Thief in the Light, Jaime Samms

There was a cute feel in the story with the fantastic Mildred and her temperamental communication and Jake with his innocent honesty that was sweet and endearing.  The romance between Kreed and Lucky took a while to get off the ground, like most of the book, but when it actually started it was just as cute as you could hope for.  With big hearts and a new start, they were able to grasp a life together they hadn't known to dream of.

Lucky was something interesting.  His secret past, his sticky fingers, and his fear were all things that worked together to draw me in and made me want to know who he was, what would become of him.  Kreed was a bit different in that we didn't get his perspective for quite some time, and even then it was under a less-than-positive situation where his relationship cast a negative light on both him and the possibilities he and Lucky could have.  It took so long for him to stand up to his past/present that he almost lost his future and I wasn't thrilled at that at all.

Finding redemption and a future amidst adversaries and a sense of misplaced guilt proved difficult for Lucky, but mostly because he had a hard time forgiving himself.  Once he got onto the right path and committed to it he was surprised to see just how much support he had all on his own, independent of Kreed.  As it turns out, just because Kreed had been there longer didn't mean the town was any more invested in him than in the thief that blew in during the night.  The community rallied behind both men because they saw something good in both of them and were aware of just how much work they both did.  Their actions spoke louder than their histories.

What I loved most was the courage displayed by Lucky and because of him a whole new future opened up for those he set out to protect with his silence and later, his voice.  The magic of old houses and the bravery within both made this story something wonderfully sweet and worth the read.  It may have taken a while to get on its feet, but once it did there was hope, and in the end there was love.

*$3.99 on Amazon

Lucky Denver has wandering feet, sticky fingers and an unreliable moral compass—he’s never had a home and he’s not so sure he cares about what he’s missing.
Arnold Kreed who runs a small-town B&B knows what a home should be. So does his home, The Oaks—aka Mildred—and she has some very definite opinions on who should stay and who should go.
Mildred wants Lucky to stay—and while Kreed is surprised, he can’t really blame the old girl. He’s getting sort of attached himself. Lucky might be fine with the house’s eccentricities, but he’s not so sure Kreed will be fine with the man attached to Lucky’s real name. When Kreed falls ill, Lucky needs to make a decision—wander away like he’s always done or stay and be his better self. Kreed’s hoping he’ll stay—and so is The Oaks, and Mildred has a way of getting what she wants.