G A Aiken was the author that introduced me into the world of romance novels all those years ago and got me hocked. I absolutely loved the first few books of her dragons series. They were funny, action packed and hot. So I had really high hopes for this one. But I found that it was quite hard to not skip pages. I noticed that over time her novels were less and less romance novels per se and more just fantasy books with a bit of sex between or at the end. So when I heard that she came out with a new series a while back and I saw it on Netgalley I thought I would give it a shot and see if her writing style changed but that's not the case if so there's even less romance in it than before. Now I think one of her strengths will always be her great humor and strong heroines and that's as true as ever.

So if you're looking for a fantasy book with lots of humor and strong women in it you will love it. If you're searching for a steamy romance novel you will probably be a bit disappointed.

My Review:⭐️⭐⭐/ 5 stars
I read the first book, The Blacksmith Queen, this past week and though there were aspects of the story I enjoyed, the immature dialogue really threw me off. I really wanted to like this- the whole premise is so interesting: centaurs, elves, badass women, family drama, warrior monks that raise the dead… I mean, I was hooked reading the description for it. The first book didn’t wow me, but the Princess Knight focused more on Gemma, the more likeable, younger sister who is a War Monk, a feared group of monks that have very unique, lethal abilities. Beatrix is such a good villain, the younger sister of the Smythe sisters who betrays them all because she simply was born a sociopath lacking all types of empathy and hungers for power through all means necessary. The action is fast paced and exciting, the characters interesting in their own ways. Again, the style of writing is what threw me. I barely finished. The childish dialogue was very distracting - I was unsure if I was reading 13 year olds chatting at school or adults about to go into battle. If you are already a fan of G.A. Aiken’s style and loved her previous work, then this is definitely for you. The story is very good, but the overall style did not do it for me.

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. This book is out on Nov 24th!

The sophomore follow-up to last year’s The Blacksmith Queen was a delightful, bloody good time, and exactly what I expected when I finally cracked open my copy to read. I mean who doesn’t love a fearless, kickass War Monk?

Picking up two years into Queen Keeley’s reign, Gemma is still by her sister’s side and still hoping to defeat her other evil sister (Beatrix) and protect the world from her dastardly plans. When they discover that many of the various groups of witches, warlocks, monks, nuns, etc. are being attacked and their powerful relics stolen Gemma rides out to her old order hoping to offer Queen Keeley’s protection. And if you are a fan of this author’s work, then I’m sure you can guess the crazy shenanigans that ensue.

This is not a series you really read for the romance, despite it being shelved as PNR or Fantasy Romance. Gemma is paired up with Quinn, and while they do make fun, squabbling travel companions their romance is more of a gradual friends-to-lovers, ‘we’ve gotten used to each other’ relationship. It’s more fun and companionable than off the charts sexy.

There is a lot going on in this book and so many new secondary characters introduced. The POV jumps repeatedly, moving the story along quite nicely. It seems like Keeley is gathering quite the group of allies in her quest to defeat Beatrix and her husband King Marius. There is even a nice surprise at the very end that will delight fans of this author who have followed her Dragon Kin series, which is also set in this world.

The Princess Knight is full of snarky humor and bloody fight scenes, which was just what I needed this week. Good stuff.

I enjoyed the story overall. If you are a fan of G.A. Aikens then you will definitely get her typical bantering style. I still prefer her Laurenston books.

Thank you Kensington Books and Netgalley for giving me an ARC copy of this book for an honest review. All thoughts and feelings expressed are my own.

This was one of my most anticipated books this year. Ever since I finished the first book I found myself looking up frequently to see if the next book was announced yet. So I was so happy when I saw that it was and I was so happy when I was approved for this book.

This is the second book in The Scarred Earth Saga, and it takes place two years after the events in the first book. Yes, it is important that you read the first book before you pick this one up. I am specifying this since I saw that question posed.

This book focuses on Brother Gemma, Keeley’s sister, and her champion. In the first book, Gemma was a solid second-tier character but you learned so little about her. I am so happy that his book is about her because there was just so much unknown about her it made her hard to connect to. This book answers so many questions about Gemma and why she is the way that she is. It goes so much deeper than just her being a War Monk. In this book, Gemma grows so much and by the end, she is on the path to really come to her own.

