Ex-lovers get a second chance at romance when they find themselves caught up in a jewel theft gone wrong in Alisha Rai's Partners in Crime, a delightful romance with a heavy dose of heist. Amira Patel has put her past behind her and built a quiet, safe life as an accountant. Now all she needs is a husband, but after a dozen failed matches, she's worried her matchmaker is going to fire her. She's feeling down about her "dismal love life" when she gets a call for Mira Chaudhary--her given name and part of the dysfunctional past she's trying to leave behind--and learns that her Aunt Rhea has died. To add fuel to the fire, the lawyer settling her aunt's estate is none other than Naveen Desai, the first of her many failed matches and the only one she had any real feelings for. When the two are kidnapped in the mistaken belief that Rhea's will includes clues to track down a stolen diamond necklace worth millions, their awkward reunion turns into a run for their lives.
This cat-and-mouse caper is exciting and compelling in its own right, filled with twists and turns and larger-than-life con artists, big bets and plenty of scheming on all sides. Within that plot structure, though, Rai (Girl Gone Viral; Hate to Want You) turns her attention to the inner lives of her characters in all the ways she's become known for: probing what sets them off, what turns them on and what sends them running. The combination results in a romantic romp that is pure delight from start to steamy finish. --Kerry McHugh, freelance writer