
Member Reviews

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.

I got 53% in to this book and could not finish it. The story is bland, the characters aren’t interesting. It doesn’t even feel as though there is a plot. I was so excited but unfortunately this one isn’t for me.

Highlights
~sword-wielding best man
~trade intrigue
~meet-cute < meet-CON
~wonderfully elegant worldbuilding
~thermonuclear levels of heat
Look: Marske has always been a good writer. A great one. A marvellous one, even!
But not until Swordcrossed has she written lines that engraved themselves on my heart in molten gold. Not until this book has she struck me breathless and aching and hurting from how beautiful her story is. Swordscrossed is the first time she’s made me honest-to-gods-WEEP from the sheer tender intensity of the emotions she’s magicked up.
I’m not even exaggerating: I had to put the down and just cry for almost an hour. Not sad tears! Happy tears! And kind of overwhelmed tears, too, because I was just So Full of emotions and had no idea what to do with them. I was shaking!
I’M NOT USED TO FEELING THINGS THIS STRONGLY, OKAY? IT WAS ALMOST SCARY.
Matti didn’t know what to say. There was a bubble of something in his throat, like blown glass or hot chocolate, a tenderness that threatened to sear itself into Matti on a fundamental level.
If I described the plot to you, it would sound like any other fantasy romance. Any other low-magic romantasy. There’s no story-element that makes Swordcrossed unique, exactly. Don’t get me wrong: the plot is INCREDIBLY compelling, there is so much tension-dread-hope keeping the pages turning, and even the most minor characters are vividly alive in a way only the best authors can manage. I was biting my lips and perched on the edge of my seat and frantic to make sure everything would turn out okay – and that is in and of itself an incredible accomplishment when we’re talking about a book where the happy ending is implicitly guaranteed. Books like this often can’t quite manage to sustain any tension, because you know it’s all going to be fine – but I was so nervous! I was so invested! I was genuinely anxious for everyone! Marske made me completely forget that all would be well, so, you know, ALL THE KUDOS FOR THAT!
But the plot’s not – the plot’s not the point. It doesn’t matter, at all, that you’ve heard or read similar stories before.
Because the way it’s written. That. That is what makes Swordcrossed something truly special, something breathtaking.
“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,” Matti breathed. “You are the most exquisite thing in this city, and I want you, and I’m going to have you.”
I don’t know if it’s the freedom of not having to fit a story inside real-world history, as the Last Binding books were, or simply growing confidence as a writer, or if it’s something else entirely, but Swordcrossed reads like the work of someone who has cast off all restraint and is exulting in their love of words and storytelling. There are so many more similes and metaphors in Swordcrossed than in any of the Last Binding books, and the effect is extravagant, decadent. You won’t need a dictionary to keep up – the language is every bit as accessible and beautifully easy as it was in Last Binding – but it adds a richness, a lushness, to the prose that makes it obvious how much Marske enjoyed writing this. And that joy definitely comes through to the reader!
Or he could invent a vast family of siblings of all ages for {spoiler}. He could embroider each one lavishly with imaginary traits, and sprinkle them with freckles.
The indulgence – the sense that Marske is writing this book for herself and nobody else – is present in the worldbuilding too. It’s obvious how much pleasure she took in creating this original setting, in being able to invent whatever she liked instead of being limited by writing a story set in a real historical period. There’s a breathless delicacy to every perfectly-placed detail; never so many of them as to become overwhelming, or distract from the plot, but more than enough to elevate the story she’s telling, bring it to life. It’s there in the sensory description, in the figureheads of ships, in all the little moments of plot-irrelevant beauty.
The lascari balls were delicious. Luca licked the last of the sugar off oily fingertips as he walked across a crowded bridge, keeping close to the wrought iron railing, around which was tied a series of ribbons in varying states from fresh to rotting. It was an exam-time tradition common to students destined for the more academic Guilds. Perhaps there was a law school nearby.
