Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
This was a solid good story that sadly just wasn't totally for me. This will be amazing for a lot of readers and i recommend picking it up as it was good writing with an interesting plot. It takes a look at life as a soldier after the chosen one has won, and what happens then. Cool premise but just had trouble connecting.

Oh. My. Stars.

This novel took me by surprise in more ways than one. For starters, this was the first ARC I didn't personally request, which honestly blew my mind when I received the email from the publisher. Second, this story and its narrative were so well-written that I experienced one hell of a roller-coaster of emotions.

I laughed. I cried. I swooned. And I've never felt hungrier while reading a book before.

Katrien is a spearbearer who was forcefully drafted into service as a legionnaire. Emory is her shieldbearer, who voluntarily enlisted into service when he came of age.

Together with their century, they spent the past three years marching across the whole of Telrus to defend the realm against a demonic army straight out of the Mouth of Hell itself.

On the eve of the final battle, with their survival not assured, Kat and Emory go against duty and break the rules by spending an intimate night alone together as more than just battle partners.

However, when the world doesn't end, Kat and Emory find themselves entangled in royal politics and intrigue.

As they work to ensure lasting peace, all while trying to navigate their partnership after their night of tryst, Kat and Emory must decide what they want their futures to look like - and if there is any room for each other in it.

I LOVED every bit of this novel from start to finish! It has a little bit of everything: from romance to comedy, political intrigue, war tactics, violence, the supernatural, novelty magic, and a touch of spice.

Skrutskie does a fantastic job of weaving a beautiful narrative that is not only gripping but also emotionally wrenching. I was able to experience a lifetime in just 300 pages.

The characters are the absolute best part of the entire story—every. single. one. I loved all the side characters as much as the MCs. Two in particular, Sawyer and Carrick, stole the show for me.

I also have to take a moment to mention how well the military aspect of the novel was written.

I know next to nothing about war tactics, especially Roman legions (which is what I was reminded of while reading). Still, the author somehow made me vicariously experience the physical struggles and emotional turmoil of going to war, as well as what it is like to survive and return home once it is over.

This is officially one of my favorite reads of the year! It’s perfect for readers who like D&D, romantacies, enemies/friends-to-lovers, demons & magic, military tactics, steamy hookups, and cozy reads.

Thank you to NetGalley, Emily Skrutskie, and Del Rey Books for sending me a digital advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

I've followed Emily Skrutskie's career ever since the wonderful Bonds of Brass. And while sometimes her work can be hit or miss for me - I didn't care how that series ended, with the couple spending most of that final book physically apart; but I loved The Salvation Gambit. I think she's a phenomenal writer who doesn't get the attention she deserves. She's one of those talented SFF writers who flies under the radar but has proven time and time again she'll be an auto-buy author for me.

In "A Legionnaire's Guide to Love and Peace," Skrutskie leaves sci-fi adventure behind for cozy romantic fantasy featuring a bi4bi m/f pairing (I need more of those in fantasy please!) in a queernormative world. Just loved how she showed each love interest was bi without ever saying it explicitly or showing it by throwing another distracting love interest into the mix. I've had enough of bi love interests in love triangles or who cheat on an established relationship. The focus was always on Kat and Emory, and their lovely, slow burn friends to lovers swoony love story.

The author takes on her usual tactic of twisting tropes in unexpected ways in this effort as well. This story takes the little explored concept of what happens when the Lord of the Rings style battle is done and soldiers find themselves with nothing else to fight. At times I really wished I had a military glossary because I know nothing about Roman military organization and there weren't many context clues to understand the terminology.

I enjoyed the hapless prince who at first seems like a pompous embarassment and then grows as a leader as he leads this battle-weary contingent of soldiers to the path of building a road and protecting him from Lesser Lords after the main Demon Lord was finished.

Many parts of this book made me smile, swoon and laugh out loud. It had a unique, irreverent tone that I appreciated.

I liked how there was still tension in Kat and Emory's romance without the only tension being sex constantly interrupted, which is often the case with friends-to-lovers. I appreciated that Emory had enlisted instead of drafting and was trying to figure out his calling instead of soldiering, which also provided nice moments of tension and interest.

