{"id":9213,"date":"2017-08-22T10:44:54","date_gmt":"2017-08-22T14:44:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/?p=9213"},"modified":"2022-10-30T19:56:50","modified_gmt":"2022-10-30T23:56:50","slug":"a-gift-for-guile-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/9213","title":{"rendered":"A Gift for Guile"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Gift for Guile<\/a><\/em> (2016) Alissa Johnson<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Set in England in 1872<\/p>\n

The second book in the Gentleman Thief-takers series tells Esther’s story–that of a girl who was used by her scoundrel father as dainty and surprising henchman, and who kept her secrets from everyone–including her sister.<\/p>\n

Now she is looking for her father–her true father rather than the man who raised her. The man whom her mother ran off with for several months prior to Esther’s birth.<\/p>\n

Samuel Brass was labeled the Thief-Taker Almighty by the press in the case that made his name and led to the death of the man everyone thought of as Esther’s father–and cause Ester and the rest of her siblings to change their names and hide in the country.<\/p>\n

For all his many, many unfavorable qualities, he remained a clever, well-connected gentleman accustomed to working in secrecy. And he was a man she could trust. Not unequivocally\u2014 she didn\u2019t trust any man unequivocally\u2014 but she was fairly confident that he was, in a general sense, a reasonably decent human being. It was more than could be said of most people.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

They also get on each others nerves, as Esther thinks Samuel disapproves of her past and wants to control her, and Samuel feels an overwhelming need to protect a woman who refuses to listen to his advice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll not take orders from you.\u201d She didn\u2019t take orders from anyone. \u201cYou may give orders, if you like, but I\u2019ll not promise to follow them.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cOrders that don\u2019t have to be followed are called suggestions,\u201d he replied in a bland tone. <\/p>\n

\u201cThen I shall agree to take your suggestions under advisement.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t see why this should be a point of contention,\u201d she said, reaching for her wine. \u201cYou walk about London openly every day. There must be dozens of men who would like your head on a platter. Why is it you are allowed to thumb your nose at danger, but I am not?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s different.\u201d <\/p>\n

She took a long sip of her drink and set the goblet down slowly. \u201cIs that a euphemism for \u2018because you are a woman\u2019?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d Possibly. He might give it some thought later.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Samuel is not good at words. No, that is an understatement. He is laconic because he quite frequently manages to say the wrong thing. Like noting to Esther that he hadn’t realize she hadn’t kissed before, and failing to understand why that upset her. I love this bit.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, there isn\u2019t a right or wrong way to kiss.\u201d He reconsidered this. \u201cApart from a few obviously ill-advised techniques, but\u2014\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cSuch as?\u201d <\/p>\n

Bloody hell, he should have known she would ask. \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d he muttered and wracked his brain for an example. Any example. \u201cDon\u2019t recite the alphabet. Don\u2019t hop on one foot. Don\u2019t spit.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t hop on one foot and spit?\u201d Gone was the blush of embarrassment, the averted gaze. She goggled at him, all astonished amusement. \u201cYou\u2019ve found this to be a common mistake amongst the kissing population, have you?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cOf course not\u2014\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cBecause if that is the sort of kissing you\u2019ve been experiencing, you really ought to have given me a standing ovation.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not\u2014\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cAll the way back to the hotel.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t\u2014\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cThree curtain calls worth at least.\u201d <\/p>\n

He pinched the bridge of his nose. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd tossed roses at my feet,\u201d she continued.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I really like Esther.<\/p>\n

But I also like that they’re open about their foibles and willing to talk about things.<\/p>\n

\u201cHave I been clumsy again?\u201d he asked. <\/p>\n

She was beginning to wonder. \u201cMaybe.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cAh.\u201d He scratched his jaw and eyed her cautiously. \u201cAre you perhaps taking offense where none was intended?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cPossibly.\u201d That was always a possibility. <\/p>\n

\u201cRight. And do you suppose you could tell me what I might have done wrong so we can decide together if I need to fix it?\u201d <\/p>\n

Not without humiliating herself. But she couldn\u2019t see any way around it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But what I like best about Esther is that she recognizes her weaknesses but doesn’t allow that to stop her when she is threatened–she fights back and does her best to get herself out of her situation rather than waiting for Samuel to come rescue her.
\nRating: 8.5\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n

Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Gift for Guile (2016) Alissa Johnson Set in England in 1872 The second book in the Gentleman Thief-takers series tells Esther’s story–that of a girl who was used by her scoundrel father as dainty and surprising henchman, and who kept her secrets from everyone–including her sister. Now she is looking for her father–her true […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[191,30,33,8,43,41,26,56],"tags":[156,50,557],"class_list":["post-9213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-8-5-10","category-british","category-historical","category-mystery","category-private-eye","category-reread","category-romance","category-sexual-content","tag-alissa-johnson","tag-boinking","tag-victorian"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/piQkW-2oB","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":20115,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/20115","url_meta":{"origin":9213,"position":0},"title":"A Gift for Guile","author":"Michelle","date":"July 13, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"A Gift for Guile (2016) Alissa Johnson (The Thief Takers) Set in England in 1872. Esther has finally admitted that she was involved in her father's schemes--as his teenage henchman. And no one blames Esther for that--except Esther herself. Though he suspected she\u2019d be surprised to hear it, Samuel didn\u2019t\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"A-Gift-for-Guile","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/A-Gift-for-Guile.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":11618,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/11618","url_meta":{"origin":9213,"position":1},"title":"A Gift for Guile","author":"Michelle","date":"February 7, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"A Gift for Guile (2016) Alissa Johnson Set in England in 1872 Esther Walker is the daughter of a famous thief and con artist. Although none of her family knows, she also helped her father, acting as his tiny thug, threatening people with the knives she was taught to throw.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/A-Gift-for-Guile.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5965,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/5965","url_meta":{"origin":9213,"position":2},"title":"A Gift for Guile","author":"Michelle","date":"July 14, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"A Gift for Guile (2016) Alissa Johnson Set in London in 1872 This is the second book in the Thief-Takers series, and follows the second sister, Esther, and the private investigator, Samuel Brass. Esther has sneaked into London, and is caught at underground by the Samuel Brass, who ruins the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"A-Gift-for-Guile","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/A-Gift-for-Guile.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":13383,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/13383","url_meta":{"origin":9213,"position":3},"title":"A Gift for Guile","author":"Michelle","date":"August 29, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"A Gift for Guile (2016) Alissa Johnson (The Thief Takers) Set in England in 1872 This series is just SO delightful. As soon as the door shut on the last giggle, she darted out from behind the screen and pulled the lid off one of the platters. Oh, asparagus. 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A woman\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"A Talent for Trickery","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/A-Talent-for-Trickery-e1511012717126.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":11616,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/11616","url_meta":{"origin":9213,"position":5},"title":"A Talent for Trickery","author":"Michelle","date":"February 7, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"A Talent for Trickery (2015) Alissa Johnson Set in England in 1872 Owen Renderwell and his partners became famous as the Thief-Takers who rescued a kidnapped duchess, so they became private investigators, however, a series of thefts followed by a murder returns them to the criminals who assisted the government\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/A-Talent-for-Trickery-e1511012717126.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9213"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9213\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}