Reviewed by Valerie
TITLE: How to Steal a Thief
AUTHOR: A.J. Sherwood
SERIES: Unholy Trifecta
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
LENGTH: 229 pages
RELEASE DATE: May 11, 2020
BLURB:
Since when is playing Robin Hood part of the plan?
Pop into the unguarded apartment, find the multi-million dollar Treskilling stamp, pop back out. That’s it, that’s the entirety of Ivan’s plan.
What’s not part of the plan?
•Meeting the cute Aiden Stalworth
•Feeling guilty about trying to steal from the cute Aiden Stalworth
•Becoming Aiden’s “Robin Hood” and buying him all the things
•Playing bodyguard while searching for the stamp
•Being trusted completely by Aiden
Ivan very quickly realizes he needs a new plan:
•Seduce Aiden
•Protect him
•Find the stamp
Oh, and lick him. Licking Aiden needs to be part of the plan too. However, Ivan’s not sure how having his heart get stolen made it onto his list.
Tags:
Aiden does not appreciate being in peril, but Ivan likes protecting him, band of brothers, bisexual character, family of choice, experienced/inexperienced couple, strangest meetcute you’ve ever seen, don’t try and apply logic to this okay, just enjoy it, heist, Kyou is so done, Ivan is a walking disaster, crush at first sight, Ivan is one scary MoFo, be glad he’s on our side, assassinations as romantic gestures, stealing therapy, emotional growth, combat ballet, Carter and Ari are good wingmen, Ivan continues licking everything, including things he really shouldn’t, Remi’s the only sane one to be honest, no bedsheets were harmed in the making of this book, degrees of morality, healer acquired—quests can now be taken
REVIEW:
A.J. Sherwood’s Unholy Trifecta series is about a found family of “good” bad guys and their amusing criminal capers. Liking the bad guys has never been so much fun. How to Steal a Thief, the second installment of the series, is the story of Russian thief Ivan and his new love, Aiden. Ivan is itching for exciting thievery and awaiting an opportunity to employ his unorthodox methods (licking things and using bedsheets in the course of a crime). This is my most anticipated book of the year so far because of how much I loved How to Shield an Assassin. So, did it live up to my expectations? You bet.
Who knew a stamp could fetch $3 million? (I have apparently taken up the wrong hobbies.) Ivan takes a job to “recover” the Treskilling, a Swedish stamp from 1855. Good thing, too, because the thief has been growing bored and antsy without a lucrative job lined up. But this heist is going all kinds of wrong until he meets Aiden, the supposed owner of the stamp, and Ivan becomes a smitten kitten. In fact, Aiden’s crushing hard, too.
Ivan had to grip the hard edges of his chair before he wrapped Aiden up in a hug and kissed him. Why, why was this young man so incredibly endearing?
Almost immediately upon meeting, Ivan’s fierce protectiveness surfaces when Aiden is in danger from despicable family members and nefarious criminals searching for the stamp. Kyou, the masterful, workaholic hacker who can seemingly do anything with a computer – including cyber-stalking the man of his dreams – has been helping Ivan from the get-go. Now Ari and Carter, assassin and mercenary, are called in to provide more protection for Aiden, and to assist with a little matter called assassination. Ari’s daughter, nine-year-old Remi – who insists on being trained in all things criminal (to be, you know, a good guy criminal – is a fierce hacker and gets right to work assisting Kyou.
My favorite part of the book is the chosen, or found, family trope. It is one of my best-liked themes in the MM genre. Ivan, Kyou, Ari and Carter joined forces in the first book to form a crime fighting committing team so they could be more efficient (and have more fun). None have a family outside of each other. Remi, who now has two dads and two uncles, brings out the nurturer and protective side in these men, who would each go to the ends of the earth for the little girl. Now the family grows by one when Ivan falls for Aiden, who just finished medical school and is ready to move elsewhere for his residency. Like the others, he has no family; he’s never had a dad, his addicted mother died when he was three, and his grandmother who raised him just died. This leaves only a vicious uncle and his family who despise Aiden and just stole nearly $8 million in stamps left to him by his grandmother.
I don’t think the heist aspect of the book is as exciting as that in How to Shield an Assassin where all of the players had more integral roles choreographed into The Big Heist and it had more of a grand, climatic feel to it. Judging How to Steal a Thief on its own merit without comparison to its predecessor, it’s an entertaining and completely satisfying read. Ms. Sherwood’s writing is as delightful as always, filled with a dry humor I love. For example, neither man’s body is cooperating during the early days of their romance. The ongoing internal dialogues between Ivan and his unpredictable mouth and Aiden with his all-too predictable libido make me smile:
So, this whole ‘let me touch him’ thing was absolutely a no-go. Understand, libido? Libido did not agree. Libido informed him that Ivan checked all his boxes and suggested he make a damn move already, please and thank you.
The plot is well thought out and well-rounded. I felt the first half of the book was a little slow but the action picked up and the pace remained lively. Ms. Sherwood’s characters are always wonderfully complex and oh so loveable. I’m tickled by their Robin Hood qualities, and I love to see the vulnerable, soft underbelly of these tough guys. And the romance between Ivan and Aiden is both sweet and sexy.
If you read the first book in the Unholy trifecta series, you will love this one. This is not a standalone novel, so if you haven’t read How to Shield an Assassin, pick up both books…you won’t be sorry. These books are FUN and you’ll wish these guys were your family. Holidays would be more entertaining!!
RATING: 
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