That said this was a very cozy fantasy that was really more vibes than plot. The stakes were medium high but it was more like a buddy camping adventure. At times it definitely felt inspired by a D&D campaign.

Overall though this felt like a warm hug of a story. I loved Emory and Kat together and especially their cute bucket list of things to accomplish if they ever survived the war. They were just so cute together. I'm glad the slow burn wasn't an excruciating one. I also liked the conceit of them having a one night stand at the beginning of the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book is easily one of my favorites of the year! We’re dropped in the middle of a huge battle and quickly made to get our bearings. I’ll admit I was confused about the difference between a century, decade, etc. but that didn’t dampen my experience. I fell in love with Kat and Emory quickly and just needed them to catch up! I wish we had more from Emory, but it felt like Kat’s story arc made up for it. She started as a strong main character and only got better from there.

I loved the world building we get (although I could have had way more) and the world/magic is so unique. To me, this is a nice middle between cozy and fantasy. The stakes aren’t the highest, but I was still concerned about how things would shake out as they went, especially with the wonderful side characters/found family! I would love more books about literally any of the other decade members.

What a ride that was! This book explores the love and friendships forged between soldiers and the choices they face when they can finally lay down their weapons for good. The friends-to-lovers romance is cute and heartwarming as is the deep friendship that the soldiers share. The story is a very character driven slow burn that focuses on the evolving relationships and choices the soldiers have to make from love to what to do with the rest of their lives when the war is over. There are exciting battles and fighting too, but they aren't the main focus, rather this book is very much about exploring all the relationships and struggles faced by the soldiers. I can see this appealing to both romantasy and cozy fantasy readers.

I really appreciated the focus on the soldiers in this book and how the big heroes waltzing in to kill the demon lord effects them. It made for a nice change of pace to follow the infantrymen on the frontlines rather than the big shiny heroes. I was a little nervous when I saw the book was about the trope of killing the demon lord and his generals, but the focus on the soldiers and the end of the war was a refreshing take on that plot. The friendship between the soldiers also added a comforting layer to the story that worked well alongside the romance and brought cozy vibes to the book.

This was really cute!!
I love the friends to lovers trope. I think this one did it really well because both characters were trying to give themselves for the other person, before they were even completely sure what the other one felt.
The plot was a bit slow but it let us focus on the relationships, so it just depends what you’re looking for.
I will definitely try other books by this author!

There were some explicit scenes,

I enjoyed this book. Parts of the story did seem to drag a little, but the premise was good enough to keep me going. There wasn’t really an introduction to the story, it just dove right in. But then everything was explained later, which made the pacing feel off. The universe dynamics were pretty great, but a more thorough explanation on the military structure may have been helpful. Overall, I would recommend this to someone looking for a cozy story with some romantic and fantasy elements.

Short Summary:

🩶 A soldier and her battle partner have a one-night stand before they’re set to die in battle. But when circumstances change and they’re all saved, the future for the two of them is more uncertain than ever.

Best Parts:

🛡️ Character Building
🛡️ Universe Dynamics

Worst Parts:

🛡️ Pacing
🛡️ Weird Military Rules

This was my first read from this author but it definitely won’t be the last! Equal parts action and adventure and charming romance made for a fun read and had me devouring this in just one day! I really enjoyed not just Kat and Emory but all the side characters as well! Each contributed to this story as it progressed and that was wonderful!

Thank you for the opportunity to read early!

— 3.5 ✷


My experience reading this book was such a dichotomy.

I would be so invested in the story that it’s hard for me to put it down, but once I did, it took everything in me to pick it back up. But once I pushed through and forced myself to continue, I’d breeze through another 20% in one sitting. And thus the cycle went on.

I think it was a part of me that knew I could really really like this book if all the cards were played right. Like I was standing at the edge of a cliff and I was looking down at what could become one of my top 10 reads of the year. It was a sort of a funny, happy fear. The star rating spoils the result, but it was a book where I was particularly having difficulties in deciding how I felt about it.