And as a self-professed worldbuilding critic/expert, I am so impressed with the worldbuilding here. My preference is for deeply weird and extensive worldbuilding – think Locked Tomb or Teixcalaan – but the elegant simplicity of Swordcrossed wowed me. Marske uses just a few powerful details to convince the reader on a visceral level that this isn’t our world, and languidly explores the ripple effects these additions/changes would make to a society. Case in point, every guild serves/belongs to a specific god, which means members of every trade have different prayers, curses, and holy days/inauspicious days. That’s not an obviously dramatic thing like, say, putting dragons in your fictional world, but it does shape every aspect of the worldbuilding and story, from fashion to business meetings to how the characters speak. It’s subtle, but far-reaching and foundational. And all of the worldbuilding is like that; simple, but just complicated enough to be striking, to turn Glassport into a place so real you could almost believe it really exists just a few countries over.
It’s just a really smart approach to worldbuilding – creating a setting familiar enough to any fantasy reader to feel inviting and comfortable, but unique enough to be interesting and lovely, without so much lore that you might trip up and accidentally contradict it or leave worldbuilding-holes for the obsessives like myself to agonise over.
10/10, stamp of approval, this delights me!
He passed ship after ship and craned his neck to see if there were sailors working in the rigging, or to watch furled sails sway gently against the clouds. He noted which figureheads needed a fresh coat of paint, or had lost some detail of their design through either skirmish or decay. Many of these figureheads were clutching the reef-knotted rope and had the seaweed crown of Itsa, patron goddess of the Guild of Sailors and Shipbuilders. Other deities appeared as well; these ships were likely owned outright, or exclusively contracted to, grand Houses dedicated to some trade or another.
What can I say about the romance, which is, after all, the heart of this book? Dear gods, I cannot even. What can I say, except that I’m not sure I’ve ever believed in a fictional romance this much before? Matti and Luca meet like blades clashing in a duel, and from that complicated first encounter Marske spins first desire – which, please do yourself a favour and make sure you have a spray bottle handy while you’re reading, because you WILL need to spritz yourself regularly to deal with the heat sizzling off the pages! – which then, gradually, so believably, turns to love like straw being spun into gold. And it is – I was going to say ‘very nearly’ unbearable but you know what, no, it is unbearable, I couldn’t bear it, I already told you I had to put the book down and weep because I couldn’t stand it, couldn’t hold all that intensity inside me without breaking open.
He could imagine kissing her, but the thought didn’t turn like a key in the lock of his jaw, leaving his lips parted and famished.
It’s so BIG.
It’s so beautiful.
It’s not the kind of love story that changes the world – they’re not enemy princes of warring nations or something – except for how it is, because it completely upends their worlds. It’s this reminder, which I think I forgot for a while, that all love is world-upending, in one way or another. Sometimes those worlds are more private than others, but that doesn’t make it any less true. You know?
Luca felt like a route being memorised; an artwork being considered one last time by its creator before it was sent for framing. It made him want to make huge, impossible, unwise promises.
Seriously, the intensity!!! *FLAILS* Passion thrums through every line of Swordcrossed like music through a harp-string; the words sear like fire, shine like glass. I want them tattooed all over me. This story sears where you touch it.
It’s not that this is an Epic Fantasy story – as it says on the (stunning) cover, the stakes here are relatively low. It’s not epic in that sense.
But the love feels legendary. Is legendary.
I just. Wow.
“I wasn’t looking,” he said simply.
Greedy: “I made you look at me.”
“I could have been halfway down the aisle, and I would have looked at you,” Matti said. “I could have been halfway across the world.”
Reading Swordcrossed is like rolling rich, velvety chocolate over your tongue, letting it melt in your mouth and flood your senses with intense sweetness. It’s luxurious: you are enveloped in the sensation of being spoiled, and the enjoyment never plateaus; only grows and grows, coiling tighter and brighter until your heart comes apart like a firework in a burst of light and colour and beauty.
I didn’t know romance could be like this. I think I might be ruined for romance by anybody else.
I can’t recommend it enough.