This book is full of strong, take no crap, female characters and I loved every minute of it. The banter that goes on had me laughing out loud more than once. I really liked the fact that the romance that is in the book did not take over the story. It is there but not the main focus point and for me, I really enjoyed that.

In this book, you see the world really expand and you get to see more groups from all over and you get a really good look at what is possible to come.

I really loved this book and I can not wait for the next one to come out. I have a feeling I know which sister will be featured in book 3 and I can not wait for it.

The Princess Knight is the second book in G.A. Aiken's exciting - and funny - series The Scarred Earth Saga. If you missed the first book, I highly recommend you read The Blacksmith Queen before this one. You may be a little lost if you don't, though you would still enjoy this volume. If you are easily offended by violence and crude vocabulary, keep looking for your next read. Otherwise, jump on in and join the party!

Gemma Smythe was a ferocious War Monk, fighting for her war god and brutally slaying enemies. However, when her sister Keeley was to become the Blacksmith Queen of the Western Lands, Gemma left her Order to fight for Keeley. Two years later she is still fighting beside her sister, but there is a new enemy to face (besides their evil sister Beatrix, Queen of the East)...Cyrus, one of the sons of the deceased King. Gemma must return to her old Order and convince them to fight on Keeley's side against Cyrus. She is accompanied by Quinn, one of the most annoying men - I mean centaur shifters - she's ever had the misfortune to meet. They head into danger to meet enemies old and new, becoming closer as their mission becomes more perilous.

Though I didn't love this one quite as much as the first one, I still found it to be quite a thrill ride. Besides making me laugh - and cringe from the violence - I also found myself crying a bit in the middle of this. That I was not expecting, and it added a bit more depth to the story. It was fun meeting up with characters from the prior book such as crazy Uncle Archie, Keeley, Caid, the demon wolves and poor younger sister Ainsley, whose older sisters always forget about her. Many new characters were also introduced, and they were an interesting bunch: witches, assassins, a truce monk, nuns, priests, virgins and Gemma's former horse. (I definitely don't want to give anything away THERE!). The romance was light but sweet in a weird way; this was more a fantasy story with romantic elements. This was an extremely fun book that will no doubt make you forget about your troubles for a bit. I cannot wait to have more adventures in the world of the Scarred Earth!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Like just about everybody, I've been in a perpetual Hulk smash mood, thanks to the crap storm that is 2020. Stories of rage and revenge joyfully carried out by unapologetic women warriors with no f*cks left to give like The Princess Knight are literally giving me life during this national nightmare. I found war monk Gemma delightful in her embrace of violence and total lack of subtlety. Like a former boss once described a colleague, "She's as subtle as a swift kick to the head".

Life shouldn't be this complicated for war monk Gemma. As younger sister to new queen Keeley, they share a younger sister who happens to be their common enemy, the cold, sociopathic, twisted Queen Beatrix. Gemma is completely loyal to Keeley and their family but what she really wants is just to return to her band of war monks. Too bad vicious attacks on her and Keeley, civil war, and oh what else stand in her way?

C'mon, how can I rate a book that nonchalantly drops in war priests, temple virgins, and divine assassins with anything but stars and applause? Gemma's story is essentially one long journey to fulfill her role as war monk, kingdom defender, sister, and all around badass. Accompanied by vicious war monks, an overlooked younger sister, a horse brought back from the dead, and a wisecracking centaur brother-in-law, Gemma's story was non-stop action.

So yeah, this was the violent "smash everything and everyone that gets in my way" saga that I needed to read in 2020. But truth be told, this wasn't my favorite G.A. Aiken. I am a ride-or-die G.A. Aiken/Shelly Laurenston stan for life, to the point that many of her earlier Dragon Kin and Pride books are complete comfort reads. To be honest, as much fun I had tagging along with Gemma and Quinn, I doubt I will revisit their story. There were too many characters randomly inserted, minor plot twists that faded away, and just, well, too much noise. This was a book about war, not peace, and Gemma's story needed a tad more clarity and order. For example, it at times seemed to be Keeley's saga, not Gemma's.

There wasn't much romance, but plenty of G.A. Aiken's bloody good fun. I do trust in the war god that is G.A. Aiken and can only hope that she is leading us on a greater journey of blood, guts, gods, sarcasm, sisterhood, and dragons. Yes, dragons. There's a special cameo that made me cackle with glee, for the first time since, well, March. I can't wait to continue this saga and can assume little sister Ainsley will take the reins.