Simply put, even though it didn’t end up being a favourite, I definitely liked it.


It was a unique plot where it begins with the end of a war, a war that the Chosen One ended, but the story is about the soldiers at the frontlines. It explores about what lies at the end of the road, after the war, after their purpose has been fulfilled, while grappling with romance with your longterm work partner. If this was the purpose, I think the execution was lacking. It was a bit too short to fully ground the starkness and unsureness of their situation. It’s not that I didn’t think both those objectives weren’t explored or fulfilled, I was just left wanting more (in a bad way) after closing the book.

It’s been awhile since I’ve picked up a romance that isn’t a reread but I really loved Emory and Kat’s story. There’s something really steady and comfortable in the way they interact with each other. The banter was charming and the sexual tension and chemistry was definitely palpable. I’ve always loved a love where you could also be best friends and this was exactly that.

I don’t like cozy fantasies so it always feel like a disservice whenever I describe a book I liked as cozy but this was cozy. Not in a boring way. This one had actual plot, stakes and great dynamics. It’s a book that happened to be cozy; it didn’t feel like it was projected, plotted and written to just be cozy. There’s a difference.

I didn’t necessarily have trouble with the pacing or immersing myself in the story. It flowed really well and the fact that I was subconsciously binging it whenever I picked it back up speaks volumes about the writing, I think. I’d be interested in reading another one of the author’s books where the plot devices worked out better. There was some parts that were obvious. There were also some small twists where, when you reached them, you realize the small foreshadowings you missed before, it was fun.


P.S. I would’ve loved a glossary for the military terms. I was forever confused and unsure about the centuries, decades and legions. I think I understood it correctly, but a confirmation would be nice.



Thank you to Del Rey, Emily Skrutskie and Netgalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A fun read that I devoured in a single day! I love its cozy, heartwarming feels while set against the backdrop of war and military life. Kat is a compelling protagonist, and her relationship with Emory is so sweet. If you love cozy romantasy, you should definitely check this one out!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Legionnaire’s Guide to love and peace was a cozy quick read. This fantasy novel does a good balance between character development and world building in my opinion.

The hardest past of this book was me trying to figure out how to spell legionnaire’s.

I would recommend this book to those that understand finding a balance in life can be challenging, like a bit of romance, and love characters who take charge of their story.

Thanks NetGalley and publishers for this preview.

For those who love stories where the tension is intense, the romance is heartwarming, and the characters are torn between their duty and their desires, this one is a must-read. It blends thrilling action with an emotional journey that feels deeply personal. Katrien and Emory’s relationship is powerful, evolving naturally as they face challenges that could change everything. The mix of epic adventure and genuine emotional connection makes this story unforgettable. You’ll be hooked from the start, cheering for these characters to find their way, both in battle and in love.

"We're going to get through this, and I'm going to have my pineapple, and you're going to have your strawberry mead."
- Katrien

Overall: 4 stars
Perfect for fans of: Raleigh and Mako in Pacific Rim, Dragon Age: Awakening, and fruit-flavored beer
Follow up with: The Will of the Many by James Islington, The Element of Fire by Martha Wells

Emily Skrutskie’s first foray into romantic fantasy hits all the notes one would expect from the genre without dragging, and has the time and capability to challenge some of the tropes we’ve all become familiar with. Legionnaire’s is a very successful inversion of the classic fantasy story, and the romance is enjoyable enough (although not earth-shatteringly romantic) to keep the story powering through.

Legionnaire’s starts at the end of the classic fantasy story; the big bad is defeated by a hero with a never-before-seen amount of power, the continent is liberated from years of fear and terror, and everyone is suddenly free to live their lives without worrying about demons pouring out from the aptly-named Mouth Of Hell. When we first meet Kat and Emory, they’re army fodder about to march directly on this Mouth, and have taken advantage of this clearly deadly mission to break some rules. Specifically the rule about fraternization between soldiers. And in their commanding officer’s tent. Immediately, Skrutskie establishes the emotional lynchpin of this story. I was worried showing her hand so early would make it drag, removing the will-they won’t-they that almost every other romantasy author relies on, but Skrutskie introduces more conflict later that’s so much more interesting and revealing than “will they sleep together” that it actually works better than I could’ve anticipated.

