2.25

I wanted to love this but ultimately it left absolutely no impression on me. I finished this less than a week ago and barely remember the story. Part of this is because this is absolutely a quest book and quest books can be hard sells for me, but I also found some of the characterization to be quite flat. The plot centers Logan 'The Bear' Theaker, a former adventurer who is forced to come out of retirement when his husband disappears. I think where I struggled the most is in buying into the relationship. Because the book starts with Pie disappearing, we're reliant on Logan's perspective and while there are flashbacks that should help the reader see their relationship develop, for me it almost made it worse because the flashbacks highlighted the speed at which they married after they met. Logan was on this adventure to rescue his husband but as we learned more about their relationship it seemed like they barely knew one another and so I couldn't really buy into the idea that they were doing it all for love, though that could be a me issue being aro/ace. I also found a lot of the side characters felt a little flat and hard to distinguish. That being said, I did really like exploring this world so I would consider pickup up Fated Winds and Promising Seas.

This was such a fun and cozy fantasy and just so so so adorable. Completely lived up to the expectations I had going into it. I had a great time reading it and would definitely recommend for when you want to read something light.

A sweet romantic adventure about a retired warrior setting out to rescue his bard husband from the mess he's gotten himself into, accompanied by an elderly necromancer and the ghost of his ex-wife. This was a very fun read, with more twists and turns than I expected. The countess stole the show for me - but the cabbage seller cameo was also very much appreciated!

While I appreciate this book has now been released for over a year, as I did get the arc (apologies for the time frame in which I have read this), I am going to do a short review.

I tried really hard to enjoy this book but with the book being written third-person from Logan’s point-of-view, I found it hard as he is incredibly difficult to emphasis with. I found his personality extremely annoying, and while his love and adoration for Pie to be heart-felt, and his actions coming from the right place, I don’t feel like it excused the way he acted & treated most people he interacted with. Besides this, the necromancer’s constant sexual taunts towards both Logan and Al (Pie) were hard to look past and I know that if the genders were reversed, the comments would not be laughed at or looked past.

There were two quotes from this book I quite adored:

‘Home wasn’t a physical thing, it was a place you felt safe falling asleep. The place you felt free to be yourself. Where you could belch and fart and laugh and cry, and nothing and no one in those walls judged you for any of it.

‘Death wasn’t a monster. Death was an embrace.’

I was really excited for this one so I was a little disappointed that it’s not working for me. I read 45% and stopped there. It gave me very similar vibes to Holcombe’s Chronicles of Gam Gam but the writing style for this one just didn’t work for me. The story felt too flat and convenient. Everything just dropped into place so easily, one step after the other, and it didn’t have the emotional depths I like.

a heartwarming and enchanting blend of mystery, romance, and fantasy—a cozy narrative that feels akin to a heartfelt D&D campaign.

The title drew me in. The premise sounded cosy and fun and the book is about people in an established relationship. And I was looking forward to this story.

Alas, it wasn't the story for me. The two main characters are in their late 30s and early 40s, but often act like they are in their late teens or early 20s. Add underdeveloped secondary characters and lacking wolrd-building and the whole novel reads like YA/NA fanfiction.

The idea was good, the execution lacked.

A fun dndesque adventure full of lovable characters, some fun and funky tropes and lots of heart! Really LGBTQ+ focussed which I loved, I just wasn’t aware of how casual the tone of this book was which isn’t my usual tone for books I read. Review will be on Waterstones.com asap.

This was a nice read. The title and cover really gave me some Dungeons & Dragons vibes, and I really loved that. I was surprised when I found out that the book was about two men dating, but that didn't bother me at all in the story. I have read reviews of others saying it felt like a Geralt of Rivia and Dandelion fanfic, but to me it didn't feel like that at all. I thought it was a nice story, not outstanding or whatever, but it was entertaining. I do think it could have used more worldbuilding, perhaps that would make you get sucked into the story more.

This was adorable! A fabulous cosy fantasy with characters that just gave so much throughout the entire book! The writing really flowed too. Fab!

This was fun, cosy fantasy, I felt that the characters weren't really developed enough but for a one off easy read it works well!

'TIL DEATH DO US BARD is a funny, warm-hearted fantasy about a husband trying to find his partner, and the plot they find themselves tangled into.

The book starts off with small scale stakes - find husband - that are typical of cozy fantasy. Logan doesn't care about anything else, just making sure Pie is safe. As the book goes on, the stakes become country level - stop the king - which pushes this book to the very edge, I'd argue, of cozy vs epic fantasy.

There is necromancy and unicorns, a fun blend of magics. This is not the necromancy of grimdark, but a more light hearted take that fits perfectly with the DnD-esque feel of the world (the grumpy mercenary, the exuberant bard, the necromancer with a pet bone dog, etc). It feels like a campaign played by friends who keep rolling the "wrong" number and sending the mission down wonderfully strange trajectories.

The questing cast is a lot of fun with a great group dynamic. The Countess steals so many scenes with her larger than life personality, determination to flirt, and her ability to save the day more than Logan. Gary is a sweetie pie who you want to protect. Ophelia the ghostly ex-wife adds a great awkwardness but also allows for some nice heart to hearts.

In all, this was a highly enjoyable debut, a fantasy that took the best bits of DnD and made a book out of it.

Just a fun, fast-paced, good palette cleanser novel. I'm not one for cozy fantasy usually because I like high stakes in my stories but this was a fun break from thick and dense high fantasy novels. The romance was pretty cute and the plot was entertaining enough for me to keep reading. Would recommend, whether cozy fantasy is your thing or your looking for something quick and easy to read. 3.5 stars

Set in a D&D-esque fantasy world this book had everything I could hope for. Fun characters, LGBTQIA rep, a quest, adventure action even a unicorn! I thought it was going to be a match made in heaven, but alas no. Something about this book...I just couldn't connect to or get invested in the story. There were times where the writing felt a little clunky, and the necromancer character who was supposed to be funny more annoyed me than amused me. This one was a swing and a miss for me, but that should not stop you from giving it a read!

Might be for you if you like; fantasy, dungeons and dragons, quests, bards adventure stories!

A delightful and cozy fantasy romance. Reminded me of the best Witcher fan fiction, with the bard/warrior romance. I didn’t like the necromancer witch character and thought she was kind of inappropriate with Logan. Otherwise, this would have been a five star.

I feel as if this book had a really fun concept. As a D&D player this seemed like it was going to be right up my ally. I did love the setting and the general vibe but something about the plot just fell a little flat for me.

Overall enjoyable but not quite what I was hoping it would be.

Til Death Do Us Bard was a quick, lighthearted read with lots of adventure and an adorable romance. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey!

3.5 stars rounded down due to an older female character's sexual harassment of the male characters that was played for laughs and never addressed. This was otherwise a rather charming and cosy read, it wasn't super gripping but it was perfect for putting on and listening to the audiobook while also doing other things.

Funny and lighthearted, I really enjoyed this! Ideal for fans of cozy fantasy like Legends & Lattes and auch! Liked the characters, enjoyed the story, —4 stars!

Different to what I expected but still a fun, lighthearted read that made me laugh in places. I loved the cosy fantasy vibes and Logan and Pie, who were adorable!