It was 1879 and Della Rose was on the look out for someone affluent on whom to use her skills. She was the best pickpocket in London and had never been caught, so her confidence was high. But Cole Winthrop had an agenda and had been watching Della for some time, so when she approached him, he was ready. Cole needed a thief to catch a thief. When his father's papers had been stolen, Cole was determined to carry on his father's work, and he needed to get the papers back. So Della had a new job; one she was prepared to work for as the end result was good.

As Della slowly learned to be a lady, she was prepared by Cole - who was an Earl - about the person she needed to get close to; the person who she needed to steal from. And she wasn't impressed. But she was determined to do her job, and do it well...

The Lady Thief of Belgravia is the debut novel by Allison Grey and I quite enjoyed it. The cover is gorgeous and the premise was intriguing. Della was a strong character - she had to be in her situation - while Cole was a "nice guy", kind and caring, but hard and cold when necessary. My only quibbles were the use of the "f" word, which, when I googled, wasn't around back in 1879. And the over use of the fully described sex scenes - after about the 5th or 6th time, the tone of the story was changed for me. Oh, and the £10,000 agreed on for Cole to pay Della converts to £1,532,390.16 today - so perhaps not!

With thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

I love me a good historical romance. They're literally my romance jam. This is a debut novel by Allison Grey and it was adorable. The premise of a female thief taking down one of the richest people in the country during this time period had me super excited to read this arc and it did not disappoint!

I recommend this book to anyone who loves a historical romance and a little spice to go with it. 🌶️ Thanks @netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

3 stars.

The vibes:
- historical
- a con FMC & an earl MMC
- Romance with a bit of suspense

My thoughts:
I grabbed this one hoping it would have similar vibes to India Holton’s Wisteria series. It did have a con thief woman but the tones were definitely different.

There was a lot of sexual tension with little connection of the two main characters in the beginning half. I wanted more than just sexual tension with these two. It felt like any type of friendship was skipped over and the focus was primarily on a physical connection which isn’t my personal preference. I wanted more of an emotional connection.

While Della (FMC) had moments I enjoyed, I didn’t find her very likable for most of the book which made it hard for me to root for her.

Lastly, I was confused with the Earl’s dilemma. No spoilers on his backstory- but I got a little bit lost on exactly what was going on with his past.

Releases January 18, 2024

Thank you so much to Allison Grey, Storm Publishing, and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.


*note to publisher- I will post on Amazon on release date.

Set in Victorian times, an improbable but delightful story of an agile pickpocket from the streets of London and an aristocrat looking to retrieve lost documents.

Reminiscent of My Fair Lady and Audrey Hepburn at her finest our Lord attempts (and succeeds) in turning Della into an accomplished Lady.

Light, fun reading with a few raunchy scenes interspersed for good measure!

Punch & Judy are on in Hyde Park London 1879, and in amongst the crowds is Della Rose, looking for a victim.
Della is a pick pocket, extremely good at it too.
Della steals from a gentleman who catches her out. Cole has a proposition for Della, a job. Will she accept and see it through?

I was drawn to this book because of the title and cover. I enjoy historical fiction books.
I found the book had some mystery and intrigue and it was enjoyable. However I felt there were quite a lot of descriptive sexual scenes. For myself I found it a bit repetitive and didn’t like. I would have rated this book higher than I did if they had been removed. Apart from that I thought the story itself kept my interest, and as the book was nearing the end was excitedly reading to see how the plot would unfold.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Publisher for an advanced e-book copy. Opinions about the book are entirely my own.

A fun and smutty version of My fair lady with a hint of action and mystery. My only criticism here would be that I still cringe at s*x scenes including very (unnecessary) explicit words and that I'm a bit fed up with "the perfect girl being perfect at everything even at the first attempt". If you can ignore that, you'll be in for a fun time with two characters you'll want to end up together!

“𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙡𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙮?"

ME! ME! I volunteer as a tribute!