This book was so good! The family duty, the intricately woven politics and the absolutely delicious mutual pining all had me dying to know what happened next.

I can see why LitHub has named this one of the most anticipated books of 2024! Not only is the cover an absolute stand out, the plot is rich and interesting.
I love that the author doesn't pull punches and allows the characters to have steamy moments instead of shying away from those scenes. The main characters had a lot of pressure and expectations resting on their shoulders which helped motivate them to do better and be better, even if they were close to breaking point.
A really great addition to the romantasy shelf, where we are screaming for more lgbt+ stories to love!

Let’s be real, the adorable cover vibes of this book are doing a lot of the heavy lifting as far as its marketing goes. I definitely gave it a second look purely based on this factor! That said, I was intrigued by the summary as well. Who doesn’t love dueling and political scheming and a heavy dose of romance?
Let’s start with the dueling itself! I really liked the way it was incorporated into this magical world, with dueling serving as an important form of entertainment often seen at weddings and other important events. Given how dance-like dueling can be when done well, this concept makes a lot of sense. I do wish it had been explored even more, but the story is a romance, first and foremost, so I’m not overly surprised that the book didn’t do a deep dive into this lore. My epic-fantasy-loving soul just always wants more, it seems.
I also really liked our two main characters. They each had interesting backstories, with different weights of expectations that they had to manage. The romance was also sweet and fast-paced. Perhaps a bit too fast paced, however, as there were moments that felt a bit like insta-lust early in the book. It also doesn’t shy away from the more steamy moments, so readers should definitely keep in mind that this is a spicy romance novel! I wasn’t quite expecting this, as the cover and description had lead me a bit further into cozy fantasy territory. But ah well!
The story itself felt fairly predictable, with even some of the romantic notes feeling a bit repetitive as we hit them with first one character and then the other. The last third, in particular, felt fairly expected, with the book hitting pretty much every note that one might expect. But, again, with the romance as the primary focus, this isn’t necessarily a net negative. It all just depends on what balance a reader is looking for between plot and love story. I typically veer more towards wanting more plot, but readers who are there mostly for the romance will likely be pleased with this one!
Rating 8: Full of adventure and witty characters, this is a fun romantasy romp!
Link will go live on Nov. 16 on The Library Ladies

No one is doing fantasy romance like Freya Marske, and I will keep rereading her books until they disintegrate in my hands and/or my eyes bleed. Sorry to be weird about it, but The Last Binding trilogy and Swordcrossed are legitimately that good.
Things I love about Swordcrossed:
The title. Come on.
Yearning! So! Much! Yearning!
Maya.
Sofia.
MAYA AND SOFIA.
A fantasy setting based on religion that’s also queernormative??
Matti and Luca bringing out the worst best of each other– Matti learning how to simply enjoy life and not work himself to death, and Luca learning to trust people enough to see and care about who he really is.
Thank you Tor and NetGalley for the eARC!

