As a woman living alone in turn of the century London, Rue Hawthorne knows just how dangerous the world can be.  London is peopled with rogues, villains, and mysterious thieves.  Rue, of all people, should know, since she's a diamond among them.  Rue is the dark and dangerous Smoke Thief, a burglar who manages to nab the most coveted (and well-protected) of jewels from under their owners' very noses.  Rue is daring, clever, and cunning--but, has she met her match in the charismatic Christoff, Marquess of Langford?  Christoff was born to a life of luxury, but exudes a dark magnetism that makes Rue weak in the knees.  And, Christoff, of all people, knows Rue's secret--that she is not Rue Hawthorne at all, but rather Clarissa Hawthorne, a half-breed runaway from Darkfirth.

Darkfirth, Rue's ancestral home, brooks no outsiders--and no escapes.  Christoff is determined to drag Rue back to Darkfirth--on a lease or in a box.  But, will the wild Smoke Thief be able to elude the dashing nobleman?  Seeing that she has no means of escape, Rue accompanies Christoff to her hated former home, but once there, she refuses to accept her fate and instead offers Christoff a deal.  She will help him find another Drakon escapee--a more dangerous male thief--in exchange for her freedom.  Christoff agrees, but Rue knows that he's not to be trusted.  There's deceit, and maybe something more, in those dark Langford eyes.  Will Rue escape the dreaded Darkfirth and Christoff?  Or, will the ties that bind draw Rue back to her home and to Christoff's side?

Shana Abé's THE SMOKE THIEF is amazing!  Seldom does a fantasy or romance satisfy to this degree.  The story is brilliant, the characters are compelling, and the romance is both sizzling and bittersweet.  The mysterious Darkfirth and the Drakon clan that inhabit it are as original as J.R.R. Tolkien or C.S. Lewis' creations.  Ms. Abé has managed to create a world that is both familiar and fantastic--and is certainly intriguing.  THE SMOKE THIEF captures the reader's attention from the very first paragraph and doesn't relent until the last page.  This is storytelling at its very best.  THE SMOKE THIEF is a fantastic adventure laced with romance and daring-do, but in its very essence it is simply a story very well-told.  Good work, Ms. Abé!  THE SMOKE THIEF is definitely a novel for my re-read shelf!