REVIEW
What a delightful and exhilarating story! This novel really captured my attention. The Lady Thief of Belgravia is an exciting blend of Victorian adventure and passionate romance.
Our heroine, Della Rose, is a likeable, strong, resourceful and determined woman who has had to fight for everything. After her mother dies she ends up in an orphanage and as an adult continues to fend for herself. She becomes known as Rosie Diver, a most accomplished female thief. Although she has a knack for stealing without getting caught, she discovers she has other more respectable talents after meeting Lord (Cole) Bradford. She learns quickly to play the piano, ride horses, dance, act, speak well—in fact to become a lady of high society. We cannot help but admire her. So, when she is discovered by Lord Bradford and offered a large sum of money to steal from his arch-nemesis, the Duke of Salisbury, she sees it as a golden opportunity to help make her dreams come true. It will offer her an escape from the dangerous life of Seven Dials, provide enough funds to set herself up in a nice dwelling where she can study books, become a scholar and help her best friend amateur painter, Violet, get her artwork out to the public.
Once recruited Della ‘trains’ to keep her real identity hidden and to make others believe she is a woman of high society. In fact, she becomes known as Cole’s cousin with a believable backstory to ward off any suspicions. She certainly adapts well to this fictitious life. One thing she does not prepare for or expect, though, is to have her heart fall for her employer. She gets emotionally lost in Lord Bradford’s charisma. He is described as being quite handsome, kind and private. But there is more to Cole than meets the eye. And his reasons for hiring Della are quite legitimate. We get to know him quite well and he is a perfect match for her (though society would disagree). So when these two unlikely pair begin to have great feelings for each other, Della fights it furiously as she knows his world is very different from hers. Yet the heart wants what it wants and this novel really showcases that battle. Love knows no social boundary. There are many intense romantic scenes in this novel that would make Victorians blush but it is, after all, a Romantic Victorian adventure story. It is also a revealing portrayal of the class differences. There are a few heart-racing danger moments that book end the sizzling attraction scenes. I loved the growth in Della— to see her finally appreciated. And that she realises she is worthy of love and that a man of higher social standing could truly care about her.
Allison really covers brilliantly the broad spectrum of rags to riches settings. We get a clear picture of the urban poverty of Seven Dials described by poet John Keats “where misery clings to misery for a little warmth, and want and disease lie down side-by-side, and groan together.” Then we are transported to the aristocratic fashionable gilded residential districts of Belgravia where dangers still lurk but are more hidden. These two worlds are showcased side by side through Della’s and Cole’s interactions as they travel back and forth while on a mission to take down the enemy. Della gets to live for a while in his world. And he gets a glimpse of hers but does it matter in the end where they come from if they want to remain together? The two realms eclipse and it is an exciting climax that carries forward a hopeful release to the conclusion.
I really enjoyed this novel and highly recommend it to those who love a strong Victorian heroine set against a rollicking high adventure. 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks to Storm Publishing and Netgalley for my review copy.
