Althea knows the exact age at which she'll die thanks to the fate stone she was given at birth. Her main goal/want in life is to become a Warsword, the only problem is... women are forbidden to wield or touch blades in Thezmarr. However, that's not going to stop Thea from trying.

Super easy 5 star rating. I absolutely loved everything about this book! I adore a good broody MMC, and Wilder is just that! The world building in this title is amazing. I can't wait to read the rest of this series!

Read if you like:

- Slow burn
- Found Family
- Enemies to Lovers
- Romantasy
- "Who did this to you?"

The audio version of this was amazing too! The narrators did a fantastic job.

Thank you to NetGalley, Helen Scheuerer and Dreamscape Media for this ALC in exchange for my honest review!

I am not much of a fantasy reader and yet I know once I can get in their world it’s easy and exciting to be there - this is one of those books. I was so immersed in the audiobook and was able to sink into this book so easily.

I did feel it was more of a YA read and feel to the book then adult or new adult.

I liked the FMC and her need to become someone she was proud of. Then you add in the romance - enemies to lovers, slow burn that you become invested in and it was the perfect combo.

I was thrilled to have this on audio, which is done very well with dual pov, because it’s not one I wanted to put down.

I really enjoyed the audiobook - the dual narrators were perfect! The story itself was a brilliant fantasy romance. It has feminine rage, a sweet sister relationship, side-characters with good depth, friendships, great banter, and of course a sizzling slow-burn romance, This is sort-of a forbidden romance with mentor/mentee relationship, but it is extremely slow-burn and NOT an age-gap (which I am very appreciative of). The female main character, Thea, is powerful, kind, and not at all annoying, but she does have her flaws. I wish the MMC had more depth, as there was not much character-building beyond he is the youngest warrior that is super hot...or whatever. I enjoyed it, but I wish it was a tad shorter. It dragged a bit in the middle. 3.5 stars.

THIS AUDIOBOOK WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING OMG. Seriously one of the best fantasy books I’ve read in a while. I RAN to download the others and have since read the first three and have an arc for the fourth. This series will have you in a chokehold.

3.5 stars
This was a pretty good first book in a new romantasy series. I enjoyed the narration. The world building was easy enough to follow. I did feel that it hit more as YA with dialogue and character behavior, even though they’re all adults. I appreciated the character growth over the course of the book and predict that it will feel more mature in subsequent books. Speaking of which, I have the second book queued up and ready to find out!

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher/author for providing me with an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

OMG!!! This book was exactly what I wanted it to be! I loved it. I will make sure to check out other books by this author. When I requested this I was just intrigued by the concept of it and I loved how it turned out. This story had a great plot and if you have read this and enjoyed it, This was so much. It was such a great story. I would say give this one a try. I will continue to follow this author. Way to go to this author for not letting me down.

I highly enjoyed the narrator of the audiobook. Kept me listening.

Blood and Steel had my attention from the very start to the very end! If you love an epic fantasy romance with enemies to lovers, slow-burn and found family you should definitely read this book! I loved the magic world and all of the characters inside! I can't wait to dive into the next book. This narration was so good!

Sword loving orphan girl is determined to become a warrior in a land where women aren’t even allowed to hold weapons. Grumpy warrior is forced to escort her to beg permission from the king, and mutual admiration is wrung out of them.

I liked the female narrator a lot, but the male was just OK. Most of the book is the female POV.

*one bed
*share a horse
*who did this to you?
*women with swords who aren't allowed to have them
Also I listened to this and felt the need to go and re watch Witcher, it's very epic in that way.

What more do I need to say

We follow Althea, who is determined to become a legendary Warsword. There are however many obstacles she has to concur, since for one, it’s forbidden for women to wield a weapon. After a dagger is found to be hers she has the chance to object to this rule and become a warrior. The challenges don’t end there and the lingering attraction with one of the only three remaining warswords complicates it even further.

Overall I enjoyed this book. The writing was engaging and easy to follow. The characters were likable and especially the secondary characters. The world building left me intrigued, same with the plot.

The things that were a bit lacking for me. Were the romance and the Mmc Wilder. I just never warmed up to him. As for the romance, there was just not enough chemistry for me. With this being a fantasy romance, it was disappointing that the romance didn’t deliver for me.
Wich is why it ultimately only got a 3 Star.

