Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Born into poverty and orphaned young, Daveth Blyd had one chance for success when his fighting prowess earned him a place in the Tangye city guard—a place he lost to false accusations of theft. Now he scrapes out a living searching for wayward spouses and missing children. When a nobleman offers him a small fortune to find an entertainer who’s stolen a ring, Daveth takes the case.

 

While Jory Pearce may or may not be a thief, he certainly can’t be trusted. But, enchanted by Jory’s beauty and haunting voice, Daveth soon finds himself caught in the middle of a conspiracy. As he searches desperately for answers, he realizes that he’s also falling for Jory. The two men face river wraiths, assassins, a necromancer, and a talking head that could be Daveth’s salvation on their quest for the truth. But with everyone’s integrity in question and Death eager to dance, Daveth will need more than sorcery to survive.

 

Book Review

A wonderfully detailed and socially specific world is the setting for this fantasy thriller with a historical feel. The location is the city of Tangye, the kingdom’s capital, and its various quarters are separated by profession - or lack thereof for the poorest in this society. With a royal family, nobility, merchants, and working class strictly separated, this feudal society has many markers of our past. But there are also spells that are sold and replace technology, and wizards and witches are commonplace, putting it firmly into fantasy territory. I enjoyed this rich background with all its colors, scents, and flavors and getting to know the details was almost as much fun as following the main story.

The tale is told in first person by Daveth Blyd, a forty-something former city guard who returned to the lowest parts of society, basically because he doesn’t like following orders. Daveth is, in essence, what we would call a private investigator. With the city guard fulfilling the role of police, but since many people are not willing to disclose their secrets to this official body, Daveth has created a niche for himself that uses his talents for finding people, objects, and information yet allows him some control over which jobs he takes. When he accepts a nobleman’s assignment to find a thief, it is the beginning of a thrilling adventure and a suspenseful fight for survival that thoroughly challenge Daveth on every level.

Jory Pearce remains a bit of an unknown until Daveth manages to begin to unravel some of the secrets that surround him. Nobody seems to know much about who he is, but the nobleman’s accusation that he is a thief makes Daveth pay close attention. What he finds is not at all what he expects, and the conspiracy he uncovers soon endangers both of them. Pushed together by necessity they discover the need to trust each other, and that gradually leads to more. It’s a subtle romance at first, one neither of them expects, but it turns out to be as unavoidable as Daveth’s need to uncover the truth. The ending is somewhat unexpected, but it’s probably the only one that will ensure Daveth and Jory have a chance to build a life together.

If you like fantastical worlds where magic is part of everyday life, if you want to see a disgraced guard put his talents to use to fight injustice and treason that extends all the way to the royal family, and if you’re looking for a suspenseful read full of adventure, secrets, discoveries, and a romance that is as unexpected as it is hot, then you will probably like this novel.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 210 pages/71102 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	24-July-2018
Price	$6.99 ebook, $14.99 paperback, $14.99 bundle
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/blyd-and-pearce-by-kim-fielding-9752-b