1.5 stars

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

While I had fairly enjoyed the first book in the series, I found The Princess Knight much less engaging. It follows up a couple years on the first, and while Keeley’s sister, Gemma, is now the protagonist, it’s very much not a standalone, as I don’t know if I would have enjoyed this at all if I hadn’t had the previous book to set up what was going on for the most part.

Aiken’s prose is still fairly engaging (the other thing that kept me going despite my boredom), and while world building is still fairly minimal and I desired a bit more from it, I built on what I remembered from the power structures established in the first book, and

However, the characters did not engage me at all. Gemma was fairly boring, which is sad to say, given I liked the kickass warrior women in the first book. But there was just nothing about her that intrigued me. And there’s a barely-there romance with Quinn that also didn’t intrigue me, but given I wasn’t a fan of the sex in the first book in spite of the romance being understated, I think this one was a better approach overall.

I wish I enjoyed this book more, given the potential of the first book. I do hope that the next one is a bit more in keeping with the first. However, I am aware that my opinion is more in the minority, based on a glance at other early reviews. If you enjoyed the first book, I would encourage keeping an open mind about this one and trying it for yourself to see if it works better for you.

With any GA Aiken book, I expect badass heroines, snarky humour galore and a crazy ride and The Princess Knight delivered in spades!

We first met Gemma in The Blacksmith Queen as she rushed home to protect her sister, Keeley from dangers along her path to becoming a destined queen. This book picks up two years after the first instalment and Queen Keeley now has to consolidate her power while fending off the remaining heirs of the old ruler. This has Gemma’s protective instinct on high alert and adventures and necromancy ensue!

Even more so than in The Blacksmith Queen, the romance in this book takes a back seat but the banter between Gemma and Quin is delicious and the sloooooowww unfolding of friends to lovers was believable and 🔥 🔥

As usual the world building was excellent and I felt that this book really on the last and from the ending, OMG I CAN’T WAIT FOR THE NEXT!

The Princess Knight is the second book in The Scarred Earth Saga and I recommend reading The Blacksmith Queen before picking up The Princess Knight. This is more of a fantasy series with a romance element, as opposed to a full-blown fantasy romance. But trust me, it works. And I'm saying this as a romance reader who normally likes the romance to be the focus of a book.

We are now officially in the middle of a war between two Queens. Gemma is a war monk who has been by her sister Keeley's side for two years. But when various monasteries and religious sects are attacked and destroyed, Gemma is worried that her religious order is next. She decides to travel to her monastery to warn the war monks. But she is also unwillingly accompanied by centaurs, including Quinn, who likes to tease and annoy her.

When I pick up a G.A. Aiken book, I know I am in for a wild ride and that is exactly what I got with The Princess Knight. There's a large set of boisterous characters who are always screaming and swearing at various points in the story. The fight scenes are epic, gory, and so bloody. If you cannot handle gore and crass language, you might want to step away from this series. There are also many new characters who are introduced in this book including other war monks, war priests, divine assassins, temple virgins, truce vicars, and witches LOL. I know, it sounds bananas and it is bananas, but it WORKS! I don't know how G.A. Aiken does it, but she makes every single bananas element in this series work really well together as a whole. The interactions between these characters are HILARIOUS and they all work in tandem with the plot.

I've also said this before and I will say it again: I LOVE G.A. Aiken's brand of badass warrior heroines. Gemma is not only a badass war monk who fights her way through battle using her brawn, but she is also a necromancer who can raise her dead enemies during battle. I also adored Quinn! I have a soft spot for funny and easygoing heroes who like to tease their taciturn/grumpy heroines and this is exactly the pairing we get here with Quinn and Gemma. I love Gemma and Quinn together! Like I mentioned earlier, the romance takes a backseat for the plot, but the hero and heroine do interact a lot and their romance is definitely more on the slow burn side of things. I'm actually really satisfied with the romance even though it's not the focus of the story. It all works out well, in my opinion.

There is also a lot of plot development and the ending just blew me away. I'm very excited to see where the author takes this series!

P.S. Kir and Quinn's bromance is the best LOL

Q: what’s the most unusual shifter romance you’ve read? Mine is this series--it has centaurs!

G. A. Aiken/aka Shelly Laurenston is all too willing to go there. The books I’ve read of hers are bananas, w/ ferocious “unlikable” likable heroines, crass language, & bold storylines, & it’s an altogether entertaining free for all.

