Superficially, [b:Pickpocket Countess|2887533|Pickpocket Countess (Harlequin Historical Series)|Bronwyn Scott|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1267346334s/2887533.jpg|2913781] tells the tale of the tempestuous relationship between Brandon, Earl of Stockport, and Nora, a notorious cat burglar he finds stealing a family heirloom.

The focus of the story, however, concerns Nora's motivation for turning to a life of crime: to help the poor and wretched victims of the industrial revolution.

Ms Scott attempts, and fails, to strike a balance between the historical authenticity of the forced migration of agricultural workers to miserable and life-threatening labour in dark satanic mills, and the ludicrous pantomime of a beautiful, elegant woman managing, with the help of a mask, scarf and wig, to convince everyone around her that she's either a fearsome male robber or a doddery middle-aged spinster.

The tension in the relationship between Brandon and Nora is maintained by their stubborn refusal to recognise each other's true feelings: highly improbable given the intelligence, perspicacity and resourcefulness with which the author has endowed them.

By the end of the story even Ms Scott seems to have given up any attempt at plausibility and ties up most of the loose ends with unseemly haste.

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Pickpocket Countess (Harlequin Historical) (Mass Market Paperback)
The author advises at the beginning of the research she did for the novel to provide an authentic novel. Well I am afraid that this novel falls short in many areas for authenticity. One might wonder what a Mills & Boon editor does for these novels. However the sex scenes are quite nicely done.

Overlooking the problems I outline below, it was not as awful as some and the main characters were bearable. The addition of a bit of social history was in some ways interesting but also tends to dispel the rom-glow that I think is important. A difficult choice to make. Perhaps reading the Georgette Heyer Regency novels would help in seeing how much real life should be enough in a a great novel.

Plot. I cannot but wonder why the heroine, desparate to stop a mill being built, did not blackmail, or reveal to the other investors, that two of the leading lights in the syndicate were going to build shoddily and then burn the mill for insurance. Would seem a very sensible course of action given we are told early on the heroine has stolen incriminating papers from one of the villains safe.

Food. The hero and heroine share strawberries and fudge sauce after Christmas. I am not sure how one got fresh strawberries in 1831 but I suspect you wait for June to arrive. Eager to make us much use of her stolen funds the heroine buys oranges for food parcels for the poor. Oranges would be available but cheaply in Manchester in December I doubt greatly.

Bank notes. The heroine pays for food using notes. Until 1863 Bank of England notes were hand-signed and numbered. Not used for common transactions at all. Country banks could issue notes however they were not legal tender until 1833 and even then would be in very restricted circulation as a person could choose to accept them or not. Curiously the heroine extorts three £100 notes from the hero. Imagine trying to use a $10,000 bill in current America.

Trees. Not once but twice trees are vital to the plot. The heroine throws herself seven feet onto an oak branch to escape a room 30ft up. Consider that with light being provided by candle why anyone would wish to plant large trees adjacent to a building to block what daylight there was. At the Squires house it is even worse as apparently branches brush the study windows! Other things such as roots disturbing the foundations, falling branches, easy access for rogues should not be ignored.

Windows and Doors. In an era without double glazing and central heating it was customary to have large wooden shutters inside the window to close off the cold and drafts once daylight faded. Even if the house had no shutters [unlikely] there would be very large heavy curtains to fulfill the same role. However not in the Earl's house where the heroine leaps in and out easily during the night unhindered.

Etiquette. the Earl invites his best friend to come to his aid - however the friendship does not extend to him staying at the Earls house but the Viscount is staying at a local innn. How unbelievably rude. ( )

Okay, this book was a fast read and it was pretty fun overall. Really it does have some good solid characters that are enjoyable. But overall it was also predictable. You knew what was going to happen before it happened. And while that doesn’t matter sometimes and is a small issue, with this book for me it was a slightly big issue.

But, over all it was not a horrible book. And if someone doesn’t mind something slightly predicable I would recommend it. “The Cat” is a fun character a bold heroine who has fun being the Robin Hood of her area. She steals from the greedy rich men and feeds poor families with her bounty. The Earl of Stockport takes a little bit to warm up to. He’s cocky, to full of himself and won’t even admit when he’s been robbed. Or at least that the woman broke into his house while he was in it.

But eventually you warm up to him. You learn to see his point of view and have to respect how he feels about things. He’s torn between caring for the thief and wanting to see justice done. By the end of this book he did get my respect. And over the entire book was an okay read. ( )

Wanted to like this one, but just couldn't. There was absolutely no passion in this for me. It was very lackluster. Couldn't see any real connection between the main characters except lust. "Brandon" lusted so much even from the first meeting with "The Cat," that he just became stupid throughout the book. I like a strong woman as much as the next person, but not so strong that in comparison, the man looks like an idiot who only thinks with his groin. I'd have thought that with so much lust between these two that at least their first sexual encounter together would be good. But, like the rest of the book it lacked any kind of passion. More than that, it seemed awkward. That's the scene that finally convinced me to give up on this book. Unfortunate, because the premise seemed good. The book just didn't deliver. ( )