Member Reviews

Mattinesh Jay runs his family’s well respected wool business. The Jay House is generations old, but they have recently come into financial troubles after a series of setbacks. The only way out of their predicament is for Matti to marry someone from a wealthy family who is looking for the prestige the Jay name can bring to their own business, while providing Matti’s family much needed funds. His bride-to-be, Sofia, is a nice woman and a friend, but Matti has no desire to marry her. However, Matti is nothing if not dedicated to his family and their business and he knows they need him to make this sacrifice to ensure their future.

Matti knows there will be a challenge at the wedding. Sofia has a suitor who has already indicated he will attempt to stop the marriage by requesting a duel, so Matti’s family has put aside money to pay for a best man/duelist to handle the challenge. Unfortunately, Matti loses some of the money he needs to hire the best swordsperson, so he must take someone who is new to the local guild. There he meets Luca Piere, who agrees to not only provide best man duties at the wedding, but also teach Matti how to use a sword.

Luca fled his old life to avoid some trouble and has now come to a new city hoping to start over. He agrees to give Matti sword lessons, rather than risk Matti exposing some of Luca’s shady dealings he witnessed. Plus, Luca can admit that he is drawn to Matti. The men are so different. Matti is responsible and dedicated, putting his family above himself time and again. He is working himself to exhaustion, sacrificing everything — including accepting an business marriage — in order to help them. And Luca is more impulsive, more reckless… and more free. But Matti helps ground Luca, and Luca helps Matti remember he is allowed to enjoy life and make himself a priority.

As the men get to know each other better, they begin to fall for one another. They also begin to realize that there is more threatening the Jay house than just bad luck. As they dig into the plot, the situation becomes increasingly complicated. And the more time they spend together, the more the men realize they want to be together. But with his family on the verge of ruin, Matti has no choice but to go through with the marriage. And if Luca’s secrets come out, it could ruin the chance for even friendship between them.

I absolutely went wild for Freya Marske’s Last Binding trilogy, so I was eager to grab the author’s latest story, Swordcrossed. I’d describe this as a historical fantasy, as it feels like it takes place in the past, but is not set in our real world. (For clarity, this isn’t a world with magic like Marske’s prior trilogy.) I found the world building to be really interesting here, with various guilds and family houses leading them. For example, Jay house is renowned for their wool and Matti’s father is the leader of their guild, representing them in the city. These houses then have different patron gods that they worship. This set up creates a tangled web of politics and influence and maneuvering that plays out in the story, as Matti and Luca attempt to learn more about who may be trying to harm Matti’s family business and why. I do think things get a little complicated in the politics, though, and it wasn’t always easy to follow who all the different players were and the various motivations.

I also thought the aspects of the duels and wedding challenges was interesting. This is a world where swordspeople play both ceremonial and practical roles. People hire them for formal ceremonies and rituals to stand guard or display their skills. They are also brought in as the “best man” for weddings in case of external challenges where they need to stand in the bride or groom’s stead. In this case, Matti is aware that Sofia has a suitor who will challenge for her at the wedding, so he needs to hire the best duelist to step in for him. While these rituals are largely performative, a lost duel is a bad omen and could potentially call off the much needed wedding. I thought this was an interesting world building twist, and it allows for not just a chance to get the guys together, but also to develop Sofia as a strong character in her own right. We learn more about her and it is different than we (or Matti) initially believes. I liked that she becomes a co-conspirator as Matti and Luca, and Matti’s sister, Maya, try to solve their family problems. For awareness, Matti does have a relationship with Luca (sexual and otherwise) while he is engaged to Sofia. She is aware and completely fine with it, so I didn’t see this as a problem in any way, but I wanted to mention it.

Matti and Luca start out with an enemies-to-lovers vibe, and they have sort of a mutually assured destruction thing going on, as Luca is aware that Matti’s house is hiding their financial troubles, and Matti can reveal some of Luca’s shady dealings. So they come to an agreement that keeps them working together. Luca’s past is a mystery for most of the book (to Matti and to us as readers), but we do know he is clever and sneaky and impulsive. He knows how to pick a lock, how to get information, and how to get things done that the more straight-laced Matti cannot. I found the story the most fun when we follow along with Luca as he does some snooping, stealing, and conning to help Matti figure out who is behind the family problems and how to root it out. I liked the men together and enjoyed seeing how their vastly different personalities ended up working so well together.

