The Mischief Thief (Rose & Thorne #1) by Johnnie Alexander

ABOUT THE BOOK

Two wrongs don’t make a right . . . except when they do.

For con artist Chaney Rose, life hasn’t been easy. In desperate need of cash, she readily accepts a gig from an unethical attorney to recover Mischief, a stolen racehorse. Hunting for clues, she breaks into the suspected thief’s home only to be caught—with a few pilfered items in her pockets—by the police detective who’s tailing her.

By-the-book Adam Thorne was fired from his church ministry because of his father’s involvement with the valuable racehorse.
He arrives home to find a detective arresting the young woman who broke into his house. In a burst of Les Miserables-inspired charity, he claims he gave Chaney the stolen items.

Adam needs Chaney’s help to find his father who has disappeared along with Mischief. But when Chaney learns that Mischief’s owner intends to kill the horse, she needs Adam’s help to expose the cruel plan before it’s too late.

Can a con artist with a conscience and a minister without a ministry team up to do the wrong thing for the right reason?

MY THOUGHTS.....

"Her conscience stung as she tucked the box into her bag. Maybe because she was stealing from a minister. Was that a worse sin than robbing a regular person? Though shouldn't a minister forgive and forget? He might, but would God?"

The Mischief Thief made me smile and it also made me want to cry. My heart was touched by a little girl who had grown up in a family of grifters and had learned at an early age the art of stealing and swindling. I admired her devotion to her cousin Marshall and I was moved by the young girl who had walked past houses at dinnertime and wished that she could be part of those families, instead of the family she had been given. I laughed when a grown-up Chaney Rose was able to convince a guard that she was the wealthy (and very spoiled) new owner of Mischief, the stolen horse that is at the center of this story. Is it any wonder that Chaney's vehicle is named The Sting?

Author Johnnie Alexander was able to show Chaney's vulnerabilities even when she was acting her worse and isn't that the case in real life? Aren't we all capable of displaying those good/bad qualities? I especially liked minister Adam Thorne because even when he was released from his church duties due to his father's actions, his Christian witness was still strong. His understanding and grace were exactly what Chaney needed to see!

If you enjoy Christian fiction with a little mystery and a lot of forgiveness and second chances, you will want to read The Mischief Thief. There isn't an obvious romance between Chaney and Adam but there is a special friendship that could easily deepen into something more. Johnnie Alexander, I am looking forward to another book that will continue this relationship between Chaney and Adam!

I received a complimentary e-book from the author and The Mosaic Collection. I wasn't obligated to leave a positive review. These are my own thoughts.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Johnnie Alexander creates characters you want to meet and imagines stories you won't forget.

Her award-winning debut novel, Where Treasure Hides (Tyndale), made the CBA bestseller list. Her contemporary romance novels include Where She Belongs, When Hope Arrives, and What Hope Remembers.

She currently writes cozy mysteries and contemporaries for Annie's Fiction and historical novellas for Barbour.

Since talking about writing is so much fun, Johnnie hosts Novelists Unwind, which features videotaped interviews with inspirational authors, and Writers Chat, a weekly online show. She also teaches at writers conferences and for Serious Writer Academy.

In addition to winning the prestigious American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) Genesis Contest (Historical), Johnnie was named a Bronze Medalist in the My Book Therapy Frasier Contest and has received several conference awards.

She is marketing director for the Mid-South Christian Writers Conference and past president of both the ACFW Memphis and ACFW Central Florida chapters.

Connect with Johnnie at her Website and follow her on Facebook     Twitter     Instagram

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