Vow of Thieves

Kazi is a Rahtan warrior who used to be a street thief. Jase Ballenger now leads his family. After a meeting with the Queen of Venda, the two ride back to Tor's Watch, hoping to find a home there and a future in which the Ballengers are no longer treated as outlaws.

A warning and an ambush end that plan. Kazi is taken captive, and Jase gets away. Back on his own ground, he has to gather allies against a schemer who has taken over his home with mercenaries behind him.

The two are kept apart and each is unsure whether the other is alive. Kazi works her way through palace intrigue, while Jase faces open fighting. Each uses their own particular skills to learn who the real enemy is. Someone from the past still lurks behind events, and trust is in doubt for every page.

This is young adult fantasy and the second book of the Dance of Thieves duology, set in the same world as the Remnant Chronicles. The romance between the leads is already established and burns slowly, kept at a distance by the separation. The pace is fast, and the plotting leans on politics as much as on swordplay.