Review: Excellent!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 23, 2011
4 1/2 stars (rounded up to 5 stars because I loved Noel)I rarely give short stories 5 stars because I always feel there's something missing in them, but this one... Wow, I loved it!FBI Special Agent Robert Cuffe and diamond thief Noel Snow have been playing cat and mouse for two years with Noel coming out the winner every time, but Robert finally catches the elusive cat burglar - or so he thinks. It's the eve of the new millennium, and their cat and mouse game reaches a new level when they end up sleeping together. Noel flees at dawn, taking his last "acquisition" (a 33-carat diamond ring) with him and leaving Robert to try and explain to his superiors how the hell he let Noel escape.Fast forward ten years... Noel is no longer in the business of "relieving rich people from their jewelry", but he's never fogotten Robert and has often wondered whether they could have become more than one night lovers if the circumstances of their meeting had been different. Now a successful novelist, Noel uses his experience as a cat burgler to write his books, having modeled his hero on himself and his hero's nemesis (and potential love interest) on Robert. When Robert shows up at his door unexpectedly on Christmas Eve, Noel can't help being thrilled to see him after such a long time - until Robert says he's there to question Noel in connection with a series of jewel robberies occurring in New York City over the past three months. Noel says he has nothing to do with it, but Robert keeps pushing him. As the tension between them builds up, Noel feels there might be something else behind Robert's sudden visit. Has the time come to end their cat and mouse game?I wish all short stories were like this. I adored Noel and Robert, the sexual tension between them was masterfully built and their HEA made me sigh like a ninny. This book was written in third person POV, but we only "see" what's in Noel's mind (and heart) and we never get Robert's POV. I was pleasantly surprised to see how well that worked, considering I'm not a fan of first-person narratives exactly because I feel there's something missing when I can't "read" all the characters' mind. In this story, not being privy to Robert's thoughts and feelings was essential - and that's all I can say without giving too much plot away.This was my first read by Mr. Lanyon, but it won't be my last! I really enjoyed his writing style and I think he's made a great job depicting Noel and Robert. The only "complaint" I have is the absence of an epilogue. I had no doubts about Noel and Robert's HEA and liked the ending, but it left one loose end that could have been settled in a nice epilogue. All in all, that was only a minor issue and it was nowhere close to ruining this excellent read.