An entertaining cozy, romantic fantasy with Kingfisher’s gift for witty dialogue.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
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This is the first book in a trilogy according to the author's note. Set in a fictional land where there are more guilds to saints and gods than people have appendages, some not-so-human creatures, and certain artifacts that may contain magic. Our main character, Halla, is being held against her will by relatives trying to force her to relinquish an inheritance bestowed upon her by her late husband's uncle that she took care of until his death. She is so filled with hopelessness that she pulls an ancient sword hanging on her wall from its scabbard, intent on ending her own life, when a magical protector and immortal swordsman, Sarkis, appears. With Sarkis now by her side, Halla flees the Estate and begins a complicated journey to obtain legal representation to enforce the will of her great-uncle.

Halla is an inquisitive character who downplays her intelligence in hostile situations in order to get through unscathed. Sarkis is the typical male character who uses brute strength to get his way. They are in a forced proximity situation, have a grumpy/ sunshine relationship, and start to develop feelings for each other. We also meet some interesting characters from some of the holy sects along the way that play a part in the story. The author did a great job with the world building, Sarkis' backstory, and explaining some of the background of the different religions. I really enjoyed the story and look forward to reading the next book in the series.

this was fine but simply not engaging to me. cozy fantasy in general has to walk a thin line between being, well, cozy but throwing enough at the reader that they want to keep reading. this book did not accomplish that for me.

the romance felt very pantomime and i don’t even mind love at first sight. the best qualities of this book (and it receives one star for each) are zale, the hilarious rat priest, and the landscape/world which really does come off the page.

Swordheart is a surprisingly fun read. It’s very chaotic in a way I wasn’t expecting, not only because our main character Halla is a chatterbox who asks a lot of questions, but because this book takes you on a wild ride. I loved the presence and normalization of non-binary people and queer relationships, more books need this!

My main qualm with this book is that I don’t feel this book understood what it set out to accomplish. A lot was added in the last quarter of the book and one of the main issues of the book is never resolved. I can tell by the end of this book that there will likely be sequels, but it feels like a major problem that was present from the outset is shrugged off in the end.

Overall, this was a fun adventure. I would definitely read the other books in the series to see how it all ends!

Cozy. Fantasy. This book was the perfect read for this chilly winter day! T. Kingfisher simply knows how to write fun adventure fantasies - with just the right amount of romance! I absolutely loved Halla. Her wits and deep curiosity was so refreshing. It made her character so complex yet so easy to relate to. Sarkis was the perfect brooding bodyguard for this rather intriguing situation. I didn’t realize that this book was part of an existing universe that Kingfisher has created, The World of The White Rat. While this story can be read as a standalone, I am definitely going to read her prior books in the universe and the series that was published after!

I was thrilled when I read the author’s note at the end and it said that Kingfisher is working on a sequel to this book but then I realized that this was originally published in 2018 so I’m afraid that trilogy has been put on the back burner. I am still holding out so much hope though. I would literally read their grocery list at this point.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Tor/Bramble publishing for this ARC. Please feel free to reach out to me with ANY T. Kingfisher books!

I am normally not a big romance or romantasy reader, but I AM a big T. Kingfisher fan, so I was excited to give this book a read to see if she could make one of my least-favorite genres bearable. And she did! SWORDHEART is a cozy romance that made me giggle and feel fuzzy inside and I really enjoyed it altogether.

This book gave signs early on that it was headed for the classic miscommunication trope, probably my least favorite romance trope (if one good conversation between partners could would prevent the whole plot from taking place, perhaps consider writing a better story). However - without spoilers - if/how that plot point was handled was not frustrating to me. I really liked all of the character dynamics and found myself caring for even the secondary characters.

I do enjoy when Kingfisher writes horror or pure fantasy more, but this proves I will enjoy literally anything she authors. Cozy romance or fantasy readers will likely eat this one up.

Halla is a respectable widow who has been trapped by her in-laws. They want the inheritance she’s set to received. Determine to not have to deal with them any longer she sets out to end her life using a sword. But instead a knight materializes and is shocked by her state.

And thus begins an adventure with humor, a slow burn, vengeance, and great friendships.

I’m a big fan of how dang funny this book is, I hadn’t expected it.

If the new edition of Swordheart caught your eye, you are in for a real treat as the story between the pages is even more beautiful and lovely.

T. Kingfisher crafts a charming fantasy romance where wit, adventure, and slow-burn chemistry shine as Halla inherits both trouble and a warrior-bound sword.

With witty banter, slow-burn romance, and a touch of whimsy, this enchanting tale highlights the best of T. Kingfisher’s writing and ability to create enchanting stories and even more enchanting characters.

Great read! This cozy fantasy draws you in and delivers romance, humor, and adventure. It appears this may have a sequel and I’m definitely read for it!

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor-Bramble for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

This was probably one of the more difficult Kingfisher books for me. I struggled to care about the MC and I felt like a lot of the dialogue was just “eh” to read.

