Unfortunately I had to DNF this one. It was super slow and just wasn’t catching my attention the way I thought it would.

A huge thank you to Bramble and T. Kingfisher for this gifted copy! 💖

I may be slightly biased because I adore everything T. Kingfisher writes, but when I saw this low-stakes fantasy about a woman escaping marriage to her odious cousin—only to find a man trapped in a sword—I was already half in love. 😍

🗡️ What did I love the most?
Think Monty Python-level banter 🤣, miscommunications, and hilarious innuendos. This book made me smile, cackle, and swoon, which is exactly what I needed! 💕 And let’s be honest—the biggest villain here isn’t a dragon, it’s a clammy-handed cousin trying to steal Halla’s inheritance. 🤡

💫 What to Expect:
✔️ Witty, laugh-out-loud dialogue
✔️ Cozy fantasy vibes 🍃🏰
✔️ Slow-burn, sweet romance 🥰🔥

📌 Do I need to read the series in order?
Nope! This is set in the same world as Clockwork Boys, but it works perfectly as a standalone. 🙌

🔥 Steam Level: Closed-door (sweet & swoony)

❤️ How was the romance?
Sarkis and Halla’s romance is adorable—full of innocent tension, playful innuendos, and the best kind of slow burn. I was rooting for them the entire time, and the ending had me grinning like a fool. 😍

📖 Do I recommend this book?
Absolutely! If you love cozy reads, slow-burn romance, witty banter, and fantasy books, this one needs to be on your TBR!

If you are looking for a heroine who is of normal weight and age (in her 30s), a cranky swordsman, romance, and comic relief, this is it! I’m totally here for the T. Kingfisher ride. Definitely recommend for fans of TJ Kline or Baldree… and for those who are tiring of explicit romantasy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor for this ARC in exchange for an honest review—the special edition is releasing 2/25!

What an underrated gem. The way this novel was written was so beautiful. It’s a mix of Romantasy and cozy. I don’t usually gel with cozy books because I need more speed but this one was perfect. Halla was awesome and the whole premise of the book was unique.

I have to admit I am struggling to gather my thoughts and final rating for Swordheart by T. Kingfisher, which I received as an ARC reader from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

From the start I loved the premise - a middle aged "respectable widow" named Halla receives an inheritance from her deceased uncle in-law and all the vultures in the family are coming out of the woodwork to take it from her. They lock her up in her own home in an attempt to force her to marry her clammy handed cousin so that he and his conniving mother can get the money. Rather than accept this dismal fate, Halla decides to end it all using the only item in her room - an antique sword. She unsheathes the sword and is attempting to do the deed when the enchanted guardsman trapped in the sword appears (needless to say this scene was my favorite part, as Halla had decided to minimize the bloody mess of her demise by not wearing clothing).

The banter between characters in Swordheart is often hilarious and reminiscent of a Monty Python skit with how random their tangents can become. My struggle is that at times the banter was the ONLY thing happening in the book. Halla and our enchanted guardsman Sarkis decide to travel to obtain assistance from the Order of the White Rat to secure her inheritance, but the journey to the order takes forever, then they travel back to her town, then they travel somewhere else....basically this was a book about them traveling and talking. Once the supporting cast becomes more involved it did get a bit more interesting. The twist was a bit predictable but still enjoyable. And I will say it was wonderful to see a romance where the female isn't between the ages of 18-24 and has an actual fuller bodied figure (although the insinuations that at 38 years old she was basically one foot in the grave was at times unnecessary).

I gave this book 3.25 stars - I liked it, but didn't love it. I would be interested to read other books by this author in the World of the Rat as the brief influence of the paladins seemed interesting and I know that T. Kingfisher has a series that involves them.

I've gotten used to offerings from T. Kingfisher being more in line with gothic horror, so this romantic adventure (with a dash of monsters and magic) was an interesting departure, and it was just as expertly-done as her more usual fare. Halla is a terrific protagonist, a fish-out-of-water for most of the book, but with a hardy spirit and a willingness to adapt and learn as the journey throws chaos her way. (Including a handsome, gruff man whose spirit inhabits a sword.) Even the supporting characters are given their moments to shine, and Kingfisher has made sure that her cast of characters is varied and distinct, colorful and unique. I just thoroughly enjoyed it, and am glad to know that there will be at least one more book in the world she has built in "Swordheart."