Overall, I enjoyed this story and found it an engaging historical fantasy. I continue to really like Marske’s style and will look forward to more of her work.

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BookTour Stop and ARC review (second picture)

Swordcrossed - Freya Marske

Ebook
October 8th, 2024


When cozy fantasy meets romance and cloak-and-dagger…
Swordcrossed was a super addictive romantasy set in a world all at once familiar and foreign. The perfect escape read,comfortably sat in front of a fire, with wool socks and a glass of good wine. I loved Matti and Luca’s story, and I’m sure you will too.

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Synopsis
Brimming with steamy romance, rougeish charm and intrigue, Swordcrossed is a dazzling queer fantasy from the internationally bestselling author of The Last Binding trilogy.

‘If you’re doing romantasy without Freya Marske, you’re doing it wrong’ – Casey McQuiston, author of Red, White & Royal Blue

Low stakes. High heat. Sharp steel . . .

Mattinesh Jay, heir to his family’s struggling business, needs his arranged marriage to go off without a hitch. But if he’s to successfully restore his house’s fortunes, Matti must first hire a swordsman to defend him against any sword-challenges at the altar. Unfortunately, the only duellist he can afford is part-time con artist and full-time charming menace Luca Piere.

All Luca wants to do is make some easy money and forget the crime he committed in his home town. He didn’t plan on being blackmailed into giving sword lessons to a chronically responsible – and inconveniently handsome – wool-merchant like Matti.

However, neither Matti’s business troubles nor Luca himself are quite what they seem. As secrets threaten to drive a blade through their growing alliance, both Matti and Luca will have to answer the question: how many lies are you prepared to strip away when the truth could mean losing everything you want?

The cosy, low stakes of Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree meets the scorching bodyguard fantasy of Jennifer L. Armentrout's From Blood and Ash in this enemies-to-lovers romance by Freya Marske.
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Thank you Colored Pages Book Tour ( @coloredpagesbt ), Freya Marske ( @freyamarske ), Tor Publishing Book, Bramble Romance ( @brambleromance ) and NetGalley for the ARC. My opinions are my own.



#Swordcrossedtour #coloredpagesbooktours #gifted #Swordcrossed #FretaMarske #NetGalley #ARCreview #BookTour #BooksofInstagram #Bookstagram



















“Love was a sword with two edges.”

Swordcrossed was an addictive novel, captivating.
The book is set in a different world, which has no magic, yet it makes “ordinary” things exotic and the whole world building is a key point in that story. In my mind (but maybe I was completely wrong), I pictured a place close to Post-Renaissance Italy, governed by merchants who have their assigned gods. Depending on the moment, it felt like a romance, a cozy fantasy or even a cloak-and-dagger novel with action and political intrigues. I truly loved these different ambiances, and sometimes truly felt like I was reading a Alexandre Dumas’ book (or, at least, what I remember of these, as I read them a VERY LONG time ago).
The rhythm in the writing makes it sometimes mesmerizing, sometimes addictive, inciting us to turn page after page. We want to discover more about the world and how it works, solve the mystery(ies), and, of course, get to know Matti and Luca. I loved both of them, as much as the cast of side characters. While Matti learns how to stand up for himself, and not to only follow his sense of duty that drowns him every day a bit more; Luca –on the other hand– has to face his past mistakes. They have both a great arc, and their interactions are most of the time funny –and hot. The chemistry here is real, and I loved how the sword lessons put everything together, picturing the balance of power between them, how they dance around each other.
If you are looking for an easy read, a nice romance and an escape read, cozy, perfect to read in front of the fire with wool socks and a glass of wine, all wrapped in action and twists, then you should consider Swordcrossed. I truly enjoyed reading it.

Thank you Colored Pages Book Tour, Freya Marske, Tor Publishing Book, Bramble Romance and NetGalley for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

Rate 4.5

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Marske delivers another spicy queer romance with a side-serving of fantasy politics. The machinations of the conspiracy were tough to track, but easy to tune out when you have the image of our heroes getting down and dirty in a closet (boys, this is a heist)! Matti and Luca are tender, clever, and achingly lovable as they learn how to he honest with each other. A wonderful second course for fans of the Last Binding trilogy!

