I've read enough of Kingfisher's work now to know what to expect, and it's a good time. The characters are in their 30's (generally), not virgin/various experience, the sex scenes are never explicit-preferring the fade to black and allusions to things afterwards, a plot line that is multi-threaded and somehow goes wrong in the middle to end but ends resolved.

I love how Kingfisher writes and makes their characters actual people with bodily functions (that are not crude or for shock value), and have normal desires. I feel like it's easier to suspend belief with a character that is aching from sleeping on the cold hard ground, and starving from lack of food because of the situation.

Anyway, Halla has inherited a mass of land and money from her late husband's uncle, but her cousin and his mother take umbrage with that-having been left with nothing. Halla is then proposed to by clammy-handed cousin, whom she rejects, and they lock her in her room in order to make her more biddable to the idea. Halla mainly wants her nieces to have some dowry for when they come of age since nearly all her other relatives are dead and after several days in her room decides it will come to her having to kill herself to escape the situation. Of course the only weapon in the room is a decorative sword on the wall and while she pontificates how one falls on their own sword, she removes many outer garments to make things easier. When she pulls the sword from the scabbard, however, a man appears. She is surprised by the sudden appearance of a man, and he is surprised by her lack of dress.

Later, Halla is able to employ the services of the Rat God to set her inheritance right and we meet Zale, who is very similar to Halla (seeing as the Order of the Rat are practical folk) and the ox-gnole Brindle, who is a gnole of few words but quite intelligent. There is a certain amount of insta-love that is to be expected. Of course, I'm all for the initial attraction to be lustful (that makes them human), and I still think Kingfisher does a great job of outlining why these characters end up liking each other but it does happen quite fast-like they're traveling for a week and a half and it's agonizing for them.

There are many obstacles that appear, some (always) being priests of the Hanged Mother who are always stirring up trouble, priests of the Sainted Steel, priests of Paladin (demonslayers), and highwaymen, secrets, and misunderstandings.

I'm pretty certain I've encountered Zale in Paladin's Grace and I love them. Plus, I enjoy the gnoles because you don't often see fantasy races that aren't "fuckable" in adult fantasy. I would also love to know more about the Rune and the Vagrant Hills.

This book is a romantic fantasy with a lot of banter in it. It is very funny, and well written as well as very delightful

Was this a bit predictable? Are there a few tropes flying about? Yes and yes.
Did I love it? Absolutely.
In a masterclass on why oft used tropes are... well so often used. T Kingfisher brings us a delightful story of Sarkis (grumpy) and Halla (sunshine) a beleaguered knight to save the damsel from her inheritance grasping relatives. Throw in a a few trek across the countryside, some competing religious orders and a little backstabbery and and it all adds up to a wonderfully humorous, slightly romantic romp.

As always, with Kingfisher loved it!

I really LOVED this book. T. Kingfisher has now become an auto-buy author for me!! I can’t wait to pick up the physical when this comes out next year!!

If you love romantasy this book is for you!!

This was such a joy to dive into. T Kingfisher has created a charming bunch of characters (and yes, I want more adventures with them) who make you care about them, while making you laugh at their misadventures.

Halla is having an exceedingly bad day. Her obnoxious relatives are refusing to accept that the elderly man she cared for has left her his house, and are insisting that she marry one of them, a man who holds no attraction for her whatsoever, and who is completely under the control of his mother. Halla accidentally unsheaths a sword in the room, and frees Sarkis, a warrior who has been enchanted into the sword, and who must serve the sword's wielder - Halla. Chaos, as you might imagine, ensues.

This is a romp, yes. It is a romp, however, that has some solid things to say about the way we judge those who are not like us; the way religious groups sometimes get caught up in their power; the way women are sometimes perceived as "less than". That's my favourite kind of book. Throw in a non-binary legal advising priest and a rather wise and dependable badger-like creature to complete the company of adventurers, and you've got an engaging crew to help untangle Halla's difficulties. There's even a lovely romance, and alternating narration between characters. Pretty much perfection if this is your jam.
This was a solid 4.5 star (rounded up to 5) read for me. A little romance, some sarcasm, some laughter, a grand adventure and some things to make me think? Yes, please.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bramble for the e-arc.

Swordheart is an absolute delight—cozy and wise with wonderful dialogue between unconventional protagonists, one a middle aged widow, the other an enchanted sword-dweller. For such a quick, lighthearted read (perfect for hard times and stormy skies), this book is remarkable for the compassion and humanity that marks every page. I will be talking about this one for a while.

All the stars. Highly recommended!

An extremely funny and heartfelt take on "Genie in the Bottle". We have "Warrior in the sword". A greedy family is trying to force Halla to marry her brother in law so they can have access to the fortune that Halla inherited.  Halla and Sarkis embark on an adventure to claim her inheritance.

