To Steal a Heart

Secrets & Spies, Book 1

By: Kate Bateman

Narrated by: Marnye Young

A master spy and a beautiful thief find love and intrigue in each other’s arms. . .

Forced to do the bidding of a corrupt government minister, Marianne de Bonnard agrees to plant incriminating evidence in the offices of France’s most notorious spymaster. Under cover of night, the tightrope-walking thief puts her skills to good use—until her aerial stunt is foiled when her target appears in the window and, with consummate poise, helps Marianne off the wire and into his lair. The tremors that run through her body are not just from fear; there’s an unwanted frisson of desire there, too. But is it because of her elegant, wickedly handsome host . . . or his proposition?

Nicolas Valette has had plans for his graceful trespasser since he witnessed her unique skills at the Cirque Olympique. Sinuous as a cat, Marianne is perfect for his next mission, but she refuses his generous offer for fear of disobeying her family’s tormenter. When their mutual enemy auctions off her virginity to the highest bidder, Nicolas leaps at the chance to purchase her cooperation. Keeping her will be like trying to tame a wild animal, but what’s life without a little risk? Besides, Nicolas and Marianne both want the same thing: revenge—and, perhaps, something else that’s equally delicious.

©2022 Kate Bateman (P)2022 Spotify Audiobooks

Critic reviews

“[To Steal a Heart] is rich with espionage and suspense. Multidimensional believable characters and fast-paced plotting propel the story forward to its moving conclusion.”—Publishers Weekly

“The writing and characterization are superb, the romance is hot, snarky and tender and the hero is delicious. I couldn’t ask for much more in an historical romance and I’m eagerly awaiting whatever Ms. Bateman comes up with next.”—All About Romance

“The sexual chemistry between the two built so steadily that I thought I would go up in flames if they didn’t stop battling each other and give in to their needs.”—Kilts and Swords

Amazing adventure romance with Heart

Wow, what a great debut novel! This was an adventure romance novel which kept me on my toes. It handled sensitive topics very well and had a nice slow burn. The scene in which they are captive together was heart wrenching and incredibly well written--I was gasping in surprise and emotion. This is going on the favorites shelf! Bravo!

Story: Mediocre. Narration: Tortured and affected

I really wanted to like this book. Alas, the improbable storyline horrendous narration (fake affected French accent) made the audio version torturous to get through. I did it though, as I pre-ordered all three books in the series. I’m determined to slog through the rest, but this is likely the last time I ever get a book narrated by Marnye Young.

With regard to the book and storyline. It was confused, improbable and inaccurate for the time. A disappointment, given that I’ve loved Bateman’s other books. Win some, loose some, I guess.

narrator with the fake French

The fake French accents in the several chapters I listened to was grating on my ears, I couldn’t enjoy the story, even skipping through several chapters-it was boring and grating. Unusual since I really enjoyed several other books by this author with a different narrator. I lost my $ since I purchased with a CC instead of buying more credits