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While not quite as either low-angst or low stakes as the blurb mentions, this book was so much fun. It had a slightly slow start because of all of the world-building and character development, but once it got going it was a ride. Matti and Luca had a fair amount to lose if they failed in their various endeavors, and their relationship was fairly volatile in the beginning. And the middle. And near the end.
As seems to be typical with the author, the plot and the world were great, but the character work is where she really shines. Matti and Luca were lovely, flawed, and so real. I loved getting to watch their growth together; they pushed each other to be and do better while also being hot like burning.
Overall, this book had almost everything I could want in a fantasy; there was crossing of swords (in all of the ways), there was action, a mystery, and a pretty epic reveal at the end. The characters were deeply human, the world was intriguing enough to make me want more, and the story was satisfying. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

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“‘I thought I had simple tastes. I don’t care about pearls or silver. I don’t need silk. I can live without cherries and bottles of Diamond Blend. But you. You are the most exquisite thing in this city, and I want you, and I’m going to have you.’”

I love a low stakes fantasy romance now and then, where we’re not trying to save the whole world, just an unlucky business. And the romance was done SO well.

The romance featured one of my favorite couple dynamics. A repressed man who sacrifices everything in the name of duty and an absolutely chaotic firecracker of a man who teaches him to go after what he wants. They fit so perfectly together and I loved the development of their relationship

I also found the plot outside the romance to be interesting. I enjoyed the world, where almost everyone served a Guild under a patron god with their own rituals and traditions. It’s something I’ve never seen before! The mystery of why Matti’s family business was so unlucky was fun to unravel, especially when Luca insisted on doing it in less than legal ways.

The ending was perfect, one of those where it feels like everything is perfectly wrapped up with a nice little bow.

Overall, if you’re looking for a low stakes fantasy romance with great character development, check this one out!

Thanks to the author and publisher for the review copy. This review was left voluntarily and all opinions are my own.

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I want to start out by saying how much I absolutely adored this book! I absolutely fell in love with Matti and Luca. Matti is the stoic leader of his family’s wool business, always sacrificing for the betterment of his family, especially when they’ve come into hard times. Then enter Luca, with his wild red hair and chaotic personality, but he’s got a few secrets and insecurities up his sleeve. They are the perfect opposites attract and getting to watch them fight and solve mysteries and fall in love was just a really fun ride.

Pick this one up if you are into:
• Fun fantasy worlds
• Queer normative societies
• Sword fighting your crush as a love language
• Sir 👀
• Mystery and schemes
• Having fun!

I’m not sure if this is a stand alone but I love this world and would love to see more stories in it!

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I was immediately captured by the world buildinh and the main characters chemistry. It makes me want to read a sequel, if one ever comes out.

I enjoued how there was a whole world with religions and politics, which played a big part in the plot, while also a romantic story line. Many books focus on one or the other, but the author did a great job balancing both.

This is my first novel by this author, and I am now a huge fan!

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I loooooove Freya Marske's books, and this one is SO GOOD.

SWORDCROSSED has romance, intrigue, and sensual swordfighting, so. Need I say more?

This story follows dual POVs of Mattinesh (Matti) Jay, the dutiful heir to his struggling family business, and Luca Piere, part-time con artist and full-time charming menace who Matti reluctantly hires to be his best man at his upcoming (arranged marriage) wedding.

Matti is seeking to restore his family's wealth, and an impending sword-challenge at his ceremony threatens his efforts. Luca, for his part, is trying to reinvent himself in a new city. All he wants to do is make some easy money and try to forget the crime he committed in his hometown. He didn’t plan on being blackmailed into giving sword lessons to a chronically responsible—and inconveniently handsome—wool merchant like Matti.

As the days count down to Matti’s wedding, Luca and Matti become entangled in the intrigue and sabotage that have brought Matti’s house to the brink of ruin. And when Luca’s secrets threaten to drive a blade through their growing alliance, both Matti and Luca will have to grapple with both their feelings and futures.

This book kept me captivated in the mystery and swoon, and it had the perfect elements of an engaging romantasy. The writing is STUNNING, as is custom for Freya Marske. Fantasy isn't even my favorite genre and I will read anything she writes!

Thank you to Bramble and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. SWORDCROSSED is out now!

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Fun cozy romance (with a couple explicit scenes). It isn’t really a fantasy fantasy. There’s no actual magic aside from being in a made up world. However, the characters are enjoyable and it’s a fun fast read. They are the sorts that deserve to be happy in the end. I think a reader who liked A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows would also really like this book. Decent people who deserve a happy ending get a happy ending. .

