part, a fun, sexy romp, has its serious side, too. Pen’s relationship with Riker – her dearest friend and the one person in her life who has always looked out for her – is strained and, as she painfully realises, hasn’t much changed since their childhoods, and she still finds it difficult to believe in herself, one of the hang-ups she acquired as a result of her father’s abandonment. Her friendships with Riker and Jordan are nicely done – Riker is actually rather awesome, dark, brooding and sarcastic, and clearly needs his own book at some point!

The central characters are well-written and likeable; I enjoyed Pen’s wry humour and her resilience, and Grant is super-hot – smart, perceptive, self-assured and very, very good at hiding his thoughts and emotions, so that Pen – and we – are never sure if he’s really a doting husband or deep undercover. The chemistry between them is fabulous, but I can’t deny that the book’s one love scene was just a teeny bit disappointing after all that lovely sexual tension and build-up.

All in all, though, Stealing Mr. Right was a thoroughly enjoyable, read with a nice balance of suspense and romantic comedy. I’ll certainly be picking up the next book in the series.

Stealing Mr. Right took awhile to warm up to me. The premise was unique and quite intriguing, the tone lighthearted comedy. Considering that the female protagonist is a jewel thief with the very catchy name of Penelope Blue, this book had the makings of a good rom com. Add the fact that she also happens to be married to an FBI agent who she highly suspects has been on her tail for another reason than how attractive it is. The first half of the book seems a bit dragging with readers probably going fifty fifty on whether they love Pen or basically annoyed by her. Her relationship with Grant, her FBI husband, seems confusing at times but one thing is for sure they're both (trying ) to hide something from each other. It's only as the book hits midway that you get invested in Pen's relationship with her husband and her intrepid gang of thieves and you start feeling the action of the book, like what really is the end game and will Pen finally admit how she feels about Grant and is Riker her partner in crime really just have platonic feelings for her. The writing is humorous and the premise unique but I guess as a reader could have done away with some of the scenes that felt redundant. Still, this is shaping up to be a good series and hopefully it just improves with each book.

A comedy-drama, "Stealing Mr. Right" starts in the middle of the story. In the first chapter, Tamara Morgan introduces jewel thief Penelope Blue in the act of stealing a $2million necklace only to be circumvented by her husband, FBI agent Grant Emerson.

If you're asking, "Who? What? Why?" you just echoed my questions, which by the way was the reason why I could not put down the book. I needed to know how this unlikely pairing could have a happily ever after.

With a whodunit hooking the readers in, Morgan cleverly used flashbacks to weave the love story of Penelope and Grant. Lots of laugh out loud funny instances with a sprinkling of heartaches which served as counterpoints to many sweet moments, the main characters came alive.

Morgan's in-depth character development are also seen in the secondary characters who are also three-dimensional which made me suspect that they will have their own books in the series.

A great read! This book should be in your reading list this summer!

Stealing Mr. Right is Rated T for Teens due to some adult situations.

An intensely romantic, humorous, tension filled, and intriguing story. The author created in Grant and Penelope the perfect couple to play cat and mouse with each other. The concept of each knowing the truth about the other but always playing a game of oneupmanship, was entertaining...the most enjoyably aspect was to keep trying to figure out who was going to do what to the other next...who was going to get the upper hand...which then didn't lasted long before the tables turned again.

Grant's strength, yet vulnerability because of Penelope was heartwarming and even heartbreaking at times. For such a strong, self assured man to break down his love for Penelope to the simplest of feelings was moving. Penelope's constantly fighting her pull towards Grant gave the story so much emotion and rewarding at the same time.

The quirky cast of characters was laugh out loud hilarious...case in point the cat fight between Penelope and Jordan. The twists and turns came out of nowhere, complimenting the overall plot, and were a delightful surprise, taking the story in an unexpected directions.

This author is new to me, but she's now on my "keep an eye out" list for more of her books.

This ARC book was a complimentary copy provided by the Publisher and Netgally, I am voluntarily providing my honest review b

Such a fun read!! I will be reading more by Tamara Morgan- especially more in the Penelope Blue series. I fell in love with all these characters- they are unique & entertaining & the story is fast paced - it hooks you from the very first page. I admit I read way too late but I couldn't put it down.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

3.5 Hearts, SJ, Romance Junkies

Of all the positive points about this book I could make, I'd say the narration in STEALING MR. RIGHT by Tamara Morgan was absolutely amazing. Morgan engages the reader in the first paragraph, and the first person point of view was perfect for this snarky, fun, fast-paced comedic caper. A lively cast of secondary characters, an enjoyable plot, and the constant tension between the hero, Grant, and heroine, Penelope, kept the story focused.

