Lady Thief: A Scarlet Novel

"There is so much more in your heart than your ghosts."

This was a good sequel. Full of fighting and action, but also the manipulation and games that only royalty can play. It was interesting to see Scarlet in the midst of it all.

However, I was frustrated by Scarlet's inability to do the same analysis. She's all action - like a hammer and all she sees are nails. There were so many moves that could have been different and so many people in her world that tried to guide her to see the choices.

The last part was most interesting and I look forward to see how this all ends.

Lady Thief by A.C. Gaughen is the sequel to Scarlet and continues the adventures of our cross-dressing Scarlet, one of Robin Hood’s merry men, or ur, uh, people! I really enjoyed Scarlet, but wow Lady Thief just went above and beyond the first book. The romance is swoonier, the bad guys are scarier, the stakes are higher, and the new characters are so much fun! While Scarlet introduced us to the world of Robin Hood and its own fun spin on the classic tale, Lady Thief continues to pull from the folklore in order to build a richer and deeper world for Scarlet and Rob to battle against. (Also be sure to check out the giveaway at the blog, it includes a sword necklace and Lady Thief swag *wants*!!!!)
Note: I received Lady Thief through show more Netgalley for this blog tour in exchange for an honest review. Some things may have changed in the final version.



Lady Thief by A. C. Gaughen (Scarlet #2)
Published by Walker Childrens on Feb 11th, 2014
Genres: Fairytale Retelling, Fantasy
Length: 304 pages
How I got my copy: NetGalley

Scarlet’s true identity has been revealed, but her future is uncertain. Her forced marriage to Lord Gisbourne threatens Robin and Scarlet’s love, and as the royal court descends upon Nottingham for the appointment of a new Sheriff, the people of Nottingham hope that Prince John will appoint their beloved Robin Hood. But Prince John has different plans for Nottingham that revolve around a fateful secret from Scarlet’s past even she isn’t yet aware of. Forced to participate at court alongside her ruthless husband, Scarlet must bide her time and act the part of a noblewoman—a worthy sacrifice if it means helping Robin’s cause and a chance at a future with the man she loves.

Strengths:
OMG Scarlet and Rob *swoons*. These two! Even though they’ve finally realized they both love the other, there are still a lot of things getting in between their happiness, especially a certain ring and strong religious morals. I came to love their relationship even more because they are determined to find a way to be together without compromising the rules of their religion.
The plot of Lady Thief really tried to kill me. My heart was pounding for the last half of the book, so don’t tell my doctor. In addition to being very well paced, the plot was also structured quite wonderfully. It had smooth transitions from the initial tension to the main meat of Lady Thief and I was never left wondering where things were going or how we had gotten there.
Gisborne was introduced as the main villain in Scarlet, but we find out there is a lot more to this guy than just cruelty in Lady Thief. When even the villains have depth, I’m a happy reader. I ended up understanding where some of his evil came from, despite still wanting to punch him in the face.
We get to meet the royal family! I really love the queen mother and the stories of Richard, so it was so much fun to learn more about what is going on in the royal world and get to know the queen. Plus, Prince John of course makes an excellent villain, another one that needs a punch to the face!
Speaking on villains, Lady Thief does an excellent job of having real consequences. Our favorite characters have already been through a lot, but most of it has healed. Lady Thief pulls you to the edge of your seat because it makes it clear that things will not always work out in the end and that there are real sacrifices that our beloved characters will have to make. *sniffles*
Gah, the feels! I didn’t end up crying too much at the end of Scarlet, but Lady Thief doesn’t pull punches. There were tears, there were smiles, there was chuckling.
Perhaps my absolute favorite thing about Lady Thief, however, was being privy to the thoughts in Scarlet’s head. She has some really wise insights throughout Lady Thief that actually got me thinking as well. Scarlet thinks about a lot of things, but some of my favorites involved strength, faith, hope and honor. I can’t do justice to the beautiful writing regarding these ideas, so you’re just going to have to read Lady Thief yourself.

Weaknesses:
Similar to the first book, Lady Thief is written in first person from Scarlet’s perspective and Scarlet thinks in dialect. Therefore, you have to get used to reading “I were doing things.” I think it’s a great touch to the novels, but it always takes me a bit of extra effort to read dialect.
Lady Thief gets pretty intense and Scarlet has to put up with a fair bit of physical abuse and threats of sexual abuse, so be prepared and be warned that it could be triggery.

Summary:
Lady Thief is an astounding sequel. It takes everything you loved about Scarlet and raises the bar. If you enjoyed Scarlet, then you absolutely must read Lady Thief. Scarlet and Rob continue to be adorably insane, the plot grabs you and refuses to let go, you get to meet a whole host of new awesome characters from the folklore, and wow that ending. Lady Thief is a book that caused me to sit back and stare at the ceiling as soon as I finished it because I just had to think for a bit. Also, if you haven’t read Scarlet yet, get on that! show less

I got a copy of this book to review through NetGalley. I absolutely loved Scarlet and this book was just as wonderful. It was a very enjoyable continuation of the Robin Hood retelling that was started in Scarlet. There will be one more book in this trilogy which is as yet Untitled.

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Spoilers ahead for those who haven’t read Scarlet yet! You have been warned!
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Scarlet’s identity has been revealed and she has been forced to marry Lord Gisborne. Up to this point she has mostly ignored her marriage to Gisborne, but now Prince John is journeying to Nottingham to appoint a new sheriff. Prince John wants to see Scarlet show more at Gisborne’s side where she belongs. Gisborne dangles a deal in front of Scarlet, he will annul their wedding if Scarlet cooperates until the new Sheriff is appointed. Meanwhile the people of Nottingham are hopeful that the new Sheriff will be their very own Robin Hood.