Read it via Audiobook, wich was great to listen to.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Audio-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved to see more of Thezmarr! We were introduced to it and Wilder in Slaying the Shadow Price and it left you wanting so much more and Blood & Steel gave that to us!

Following Althea who’s trying to help defend her people before fate comes to get her in just 3 years. She wants to prove herself to everyone and show them that old prophecy stating a women who wield blades will bring the veil down is false. She sets out to be trained to hopeful become a war sword.

I really enjoyed the bones of this story. Althea felt a bit young compared to her age of 24, but it’s not stopping me from continuing.

I can’t wait to jump into book 2 and get more of my man Wilder!!!

I'm still not sure whether to give this 3 or 4 stars here. Dang you good reads for not allowing half stars! I really liked this one. Wilder is amazing and broody and snarky. I liked the training aspect and the world. I do wish Thea had not read quite so young to me, though. I was hoping I'd like her a bit more but was never 100% sold. I was not a huge fan of the audio. It made Thea read even younger to me
For my full thoughts check out my vlog! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNxLcOsK2Ws&t=1687s

Blood and Steel by Helen Scheuerer was a fast paced, action packed fantasy romance. The story follows Althea, a woman who has always dreamt of becoming a protector of the realms. Only problem is women are not allowed to wield weapons. She has been secretly training all her life for this and after being caught with a weapon she has the opportunity to plead her case.

After she is allowed to join the warriors training, she finds a mixture of sparring, hazing, and sexism. She also finds a few friends in her new world. There is also the growing attraction between her and Wilder Hawthorne, one if the elite warriors. As her power develops, so does their relationship.

I loved this story. The characters were well developed and relatable. Althea was driven and single mindedly strove for her goal. She was a strong female character who strove to push the limits that society placed on her sex.

The relationships that she builds throughout the story both in friendship and romance were so fun to follow. The friendships she develops were heartwarming as they would all give up their lives for each other. The romance was swoonworthy. Wilder was a dark and broody character who was pulled in by the female main character by her personality and her strength. The banter between the two was filled with tension and sass.

The world building was also detailed without being overbearing. The world was previously protected by female warriors, but all of that changed when a prophecy about a female bring death came to light. Now women are banned from even having weapons. The power dynamics from those females who ised to be warriors and the mape warriors was interesting to watch play out.

The audiobook recording was an enjoyable listen. The dual male and female narrators really brought the characters to life. The female narrator really helped to capture Althea's driven nature. The only complaint I had was the male narrator's voice for Wilder was a little strange. Wilder's voice was extremely deep.compared to every other voice done by the male narrator and I felt like everytime he switched to that voice, it removed me a little from the story. This didn't deflect me from my enjoyment. It was just something that pulled me out of my immersion in the story.

This was the first story by Helen Scheuerer that I had read. I loved her writing, the characters, and the world. I will definitely be continuing the series and looking at her other works. She has become an author that I am invested in now. I highly recommend this series and I cannot wait to continue the adventure.

I’ve had my eye on Helen Scheuerer for way too long, and I’m so glad to say that she did not disappoint!

This has all the elements that make up a great, fun romantasy: a fiery but flawed MC, a broody but flirty LI, a realm at war, a mystical and frightening threat to the world at large, a training setting where warriors are forced to face all matter of impossible odds. It Blood & Steel is fast paced and epic, and so very hard to put down!

I had already loved Slaying the Shadow Prince, so I had the benefit of already being introduced to this world, but I still found the world building and exploration to be seamless and easy to follow. I was surprised by the reveals, having actually not seen very many of them coming, which is different for me. I loved Thea & Wilder’s chemistry, and I especially loved that neither of these characters are perfect. They both make mistakes, hurt feelings, and act in ways they regret toward people they love. They’re very realistic and that always draws me deeper into a fantasy.

The events at the end really took me by surprise, and left me feeling like the next installment's will be even more epic and riveting. I am finding myself feeling a bit tired of the “training college” setting with trials at the end, so I will admit that I wanted to rush through the last third or so, but I can admit that that’s a “me” thing more than anything else. I am so excited for where this series is headed, and believe all the hype I’d seen beforehand is warranted!

