First off I m a huge fan of Clare Sager s Beneath Black Sails series and if you haven t picked it up yet you re in for a real treat When I realized she had written another series I couldn t wait to pick it up and I wasn t disappointed With Sager you know you re going to get a fantastic slow burn romance epic action and a touch of mystery A Thief and a Gentlewoman has it all in spades and then some. Quin is a top tier con artist She travels from city to city taking on a new persona in each one Her goal Charm a pig headed aristocrat into falling in love with her then rob him and give her loot to the poor Her new mark is Altesh cousin to the sultana The biggest and riskiest job she s ever done She didn t expect to fall in love with him For me this felt like two books smashed into one and I really wish it had been broken into two The first half deals with her getting to know falling in love with him The second half begins with a murder for which Altesh is framed and Quin must prove his innocence As a result the pace was very slow at times The characters magic and supreme world building than made up for it I couldn t help but get sucked into the story as my mind raced to piece together the clues that were masterfully woven throughout the book Plus the magic was unique card magic Yes please I immediately downloaded the sequel and I can t wait to find out what happens next A Thief u0026 a Gentlewoman Counterfeit Contessa 1 A Thief a Gentlewoman is one of those books that grabs you and never lets go. It s the whole package excellent writing and pacing from an author who knows her craft an engaging story with characters you care about a slowly developing romance plus lots of action and a bit of magic in a richly developed world I loved Quin and Atesh and the organic way their relationship grew Atesh slowly pokes holes in Quin s persona while Quin struggles with enjoying being her real self and protecting everything that she has built and worked for I really enjoyed the dynamic between them Quin also has other very important people in her life that she cares for making her face some tough choices while literally balancing all of their lives in her hands. The magic system is unique and quite cool Magic is accessible to anyone via Tarot like cards that one creates over time growing their personal deck Each one grants a different power or augmentation e. g increased hearing abilities or ability to mask your appearance Of course these cards all come into play in the story both to aid and work against Quin and Atesh I liked how the characters did not have to be predisposed to magic making it feel very accessible and real. A great story and great characters I can t recommend it enough A Thief u0026 a Gentlewoman Counterfeit Contessa 1 Once I started this book I couldn t stop I love the strong female characters the subtle queerness the speed the sudden twists the magic system Very much looking forward to book 2 A Thief u0026 a Gentlewoman Counterfeit Contessa 1 I have to admit that this was a complete cover pick I just totally fell in love when I saw it and it was a stand out in a room full of books that I was considering at the time What was inside was all that the cover promised it would be Quin is a fantastic character smart sassy totally kick ass but a little morally grey too She is a Robin Hood for the residents of the stories Arinapole which has a sumptuous Constantinople feel to it A product of the Gutter Streets she has risen above to fleece the hoi Polloi under the expert tutalage of an ex hareem darling who is also handily her mother She is one of several amazing female characters in this story Derry her friend and trainee apothacary holds her own wonderfully and can I just say that I am desperate for Tacita I actually think that Tacita is my favourite side character she s the antithesis of Quin in that she appears to be at the other end of the social spectrum but with a similar outlook for adventure For anyone familiar with the new She Ra she is giving me total Scorpia vibes and I really hope she appears in future books in the series The guys don t hold up too badly either the stalwart Ariston is a delight and although it took me a while I did warm to Atesh as Quin melted through his initially aloof exterior They re not quite the full rag tag team that is becoming a YA staple which I personally love but there are enough for some fledgling squadgoals to surface. I absolutely adored the magic system contained within tarot style cards each deck is unique to its creator and grows slowly over time each card created and mastered to either disguise distract locate and seemingly get up to no good with for the most part I really liked how it wasn t overly relied on as a means to an end though there is a tithe to pay for it s use and did give scope for genuine skill and cunning to be used which we had in a glorious abundance I have to say I wasn t clear on whether everyone could have a deck or whether it was a select few who could use these magics but they did seem to be popping up and as the story progressed although at the higher end of the social spectrum I m a total world building girl with books and the amount of care and attention to detail in creating such a gorgeous world is outstanding A true picture was painted and I rarely felt that I didn t have a clear vision of where the characters were or the situations they were in which totally pulled me into