Thief of Hearts: Tempted in Thailand

Title: Thief of Hearts: Tempted in Thailand
Author: EM Lynley
Publisher: Ravenous Romance
Buy Link: Buy Link Thief of Hearts: Tempted in Thailand
Genre: Contemporary M/M, Action/Adventure
Length: Novel (255 pdf pages)
Rating: 4 stars out of 5

A Guest Review by Cole

Review Summary: An opposites-attract action-adventure of classic proportions — exotic locales, myths of treasure, chases by the Thai mob — all while remaining a fun and romantic story that readers will really love.

BLURB

What do Thai mobsters, a map, and an ancient Ruby Buddha have in common? They’re all major headaches for Trent Copeland!

Trent knows men like the handsome, hunky ones in the gay romances he writes don’t really exist, but that doesn’t stop him from wishing. When he travels to Thailand in search of inspiration for his next novel, he gets far more than he bargained for in the form of seemingly perfect Reed Acton.

Reed’s mission is simple: get the treasure map by tomorrow or risk seriously pissing off the local thugs. Only problem is, it’s wound up in the backpack of a hapless romance writer by mistake! A sexy, oh-so-irresistible romance writer.

One misadventure after another, and soon ruthless Thai mobsters are on their trail. Is Reed watching out for Trent, or are his motives darker than they seem?

They’ll have to work together if they want to stay alive.

From the neon-lit streets of Bangkok’s seedier side, to ancient caves deep in Thailand’s sacred Northeast, Trent and Reed discover the most priceless treasure of all: each other.

REVIEW

Trent Copeland is in many ways the stereotypical gay man whose life has ground to a halt. Two years after the death of his lover, Trent has become a homebody, reveling in the safety of living a monotonous life. He eats the same meals at the same restaurants, he watches the same classic movies on TCM week after week, and he has begun to recycle the same characters over and over in each new romance novel he writes — all to avoid the anxiety of trying anything new. Once a highly successful M/M romance writer, his last two manuscripts have been rejected by his long-time publisher. His agent and best friend have tried everything they can think of to encourage him out of his rut of self-inflicted mourning, all to no avail. But with the rejection of his second recycled manuscript, his two gal pals come up with a plan. They talk him into taking a trip, one on which he’ll go alone, but give up all control to them. They arrange his destination, his flight, his lodgings, and even his transportation for the duration of his stay. Only two days before he leaves do they tell him where they’ve chosen for him. And while he’s a bit miffed that he isn’t getting to go to Europe or somewhere equally suited to his classic tastes, he is a bit surprised at how exciting the prospect of his actual destination is. They have arranged for him to spend two weeks in Bankok, Thailand — exotic, exciting, full of life, and full of gay men just ready to throw themselves at the hunky and desperate-to-get-laid Trent.

It is immediately upon arrival when things start to go wrong. Unbeknownst to him, a mysterious American ex-patriot is carefully watching the arrivals gate, where he has a plant working as a customs agent, ready to slip a very valuable possession into the luggage of a mule. The plan is to follow the mule to another location and make the trade-off. Only, the plant gives the object, a very old and rare map, to the wrong man: our sad and lonely hero Trent. Trent has no idea why this American man keeps following him — asking him for a ride, to meet him at another place, and then following him back to his hotel. His driver and the concierge at the hotel warn him off the incredibly attractive man, who they claim is probably a hustler, and big trouble. Trent is obviously wary after the strange man’s behavior, although he must admit that the man is incredibly hot and definitely starting to get to him. At the same time, our mysterious stranger, whose name is Reed, is starting to mix business with pleasure, at least in his dreams. The more time he spends with Trent before he can get to the map, the more he starts to really like him. It is only after a couple of days of dancing around one another that the lies and deceit surface and both men realize that with the Thai mob after them, they make much better allies than enemies.

So begins a wild journey from Bankok to the caves of remote Thailand, running from goons with guns and their own fear of allowing another close to their hearts.

I have to say that I knew I would love this story immediately upon reading the blurb. I mean, who can resist a story like this — adventure and flight, myths of treasure and ancient mysteries to be solved. It is the perfect premise to a fun and exciting story. All is well and good with that, it certainly lived up to my expectations, though the writing was more earnest than cheeky, which the blurb led me to believe. That was definitely not a bad thing, however. But what EM Lynley did very well was the setting. People often repeat the famous maxim — that they have traveled all over the world, all within the pages of a book. I have not been to Thailand, and I would presume that most who will read this book have not either. However, this story really does portray that maxim well. While reading the book (especially within the first half of the novel, while Trent is being inundated with new experiences) I could smell the spices from the market stalls and hear the bustling noises of the tuk tuks in the busy streets. I felt transported, and slightly angry about the lack of Thai food in my area 🙂

Trent and Reed initially hate one another, after the secrets come out and the immediate veneer of romance falls flat. Reed sees Trent as a vain gym-bunny with the teenage idealism of romantic love, even though he is really no such thing. Trent thinks that Reed is simply an asshole, which he often is. But there is a strong underlying attraction, which often aids in their hatred of one another, because they can’t believe that they can be attracted to someone they so despise. This open hostility and underlying attraction leads to a lot of really smart, antagonistic dialogue. The reader can see right from the start that they would be perfect for each other simply with the barbs they use to try to take one another down. These arguments, and then very sexy make-up scenes were some of my favorites in the story. The writing was really superb.

There is a bit of an Insta-Love connection in the story, but it didn’t bother me so much because I felt like there were certain exceptions to be taken into account. People form connections that are sometimes difficult to define when they’re forced to work together in a difficult sitation. Also, quite a bit happens to them in a very short amount of time, so while they might not spend much time together, the time they are together is packed full of bonding opportunities.

Because I found the writing to be earnest, I did have a bit of trouble at times when the story turned a bit incredulous. I doubted the ability for Trent to get ahold of Reed’s superiors by contacting the American Embassy. Also, the ending was a bit mushy for me, though with all of the trouble it took Reed and Trent to get there, they certainly enjoyed a bit of mush. I also wanted to know what exactly happened with the Ruby Buddha, but I suspect that this might be the center of a sequel as the mythology surrounding the treasure was left ambiguously and open for another adventure. Do not worry, however, Trent and Reed finish the story on a very high note, reveling in their HFN and quickly on their way to a HEA. I will certainly be hoping for another chapter in their story. I would recommend this to everyone, as I think it is a story that will be widely enjoyed by readers of this genre.