The Princess Knight is the second book in The Scarred Earth Saga, this one focusing on Gemma Smythe, a necromancer war monk & sister of the blacksmith queen Keeley.

Gemma’s a brave & sometimes reckless warrior who frequently gets into shouting (& physical) matches with her sister/queen & kinda hates Amachi warrior Quinn, a centaur whom everyone else is alternately charmed & irritated by.

I did want more physical chemistry between Gemma & Quinn *throughout* the novel but this is another thrilling/fun to read/visceral explosion of a fantasy with romantic elements that I recommend to anyone wanting something unforgettable.

4 ⭐️. If this enemies to lovers sounds good to you definitely start with the first in the series: The Blacksmith Queen. The Princess Knight is out 11/24. Thanks to Kensington Press & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

The Princess Knight // by G.A. Aiken

I was really looking forward to this title and was thrilled to receive it. I also received a print ARC for it through BookishFirst, which convinced me to buy the first book in print as well to have them together on my shelf. I hate to say it but sometimes the reality just doesn't meet our expectations and this is one of those times. I have never DNFed an ARC before but I guess there is a first time for everything. I tried to finish it before writing my review but at 64%, I just could not continue anymore. Since I did read the entire first book and more than half of this one, I do feel confident that the issues I had so far will probably continue through the rest, which is why I chose to review rather than mark it as 'Will not Review.'

I do want to start out by saying that I love the premise for this series. The idea of two sisters both becoming queens and fighting against each other with one being a blacksmith previously and the other a bookworm was very intriguing to me. I also liked that there were so many different types of characters present, from humans to elves, centaurs to dragons, warriors to dwarves. I enjoy a mixed cast and seeing how they get along or fight amongst each other.

All that though wasn't enough to keep me interested. There were just too many things that I struggles with that didn't allow me to enjoy this book. My top issue probably is that the cast is - simply put - ridiculously immature. Honestly, the only characters I can think of that aren't either that or over the top in some other way are Beatrix and the king's mother. They are calculating and seem to use their brains more rather than letting feelings guide all of their actions. Doing the latter isn't something that's always an issue for me but when it leads to constant arguments, cursing at people, physically fighting with your allies, and letting it distract you from your mission? It's just too much. I don't mind a bit of cursing but it is constantly present and over the top in ways that aren't necessary. The author relied on it so much that for a while I was wondering if this was supposed to be a comedic fantasy that wanted to make fun of the genre rather than a romance fantasy. She also relied way too heavily on dialogue, but rather than using that to propel the story forward, it's just more bickering between the characters that are supposed to be on the same side over things that aren't even that important half the time. It seemed as if muscles and a loud mouth were the only things most of the characters relied on.

I also didn't enjoy that there didn't seem to be much structure to the societies apart from some being royalty and others not. There was no respect between any of the characters, no expectations of how to act in front of those deemed higher in society than others, or any other structures you would expect in these situations. There is cursing at generals, cursing at queens, cursing at family members, cursing at those you want to build alliances with, and on and on and on with absolutely zero consequences for that type of behavior.

But one of the biggest issues I had with this book as well as the first one was that everything just seemed either way too easy or super unrealistic. Why are we so worried about Beatrix when these characters are able to beat countless soldiers on their own without much backup? They seem to be able to beat dragons, huge armies, and other foes so easily that Beatrix really shouldn't be much of a problem to be honest. And when people can jump of a 60 foot cliff onto the back of a soldier and fight as if it was no big deal, they must obviously be indestructible. A horse growing giant tusks to impale enemies on? How convenient! Everything just was so easy and convenient to the good guys that there wasn't any anticipation or worrying left that made me want to continue reading because I already knew they would succeed at everything with barely a scratch.