Swordheart by T Kingfisher is a rom-com fantasy romance novel that will have you giggling the whole way thru.

If you like the movie The Princess Bride or the TV Shows The Decameron and My Lady Jane then this is the book for you.

This is my second T Kingfisher book and it was slower than the first but it was a fun journey with a lot of memorable characters.

I fear that T Kingfisher is turning into an autobuy author for me. I have loved everything that I have read by her so far. Swordheart is a cozy, funny, adventure based fantasy featuring Halla, our 36 yo kind-to-a-fault FMC, and Sarkis, a brutal killer trapped in a sword for years who is doomed to protect whoever draws him from the sword. Halla and Sarkis go on an adventure to fight for Halla’s rights to her deceased husband’s estate and obstacles, witty banter, and sexual tension ensue along the way.

I had so much fun with this one and found myself laughing out loud at points. I will absolutely be reading anything that T Kingfisher publishes from now on!

Thank you Tor/Bramble for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I am really torn on this book. It started off refreshing - Loved the first 1/4, but then the book started to lose some charm by the first half. The banter wasn’t really banter at that point, it was Halla saying silly things and Sarkis being grumpy. I felt like I was seeing the countryside on a never ending journey, but not learning anything more about Halla except that she’s nice. We do learn a little more about Sarkis but her reaction was way over the top for such a “kind” person.

I didn’t like the ending. I don’t think I want to invest more time in a series. I’m one and done.

I’m giving 3.5 stars, rounding up to 4.

Thank you Tor for the gifted eARC!

I was really excited for this book, but I just don’t think it was for me. I ended up speed reading the last quarter of the book bc I didn’t feel invested in the story or characters anymore. I love the idea of this cozy fantasy rom-com, but it felt a bit too cringey in execution.

I love a good T. Kingfisher book!
The banter.
The plot twists.
The great one liners.
Swordheart absolutely had all these elements! Halla and Sarkis had me cracking up! Zale and A Gnole found a place in my heart. The journey we were taken on is truly wild from Halla fully believing she had to throw herself on a sword to keep from marrying her late husband’s clammy hand cousin to the science experiments conducted to figure out how Sarkis and the sword he is bound to worked. All the way to the White Rat god and back to ask for help to save Halla’s inheritance. This story has suspense, romance, fantasy, and twists (that were a touch predictable, but still enthralling)!

However, the story just felt long to me. Lots of introspective inner dialogue that didn’t change the outcome of the plot. And some of the scenes felt like they were a bit dragged out. Halla plays a crying incompetent fool one too many times to try to save their necks and there was the dreaded “he kept a secret I can’t trust him” element way too far in.

Still love T.Kingfisher and I am interested to see what might lay ahead for Halla and Sarkis!

Swordheart comes out February 25th!!

I got maybe 6 chapters into this before I decided it wasn't a good fit for me--it was offered to me as an ARC but from what I can tell it's actually just a new publishing of a book that came out in 2018 and for the most part it seems pretty well enjoyed, so that's great!

Other reviews say it's low-stakes and cozy and for a book this long I can't do low-stakes. I'm also not really into Halla's whole ... thing, especially not at her big age. It feels like I'm reading a 23 year old protagonist and not a 36 year old one.

I assume this book went through some more editing before its new pub date (or I sure hope it did) but I was also pretty put off by the amount of punctuation errors in the NetGalley copy. There were a ton of missing periods/commas/et cetera and it almost didn't feel finished in that sense.

Overall I think I might just stick with Kingfisher's horror. This one didn't work out for me!

What a fun little book! A woman and her enchanted sword, what could be better? Maybe a very curious, non-threatening sweetheart who has never swung a sword in her life and the big scowly guy who pops out of the sword and is determined to protect her from anything that comes her way. Fortunately for both of them, she's in a pickle of a situation. The only thing left to do is run away together, right?

The secondary characters are also wonderful: Zale and Brindle. Love them.

T. Kingfisher is one of my favorite authors and writes some of my favorite books, and this title is no exception. Kingfisher writes heroes past the age of twenty with levity and humor while also creating a fantasy world I always feel immersed in.

Thank you NetGalley and Bramble for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. I have never been that excited to get approved for one before.

Nothing can stop me from raving about Kingfisher's writing now, and you can say whatever you like but she’s one of the very few authors who make me highlight entire passages just because of how brilliantly they're written. I savoured this novel like the “decadent” comfort food of a book it is. She had me from page 1, and I will be here for the rest of the series, patiently waiting for the next trip into one of my favourite fantasy worlds ever created.

