4/5

This is like if at the end of Return of the King Aragorn forced every soldier who marched on the black gates to go and build a road before they could go home, a concept I am indeed obsessed with. Battle weary Katrien made a misguided call on the eve of a monumental battle she was sure not to survive: she slept with her battle partner and shield, Emory, never knowing a prince was on the way to stave off the demon hoards and save the realm. Now scores of soldiers, Kat and Emory included, will have to lay down their weapons and attempt the one thing they have been taught to never expect: peace itself—that and constructing a road across the kingdom before they can officially be discharged.

Emily Skrutskie pens a truly delightful fantasy romp that has all the sprinklings of D&D and Tolkien to keep even the most stalwart fantasy reader satisfied. I always love being dropped into the thick of the action with little or no immediate context to go on, falling in with characters as they face down turmoil and disastrous circumstances. This is exactly how we come to know these characters: our persistent spear Katrien, and Emory, her shield, partner, and unfortunate hookup battling at a hellmouth with imminent death approaching. Against the backdrop of a never ending war miraculously coming to a close, we follow a plethora of soldiers as they come to terms with this development and who exactly they are outside of soldiering. Focusing on identity, but with demon attacks, magic totems, and marvelous relationship dynamics, Skrutskie builds a standalone fantasy that feels expansive and oh so heartwarming. The Legionnaires Guide to Love and Peace takes a cozy overtone with found family and characters who would go to battle for each other under any circumstance. Undercutting the (mis) adventures is an uncertain romance that is heavy on the idiots to lovers; two people not unsure of their feelings, but whether or not they can have a future where they can keep backing each other. Here for more wondrous adventure from Skrutskie and tall muscular women being capable and worthy of romance!

What an incredibly unique and fun and cozy and inviting book despite the twists, turns, and nerve wracking bumps in the road along the journey!!!

I LOVED the experience of reading A Legionnaire’s Guide to Love and Peace! I have no history (at all!) with D&D but after hearing this book compared to D&D it has absolutely sparked my interest. I also love Emily being inspired by LOTR when writing this book and her comments about how the two relate!

Reading this book felt like a welcome departure from reality in that certain stigmas and beauty standards were abandoned within the pages and in many ways flipped on their heads! At the same time, the book was so relatable in the sense that many times the citizens doing the hardest work were often times the most overlooked. Likewise that certain classes were only elevated because of wealth and privilege that had been passed down from generation to generation. So while this was absolutely a romantic fantasy book to escape into, there was still so much depth and gravity inside.

And BOY DID I LOVE EMORY! I love a MMC who wears his heart on his sleeve. The way Emory clearly and quietly loved Kat throughout was beautiful. Anytime we would get a glimpse at the way he would look at her or the gentle ways he would touch her… those were my favorites. I really enjoyed that he loved Kat as she was and saw her so fully.

Because what is there not to love about Katrien?! I LOVE HER WONDERFUL SELF. I thoroughly enjoyed walking this journey alongside Kat. Her unique balance of self assuredness and insecurity was so relatable and was her moral code. I just really love everyone we got the chance to meet in this book. What a cast of loveable guys and gals. I loved Mira and Sawyer and Carrick and Giselle and Von and Giselle! It’s gonna be hard setting these guys back down.

And to speak cryptically and in a way as to not give away spoilers? The golden blur. Oh. My. I sobbed. And the part once we saw a beautiful glass ceiling? I just knew what would happen next! What a book!

Any final thoughts? I truly loved this one and only wish we had gotten more on-the-page romantic moments between Emory and Kat. I also would have loved to see more of their relationship and how it grew over the three years that the two were battle buddies. With that said, I’m very happy with the story we did get!

Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of A Legionnaire’s Guide to Love and Peace in exchange for my review! And thanks to Emily Skrutskie for crafting this wonderful story!!!