I've enjoyed other books of hers in the past but just really could not get with this one. There do seem to be a lot of people that enjoyed it though so I'm glad for that. We can't all like every book. I do have to say I'll miss the wolves from hell. Those were probably my favorite characters.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Coming straight into reading this book right after finishing the first, I was actually pleasantly surprised to see how much the writing had improved. The dialogue had been cleaned up a lot, and upon reading further I was finally able to distinguish between a few of the characters.
The book picks up where the first one ended, and then abruptly jumps ahead two years after only a chapter or two. This was the only way I could rationalize such a giant change in characterization between the dialogues of the first and second book. They... grew up?
Unfortunately, the further I got into reading, the more I realized the story still hadn't improved much. Again, while the premise is very intriguing; blacksmith sisters vying to be the true queen that was prophesized, elf, centaurs, dragons, dwarves, witches and humans all weaving in and out of ththe narrative-- the actual delivery of such a story was just poorly delivered.
I found myself nodding off several times while reading (to be fair my reading nook is VERY cozy) and if I'm being honest, I had a difficult time figuring out how to describe what actually happens in this book. Because, while there are technically a lot of things HAPPENING, not many of them actually have to do with the plot of the story. At least not in any way that has currently been revealed to be relevant to the story thus far. It was a lot of unfunny back and forth dialogue, and random centaur/human sex scenes, which idk for me is bordering too close to beastiality to be overlooked, especially since the whole appeal of it is apparently their literally "horse cocks" that are brought up time and time again throughout the book.
Disappointed to find out the story hadn't concluded, and there will definitely be at least one more book, which I have to regretfully say I won't be reading.
But hey, if you can get past the horse sex, bad dialogue, and difficulty distinguishing between a dozen characters, you might be able to still enjoy this story, as the underlying idea of the story is fun.

Very strong second book following up after the also very strong The Blacksmith Queen.

This one picks up where the first book leaves off, Keeley is an embattled Queen who has to deal with the fact that her sister Beatrix is basically an evil cow wife of a king who is trying to kill Keeley. Also did I mention Beatrix is an evil cow?

Keely has a large family who, outside of Beatrix, all have her back. This book mainly focuses on Gemma, another of Keely's sisters who is a dedicate of a religious sect that worships a god of war and death. I love how regardless of gender all the War Monks are called 'brother.'

Gemma is dispatched to go back to her brethren to get them and any other religious sects to join with Keely, mainly for their protection as word has filtered back that Beatrix is killing off members of some sects.

We get a lot of great face time with Gemma, we learn about why she left her brethren to come to help her sister. We also learn about he inner politics of the War Monks. In typical G.A. Aiken fashion it is chick full of fun characters, great quips, and..welll...utter mayhem. We meet other sects and learn a bit more about he devil wolves. And we 'meet' in a little more detail yet another Smythe sister.

Like the first one there is a romance happening, but it is slow burn and really very much in the background. In this one Quinn of the Amichai who has made it is duty to stand by Gemma's side throughout (even as he smirks and insults and they squabble).

I liked the deeper focus on Gemma and the deeper look at the War Monks and even the little more insight we get on Beatrix. And Keely is still such a badass!

Disclaimer: I received an ARC in exchange of an honest review.



This is a sequel, while I did not know that going into it I really enjoyed it anyways. This author wrote super strong sword wielding women that are badass. I loved the banter between the characters and the writing style.

This novel is full of emotions, a lot of instances I found myself laughing out loud, the cast of characters have amazing chemistry may it be friendship wise or otherwise. I loved Keeley and her sister Gemma ! Like yes Keeley is a blacksmith queen but her sister is a WAR MONK ?!?! Like WOW... The sisters are opposite while Keeley is kind and soft (but not in a I am too kind and believe everyone can be saved dumb kind of way) her sister is the complete opposite which made for wonderful scenes, she . is small and fierce hammer wielder that doesn't let anyone talk her out of her ideals.

This book is gory, but kind, amazing battles and scenes but also contains a wonderful array of emotions that make you cry, laugh and relate to the characters. I truly had a wonderful time reading it and she is definitely an author I will read more work from.

Perfect for fans of fantasy and somewhat character driven readers !

4/5 stars

Bookarina

My love for G.A. Aiken (aka Shelly Laurenston) is strong and well-established! I've read nearly all her books and I was beyond excited to read The Princess Knight. I am so down with the Scarred Earth Saga.

**To truly appreciate the whole 'verse The Princess Knight and by extension, the whole of the Scarred Earth Saga you should at the very least read the Blacksmith Queen but also the Dragon Kin series for its fullest potential.**

In my humble opinion, you can never really be lead astray by G.A/Shelly. You get foul-mouthed strong warrior-type alpha women and equally foul-mouthed if somewhat self-deluded alpha males. There are swords and hammers, magic, and did I mention the crazy family dynamics and the oh so yummy foul language? Sometimes there are some saucy times but the overarching storyline is the main focus. And it's just so darned entertaining.