Grant is an FBI agent, Penelope a jewel thief with abandonment issues, a snarky sense of humor, and a group of hilarious and richly drawn friends. The cat and mouse game of one-upmanship between Penelope and Grant--her HUSBAND--kept me on my toes. A great plot with conflict built into the dynamic from the get-go

What detracted for me were the constant flashbacks. I understood that they were a way of allowing the author to start the story in the present while gradually filling in the past, but I started to find myself skimming sections, wanting to go back to the present to find out what was happening and why. It made me put the book down a few times in frustration. The choppiness detracted from the overall enjoyment of the book.

But not counting the flashbacks, the pacing in the present part of the book was spot on. I'm eager to see where Morgan takes the second Penelope Blue book, SAVING MR. PERFECT. I'd definitely recommend this book, though I hope the next one is more streamlined in the here and now.

Did enjoy the refreshing change in these characters. Can't wait to read another book by this author.

This was such a FUN story! The tone/voice leaned chick lit (think Janet Evanovich), especially since it was written entirely from the heroine's first-person point of view. Thankfully, I really enjoyed Penelope Blue's character and being inside her head. She isn't one to back down from a challenge, and I appreciated the way she continually did/said the exact opposite of what she might be expected to do/say. It made for some laugh-out-loud moments and was so refreshing!

I loved Pen's complicated relationships—and there were MANY! The author slowly peeled back the layers of each, alternating the storytelling between present day and past events starting 19 months earlier. While some of the flashbacks didn't contain enough relevant content for my editorial tastes and slowed the overall pacing down a bit, I thought the majority of them worked.

I did have other small quibbles, but overall, I breezed through this one and enjoyed it immensely. Not only did it satisfy my craving for a good "heist," it also solidified my not-so-secret love for well-written special agent heroes. *swoons over Grant Emerson forever*

I can't wait for the next book in this series!

RATING: A- (4½ stars)

Auf ein sehr außergewöhnliches Romance-Paar treffen wir in „Stealing Mr. Right“ (Englisch) von Tamara Morgan, im März erschienen bei Sourcebooks, Inc.

Das Buch beginnt mitten in dem laufenden Überfall auf ein Juweliergeschäft. Penelope Blue steckt in einem Lüftungsschacht und soll gleich einer Kundin nach dem geplanten elektrischen Totalausfall das kostbare Kollier entreißen und dann flüchten. Ihre Partner Jordan, Riker und Oz sind in Position und alles ist zum Start bereit. Doch dann entdeckt sie, dass der Begleiter der bekannten Besitzerin des Kolliers kein Security-Mann ist, sondern ihr eigener Ehemann Grant Emerson der FBI Agent. Sie bricht die Aktion ab und muss ihren Partnern gegenüber den Reinfall eingestehen, die natürlich auch ihre Situation, Beziehung und Handlungen hinterfragen.

Das Buch ist sehr witzig und spritzig aus Penelopes Sicht geschrieben. Es bietet gleich einen sehr spannenden Start. Penelope Blue hat auch eine sehr persönliche Beziehung zu dem beschriebenen Schmuck, da ihr Vater vor vielen Jahren verschwand, nachdem er vergeblich versucht hatte ihn zu stehlen.

Das Eheleben zwischen Penelope und Grant gleicht einem Katz und Maus Spiel. Sie weiß, dass er weiß, dass sie nicht in Wirklichkeit nur Tanzlehrerin für vierjährige Kinder ist. Aber weiß er auch, dass sie das weiß?! Und dann bringt er ihr zum Jahrestag ausgerechnet dieses unglaublich teure Kollier mit nach Hause. Doch dann gibt er zu, dass er es nur für einige Tage beaufsichtigt und schildert ihr den versuchten Überfall ganz unschuldig aus seiner Perspektive.

Dann springt das Buch 19 Monate zurück und wir lernen die Vorgeschichte kennen. Grant Emerson ist der Diebesgruppe seit einem älteren Fall schon mindestens 1 Jahr auf der Spur und ruiniert immer wieder ihre Pläne. Penelope will aber nicht schon wieder einen Überfall aufgeben und will herausfinden, wie er immer auf ihre Spur kommt. Aus einer Wette mit Riker heraus versucht sie Grant zu verführen.

