Thief of Hearts [Mass Market Paperback]

Patricia Gaffney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2000

Anna Jourdaine is forced to pretend she is married to her late husband's twin brother, John Brodie, in order to clear Nick's name, but as Anna finds herself drawn to her brother-in-law's seductive appeal, she forgets that she is only acting the part of a wedded wife. Original.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Dorchester Publishing Company (April 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0843948035
• ISBN-13: 978-0843948035
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,111,241 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Patricia Gaffney began her writing career with the publication of Sweet Treason, a historical romance set in revolutionary Scotland. Eleven romance novels later, she tried something different--The Saving Graces, a story of women's friendships, that ended up spending 17 weeks on the New York Times Bestsellers List.

Circle of Three, Flight Lessons, and The Goodbye Summer followed, all bestsellers that established Gaffney as a premier mainstream fiction writer.

Her new book is Mad Dash, the story of a happy marriage in trouble. It's due out in Spring 2008.

Gaffney, who lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, is currently at work on a novel about a man who changes his life when he finds out he's dying--then finds out he isn't. Working title: On Second Thought.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enthralling, Emotionally Exhausting, and a Fantastic Time!!, May 31, 2001

By 

mfr "maryfr" (Plano, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Thief of Hearts (Mass Market Paperback)

This was my first book by Patricia and if it wasn't her best book, then I'm WAY behind in my reading! How have I missed this wonderful author? Her story wasn't just the typical love story - this book combined mystery and intrigue from several directions with a surprise ending and blended it all together with a love story that has you laughing or crying one minute and spitting the next. Don't miss it!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Gaffney's best, but still worth a read, January 23, 2002

By 

Chris Cummings (OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Thief of Hearts (Mass Market Paperback)

Nicholas, Anna's husband of only a few hours, is murdered on the night of their honeymoon, and, as it turns out, was apparently involved in some shady dealings involving Anna's family's ship-building business and illegal transactions with the Confederate Army during America's Civil War (this story taking place in England).

Anna is urged to pretend John Brodie (Nicholas's twin brother, a prisoner awaiting death for a murder he, of course, did not commit) is really her new husband, until Nicholas's murderer is found.

Brodie finds himself beguiled by his twin's bride, but Anna resents his hints that Nicholas was not as perfect as she'd like to believe. Soon, however, the attraction between Anna and Brodie becomes undeniable.

Anna is a likable heroine; smart, kind, and average-looking. Brodie is darkly handsome and very sensual, bitter and hardened, but with a more refined persona lurking within, needing only Anna's feminine touch and loving encouragement to surface. The problem I had with him, however, was that he exuded just a little too much machismo for my taste. There are a couple of attempted seduction scenes that were rather aggressive, and I was left to wonder why Anna didn't clock him!

The sub-plot of the mystery of Nicholas's nefarious dealings is interesting, though not quite up to snuff compared to some of Gaffney's other books.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not My Cup of Tea, June 25, 2009

By 

The book lady - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Thief of Hearts (Paperback)

I really thought I was going to love this one, the 1st 50 or so pages were great, and then the hero tried to rape the heroine, for no other reason I can think of except to show the reader just how attracked Brodie is to Anna. He then suceeded is raping her, it wasn't a forceful rape but she did not want to have sex with him and he forced her to. It was poorly done and seemed to go against everything the author had established for the hero's character.

Sorry but if I were Anna I would have tossed him back in jail, but good. I honestly can't begin to imagine why rape is better than a woman actually following through on her desire for a man. It is much better for a woman brought up to remain a virgin until marriage to have sex before the "I do", than for a man who that woman is suposed to love to be rape her and call it desire. I really wanted to like this one but after a certain point I honestly couldn't finish it.