The Princess Knight follows Gemma Smythe, sister to the newly appointed Blacksmith Queen, Keeley Smythe, and the duplicitous snake in the grass psychopathic other Queen, Beatrix Smythe. Gemma, feeling her life's pursuits were better suited elsewhere from the family's blacksmithing and farming origins, had dedicated her life to the glory of battle with the deadly and very scary War Monks. Upon learning of the prophecy that her sister Beatrix would ascend to the throne and being informed that assassins would be sent to kill her, Gemma left the brotherhood to aid her family.

The Amichai warriors, a warrior sect/breed of Centaurs, were sent to aid in bringing the prophecized future queen to the witches safely and were ultimately truly embroiled in the aftereffects of Beatrix's betrayal. Amichai warriors and siblings, Kade, Laila, and Quinn set off to help Queen Keeley and protect the rightful and just new queendom. We start our story 3 years after Keeley and Beatrix ascend their thrones. There is still a huge mountain of tasks to complete and also to find out what the evil and sneaky Beatrix is up to. When it comes clear that religious sects are being attacked for their precious and magical artifacts, Quinn and Gemma set off on a mission to help, protect and engender goodwill from the Blacksmith Queen camp before Beatrix sinks her hooks into them.

I can't say Quinn and Gemma were a foregone conclusion. Nope. I can't even say that up until like 60% there was even any real sexual tension between the two. But, in the end, they suited. There was always something in the works between the two but... with all the happenings, it got pushed to the back. Way back. But, this was sort of needed because Gemma really kind of hated, like -really- hated, Quinn in the beginning. Not cutesy hate, but irritate the mess out of you hate. And so we got a super slow burn between the two. Until one night wine happened, and then... well... not hate, maybe affection. No one can really tell with Gemma. But she no longer actively tried to kill him or talk smack to him constantly. So, maybe love?

One thing you always have to be aware of is there will always be multiple POVs in a G.A. /Shelly book. So, if that drives you nuts, be forewarned. I love it because it gives a greater picture of goings on and further motivations of others.

Also, please at least have read the first maybe a handful of Dragon Kin books (at the very least) because we get a HUGE tie in at the end and I am soooo down for more! This book pretty much ends in a TO BE CONTINUED... Cliffhanger fashion. GAH! I NEED more, NOW! I am quite nervous and excited for more. I have no idea who the next book will be about but I just need it now!

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

G.A. Aiken has assembled quite the cast of characters for this adventure.

This is the second book of a fun new series by G.A. Aiken. The second story features my favorite two characters from the first book. The first is Gemma, sister to Keeley, the Blacksmith Queen. Keeley never understood why Gemma would leave her family to become a nun and dedicate herself to a god instead of her family. But the simple peace nun part was only a disguise. My favorite parts of the first story is when Gemma would approach some warriors that were trying to attack them and they would laugh at the nun and she’d rip off the nun cloak and underneath was her chainmail and order markings and suddenly warriors were screaming “War Monk” and running away. Gemma had risen quickly among the monks of her order but shockingly, not every loves the bristly Gemma, not that she cares at all, but there were some who objected to her rising to a leadership role. Her future among the monks was thwarted when her mentor sends her back to her family to protect them from an assassination attempt by her younger sister, Beatrice, who had delusions of grandeur that she was to be queen of all the land, and who is now married to the Old King’s son and rules half of the country, while the Blacksmith Queen rules the other half.

The hero of this story is Quinn who is an Amichais (or Centaur) and he is the brother of Caid (Keeley’s lover). Quinn is the polar opposite of Gemma. While Gemma is always on guard and no-nonsense, Quinn can’t stay serious for five minutes straight. He is simply incorrigible and the more somber a situation, the more he needs to screw with everyone for no one’s entertainment but his own. Quinn is the youngest son of the family and will likely never be a leader to his people. Hence he has no real responsibilities and as the baby of the group, he never has any worries.

Quinn has made himself part of Gemma’s protection. Protection that a well-trained War Monk doesn’t need but as Gemma is a princess now to her sister Keeley’s throne, she find herself mostly being tossed back behind Quinn as Gemma is usually out front in any battle with sword in hand. Romance-wise, Gemma and Quinn’s connection is more laid back. We have seen this dynamic in prior G.A. Aiken/Shelly Laurenston stories, especially her honey badgers, where the hero is very laid back and really just follows around the heroine who is kind of bat-shit crazy in a hold-my-hoops, already ready to fight way. His job is to guard her back while she’s kicking butt and taking names and maybe, sometimes, stop her before she tries to take on someone too big to battle alone. While there is no grand gesture romance or passionate longing looks, we do have Quinn always ready to stand beside Gemma in every battle she gets into or starts…mostly starts.