4 stars

5 Stars

This book is part of the larger series The World of the White Rat, and all the books I’ve read in this world have been excellent, including this one. This is my second time reading it; I first read it a few years ago, and I’m excited to see it getting a reprint. Reading it again, I found that it still holds up as one of my favorite books of all time.

Like many readers, I enjoy T. Kingfisher's work, but I especially love this particular genre she writes in. The fantasy world she creates is unique and imaginative, offering something I haven’t encountered in other books. It has the feel of a fairytale, but with characters that are full of heart and depth. The dialogue is outstanding, and it feels like I’m watching real people interact, which adds to the charm of the story. The banter and realistic responses between the characters make this book stand out.

In this story, we follow a widow who is being held captive by her cruel in-laws. She’s being forced to marry her cousin, who has "clammy hands," in order for her in-laws to gain access to her wealth, which was left to her by her late husband. When she opens a sword in her room, something unexpected happens—a man appears. From this point, the journey of discovery and adventure begins.

For fans of T. Kingfisher’s fantasy novels, I highly recommend the books in The World of the White Rat. This book can be read out of order, as I haven’t read The Clockwork Boys yet, but I have read The Saint of Steel books. I didn’t feel lost, nor did it spoil anything from The Clockwork Boys.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing group for this advanced ready copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

I loved getting to read Swordheart — I’ve read a number of Kingfisher’s books, and my favorites have been the Paladin’s series. This book is set in that same world, before the events of the Paladin’s books, so I thoroughly enjoyed getting to spend more time there, especially with the Temple of the White Rat. There were points in the book where it did feel like a less developed story, or things happened seemingly without good reason — and there were absolutely hilarious parts that made me burst out loud laughing, or shriek when something singularly gross/alarming was going on. Had a lot of the dry humor and startling bits of horror that I love in Kingfisher’s books, too!

The fact that it’s a romance with an enchanted sword may have been my favorite part because that is so delightfully weird. It’d be interesting to catch up with these characters further down the road. I’d recommend this one to anyone already a fan of the Paladin’s books, or other books by the author.

I’m not sure what was going on with the version I read, it seemed like there was a fair amount of punctuation missing, and some parts where paragraph breaks happened in the middle of sentences. Maybe just some formatting errors!

Thank you for the review copy!

I’ve managed to avoid the surge of romance books at all costs. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t condemn anyone who exclusively reads romance. If that’s your thing, I’m no one to judge you, but personally, I’ve stopped attending book clubs because all they want to read is romance and I just… can’t.

Same thing with the very sexual books. It’s not that my opinion will change about you if you’re reading about *insert mythical creature here* having sex with women, and even if I take book recommendations from you, I’m still staying away from the genre, as much as I can.

My original premise for my stance is that I can’t empathize/stand/tolerate weak women. I just can’t handle meek, or women that want to be dominated and that will sacrifice any autonomy, self-confidence or dignity to be dominated sexually. Some of those areas seem morally gray to me and I just don’t exist well in that state. I visit it often, roam in it, but definitively not in the context of romance or sexual gratification. It’s too adjacent to sex*al ab*se for me.

I say all that because for some reason, NetGalley decided to bless me with this book, Swordheart. It’s been out for a while, which leads me to believe the author re-published it with the intent of re-writing or modifying some parts, but one way or the other, it fell on my lap.

In the book, a woman named Halla, inherits a great deal from her political uncle (her deceased husband’s uncle) and other family members want to stop her from receiving the inheritance. Between a rock and a hard place, Halla finds a swords and unsheathes it with the intention to end her life only to be met with an (sort of undead) warrior that has been cursed to “live” in the sword.

Fast-forward a bunch later, Halla meets a priest who helps her fight for her right, has a bunch of encounters and adventures and falls in love with Sarkis who manages to leave the sword and gets married to her.

Honestly, I didn’t even know it was a romance until I was midway. When Halla started having impure thoughts about the warrior, I pulled a browser and my search unveiled the word…
“Romantasy”

Anyhow, I kept going because the story line was moving quickly and it got me wrapped up until the end. The sex scenes are not terrible. Somewhat descriptive but not cringy and all done in a consensual, but pleasurable and fun way for the characters.

I empathize with Halla in the sense that she was a woman that discovered more of her sexuality later in life and Sarkis is mindful and respectful, but pushes the line here and there with the intention of getting her to enjoy herself.

The book also includes other characters that take non-human forms, presents a gender neutral priest and defies the rules for normal, organized religion since there’s many gods and they all have their purposes, orders and servants. I particularly enjoyed the Rat God, god our priest served, since it gave them multiple opportunities to say “Oh Rat’s tail” or “for the Rat’s sake”, which made me chuckle every time.

