Reviewed by: Rachel
Book provided by: Publisher
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book

This was a very interesting historical read. It masqueraded as having a simple plot line of a clumsy girl falling for a thief.

I was shocked and happy to see that it was so much more! Min is a hilariously awkward character that stumbles into discovering the truth behind a hidden necklace that she needs to find in order to save her mother.

Arthur, her best friend, who is secretly in love with her, promises his aunt that he will find the necklace and with Min by his side he’s more than happy to do so. He convinces Min that it would be advantageous for them to pretend to be engaged, therefore making it easier for them to be seen together and for her to ward off would be suitors.

They go about discovering the whereabouts of the necklace. Only, there is a definite hitch in their plans, and his name is Bryant.

Bryant is a thief sent to retrieve the necklace, but Min knows immediately that he is bad news. Unfortunately for her—he’s crazy attractive and knows just the right buttons to push to get her mind all fuzzy.

The story was a bit slow. I’m used to more fast paced dialogue in my historical romances, but once I got used to the writing style it turned into a very entertaining and lighthearted read.

Min was endearing from the start, but it was the character of Bryant that I really wanted to see more. I wanted to know more of his story, how did he become a thief? Why was he a thief in the first place? At first I thought he was some second son who had fallen on hard times. I think the author could have gone deeper into his back story and really filled in some of those blanks for the reader.

The story itself was solid and had a lot of interesting twists and turns. The author did a clever job with the “twist” at the end. I will of course be reading more of this author because I found her writing clean and entertaining. All in all I give it a lovely rose. ( )

TO TRUST A THIEF by Michelle McLean is an exciting historical romance set in 1855 England. Fast paced thrill ride from beginning to end. While searching for a treasure,danger lurks and love blossoms. Filled with danger,secrets,legend,family heirloom,deception, murder and love. As Bryant and Min struggle with their attraction, fight their enemy can they learn to truly trust each other? While, Min starts out a little childish to me, she comes into herself,it was great to see her character develop as the story moves along. A must read story! Received for an honest review from the publisher.
RATING: 4.5
HEAT RATING: SWEET
REVIEWED BY: AprilR, My Book Addiction and More/My Book Addiction Reviews ( )