I'm a big T. Kingfisher fan and am excited to see that Swordheart is being re-released. I've only just started reading her books within the past couple of years and I haven't made it to Swordheart yet.

If you are looking for cozy fantasy romance with fun and comedy, you will find it with Swordheart. Tropes include bodyguard/guardian, age gap (only because of magic!), slow burn, forced proximity, opposites attract, cursed, unexpected inheritance. Minimal spice. Lots of blushing and swords. For a cozy fantasy, people do seem to get injured and sometimes even die quite frequently.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for a digital advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This is a perfect read for cozy fantasy lovers. When Halla unexpectedly gets her late husband's great uncle's inheritance, his family is not pleased. Her late husband's aunt is determined to wed Halla and her son Alver. After denying Alver, she becomes a prisoner in her own home. Determined to end it all, Halla draws an old sword hung above her bed when a man pops out. Sarkis is the servant of the sword determined to protect its wielder. This is the story of their adventure to get Halla's inheritance and protect her from marrying Alver.

I was laughing out loud through the majority of this book. My only complaint is that they use "err" a little bit too much throughout the book. To me, it took away from some of the great parts of the writing. Overall, I think that this is a quick and easy read for someone who is looking for a low-stakes fantasy with found family and great banter.

Thank you Netgalley and T Kingfisher for the arc.

Honestly you can't go wrong with a book by this author. This was a great Grumpy X Sunshine trope with some casually creepy elements. I don't honestly have a lot of feedback other than this author really is a top tier prime writer of this current generation.

Too many cozy fantasies forget that things need to happen to keep a novel moving, but Kingfisher doesn't fall into this trap. The stakes of this are fun but not stressful and Halla and Sarkis are so charming.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc. This was such a beautiful cozy fantasy with strong romance and adventure

This was a delightful blend of adventure, humor, and romance set in a vibrant fantasy world. The dialogue is sharp and often hilarious, making the banter between Hala and Kardos one of the book's highlights. The pacing is swift, with plenty of action, but the emotional arcs are equally engaging. Kingfisher also does an excellent job of mixing classic fantasy tropes with fresh perspectives, making the story feel both familiar and excitingly new. Fans of light fantasy with strong character-driven plots will find this book an absolute joy.

5 stars

Fantasy is a more challenging genre for me. While I can enjoy it, that's an uncommon result. However, I have never met a T. Kingfisher book that I don't love (or at least really like), so I'm not too surprised that I ended up really enjoying this one.

Halla is in a precarious, unprotected spot, and to some degree, this matches the state in which she has existed throughout her life. It's extra convenient, then, that when Halla draws a particular sword, it's a special one; it serves as a prison for Sarkis, an immortal swordsman! Since Halla possesses the sword, she also possesses Sarkis, and this turns out to create a lot of learning - in many ways - for both of them. It also results in a pretty charming romance.

I enjoyed this so much. The romance is great, but the character development, touches of humor, and world building are even more satisfying. I'm so glad I had the chance to read this and look forward to continuing to read more from both the back catalogue - and hopefully prolific future additions - from this fantastic author.

Halla’s surprised to inherit her wealthy uncle’s estate when he passes, despite the fact that she’s been the person caring for him during his waning years. What should be a positive thing quickly turns sour, with gold-digging relatives ready to take control of Halla’s life–and force her into a terrible marriage. While locked in her bedroom by said relatives, she discovers a magic sword––and an ancient swordsman bound inside it. With Sarkis at her side, Halla sets out to regain control of her life, and her inheritance. Along the way, Halla grapples with what it means to be a respectable widow and what she actually wants her life to be.

I found the story cozy in the best sense––deeply substantive and meaningful within the scope of a single life and the lives it touches. The secondary characters are fantastic, and the world is brimming with interesting and horrible (delightful) things. I particularly loved the paladins.

Delightfully fun and cozy with moments of suspense and intrigue splashed in. Recommended for fans of The Saint of Steel series as they take place within the same world.

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!!

t. kingfisher, i loved how your crazy mind wrote chilling horror novels and whimsical (yet dark at times) fantasy novels that had crazy satirical characters, so of COURSE i loved your romantasy of a beautiful and chivalrous mmc that’s trapped in a magical sword who helps the quirky and wholesome fmc achieve independence… AND I WANT MORE!

Such a charming fantasy.

A sweet FMC that was so compelling, with strength and beauty that she thinks everyone else possesses but she does not. Listening to this character make her way through her world, I felt the need to just sit and have tea with her and just listen to her go on and on about all of her adventures.

The story is almost comical in the absurdity of the events and kind of a fourth wall break (with out it actually being one) recognizing the absurdity of it all by having her character laugh or comment about just that.

My biggest concern about this sweet novel - it could have been a little shorter perhaps a little less happening on the road - but the intensity of the story was perfect once the twist hit.

Such a cute read, you definitely can’t go wrong checking it out.

This is such a breath of fresh air where romantasy is concerned. Halla is a 36-year-old widow who has unexpectedly inherited an estate. Sarkis is a man trapped in a sword, bound to its wielder, who happens to be Halla. Together they journey all over the place in efforts to keep her family from stealing her inheritance and wind up falling in love.

Okay, simplistic wrap up, but it's a very inventive story and its characters are unlike the typical mold you'll find in all the big romantasy books. So if you're sick of the TikTok trends, give this one a try.

