Sandy M’s review of Pickpocket Countess by Bronwyn Scott
Historical Romance published by Harlequin on 1 Mar 08

This book is so much fun. Not only do the hero and heroine of this story enjoy the witty repartee between themselves, but the reader does too. Plus the mystery of the heroine’s alter ego is an added twist. Then, toss in the hero’s dichotomy of desire between love and justice, blended with the romance that develops between two of the unlikeliest of people, and you end up with a smile in your heart.

The very night The Cat sneaks into his home to steal what she can is the night Brandon Wycroft is meeting with his townspeople to come up with a way to stop the thief who is making a fool of them all. Thinking to catch The Cat at “his” own game, Brandon corners the thief in his bedroom, but the surprise is more on Brandon than the burglar — The Cat is a woman. An intelligent woman and one who does the unexpected every time he thinks he has her figured out.

After just a few meetings between them, and although she is working against him and his new factory he hopes to build, Brandon finds himself attracted to this daredevil who knows how to take care of herself, and how to kiss to make him wish for more. He tries to tell himself it’s his duty to bring her to justice, but how can he put a woman with such heart behind bars. The more of herself she shows him, the more he understands her need and her drive to stop the industrialization his community, and others like it, needs. Should he go with what’s right? Or with his heart?

Nora is driven to stop new factories from being erected, to stop the rich from becoming richer by exploiting children, and to stop people from being killed in those factories because of unsafe conditions. People like her parents. Since their unnecessary deaths she has moved from town to town, donning her masquerade of “The Cat,” the notorious thief stealing from the rich to help the poor widows and children affected by men who care for nothing but themselves. Deciding to finally make the Earl of Stockport her victim may be her downfall, however. The man affects her as no other ever has and as much as she tries, she can’t keep her mind off of him to concentrate on her own nocturnal activities. Showing him the other side of town is the first step in making him see what his new business will wreak if he goes ahead with it. Or has she shown him too much? Will he turn on her when she least expects it and send her to prison?

I just loved Brandon and Nora together. Even when he knew her only as “The Cat” there was something between them, something that grew each time they were together, whether that was bantering back and forth to the point of ravishing each other or sharing the Christmas spirit with the less fortunate, thus a lesson learned no matter which way it went. The whole situation is a double-edged sword for Brandon, one of his own making when begins to fall for his little thief, but Nora is determined to save him from himself and from the men who would take him down if they find out his duplicity. I also loved that you never knew what Nora would do next, especially when she was cornered and had to escape being captured.

The humor is fun. The villain gets what’s coming to him. The romance is delightful. And the cover is one of the very best to look at, frequently, just for the heck of it!

Grade: B+

     From the back cover:

     It’s Brandon Wycroft’s duty as the Earl of Stockport to catch “The Cat,” a notorious thief who is stealing from rich local homes to feed the poor. Discovering that The Cat is a woman, he changes his plan of action to a game of seduction!

     Mysterious and tempting, she teases him. And, as the net closes around The Cat, Brandon realizes he wants to protect her as well as bed her. But the only way to catch her is to spring the parson’s mousetrap — and make her his countess!

     Read an excerpt.