We're celebrating the release of THIEF OF HEARTS by L.H. Cosway! Check out the excerpt and giveaway below!
Title: Thief of Hearts
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance/Romantic Suspense
Release Date: October 4, 2016
Book Description:
Seduce the teacher.
Make a deal.
Steal the painting.
Andrea Anderson has no clue of the thoughts churning around in the dark and dangerous ex-con’s head as he enters her classroom. In fact, she’s momentarily lost for words. Not in her entire teaching career has she had a student who looked quite like Stu Cross.
A widow at just twenty-eight, love is something Andie hasn’t considered a part of her life for a very long time. However, when lingering touches turn to whispered words and hot, searching stares, she begins to wonder if maybe she should take a leap of faith.
But Stu is in her class for a reason, and it has nothing to do with love. He’s there to burrow his way into her life and repay a debt, otherwise his family will suffer. Andie is the first person to show him true kindness since he left prison, and though he doesn’t want to mislead her, he doesn’t have another choice.
Before long, Stu can’t tell whether or not he’s acting anymore, and his feelings for Andie could throw all of his carefully crafted plans into complete and utter disarray.
**Can be read as a stand alone.
Buy Links:
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2d9xcjS
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2dLZFkN
Buy Links:
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2d9xcjS
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2dLZFkN
Our Review:
Reviewed by Donna ~ 4.5 stars
***ARC received for an honest review***
“I guess this is where shit gets real.”
LH Cosway is an author that my book friends have been begging me to read for a long, long, time. However, I have never been able to squeeze a book in because our schedules have never meshed. With Thief of Hearts I was drawn in by the synopsis, student/teacher, art thieves that aspect of forbidden love and by hook or by crook I was adamant to read this one. Now I have a huge problem…it seems I have a lot of books to catch up on.
I adored this authors writing style, from first to last page I was totally and utterly captivated by Andie and Stu’s story. LH Cosway has a certain flair to her writing that is charming and totally engaging, her words stunningly put together with fantastic character connection which is something I crave. For a fair few hours I was completely engrossed wishing this couple well from the outset, I wanted these two to succeed no matter the circumstances. Both characters had their scars, mentally and emotionally, but as the saying goes, it takes one to know one, these two could be just what the other needed.
“Stu Cross wasn’t as predictable as I thought, and even though I was the teacher in this situation, somehow it felt like I’d just been schooled.”
Andie was a woman with a heart of gold. She had had it rough the past few years, still grieving for her first love, her husband who was tragically taken away from her aged twenty-four by cancer. She still wore her rings, she wore his memory on her arm and he was never far from her thoughts. In the four years since he had passed, she had changed her career and thrown herself into making people’s lives better, people that are often overlooked because of their age. She was a teacher at an adult education college and her passion for helping these men and woman was positively infectious.
“Even when you’ve given up on yourself, I won’t give up on you.”
Stu was an ex-con having just been released from prison. He had taken the wrap for the family’s dodgy car business. Being the eldest he took this one for them as they have had his back in the past. He was an unwilling participant, as were most of the brothers, but it was out of their hands. Now free from that life, it seems his stint in prison has brought more problems to his door. A repayment for a debt, a debt made to save his life, but now a debt that needs to be repaid to save the lives of his family. He really was in a catch twenty-two situation.
“Stu Cross definitely had an unprecedented effect on me. I’d never broken a single rule before I met him, never mind the actual law.”
Stu needed to embed himself in the life of Andie to get through to a resource that she had access to. He didn’t want any part of it but needs must. Stu enrols in her college class, he just didn’t bank on being so enamoured by Andie, the woman that had a heart of gold, really saw who he was, someone that quickly tapped into his potential and a woman that made him feel for the first time in a very long time.
“Just be my soft place to fall. I need you Andrea.”
Andie didn’t expect the chemistry that sizzled between her and Stu Cross. Andie’s feelings had been on lockdown since the death of her husband. Andi wasn’t ever sure she would ever feel love again but what happens when that possibility comes in the form of a student in your class?
“Did you ever stop to wonder if maybe you were my family now, too?”
Stu was not what I expected, he had that brave front, the charm the charisma, he could talk his way out of any situation or into any woman’s knickers, but underneath that bravado was a vulnerable man who knew his short-comings and was as self-deprecating as they came. Stu though was a total surprise and I loved that LH Cosway embraced this side to him. She gave us the cocky alpha, but she also gave us the pussy cat.
“Our love meant we’d go to the ends of the earth to protect each other. Each of our lists had grown by one. And sometimes the smallest number could be the biggest in the world.”
The art plot line was a fantastic addition to this love story. It gave this book an edge and introduced some fantastic characters into the mix. The quiet ones are always the worst and that was definitely the case in this book, but it was the unexpected that made this story. As I said above, totally captivated from start to finish, I couldn’t put it down and now I have a back list to start reading.
I organised my things and opened my laptop, pulling up the morning’s lesson plan when I heard the friendly chatter quieten down. Glancing up, I saw our new student had arrived, and I had to take a second to catch my breath.
Stuart Cross looked dangerous, in a James Dean, careless male beauty, leather jacket-wearing sort of way. He was tall, with chestnut-brown hair, hazel eyes and dark, expressive brows. He looked like he drank beer straight out of the bottle and drove a motorbike.
