The Night of One Hundred Thieves

The indelible Queen was dying. The kingdom was at peace. And the ring was about to be buried forever in the royal crypt. But a long, hard winter tortures the people. Then a sultry summer drags on. And the stories of the ring's power and promise are destined to inspire one memorable night of desperation and magic, the night of one hundred thieves.

From an unlikely cast of farmers, travelers, townspeople, courtiers, and royals, One Hundred unravels a tale of forty people all both recognizable and unique, as they barrel toward their future together and an inevitable clash of motives. From Farrah the Barren to Nora the Girl Widow, from Tarquis the Secret Pirate to Lykus the Cupbearer, their stories will make you laugh, cry, remember, and hope for their future and the future of magic.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Devon Trevarrow Flaherty weaves a unique legend of magic and power, desire and destiny, in her novel, The Night of One Hundred Thieves. As the queen goes gently into death, the surrounding kingdom wonders what will happen to the legendary ring she has always worn. The citizens, the thieves, see this solitary piece of jewelry as a symbol of hope. And everyone has something different to hope for. 

There are many, many characters in this novel. So many, that I dare not claim a specific one to be the main character. The beginning of the book gives readers a list of the characters and a loose overview of their role in the story. Here, I'm going to focus on the characters that impacted the story for me. First, we'll start with the characters whom I dubbed as the true villains. Aren, Farrah's sidekick, did not impress me. He is a manipulator and a thug. Farrah the Barren, also horrid. She thinks she can hold everyone under her thumb with secrets and gossip to get what she wants. It's just awful. I also had a slight problem with Nikeas, the young prince, whose plan was to steal the ring off of his mother's corpse. I feel like that's a bit twisted and disrespectful. 

Now, the characters who I felt connected to the most include Cecily, Conover, and Hilary. Cecily is a widow and a step-mother. She's a sweet woman with a deep rooted belief in magic. Cecily has an innocent heart full of hope. Her beliefs and steady countenance drew me to her side. Conover is the Storyteller of the kingdom. He keeps history alive by sharing the past and collecting the present. He's observant, giving, and loving. Readers will enjoy Conover's naivete and his openness. Hilary is a concubine of the castle though she wishes not to be. She aspires to be her own person, in a regular life, away from the jewels and finery of her present situation. The hope of these three characters is astounding, and readers will enjoy seeing how they impact the legendary night. Though, I do think each reader will pick their own favorite characters based on which ones they believe make an impact in the legend and have worthy traits on which they can form a connection.

The legend begins with the Queen. She's ruled for quite some time and her health is declining. The ring she has always worn is rumored to have great, renowned power. Upon her death, her husband, the King, decides that she will be buried with her jewelry. The word spreads quickly and soon many citizens and castle employees are wondering just how they can get their hands on the ring. 

The Night of One Hundred Thieves is written with a montage of short scenes. The band of characters play their roles, speaking to one another and passing the focus of the story, on and on. Readers will enjoy the snippets of information they can piece together like a mystery as the story evolves. Though, the amount of characters is a bit overwhelming. It helps that they all have descriptive phrases after their names, such as Nora the Girl Widow, but it wasn't easy to keep everyone separate as the focus shifts so quickly and repeatedly. Some readers may not like the scrolling through of characters. 

However, aside from the confusion between characters, the story is incredibly compelling. Flaherty writes as if the book is a myth uncovered, only ever discussed secretly by firelight in the company of those you truly trust. Readers who enjoy legends and magic coupled with deceit and scheming will surely like The Night of One Hundred Thieves.

Rating: 3/5 Cups

Protector (Anniversary of the Veil #1)

Duty versus love is the one battle warrior Kae does not know how to fight.


Kae has trained his entire life to become an elite Protector of the Realm. When he finally achieves this honor he finds himself protecting something far greater: the Veil separating two worlds. On one side of the Veil lie unlimited stores of magic. On the Realm's side, magic is all but obliterated, and Kae is one of the few who can use it. The priests who secretly rule the Realm will do everything they can to control his growing magical abilities. Kae's willing to pay the price, even though it separates him from Issa, the girl he loves.

But the Veil has weakened over the last thousand years and powers on both sides will stop at nothing to keep it intact. Strangers from the other side have kidnapped Issa to take her across the Veil and sacrifice her to strengthen it. Kae is the only one who can find her. Going to her rescue means forsaking his oaths and duty, and leaving behind the future he always wanted. But if he chooses duty over love, Issa will die.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Vanna Smythe introduces readers to a world split apart at the seams with her novel, Protector. As the 1000th anniversary approaches, each part of the world fights for a different outcome. While some want the veil to dropped, others will stop at nothing to see it stay in place. 

Kae is the main character of this fantasy novel, an orphan raised to be a Protector of the Realm. A member of an elite army, if you will. What he doesn't know is that being a Protector has a dual meaning - he must also protect the veil - the division of worlds he has never heard of. But he has powers that Protectors haven't seen in five hundred years, which makes him a threat the Veil and to the Realm. Readers will connect with Kae for two main reasons, the very things he must choose between: duty and love.

Since Kae began training, he has thrown himself whole heartedly into becoming a Protector. Though while in training, he's been assigned to guard the Princess, who he comes to love. When he discovers that he is the Decision Maker and will ultimately decide if the Veil remains intact or is destroyed, Kae has a hard time knowing which to strive for. Readers will connect with his loyal and brave personality but will also connect with his desire to love the Princess. Smythe aligns the readers with Kae, strengthening the connection between them and therefore hooking readers to her Anniversary series. 

The plot is intriguing, inventive, and full of adventure while the mix of genres opens the book up to various types of readers. Although I'm not sure if I'll continue the series yet, I think many different readers will be captivated by Protector.

Rating: 3/5 Cups

Protector (Anniversary of the Veil, Book 1)

A Cat and her Claws

Chloe King is Mai. A member of an ancient race descended from Egyptian goddesses. She has the reflexes of a cat, not to mention the claws to go with it.

In the second installment of series, Chloe King is being protected by other Mai members, including the pride leader, Sergei. However, not all is as it seems.

Brian, a member of the Tenth Blades, is helping Chloe to stay alive.
Alyec, who is also Mai, is now Chloe's boyfriend.
And Kim... Well, Kim has cat ears.

Then of course there are Paul and Amy, Chloe's two best (human) friends, who are always there to help break and enter.

When Chloe's mother is kidnapped by the Tenth Blades, all must join together to find her, while still protecting Chloe from an executioner who may, or may not, be dead. What follows may be the war everyone is trying to avoid.

After polishing off the second novel in the series, The Stolen, in a little less that four hours, I'm on to the final book. Trust me, if you love fantasy and angst-y teenagers breaking rules and spreading their claws then pick this series up!

The Stolen on Amazon

Resurrection of the Dead

"Death is a seductive, erotic thing."
Play Dead

As my investigative mind swirls through the minute details of each character, I'm struggling to put the pieces together in the right order. Anne Frasier is spinning a delicate web of people, places, and folklore that makes me question everyone and the motives behind everything they do.

Underneath the soft Georgia dirt are people who are being resurrected. With skin that smells like death but ears that tune into the living, dead bodies are coming back to life. The Voodoo and Root Doctor myths that circle the dark city of Savannah hint at what might be going on, but a spell is never certain. Especially when the detective in charge of these un-dead cases is the daughter of a powerful conjurer and there's a killer who doesn't appear to be very good at getting the job done.

Could this all be coincidence? An experiment with a new street drug made out of Puffer fish toxins? Or could someone really be bringing to dead back to life to do their bidding?

Think twice about the next question, do you believe in ghosts?