Hound of Night

Veil Knights #3

by Rowan Casey

Sometimes, the magic is real.

John Seton is a grifter, an ex-pat Scots kid working penny-ante magic tricks on the streets of L.A. But John has a secret. In his family, sometimes, the magic is real. And sometimes, it gets him noticed.

A man named Dante Grimm tells him he’s the modern incarnation of a knight of old and that he is part of a group of companions tasked with holding back the darkness to come in a battle the likes of which the world hasn't seen in centuries, a battle against a foe straight out of their worst nightmares.

Grimm sets Seton a quest, to find an item that is required to stop the coming dark, an ancient piece of leather of uncertain provenance, and high magic.

Seton sets out onto the streets, and quickly finds that he is not the only one after the halter. He is soon at odds with friends, family and foes alike, and when he is betrayed by the one person he has always been closest to, the quest comes to a head.

Seton has a hound on his tail, and he will have to travel far to avoid it, further than he has ever travelled before.

Beyond the Veil, where the darkness is real, and the hounds bay loudly.

Arthurian myth meets urban fantasy in this new series from Rowan Casey!

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy

233 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 25, 2016

About the author

Rowan Casey is the pseudonym for twelve New York Times, USA Today and Amazon bestselling writers who have come together to create the Veil Knights shared-world experience. With more than ten million copies of their books in print around the world, they include Lilith Saintcrow, CJ Lyons, Joseph Nassise, Steven Savile, Annie Bellet, Jon F. Merz, Pippa DaCosta, Robert Greenberger, William Meikle, Steve Lockley, Hank Schwaeble, and Nathan Meyer.

Reviews

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cut the Crap Express 2-Gif Crappy Non-Review (CtCE2GCNR™):

①



②



Bye now.

P.S. I've decided that, just like The Silver Spike, this series never happened. In about two seconds and a half, I will have forgotten it ever existed. Weird how Alzheimer's kicks in early when you read crappy disappointing books by an author you slightly worship one of your favourite authors. Bye again.

P.P.S. The above mentioned author that shall not be mentioned is forgiven. Because there were 11 other authors involved in the present disaster. And because I kinda sorta like her. A little bit. Not much, mind you. Just enough to sever a few of my limbs or something. Bye again again.

✎ Book 1: The Circle Gathers ★★

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's something deeply engaging about the broad concept of this series, but I haven't been able to get into the writing style of either book yet. That's not to say I find them poorly written, they're just closer to the slower more Arthurian stories than is my taste. I'll definitely continue with the series, but I'm not madly in love.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what i was expecting.

Although i have enjoyed this story, it wasn't what i was expecting. I was expecting a story that built on or continued the story line in (Veil Knights 1) this wasn't the case.
Dispite my disappointment in this regard, it is a fun short that i would recommend to other readers.

[Catherine Mcdonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it.

What do you get when you put 12 renowned authors together. Books that can't be put down. Spine tingling ,jaw dropping ,heart stopping action. Ghouls, demons and any number of awful things. Hang on for the ride of your life.

[Rosemary Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another knight, another question! This one an old leather lead, but off course, there's a lot more than that.
A collector of magical artifacts, a woman, held captive, wanting freedom. A dynasty of red headed Scottish Seton's, that have helped civilization through using their wits.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ferocious Fun

Shenanigans and Scots, ancient tales and contemporary twists - fun for all and all for fun. Hop on the veil train Nd see who we meet next.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 3

Still enjoying the series, although to be honest I found this installment a little slow. Two more to go, and maybe more.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as the first two, but I love all of the Scottish themes!

[Eric Troup · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite up to its predecessor, but still very good.

While I thought this was a great story, I was a bit put off by the fact that this doesn't continue where the first book ended, but seems to be a flashback. While I enjoyed getting to know this character I only got a brief glimpse at before, I missed Jessie Noble. Still, I'm hooked. I'll be starting the third book soon enough.

[Marsha · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first stumbled upon the first book in the Veil Knights series, I knew that the name Rowan Casey is a pseudonym for twelve New York Times Best Selling authors writing a modern day Knights of the Round Table adventure. I think the premise for this series is very original and creative; however what is lacking for me with the second book, is a cohesiveness that makes me feel this is one and the same series. Alone, "Hound of Night" is a very good read but it does not mesh well with the first book in the series. Where is the united front from the 10 Knights? When do they work together?