My Rating: 4 stars

This was such a fun ride to go on and a joy to experience. It’s been too long since I’ve read a fun, cozy fantasy and I loved every second of this one. The world was incredible interesting and sucked me right in, and the characters were both realistic and kookie, and all around fun to follow. I wanted so much more, from the world, from the characters, and from the wild hills area that felt like entering another dimension. Not only will I be continuing with this trilogy when more books come out, but expect me to grab all the other books in the world of the rat priest.

This was my first T. Kingfisher book and I enjoyed it so much that I'm currently seeing what other books of hers my local library has. It was a perfectly delightful romantic fantasy romp with low stakes but such great characters that I was fully invested in their journey, and I can't remember last time a book made me laugh out loud so much. This is going to become a beloved comfort read of mine, I just know it.

As a widow, Halla accepted her uncle's offer for her to come and care for him and his home. It worked out well, she saw to it that he ate, made sure his home was cleaned while not getting in the way of his accumulated antiques, curios, and what-nots, or upsetting his research. It was a comfortable life and gave her a place in society that had few options for women other than wife or housekeeper.

But her uncle died and, without asking her opinion, left her his house, money, and contents. It was the worst thing he could have done as now the house was filled with distant greedy relations of her uncle plotting to take over her life and force her to marry a cousin she didn't know and didn't want. All of this finds her when the story opens, locked into her room until she comes to her senses and agrees to all their conditions

While searching for a solution to her problems, Halla removes a sword that had hung over her bed since she moved into the house and gets the beginning of a plan. Unsheathing the sword, there's a bright blast of light, and now a man—a warrior with his own sword—standing before her in her bedroom. He says he came out of the sword, his name is Sarkis, and now he will serve her. Of course, she doesn't believe him and they argue.

Thus begins the adventure.

Together, they escape from the house and the grasping relations to find assistance to rid of the house of her relations, prove she is now the owner of her uncle's property, and, most importantly to Halla, avoid being forced to marry anyone unless she wants to.

Sarkis and Halla are an interesting team. She's not the usual type of person to command the sword and thus himself. They argue. They solve problems. They learn to trust each other as they are attacked by brigands, those who seek the sword, religious fanatics, and others who feel they can use them.

All in all, Swordheart is a rollicking adventure with characters that seem somehow to be more than words on the page but people who readers will begin to deeply care about.

This was my first T. Kingfisher book and it won't be my last. This was a really good romantacy with great humor. I read this book quickly as I couldn't put it down. Now to go find more T. Kingfisher's books to read! I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

T Kingfisher never disappoints! And really, who can complain about a romance between a widow and a man who has been trapped in a sword for hundreds of years? Halla is delightful, and the banter between these two is A+. I did find that the middle section of the book dragged a bit for me compared to some of her later books, but this was an excellent read. I wish more writers would write older heroines, as I grow weary of reading about teenagers. Highly recommended!

T. Kingfisher is so great at combining genres together. This cozy fantasy romance is perfect for fans of LEGENDS & LATTES and CAN'T SPELL TREASON WITHOUT TEA. The setup is admittedly a little bit bonkers -- Halla, a young widow, tries to commit suicide to escape her overbearing extended family who've locked her up to try to marry her off to her cousin, but is instead saved by the man who lives inside her uncle's sword. They escape together and hijinks ensue. If this highly unconventional setup piques your interest, you'll love the book!

Loved this cozy fantasy romance. Halla is a very unexpected heroine in this story and she and her guard Sarkis had me kicking my feet and giggling. It’s the perfect romcom with a rich plot that kept me hooked.

Swordheart by T. Kingfisher is exactly the kind of cozy, chaotic fantasy I love—with plenty of banter. Halla is a delightfully quirky protagonist, and watching her navigate an inheritance scheme, a magical mercenary bound to a blade, and a reluctant romance had me hooked.

Sarkis? A grumpy, honorable disaster of a man, and I adored him. The humor is sharp, the world-building feels effortlessly rich, and while the romance leans into some classic tropes (one bed, forced proximity, misunderstandings), it does so with charm. The pacing slows a bit toward the back half, but overall, this was an entertaining ride with heart, humor, and just a touch of spice.

If you love fantasy with witty dialogue, unconventional heroines, and a side of sword-bound snark, this one’s worth picking up.

I was so happy to receive an arc for this book because I love the entire premise. It's a great romantic fantasy read with witty banter, an interesting plot, and characters that you root for. I also loved that the FMC was someone who was older. She's a widow and has lived an entire life, and it makes her story more believable to me. So often we get characters that are so much younger, so it was nice to see a fantasy story where it was a women in her 30s, and not a 19 year old.

Every since I read The Twisted Ones, Kingfisher has been an auto-buy for every new book that published. I have not, however, read books from before The Twisted Ones so I was incredibly excited to try out one of her fantasy novels. My enthusiasm definitely informed my enjoyment of the first 50-60% of the book and the portrayal of Halla as a flighty woman who was constantly vomiting word salad was amusing. I suppose it is my fault for not realizing this was a romantasy before beginning and therefore had every single trope I hate in that genre. The insta-love, one bed, miscommunication, etc was annoying enough but the constant repetitive inner monologues of Sarkis and Halla were too much for me. I felt the book could have ended with the resolution of the inheritance issue and the back 40-50% of the story seemed to move at a dead snails pace. I just don't think this was the right fit for me