4.5 stars

An underdog fantasy romance with a lot of heart, <i> A Legionnaire’s Guide to Love and Peace </i> charmed me immediately. The book stars two legionnaires, foot soldiers in the human army, the commanders of which are chosen from magic-artefact-wielding nobility. The whole story is a manifesto on the power of the little man, a heartfelt assertion that the real business of the world gets done not with the flashy doings of the Great and Powerful but with the everyday actions of ordinary people trying to make the world a little better one step at a time. I loved that sentiment, and the way in which the characters embodied it.

The plot itself is greatly funny. On the eve of the final battle with the Demon Lord’s army, which they fully expect to lose, two legionnaires—Katrien and Emory—give in to a long-held desire for one another on the basis that it won’t matter when they die in the morning. Only, they don’t die—the day is saved by the kingdom’s hidden heir, who has been secretly raised to become the most powerful magic artefact user ever, and takes out the Demon Lord in one fell swoop. All’s well that ends well, at least… except that behind closed doors, the recently-revealed hero prince admits that his powers only really work after a hell of a charge-up period, so he’s awfully vulnerable to surprise attacks, and would the legionnaires mind being his bodyguards until the last of the demon lord’s army’s stragglers are mopped up? Katrien and Emory, and the rest of their legion, become the beleaguered guards/servants/underlings of a snotty, clueless hero prince for the next few months, grasping on to the promise of freedom from their army posts once he’s safely delivered to the capitol, at which point they can figure out what to do with their surprisingly-not-dead selves in the wake of a love affair that was only supposed to be for one last night.

The worldbuilding is refreshingly original, which I didn’t expect from a classic humanity-versus-demonic-forces-of-evil setup, with a fascinating magic system based on tokens left behind for humanity by long-departed angels, through which specific types of magic can be drawn. The world is a non-gender-divided, queernormative, pre-industrial fantasy setting drawing heavy military inspiration from the Roman Empire.

Katrien and Emory are easy to root for, and the prince is actually an extremely fun character to read about. The story emphasizes the deeds of people and collectives over the awesome power of the nobility via their birthright-granted magical artefacts, and the ending is an extremely satisfying underscore to that theme. I’d recommend this book to fans of Megan Bannen and Freya Marske, good-versus-evil fantasy, tongue-in-cheek storytelling, class consciousness, and Roman military strategy.

This was entertaining from start to finish! Easy 5 stars. This was written beautifully and I can tell the details were well thought out. The growing love between Kat and Emory had me swooning. And the dynamic between them and their comrades was built on such a strong foundation, you couldn't help but feel connected to them. I also really liked that the main female character was tall, strong, and muscular rather than the typical tiny & super short description used in most fantasy romance books. I do wish there had been a little more history for the magic system itself but it's really not a big problem for me, personally. I would absolutely read more books by this author and I highly recommend this one! Thank you Netgalley for the ARC and happy pub day!!

This was a cute fantasy friends-to-lovers romance between military battle partners Katrien and Emory who decide to have a dalliance the night before a big battle, not knowing if they'll survive the next day. With the battle ending in victory, these two have to decide how to proceed with their relationship as they embark on one last campaign and Katrien receiving an opportunity to work with the crown prince.

I loved the dynamic between Kat and Emory especially during their most vulnerable moments with each other. It was great to see our FMC as the badass she is welding a spear and having the protection of the MMC with his shield. Also the excitement the two shared on what foods they wanted to try when the war was over was just too cute.

An interesting aspect that I wish was touched on more in the story is the magical element that is present where people, usually the high class, have magical tokens that they can use to channel different abilities. The more one had, the higher standing they were. That put Kat in a bit of a predicament since she was the owner of one token, and so she had moments where she felt stuck between a common citizen and the elite. It added another layer to the story apart from the romance that was intriguing to read.