I’m sure some people will argue that the middle third of the book drags. We see only a few actual battles (and most are over or almost over by the time our narrator Kat arrives) and instead get drawn into the logistics of what an army does when the threat they were formed to face has fallen. I loved this part. I loved seeing how the soldiers were forced to adapt and how this changed everyone’s relationships and priorities. I thought the emphasis on the administrative effort of managing a large military force was actually considered, and Skrutskie continues a pattern I’ve noticed before in her other books (especially The Salvation Gambit, which I read last year and adored). She refuses to handwave away some of the fundamental assumptions you have to make when reading genre fiction, and invites the reader to be a participant in the world building and understanding the true scope of her stories.

Legionnaire’s is, more than anything else, great fun. The story is engaging and the world building is unique, but the focus is primarily on the relationships between Kat and her fellow soldiers — obviously Emory, but the rest of the decade also plays an important role in the story. Sometimes the true reward really is the friends you’ve made along the way, and in Legionnaire’s, the friends are genuinely a reward for reading the book. I will be up front and say I am not really a romance fan, and while I didn’t really feel a push to engage with Kat and Emory, the bonds they both had with their decade made the book worthwhile for me.

Overall, this is a really impressive first effort in fantasy that, despite not nailing every aspect and every landing, had enough twists, turns, and subversions to keep me eagerly reading until the end.

This is one of those books that feels as though it’s written just for me. It’s character driven with a fun magic system where the main character learns just enough for what she needs to do (without ever a lecture or exposition in sight), with strong world building, a found family of all of her fellow soldiers, a dry sense of humor, strong writing and a lightning fast pace that had me finishing in one sitting.

Kat is a battle weary but not hardened infantry soldier who was drafted into service so that she — like so many young men and women — could fight an endless war against demons. And now that the demons are gone and the world saved, she’s stuck between wanting to leave the army and go home, because of course she wants to go home, and not wanting to leave Emory, her battle partner and lover. He, on the other hand, enlisted. He had always wanted to be a soldier, wanting a place to belong, a purpose to call his own, a family he could belong to. The idea of leaving the world he chose is … daunting.

Then there’s Prince Adrian who is spoiled, entitled, selfish, vain, thoughtless and earnest in the way only a Chosen One could be. And he’s picked Kat to be his friend, advisor, and devoted admirer … and she is so over him. Her scenes putting up with him were some of my favorites, because Kat is able to see the good in him as well as all of his many, many, many flaws and small, careless cruelties.

Kat doesn’t sass the prince, doesn’t snap back with modern wit and clever lines. She’s a soldier with limited education who knows that to mouth off to the prince could mean her head. Instead she’s clever, patient, and does her best to protect her infantry brothers and sisters. She’s compassionate, courageous, and an excellent heroine. She’s not the Chosen One, she’s just the one who’s there at the right time doing the right thing. Which is killing demons.

This book doesn’t have lengthy battle scenes, though in the few there are the author writes them well enough that I was able to get a feel for what was going on, and it helps that they were all filtered through Kat’s POV. The world building is skillfully inserted in conversations and observations with never an info dump to be seen. Honestly, I’d love more books in this world, and will be keeping an eye out for more work from this author.

Thank you so very much to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC!

3.5 / 5 Stars
This is a very solid fantasy with a dash of romance. The synopsis in layperson terms: Katrien (Kat) and her fellow soldiers have been fighting the Demon Lord and his demon zombies for a long time. When they are on the eve of the ultimate battle, Kat and her battle partner, Emory, decide to break the anti-fraternization policy (and literally also break a cot) but they’re going to die the next day so YOLO. Except that they don’t die the next day and instead the Demon Lord is vanquished by a very magically powerful but emotionally unintelligent prince (can’t be book and street smart as a royal, it turns out). Now Kat and Emory have to navigate their feelings for each other while trying to navigate life after war.

