Reviewed by Lissa Staley
Posted March 16, 2008

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Avy Hunt steals art for a living. Actually, insurance companies hire her to return stolen art to the rightful owners, so she feels justified in her actions. Her art recovery company, ARTemis, operates internationally, and Avy frequently assumes disguises, often sexy ones, to gain access to the black market goods she must retrieve.

Liam James steals art, but he either keeps it for himself or sells it for a tidy profit. When Avy is assigned to steal back an ornate sword worth over 11 million dollars, she's surprised to encounter this sly, sexy and playful thief. As Avy and Liam try to outwit each other, the attraction between the two art thieves heats up. While each of them would risk a great deal to obtain the stolen sword, what will they risk for love?

Karen Kendall delivers a fast-paced story of light suspense, with well-motivated characters and plenty of romantic tension. Reminiscent of smart, sexy movies like The Thomas Crown Affair, the characters' conflict is based on the intriguing question "when is stealing justified?" The unexpected resolution to the contrary careers of the lovers is a delight. I'm always a fan of the strong female lead, and with the skills and the tools of the trade, Avy is ready for almost any situation. A subplot with an art recovery trainee and a rock star's spoiled dog add an extra dose of humor to an already amusing novel. As a recent fan of Ms. Kendall's after last year's FIT TO BE TIED, I can't wait to read what she comes up with next.

Take Me If You Can by Karen Kendall

Summary

For art recovery agent Avy Hunt, no task is too risky when it comes to rescuing stolen treasures. Her latest mission is to locate the multimillion-dollar Sword of Alexander, believed to be in the possession of master thief Sir Liam James. But there is far more to this heist than meets the eye, and what Avy doesn’t know can definitely hurt her.

In hot pursuit of the sword, Avy crosses the Atlantic to keep charming, sexy Liam under surveillance—only to find that he has been trailing her. It’s hard to focus on the prize when they’re both overwhelmed by sexual tension. Now Avy is going to have to make the toughest choice of her career: Get her hands on the sword, or take her chances with a thief.

"A sexy, riveting read!" New York Times Bestselling Author Christina Dodd

Take Me If You Can by Karen Kendall

Excerpt

MIAMI, late August

Chapter One

Some people steal for thrills. Others steal for simple profit or for dark, psychological reasons. Art recovery agent Avy Hunt stole for justice--or so she liked to tell herself. The truth was a little more complicated.

Avy certainly wasn't a femme Robin Hood, since she worked on commission and eschewed green tights for the sheerest of thigh highs. She preferred a 9 mm Sig Sauer P230 to a cross-bow and usually avoided bands of merry men, since they tended not to keep their hands to themselves.

Only in the name of a job would she deliberately go home tonight (from the raucous Clevelander Hotel on South Beach) with this particular merry man. Dave Pomeroy, with his greasy, lurid grin and his I'm-a-multi-millionaire strut, gave her the creeps Read More...