I really, really loved the dynamics between the characters in this story, especially Kat and Emory. Their relationship was done very well, although I would have liked to see them together for more of the book. Some of my favorite parts were when they were off doing things together without any other characters around, so I would have enjoyed seeing more of that. There were a lot of side characters, and some of them blended together for me, but the ones that made an impression were fun and interesting. I especially enjoyed Prince Adrien.
I liked the idea of the magic system, but I felt that it needed a little more exploration. I would have loved to learn more about how magic works in the world, and more about its place in their society. There was a lot of potential there that didn't feel fully explored.
Even with the battles, this managed to be a fairly cozy fantasy, and one that I'll probably re-read in the future.
4.5/5 stars
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Del Ray and Net Galley for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Katrien, a no-nonsense legionnaire, figures she won’t survive the war’s final stand. So when she and her battle partner Emory share a night together beforehand, it’s a last act of comfort. But then the Demon Lord gets taken down by a surprise royal and his heroic crew, and suddenly the war is over... and Kat and Emory are left to figure out what comes next.

This book is at its strongest in the early chapters, with intense, well-written battle scenes and moments of emotional connection that hit hard. The story also shines in the downtime: I loved seeing the friendships between the soldiers wrestling, teasing, and playing games. There’s a great sense of camaraderie, and the dry humor lands without going over the top.

Kat is a standout protagonist—gruff, competent, and full of quiet longing. Her dynamic with Emory is thoughtful and slow-burn, and their relationship grows in satisfying ways throughout the book. I also really enjoyed the Roman-inspired military worldbuilding and the magic system.

That said, the pacing does slow down between major events. After a five-star start, some mid-book sections meandered for me. But overall, this was a refreshing, emotionally grounded take on epic fantasy and what happens after “the end.”


A great pick if you’re into cozy military fantasy with romance, dry humor, and characters figuring out how to live after the world doesn’t end.

Not quite a cosy fantasy (there’s a bit too much battle for that!). But definitely lighter than much romantasy on the market. A unique magic system. Interesting consideration of what happens after the big battle is over. The characters are regular soldiers—infantry—rather than some elite force. Friends to lovers figuring out where they stand. A solid read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

If you're looking for a sweet, low-stakes romance with just the right amount of magic and action mixed in, this is the read for you. I've always been curious about what the normal soldiers were up to while the big chosen heroes were saving the day, and this scratched that itch perfectly. The author did an amazing job giving us the soldiers' perspective, and you can tell the amount of research that was done to make the army feel real and competent. Kat was a great protagonist; she's said to only be about 21 but she and her love interest definitely felt like they could've been up to their 30s even, they were both so mature about the problems that came their way. I also appreciated the fact that Kat is a big, broad-shouldered, muscled woman who's larger than most people, including her love interest, which was incredibly refreshing to see. Emory himself was sweet and a little bit dorky, and his quest to try all the foods on the list he and Kat made together was one of the cutest things in this book. Their romance was very sweet and believable; normally with friends-to-lovers, I feel a lot of authors rely too much on backstory that the audience doesn't get to see but here, Emory and Kat's relationship was fleshed out well on the page, and you easily get the sense that the two of them match each other perfectly as comrades, friends, and lovers. The obstacles that prevented them from being together were also realistic for soldiers in their positions. The side characters were really charming as well; everyone from the golden prince Adrien to their comrades in their decade felt like real people navigating the world around them. My only nitpick would be that I wish there had been more hints about the real traitor before the final, sudden reveal, as I think that could have added a lot to the character's arc. Other than that, I absolutely adored this book, and while I have eagerly added the author's sci-fi series to my TBR, I hope they continue delving into writing fantasy. I'm excited to see what's next!

A lighthearted fantasy, with unique world-building and adventure.

I thought that Kat and Emory's relationship was wholesome and sweet; it was more of a romantic subplot than I thought key to the overarching story.

I enjoyed the other characters, especially Mira, and I thought the sequence of events pretty funny.

Overall, it was enjoyable.

