A review by theoppositebookshelf
The Thief and the Painter by Candice Clark

dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

This is the debut novel by Candice Clark and what an excellent debut it was. The Thief and the Painter follows two broken people who fall in love at first sight, but have to fight to be able to be together. This book has a darker vibe, and I think the Southern setting really added to that with an almost gothic feeling. 

Our two main characters are Amelia and Merrick who met when they were teenagers after their parents got married in a failed attempt to con each other. Amelia’s mother is a black widow who has murdered several of her former husbands and Merrick’s father is manipulative, abusive, and an alcoholic. OBVIOUSLY both our MCs are carrying some serious baggage because of that. 

Amelia has channeled her trauma into art and Merrick has channeled his into thieving (and definitely being obsessed with Amelia) 

They both love each other, but Merrick has avoided her because he didn’t want her to be used against him and be hurt in the process. His plan is to remain away from her UNTIL he’s able to put both of their parents away for their crimes. 

Amelia has had enough of his mixed signals and chips away at his carefully curated wall until he finally snaps and they both give in to the tension that’s been building between them for nine years. 

And when I say he snaps, I mean SNAPS. The smut in this book was sooooo well written. It was nasty while also being so tender because of the love and history between these two. 

It was so clear to me how OBSESSED Merrick was with Amelia and how she felt those feeling right back. 

I felt like I knew Merrick so well. You really get into his head with all of his POV chapters and you understand his motives for everything he does. One thing I wished I had more of was Amelia. With the glimpses of her that we got, I loved her. She was really different from other dark romance heroines I’ve read. She threw literal punches and was funny, while also being vulnerable and graceful. I just wish we had more of her throughout the book. 

One piece that I’m really excited for are the Easter eggs that Candice placed for the next books in the series. She was able to introduce Siren and Deacon with just enough detail to make me want more of them. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Candice’s writing style is really engaging and I am looking forward to reading more from her! 

*I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*