Mad For Love

Mignon du Blois is in a horrible fix!  After fleeing the French Revolution, her father, a brilliant artist, has made a life out of selling his forgeries of famous works in London.  The ruse is on the brink of collapse, however, when Mignon catches a thief trying to steal one of the forged paintings. Hoping to avert disaster, she makes a deal with the thief: steal a sculpture before the world renowned art critic, Rory Cathcart, can examine it and she won’t press charges.

Rory is in a bind! He was sure the house was empty when he broke in to steal a painting he was sure was forged. But, when Mignon catches him, he has to think quickly.  Now he is Rory Andrews - art thief, not Rory Cathcart - art critic!  How will he ever pull off steeling the very statue he is set to examine? Worse still, how will he keep his heart out of it and send the forgers to prison, when all he wants is to save the desperately kind woman and her nefarious father?

If a light, fun romp through the Georgian art-world of London sounds like fun, this novella is the perfect answer!  The set-up is believable and the plot is extremely entertaining even if the execution of it is a bit over-the-top at times.  The main characters enjoy a lively banter and the secondary characters are just as enjoyable. There are some questions as to historical accuracy but if that does not bother, this really is a short, fun escape that keeps one giggling.

Ruth Lynn Ritter