In The Princess Knight, someone is attacking and killing the various religious orders in the country. Monasteries, churches, temples, etc. are all being attacked and burned and the leaders inside murdered. Keeley always feels the need to protect everyone, which makes her a perfect Queen. So regardless of the fact that none of these factions and their various gods get along, Gemma agrees to locate surviving witches, peace monks, temple virgins, divine assassins and the like and offer them a place a safety with Queen Keeley. Gemma also wants to go take care of the War Monks of her Order, none of whom knew about her assignment to protect her family, and even knowing they believe Gemma abandoned her duties, she goes to offer them safety with Keeley.

And while Gemma is out and about the countryside, she decides its time to visit little sister Beatrice’s castle to find out whether or not she is behind the attacks on the religious orders and even if she isn’t (and who else could it be) but knowing Beatrice, that evil brat is to be up to something, and Gemma is determined to find out what before Beatrice and her army sneak up to Keeley’s door. Of course, the various religious misfits Gemma and Quinn have collected want to come along. Well, maybe having a common enemy will keep them from killing each other.

This series is just so fun and it is an interesting twist on the usual G.A. Aiken/Shelly Laurenston stories but like most of her stories, the cast of characters is such an eclectic collection of oddballs that you have to keep watching just to see what they are going to do next. We meet some more crazy characters at the end so I am not sure who will be the focus of the next book. Whether it will be another little sister since Gemma’s parents can’t seem to stop procreating, or one of the new characters just tossed it, we will need to wait and see.

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Books for the advanced copy of The Princess Knight by G.A. Aiken. This is the 2nd book in the Scarred Earth series and I recommend you not only read book one, The Blacksmith Queen, you also read her other books in the same universe, the Dragon Kin series (you wont be sorry)
Gemma Smythe dedicated her life to the glory of battle. With her fellow War Monks, she worshipped the war gods, rained destruction on her enemies, and raised the dead when the fancy took her. Until her sister Keeley became the prophesied Blacksmith Queen, and Gemma broke faith with her order to journey to the Amichai Mountain and fight by Keeley’s side. What I love about this book, and the series is the strong. badass women who would just kill you or just kick your ass and the men who love them just the way they are. The snarky dialogue is often hilarious, and never boring. This is true in all G.A. Aiken (Shelly Laurenston) stories. However, for The Princess knight there are many plots, and a ton new characters, it was mind boggling. The love story between Gemma and Quinn was almost an afterthought. They were a great pair together, had a love/hate relationship but the love scene was just kinda thrown in. I did enjoy the story, especially Gemma's sister Ainsley (hopefully her story is expanded) and can't wait for book three since the book did end on a bit of a cliffhanger...

Good sequel, but not as good as the first of the series. It’s been many books since I read The Blacksmith Queen, and I had a hard time getting into this book because I couldn’t remember names/events well enough. Beyond that I just didn’t love Gemma the way I did Keely. And some of the “funny” bits were repetitive and mean spirited, especially with Ainsley. The story was great and I’m definitely looking forward to the next installment.

In this sequel, we follow Keely's warrior monk sister, Gemma. I have to say, I loved getting to know her better in this second book. Her strength and conviction were intriguing to me in book 1, and this one didn't disappoint me in the least.
This one, like the first, had a very quiet romance. (meaning, it wasn't the forefront of the story. It was a strong subplot instead.) I was totally ok with this, as it made sense for her character, being a monk for so long, to be hesitant with any kind of romantic plot.
I did end up enjoying Quinn as a character as well. They fall into the friends to lovers category for me. There wasn't a ton of steam to them, but I really did enjoy the dynamic that they had.
This book was SO FULL of familial and political dynamics, that it became the focus of this book. That wasn't really a bad thing for me. We did get to see Keeley as Queen in her element, and we are also dealing with Beatrice and her selfish ways as well again in this book. Because it's been 2 years, we also get to see the younger sister more, and I really am looking forward to her book whenever we get it.
This book changes the tide of the rest of the series. I am excited to continue on!