There were a lot of things I really liked about this book. I found Prince Adrien, the least self-aware man alive, to be very funny. I really like Kat and Emory’s relationship. It is a slow burn so sometimes I was living off of crumbs like them looking at each other from a distance but I was fully invested nonetheless. I loved the LGBTQ+ representation in the book (we love that most folks were pansexual with no explanation needed – that’s just the world we live in). I really like Kat as our main character and liked reading about her family history and her connection to magic (there’s also magic and it makes sense).

I have been on a kick of reading really enticing and hard to put down fantasies and I found myself feeling okay putting this book down mostly because of the war aspect. Maybe others found it obvious but I would have benefited from a glossary of military and magic terms because I found myself a bit lost in the beginning which made it hard to visualize certain chapters. Also because they fight in formation and advance inches at a time, the beginning battles didn't feel dynamic and therefore, didn’t draw me in. And then when we moved to peace times, I just wasn’t as interested in continuing to read about the military dynamic in any capacity. The book got me back in the last 20% which is why I bumped the rating from 3 to 3.5 stars.

Thank you to Random House Publishing - Delray and NetGalley for providing this eARC! All opinions are my own.

just terribly charming and entertaining. exactly what it purports itself to be, with characters who instantly pop

If a cozy romantasy can be set in wartime, this is the book. Well written, well paced, diverse and believable characters who grow over the course of the book. A unique and interesting magic system. Everything about this book flowed and despite the demons and politics, I still found myself kicking my feet with the light at the relationships, both romantic and otherwise. The demons and politics themselves were well written and believable and everything served to progress the plot. No wasted words here which made it an easy and very satisfying read. I will definitely be recommending this to my friends and anyone who enjoys a quality read with battles and political machinations but still enjoys a cozy fantasy romance.

Thank you, NetGalley and Del Rey Publishing for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What a cozy, warm hug of a read, with a little spice thrown in! Kat and Emory are adorable. After fighting together for years through a brutal war, they're both trying to figure out what they want next. Emory is convinced he'll remain an enlisted soldier, while Kat can't wait to return to her father's forge. Emily Skrutskie does a great job of exploring the internal struggle that happens when people change and the dreams they wanted no longer fit who they are.

The plot was fast paced and even though it takes place in a fantasy world, I never felt like I was being hit over the head with world building or info dumping. The side characters were quirky and I was always happy to see them pop up on page. But of course, the real heart of this book is the relationship between Kat and Emory. Their devotion to one another was so endearing and I couldn't get enough of their food list. Their side quests to find certain food items that got them through the war were all well placed, cute, and didn't slow down the plot. I also really appreciated that there was still fighting, adventure, and magic throughout to keep things moving.

I highly recommend this book and loved it enough that I plan to buy a physical copy when it's published!

I went into this book thinking I was going to have a silly goofy good time but I ended up losing interest in the story about half way through. I think it was just too slow paced for me and I needed more.

I adored this book! While you probably can't call it a "cozy fantasy" since it is about war and fighting demons and technically has higher stakes, it gave me the same warm and fuzzy feelings as other cozy fantasies do. This book was a perfect standalone story for anyone who enjoys zany characters, discovering your own potential, and beautiful slow burn friends-to-lovers romance.

The romance was so well plotted and felt real and believable to me the entire time. It truly was able to grasp the delightful feeling of being in love with your best friend and them knowing you better than you may know yourself. Every single interaction Kat and Emory had made me swoon, and the last two chapters were practically perfect in giving me everything I hoped for them.

The world building was also excellently done, from the magic system that was wholly unique, to the nobility and different areas of the world, to the *brilliant* foreshadowing that- while I did call it when it was mentioned early on in the book- left me so satisfied with how everything played out.

Overall I am so pleased with this book. It felt like a breath of fresh air, and I would highly recommend it to any romantic fantasy lover who may be looking for a "lower stakes" book that still has a great kick of adventure and self discovery! Thank you so much Del Ray and NetGalley for sending me this e-ARC!