This was very unique! I definitely have never read a story like this. It is a fantasy novel but also feels kind or historical. The romance is a slow burn but the end of the story is extra good! This story made me laugh and made me very angry at Hallas “family”. It isn’t what I would normally read so that’s probably why I rated it lower then others may.

Swordheart is a charming Romantasy filled with palpable sexual tension and lovable characters. The book is a standalone within the rich world of the White Rat series. Halla is seemingly no one special, living in a small uneventful small town, at the end of her tether beset by her conniving in-laws. Sarkis is a man out-of-time, trapped in an enchantment, and slave to the whims of any who become the Sword Wielder. The two embark on a journey to reclaim her inheritance, a road filled with danger, magic, Paladins, overzealous Priests, and lots and lots of questions. Oh, and lust, lots of lusting after one another! Loved every minute, will hold out hope for a second book in the series.

I've read enough of Kingfisher's work now to know what to expect, and it's a good time. The characters are in their 30's (generally), not virgin/various experience, the sex scenes are never explicit-preferring the fade to black and allusions to things afterwards, a plot line that is multi-threaded and somehow goes wrong in the middle to end but ends resolved.

I love how Kingfisher writes and makes their characters actual people with bodily functions (that are not crude or for shock value), and have normal desires. I feel like it's easier to suspend belief with a character that is aching from sleeping on the cold hard ground, and starving from lack of food because of the situation.

Anyway, Halla has inherited a mass of land and money from her late husband's uncle, but her cousin and his mother take umbrage with that-having been left with nothing. Halla is then proposed to by clammy-handed cousin, whom she rejects, and they lock her in her room in order to make her more biddable to the idea. Halla mainly wants her nieces to have some dowry for when they come of age since nearly all her other relatives are dead and after several days in her room decides it will come to her having to kill herself to escape the situation. Of course the only weapon in the room is a decorative sword on the wall and while she pontificates how one falls on their own sword, she removes many outer garments to make things easier. When she pulls the sword from the scabbard, however, a man appears. She is surprised by the sudden appearance of a man, and he is surprised by her lack of dress.

Later, Halla is able to employ the services of the Rat God to set her inheritance right and we meet Zale, who is very similar to Halla (seeing as the Order of the Rat are practical folk) and the ox-gnole Brindle, who is a gnole of few words but quite intelligent. There is a certain amount of insta-love that is to be expected. Of course, I'm all for the initial attraction to be lustful (that makes them human), and I still think Kingfisher does a great job of outlining why these characters end up liking each other but it does happen quite fast-like they're traveling for a week and a half and it's agonizing for them.

There are many obstacles that appear, some (always) being priests of the Hanged Mother who are always stirring up trouble, priests of the Sainted Steel, priests of Paladin (demonslayers), and highwaymen, secrets, and misunderstandings.

I'm pretty certain I've encountered Zale in Paladin's Grace and I love them. Plus, I enjoy the gnoles because you don't often see fantasy races that aren't "fuckable" in adult fantasy. I would also love to know more about the Rune and the Vagrant Hills.

This book is a romantic fantasy with a lot of banter in it. It is very funny, and well written as well as very delightful

Was this a bit predictable? Are there a few tropes flying about? Yes and yes.
Did I love it? Absolutely.
In a masterclass on why oft used tropes are... well so often used. T Kingfisher brings us a delightful story of Sarkis (grumpy) and Halla (sunshine) a beleaguered knight to save the damsel from her inheritance grasping relatives. Throw in a a few trek across the countryside, some competing religious orders and a little backstabbery and and it all adds up to a wonderfully humorous, slightly romantic romp.

As always, with Kingfisher loved it!

I really LOVED this book. T. Kingfisher has now become an auto-buy author for me!! I can’t wait to pick up the physical when this comes out next year!!

If you love romantasy this book is for you!!

This was such a joy to dive into. T Kingfisher has created a charming bunch of characters (and yes, I want more adventures with them) who make you care about them, while making you laugh at their misadventures.

Halla is having an exceedingly bad day. Her obnoxious relatives are refusing to accept that the elderly man she cared for has left her his house, and are insisting that she marry one of them, a man who holds no attraction for her whatsoever, and who is completely under the control of his mother. Halla accidentally unsheaths a sword in the room, and frees Sarkis, a warrior who has been enchanted into the sword, and who must serve the sword's wielder - Halla. Chaos, as you might imagine, ensues.

This is a romp, yes. It is a romp, however, that has some solid things to say about the way we judge those who are not like us; the way religious groups sometimes get caught up in their power; the way women are sometimes perceived as "less than". That's my favourite kind of book. Throw in a non-binary legal advising priest and a rather wise and dependable badger-like creature to complete the company of adventurers, and you've got an engaging crew to help untangle Halla's difficulties. There's even a lovely romance, and alternating narration between characters. Pretty much perfection if this is your jam.
This was a solid 4.5 star (rounded up to 5) read for me. A little romance, some sarcasm, some laughter, a grand adventure and some things to make me think? Yes, please.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bramble for the e-arc.

Swordheart is an absolute delight—cozy and wise with wonderful dialogue between unconventional protagonists, one a middle aged widow, the other an enchanted sword-dweller. For such a quick, lighthearted read (perfect for hard times and stormy skies), this book is remarkable for the compassion and humanity that marks every page. I will be talking about this one for a while.

All the stars. Highly recommended!