Spotlight & Giveaway: Between Two Thieves by Sloane Steele

Today, HJ is pleased to share with you Sloane Steele’s new release: Between Two Thieves

Don’t miss this new high-stakes romantic caper series, where they’re planning the art heist of the century—to right the wrongs of the past.

She’s no stranger to theft—but this time, it’s her heart at risk of being stolen.

Get in. Get out. The two basic rules of thieving.

But when Nikki Russo runs into ex-boyfriend Wade Palmer, getting out gets mighty complicated, mighty fast. Burned by Wade before, her life was less difficult with him gone—even if it was less exciting.

Nikki’s working for the good guys now, trying to restore some ill-gotten gains to their rightful owners. Wade is doing one last job for his mentor—who also happens to be Nikki’s dad.

Now it seems they’re after the same high-value painting. And maybe a little of that thrill they used to share. Teaming up with a man she’s not sure she can trust won’t be easy, especially when Nikki discovers there’s a lot more at stake than Wade first let on.

But then, Nikki’s always loved a challenge. Where’s the fun in easy anyway?

Counterfeit Capers
Book 1: It Takes a Thief (available now)
Book 2: Between Two Thieves (available June 29)
Book 3: To Catch a Thief (available August 3)

Enjoy an exclusive excerpt from Between Two Thieves 

Boone smiled, his mouth curving behind a thick beard. “I can’t believe I’m finally meeting the infamous Nikki.”
“Infamous?” She glared at Wade. “How about notorious? Renowned?” Then she grinned and splayed her hands in the air. “Legendary.”
Wade scoffed. “In your own mind maybe.”
Boone leaned forward on his beefy forearms. “I like her.”
“So you work with Wade doing security? Where’d you meet?” she asked as the waitress returned with their drinks. She slid the wine next to her for London.
“We were both working the streets and decided we could go legit and make money without having to look over our shoulders forever.”
Nikki picked up her bottle and drank. She’d asked the question to be polite. She hadn’t expected this man to have been her replacement. He’d known Wade since she left.
London breezed in, giving her a one-armed hug, before sliding into the seat next to Nikki. “Sorry I’m late. I got caught up.”
“It’s fine,” Nikki said. “London, this is Wade and Boone.” She pointed to each man.
London reached across and shook Wade’s hand and when she slid her palm into Boone’s she took a sharp intake of air. “Big hands,” she murmured.
Nikki snickered.
“Okay. I want to hear it all,” London said.
“All what?” Nikki asked.
“I want to know all about you and Wade. How did you meet? How long were you together?”
Nikki stiffened. That got way too personal way too quick.
Wade said, “We met when I lifted her wallet.”
Nikki choked on her beer. “Tried to lift my wallet.”
“Did I or did I not walk away with a wallet?”
Nikki’s head filled with images of a young Wade and his clumsy attempt at stealing. He’d been so cute and he thought he could charm her enough to not notice his hand slip into her purse. Pointing at him with her bottle, she said, “You got a wallet, not mine, because I let you. I felt sorry for you.”
This time Wade snorted. “You thought I was cute and my charm distracted you.”
“Keep telling yourself that. In reality, it was pity.”
“Oh, damn,” London said.
Nikki and Wade both turned to look at her.
“This,” she said flicking a hand back and forth between them. “This is hot. Tell me what happened next.”
“My dad thought Wade showed promise, so he brought him in to teach him.”
“Is he as good…” London paused with a glance at Boone. “As you?”
“No,” they answered simultaneously.
“I’ve only heard stories about how great Nikki is,” Boone offered. “But I’ve worked with Wade and he’s pretty damn good.”
“He just admitted she’s better,” London said.
“Maybe he’s just stroking her ego.”
“Hold on,” Wade interrupted. “Her ego doesn’t need stroking. We’re both damn good thieves.”
“But I’m better,” Nikki said.
Wade sighed. “She is the better thief. I’m the better con man.”
“That he is,” Nikki added.
“So you’re like the perfect pair then,” London said.
Perfect? At one time, Nikki had thought so. “Not a team. Plus, he’s legit now. I bet he doesn’t even remember how to steal.” She took a long pull on her beer.
“I remember everything,” he said quietly.
The emphasis was purely for her and she knew it. Even though she’d just taken a drink, her throat was dry. Thoughts of everything he could remember from their time together had her draining her bottle.
Setting the bottle back on the table with a clink, she said, “Let’s put it to the test then.”
He raised an eyebrow.
She waved a hand around. “Whoever lifts the most wallets in the next hour is the supreme thief.”
“Like you said, I’m legit now. I don’t steal from poor unsuspecting drunks.”
It was her turn to sigh. “Fine. We’ll return the wallets. We lift them and then have our trusty companions here return them to their owners. Plus, London and Boone will keep count so I don’t have to worry about you cheating.”
London giggled. “This is better than I thought it would be. I’m in.”
“I don’t cheat,” Wade protested.
“Just show her how it’s done,” Boone said.
Wade stared into her eyes and she wished for another beer. “An hour?” he asked.
“I’ll even give you a head start.”
“No way. I won’t have you claiming I won because of a technicality. We start together.”
“Your call.”
“Rules?”
Nikki rolled her eyes. He couldn’t even just let a bet play out without laying everything out.
“We have to return here to hand off each wallet to London and Boone. The bet is purely for the number of wallets lifted, not the contents.”
“Agreed.” She slipped from her seat, reapplied lipstick, and blew a kiss at him. “See you in an hour.”
*
Wade had no fucking clue what he’d gotten himself into. None of it made sense. He knew Nikki was going to kick his ass at this challenge. At least for this hour, he could step away from her and the tension that rose thickly between them every time they were in the same room. It was becoming harder and harder for him to keep his hands off her.
She skirted around the room, laughing and touching people as she went. Before he even made it to his first mark, she had double dipped and grabbed wallets from a couple she passed by. Watching Nikki work was mesmerizing. She was smooth and sexy and watching her lift wallets was making him hard. Which went against everything he wanted for his life.
Hadn’t he said he was done with being a thief? Yet here he was planning to break into a museum to save Dodger again and now he agreed to lift wallets in a bar. At least there was some consolation that no one would be losing anything tonight.

Excerpt. ©Sloane Steele. Posted by arrangement with the publisher. All rights reserved.

Giveaway: One (1) ebook copy of BETWEEN TWO THIEVES by Sloane Steele (North America only).

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Meet the Author:

Sloane Steele is the pen name for Shannyn Schroeder. Shannyn is a part-time English teacher, part-time curriculum editor, and full-time mom, even though her kids are pretty self-sufficient teens. In her downtime, she bakes cookies, reads romance, and watches far too much TV.

If you want to connect with Sloane (and Shannyn) you can visit:
https://www.SloaneSteele.com
https://www.instagram.com/sloanesteeleauthor/
https://twitter.com/SSchroeder_
https://www.facebook.com/shannyn.schroeder/
Sign up for her newsletter here: https://www.subscribepage.com/sloanesteele

 
Buy Links

Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Between-Thieves-Counterfeit-Capers-Book-ebook/dp/B08LNQ6P3Y
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/between-two-thieves-sloane-steele/1138022695
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Sloane_Steele_Between_Two_Thieves?id=cpQEEAAAQBAJ
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/between-two-thieves-3