Mary placed a hand on her hip and smirked as she looked him up and down in a very ‘I’ve got your number, sonny Jim’ sort of fashion. I imagined she’d eat him for breakfast if he even gave her so much as a hint he was interested in becoming her boy toy.
And I, well, I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off him either. He was just so unexpected. It was like entering Alfie’s bedroom and discovering a newly finished painting. He seemed too much for our ordinary, comfortable little classroom.
He made eye contact with me just as he pulled out a chair in the third row and sat, a whoosh of air capturing my lungs. I rubbed my palms on my skirt and leaned forward, about to introduce myself when a student approached him. It was Harold, a small, bespectacled man in his early fifties, who liked everything to be done just so. In other words, he was set in his ways, and Stuart was currently occupying his usual seat.
“Pardon me, but I sit there,” he said, tapping Stuart on the shoulder.
Stuart rested an elbow on the desk, and slowly turned to look at him. “You what?”
Harold cleared his throat. “This is where I sit. I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to move.”
Stuart let out a quiet chuckle, shook his head and leaned back to spread his legs. “I don’t think so. I’ve just gotten comfortable, mate.”
I frowned and rose from my seat. Making my way past the desks, I felt the others watching as I approached our new student. I stopped just in front of him, briefly placed a reassuring hand on Harold’s shoulder and leveled Stuart with a strict look.
“We actually have a set seating plan. Come with me and I’ll show you where you can sit.
I’m Miss Anderson, by the way. Your teacher.”
Stuart took his time raising his eyes to mine, slicing his teeth across his full bottom lip for a second as he contemplated me. I rested my hands on my hips, trying not to fixate on his mouth as I felt a tiny flicker in some long-neglected part of my body.
“All right then, Miss Anderson. I wouldn’t want to cause a fuss,” said Stuart, standing to his full height and allowing Harold to take his seat. His attitude rubbed me the wrong way, but nevertheless, I led him to the only free seat in the front row. He stepped forward, his chest brushing mine before he sat. I caught my breath for a second; the contact took me by surprise.
In fact, it almost felt like he’d done it on purpose.
Yep, I was definitely going to have to keep an eye on this one.
Excerpt:
I organised my things and opened my laptop, pulling up the morning’s lesson plan when I heard the friendly chatter quieten down. Glancing up, I saw our new student had arrived, and I had to take a second to catch my breath.
Stuart Cross looked dangerous, in a James Dean, careless male beauty, leather jacket-wearing sort of way. He was tall, with chestnut-brown hair, hazel eyes and dark, expressive brows. He looked like he drank beer straight out of the bottle and drove a motorbike.
Mary placed a hand on her hip and smirked as she looked him up and down in a very ‘I’ve got your number, sonny Jim’ sort of fashion. I imagined she’d eat him for breakfast if he even gave her so much as a hint he was interested in becoming her boy toy.
And I, well, I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off him either. He was just so unexpected. It was like entering Alfie’s bedroom and discovering a newly finished painting. He seemed too much for our ordinary, comfortable little classroom.
He made eye contact with me just as he pulled out a chair in the third row and sat, a whoosh of air capturing my lungs. I rubbed my palms on my skirt and leaned forward, about to introduce myself when a student approached him. It was Harold, a small, bespectacled man in his early fifties, who liked everything to be done just so. In other words, he was set in his ways, and Stuart was currently occupying his usual seat.
“Pardon me, but I sit there,” he said, tapping Stuart on the shoulder.
Stuart rested an elbow on the desk, and slowly turned to look at him. “You what?”
Harold cleared his throat. “This is where I sit. I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to move.”
Stuart let out a quiet chuckle, shook his head and leaned back to spread his legs. “I don’t think so. I’ve just gotten comfortable, mate.”
I frowned and rose from my seat. Making my way past the desks, I felt the others watching as I approached our new student. I stopped just in front of him, briefly placed a reassuring hand on Harold’s shoulder and leveled Stuart with a strict look.
“We actually have a set seating plan. Come with me and I’ll show you where you can sit.
I’m Miss Anderson, by the way. Your teacher.”
Stuart took his time raising his eyes to mine, slicing his teeth across his full bottom lip for a second as he contemplated me. I rested my hands on my hips, trying not to fixate on his mouth as I felt a tiny flicker in some long-neglected part of my body.
“All right then, Miss Anderson. I wouldn’t want to cause a fuss,” said Stuart, standing to his full height and allowing Harold to take his seat. His attitude rubbed me the wrong way, but nevertheless, I led him to the only free seat in the front row. He stepped forward, his chest brushing mine before he sat. I caught my breath for a second; the contact took me by surprise.
In fact, it almost felt like he’d done it on purpose.
Yep, I was definitely going to have to keep an eye on this one.
Giveaway:
About the Author:
L.H. Cosway lives in Dublin, Ireland. Her inspiration to write comes from music. Her favourite things in life include writing stories, vintage clothing, dark cabaret music, food, musical comedy, and of course, books. She thinks that imperfect people are the most interesting kind. They tell the best stories. L.H. is represented by Louise Fury at The Bent Agency.
Social Media Links:FB: www.facebook.com/LHCosway
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Website: www.lhcoswayauthor.com
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