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The Fay of Skye #2
A Theft of Magic
An alternate cover for this ASIN can be found here.
A woman sworn to truth. A man who deals in lies. A passion lighting the way to love...or loss.
Sorcha Fay, known to the world as the reclusive Seeress of Skye, lives alone on the Fay clan properties in Scotland. Beneath the veneer of mystery is a lonely woman who has learned to live for duty.
Ronan McCarrick is a thief, smuggler, spy, and Irish republican. The new Duchess of Fay hires him to secretly retrieve some relics from the vault in Fay House on the Isle of Skye.
When Ronan arrives on the island, he stumbles into one of Sorcha’s wards and tries to free himself with magic. A defensive spell triggers, incinerating his clothing and everything he’s carrying—including the letter that would have told Sorcha why he’s come to Skye.
Despite an instant attraction to the naked and furious Irishman, Sorcha believes that Ronan is an interloper who has been attacking her wards for months. She binds his magic and puts him under a spell until she can find out the truth. But while she has him in custody, someone else steals the most powerful and dangerous artifacts in Clan Fay’s possession.
Now Sorcha needs Ronan’s help to steal them back. But the longer they’re together, the more she fears that what he’s stealing is her heart.
The Fay of Skye series is a gaslamp fantasy, set in an alternative Victorian Era with magic. The first book in the series is Essential Magic.
A woman sworn to truth. A man who deals in lies. A passion lighting the way to love...or loss.
Sorcha Fay, known to the world as the reclusive Seeress of Skye, lives alone on the Fay clan properties in Scotland. Beneath the veneer of mystery is a lonely woman who has learned to live for duty.
Ronan McCarrick is a thief, smuggler, spy, and Irish republican. The new Duchess of Fay hires him to secretly retrieve some relics from the vault in Fay House on the Isle of Skye.
When Ronan arrives on the island, he stumbles into one of Sorcha’s wards and tries to free himself with magic. A defensive spell triggers, incinerating his clothing and everything he’s carrying—including the letter that would have told Sorcha why he’s come to Skye.
Despite an instant attraction to the naked and furious Irishman, Sorcha believes that Ronan is an interloper who has been attacking her wards for months. She binds his magic and puts him under a spell until she can find out the truth. But while she has him in custody, someone else steals the most powerful and dangerous artifacts in Clan Fay’s possession.
Now Sorcha needs Ronan’s help to steal them back. But the longer they’re together, the more she fears that what he’s stealing is her heart.
The Fay of Skye series is a gaslamp fantasy, set in an alternative Victorian Era with magic. The first book in the series is Essential Magic.
- GenresRomance
304 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 17, 2016
3 people are currently reading
9 people want to read
About the author
Cara McKinnon
12 books11 followersCara McKinnon has been writing magical stories since age five, when she penned a gripping tale about a unicorn couple--her first foray into fantasy romance. Cara is a graduate of the Seton Hill University Writing Popular Fiction MFA program, which she recommends to all genre writers. She lives in Western Maryland with her husband, two children, and an oversized lapdog named Jake.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 5, 2017
**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for honest review.**
A man crosses a magical ward and loses his... clothes. Oh, and his heart.
Sorcha has been tasked with protecting items of extreme importance. To do so, she lives mostly secluded and surrounded by magical wards of protection that she must maintain. But when a man approaches her shores and trips her guard, she finds herself and her magic being tested.
Ronan was sent to retrieve a few things from the vaults that Sorcha guards. Unfortunately, when he arrives and loses his letter, Sorcha doesn't believe that he is who he says. Even though she feels inexplicably drawn to the man, she isn't sure if she should trust him.
But keeping their distance from each other is nearly impossible to do when all they can think about is the fiery chemistry between them. Soon, they give in to their impulses and develop a relationship of the intimate variety. Their happy bubble bursts when someone actually does break through Sorcha's wards and steals items from the vault.
To recover the property, Ronan and Sorcha must disguise themselves and track the thief across land and sea. With the aid of a student of magic, a duchess, and her husband, the group fight to retrieve the magical objects. Politics, schemes, and betrayal happen along the way.
This book was a pretty quick read for me. I started it in the morning and was finished by dinnertime. It never lost my interest and the main characters were easy to get used to and root for. The sex started early and got steamier as it went. This was a lust first and love later story, which I can appreciate and believe.
As for the plot, I found the magic to be mostly simple to understand. We get to see plenty of magic used so this is definitely filled with that fantasy element. I would say that it's pretty equal on magic and romance. There are a few twists that I definitely didn't see coming and even one that made me want to pull my hair out. Thankfully, I forgave the guilty party for a momentary lapse in judgement. I won't name names but he knows who he is...