TL;DR Review: High on the steam, spice, and sass. An insightful exploration of the burdens of duty and the cost of desire.
Full Review:
Mattinesh Jay—or Matti, to his friends—is fighting to keep a grip on his family’s fortunes, and pinching every penny in his efforts to just stay afloat a little bit longer until his marriage to a rich heiress saves their noble House. He needs money to hire a “best man”, a duelist to stand at his side at the wedding in case a rival challenges the marriage. Which he knows someone will do, because someone has made it clear they’re madly in love with the same heiress.
But his streak of ill luck continues when his stag night revelry ends in a broken watch that costs him a significant chunk of what he’s set aside to hire a duelist. He’s forced to pay for a cheaper—and potentially less talented—best man.
Who turns out to be the very man whose watch he broke.
Luca Piere is a talented duelist but an even more talented con artist. He lies as easily as he breathes, flits his way through the world with a smile and a laugh, and can charm his way into and out of any situation. Except he’s met his match with Matti. Matti’s no-nonsense, businesslike approach to life cuts right through Luca’s nonsense. Luca’s offer to stand as his best man/duelist is one-upped by Matti’s demand that Luca teach him to fence.
And thus begins their days of crossing blades—and, soon, stealing glances and a whole lot more.
The banter between Matti and Luca was an absolute delight. Luca is quick-tongued and sharp-witted, but Matti’s no slouch in the quip and zinger department. It’s clear from the very beginning that though their personalities may seem opposite, they’ve got the potential to be the perfect match.
Matti’s direct, efficient nature is contrasted wonderfully by Luca’s airy, happy-go-lucky, smile-and-wink approach to life. Matti helps Luca take life more seriously and Luca helps Matti to unclench. I loved the exploration of Matti’s struggles, the weight he’s carried in his duties to his family and his House—duties that are no less burdensome despite the fact that he’s doing it out of love. At the same time, Luca’s outward flippancy and breeziness hides deep pain, and through the time spent with Matti, we see what it has cost him in the past.
As their relationship develops, there is a risk that it will interfere with Matti’s marriage—and the salvation of his House. Obviously this presents a wrinkle to his story. I won’t spoil the outcome, but I will say that I LOVED how this aspect wrapped up. It was a delicious ending with a twist that I absolutely loved (and can honestly say I didn’t see coming).
Alongside their simmering romance—which is as steamy and spicy as you’d expect—there’s an interesting look into the business of Matti’s House, and the mystery of how things have gotten so bad is explored. Luca’s con artistry and thief skills come in quite handy in this endeavour, while Matti’s head for business and insights into commerce create an excellent balance.
By the end, you can see exactly why these two are perfect for each other. What begins as “opposites attract” winds up being the very reason that each is drawn to the other, and how each’s strengths helps the other to conquer their weakness.
From start to finish, it’s a well-crafted relationship that is believable and enjoyable to read, set in a fascinating fantasy world evocative of Renaissance Italy.

Swordcrossed is an excellent choice if you want to snuggle up with a fun, light hearted, effervescent read. Set against the backdrop of a regency inspired fantasy world, Matti is the engaged straight laced responsible heir to his struggling House and Luca is the lovable roguish con-artist that quite literally crashes into his life. Between blackmail acquired sword fighting lessons and ferreting out the devious machinations of the other Houses the two men find themselves undeniably drawn together as feelings grow between them. It's an easy read infused with romance and low stakes drama, perfect for anyone who just wants something cozy and light. The characters were vibrant and the world engaging though unfortunately I did find the low stakes nature of the plot a bit unmemorable. I found myself growing bored during the manifold of business talk. If I am to sit through so many discussions of wool and fabric I need some type of higher stakes to keep my attention. Thankfully the characters themselves made up for that short coming well enough.

Just not the book for me. I didn't really find the fantasy in this story? It felt like a slog to get through and I didn't even enjoy myself.

Thank you, NetGalley and Tor Books, for this ARC. I absolutely loved Freya Marske's The Last Binding Series and was very excited to read Swordcrossed. I had so many things I loved from the other series - swooning, aching, tingling love, some very hot sexy scenes, and a world where queer romantic love is gorgeously treated as normal without even the bat of an eye.
The world building in Swordcrossed took a bit of time to wrap my brain around but I knew it would be worth it, and wonderfully, Marske breaks it up with some very hot scenes. The world where Swordcrossed exists is really beautiful and fascinating. It feels old world, ships and trading, merchants and quality materials, Houses based on the fabrication of cloth - weavers of the finest wool and silk - both biological family and accepted family. It's a trip to a fantasy version of Morocco at the height of its trading era. You can smell the spices and the buttery pastries in the air. It's really a lovely escape to a new world.
And then there is Matti, the son and heir of one of the biggest Houses, who is feeling like a failure as the walls seem to be closing in on him no matter what he does. When he collides with Luca, the attraction is so strong that both of them overlook things that others might run screaming from. As Matti and Luca get closer, they start to reveal a plot to destroy Matti's family's House but also reveal more about Luca than he wanted to come to light. They battle it out in many ways, including in Matti's bed.
Swordcrossed is a wild ride and a fantastic escape into a new Freya Marske world.

As with all of Freya Marske's books, I thoroughly enjoyed Swordcrossed. The characters and their relationships are well-developed and fun, and the world was intriguing and I would be happy to return to it again in further books. I wouldn't necessarily say the book is low stakes, because the things at risk are of great importance to the main characters, but it is perhaps on a smaller scale, and feels cozier because of that. For fans of A Taste of Gold and Iron, A Strange and Stubborn Endurance, or The Chrestomanci Chronicles.

I have been BEREFT since The Last Binding series finished so I am thrilled that Freya Marske decided to release another fantasy book in a queernormative world. I am a sucker for stories about people running cons. I love all the angst that goes along with the conflicting goals those characters usually have and this story was no exception. Watching Luca navigate his conflicting goals was super angsty and I had a wonderful time watching him fall for Matti while knowing his job is to ensure the success of Matti's upcoming marriage. This is a lower stakes story than Marske's previous series and it took me a little time to get into it but once I did I had a great time with the characters. I felt for both Luca and Matti and I wanted them to find happiness so badly. If cozy fantasy and character-based books are your jam then I definitely recommend this book!

4.75 stars.
Completely and utterly satisfying in every possible way!
I'm genuinely a bit sad this book is over. A part of me wanted to stretch out and make it last, but once I got past the halfway point, I couldn't put it down. The book did try to break my heart a few times, but it was all completely worth it by the end, I promise! I loved this book so very much. The characters were wonderful (if occasionally infuriating!), the romance was so well done, and the whole thing just felt like a warm, cozy hug of a story.
Freya Marske has a way of writing characters that makes them feel alive and vibrant in the way they interact with the world and each other, and I loved all of these so very much. Swordcrossed just has such spectacular cast of main and side characters! I can't help hoping that we'll get to see more written in this world (perhaps featuring a couple of side characters in particular...) because I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to everyone. Regardless, this is a book I expect I'll be coming back to occasionally just to relive my favorite moments again!
As far as the plot, I won't pretend that this is a deep literary novel, and a lot of it was predictable, but that was part of what made this book so very enjoyable to read. Freya Marske did exactly what I could have hoped for her to do, and did it very well! The intrigue and drama the plot involved was just delightfully fun to follow, and the relationship journey was the perfect blend of sweet, spicy, and dramatic. (So very dramatic. But what can you expect with Drama-King Luca involved!)
All in all, I really loved this book and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a satisfyingly delightful romance adventure!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley & Tor Publishing Group for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. I DNF'ed at 20%. I'll be in the minority here but so be it.
Ugh, this was incredibly disappointing. So much "worldbuilding" was just boring tax and mercantile stuff. If you're into that stuff, go for it, but it was such a slog to read. Lord So-and-So is about to buy all this fancy wool which will put Lady Meh into disrepair and Lady Whatever into poverty. Snore. I also can't feel bad for these rich folks losing money anyway, ha.
I also don't know where the "fantasy" aspect comes into play but it was just a period romance. Maybe fantasy shows up later in the book, but it just looked like a plain old Regency LGBTQ+ romance in a made-up world. The words were such gibberish and it was hard to keep track of WTF they were even talking about.
Matti was a robot and annoying as a Lord Rich Dude. Luca was a compulsive liar and had more chemistry with Matti than Matti did with anyone else. Matti was just beep boop going through the motions as emotionlessly as possible. Their sword-fighting training was absolutely hilarious because Luca was passionately explaining how to do this and that and Matti was like "Okay." I don't think that was intentional but I just kept laughing at how goofy it was rather than how romantic it should've been.
Lastly, the writing was so bizarre to me. Here's an excerpt:
“I hope we’ll see you there,” were the words that came out of Matti’s mouth, and he nearly felt his tongue spasm with the desire to suck them back in again.
This, coupled with odd world-building quirks made me turn this off pretty quickly. I don't think I'll be trying to read anything else by this author for a while. Though props to the artist for the amazing cover that sold me to this book originally.