Dann springt die Geschichte wieder in die Gegenwart. Riker kann nicht verstehen, warum sie Grant nicht das Kollier, das er zu Hause aufbewahrt einfach abnehmen können. Aber Pen ist dagegen, sie ist nicht nur hinter dem Kollier her, sondern will auch endlich das Rätsel um das Verschwinden ihres berühmt berüchtigten Vaters lösen.

Die Geschichte wechselt dann kapitelweise zwischen Gegenwart und Vergangenheit. Aber dank des Schreibstils findet man sich schnell in den Rhythmus ein. Pen vermutet, dass sie beide hinter Infos über den Verbleib ihres Vaters und seines ergaunerten Vermögens her sind, vielleicht weiß Grant mehr als sie selber…

Dann kommt es zu einem ganz verrückten unerwarteten Ereignis, das alles auf den Kopf stellt, selbst Pen wird daraus nicht mehr schlau. Die Geschichte geht temporeich und spannend weiter. Es gibt immer wieder neue Wendungen und frische Ideen.

Dann gerät Grant in große Gefahr und die Handlung spitzt sich zu. Am Ende werden alle Verwicklungen aufgeklärt und es gibt ein schönes herzergreifendes Happy End.

Mit Riker hat die Autorin Tamara Morgan in „Stealing Mr. Right“ eine sehr komplexe und interessante Nebenfigur erschaffen.

Volle Punktzahl für einen rasanten, witzigen Romance mit gutem Ende!

5 von 5 Punkten

Penelope Blue is married to Federal Agent Grant Emerson. She is a mouthy, sassy and fascinating badass heroine, a highly skilled jewel thief. She “works” with a group of childhood friends and they are the best in their “field”. In theory, her husband is her enemy, her nemesis, who should be willing to catch her if he can. But they have been married for one year and he has never done a thing to hurt her. Their emotional connection is intense. Grant is smoking hot, self-assured, shrewd and incredibly perceptive. He is very good at hiding his emotions, though, and Penelope still questions his motivation. After all, he could be the definition of deep undercover!

I loved this story! It started with a bang and kept up with the twists and turns, leaving me guessing at every turn and finally building up to a suspenseful climax. The plot is intricate and the chemistry between the main characters is intense. Tamara Morgan has woven an entertaining story in a way that is fun and unique. The alternating pattern of past and present storytelling was rather unusual, and kept me flipping the pages until the very end. I loved the humor, the dynamic between Grant and Penelope was so much fun!

Their game of cat and mouse was absolutely delightful, their playful flirtation was irresistible. This book was well-written, the alternating past-present storytelling slowed down the pace of the story, though. The characters were engaging, intriguing and well-developed, the plot was well-constructed and mysterious. I’m really looking forward to reading more in this series.

I received an advanced copy of this book, from the publisher, via NetGalley.

This book was better than I expected before I started reading it! Due to the title and the description, I thought it'd be a story like "Mr. & Mrs. Smith", but, oh boy, I was SO wrong. It's not just the fact that they're enemies and "hate" each other, but he KNEW all the damn time that she was a thief and her father was alive. (Reading that last part I was like "what? wait, what? Oh my God.")
The story is told very well, it's easy to understand and has a lot of unexpected turns (which I love). Mixing the present time and the past time gives a whole new and fresh perspective into their relationship. One chapter I was hating Grant and the next one he proposed or did something cute and it was like.... aww.
I didn't have to "force" myself to read (like "today I'm gonna read 1 or 2 chapters). Sometimes I had to stop reading because I had to go to sleep or go somewhere... And not just because some chapters ended with a cliffhanger, but also because the story itself was SO catchy and interesting that I didn't want to stop reading it.
This book is totally pop-corn-worthy. So, grab your pop-corn, ladies, because this story is better than a movie.
P.S.: I saw on Goodreads that this book is titled "Stealing Mr. Right (Penelope Blue, #1)", does this means it'll be a 2nd part? That would be AWESOME!!

4.5 stars

Based on the cover and blurb of Stealing Mr. Right, I was sure I was in for a light, fun cat and mouse read. I was right about the fun part, and some of it was also light, but there was a depth to this story, and to Penelope, that I wasn’t expecting. This story hops back and forth between the past and the present, from Penelope and Grant’s ‘courtship’ to the chips finally falling where they may in the present. Penelope and Grant have chemistry off the charts. There was very little sex in this (which was a bit disappointing after all the build up in Penelope’s head; I wanted full-on Grant sexy time,) but there is just so much tension when they’re on the page together. What I find most odd about this story is that despite feeling detached from the characters, I was still riveted. And I think it’s because Penelope tried so hard to not get attached to people, it was easy to put myself in her shoes and adopt her feeling of detachment. I’m not sure if this was deliberate on the author’s part, but it was brilliant either way. I will say, from almost the very beginning, it was clear to me how much Grant adored Penelope, and it made me sad that she was so busy waiting for him to abandon her that she couldn't see it. Grant was just so charming and tender, but Penelope was convinced he was all bluster. And they were absolutely adorable together, which is hilarious, because neither personality screams adorable.