This is a fast-paced book full of intrigue, adventure, and danger. I really loved it. Scarlet is forced to play the part of a lady and wife to the cruel Gisborne. We get to know Gisborne a lot better in this book and learn what drives him, it made him a more sympathetic character. We also get to meet Prince John. However the most interesting addition to the story is Prince John’s mother who reveals some interesting things about Scarlet’s past. Allen of Dale joins the story too and adds some fun.

The romance between Robin and Scarlet is just as wonderful as it was in the first book, if not even sweeter. Scarlet’s forced marriage to Gisborne and Robin’s struggle with his nightmares puts a lot of strain on their relationship. They obviously love each other and watching them struggle against great odds to make that work is very engaging. What makes their relationship special is that they know each others weaknesses and faults and accept them.

Many of the side characters have side stories of their own as well. Little John has a romance going on with one of the village girls. Much has grown a lot as a character and has an excellent side story as well. Additionally this book includes the famous archery scene between Robin and Gisborne.

There is a lot of intrigue in this book as we try to figure out what drives all of these characters, especially the evil ones. Poor Scarlet and Robin are both abused grievously throughout. In fact many of the characters suffer grievous wrongs and numerous wounds, this is not a book that coddles its characters. This book is incredibly engaging and takes the reader through a number of emotions from hope to despair. There is some snide humor throughout as well which helps to lighten things.

The writing style is beautiful and engaging. Things are left at quite a cliffhanger at the end of this book which left me dying to read the next one.

Overall a wonderfully done historical fantasy with lots of intrigue, action, and romance. I really enjoyed this retelling of Robin Hood. I think if you loved Scarlet you will love this book as well. It is a beautifully written story, with engaging characters. I am dying to find out what happens in the third book. show less

Oh, I am loving this series! Gaughen manages to create characters that you both love and hate at the same time. After the end of the first book there is no way I would have thought I'd be sympathetic to Lord Gisbourne, but more depth was given to his character in this book. Of course, even as I found myself sympathizing with him, I found myself declaring how evil he was! That, to me, is a sign of good writing.

As sequels go, I thought this book was every bit as good as the first. More secrets came out, as did more of the story of Robin Hood as we know it -- for example, the archery tournament. And the ending! Oh MY!! Can't wait to read the final book in the series (publish date is May 2015). Why oh why do I start these trilogies before show more all three are published?? You'd think I'd learn my lesson.

And Kudos to Gaughen for having a character respect the sanction of marriage and creating a main character who refuses to be an adulterous even when she's in love with a man whom is not her husband.

Would I recommend this to fellow book lovers? Yes!
Would I recommend this to teens? Yes. My daughter actually read the first book and was chomping at the bit to have me finish this one so she could read it. show less

Oh this book. The author really takes you for a spin this time around. You feel like you have something to cheer about one minute, then something not so great happens in the next minute. It's definitely an emotional rollercoaster this one. It keeps you guessing and on your toes the entire time. There were many things that I didn't see coming. There is also plenty of suspense and action, but it's different from the first book. We have more Marian in this book rather than Scarlet, so she doesn't get to help the way she knows how. But she in no way loses her fight. The end is beyond amazing, again, but now the wait for the next book is torture!

As with [b:Scarlet|11983940|Scarlet (Scarlet, #1)|A.C. Gaughen|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1370147602s/11983940.jpg|15084403], Lady Thief was at times far too gruesome, dark, and scary for me. But I expected that a little, and I think that in all the ways that count, this book packs every bit as much of a punch as its predecessor.

I was glad that Gaughen didn't give isolated episodes in the woods again, as per the first novel, though I enjoyed the first novel--there is a new plot here, and it works well. I admit that the beginning of this book took me aback, with how Robin fared from the torture, and yet it made sense. I loved how much the characters got fleshed out--especially Gisbourne. In the first, I saw him as having the potential show more to be a great villain (not that I ever really love villains--a bit too straight-edge for that), but he still seemed a little unrealistically cruel and evil. Here, you see him as a real villain, but also as a real person, with real motives for his actions.

I also liked how much Robin was developed as a character. When he reacts angrily to John getting his dream--wow, I felt for him, and understood him.

Some parts were quite gruesome and awful, and the last part of the book, though I expected something, definitely had a few surprises that hit me hard.

I like Scarlet a lot, but found, as with the first book, that she sometimes rides too closely the line between being a strong, independent woman and just being reckless or obnoxious. Still, for the most part, I like her and feel sympathetic toward her. Learning more about her and her identity here was fun, too.

This is another fun adventure into Nottinghamshire, and a fun retelling of Robin Hood. I liked it, and will want to finish the trilogy, despite the small misgivings. show less

Mind blown.... Literally EVERYTHING FREAKING HAPPENED IN THIS BOOK! I was amazing, no doubt. More world and character building, although I can't even express how much I hate Gisbourne and Prince John. My loathing know no bounds. It was a roller coaster of feels. Many new characters are introduced and new intrigue is brought to life. Loved Eleanor though she really is blind to how horrible Prince John is. Guys, that ending! It will take you heart, toss on the ground, step all over it, crush it and pee on it for good measure. I cried...so much.