I'm a fan of Freya Marske's other books, but this one just wasn't for me. I got bogged down with all of the talk of the fabric industry. The slooooow burn was great, and I wish more attention was paid to the relationship in the first half of the book.

Thank you to Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The beginning of this book was a bit too focused on the minutiae of guild functioning and the wool industry in a way I was having trouble getting invested in. But once the relationship between Matti and Luca started to develop that's when things really got interesting. I didn't love this as much as The Last Binding trilogy, but it was still a solid 4 star read. Freya Marske knows how to write really engagi9ng relationships.

Marske has become one of my favorite authors and this book continues that trend! The characters always feel so genuine and the magic system flows so well. I loved this addition!

This book is a captivating and immersive read that hooks you from the first page. The writing is beautifully crafted, with vivid descriptions and strong character development that makes the story come alive. The plot is well-paced, balancing moments of tension with quieter, reflective scenes that allow the characters to grow. The themes explored are deep and thought-provoking, resonating long after the final page. Whether it's the emotional depth, the twists and turns of the plot, or the unforgettable characters, this book is a must-read for anyone who enjoys rich, engaging stories. Highly recommended.

“Swordcrossed” is a fantasy romance between a wool merchant named Matti and a con artist named Luca. The two men meet when Luca cons Matti by pretending Matti broke a valuable watch. They meet again when Matti hires Luca to be the best man at his wedding. In exchange for not turning Luca in, Matti asks Luca for sword lessons. Both men are attracted to each other, but it takes a while for Matti to give in to his attraction. I enjoyed their banter as they slowly got to know each other. Once Matti and Luca finally hook up, there are a few steamy scenes to enjoy. Matti’s betrothed Sofia and his sister Maya are both interesting and likeable side characters. I liked this story and rate it four stars.

I really enjoyed Freya Marske’s Last Binding series so I was thrilled to see another romantasy from her. And this one is an exciting bodyguard fantasy which is the key to being one of my choices for must-read books of the month.

Dfned after 2 chapters. I don't think the book is bad, but going in I had other expectations for fantasy and adventure.

When you need to hire a swordsman to fight a duel in case someone challenges you on you're wedding day the last thing you expect is to fall for him. Mattinesh Jay is the dutiful heir to a struggling house, and has tried everything to keep his family's wool business afloat... and his latest attempt is to marry another heir to a rich house, yet one of her suitors is determined to duel Matt on his wedding day and since he has zero swordsmanship skills he sets out to hire a bodyguard to fight the duel should it arise. Cue Luca, the guy who kind of conned Matt the previous night at a bar and who is on the run from his own family, yet he offers a trade: he'll fight for Matt and teach him sword fighting skills and in exchange Matt will not blackmail him. Yet the more time Matt and Luca spend together training and getting to know one another, the more the chemistry between them begins to grow... yet Luca's lies are going to catch up to him and Matt will have to choose between following his duty and marrying someone he doesn't love or following his heart and going after the man who's tumbled into his life. This was a fairly easy and fun read, it's got low stakes but a fun arc to follow and the romance was nice. It's a good time and one I'd absolutely recommend for anyone looking for a romance with low stakes.

Release Date: October 8,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group | Bramble for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

<i>First, a thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an eARC of this book.</i>

Here is my biggest qualm: what, pray tell, makes this a <i>fantasy</i> book? Is [book:The Other Boleyn Girl|37470] a fantasy book? Is any book that happens in some sort of fictional past, once we get to before a certain year cutoff, a fantasy? My answer is an emphatic <i>no</i>.

I know an author doesn't really have a say in how their book is marketed, but I think there are a lot of people who might pick this up and go, <i>What??</i> when they start to read it.

Overall, I wish I had liked this book, since it's mostly low stakes and I love me a lil meet cute, but the entire time I just didn't care. Couldn't care. Shrugs from me.

Wish I had liked this more, but overall a swing and a miss this time.

To start the world building was fascinating! I loved the way everything felt so real yet so different from anything else I have read before. The characters felt like real people with real life problems and their relationships with eachother were so intricate. This all came together to be a wonderful and fun read that I highly recomend!

There were so many scenes I highlighted and wanted to quote in this review before I realized my copy was an advanced copy and may have changed from the version that was published…

Putting that aside… gurl when I saw I ate this shit upppp lol 😂🤣🤣

So I think the whole ‘Fantasy’ aspect of the story was the world the story took place in?? Please correct me if I’m wrong, but that seemed like the only thing that wasn’t semi-normal? Maybe?? 🤔 Somebody let me know! But, honestly? I think that was the only thing lacking for me. Not that the world building wasn’t great! It was just that I’m an idiot sometimes when things aren't watered down for me soooo… Let’s just say there were some scenes that lost me a little cause I didn’t understand what the characters were talking about culture wise? Were the places mentioned actual places and I’m just stupid? I mean, I know my geography game is severely lacking, but there were things I didn’t understand or recognize.

Now that we have the only negative out of the way,,, lets get into the good stuff shall we?