the story and wrapped me in a big world building sized blanket of goodness. Whilst it is a long read there is really so much packed into its pages with a little something to please everyone as it encompassed murder mystery courtroom drama romance action and giant sabrecats all wrapped up in a glorious fantasy bow Honestly Sabrecats are my new favourite animal sidekick and the author gives a totally plausible and astute reasoning as to why they are vastly superior to horses in this context A Thief and a Gentlewoman rose to meet all my expectations I loved it From its languid opening to it fast paced ending it had me guessing and hoping all the way to the end Its also a story that brings closure on itself but open ended enough to have me excited for what comes next without relying on a gimicky cliffhanger to drawn me back in I m just glad the next book in the series is already out A Thief u0026 a Gentlewoman Counterfeit Contessa 1 What a great read Superb writing and great world building A sort of Robin Hood tale if Robin was a beautiful woman using her skills to imitate a gentlewoman and rob rich young men to give to the poor Except she s falling for her latest mark There s adventure mystery murder a dash of romance and I can t wait to read the next book A Thief u0026 a Gentlewoman Counterfeit Contessa 1 The beginning and bones were great I just keep feeling like it was going on and on Maybe it was the mood I was in I know part of it was that the love interest never spent much time together and I don t know how they fell in love A lot of action at the end that I ended up skimming over A Thief u0026 a Gentlewoman Counterfeit Contessa 1 Fun and clever con focused fantasy The characters all had fantastic interactions and chemistry and there were some genuinely puzzling problems they had to get through Definitely a good read for fans of Eli Monpress and Locke Lamora A Thief u0026 a Gentlewoman Counterfeit Contessa 1 I straight up loved this book The lush fantasy worldbuilding that isn t even vaguely reminiscent of Tolkien deep characters you alternately want to yell at or hug a really interesting and subtle magic system unlike any I ve seen before gorgeous clean prose And of course a really killer cover certainly helps A Thief u0026 a Gentlewoman Counterfeit Contessa 1 I enjoyed the strong historically inspired worldbuilding in this story set in a fantasy version of Ottoman Constantinople and the central romance was satisfying our heroine has helpless femininity down to a fine art what will she do when she meets someone who likes the real Quin who is clever and capable I might have wished for tighter pacing but otherwise this was a strong debut from an author who knows her stuff A Thief u0026 a Gentlewoman Counterfeit Contessa 1 I read this amazing book as part of my Lady Thieves September Feature If you d like a chance to win this book or one of the other amazing titles in the image above be sure to sign up for my reader group ___________________This book reminded me of what I think Robin Hood would be like if Tamora Pierce had written it Except if I m honest I think I liked the writing style of this story even better than Pierce am I allowed to say that. A Thief a Gentlewoman plunges you immediately into the drama and high stakes of Quin s world She is a classic rob from the rich and give to the poor sort of heroine with a vast array of talents and developed skills to utilize in this ongoing quest When we meet her she has set her eyes on a new mark whom she intends to make fall in love with her gentlewoman persona before she robs him blind. Problem is her intended victim is kind of amazing Kind insightful well bred in the truest sense of the word And he has a remarkable knack for seeing through Quin s artifices and finding the real woman underneath A woman he finds completely intriguing. The romance is strong in this tale but it s all beautifully balanced with action magic and an ever unfolding mystery No spoilers here but every scene was ultimately a page turner and I blazed through the story much faster than I would have thought possible. The writing is wonderful by the way This book is a debut but you d never know it The vivid world building the confidence and even beauty of the prose all makes for a compelling read that I would expect from an established novelist I know for a fact that I ll eagerly be watching for Clare Sager books to come A Thief u0026 a Gentlewoman Counterfeit Contessa 1

A Thief \u0026 a Gentlewoman (Counterfeit Contessa, #1) By Clare Sager

1719887527

9781719887526

English

648

Paperback

A city of intrigue An irresistible con A mysterious enemy Quin poses as a noblewoman to rob from the rich and give to the poor Her goal to save the city s slums Her method scam and move on because aristocrats are for conning not for falling in love with however tempting this one may be Artistic observant and charismatic Atesh is second in line for the throne Marrying for love is a foolish dream Or is it When he meets Quin he begins to wonder Little does he know he s her next mark And someone else s Someone who wants than just his fortune The clock ticks The gallows looms And Quin must save Atesh from its shadow or lose him forever If you enjoy the intrigue of Sarah J Maas and the witty drawing room flirtation of Gail Carriger you ll love this fast paced new romantic fantasy series A Thief u0026 a Gentlewoman Counterfeit Contessa 1.