"Exciting historical romantic fantasy"

In 1737 in Darkfrith, England lives the Drakon shapeshifting race. For well over a millennium, the Drakon have kept secret from their neighbors who and what they really are, but now THE SMOKE THIEF may end their anonymity. The felon steals jewels before seemingly vanishing in a puff of smoke.

Alpha chief Marquis Christoff must stop the thief from further exposing their clan. He uses the Langford diamond as a lure; he succeeds capturing the rogue Clarissa, who is actually a hybrid half human half dragon with the ability to change. However, in capturing Clarissa, Christoff loses the precious diamond he used as bait. Considered his property based on Drakon law, he forces her to work with him to regain the gem even as passion erupts in the skies and on the earth between them.

This exciting historical romantic fantasy grips the audience from the moment that readers begin to comprehend the skills of the thief and the danger she places the Drakon side of her heritage. The story line is action- packed from the beginning and takes several in air twists that add to the fever pitch of an invigorating thriller. The lead couple is a delightful charming pairing of individuals falling in love, an emotion neither wants, but cannot avoid. Shana Abe provides a terrific tale that screams for similar future novels in the Drakon universe.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted August 16, 2005

Summary

For centuries they've lived in secret among northern England's green and misted hills. Creatures of extraordinary beauty, power, and sensuality, they possess the ability to shape-shift from human to dragon and back again. Now their secret--and their survival--is threatened by a temptation that will break every boundary.... Dubbed the Smoke Thief, a daring jewel thief is confounding the London police. His wealthy victims claim the master burglar can walk through walls and vanish into thin air. But Christoff, the charismatic Marquess of Langford, knows the truth: the thief is no ordinary human but a "runner" who's fled Darkfrith without permission. As Alpha leader of the draŽkon, it's Kit's duty to capture the fugitive before the secrets of the tribe are revealed to mortals. But not even Kit suspects that the Smoke Thief could be a woman. Clarissa Rue Hawthorne knew her dangerous exploits would attract the attention of the draŽkon. But she didn't expect Christoff himself to come to London, dangling the tribe's most valuable jewel--the Langford Diamond--as bait. For as long as she could remember, Rue had lived the life of a halfling--half draŽkon, half mortal--and an outcast in both worlds. She'd always loved the handsome and willful Kit from the only place it was safe: from afar. But now she was no longer the shy, timid girl she'd once been. She was the first woman capable of making the Turn in four generations. So why did she still feel the same dizzying sense of vulnerability whenever he was near? From the moment he saw her, Kit knew that the alluring and powerful beauty was every bit his Alpha equal and destined to be his bride. And by the harsh laws of the draŽkon, Rue knew that she was the property of the marquess. But they will risk banishment and worse for a chance at something greater. For now Rue is his prisoner, the diamond has disappeared, and she's made the kind of dangerous proposition a man like Kit cannot resist....In this bewitching novel, Shana Abé transports us into a world of exhilarating romance and magic.