Review: The Saint Who Stole My Heart by Stefanie Sloane

Reading Romances June Challenge:
TOPICS:
1) Read a book that has a reference to a fairytale, either title, character or plot.
2) Read a book that has an athlete as a character or has a sports-themed plot
3) Read a Stand-Alone book.
THEMES:
4) Read a book that has Wedding, Marriage, Proposal, Bride, Groom or Engagement in the title or has a Wedding theme cover.
5) Read an m/m romance book or a book that has at least one prominent gay or lesbian character.
6) Royalty theme: Read a book that has the words King, Queen, Lord, Earl, Duke, or any other royal title.
SPECIAL EVENTS:
7) Repeat Day (June3) Read a book where the first letter repeats for both an author’s first and last name. (Ex. Lora Leigh, Amanda Ashley, Beverly Barton, etc) <-- I picked this one

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I had problems with the previous book and was very hesitant to read this book but I read the blurb and it involves a heroine who loves books so --

This is part of Stefanie Sloane's Regency Rogues/Young Corinthians series but this "trilogy" focuses on a group of friends: Dashiell Matthews, Langdon and Nicholas Bourne and Sophia Southwell --

Fifteen years ago, childhood innocence and youthful dreams all ended when they stumbled upon the body of Lady Afton, Sophia's mother, who was murdered in her own house. The mystery of her death was never solved and it continues to haunt the four children even as they went their separate ways.

Now Nicholas is back from India and, during a friendly game of cards which Sophia wins, she demands as her prize that the three help her find her mother's murderer.

Dash, Nicholas and Langdon are all members of the spy network, the Young Corinthians, and they've discovered that the murder of Lady Afton is connected to a series of murders of members of the families of their organization. The man responsible for the murders is known as The Bishop.

Eager to settle everything in the past and move forward, Dash is handling his father's last unfinished business, which involves his library that he has bequeathed to a good friend, Baron Harcourt.

Elena Barnes is a student of Ancient Myths and wants to ensure that the very rare Abecedary Illustrations of Greek Mythology by Giacomo Paolini is safely transported to her father's library in Dorset. She wants to complete the task as quickly as possible because nothing in London appeals to her -- well, except the very handsome Dash, Viscount Carrington.

In a case of terrible first impressions, Elena believes Dash isn't her intellectual equal and Dash thinks Elena is a bluestocking through and through.

Surprise is an important part of the story -- the playfulness of being surprised balances out very nicely with the seriousness of the murder plot --

"You really do wear blue stockings," Dash exclaimed, ridiculously delighted by the discovery.
- p. 55

I must say this was an immensely enjoyable read and is, perhaps, Stefanie Sloane's best work yet. The very compelling backstory added to the set of multi-faceted characters (The Furies are my favorite. ^_^) makes this trilogy a very, very promising one.

I am looking forward to the next installment: The Scoundrel Takes a Bride, which is set for release October 2012.

To find out more about the author and her books, visit her website. Stefanie Sloane is also on Facebook.