After a blissful night with Jake Harlowe, it's back to business for Steph Anderson, as she prepares an adventure tour for her clients. Unfortunately, the pirate's treasure chest she's stuffing with fake gems reminds her of the theft of her hotel room safe. That morning, Jake left the hotel room without a care in the world, except for his intent on getting his hands on the thief who embezzled honest citizens and return the money to its rightful owners. And hoping for Steph's sake that it is not her former stepfather, the charming Eli Thompson.

THE SAPPHIRE HEIST picks up precisely where THE SAPPHIRE AFFAIR left off, and it is such a fabulous book, that even if you have not read the first book, I would encourage readers to read it anyway, even though some subtleties might be lost. THE SAPPHIRE HEIST is really a second part, and as far as the story goes, it stands on its own. The story takes place in the Caymans, and Ms. Blakely does such a tremendous job at describing the islands, that I want to go there! Lauren Blakely, wordsmith extraordinaire, never ceases to amaze me. Her choice of words is always impeccable, and her prose, while unpretentious, is exceptional and several notches above what is usually found in contemporary romance, and the indirect dialogues are simply brilliant, and so funny!

I loved the vivacious Steph in book one, but I simply adored her in THE SAPPHIRE HEIST! She is lovely and totally relatable, Jake is a sweetheart as well, were it not for his trust issues, but then again, they are entirely justified. While there are some misunderstandings, they are dealt with swiftly and logically, as people do in real life. The author never stoops to ridiculous shenanigans to raise the entertainment quotient. The dialogues are witty, the pace breezy, and the tone is bright and sunny. The suspenseful plot is only the icing on an already delectable cake, and a solid little mystery it is, full of twists and turns.

What I found most notable in THE SAPPHIRE HEIST is how full of life and colourful it is. It's a kaleidoscope of blazing colours when everything is concerned: the scenery, the dialogues, the characters: THE SAPPHIRE HEIST bubbles, sparkles, sizzles! I love how the characters think and talk while doing everyday things, which makes it for very dynamic reading, and this is something that is seldom achieved by most authors. The relationship between Steph and Jake always feel very genuine, the sex scenes are so wonderful that they are difficult to describe: they are at the same time very hot but still there is such respect, love, closeness; absolutely gorgeous!

And Oh how I loved those lovely few words at the end: The Ruby Affair? I hope Lauren Blakely decides to make this a longer series because there are so many possibilities with Steph and Jake, and Devon? If THE SAPPHIRE HEIST doesn't brighten your day, nothing will!