The Kiss Thief

In my initial pursuit of all things Literature it was to find the elusive text—whether, in poetry, plays, lyrics, journals, books, letters the list is endless—that would ultimately change my template and leave my soul breathless. I have read thousands of things from academic, to classic, to plain ole smut and there are a ton that has left their mark. Rarely, though do they leave me with a sense of euphoric peace juxtaposed with utter devastation. This author is one of those that manage to do that in some way or form in everything that she writes. It can be just a simple phrase, word choice, a cadence to her tone and style, or because she can make the flawed and broken seem perfect and beautiful.


This book is a prime example of that. show more It should not have moved me the way that it did but in typical fashion, my emotions and feelings are a slave to this author and her master wordsmith skills. There was a touch of ruthlessness to Wolfe as he played a game to enact vengeance. Francesca was a pawn in that game, or so everyone thought but ultimately, she became the Queen. The queen is, after all, the most important piece as she ultimately decides who wins the game. My heart hurt for her at times, not because of the situation as much as she didn’t know that she had the power. She didn’t need to have notes tell her what her future would be, instead, she just needed to realize that she needed to spread her wings and fly free. I am not sure if that had been Wolfe’s intention all along or if it came as an afterthought. It is hard to say who learned the importance of trust and love first. These two did not make it easy on either account for the other and therein lied the beauty and dichotomy of this beautiful story. They both had shattered illusions of what Love meant. One was naïve, and the other was jaded indifference.

“No love is fully requited. No love is equal. No love is fair. There is always one side that loves. More. And you better not be that side –because it suffers.”


I just know that in their own way, despite being disillusioned, they were truly the perfect fit because even monsters needed someone to love them. Perhaps if those monsters had the love in the first place and not had love burnt or killed) then they would have not been a monster in the first place. I don’t think Wolfe was as much of an anti0hero as he has been portrayed to be. Instead, I see him more of a man that is guarded but most definitely not an anti-hero or a monster. He used his words and his actions as a defense mechanism and I cannot blame him. It was a pleasure to watch both Wolfe and Francesca grow into the people they were destined to be. To fall in love, to discover that sometimes, your first kiss being stolen might be a blessing and not an omen Especially, if in the end, it leads a person to discover that just because you have wings doesn’t mean that you should fly, sometimes, just sometimes, they are meant to protect show less

In my initial pursuit of all things Literature it was to find the elusive text—whether, in poetry, plays, lyrics, journals, books, letters the list is endless—that would ultimately change my template and leave my soul breathless. I have read thousands of things from academic, to classic, to plain ole smut and there are a ton that has left their mark. Rarely, though do they leave me with a sense of euphoric peace juxtaposed with utter devastation. This author is one of those that manage to do that in some way or form in everything that she writes. It can be just a simple phrase, word choice, a cadence to her tone and style, or because she can make the flawed and broken seem perfect and beautiful.

This book is a prime example of that. show more It should not have moved me the way that it did but in typical fashion, my emotions and feelings are a slave to this author and her master wordsmith skills. There was a touch of ruthlessness to Wolfe as he played a game to enact vengeance. Francesca was a pawn in that game, or so everyone thought but ultimately, she became the Queen. The queen is, after all, the most important piece as she ultimately decides who wins the game. My heart hurt for her at times, not because of the situation as much as she didn’t know that she had the power. She didn’t need to have notes tell her what her future would be, instead, she just needed to realize that she needed to spread her wings and fly free. I am not sure if that had been Wolfe’s intention all along or if it came as an afterthought. It is hard to say who learned the importance of trust and love first. These two did not make it easy on either account for the other and therein lied the beauty and dichotomy of this beautiful story. They both had shattered illusions of what Love meant. One was naïve, and the other was jaded indifference.

“No love is fully requited. No love is equal. No love is fair. There is always one side that loves. More. And you better not be that side –because it suffers.”