With regards to the audiobook, I will say that I adored the female narrator. J thought she did a great job even with different characters and expressing all manner of emotions. I didn’t like the narrator for Wilder much, as he sounded rather robotic, like he could maybe have been an AI voice through an app or something. I’m glad he didn’t have as many chapters, and see myself steering away from listening to the audio much in the future if he has more POV time.

Thank you so very much to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for this audio arc!

A new series that I’m now hooked on. I can’t wait for the next one. Great world building without bogging you down, amazing characters, prophecies, and such a cool back story!

4.5/5

This is a hidden gem. I tandem read this book on my kindle alongside listening to the audio, and that slow burn tension? THICKKKKK. He trains her, badass FMC, dark mysterious past MMC, heats up with spice once the burn gets burnin’.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a highly anticipated since I’ve see many people I trust read and love it. Perfect balance of fantasy and romance in my opinion and a super engaging plot line. The writing style flows like butter, easy reading, and great narration on the audio.

4.5 stars rounded up, and 🌶️🌶️

This book has a lot of promise, and I'm actually interested in seeing where the series goes after that ending. So it's maybe a 3.25-3.5 for me, but there were just a few things that made it a little too klunky for my liking.
I listened to this as an audiobook courtesy of NetGalley and I liked the performances overall. I thought both narrators did a good job telling the story. My first quibble came with the name Thezmarr. Every time the narrators said it, I got a little cringe feeling. It just sounded like a silly placeholder name and I had trouble taking it seriously. Obviously that's a tiny issue and one that could just apply to me, but it just sorta made me laugh every time it was said.
My second quibble was that this felt like two different books smushed together at times. I know that Thea was an adult throughout the story, but at times the writing and the overall concept of her training to be a warrior struck me as a little juvenile, like this was meant to be a YA book with random adult elements sprinkled it. Again, it could just be me, but the romance felt a little awkward at times because other parts of the book felt like they should be YA.
Probably the strongest parts for me were a lot of the training and fighting scenes, especially the bigger battle at the end. I thought the baddies were well-described and came across super creepy. Also I really enjoyed when Thea and Wilder travelled to the capitol together. It gave the reader a chance to learn more about both of them and actually get attached to the idea of them being together. I also feel like there was a hint of political intrigue there towards the end and that helped get me eager for the next installment.
Overall, this was a decently solid fantasy that just felt like it needed a bit more polish to make it truly shine. Not my favorite book ever, but it did whet my appetite for more in the future.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was an enjoyable read, but not a favorite. I liked the characters for the most part and the plot was interesting, but the romance was just not for me. With that said, the plot ended in such a way that I do want to try the next book.

I think those who like Daughter of No Worlds would enjoy this one as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Initially this book had me intrigued about the world & fmc. The 24-year-old FMC’s rebellion against societal norms brings a rebellious spark, though the romance felt a tad rushed. I felt there was something missing in the romance. They needed more conversations & chemistry.
There was ok world-building with room for improvement; it falls short of creating a fully immersive or captivating environment.
The story grapples with predictability, a potential drawback for voracious readers seeking unexpected twists. It delivers a reliable and tested romantasy formula., making it a comfortable choice for those not actively seeking groundbreaking originality.

I enjoyed the audiobook narrators.

All in all, I felt like I just wanted to finish this book to get it over with, instead of being fully invested.

3.5 stars
Blood & Steel is a romantic fantasy that simultaneously felt new, yet also cliche. It took me a little while to get into the story, as it felt a little overdone at first, but once the plot picked up I really enjoyed it. The romance was okay, but the stand out feature was the main character and her friendships. I also want to point out that this book has quite a few similarities to Fourth Wing (and this came out first). The love interest is similar to Xaden, the main character tells herself "I will not die today,"she has a fellow recruit with the last name Barlow who has it out for her, and she has lightning powers. Anyway, overall I really enjoyed this, although I'm not sure if I'll continue the series. As much as I love the found fairy aspect, the overall plot doesn't really intrigue me and from what I've heard it slows down further in the sequels.
Thank you to Dreamscape Media for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.