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.

This was a book I normally wouldn't be interested in but the blurb really hooked me in. This was more of a romantic fantasy than a romance and overall I very much enjoyed it. The plot and storyline was interesting, now the book did lose me part way through and brought me back in for the last 20-25% of the story. At times it almost felt like the romance was forced and not explored as much as I would have liked.

This wasn't what I expected. It's hard for me to say if it's good or bad - it just wasn't the book I thought I was reading, and it didn't really hold my attention. Unfortunately, I don't think it will be a good fit for our store because I won't be able to handsell it. I do think this is a case of maybe the marketing not lining quite up, but --hard to say. Anyway, it just failed to grip me.

I absolutely devoured this book. It drew me right in with the high-stakes battle scenes. It won me over with the swoony love scenes. It made me laugh with the ridiculousness of royalty and the way they behave.

There are lots of twists and turns, and the magic system is both different and beautifully reverent in the way it’s described—but it’s also a commentary on class, with only certain people having access to it.

I would love to see a prequel about how the war started and how the coins were established. That part of the worldbuilding was so interesting, but it left me with so many questions.

As a history teacher with a strong interest in historical fiction and fantasy, A Legionnaire’s Guide to Love and Peace immediately caught my attention. The premise was unique and full of potential, and I appreciated the play on Roman military terminology.

However, I found the pacing to be a challenge. The story moved slowly for me, which made it difficult to stay engaged. That said, there are thoughtful moments and emotional depth that may resonate with readers who enjoy a more introspective, slow-burn approach. It just didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

A Legionnaire’s Guide to Love and Peace is a standalone romantic fantasy by Emily Skrutskie. The night before what they thought would be their doomed last stand against the Demon Lord and his army of thralls, Katrien finally hooks up with her handsome battle partner Emory. But when a prince raised in secret alongside a band of noble young heroes suddenly appears and defeats the Demon Lord in one fell swoop, they are left to love with the consequences (and emotions) of their one night stand that is explicitly against regulations. And when Katrien accidentally draws the eye of the prince and their unit is given one final campaign to travel with the prince and clear the remaining Demon Generals, she has a choice to make.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I was instantly charmed by it. I went in expecting an exact type of book based on the description and it didn’t disappoint. I would consider it a romance first and a fantasy second, but I don’t think everyone agrees (based on other reviews I’ve read). I’d go as far as to say it is a cozy fantasy romance. While it has some relatively high stakes, it has this very cozy vibe in that the main focus of the narrative is not the war against the demons, but on Katrien and the choices she needs to make in regards to her future—leave the army she was drafted into to return to a normal life, stay alongside Emory who is an enlisted army man through and through, or take the opportunity at a brighter future the prince’s attention has suddenly gifted her.

I liked Katrien, a tough legionnaire who is placed in this sudden romantic predicament. I thought it was a fun mash-up/subversion of both fantasy and romance genres. Something about a romantic entanglement having top billing over a serious possibly deadly situation just completely had me. I liked Emory too and absolutely believed in his love for Katrien (“If I loved you any less, I could be selfish. I could put myself above you… But, Kat, I love you too much to let myself be your worst option.” *swoon*). Set in a queernormative world, it’s a bi4bi romance although never explicitly stated. There’s a ton of fun awkward situations and heartfelt moments in between the demonic battles. I also loved Prince Adrien, this ridiculous young man full of pomp and his own self importance. In any other book, he would have been insufferable to read about, but he was just perfect here, serving as a spoiler foil to Emory.

A Legionnaire’s Guide to Love and Peace is a charming blend of cozy romance and high fantasy.

*Thank you to Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore for the eARC via NetGalley

In this utterly captivating blend of epic fantasy and tender romance, readers are swept into a richly drawn world teetering on the edge of apocalypse—only to find that the real story begins after the end was averted. With a premise that flips genre expectations on their head, this story hooks you from the very first line and refuses to let go.

What makes this novel shine is its balance: the writing is sharp yet tender, the worldbuilding is immersive without overshadowing the characters, and the romance is. It's the kind that aches in all the best ways. Fans of the friends-to-lovers trope will be delighted by the slow unraveling of Kat and Emory’s bond as it shifts from necessity to choice, from comfort to love.

There’s a deep humanity running through every chapter, about what it means to choose life when you’ve already braced for death, and how difficult (and brave) it is to envision a future when all you’ve ever known is war.

Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.25/5

A Legionnaire’s Guide to Love and Peace is an entertaining fantasy with romance, found family, and magic.

I enjoyed this one, but some parts felt off to me. I had seen it pitched as a cozy romantasy, but it felt more like a romantasy with cozy moments. I enjoyed the action and fighting scenes, and the magic system was fascinating. The world-building was lovely, although a few parts felt underdeveloped. The pacing fit the story nicely, although I longed for more plot development. The characters were fun, vivid, and well-developed, and the found family was delightful. The friends-to-lovers romance was sweet and tender. Kat was a great main character, and Emory was an adorable love interest. Emily Skrutskie’s prose was entertaining. I would recommend this to romantasy fans!

