Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: A fun, lighthearted romp that, while a little light on plot, is still extremely entertaining and funny.

Opening Sentence: “Ticket, yes.”

The Review:

Gwen has always had to watch out for her mothers, two very well-meaning, but often misdirected witches. She’s usually able to keep them out of trouble, but this time, they’ve gone too far by kidnapping (in their words, liberating) a woman from her nursing home. On the run from the police, Gwen decides they should escape to Anwyn, one of the realms paranormals can choose to go to when they die, until this whole thing can blow over.

Gregory, a Traveller and member of The Watch, has an obsession, and that obsession’s name is Gwen. He hasn’t been able to stop thinking about her ever since the night he stole time in order to prevent her from dying. That incident had the unfortunate side effect of ticking off an employee of Death, who is determined to take Gwen no matter what. He follows the Reclamation Agent into Anwyn, where he runs into Gwen. Now, they must navigate their newfound feelings for each other in a realm that’s torn apart by war, all while dodging a very ticked off Reclamation Agent for Death. Will life ever calm down enough for them to be together?

I’ve read some of Katie MacAlister’s Aisling Grey series and enjoyed them, so I was interested in reading this book even though I hadn’t read the first book in the series. Luckily, reading the first book wasn’t strictly necessary, and I was able to slip right into the story without feeling confused at all. As with the other Katie MacAlister books I’ve read, this one was full of humor that left me with a smile on my face much of the time. As great as the humor was though, it couldn’t hide the fact that there really wasn’t much in the way of plot. The Reclamation Agent storyline honestly hardly factors into the plot at all, as much of the story actually revolves around the “war” in Anwyn. The book also alternates between Gwen’s first person narration and Gregory’s third person perspective, which could sometimes mess up the flow of the book.

I liked Gwen and Gregory as the main characters, but as I sit here trying to write this review, I’m having a hard time coming up with reasons why I liked them so much. They definitely have great chemistry and rapport and worked well off of each other. Despite liking them, I had a hard time believing how quickly they fell in love, which is a bit of a pet peeve of mine.

Looking over this review, it sounds really negative, but I actually did enjoy the story for what it was: a lighthearted and funny romp. It’s just if you sit and think about it too much, you realize that not a whole lot actually happens of any import. If we gave half stars, I would probably rate this 3.5 out of 5, but I’m rounding up because I did enjoy my time with Gwen and Gregory the issues I have with the plot. So, I guess I’m saying, if you’re in the mood for a fun, light read, this will definitely fit the bill, but if you’re wanting something a little heavier on plot, you’ll want to look somewhere else. I, for one, am looking forward to reading more Katie MacAlister the next time I’m in the mood for some lighthearted fun.

Notable Scene:

“We need to be focusing on how to find the entrance to Anwyn, and no” – I held up my hand with the paper in it – “this isn’t it. The entrance to heaven isn’t in a Krispy Kreme shop.”

“Have you ever had their cocoa?” Mom Two asked. “It’s pretty close to heaven.” With a hurried look over her shoulder at my mother, she added, “If I believed in such a thing, which of course, I don’t.”

“Anwyn is not in a Krispy Kreme,” I said firmly.

“How do you know? Have you been there?” my mother asked.

“No, but -“

“Then I don’t think you have the right to say harsh things to Mrs. Vanilla about her lovely map.”

“Mom, it just doesn’t make sense. She’s either kidding, or…” I made a circular motion with my finger.

“I don’t think she is either. She seems to know where the entrance is. Perhaps she has been there herself.”

Mrs. Vanilla made her peculiar squeaking noises and fretted at the seat belt.

I looked up and over to Mom Two, shaking my head as I said, “This is crazy.”

Mom Two smiled and patted my hand. “I’ve always said that crazy is in the mind of the beholder.”

“Yes, but we can’t indulge in that when so much is at stake.”

“Drive,” my mother ordered, tapping me on the back of my shoulder. “We’ll see when we get there.”

“Oh, for the love of all that’s shiny and sparkly!” I took a deep breath and pulled out onto the road, mentally plotting the fastest route to Mrs. Vanilla’s nursing home. “Fine, we’ll go to Krispy Kreme, although the mall is sure to be closed at this time of night. First, however, we’re going to take Mrs. Vanilla back where she belongs.”

Both mothers opened their respective mouths to protest, but as I stopped at an intersection, waiting to turn onto the road that led to the nursing home, two police cars suddenly zipped across our line of vision.

I swore under my breath and jerked the wheel in the opposite direction, pissing off the car behind me. “Right. Krispy Kreme it is. But when we get there and it’s closed and there’s no entrance to Anwyn, you guys will owe me a great big apology. And a hot chocolate. With extra whipped cream.”

FTC Advisory: Signet/Penguin provided me with a copy of The Art of Stealing Time. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )

I am so sad to put this in the DNF pile but I need to return it to the library soon and I'm just not interested. Maybe one day I'll be able to pick it up and appreciate it but now I'm finding it slow and a burden to read.

*DNF so no rating.

Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Pack Alpha - Chelle:

I was completely geared up for this book. I thoroughly enjoyed Time Thief, thought it was genius and fresh, and then after Time Crossed I was salivating because let's be honest, that was just a dirty tease. I'll be honest though, I got a good 30% into The Art of Stealing Time and was a bit worried. It just wasn't moving as fast as I had anticipated and I was waiting for something big to happen to kick things into gear. And then they entered Anwyn...

From that point on, it was the fantastic laugh-out-loud paranormal romance that I've come to know and love from the lovely Ms. MacAlister and I couldn't get enough!

The TIME THIEF universe is incredibly unique to begin with, it's fresh, and multidimensional with subtle and overt nuances that make it decidedly its own. But in The Art of Stealing Time, Katie introduces another layer, the Welsh underworld, Anwyn and it's Alice-in-Wonderlandesque cast of characters.

Our heroine, Gwen, is an Alchemist with two trouble prone Wiccan mothers. While trying to clean up yet another of their messes, she finds herself a person of interest and target for several groups and her life becomes infinitely more complicated.

Our hunky hero, Gregory, is the cousin of Peter Faa (the hero of book #1). He has just taken a probationary job with the Watch (sort of the supernatural police) when they're tipped off to some illicit activity that needs investigation. While doing so, Gregory crosses paths with Gwen and their lives and fates become inexplicably tangled.

MacAlister's books always make me laugh and this one is no exception. I enjoyed visiting the Welsh afterlife and can't wait to see where the next book in the Time Thief series will take me!

Anwyn was a trip! The place is crazy, the people even more so, and the magic and history that make up the very fabric of what Gwen and Gregory are thrown into is utterly fascinating. It was also so vividly written, and so perfectly entwined with the characters' stories, that I felt like I could literally see things as they happened and feel what went on as it did. I loved it!

The tension between Gregory and Gwen was stellar, and I think I enjoyed their tale so much because it was hard earned. There was no simply falling into bed for these two. There were trials, tribulations, bonds to break, trust to earn and so much more before they even gave it a go, and even then, things weren't completely balanced. It was anxiety riddled and fantastic to read.

Take that, add in some truly off the wall and loveable supporting characters, some epic one-liners and snark for the ages, heart pumping action, and PLENTY of surprise and you get The Art of Stealing Time.

I most definitely recommend this book, but I strongly suggest reading the series in order - Time Thief, Time Crossed and then The Art of Stealing Time - to get the most out of this novel. I also recommend that you stick it out through the slower set up pieces at the beginning of the book because once they hit Anwyn, it's non-stop goodness.

I can't wait to see what Katie has in store in Traveller-verse next... ( )