This was a fantastic one! Love, war, politics. Everything to keep our heros apart but they face it with such grace and determination!

Started out a little slow, and took a while for me to really get invested in the story, but definitely picked up in the second half of the book. By the end, I was completely engrossed in Matti & Luca's story.

Mattinnesh Jay hires Luca Piere to be his best man. In this world that means he will fight a duel with swords if the marriage is challenged on the wedding day. What Matti didn't count on was falling in love with Luca over sword fighting lessons. Luca is hiding something form him, his past is a mystery meanwhile Matti's family is experiencing multiple misfortunes and Luca sets out to find out why. I like both the romance angle to the story and the mystery angle. The way that Matti and Luca came into their relationship felt comfortable despite the mystery of Luca's past and the mystery aspect of the story was genuinely intriguing and very well done. I am going to keep an eye out for more books by this author because I love how she writes.

This book is delightful from start to finish. The title of the book is very apt in the sense that looks like starcrossed lovers, but there are sword fighters involved. It’s charming and the world building keeps you involved from start to finish. It is a queer romance That feels cozy and comforting and charming all at the same time

✨"But you," Matti breathed. "You are the most exquisite thing in this city, and I want you, and I'm going to have you."✨
Mattinesh Jay, a dutiful heir to his struggling family business, needs to hire an experienced swordsman to serve as the best man for his arranged marriage. The only one he can afford is part-time con artist, charming menace, Luca Piere. Luca, for his part, wants to make some easy money and try to forget the crime he committed in his hometown. However, neither Matti's business troubles nor Luca himself are quite what they seem. As the days count down to Matti's wedding, they become entangled in the intrigue and sabotage that have brought Matti's house to ruin as they get closer than ever.
This book was. Interesting!
After absolutely loving Freya Markse's The Last Binding trilogy (specifically A Marvellous Light and A Power Unbound), I was expecting to love this one and for it to be in a similar vein but instead this was very different! I also didn't love it! I didn't dislike it! It was just fine. A very fine book. (honestly, I would much rather read a one-star book that offends all of my senses than a book that is. fine.)
Unlike The Last Binding, this is more of a soft cozy fantasy. The stakes aren't as high, the world isn't at an end, and no one is going to die. We just have problems that affect the main character directly.
Which brings me to my next point, I think... I hate cozy fantasy? I haven't read much of it, but every single one that I've read I come out of it thinking ok??? And??? Did I ask?? Also, I don't know if anyone has noticed this too, but most of Tor's recent fantasy releases that feature an m/m romance are all soft cozier fantasy with some kind of political intrigue, what's up with that!!! It's starting to annoy me!!!
With Swordcrossed, I think the biggest issue for me is that the stakes are so low, and the plot is so uninteresting that it's hard to get invested. It also doesn't help that the world-building feels very randomly cobbled together.
I also feel like the book is being very mismarketed. The tagline on the cover says "high heat, low stakes, sharp steel", which would make you think that the plot would involve a lot of sword fighting (which is also in the title); maybe the romance would develop with the sword fighting as foreplay, and that. doesn't happen. This should have named this wool trading instead bc there was more of that than swords being crossed.
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There wasn't even that much "high heat" either!! "Swords" (wink wink) weren't crossed that many times in this book for the tagline to say that the heat is high. Actually, I would even say that the smut in this book is tamer than all of the Last Binding books.
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All that being said!! I still think Freya Marske is a really talented writer. She shines when she writes the romance and the interaction between the two main characters. The smallest of moments, the smallest of gestures, manage to be so romantic and sweet. I don't think it's a coincidence that the book started getting a lot more enjoyable for me as soon as the romance actually started happening, and had time to breathe around all of the plot points. The characters are also both likable. Especially Luca!!
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So, overall!! This wasn't a new favorite or anything, which was a shame, but it was still an enjoyable time!! Unfortunately, it is not as good as the cover is. ✊😔