Thank you to the publisher for the free ARC!

I really loved the reading experience of this fantasy romance that lives on the cozier side. Kat is a fantastic main character, and I think the author did an excellent job with the friendship between her and Emory. Despite not being with them through the years of their friendship, I completely believe the love and trust between them. I do think that for being pitched as a romance, the relationship feels like it takes a back seat to the plot and Kat's character development until around 70%, and then the final stretch felt very romantic and lovely to me (and actually made me tear up!).

Something I think was done so well was the world building! By the end of the book I completely believed that the world outside of our specific story was real and thriving. I felt like it was a really unique style of fantasy and maybe I'm just not reading a lot of military based fantasy, but I liked the way the setting in the army ranks complemented the story.

I absolutely adored everything about this book. We meet the characters in the immediate leadup to the final all-out battle in a war against demons literally crawling out of the mouth of Hell. As frontline infantry, our protagonist Katrien and her friends are sure that they are marching to their death, but they are miraculously victorious as a secret heir to the throne with unmatched power flies in and defeats the Demon Lord. The infantry accompany Prince Adrien on his victory march back to the royal castle and along the way defeat the last lingering demon underlings.
The magic system in this book was so interesting: medallions that allow their user to guide and channel the power of the gods. Katrien inherited one token from her mother, but most people with access to these tokens stockpile them, often with upwards of five tokens. The prince has one hundred under his control and his family still has vaults full of them. I really liked this exploration of the upper class hoarding wealth and power, as well as the beautiful depictions of the lower class finding purpose and joy from their “lesser” tokens.
The cast of characters in this book are absolutely delightful; I adored all of Katrien’s fellow soldiers and found them so full of life, spirit, and humour, and their banter was so much fun. The casual queerness of the entire story and all the characters was really lovely. I especially loved Emory, who enlisted in the army as soon as he could, but feels isolated when all his friends jump at the chance to be pardoned from their compulsory service. I loved watching him learn that his life can be defined by something other than battle. I also liked the development of the prince into a competent leader.
I really enjoyed the tension between Katrien and Emory and all their subtle flirtations within their group. I found it really sweet how they helped each other through the challenges of battle and the complexity of accepting a life free of it.
Overall, this was such a fun read and I’m really glad I picked it up!

I just finished A Legionnaire’s Guide to Love and Peace by Emily Skrutskie, and I am obsessed. It’s the perfect mix of chaotic space politics, sharp banter, and slow-burn romance that had me grinning and yelling at the page. If you like your sci-fi with feelings and a little bit of fire, this one totally delivers.

This was a breath of fresh air in the romantic fantasy/romantasy genre! I do think it skews more closely to romantic fantasy than romantasy, with a heavy focus on world-building and most of the conflict of the story coming down to plot points rather than the smaller amount devoted to internal, romantic conflict.

Some of this also has to do with the fact that we have a partners/friends-to-lovers love story, rather then yet another enemies/rivals-to-lovers. And boy, did I love that! The author makes the bold choice to start the story off right after Kat and Emory have gotten together for the first time. Of course, they both thought they would be dying the next day, so the rest of the story revolves around them now working out the consequences of changing their long-standing dynamic. Everything about their relationship was so lovely and wholesome. Their insecurities and fears were realistic and handled in a mature fashion (for once!), but I particularly appreciated the focus on how important their friendship remained to them. We see their growing passion, of course, but much of the emotional workings of the story relies on the deep friendship and respect that has driven their partnership for several years.

I also enjoyed the larger plot and fantasy elements. For one thing, in fantasy stories like this, we often follow characters who are either already leaders or rare in some way or are building towards a leadership role based on their emerging “special abilities.” Here, while Kat does have some magical growth, the story is much more narrowly focused on the lives of the foot soldiers. Kat is thrust into a leadership role against her will and spends the majority of the book trying to sidestep her way back to being a regular soldier. It was definitely refreshing to approach a story like this through this lens, with the bravery, teamwork, and skill of the regular people who make up these armies being the true heroes.

There were also some good themes explored regarding the balance between following one’s own dreams and what we owe to one another. Much of Kat’s internal struggle comes down to this fact. She is in a privileged position with her access to magic, so what does that mean for her choices going forward? Is she obligated to give up the life she wants in pursuit of using this rare ability for the greater good? For his part, Emory must also confront the realities of life after wartime. It’s not a huge focus of the story, but I think the book did a great job of exploring an aspect of military life that is often left unexplored.

Overall, this was a great read! There was an interesting world peopled with a great cast of characters, and the central love story felt fresh and new. What’s more, this was a stand-alone book, so it’s perfect for readers looking for perhaps their next beach read to bring along on vacation!

Rating 8: If you’re getting a bit worn out on enemies-to-lovers, this is the perfect book for you!

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