Originally written in 1992 and now reissued digitally, To Kiss a Thief is a well-told, well-researched historical romance which moves – unexpectedly – from the English countryside to war-torn Portugal.

Margaret Somerley has embarked upon her first London season but has so far met with little notice or success, facts her mother bemoans both loudly and frequently. As the weeks pass and Margaret fails to attract the attention of what her mother regards as suitable husband material, Lady Somerley becomes increasingly critical of Margaret’s looks, her gowns, her demeanour – and finally earns a snub from the great Brummel himself, word of which spreads quickly through the ton, making Margaret an object of ridicule.

In an attempt to let the dust settle, the Somerleys leave London for a short stay in the country at the estate of the Earl of Haddon. Margaret takes to avoiding her mother as much as possible and spends much of her time in the library, which is where, one evening, she encounters a thief breaking into the room and stealing papers from Lord Haddon’s desk.

As he departs, the thief notices Margaret shrinking into the shadows and, unable to risk her giving the alarm, he forces her to leave with him. He takes her to a cottage on a neighbouring estate, clearly having expected there to be someone there with whom he could leave her while he made his escape, but when that proves not to be the case, the thief – who we’ve learned is named Drew – has no alternative but to keep Margaret with him. But she cannot travel with him as Miss Somerley – so to protect her name and reputation as much as her person, Drew transforms her into Meg Summers, and tells her she is to pose as his mistress.

It’s a cute set-up for a story which has a considerable depth to it in terms of characterisation as well as an enjoyable adventure plot and slowly developing romance.

Margaret is determined to dislike and distrust Drew whom she realises is not only a thief, but a traitor, planning to sell military secrets to the French. But she can’t quite reconcile the man who could contemplate doing so with the man who teases and laughs with her, and who is at such pains to protect both her life and her name. Drew takes Margaret to Portugal with him, ostensibly so he can meet with the ring-leaders of the French spy network to whom he plans to sell the stolen information. Their journey is slow, frequently uncomfortable and always dangerous, as they are under the constantly watchful eyes of the two burly “escorts” thoughtfully provided by Drew’s contact, who are clearly ready to do away with them at the slightest provocation. But the reader is privy to a few things Margaret does not know, meaning that Drew’s motives are less clear – is he a traitor, a spy… or something else? And if he really isn’t a traitor – then who is? And why has he determined to undertake such a dangerous journey?

To Kiss a Thief is a quick and enjoyable read which I found pleasantly surprising in its setting. If I have a criticism, it’s that there was often too much telling rather than showing, and that we were in Margaret’s head nearly all the time, which sometimes meant putting limitations on the storytelling. I recognise that this was necessary in order to maintain the tension and build the mystery as to Drew’s identity and motivations, but I found it frustrating at times nevertheless. But on the positive side, the writing is very good indeed, and the descriptions of the landscape and terrain are very evocative. The dialogue is excellent and the romance is very well developed with a lovely smattering of sexual tension between the leads.

The characterisation of both Drew and Meg is strong and consistent, and I felt while reading that the author has deliberately not turned them into a “hero” who sets out to impress with his feats of derring-do, and his feisty lady; but has instead written a story in which two people are thrown together into an unusual situation and have to adapt and deal with it, surviving on their quick wits and natural intelligence.

This is a closed-door romance, but it just shows what a skilful author can do with a touch or a look, to render a full-blown romp between the sheets unnecessary.

This review was originally posted in 2014.