This book wasn't for me. I had a hard time figuring out who was speaking, and to whom. Grown adults spoke like they were in high school, and constantly solved issues by either beating people up or trying to kill them. It was 80% bickering, like children. Then a grown 26 year old woman whined to her father that she thought her mom liked her sister more. It kept taking me out of the story.

The romance felt rushed, and the storyline itself felt buried beneath everything else. The romance was rushed, as well. The story picked up a bit around 2/3 in. The ending itself was abrupt and didn't answer many questions, giving it an incomplete feel. This was a very subdued read. It wasn't funny or zany, the pacing was off, and the book relied far too heavily on dialogue.

Review posted on A Little Bit Tart, A Little Bit Sweet August 31, 2019

https://tartsweet.com/2019/08/31/review-the-blacksmith-queen-by-g-a-aiken/

Review: The Blacksmith Queen by G.A. Aiken
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The Blacksmith Queen (The Scarred Earth Saga, #1) by G.A. Aiken
Adult High Fantasy published by Kensington on August 27, 2019

I have been waiting not so patiently for this book since it was announced and I was not disappointed! I love the zaniness of the author’s Shelly Laurenston urban fantasy/paranormal romance books and am just now making my way through her fantasy romance Dragon Kin series as G.A. Aiken. The Blacksmith Queen has family squabbles and insults aplenty like the other series. To me the silliness is a little dialed down from the Dragon Kin series or the Shelly Laurenston books but the book is still funny and overall delightful! There are plenty of battles and fantastical creatures although it’s light on kissing and sexy times in case that’s something you’re after!

There are a lot of players in the book. The primary main characters are Keeley and some of her family and then Caid and members of his family. There’s a kingdom/crown at stake, so there are royals as well. And then clans and groups of the other factions like the witches, centaurs, elves, and dwarves. And the gods are in the mix as well.

Keeley is a blacksmith, comes from a long line of blacksmiths on her mom’s side, and loves being a blacksmith. She’s so great! Caring, no nonsense, just wants everyone to be happy. But will do anything (a hammer might be involved) for family and friends (even of the non-human variety). I love her flaws and all. She steps up when she needs to, doing the difficult tasks. I definitely got Thor and his hammer Mjolnir vibes when she talked about how much she loved her hammer.

At first Caid doesn’t know what to do with Keeley because he doesn’t talk much or want to care but she’s persistent. I liked how their relationship developed over the story. Much of it they’re just friends then progress holding hands (aww!). But once they kiss (and more, finally!) towards the end that’s it, they’re all in.

There’s lots of fighting—both good versus evil battles and then family squabbling (usually in a loving way). Keeley’s huge family (her parents have 12 kids!) is awesome and full of surprises! I’m excited to learn more about them in future books. I sense there’s way more to her sister Gemma in particular and she’s already super interesting in The Blacksmith Queen.

I don’t want to give too much away about the fight for the crown. It’s not resolved in this book and I expect it to take a few more books to get there. Chess pieces are moving around on the board at this point. Keeley and her crew do have a base of operations and she and Caid are for sure together at the end of The Blacksmith Queen.

I loved this book. I laughed out loud several times—always a sign of a good Shelly Laurenston/G.A. Aiken book to me! Violence, family drama, humor, mythical creatures, and kissing?! Totally my jam! My one little complaint is I wanted more time with Keeley and Caid after they get together. More kissing, more sexy times! Also, this is the start of a new series so no need to have read the Dragon Kin series although there are some little Easter eggs for those who’ve read those books.

Grade: B+

So sitting at home during quarantine trying to pick off my tbr... yeah this book was not up my ally. The writing style was a bit hard for me to be focused on the story and characters...

I stopped reading at 10%. The writing is dull and just bad. I usually love fantasy novels with a female lead but this one did not pull me in.

I truly enjoy GA Aiken new series The Blacksmith Queen. This fantasy book has great mythical creatures: dragons, elves, dwarves, centaurs, and more. I can never get enough of kick ass women and there were a lot of them. If you love humor and drama then this is your next book to read.

I absolutely loved The Blacksmith Queen! I requested it on NetGalley because the pitch made it sound interesting, but ignored the book in favor of others for month. And boy, do I regret that? This isn't a serious fantasy book, but a hilarious, romantic romp of a good time. Before I was halfway done, I was trying to find information on the sequel. A must read for fantasy romance fans!

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for the early copy!

I checked out this fantasy novel but could not connect with the writing style. I put it down.

I could not get through this book. The characters weren't to my liking and I didn't care for the way the story started to go. I normally don't give up on a book but this one I had to.

This was the first book I’ve read by G. A. Aiken and I really enjoyed it. I thought it was a young adult fantasy, but it turned out to be more adult and I appreciated the added depth. Keeley is a blacksmith and her sister is said to be the next Queen. But, it turns out her sister is not what she thought she was and Keeley is also said to be queen. Can’t wait for the next in the series.

Fighting, feasting and.... well, everything else in a fantasy erotica novel! G. A. Aiken sets her novel apart from the crowd with an engaging story, great characters (oh my goodness, the dialog is actually witty - call the press!) and the romance is woven perfectly with the characters and plot. Highly recommended for fans of erotica and romance, a fun read from start to finish.