I just know that in their own way, despite being disillusioned, they were truly the perfect fit because even monsters needed someone to love them. Perhaps if those monsters had the love in the first place and not had love burnt or killed) then they would have not been a monster in the first place. I don’t think Wolfe was as much of an anti0hero as he has been portrayed to be. Instead, I see him more of a man that is guarded but most definitely not an anti-hero or a monster. He used his words and his actions as a defense mechanism and I cannot blame him. It was a pleasure to watch both Wolfe and Francesca grow into the people they were destined to be. To fall in love, to discover that sometimes, your first kiss being stolen might be a blessing and not an omen Especially, if in the end, it leads a person to discover that just because you have wings doesn’t mean that you should fly, sometimes, just sometimes, they are meant to protect show less

In my initial pursuit of all things Literature it was to find the elusive text—whether, in poetry, plays, lyrics, journals, books, letters the list is endless—that would ultimately change my template and leave my soul breathless. I have read thousands of things from academic, to classic, to plain ole smut and there are a ton that has left their mark. Rarely, though do they leave me with a sense of euphoric peace juxtaposed with utter devastation. This author is one of those that manage to do that in some way or form in everything that she writes. It can be just a simple phrase, word choice, a cadence to her tone and style, or because she can make the flawed and broken seem perfect and beautiful.

This book is a prime example of that. show more It should not have moved me the way that it did but in typical fashion, my emotions and feelings are a slave to this author and her master wordsmith skills. There was a touch of ruthlessness to Wolfe as he played a game to enact vengeance. Francesca was a pawn in that game, or so everyone thought but ultimately, she became the Queen. The queen is, after all, the most important piece as she ultimately decides who wins the game. My heart hurt for her at times, not because of the situation as much as she didn’t know that she had the power. She didn’t need to have notes tell her what her future would be, instead, she just needed to realize that she needed to spread her wings and fly free. I am not sure if that had been Wolfe’s intention all along or if it came as an afterthought. It is hard to say who learned the importance of trust and love first. These two did not make it easy on either account for the other and therein lied the beauty and dichotomy of this beautiful story. They both had shattered illusions of what Love meant. One was naïve, and the other was jaded indifference.

“No love is fully requited. No love is equal. No love is fair. There is always one side that loves. More. And you better not be that side –because it suffers.”

I just know that in their own way, despite being disillusioned, they are were truly the perfect fit because even monsters needed someone to love them. Perhaps if those monsters had the love in the first place and not had love burnt or killed) then they would have not been a monster in the first place. I don’t think Wolfe was as much of an anti0hero as he has been portrayed to be. Instead, I see him more of a man that is guarded but most definitely not an anti-hero or a monster. He used his words and his actions as a defense mechanism and I cannot blame him. It was a pleasure to watch both Wolfe and Francesca grow into the people they were destined to be. To fall in love, to discover that sometimes, your first kiss being stolen might be a blessing and not an omen Especially, if in the end, it leads a person to discover that just because you have wings doesn’t mean that you should fly, sometimes, just sometimes, they are meant to protect show less

Oh boy this is gonna be a long rant, I don't even know where to start.

First of all I would like to say that I apparently hate myself since I find great pleasure in picking up books I know for a fact I wouldn't like then forcing myself through them.
This was no different, from the synopsis alone I knew this wouldn't be my cup of tea, or even occasional cup of coffee, so I didn't get into it with many expectations, and yet I was somehow let down.

The Kiss Thief follows the story of Francesca, a 19 y.o virginal, innocent, only daughter of a mafia boss type of dude, she's in love with her childhood friend and everyone expects them to be married, but alas the big bad Wolfe shows up and ruins everything. And no that is not a bad joke, the guy's show more name is literally Wolfe, cue the obligatory eye-roll.

I gotta say, the beginning of this book was very typical bad boy x good girl type of story where he thinks she's a dumb bitch (which wasn't disproved) and she thinks he's a piece of shit (again, wasn't disproved), so other than the obvious issues that particular trope has, there isn't much note-worthy.
But oh boy do we get a lot of notes afterward.