I plan on reading more of her work. Glad to read books about women by women. And most of all, thank you for giving me a romance experience that wasn’t dreadful.

4.5/5- you’ve popped my romance cherry, T. Kingfisher.

4/5

A hot immortal swordsman whose life is bound to a magical sword must defend a widowed heiress who harnesses its power in this unforgettable new romantic fantasy novel. Swordheart unfurls another sensational fantasy adventure from T. Kingfisher that feels as sharp as the blade itself– in wit and its bracing adventure along the road with intrepid but unlikely heroes. As always, Kingfisher’s clever balance of comedic elements, snark, and wholesome romance is completely transformative and left me ready to wander the World of the White Rat alongside the paladins for all eternity. The romance between Sarkis, a swordsman hardened by time, and Halla, an unexpected heiress caught in the crossfire of creating her own destiny was a nice touch for this story. Their partnership was only strengthened by their hardship on the road and the ups and downs as she fought to accept her inheritance. The devotion by choice, not force, and the fight against fate created some unique tension for the narrative and kept me questioning the possibility of a happy ending until right at the very end. Swordheart is a perfect fantasy standalone from T. Kingfisher who continues to provide some of the best in the genre. If you need me I’ll just be here awaiting a powerful immortal man who will willingly serve me forever because he is that devoted.

This review will be posted on my blog closer to publication

Rating/Recommend: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 | 🌶️🌶️ | Yes

My Thoughts

I loved this book. It was so funny; I was constantly laughing. There was so much dry humor. I loved the fantasy aspect of it. And the romance was very high-tension, slow burn. Sarkis is a “kill first, ask questions later” MMC, and it’s soooo good.

If you want a hilarious adult fantasy romance, go read this.

Cons: The word “decadent” is used so much it made me annoyed.

Representation: Non-binary character representation.
Content warning: Adult language, sexual content that fades to black, murder.

This was such a fun, cute, and cozy adventure! I loved that the characters were older and had been around the block a time or two. It was so refreshing! I loved their chemistry and banter. They had me laughing out loud. I could easily read a book twice as long about them! I also looked up the audio book and the narrators did such a good job! I will 100% be reading this again sometime in the future when I get a hankering for an excellent, quick read!

I’ve heard a lot of praise for Kingfisher and after reading this novel, I can understand why! Perfect for people who’ve enjoyed Assistant to the Villain and Dreadul— this is a lighthearted, low-stakes fantasy with a dash of romance shrouded in witty comedy. I loved all the characters and each of their distinct personalities, the pacing was done well, and even the world building was done well. It’s a talent when authors can really make their characters feel like real, living people, and Kingfisher certainly has that talent! Will look forward to exploring more of their works as well as any new works they release. Thanks to NetGalley for ARC access!

T. Kingfisher is always a toss up for me. I love her characters and her unique plot lines, but this one dragged a bit and was never really interested to pick it up. I'm a fan of her other books, so I will probably keep a look out for her new works regardless.

Sadly this book just didn’t grab as much as I hoped it would. I put it down and picked it up multiple times but I just couldn’t connect with it. Super bummed.

Love T. Kingfisher! Please keep them coming! The imaginative dialogues, just on the edge of innuendos was wonderful. I shall be reading this again!

Funny and warm-hearted, Swordheart kept me up reading late into the night. I couldn't put this book down! The characters of Sarkis and Halla are so lovable, and so at odds with each other, personality-wise, that every interaction made me laugh and stole my breath, from their first meeting to the very last page. While I now desire to read the preceding books from The World of the White Rat series before picking this one up, it definitely is not necessary in order to understand what is happening in this book. Kingfisher's skill at worldbuilding is such that while I didn't understand where or what was happening, culturally, at first, I felt comfortable learning as I went. This book takes place in an interesting land and I really quite desperately want to learn more about its myriad religions.

I think this book was a perfect delight and I enjoyed it immensely. I love a good fantasy road trip saga and even more I love a good fantasy mystery, and this book delivered all of that in spades. I will have to read more books in this series immediately!

This book was amazing, it’s a fun cozy fantasy with romance and adventure! I loved the banter between Halla and Sarkis. And the grumpy/ sunshine trope was done so well!

I really loved the writing style and the humor though out the book. Can’t wait for it to be released!!

The hero of "Swordheart," Sarkis, is an immortal knight is trapped in a sword by a magical spell. The heroine, Halla, a former housekeeper who (naturally) inherits an estate, inherits (as part of the estate) this man who is also a weapon. And Sarkis-the-Sword is hot, of course. This makes Halla's life easier and also far more complicated, and keeps the story endlessly funny. Why don't all men have a weapon alter ego? And how does T. K. keep coming up with these totally original plots and monsters? She is reaching Terry Pratchett levels of imaginary prowess at this point. Fantastic. She has written not one but TWO amazing novels for 2025.