The Old King Is Dead, (long live the Queen).

An interesting take on a well-used trope, in The Blacksmith Queen we see a women destined to ascend to the Throne and a family willing to do anything to save her from those who would get in her way. A compelling dynamic between family, and succession, leads us to a unique plot-line, interesting character relationships and an overall effectively and linguistically different master-piece.

G.A. Aiken is the queen of creating intriguing fantasy worlds with larger than life heroines and she does so in The Blacksmith Queen. Keeley is one of the best and most realistic heroines, with glaring and relatable flaws that only make me love her more!

***4 Stars***

And we have another crazy set of characters to love, adore and want to Gibbs smack upside the head at their antics, which, if you’ve read this author before you know that the craycray is ALWAYS on the OTT end of the spectrum and will have you laughing and rolling your eyes all at the same time.

As for Keeley and Caid, I adored both of them. Keeley is such a good woman. She has a huge heart. She accepts people for who they are and only wants what is best for them. Caid is a bit grouchy, but has a really good heart. Their journey to their HEA was a fun one because they both just kinda fell for the other and rolled with it. There wasn’t much drama/angst going on between them ~ which I was happy about considering everything else that was going on ~ but their bantering and teasing (well, Keeley’s teasing) was a lot of fun and it was easy to see how they could end up falling for each other.

If you’ve read any of the books by this author, you know that while there is a romance storyline, there is so much more going on: Multiple POV’s, various subplots and, as I stated before, a whole lot of crazy. And this one is chock full of all of that. There were a couple of things that did surprise me, but totally worked within this world and the fact that this series does take place in the same world as Dragon Kin has me crossing my toes that we may get to see some of my favorite characters as this series progress.

As usual, whenever I pick up a G.A. Aiken/Shelly Laurenston book, I know I'll be in for a wild ride. With this book, the author starts a new series set in the same fantasy world as her Dragon Kin series, but located in an entirely new part of the world away from the dragon lands, where humans dominate. Not to worry though, a dragon does make a short but very memorable appearance in this book as do centaurs, dwarves, elves, and a "war monk", a necromancer who can raise the dead to fight. I also don't think it's necessary to read the previous series in order to thoroughly enjoy this one.

The MC though is human, a blacksmith in fact. Keeley is freakishly strong and can be ruthless, but she's also kind and compassionate to others that deserve it, she loves any and every animal (including the aforementioned dragon and a group of "demon" wolves from the underworld that she's made friends with in spite of their glowing red eyes that spit fire LOL). She is also fiercely loyal to and protective of her family which includes her former blacksmith mom, her former soldier turned farmer dad, her 12 or so younger siblings and all of her assorted aunts, uncles and cousins. She will do absolutely anything to protect them and it's this trait that sets her on the path to become the blacksmith queen, as path she would never willingly have chosen.

There's really no other way to describe this book. It's crazy, over-the-top, action-filled, violent, and fun. There is a romance of sorts between Keeley and one of the centaurs that is sent to protect her family, but as usual, it takes a backseat to the plot. I would characterize this book firmly as fantasy (not fantasy romance), something I don't read that much of, but it doesn't really matter what Shelly writes, I'm there for it. There are enough loose ends to seed the next story, but no cliffhanger and I can't wait for the next book.

I am ready for the next book now!

I was drawn into this book by the plot right away, and I stayed hooked the whole way through the book. The plot was well thought out, and the imagery made the world stand out to me as a reader. This is my first experience with G.A. Aiken's work, and I enjoyed the writing style and the details included in this book. Moving through this story and watching the character development and growth, it all seemed natural and kept me watching more. I will be reading the next installment in The Scarred Earth Saga and can't wait to see what happens to these characters, especially Keeley.

Shelly Laureston is the queen on hilarious pnr and I will die on this hill. The Blacksmith Queen is just another shining example of Laurenston's outrageous humor and larger than life characters. A strong action-packed storyline sets the stage for an uninterested blacksmith to become a queen in a country ripe for war. Cameos from the Dragon series promises even more fun in the future as the series progresses.

think I pegged what had been sort of bothering me. Aiken (or under Laurenston), has taken to not just having the one book to tell the romance. There's hints of that in the Dragonkin books (which this is set in the same world) and the Pride books (more directly in the Honey Badger books), but this is full on gunning at it.

Which isn't a bad thing, just makes the genre (Paranormal Romance) misleading. Kind of like how Ilona Andrew's series "Hidden Talents" is PNR, but its a slow build to the romance.

A first by me by this author wont be my last! WOW!!! This book was filled with humor, magic and suspence I litteraly fell in LOVE with each character and this fantasic story! Where has this author been all my life?? OH I cant wait to read the next book and while I am wawitng I plan to read everything this author has written! Thank you G.A.Aiken for this beautiful magic your book put in my life!!!!!! A MUST READ!!!

I wanted to love this one but the plot and the writing were just so-so. Didn't hold my interest.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I really wished to get into this one. Unfortunately, as much as I hoped to love the plot, the writing just wasn't in it for me.

I did enjoy the darker aspects to the story, as they are my favorite vibes to read. The romance also was probably the better part of this book, but it just wasn't enough to compensate. 

So, I gave this one 2 out of 5 stars.