Jase Ballenger, the Man That You Are

 Vow of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson

Jase Ballinger, the man that you are. I was worried about this book since I loved  book 1 so much, but it did not disappoint. First and foremost, the man that narrates Jase has a sexy voice. *swoon* Now, on to the story. Jase and Kazi are separated for the majority of this book but they are foremost in each others minds. Everything they do, they do to get back to the other. I love them so much. They are happily planning their life together on the way back to Hell's Mouth. They get to where they can see Tors Watch and the skyline looks different. They find a messenger bird that falls out of the sky, but when they get to the bird it has clearly been dead for a while. The message is still attached and it's addressed to Jase. Just as they are about to run hell bent for leather arrows rain down on them. Jase is hit. A lot. Kazi manages to get control over his horse and sends it running, with Jase, to the safety of the forest. She is captured, but kills 3 of the attackers in the process. She is wounded and put in a prison. But, she soon has a guardian angel that is giving her extra food and medicine so that she can survive. She is taken from the prison and put in a room to clean up. Then she is taken to the king; turns out he's not the bumbling fool everyone thought. He's a megalomaniac. And he's obsessed with Jase. He wants everything he has, including Kazi. Paxton arrives with a severed hand wearing Jase's ring and Kazi about loses her mind thinking he's dead, but she refuses to believe it. The king is ecstatic. He goes about his plan to take over everything, starting by killing anyone who is still loyal to Jase. He has Nash and Lydia captive so he uses them to force Kazi to do his bidding and join his team. When she finally gets time with the kids she learns that they don't actually hate her and they are terrified of the king but they know how to play their part. She is sent to search the house for some special papers that have disappeared and Paxton is sent to guard her. While their Paxton tells her that Jase is safe, he took him to the settlement. He also tells her that he was the one sneaking her medicine. They form an alliance and plan to save the kids. Their plan works and she hides the kids in the crypt. Then, she runs to the mountain trying to find the hidden entrance to the vault. When she gets there Jase is not there and the family does not believe her about anything. They lead her to a trap and she gets grabbed by the king's patrols. Now the king knows she was faking it and she no longer has to pretend, so she tells him he is inadequate in every way. He is going to publicly execute her, but not until he gets answers about the vault. He attacks her with the poison dogs but she never tells him anything. Meanwhile, Jase is in the root cellar recovering. He slowly builds up his strength andonce he is strong enough he heads up the mountain to his family because that's where he expects to find Kazi. When he gets there Gunner tells him that they gave her up to the king and Jase loses his mind. Gunner is all are you going to kill your brother over a traitor? And Jase is all "Kazi is my wife!" and *swoon* I knew it was coming, but hearing him say it was everything. He gets into the mountain and has to convince his family to help him rescue her, they do not want to but he will do it without them if necessary. So they agree and devise a plan that hinges around her public execution. Ren and Synove show up and help him get to his family and with the plan. They are going to create a diversion and steal her from the execution platform. They do not know that she is in bad shape, so when Jase drops down from the rafters to save her she can't do anything but hang there like dead weight. During the dash home he discovers the dog bites and figures out what happens. They get her home and give her the medicine and she lives. They then come up with a plan to attack the king. Paxton is now being trusted by everyone. They decide to blow up all of the kings weapons. Then they fight; Jase goads the king into a sword fight and the king is nowhere near as good as Jase. Plus, he's fighting with pure rage so no finesse. Jase wins. Easily. Kazi kills Zane, finally, as he's trying to escape and he is so surprised that she wins. Before he dies he tells her where he took her mother; the old kings house. She was stolen to be his new wife. She has been dead for years but Kazi finally gets the closure she needs. They go home and start rebuilding, but Jase's mom wants them to get married again, so she can be there this time. So they do. The Queen shows up and makes Tors Watch officially part of the kindgom. Ren and Synove are given new jobs, they are to stay at Tors Watch. And they all live happily ever after.  I could read so many more books about Jaze and Kazi. Or a spin off. I love this duology. I love it so much I'm going to buy the physical books (yes, the audio version was amazing, but I need to have it in my possession). If he's not Jase Ballinger, I don't want him. Obsessed.