Penelope friends were such a wonderful addition to the story, from Jordan, her loyal gal pal, to Oz, a jack of all trades, and Riker (who I’m not sure how to describe, because he has a bit of a big brother feel, but they have...history, so that doesn’t quite work,) she had a family she’d made who had her back even if she couldn’t see it. I loved them all, and I am hoping there will be plenty of them to read about in future installments. Grant's mother, giving Penelope a run for her money, was a hoot - like mother, like son. And props to the author, because there was a twist near the end of the book that I wasn’t expecting.

I was pleasantly surprised by Stealing Mr. Right, and I can’t recommend it enough. I'm so excited for the next one in the series! If you’re looking for a quick read with a bit of depth and a lot of fun, this is right up your alley.

I attempted this title 3 times (my usual limit is 2) as I really wanted to love it. I thought the premise was so interesting...unfortunately, I was never able to believe either character. And, in a story where they are already married, if you don;t feel the connection it is difficult to invest in the rest. I have chosen to DNF this title.

I look forward to the next title through you!

Laura

I liked this book but I do have two frustrations I’ll get to in a minute. Penelope Blue (I love that name and I LOVE the way the hero says it in this book – always rhyming it with a sensual undertone) grew up with famous jewel thief for a father. He amassed a great fortune in stolen goods, hid them and then disappeared, assumed dead. Penelope doesn’t know where her father’s fortune is – and many people would love to discover it. This book starts with Penelope and her very close friends (also fellow jewel thieves) all set to steal a two million dollar diamond necklace that is coming out of a vault in a jewelry store. This necklace eluded her father for years, so she feels extra incentive to steal it, to honor his thieving memory. However, there is an obstacle. Penelope’s husband is a FBI agent and he happens to show up as an undercover bodyguard when the necklace makes an appearance (and Penelope is hiding in the air vent). She knows this is not a coincidence. Not being able to figure away around her hulking husband, she has to abandon her plan. Which really pisses her off.

You see – their marriage is somewhat of a farce. Grant, her husband, knows Penelope is a jewel thief – and she knows he knows – but they have never admitted to each other. She started dating him to keep an eye on him, because he was following her moves as she planned thefts. This led to marriage, again the other very wary of the other’s motives. Do they even really love each other or is all a game??

This book is told all in Penelope’s point of view, so as the reader you are unsure, just like Penelope, how much Grant really knows. You assume he knows pretty much everything about her, but he is a very good actor, a cold stone FBI agent, so there is some doubt sometimes. You also get the sense that he deeply loves her, but Penelope is unsure about his true feelings and intentions, again leaving some mystery about their relationship.

I really liked both Penelope and Grant. Penelope is a super fun heroine – funny, stubborn, energetic. She lived a hard life, and now has such a strong group of friends – but it all gets a bit jumbled as she gets in too deep with her FBI boyfriend/husband and feelings start to come about instead of keeping her head in the game to steal all the stuff. Her close friends add a lot to this book and I’m really looking forward to getting more of their story. Some are more mysterious than others, and I love the bond they all share, and the emotions that bubble up when Penelope has to choose the job or her relationship with Grant.

My two frustrations are: One, the book goes back and forth from present day, when she has been married to Grant for a year and the opportunity arises to steal the necklace. In the past we go back to when Grant and Penelope first meet and start dating. I feel like the past portions really weigh the book down and I just wasn’t interested in learning how the meet. I found it a bit boring. I liked their predicament in present day – married, but hiding everything. In love with each other, but would never admit it.

Second, Grant is hot. Like, really, really hot. BUT – their romance takes a back seat to everything else. I wanted more page time together of just them. This book has a chick-lit feel to it, and the sex scene definitely goes that route, as in brief and didn’t give me nearly enough of hot and sexy AND naked Grant. I enjoyed this story, but as a romance book, it’s missing the romance somewhat. It’s in there, hiding and sometimes makes an appearance with very growly Grant but I wanted more of it.

Looking forward to book two.

Grade: B-