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Thanks to Bramble Romance/Tor Books for the free book in exchange for my honest review!! This was a such a cute (and STEAMY) LGBTQ fantasy romance. The chemistry between the characters was great, and the atmosphere was awesome, as it was a historical romance with arranged marriages and dueling. I really loved the writing of Marske and the way she really created such a detailed fantasy world. I felt immersed in the setting, especially with it pulling in so many connections and elements of an almost Bridgerton-like time period.

Matti is in an arranged marriage, essentially marrying his finance because his family business is secretly struggling, and he will do anything to save it. Matti is forced to hire an experienced swordsman to be his best man at his wedding, to protect the marriage and ensure that nobody will get in the way of his family getting the money it needs. Luca is hired as Matti's best man, but Luca himself has a secret that he is hiding from everyone. The two very quickly have strong chemistry and tension builds, as both of them fight their feelings to try to fit into their roles in society.

While there definitely were high stakes in this book, I feel like a lot of it was exploring Luca and Matti's relationship with themselves, each other, and their loved ones, which I really enjoyed. There was a large focus on each of their individual struggles with their identity, family, and societal roles. I felt like the book really allowed for not only their relationship to blossom, but for the reader to get to know the insides of Luca and Matti, and go on a journey with them as they came to be more confident in what they wanted. Family was a really important part of this book as well, which I loved. What I will say I really loved about this book is that despite the time period, being gay was completely normal. In fact, the fact that the two main characters were men who were secretly dating was so not important to the plot of the story and how other characters in society perceived them, which I thought was really cool, especially with it being a long ago time period where being LGTQB was not normalized. I really loved Matti and Luca's relationship and thought it was the best part of the book, along with Matti's relationship with his family! Overall, a good fantasy romance.

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25/5

Swordcrossed is an entertaining and cozy romantasy filled with queer romance, fencing, and love.

This was a fun one! I really enjoyed the romance and representation. As a fencer, I also loved the fencing and training scenes. The writing was beautiful, the characters were funny, and the plot was fun. The story was overall very cozy and sweet, and I loved the ending. Aspects of the world-building and plot were a little more complex than I was expecting, but they added an interesting depth to the story. Some parts of the romance, pacing, and plot felt forced, but I will absolutely recommend this one to cozy fantasy fans looking for a sizzling romance with sword fights!

Thank you to the publisher for the free ARC!

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Swordcrossed is imaginative and well-written. There's nothing wrong with the story, but it fell a little flat for me.

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Sword Crossed
is what the romantasy genre has been waiting for. Its romance-centric plot in no way eclipses the logical, evocative world building. Quite the contrary, from religion to economics to factionalism to food and dress, every element of the world serves to shape the way characters walk through it. Gone are the days of handwaving (or worse, infodumping) how things work in service of getting the protagonists to kiss; AUTHOR’s world is woven seamlessly into and expanded upon organically as the story progresses, standing out like a deftly woven bolt of fabric in a genre lately made up of hastily bundled tufts of yarn. Huna smile.

I joke a little, but only because this is exactly what I’ve been looking for in the sub genre of romantasy since the term was coined. I’ve fallen absolutely in love with Luca and Matti, both individually and as a pair. I had a great time with the way Markse wove in moments of physical proximity to further push Matti and Luca to the edge with each other, from sword lessons and drinking together to breaking and entering/corporate espionage.
They complement one another’s personalities and push each other’s buttons, and are forced to grow together. The intimacy built isn’t just romantic and sexual/physical, but deeply caring too. They’re a bit of an odd couple at first glance, with Matti’s honorable, naive dutifulness contrasted against Luca’s restless, roguish charm, but at their hearts they are the same: young men who are so hungry with something to prove. It’s that shared trait, and each one’s ability to recognize the way it manifests in the other, that both pushes the plot along and builds their chemistry to a breaking point. Each has a knowledge of what the other needs, and while the build of trust (intellectually) is slow, they instinctively work together well from jump. I believed them falling in love, and I had a great time watching it. Truly you can’t ask for anything more.

But deliver more Markse did, starting with the excellent support cast and the interpersonal conflicts they caused and helped sort out. Matti’s family and Sofia are welcome allies in a story where neither protagonist can catch a damn break, and the villains, while vile, make sensical choices (if you look through their POVs); our protags are just in the way of their goals, you see! I was stressed out enough for both M and L and Jay house’s fortunes in turns that I had to set the book down and take a lap more than once. The stakes aren’t as high as all out war or apocalyptic disaster, but the interpersonal and cultural problems felt true and tied to characters I cared for and were, thus, important.

