Publisher: Blue Box Press
Published: August 10, 2021
Source: GetRedPR
Summary:
Revenge is a diamond best served cold.
A year after THE STEAL, Ania Throne is determined to take back what the Leopard stole from her. Together with her lover and partner, Jerome, she stages a spectacular heist during the Venetian Carnival, to lure out the treacherous mastermind they unmasked. She’s willing to risk it all—until her revenge takes a dangerous twist that could cost her what she loves the most.
Jerome Curtis has given up everything for Ania. She needs his help and he’s fallen head over heels for the world’s most eligible jewelry designer. But when their daring scheme to catch the thief who escaped turns on them, he’s targeted for a crime he never wanted to commit—and he has to find a way out fast.
From a glamorous costume gala to the winter canals of Venice, Ania and Jerome must confront the choices they’ve made and bait a new trap to catch the Leopard, before the Leopard springs his trap on them. This time, the stakes are personal, but with more than diamonds on the line, can they escape the bait or will it separate them forever?
The second novella in To Catch A Leopard, THE BAIT is a nail-biting romantic caper by bestselling authors C.W. Gortner and M.J. Rose.
My thoughts:
This is the second novella in C.W. Gortner and M.J. Rose’s trilogy and this romantic caper was just as fun and thrilling as the first one, The Steal. These two authors, whose books I have read separately, really know how to collaborate to create a fun, enjoyable tale.
I highly suggest reading the first novella before reading this one. It’s not that long and it really does provide the necessary background for what is the overarching thread in this whole trilogy. That’s not to say you cannot just pick this one up, but I think you will have a much richer reading experience if you do. And again, it’s a novella like this one, so it’s a super short read!
In this second installment, we meet up with Ania and Jermone a year after last seeing them and this time we find them in Venice trying to set a trap to catch the infamous Leopard. While they know the identity of the Leopard, and those of us who read the first novella do, too, I won’t put it here in case you haven’t.
I loved how the story is once again told from both Ania and Jerome’s points of view, giving us the opportunity to see events unfold from both their perspectives. The pacing here is just slightly slower than that last one, but I didn’t mind that one bit…I loved all the descriptions of the city of Venice and of the gala that Ania and Jerome attended. I will say I was a little discouraged with the way Ania seemed to be keeping Jerome at arm’s length here…and I hope this is further explored in the final novella, the reasoning and rationale, though I do have my suspicions.
This installment ends with a bit of a cliffhanger, but luckily we don’t have to wait that long for the next story – it’s out in August and I cannot wait to get my hands on it!
Books in this series:
- The Steal
- The Bait
- The Heist – due out August 2022