I already knew Freya Marske could write y’all, I already knew she could have me fangirling and shit… but BOI her ‘intimate’ scenes had me cooked in this one. 🥘🍽️🤌I’ll confess and say that my last few reads were shitty little romcoms or funny little smut reads, but this one right here? GURL DEMS SCENES WAS SOOO GOOD. It was intense dog// After reading so much raunchy romance, back to back, for the last few weeks, it really made me realize how good a drawn out smut scene is. Like, sometimes smut scenes are too dry or cut to the chase too fast. But boyyyy Freya really be putting in the work. You get hyped up for the characters just as they do lol. If that makes sense? Lmao 🤣 Had a gurl making notes and shit about it just so that I could mention it in my review lmao XDDDD Some of it was written so beautifully too omgawd

Though I loved Luca and his pure bratty nature, Matti’s life and stresses were so relatable in some aspects. He really touched base with me in some areas and I really enjoyed his thought process and solutions.

Perfect, relatable characters. Great smut scenes. Good pacing. Wonderful ending that warms the soul. I’m giving this one a 4/5 -star rating. I look forward to reading more of Freya Marske’s work in the future!

My thanks to Tor and NetGalley for the Digital ARC. This book is ALREADY OUT!!! Go check it out for yourself and see what you think!

I loved this book. As a Marske fan, I was worried & excited about how her new world/series would go. It did not disappoint! Although more of a romantasy than her last series, I still loved the plot and worldbuilding. The romance was fun and believable without it taking over every single page. A very good book!

I have not been in the mood for cozy anything lately so when I picked this up, I expected some action (hence, the title), fantasy escapism through rich world building and an interesting plot, as well as a steamy romance. Unfortunately, I didn’t get much of anything. Swordcrossed fell super flat for me and should have been properly advertised as a more cozy story. Little happens in the plot and the MCs felt very insta-loveish. The whole story just felt overall pointless. There was no real conflict, a complete lack of political intrigue, and little to no fantasy elements. I think this book just wasn’t written for me and that’s totally fine. There’s definitely an audience out there for this, it’s just not me.

Thank you to Bramble, NetGalley, and the author for sending me an early copy!

I loved Freya's Last Binding series and was very excited for this one! However, the pacing and excessive wool discussions kinda killed the vibe for me.

I lost the review I started for this one so it's going to be a shorter one.

Swordcrossed is a fantasy book that isn't really fantasy. It not our world but there doesn't seem to be magic. It's also heavy on the political intrigue, which is maybe in place of a magic system. There's a complex world built here with gods and goddesses linked to different trades. We see/hear about some of the rituals done to appease the gods but we don't get more information than that.
Matti is set to be the head of his house and he's spent his adult life keeping it under wraps that they aren't doing well financially. He's set to have an arranged marriage to a woman from another house which will solve their money issues. Matti isn't in love with Sophia, nor she with him, but he's sure he could eventually love her. He's never actually given himself the time or space to explore an actual relationship, he needs to make sure his house's name isn't tarnished. On the eve of his engagement announcement he has a run in (literally!) with Luca, a man running a very expensive (now broken) watch for his trades master. Matti begrudgingly gives Luca a good chunk of the money that's supposed to pay for a swordsman to be his best man at his wedding to cover the broken piece because not repaying it would be highly suspicious. The next day when Matti goes to higher a swordsman who does he run into? Luca of course! Does Luca actually work for a watch maker? Of course he doesn't, he's a sword for hire with little money and had the bad luck of choosing Matti as his mark. Matti

I really liked the setting, the world, and the characters, but unfortunately there was just too much politics that it was really hard to get into for me. It felt like there was more politics than romance, and I really wanted that fun fantasy romance. I think if you go into this with the right expectations, though, it could be a really fun one!

I think i am determining that I am not a big cozy fantasy fan. This was good, I enjoyed it but I felt it was missing something and it is probably the action and low stakes of it all.

Thank you very much to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book early.

I am a huge fan of Freya Marske’s previous trilogy, however this romance fell a little flat to me. Marketed as a low-stakes romance, I was happy to escape into it. While the relationship between Matti and Luca was enjoyable, the stakes felt to me a little too low and mundane. Multiple sections explaining the wool trade in this world actually took me out of the story rather than immersed me.

This romance was sweet and well-executed in ways that low-stakes romances sometimes don’t achieve. While reading it I learned I prefer romances with a bit more to the story, this is perfect for fans of romance novels that center the love story.

Sweet characters, not much plot to sink my teeth into. I do not have much more to elaborate on than that! It will be. A cozy read to some and a bit of a miss for others! I’m missing the depth in the other books I’ve read and loved by Marske.

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!

unfortunately, dnf @49% — this was my first book by freya marske, and while i’ve heard amazing things about previous works, swordcrossed just did not hold my attention. i did not feel connected to the characters, and was not particularly interested in the plot.

while this wasn’t a hit for me, i’m still going to check out marske’s other books