Book Review: THIEF by Tarryn Fisher

THIEF by Tarryn Fisher
(Love Me With Lies #3)
July 21, 2013
232 pages
Genre: Women's Fiction
Source: Personal purchase
 

Book Blurb:

Note to Self

Love is patient; love is kind.
Love doesn't boast or brag.
There's no arrogance in love;
it's never rude, crude, or indecent-it's not self absorbed.
Love isn't easily upset.
Love doesn't tally wrongs.
Love trusts, hopes, and endures no matter what.
Love will never become obsolete.
I'll fight for her.

Thief

Caleb Drake never got over his first love. Not when he got married. Not when she got married. When life suddenly comes full circle Caleb must decide how how far he is willing to go to get the aloof and alluring Olivia Kaspen back. But for every action in life there is a consequence, and soon Caleb finds out that sometimes love comes at an unbearably high price.

My Review:

THIEF was one of my most anticipated reads of this year, and it did not disappoint. I finished reading it before bedtime and then spent the rest of the night dreaming about it. That's a sign of a great book! Tarryn Fisher has an amazing way of writing about the ugly side of people, of relationships, of love, and yet still leaving her readers with that twinge of hope that something good must come out of all that ugliness. Or maybe that's just the way I work. I cannot function without hope. Though if you've read my review of The Opportunist, you'll recall I was a complete wreck after that book. But after Dirty Red I had to have hope, though I was open to the possibility that there may not be any hope for Caleb and Olivia. That's the other appeal of Tarryn's writing - you never really know what direction she's going to take things. It's completely unpredictable, and I love it.

 

"You are worth fighting for. I haven't given up yet."

In TO I honestly didn't really like Caleb or Olivia. In DR my guard came down about Caleb and I was feeling better about him, though I still had so many questions. But in THIEF I was finally able to get the big picture, the complete picture, of Caleb and Olivia, through Caleb's eyes. Where Olivia's POV was self-destructive and Leah's was selfish and evil, Caleb finally gives us the honesty I had been hoping for, and I could finally say that I like Caleb. Okay, I love Caleb. I finally love Caleb.

 

"Olivia is a piece of art. You have to know how to interpret her, how to see the beauty under the harsh lines of her personality."

Caleb's love for Olivia shines through in this novel. What I love is that we get his honest, real view of Olivia from the moment they meet beneath that tree to the very end, and all the beauty and horror in between. And there is a lot of trauma to be dealt with. A lot! But Caleb sees who Olivia truly is. He sees her faults, her lies, her walls, her beauty, her triumphs, her fears, her flaws... he sees her. And despite everything, he forgives her and loves her unconditionally.

"I've got more of her in my veins than blood."

 

Caleb fights for Olivia. But once again, Caleb fights differently than Olivia and Leah. This is just another reason he endeared me to him in this book. I wouldn't go so far to say that he fights completely fair. But he fights honestly. He fights with his heart. He doesn't fight with vengeance or revenge. But Caleb and Olivia have been fighting an uphill battle for many, many years. And what they have to fight even goes beyond the two of them. But they needed this. If it were easy it wouldn't be them. I love and hate that Tarryn threw so much their way, but the best victories are the ones you have to work for.

 

"I see the world in different shades of Olivia."

I will not giveaway spoilers of what exactly goes on in the book, what obstacles are thrown in, who is or isn't involved, or how things turn out. But I will say that all my questions were answered, including questions I didn't even know I had. I felt complete closure. Did I love everything that happened? No. I felt so many emotions reading this book: frustration, anger, indignance, hope, fear, compassion, heartache, and love. But I also really appreciated the themes of consequences to past actions, but also forgiveness and redemption. Isn't that what we all want? To know that when we mess up there's someone out there who still loves us, forgives us, and sees the positive in us.

"Maybe our souls touched underneath that tree. Maybe I decided to love her. Maybe love wasn't our choice."

Bottomline: This is truly a remarkable series and THIEF is the amazing conclusion I'd been hoping for. Perhaps not everything ended the way I'd hoped, but what Tarryn pulled off is beyond what I imagined and for that I am thankful. Caleb and Olivia's love is raw, rough, and real. It's heart-breaking and heart-healing. I felt satisfied with the ending and the way it remained true to the continuity of the story. Tarryn doesn't do rainbows and unicorns. She does real. And I salute her beautiful triumph with THIEF. Thank you, Tarryn!

5+ STARS

BOOK LINKS:

THE OPPORTUNIST

 

DIRTY RED

THIEF