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for my very first arc! What a joy it has been! I really enjoyed this debut book by Allison Grey, it has a solid plot, interesting characters and it is very well paced! Read this if you’re looking for a sexy book about spies, full of suspense and romance! Can’t wait to read whatever Allison puts out next!

This is the first book by this author. It was a book full of romance, adventure, mystery and suspense. I loved the characters, they were well-written with a lot of feeling and the storyline kept me turning the page. I was continually wondering how everything was going to work out, which makes for a good read. The only thing I didn’t like about the book was there was a lot of sex and this reviewer skipped it all but for some that is a good thing. I would read another story by this author despite the many sex scenes. I received this as an ARC from Netgalley and freely give my review.

'The Lady Thief of Belgravia' is a wonderful and fun Pygmalion-meets-heist historical romance.

Orphan Della Rose, nicknamed Rosie Diver for being the best diver (slang for pickpocket) in London, is a plucky, well-read and resourceful woman with dreams of academia. Her skills come to the attention of Cole Winthrop, Early of Bradford, who needs to transform her into a well-bred woman so she can retrieve important papers stolen by the Duke of Salisbury.

There is an instant and palpable chemistry between the two who try to fight their attraction to focus on the mission. Della surprises Cole with her sharp intellect and sense of adventure which he's sorely after a broken engagement due to his job. I loved how well they complemented each other and just how supportive Cole was of Della.

This book was thoroughly enjoyable as I enjoy a good adventurous historical romance. However the pacing got lost from the repititious steamy scenes at the expense of the upcoming mission. I don't have an issue with steamy scenes, but I found that it belaboured the point - they can't stay away from each other but they live two different lives, etc.

The biggest let down for me was the baffling final conflict and outcome. Della's ultimatum to Cole was unreasonable especially since knew he was nursing heartbreak from a woman who demanded the same. There was alternative outcomes for the two of them to get what they wanted, including becoming partners in work as well as life given Della's talents and sense of adventure. Plus it would've opened up for a series. A real shame.

Thanks to Storm and NetGalley for the ARC.

The Lady Thief of Belgravia is the first book I've read by Allison Grey but it definitely won't be the last.

Della Rose is our heroine and she also happens to be the best pickpocket in the Seven Dials. When she targets a gentleman in a crowd who has a gold watch she wants, she steals it (with a bit of trouble) and her life suddenly takes a turn.

The gentleman who was robbed is Cole Winthrop and he isn't in Della's sights by accident. He has been watching her for a while, waiting to see if what he has heard about her is true. If so, he needs her help to retrieve something that was stolen from him and he's willing to go to extremes, including hiring a pickpocket, to get it back.

As Della and Cole start to work together to get her up to snuff for society, things eventually shift. They start to realize they are attracted to one another but to make anything work, When Cole finally trusts her enough to reveal his greatest secret, Della understands that completing the job is about more than earning the money to start a new life. The safety of the entire country rests on her shoulders. ACole would have to disclose who he is to the world and he's not sure he is ready. I loved how the relationship was developed between these two. They come from very different lives/backgrounds and they were both realistic about what they were going to face if they came together.

If you're looking for a new historical fiction that has interesting characters, a solid story, and a class difference trope, grab this one when you can. I enjoyed it and can't wait to read whatever is next from this author.

I am a sucker for novels about female thieves, so the title of this novel really attracted me. To my surprise, for a first novel, this book was as good as I hoped it would be and gripped me from the first page.

The pickpocket, Della Rose, is recruited by Lord Bradford, a British spy, to steal documents. To do so, Della will have to learn to pass herself off as a young lady of the ton.

What I loved about the novel:
Independent and intelligent heroine
Upward mobility of a few characters
Celebration of women’s friendship
Steamy romance
Thrilling plot

The Lady Thief of Belgravia checked all my boxes for a fun read!