This isn't my genre but I found myself engaged in the story because Kat is an intriguing character. She's trying to navigate what comes after war and her relationship with Emory, which she didn't expect to have. There's good world building (important for me) and the story hangs more on Kat than on the romance. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

This was fun…until it wasn’t.

A Legionnaire’s Guide to Love and Peace starts strong with a delightfully absurd tone that feels clever rather than cringey—like we’re in on the joke. I loved the queernormative world where everyone’s bi and the potential for romantic chaos is high.

But the shine wore off pretty quickly. The romance between Emory and Kat never felt earned—they barely spend time together on the page, and there’s no real tension or chemistry. Honestly, Kat’s relationship with Adrien was more compelling, and I kind of wish the book had gone in that direction.

Characters overall felt underdeveloped. Emory, supposedly a main character, is almost completely flat, and the side characters blended together to the point where I had trouble keeping track of who was who. The magic system had potential and I really liked the idea of getting magic from tokens, but it felt too vague and abstract to really hook me. Additionally, it felt a little weird to have a magic system that is so closely tied to class without any more than a surface level examination of class in this world.

The biggest issue was that it just got boring. The stakes never felt high, even with literal demons on their tail, and by the halfway mark it really started to drag, especially since every demon attack was exactly the same. I wasn’t rushing to pick it back up, and once I finished, I didn’t think about it again.

Not bad, not great. Just okay.

I have read a lot of romantasy and I really appreciated that this book was a little bit different. While plenty of romantasy deals with various forms of trauma, the Legionnaire's Guide to Love and Peace is the first one to deal with the idea of what comes after a long war and combat.

Assuming that it is the end and the final battle, Kat and her battle partner, Emory, have a one night stand. The problem comes when the two of them don't die and it turns out that Kat is able being trained for leadership - and the two have to consider what might be next for them without the looming doubt of certain death.

I really liked that this book has some astute things to say about how the main characters had built a family together over the years serving today and how scary it can be when that is no longer a plan. I am not someone who has served in the military, but I think the book has some thoughtful things to say about the experience and the difficulties in adjusting to a life without it. I'm not sure I totally understood the magic in the book, but I'm not sure I needed to. This was a fun read and I'd recommend to fans of Travis Baldree and Sarah Beth Durst. Thanks to Del Rey for the early copy.

Emily Skrutski dove into romantic fantasy and turned troupes on their heads in this book which pits love and responsibility.

This book starts at the end - the final battle, which would certainly be a death-sentence. A pre-battle release of passion seemed reasonable given the that it would be their last day. Only, it wasn't. Now what?

The world should be a peace once the gates of hell are closed, but life isn't so simple. Kat has to deal with the aftermath of a war that's (almost) ended while exploring the possibly of love and competing duty.

i'm going to start this by admitting that i did not finish the book.

that being said, that while i personally didn't find the book engaging, i know there are a lot of people who will! it's a slow paced book, very calm and cute. the writing style is delightfully warm and the characters are engaging and interesting. the worldbuilding is also really interesting, the powers and the war zone that this story takes place in lends a a sort of grim feeling to the overall calm, almost cozy feeling of the book that really plays well together. it was just too slow a paced book for me, and even when they were battling, it didn't feel like much was happening at all. for those who like Hallmark or Howls moving castle, where intense scenes are soothed by charming character interactions and food, this is definitely a book you are going to love!

i'd like to thank Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group, Random House Worlds, Inklore and Delray for a copy of this ARC

Imagine: You and your best friend, closest confidant, and partner in battle know that you will be making your last stand tomorrow. Your commanding officer is at a meeting, her tent is empty... I mean you might as well break the bed and have some great sex before you die, right?

Yeah well now what do you do that you survived not only the battle, but the whole war?

Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐️
Release Date: Jun. 24 2025
Tropes
• Friends to Lovers
• One Night Stand (night before events of this book)
• ✨️The Chosen One✨️
• "Well the big bad is defeated... Now what?"
• Rebuilding Society
• Funny Side Characters
• Cozy vibes

I wasn't exactly sure how this was going to go, but I immediately fell in love with these characters. Kat and Emory are sweet and their feelings for each other is something I could actually feel throughout the story. Adrien is a great side character, and his ending makes complete sense.The story bounces between the decade and the royal/nobles, and how Kat is kind of stuck in the middle of it all due to her single token.

I would be more likely to recommend this to fantasy readers that want a cozy romance rather than romance readers, just because the romance is closer to a subplot here. Did I mind that? Nope! It's perhaps better since we don't really get a 3rd act breakup with this!!

Overall, a really nice read that is, all things considered, a really soft story about finding love and making each day something worth sharing.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey for providing an eARC in exchange for this honest review.

I enjoyed this book - it's a nice 'cozy' feel-good fantasy that puts a smile on your face and leaves your spirits uplifted after you've read it. There's nothing groundbreaking here, sure, and my review would be higher if the world building was a bit more original. That said, it makes a great easy, breezy, and fun Summer read.

Story: Kat is the daughter of a blacksmith conscripted into an apocalyptic war against demons flooding from a suddenly opened gate to hell. It's the humans' last stand and she decides to go out with a bang by sleeping with her shieldmate Emory the night before their last battle. They've been a great team against the hordes and she's survived this long because of his skills and expertise. But then the unthinkable happens - they are saved by a hitherto unknown young prince with a lot of power and an inexplicable interest in Kat. Things were complicated in war; she's about to find just how complicated they are in peacetime.

The fun of the story is Kat dealing with the princeling, a very sheltered and green teenager who has inherited a lot of power but perhaps not as much sense. This at the same time the prince is being hunted by three very powerful demon lords who aren't happy their master was banished back to hell with all their underlings. So Kat will do her best to keep the prince alive while also fighting urges to kill him herself at times. At the same time, she's dealing with the complications of having slept with a comrade, one she greatly respects.

There is light humor and certainly this is a book never intended to be taken seriously. Emory is a good foil for Kat - a war orphan who enlisted young and only known war over the last decade. This is in contrast to Kat who has a family to go home to and a career as a blacksmith. Their relationship is the star of the book and neither is oblivious that they definitely have more than just friendship feelings toward each other.

In all, plenty of action, fun, humor, and romance. Just a very enjoyable book all around. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

This book was tough for me. It's technically fine. The world building is good and I like Kat as a character. However, this book is mainly about her personal growth, not the promised romantic focus that the description suggested. It's also very slow pacing and I just can't focus. This should be pitched as cozy wartime fantasy, not as a friends-to-loves romantasy. We don't even get most of the relationship building! It's mostly all the third act breakup, but made into a 350+ page book.

It feels weird to call a warfare fantasy as cozy but this is definitely a wartime cozy story. Giving it a 4 out of 5 stars.

I will always be drawn to story that talk about "but what happens AFTER the big bad is defeated?" and this story delivers on that. After a wayward prince comes in and saves the realm from what was supposed to be a suicide mission, what happens next? At first I had a hard time connecting with the characters but over time you get a real glimpse into their motivations and get to watch in real time as they have to re-evaluate said motivations.

Cozy is a good word for this story despite the potentially dark background, but the goofiness of the Prince and all the hidden romances are cute, though I will admit there is a lot of the main romance that was developed before the story so we as the reader are jumping into the romance in media res but by the end you can see its roots.

Hoping for a spin off that follows some of the side characters in the future!

i did enjoy the characters and all the action scenes in this! i thought the world was developed and again, really enjoyed all the action sequences. however the pacing was super slow and i slogged through the middle of the book. i wasn't entirely intrigued or interested in the plot the whole time, this book lost me by the end. i wouldn't technically classify this as a "romantasy", more of a fantasy romance. i actually did appreciate that since there aren't many of those these days. but for me, it was middle of the road. nothing special but nothing terrible either.