Swordheart is a cozy fantasy romance following a very respectable and impressively self-aware widow Halla and her morally ambiguous bodyguard, who also happens to be an enchanted sword, on their quest to liberate Halla from the loving clutches of her late husband's family and oppressive societal norms.

The story takes a linear fairytale-like approach to moving the plot, which fits the light mood of the narrative perfectly. There are quite a few fairytale tropes in play that absolutely delighted me as the kind of childish reader who enjoys it when the genre is shown proper respect. In true Kingfisher’s style, most of the characters are very fond of thinking out loud and talking to themselves at length, bringing extra lightheartedness to the overall mood, and yes, ohhhh yes, there are even some creepy monsters, although not as many as I would have liked.

I wholeheartedly recommend this to enjoyers of Emily Wilde’s adventures and cozy fantasy readers who like to see their characters not take themselves too seriously.

P.S. If this review wasn’t based on an advanced copy, it would’ve been littered with my favourite quotes, of which there are too many so maybe it’s in everyone’s best interest that it remains quoteless.

This book is everything I want “romantasy” to be - sweet, silly, comical, romantic, emotional, adventurous, with euphemisms and pining galore. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it has so much heart. I loved that the main characters were mature people with feelings and flaws and history. Just all around a really wonderful read!

“I will always love you, as long as this cursed steel endures.”

Swordheart was a laugh-out-loud humoruous tale about a very stubborn middle aged (since WHEN is 36 middle aged?!) widow who stands to inherits her great uncle's estate much to the dismay of his other relations. When Halla is placed under house arrest she humorously draws an old sword and POP out comes Sarkis who gallantly defends her as they make their escape in search of a good lawyer.

After about 70% I felt the story drag just slightly but the humor really kept the pace up and so did the side characters.

This has very good one liners- akin to humor in My Jady Jane, Terry Pratchett books, and the like.

Some of my favorite lines:

"What would you say if I tortured you?" asked the bandit leader conversationally. Halla blinked at him. "Err 'ow' probably? Stop, stop, stop.' something like that?"

"A human's trying." "A human should try harder."

"We've already murdered a couple of people. I don't think cutting trees is going to be that big a sin."

I am so glad this book is getting republished as it put it on my radar. If you are in a fantasy book slump this one may do the trick.

Content: some mostly closed door scenes and one a bit more open but fades to black. Some stabbing and creepy creatures.

I loved the fantastical world and slow burn romance in this book, as well as the normalization of genderqueer/non-binary people. All the characters were well-realized, there was solid plot but also time for humorous diversions. Will definitely read the sequel!

The plot of the story was very promising and honestly was very excited to read it, but unfortunately made it to 32% of the story and unfortunately it just kept dragging and was very slow.

Our intrepid heroine Halla inherits her great uncle's estate and is locked away by her greedy relatives until she agrees to marry her clammy handed cousin. While wasting away in her room, she unsheathes an old sword hanging on the wall and suddenly a grizzled warrior Sarkis appears in front of her. He is sworn to protect whomever owns the sword and together the two of them embark on a few misadventures in order for Halla to get her inheritance back.

This was my 2nd T. Kingfisher book and what an absolute banger! I had so much fun reading this book and did not want it to end. Halla and Sarkis were unconventional romantic leads and it absolutely worked. Despite their relationship only developing over a couple of weeks, it was so sweet and heartwarming. They so obviously wanted the best for each other, I just loved it. I am also grateful to Kingfisher for having a heroine in her 30's and centering a woman who does not want children. It is so nice to see that in a romance book particularly with a male love interest who supports all her reproductive decisions.

Kingfisher's writing was hysterical with just non stop wit. There was a whole chapter discussing the logistics of magical swords and bodily fluids that had me howling with laughter. A true highlight was the nonbinary lawyer-priest Zale as they had so many good quips as befitting a lawyer. And an entire religion dedicated to lawyers and providing legal defense for anyone who asks? Fucking genius.

If you are looking for cozy romantasy book, please look no further. You will laugh, you will smile and you will sigh happily. The story doesn't exactly reinvent the wheel for the bodyguard romance trope but it definitely provides a fun and unique twist on it.

Review posted on Fable on 2/18 and Goodreads, Storygraph and Tiktok on 2/19.