Della, a notorious pickpocket, is hired by the Earl of Bradford to steal some important documents from the Duke of Salisbury. In order to achieve this she is to pose as the Earl's niece, requiring her to be taught how to act as a proper genteel society lady.
Think of this as My Fair Lady with a touch of suspense - and a lot of very spicy moments. I'm not always a fan of these, however these did fit in well with the story and the growing attraction between the two main characters. It is slow paced, concentrating on this relationship, rather than the suspense plot, but it did draw me in to the story. It also shows the disparity between the haves and the have nots at the time, with the latter having to do anything to keep themselves alive. Read this book as a romance with a touch of suspense, rather than an action story, and enjoy.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

I had thought, and actually kinda hoped, that the heist would be a more significant and spectacular part of the story. Instead, the emphasis was more on romance and the vast differences between the two worlds of the main characters. Nevertheless, a very entertaining, somewhat spicy Pygmalion retelling.

I got this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this debut novel by Allison Grey and look forward to reading more in the future.
I found the book hard to put down once I got a few chapters in. There are some spicy scenes so be warned – I was not expecting that! Overall, I enjoyed this book though - a quick read, and I loved Della’s sass and belief in herself. The characters are well developed and I feel it is a good depiction of life in the late 1800’s, clearly portraying the different social classes and the struggles of living in each world. Definitely worth picking this up if you're looking for a quick read and don't mind spice.
Thank you to NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and the author for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

A fun and delightful debut novel! I did find the start of the novel to be very very quick to jump into the plot set up but then the author pulled back and the story unfolded beautifully! Will definitely be keeping an eye out of other books by this author!

A bit of a modern My Fair Lady with a twist and a hint of spice. It certainly took the original story to another level! A really good read, great, strong female character and lovely historical background.

★★★★.5
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Set in 1879 London’s Seven Dials, this story unfolds as Cole Winthrop (Lord Branford) enlists Della Rose, a skilled pickpocket, to help him steal from and apprehend his arch-nemesis, the Duke of Salisbury. Della must transform into a member of high society, posing as Cole’s cousin, and master various skills to execute their plan. Amidst the deception, a potential attraction between Della and Cole adds an intriguing layer.

This novel pulled me in from the very beginning and captivated me with its perfect blend of intrigue, high society, and historical romance. I was charmed by the compelling, passionate, and witty Della Rose, our strong female character. Bonus character trait: she is obsessed with books! She is one of my favorite characters so far!

The book also tastefully incorporates open-door spice, avoiding smutty rom-com style. 😬🫣 But just go into it knowing that. lol

❥ Strong female main character
❥ Dual POV
❥ Grumpy x sunshine
❥ Forced proximity
❥ Tasteful open-door spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️

I LOVED this debut novel by Allison Grey! I was beyond excited when I received this arc from @netgalley and @stormbooks_co.

Dashing spy Cole recruits skilled pickpocket Della to infiltrate high society and steal from his adversary. Masquerading as Cole’s cousin, Della finds an unexpected romance blossoming with him that threatens her focus. But this cunning thief won’t let love derail her shot at redemption.

This is a clever and emotional romance with endearing characters and an engaging plot. It has a bit of an Eliza Doolittle feel to it.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Review: The Lady Thief of Belgravia by Allison Grey

The concept of this book, the intrigue, the combination of high society & a thief was great. It had potential to be a great book, but fell flat. I feel like it could have focused more on the mystery/spy work and the main characters’ transformations. It was also too much spice - skipping paragraphs multiple times to get to the story stinks! The characters were pretty well developed and the setting was great. The concept, again, a lot of fun!

The atmosphere was great -- this book checked all the right boxes for me in a historical English, high society story. I loved the dynamic between the two characters and the banter was witty and kept the pace of the story easy to follow. My one nitpick is that it seemed pretty quick for Della to pick up on years of manners and speech patterns cultivated by high society, which seemed slightly unrealistic? If there was a timeskip, that wasn't as evident to me!

In general, I do think that the chemistry between the characters was both strong and natural. Nothing felt forced and the subplot with the Duke was interesting and upped the stakes. I'd definitely recommend this and will be keeping an eye out for other works from Grey!