In closing...
The epilogue seems to set up the couple for the next book and I am certainly interested in reading the first and future installments. Four suns!
Full review on blog: http://uptildawnbookblog.blogspot.com/2017/01/review-theft-of-magic-by-cara-mckinnon.html
February 28, 2017
What a superb fantasy historical! I am not much in the way of reading these for many are such a disappointment to those who love historical romances. However, I will eat my words for this series. I have now read them all and each of them was a five star read. A great read that I shall keep and reread again and again. I adored the authors way of telling the story. Her characters are super and done in a very imaginative way. Her way of blending fantasy and magic with history was great. I was captivated and enchanted and enthralled by her writing and her stories. I will keep looking for more from this one as I cannot wait to see what else she does. You will absolutely not be disappointed in buying this book or the series. So buy buy buy buy buy.
I was given this book in return for an honest review. I will absolutely use this review for all in the series for in my opinion each of them deserves the great read five star ratings. Anna Swedenmom
I was given this book in return for an honest review. I will absolutely use this review for all in the series for in my opinion each of them deserves the great read five star ratings. Anna Swedenmom
February 6, 2017
Disclaimer: I consider the author a friend, and the two of us have worked together to help promote each other's work as nontraditional authors. I won a hardcopy version of this novel from the author in a random giveaway drawing during a social media launch event. I would absolutely have purchased this novel anyway.
Romantic fantasy is not my usual cup of tea, but McKinnon hits it out of the park once again with this delightful blend of alternate history, historical fiction, action, and sensuality. This novel focuses on another member of a magical family set during Queen Victoria's reign in a world inhabited by magic. At first glance, Sorcha is a stereotypical fantasy heroine, a loner Scotswoman with a talent for visions, while Ronan embodies the cliche Irish rogue. However, McKinnon's talent for world-building also extends to character building, and Sorcha and Ronan's relationship, set in the larger framework of missing magical artifacts, set in the even larger "Fay of Skye" series framework of disappearing magic, is an exciting magical romp from start to finish.
Part of what I love about this alternate universe is the degree of equality between the sexes, which is put to effective use as conflict between the two main characters in the first act of the book. The explicit sex scenes are erotic without bordering on gaudy, and when the action ramps up in the middle and last sections of the books, it is not to the detriment of the sensuality and affection that exists between the Sorcha and Ronan. Additionally, hints of a potential love triangle never come to fruition, leading to a much more interesting character wrinkle and a (non-romantic) relationship I'm interested to see more of. Fans of erotic fantasy will not be bored with the action- (and magic-)packed heist adventures, and hopefully fans of historical fantasy will enjoy the romance as it unfolds.
Though this book is meant to stand alone within the larger series, I'm glad of the background knowledge I have of other characters and the larger plot at large. Seeing Etta's happily ever after with Mal (from Essential Magic) is delightful, but more interesting is seeing Etta come into her own in the midst of London's nobility. In this same vein, I'm looking forward to glimpsing more of Sorcha and Ronan's future in future "Fay of Skye" novels.
Romantic fantasy is not my usual cup of tea, but McKinnon hits it out of the park once again with this delightful blend of alternate history, historical fiction, action, and sensuality. This novel focuses on another member of a magical family set during Queen Victoria's reign in a world inhabited by magic. At first glance, Sorcha is a stereotypical fantasy heroine, a loner Scotswoman with a talent for visions, while Ronan embodies the cliche Irish rogue. However, McKinnon's talent for world-building also extends to character building, and Sorcha and Ronan's relationship, set in the larger framework of missing magical artifacts, set in the even larger "Fay of Skye" series framework of disappearing magic, is an exciting magical romp from start to finish.
Part of what I love about this alternate universe is the degree of equality between the sexes, which is put to effective use as conflict between the two main characters in the first act of the book. The explicit sex scenes are erotic without bordering on gaudy, and when the action ramps up in the middle and last sections of the books, it is not to the detriment of the sensuality and affection that exists between the Sorcha and Ronan. Additionally, hints of a potential love triangle never come to fruition, leading to a much more interesting character wrinkle and a (non-romantic) relationship I'm interested to see more of. Fans of erotic fantasy will not be bored with the action- (and magic-)packed heist adventures, and hopefully fans of historical fantasy will enjoy the romance as it unfolds.
Though this book is meant to stand alone within the larger series, I'm glad of the background knowledge I have of other characters and the larger plot at large. Seeing Etta's happily ever after with Mal (from Essential Magic) is delightful, but more interesting is seeing Etta come into her own in the midst of London's nobility. In this same vein, I'm looking forward to glimpsing more of Sorcha and Ronan's future in future "Fay of Skye" novels.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews