Summary from Goodreads.com
For centuries they’ve lived in secret among northern England’s green and misted hills. Creatures of extraordinary beauty, power, and sensuality, they possess the ability to shape-shift from human to dragon and back again. Now their secret–and their survival–is threatened by a temptation that will break every boundary....
Dubbed the Smoke Thief, a daring jewel thief is confounding the London police. His wealthy victims claim the master burglar can walk through walls and vanish into thin air. But Christoff, the charismatic Marquess of Langford, knows the truth: the thief is no ordinary human but a “runner” who’s fled Darkfrith without permission. As Alpha leader of the dra´kon, it’s Kit’s duty to capture the fugitive before the secrets of the tribe are revealed to mortals. But not even Kit suspects that the Smoke Thief could be a woman.
Clarissa Rue Hawthorne knew her dangerous exploits would attract the attention of the dra´kon. But she didn’t expect Christoff himself to come to London, dangling the tribe’s most valuable jewel–the Langford Diamond–as bait. For as long as she could remember, Rue had lived the life of a halfling–half dra´kon, half mortal–and an outcast in both worlds. She’d always loved the handsome and willful Kit from the only place it was safe: from afar. But now she was no longer the shy, timid girl she’d once been. She was the first woman capable of making the Turn in four generations. So why did she still feel the same dizzying sense of vulnerability whenever he was near?
From the moment he saw her, Kit knew that the alluring and powerful beauty was every bit his Alpha equal and destined to be his bride. And by the harsh laws of the dra´kon, Rue knew that she was the property of the marquess. But they will risk banishment and worse for a chance at something greater. For now Rue is his prisoner, the diamond has disappeared, and she’s made the kind of dangerous proposition a man like Kit cannot resist....In this bewitching novel, Shana Abé transports us into a world of exhilarating romance and magic.
Dubbed the Smoke Thief, a daring jewel thief is confounding the London police. His wealthy victims claim the master burglar can walk through walls and vanish into thin air. But Christoff, the charismatic Marquess of Langford, knows the truth: the thief is no ordinary human but a “runner” who’s fled Darkfrith without permission. As Alpha leader of the dra´kon, it’s Kit’s duty to capture the fugitive before the secrets of the tribe are revealed to mortals. But not even Kit suspects that the Smoke Thief could be a woman.
Clarissa Rue Hawthorne knew her dangerous exploits would attract the attention of the dra´kon. But she didn’t expect Christoff himself to come to London, dangling the tribe’s most valuable jewel–the Langford Diamond–as bait. For as long as she could remember, Rue had lived the life of a halfling–half dra´kon, half mortal–and an outcast in both worlds. She’d always loved the handsome and willful Kit from the only place it was safe: from afar. But now she was no longer the shy, timid girl she’d once been. She was the first woman capable of making the Turn in four generations. So why did she still feel the same dizzying sense of vulnerability whenever he was near?
From the moment he saw her, Kit knew that the alluring and powerful beauty was every bit his Alpha equal and destined to be his bride. And by the harsh laws of the dra´kon, Rue knew that she was the property of the marquess. But they will risk banishment and worse for a chance at something greater. For now Rue is his prisoner, the diamond has disappeared, and she’s made the kind of dangerous proposition a man like Kit cannot resist....In this bewitching novel, Shana Abé transports us into a world of exhilarating romance and magic.
I am a sucker for a book that has dragons in it. But a book that has dragons, romance, action, and scorching hot sex scenes-well.
It's hard to put The Smoke Thief into just one genre: it's a historical romance, but it's also a fantasy. So I guess it's a historical romance fantasy. Or a histoical fantasy romance. Either way, this is a divine book.
The prologue alone is worth the price of admission. Gorgeous, lush prose that weaves the history of the Drakon into a fairy tale. Abe is a master at using sensory details-smell, touch, taste-to transport the reader across time and space into the magical world of these shape-shifting dragons. Seriously, I got goosebumps just reading the very first page.
I loved the two main characters, Christoff aka Kit and Clarissa aka Rue. Christoff is the typical alpha male (he is literally the Alpha after all) but Abe wisely gives him emotional depth so you sympathize with him even when he's trying to bend Rue to his will. Rue is an amazingly strong, well-written female character. I love her independent streak and her unwillingness to give up her freedom. Unlike a few shallowly-written female characters who throw their entire lives away just because they make eye contact with a beautiful man (cough*Twilight*cough),she fights her attraction to Kit pretty much throughout the entire book. The push and pull battle between them creates great chemistry and when the ending reaches its inevitable happy conclusion, it feels earned.
Oh, and the sex scenes? Take a gander at the library scene (p. 192, hardcover). You'll see what I mean. It is erotic and sensual and just makes me so damn mad that sex in real life isn't even remotely close to that.
Overall: Not only one of the best romance novels I've ever read, but one of the best books I've ever read. I can't wait to read the other books in the series. 5 out of 5 stars.
Who would play Christoff in a movie: Alex Pettyfer