So after Senator Big Bad Wolfe (no I won't be dropping this anytime soon) parades his new fiancé in some wedding, catches her being all lovey-dovey with her beau he -for some unknown reason- get pissed and in retaliation fucks the beau's date. And I'm like ???? Is that supposed to make me react any type of way?
Afterwards she gets mad over one thing or the other and she decides to destroy his closet and then he offers to let her go to college because her father wouldn't allow it? And we're supposed to think it's this beautiful romantic gesture that's supposed to serve as a pivotal moment in their relationship but like it wasn't? He literally used the one thing he knew she wanted as bait to get her to cooperate and act as the trophy wife he wanted her to be, so it's neither thoughtful nor romantic. It's just a clever way of manipulating her while making her think she has any freedom/choice. If anything he conditioned her to associate him with getting something she wanted so that later on whenever she thinks of him her brain goes "He let us go to college, he's good".

The manipulative actions keep getting thrown in our faces from then on, but of course they're painted as romantic and adorable and thoughtful.

Then of course things start to get physical and it's whatever because I genuinely couldn't be bothered to give a rat's ass about any of these characters.
Of course we then get a lot of miscommunication where no one talks anything through and there's always a lot of jumping into conclusions without allowing the other party to even try and explain themselves because naturally, that's how a healthy relationship works.


We then get one of the most uncomfortable, horrible scenes I ever had to go through in my entire life as a reader.
So Francesca's parents throw her and Big Bad Wolfe and engagement party, and they attend it as a 'real' couple because things were going good between them (that's code for they got to second base) then she's forced to interact with her childhood beau, remember him? Yeah me neither but it's fine he's irrelevant. Big Bad Wolfe of course sees the exchange and is led to believe that they slept together. And since Francesca told him that she had slept with many guys before it all added up quite nicely and he was furious.
Before I get to the disturbing part of this I just wanna point out that Francesca was like "Oh yeah, sex, I've had plenty of it with... guys and orgasms and stuff" which is what I assume the way an alien would speak about a foreign Human custom to them, and Big Bad Wolfe was like "oh what a whore" even though literally every action of hers screamed "un-experienced", and she seemed genuinely scared of the idea of having sex but ah well what do I know.
Anyway, back to disturb city, they head home and through the drive he's pissed and accusing her of being a whore and sleeping with her childhood sweetheart and she says that she didn't sleep with him, but that's it, she never bothers to really explain. Naturally, he doesn't believe her.
Now, I'm not saying that if your partner doesn't believe you, you must grovel and offer explanations, but in this situation she could've just told him "What the fuck are you talking about I was crying in my room you dumb bitch".
So once they get home and he's saying all these horrible things about her, instead of telling him to go fuck himself like any sane human being would have in that moment, she instead grovels and gets on her knees asking him to pretty please with a cherry on top sleep with her.
Her exact words (if my memory serves me right) are "Fuck *childhood beau* out of me" and I swear to god I felt my body wretch at her words.
They go to her room to do the "devil's tango" and surprise surprise, she starts bleeding because she's a goddamn virgin, making him feel like shit for not believing her and for doing whatever the fuck she just did to her.
This scene actually made me question whether what she gave him is considered consent or not? Like, yeah she told him to go for it and have his way with her, but she also was visibly distraught, in pain and crying throughout the whole thin, not to mention that the reason she let him have his way with her was because she was terrified of what would happen if he kept believing she cheated on him (Homeboy literally used the uni card against her the moment he thought she was unfaithful without even letting her explain).
Technically, yes she has given him verbal consent multiple times before and throughout the act, but everything else, from the situation to her body language screamed the opposite so idk.
While I wouldn't call him a rapist or call that particular scene rape, it still feels very wrong to me, and I can't call it consensual either.

Afterwards he tries to gain her forgiveness by -get this- insinuating more sexual acts, which of course she's more than happy to comply with.

Everything after that was just repetitive and boring and made me wanna punch something, because their relationship is quite possibly the most toxic thing I've ever seen, and I have read my fair share of horrible romances (again, I hate myself).

At some point in the book Francesca asks her mom if what she's feeling for Big Bad Wolfe is Stockholm Syndrome and her mom goes "Oh no, it's just love" and I'm like seriously? Their whole relationship is the textbook definition of Stockholm Syndrome. But then it turns out her mother was living in the most toxic environment with an abusive husband and all so maybe the mother just doesn't know what "love" really is?

