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.

Did I describe *No Good Men* as a little violent? Oh, sweet summer child. *This* book opens with not one but two scenes of gleeful slaughter, splatteringly comic, and by the end of chapter two I had already lost count of how many skulls had been smashed and whose inside bits were splashed onto whom. It’s not at all my usual thing but all the characters seemed to be having such a good time that I couldn’t look away.
By the time the secret centaurs (what?) and the demon wolves with fire for eyes show up (*what???*), I was reaching for the popcorn and settling in for the whole show.
This book is not subtle, but it is gloriously surprising. It’s what you might get if *Game of Thrones* and *Borderlands 2* had a romance baby. Or a slightly less wholesome *Galavant.*
At several points I actually yelled *Oh shit* aloud at the page, because G. A. Aiken can present a plot twist with all the finesse and brilliance of a stage magician.
We begin: The Old King has died and prophecy hails new successor—not one of the king’s murderous offspring, who immediately begin assassinating one another, but a blacksmith’s younger daughter. But we don’t follow Beatrix: the story’s centered on the Chosen One’s older sister Keeley, a tall, broad, impossibly strong and burly blacksmith like her mother. Keeley is deadly with a sledgehammer and easily makes friends with every animal, even the demon wolves. The Witches of Amhuinn have sent a clan of centaurs to defend the proespective Queen—including large, scowly, misanthropic Caid, who is utterly perplexed to find Keeley treating him with all the cheer and confidence at her disposal.
The goal is simple: get Beatrix to the witches to confirm her destiny, while avoiding capture and slaughter from the royals who are grasping for power. But then things—well, things take a turn, and the patterns you thought you were following begin shifting like a kaleidoscope. The prose is profane and filthy and utterly unself-conscious, leaving the faux-medieval tone at the door in favor of brash, direct statements.
I had forgotten that epic fantasy could be *this fucking fun.*

Fast paced and extremely action packed, this is a great book for the fans of the genre. I absolutely adored it. I cannot recommend it enough. Cannot wait for more from this author!!

I have been a fan of G.A. Aiken/Shelly Laurenston ever since I found one of her books, Hunting Season on Scribd back in high school. I adore her stories, the crazy shenanigans of her characters, the strength of the cast of characters and the developing romance between characters. I have binge-read almost all of her series because I adore her writing.

‘The Blacksmith Queen’, the first in a brand new series, did not disappoint. It had absolutely everything I love in a book: three-dimensional characters with unique personalities, witty (and hilarious) banter, interesting magical system as well as well-written world building- literally everything! As I was reading this book, I realised that one of Aiken’s strengths lies in the ability to masterfully create such unique characters but especially strong female characters. Aiken has always written female characters that are incredibly strong, and I’m not talking only just physical strength though many of Aiken’s female characters have that in spades. These women are fearless, they know their mind and refuse to be a doormat, most of the time THEY are the ones running headlong into battle with the men sitting around TALKING about it. It’s hilarious but also so epic because Aiken’s women are incredibly independent and intelligent women in their own right. What makes this more wholesome and awesome, and it was especially seen in ‘The Blacksmith Queen’ was that the male characters were not intimidated by the strength and fearlessness of the female characters; it was more as though it was the norm, if that makes sense.

In terms of the storyline itself, it had me hooked. I won’t go into detail as I really don’t want to spoil the story but Aiken is setting up such an intriguing, action-packed series with The Blacksmith Queen and I can honestly say that Keely and Cain’s adventure has just started,. Watching these two characters slowly fall in love whilst battling, dealing with the infighting, the betrayals - was fascinating and made my heart pound.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the characters, but the reason as to my rating of 4 out of 5 stars is mainly because I sometimes felt that the dialogue between the characters were slightly childish or immature, especially considering the age of the characters (I’m assuming at least in their twenties). And though I am familiar with the way Aiken writes the hilarious and over the top shenanigans of the characters and between the characters, some situations or scenes I felt were just an exaggeration of ‘over the top’ to the point that it was slightly cringe-worthy.

However, overall, I really enjoyed this book and I am excited for the rest of the series and I cannot wait for what happens next!