Romance at Heart Magazine: review of Love’s Bewitching Thief by Angela Verdenius

Title: Love’s Bewitching Thief
Author: Angela Verdenius

Published in 2003 by Wings ePress
Genre: Futuristic/Sci-Fi Romance
IBSN: 1-59088-182-6

Most people, from most worlds expect holidays to be relaxing affaires. Periods of trouble free time that one can spent reading, going to entertainments, visiting friends, and generally having a good time are the criteria for a vacation. Marten has not had a relaxing experience, and he is truly fed up. It wouldn’t be so bad, if he wasn’t expecting to have a good time. Instead, it has been a total nightmare. It is a sorry state of affairs when a person is robbed, not once but twice. He is beginning to wonder if he really needs to buy his mother a present, but it is her birthday celebration, and the present would be a nice touch. The brooch was something she really wanted, but it has been stolen from him in the tavern, he has had to settle for a necklace. Too bad that he lost it as well, and if his memory isn’t lying to him about the familiarity of the serving girl, he lost the necklace to the same little thief. He had to give the girl credit, she was crafty, and yet there was something about her that called to Marten like no other.

He was certain that she was a member of the Felys, a cat-like people who were the sexual equivalent of his own Argon heritage. The Chronicles told of the Felys as being nearly extinct. Hunted as sex slaves and entertainers, it was said that the females could take on numerous partners when they were in heat. Those were interesting facts, but if the little stowaway on his ship was truly Felys, and if she was truly in trouble, then the lying little smart-mouthed thief has a come-uppance headed her way. That was an interesting thought, and he would definitely go back to it, but for now, he needed to get home and he needed to find out who or what the Redevac is, and exactly why it is that has him making threats against his little thief. Of course, having been her victim twice, Marten can understand it in some measure, but this smacks of something bigger, and he is determined to get to the bottom of it. Lysie may not like it, but she was his now, and Marten was going to keep her, and protect her. She just had to get used to it, for she had no choice. She gave up the right to a choice when she stole the brooch…

Lysie was in big trouble, and she was not exactly sure about how she got there. She was only looking for a good time, money to put a roof over her head, and a way to escape the menace that seemed to be following her. Now she knew the reputation that the Daamen Traders had as lovers and fighters, and she also knew about the Argons and their great sexual magnetism as well. But the lure of the brooch that the Argon possesses is just too much. She couldn’t help herself and had to have it. Little did she know of the repercussions one act of thievery would have on her life. It seems a though she is doomed to keep running into the tall handsome Argon, and a second theft is the result. Unbeknownst to Lysie, Marten put out a wanted bulletin on her, but then that is the least of her worries. She has been desperately trying to avoid detection, for she knows if she is found by her people, things may not go well for her. She will be a prisoner, and to lose her freedom is really losing her life.

Her freedom is something Lysie will do anything to protect. Once she had a taste for it, she had no intention of returning to the stifling existence the other Felyn females endured. As runt of the litter she was not expected to live, and the freedom she experienced compared with her counterparts, made her decide to leave once the others took notice. After spending the first part of her life free, with no encumbrances, no restrictions, and no real love and attention wasted on “a runt”, she was not about to be told that she had to mate, that she had to birth a litter, and she had to follow their rules. It angered her on a basic level, for they had literally thrown her away as a lost cause, and as such, she was denied the love and nurture of a family. Expecting her to be suddenly grateful for the family interest, a marriage and a career had been arranged for Lysie, and she was then expected to conform and accept the decrees graciously. She did not see it, and was not grateful. For her it was to be strangled and bound by their rules was left her cold, and so she had run. Now she was almost wishing she hadn’t left home…almost but not quite.

Back we go yet again, and here you go oh happy readers!!! GO! RUN! And for heavens sake pick up the latest installment from Angela Verdenius’ world...Love’s Bewitching Thief. Come and renew your acquaintance with Martin, one of Kiile of Argon’s body-guards, and what turns out for him to be an eye-opening journey. Starting out as a bit of time off, and a trip to get a birthday present for his mother, Marten finds himself embroiled with a strange little thief. Using her wiles to steal from the patrons of the bars where she dances, serves drinks, or the hotels where she doubles as a maid and does housekeeping, Lysie doesn’t count on the tenacity that this particular Argon possesses. Thinking to rob Marten quickly and then leave him even once is not good. To be repeating the practice is not a smart thing to do, nor is getting caught hiding on his ship.

Once again, Angela has really tickled our funny bones, and at the same time made us angry, scared, and in the end very happy for this extremely mismatched pair. With her innate sense of humour, Angela brings together a very odd couple and by the time it ends, you have forgotten that particular fact. The trials and strife they go through are at once scary and threatening, but the ingenuity of the pair never ceases to amaze. Marten, the straight laced bodyguard, unwillingly and unwittingly falls in love with Lysie the little thief, and will go to any lengths to claim her for his own. The results of Lysie’s rebellion are poignant, scary, and her provocation of Marten unending The escapes she pulls, and the fight for her freedom leads her in to a danger she has no way of combating alone. To that end alone, she needs Marten more than either one of them knows. The friction between them soars, and until the end of Love’s Bewitching Thief, nothing is certain, nothing is ended, and everything is definitely out of whack. This series of books is one not to be missed. Book 6 in the series is another excellent explanation for Angela’s continued popularity and meteoric rise to the top of the lists.. Love’s Bewitching Thief, another reason for you to visit with some new friends as well and some familiar faces. Love’s Bewitching Thief is available now from Wings e-Press, and is on my recommended list as a must buy.

Yours in good reading,

Rose!

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