And maybe that’s the most important element to making a romantasy feel quality and not a romance thrown on top of a slapdash setting to make it different from a contemporary rom-com. Making the world feel lived in and like its rules matter. The world of Glassport and the city-states surrounding it feels that way. Glassport especially is so cosmopolitan; it’s peopled with folks of all walks, religion and holy days are part of how commerce happens and are important to day to day life (but also have been watered down from the bloody, intense things they used to be) (but not in a way that makes the ritual and community building of it all weaker). Ditto the factionalism of the guilds and local government. It all slots together in ways neat enough to make sense and messy enough to feel human, just as our real world slots together around us.

And that’s the exact right recipe for me. I would recommend Swordcrossed to anyone who would listen to me gush about it, but especially to readers who don’t want to have to suspend their disbelief to indulge in the escapism of fantasy, who prefer a love story to build organically from attraction to affection, and who like books that feel like putting on a comfortable favorite sweater even upon first read. An easy five stars.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for providing the ARC.

A gay swordfighting romance with the best of regency tension and all of the banter? Sign me up.

This book is fun and campy, with a theatrical swashbuckling flair, some political intrigue, and a lot of swordplay between the most buttoned up heir and the duelist he has hired to maintain his honor at his wedding. The vibes? Immaculate. The banter? Exceptional. The tension? Scrumptious. The mystery story that these two characters find themselves in? Fantastic.

Matti and Luca are fun to read and their relationship is adorable. I loved how everything came together and how these two overcame the obstacles in their lives and finally found something they could have for themselves.

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Marske does it again!! While I don't necessarily think the plot of this is novel, Marske handles it with incredible aplomb. I found the political narrative genuinely intriguing, and of course the slowburn between Matti and Luca kept me hooked.

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Thank you NetGalley and Bramble for the ARC! Mattinesh "Matti" Jay takes his duty to his family very seriously. The family is noble, but struggling financially after a series of unfortunate events. To help them restore their wealth, Matti is set to be married in a few weeks time. As tradition dictates (and a revival to his fiancee's hand ensures) Matti must secure a best man who will be able to duel (and win) to ensure his future (and fortune). But when he is scammed out of a chunk of the money he had reserved to hire the swordsman, Matti must make due with whatever his remaining funds provide and when that turns out to be the very man who took his money, Luca Piere, Matti makes a deal to hire Luca and not turn him in, if he agrees to train Matti in swordsmanship. Things only become more complicated as the sparks between Matti and Luca start to fly! Filled with deception, intrigue, and steamy romance, Swordcrossed is sure to thrill the hearts of Romantasy fans!

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In Swordcrossed, Freya Marske has mastered the art of scorching tension. The simmering passion between Matti and Luca kept me riveted to each page. Adding in layers of intrigue between the houses and the secrets between the two, I found the entire story breathtaking.
From the very beginning, when Matti and Luca meet, you feel the tension between them and the heat between them ratchet up throughout the novel but so too does the intrigue and the pressures between both Matti and Luca and within their families. As the secrets come to light, the revelations are shocking, delightfully written and the ending is a joy to read because it circumvents even the reader’s expectations. This is one of the best romance fantasies I’ve read and just whets my appetite for the next book Freya Marske writes, because I know I’ll love it.

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This is another entry in the “queer couples work through trauma through politics” and I LOVED IT SO MUCH! We really need to name this subgenre because when it works, it works so well.

Edging more into the sword part of ‘sword and sorcery’ fantasy, swords and swordcraft are an integral part of the plot.

Definitely recommended, it’s a little spicy in a couple parts, so I would say older (17ish probably) teens and up.

I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest opinion.

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A captivating read for fans of lighthearted, emotional, and adventurous romance, particularly those who enjoy LGBTQIA+ stories, fantasy, and intricate plots, as it weaves together themes of family, friendship, and self-discovery in a richly detailed world of guilds and high-stakes intrigue.

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I found this book deeply boring. I'm usually a huge fan of queer fantastical romance, and I liked Freya Marske's other work to some extent, but the buildup was just excruciatingly slow. I didn't feel invested in the stakes or the characters. It just didn't hit for me.

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