Another thing that bothered me in this book was the whole ordeal with her father, it was a really good idea and could've been explored beautifully, but instead I was underwhelmed with what I ended up getting.


At the end of course she kisses the childhood sweetheart and gets photographed, he sees it, gets upset and they have a big fight after which she goes to stay with her parents.
And of course all of that happens before she can tell him she's pregnant, because what's one of these books without a baby to wrap it all up nicely.
They make up after that but I just don't give a fuck, the end.

Overall, this just wasn't a book for me.

One thing I'll have to praise this book for (and the reason this rating is a 2 not a 1 star) is the writing style, the author really has a way with words and I really enjoyed her style despite not really loving the content. show less

The Kiss Thief by L.J. Shen is a powerhouse in writing broken, dominating alpha males that will capture your heart - you can't help falling in love with Wolfe. She also excels in writing female main characters that are categorized into a specific box but through growth and perseverance shatter all the walls meant to contain them with their own strength and growth.

I recommend this book to lovers of dark elements/themes mafia romance who love themselves a morally gray man who is a danger to all those around him until he meets the delicate girl who melts his heart.

There is tension, yearning, toxic love but it's great!! The vibe is described through dark mansions, power players, billionaires, angst, pain, desire, it's all there and in show more spades.

This is a story seeded in revenge but ultimately rooted in love. What starts with vengeance ends in a HEA.

In a ploy to get back at Francesca's father, Wolfe not only steals her first kiss but also declares his marriage to her with plans to ruin the mafia princess. With lies, betrayals, secrets, and plenty of hatred the story transcends from two enemies that ultimately turn into lovers.

The Kiss Thief is layered masterpiece that is woven in Shen's storytelling with plot twists and tension built from desire and yearning in this emotional whirlwind.

I do recommend this to readers of mafia romance who aren't afraid to get lost emotionally.

Thanks to The Author Agency and author L.J. Shen for the gifted eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I already pre-ordered my special edition hardcover copy. Don't risk FOMO and grab your copy asap. Release is Jan 27, 2026!! show less

Like a dark, sexy and emotionally-charged Beauty and The Beast, The Kiss Thief will have you hooked with it’s intriguing characters and addictive storyline. Themes of family, vengeance, deception and power are explored and in amongst the rawness and grittiness there is also romance, passion and beauty.

The Kiss Thief is intense and riddled with angst and the chemistry between the two main characters is electrifying. Francesca appears to be a beautiful, sweet, delicate and naive girl sheltered by her family but underneath this she possesses resilience, spirit and strength that takes everyone by surprise. I loved Francesca’s romantic heart, which was a great foil for the powerful Wolfe, a complex character that you will love to hate. I show more enjoyed getting an insight into his motivations, discovering the vulnerability underlying his hardened personality and watching him transform and redeem himself throughout the book. The subject matters of arranged marriages and the age gap between Francesca and Wolfe might not be everyone’s cup of tea but Francesca’s intelligence and ability to hold her own are a relief and the love that blossoms seem believable.

Overall I found The Kiss Thief to be a captivating story and I rated it 4.5 stars. This was my first L.J. Shen read and I have gone on to read more of her, she has become one of my favourite erotic romance authors with her complex and often broken characters and her compelling and gritty storylines.

I received a copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest reviw show less

This book got me to stand up and clap at the end, damn LJ Shen you have kick your standard out of the park and set the bar for this year very high. Automatically at top of my fav 2019 books and not sure if it will back down, might I say the year just started. Wolfe and Francesca will become a couple everyone will talk about for years to come. Their chemistry is off the charts, arranged marriage has never been this interesting and v-card hasn't been tested this far. I definitely love all of the anti-heroes the author has presented us with, but Keaton might have beaten Vicious and that is a very hard one to get. You will be sitting down not even sleeping to get until the very last word. It will suck you into the great black hole and never show more let you go, so be ready, get yourself comfortable and with everything you need, you will be in for quite a ride. show less