John Seton is a young Scottish grifter who is also one of the ten people brought together by Dante Grimm in an effort to stop the opening of a portal that is sure to cause a battle of epic proportions between humans and paranormal creatures. John's task is to locate a leather halter that possesses high magic. When he sets out to locate the halter, he didn't realize that its' current owner was a devious man by the name of Mr. Black. Not only does he have the halter but many other collectibles garnering him the name "The Collector."

What John doesn't realize is that an artifact that he has had since he was a child will play a crucial role in discovering and controlling the halter. For him, he is about to learn that most important rule of a grifter: "Once a mark, always a mark." The question is will this be enough to save him and the friend he cares about the most?

While I enjoyed this read, I was also disappointed. There were so many 4 and 5 star review praising the virtues of this read and while there was a great deal of action, I was also bored at time and barely saw the connection to the premise for this series. At this point, I not interested in reading twelve tales of different characters that does not neatly link together other than a blurb that says Dante Grimm sent them on a mission. Maybe if book one had begun with Dante Grimm so that we knew more about him, I might feel more of a connection but at this point I do not. Oh well, this series just isn't for me.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the second book of the Veil Knights series we are introduced to John Seton, Scottish ex-pat and small time grifter. John is in L.A. escaping from his life in Scotland when he learns that he may, in fact, be a veil knight. Coming from a long slightly magical family line and in possession of a decidedly magical family heirloom, it doesn't take John long to get on board with the idea that he may be the modern day incarnation of a knight and get on with his quest to find his piece of the magical talisman that will keep the denizens behind the veil from invading the earth. John's piece of the talisman is a leather leash or harness which, conveniently, is somewhere in the greater L.A. area.
John's mysterious magical heirloom, a mirror containing an entity he calls Face, soon leads him to discover a long lost cousin with his own magic mirror, who is summarily executed by an invisible hound and his mirror taken. John tracks the hound and the leash to a man called The Collector far out in the Los Angeles hills. John unexpectedly finds information relating directly to his family history when he infiltrates the Collector's house in search of information regarding his quest. He also discovers that his piece of the talisman is what is controlling the spectral hound which killed his cousin. However, John and his comrades at the Scottish ex-pat bar he calls home are almost no match for the hound who chases John from the Collector's property. After a bloody struggle John obtains the leash only to immediately lose it to the mysterious Face in the mirror. In order to avenge his cousin and obtain his piece of the talisman John has to traverse across the veil and face what his ancestors helped to imprison many centuries before.
The series continues to be intriguing. I thought it was odd, however, after all of the knights are introduced to each other in book one that they do not interact at all in book two. I'll have to wait around to see what happens in the later editions.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 2 starts with Seton. He's from Scotland and he has a magic mirror that he keeps in his pocket. It can talk to him and he's had it since he was a child. He named it Face. Face speaks with a woman's voice and can hand things to him through the mirror and accept things from him into her demesne. From Book 1 we also have Dante Grimm and his talk of magic and "the Veil" that separates our dimension from the demon and other creature ones. Dante says Seton is another of the Knights that can help him keep the Veil intact and wants to send Seton on a quest to find another piece of the puzzle necessary to do so. Another very interesting character, completely different from Jessie Noble in Book 1. Good story.

[Clint_b · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun story - great authors

I was excited to take this ride!
What a great experiment.
This novel was a little slow for me at first but when the hook set it set hard! Great read.

[Lee Ann Horner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am really sucked in to the idea of this series.Each book tells the tale of one of the knights.Book two is the story of John Seton
who has been sent on a quest by Dante Grimm to find the halter/leash. The Scots charm just oozes out of the pages. Full of vibrant characters and Scottish banter I found this to be a very entertaining read.

[Harold E Britt · Rating 5 out of 5]

New Knight

A new knight is added to the Veil Knights adventure. Bard, knave and wizard by birth, not your average knight. A welcome addition to the series, promising interesting times when the whole crew unites.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good story in the series can't wait to read the next

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adventures & a bit of Humor

Great story. Great to have humor and suspense and adventure all in one. Looking forward to the next book. Spectacular

[Richin109 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Like the idea of this series. The first two books really drew me in. Cannot wait until the next book comes out.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great adventure

Loved it. What a crazy adventure. Wild places, a crazy hound and magic mirrors.

Looking forward to the next adventure.

[Charlene Keene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story and when I was finished I still wanted to know more. can't wait for the next one.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series gets better and better. Role on volume 3!

[Julia Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this and the slow unveil of each knight. At least I know this will be several books long!