A review by edgybutfemme
Swordcrossed by Freya Marske

adventurous emotional lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

🌶️🌶️🌶️3 / 5
The smut in this novel uses explicit language and a decent amount of detail. There is a good balance of plot and romance. There are several spicy scenes throughout the book, at least two or three, but potentially even more. This has some light dom/sub vibes and a whole lot of tension during sword practice. 

This book is everything I was hoping it would be! Freya Marske does not miss. Every single beat of this novel hits with perfect pacing, beautiful descriptions, an interesting and immersive world build, and a delightful romance. Although I predicted how the plot would shake out, it was in that satisfying way where you pick up on all the bread crumbs the author has laid and it all comes together exactly as you hope it will. This book feels like a warm hug. All of Marske's books are exactly the sort of book I wish I'd had when I was a younger queer person looking to find myself in the fantasy books that I love, and it is easy to admit that she has quickly become one of my favorite authors. Truly the only thing I wish is that I found her further in her career where I could have a deeper backlog of books to work my way through, but there is a different joy in anticipating and preorder every release.

The Romance
Matti and Luca are so wonderfully charming and well matched. I love a con artist as a main character and Luca absolutely delivers. He is never more comfortable than when he is pretending to be anyone other than himself and I delighted in every time he found himself telling Matti the truth. Matti, though incredibly straitlaced and duty bound, is an entirely different sort of liar. He never is honest about his needs or wants, and takes the whole world on his shoulders. Their sword lessons were incredibly fun and thick with tension. I loved watching them grow together and unravel the plot surrounding Matti's failing family business. Also, I love any romance set up with an arranged marriage, especially one where the love interest isn't part of the arrangement and, in this case, is the best man hired to ensure the wedding succeeds. Additionally, as a fellow anxiety haver, I also loved watching Luca help Matti through his panic attacks.

The Plot
As usual, Freya Marske's book fall on the higher end of the spectrum of plot to romance ratio that I enjoy. There is a really interesting plot here investigating why Matti's family business is actually failing, using both Luca's con artist skills and Matti's sheer competence at business and deal making. If you liked A Taste of Gold & Iron by Alexandra Rowland, you will probably really like this book. Instead of getting into the minutia of metal and currency systems, this book has a very delightfully detailed look into the wool making industry and the various things that may be sabotaged to slowly slide a fabric merchant family into debt.

The World
Freya Marske has this gift of making a setting feel so realistic, immersive, and lived in. You discover so much about the culture and history of this fantasy setting so organically. I loved mining for info about the gods each of the guilds worships and all the rituals and superstitions they follow. I think my favorite little worldbuilding detail was the concept of an "outdoor wedding". Since almost everyone's goal is to marry into a "House" that runs a guild, it is very rare for someone to choose to marry out of a House without joining another one. As such, it's referred to as an outdoor wedding and I thought that was very clever.

Final Thoughts
This is one of those books where I really can't think of anything I would change about it. I don't know that I would have marketed this as particularly high heat or enemies to lovers, but my bar for both of those metrics might be skewed as a heavy smut and dark romance reader. If you like romantasy (without magic) with a immersive world build, interesting political/business maneuvering, and a charming romance, you'll probably like this book. Also, if you enjoyed The Last Binding trilogy, it goes without saying that this is another excellent book to add to your collection. Alas, I am going to be stuck pining for another Freya Marske book while I wait for her to grace us with another story to add to my book hoard. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings