"Entertaining Fantasy - Thief Steals the Heart of King's Guard"
A prophesy had been fulfilled. A female child of great
power had been born, sending ripples through the magical
word, drawing the attention of forces both good and evil. Vic Flash had grown up on the streets of Dareelia and had
kept body and soul together by becoming the best thief and
gambler in the Thief's Hole gang. If anything,
overconfidence would be Vic's downfall. It nearly had been
tonight when Vic had pulled a nearly impossible hand, not
twice but three times, fooling the eye of the most expert
of card players. The victim had not been a good loser. Jacob Marin, one of the King's Own Guard, prided himself on
his powers of observation. He'd been intrigued by the
talented little gambler's performance, enough to warn him
to have a care for his safety. He'd been completely
surprised to learn that he'd missed the fact that Vic was
actually a Victoria, but Jacob had problems of his own.
Goblins had been seen moving toward Karasnia causing grave
concern for the King. The boss had ordered Victoria to lay low until her victim
cooled down. So clad in unfamiliar female attire Victoria
moves her act uptown where she is once more caught in the
act by Jacob Marin. General Marin, does not have her
arrested however. He has uses for her. He needs the gifted
spy to ferret out the suspicious activity taking place
within the kingdom, and perhaps for something more personal
as well. She intrigues him, a man who had had no interest
in women for over two years. He'd suffered from an
unrequited love, but the image of Victoria was beginning to
overlay that of the woman he'd lost. Victoria is wary for Jacob has quite a reputation as a
ladies' man. She'd chosen to become a thief early in life
to avoid becoming involved in that kind of arrangement. But
her new clothes made her feel strangely feminine, and Jacob
was exceedingly handsome. She would have to be very careful
to guard her heart, but agrees to take the job. What she
discovers is far more serious than first thought, blood
mages have been smuggled into town and Goblins have been
seen in the city. Then her cover is blown when her rival
learns what Vic really is, and Jacob finds he no longer
wants to send her out to face danger alone. He wants to
protect her, but first he must win her trust. Just when a tentative bond begins to form between the two,
the king's infant granddaughter is kidnapped, falling into
the hands of the blood mages. Complicating the issue is the
fact that the child's mother is none other than Jacob's
lost love, and the wife of his dearest friend. Jacob and
Victoria set out with them on a mission that will test
their strength, trust, and love for each other. Failure
would mean more than a personal loss, it could be the end
of the world as they know it. Fast-paced and intriguing, THIEF'S DESIRE is the first book
in the Fate's Hand Trilogy. Though this episode ends
happily, the reader is very much aware that the child
possesses great power, and that the enemy will not rest
until he possesses her. I enjoyed the characterizations in
this novel very much, Victoria is quite streetwise, but
very naive in the ways of men and women. Jacob is an
experienced older man, intelligent and powerful, and in the
position to dominate, but in spite of his urge to protect,
he respects Victoria, and supports her when it becomes
apparent that her unique skills are necessary to help
thwart the enemy. He knows that he could lose her, but
realizes that her spirit and determination make her the
woman that he loves. The main villain and his motives
remain a mystery, but one that will have the reader running
out to buy , DESTINY'S SEDUCTION the next installment of
this saga. Leslie Tramposch - Copyright © 2002
For PNR Reviews
Reviewed by Leslie Tramposch
Courtesy PNR
Posted March 14, 2002
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