Me gustó muchísimo la trilogía The Last Binding de Freya Marske, así que cuando se anunció la publicación de Swordcrossed no tardé en hacerme con ella. Sin embargo, no me ha terminado de convencer. Es un romantasy, como sus novelas anteriores, pero en esta ocasión la parte de romance se come prácticamente en su totalidad a la parte de fantasía, algo que me resulta menos atractivo.


Aunque los personajes de Swordcrossed son adorables, creo que parte de lo que hacía destacar The Last Binding era el mundo mágico en el que se desarrollaba la historia, perfectamente reconocible como un trasunto del Reino Unido a principios del siglo pasado, pero imbuido de esa magia feérica que tanto se agradece. En cambio, en esta nueva novela, el mundo secundario tiene solo de “extraño” las distintas religiones a las que va haciendo mención. Y ya está. No hay magia, no hay seres extraños y la verdad, se nota cierta obsesión por el mercado de la lana que llega límites de infodumping. Y esas poquitas diferencias le quitan la posibilidad de catalogarla como fantasía histórica, que creo que sería una categoría mucho más adecuada.

Marske es una experta en el típico juego de equívocos de la ejecutiva agresiva que en vísperas de Navidad se queda atrapada en Vermont, pero se lo lleva a su terreno queer de una forma admirable. Además, las escenas salaces que ya son su marchamo de calidad aquí están perfectamente narradas y salpicadas por todo el libro. ¿Qué es lo que falla entonces? Pues sobre todo, que es tremendamente previsible, tanto el desarrollo como el final. Apenas hay tensión de cualquier tipo a lo largo de las casi cuatrocientas páginas de la novela. La única que hay, y se resuelve bastante rápido, es la tensión sexual entre los protagonistas, que pasan de ser supercuquis a darse como a cajón que no cierra.

Las intrigas económicas que sustentan el conflicto por el que se llegan a conocer los personajes son tan transparentes, que la verdad, en vez de intrigas parecen juegos de patio de colegio. Y las relaciones familiares, pues qué queréis que os diga, todo maravilloso y estupendo y un mundo de la piruleta mientras la empresa familiar supuestamente se ha ido tan al garete que la única solución es un matrimonio de conveniencia. No sé, esperaba algo más de conflicto o de angustia.

Espero que este libro sea solo un pequeño tropezón en la prometedora carrera de la autora, así que mejor leed la trilogía The Last Binding que esa sí que mola.

I admit it took me longer to get into this book than the previous series by the author, mostly due to all the merchant talk. So, I admit, I started it twice. But when I got going, there was no stopping me – I loved the idea of different gods and Houses and wedding rituals and duels. And the story of Matti slowly coming out from his shell teased by Luca was sweet and wholesome. Another banger, it is just a shame that this looks like a standalone novel, because I finally got n grips with all the mercantile details of the book…

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I really enjoyed this - Marske seems to be a master at writing believable yet unique M/M romances. Both Matti and Luca are lovable but flawed characters, and the supporting cast is also a lot of fun. There's a great message about not making assumptions based on one side of a story, plus the dangers of burnout and sacrificing your happiness and wellbeing for presumed duty. Can't wait to read the next one Marske writes!

A delightful romp - instead of grumpy meets sunshine, this is chaos meets sensible. When conman Luca literally stumbles into businessman Matti, the two have no idea how their lives will be upended.

When Matti hires Luca to be his best man - his sword hand at his upcoming wedding to wealthy heiress Sophia - he’s just looking to turn around his family fortunes by making a good marriage, and maybe learn something about how to handle a sword himself along the way. (Obligatory wink wink.) But when the two happen upon what looks like a conspiracy, they’re drawn closer together and deeper into danger. And Luca has been keeping some secrets of his own…

The star of the show for this was Luca, for me: a defiant, rebellious, roguish scamp who is a perfect foil (ho ho) to serious, repressed, dutiful Matti. The details of the business were slightly lost on me - as on Luca - at first, but as the mystery deepens I, like Lucas, was drawn in in spite of myself. The side characters are also absolutely wonderful and I would love to see more in this world (which had something of a Regency flavour). Marske never misses!

This book was so cute! The romance between Matti and Luca was perfectly executed and the wedding scene at the end had me in stitches

All the tension, secrecy, anxiety and finally triumph of Matti and Luca so masterfully woven I couldn't put it down. Unbelievable delicious tension and heartache in all the right places with main characters you can't help rooting for from the start (also, food description so visceral you wish you had a plate of whatever they were eating too). Best of Freya's books by far!! Thoroughly enjoyed it and gutted I'd come to the last page.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an e-arc for a review.
This was such a sweet, lovely story! I really loved the couple and the tongue in cheek humour. The writing flowed nicely too. I did grab the audio to immersive read this and I would recommend just eye ball reading this one. The audio narrator had a very annoying use of breath throughout this book. There was great representation of all the pronouns and how normal it is... it wasn't a showy representation which was lovely. My only negative apart from the narrator for the audio, is that it read like a new adult rather than an adult. I think if it was advertised as a new adult it would allow readers to go in with a more accurate expectation.

Freya Marske is back! I requested this as soon as I saw it. While I enjoyed the world and setting, as well as the way society is set up – with the trade houses and their fascinating religions and customs – a lot of time was spent on the two main characters lusting after each other, and I wanted more time spent on developing their friendship and building the bond, rather than innuendo and seduction. Not to mention that once they get together there is a smutty moment about every other scene, when I was more interested in the plot. It’s the same reason I liked A Marvellous Light better than the final book in that series. Still enjoyable enough that I’m keen to see what she does next!

It took a while for me to get into this book, but in the end, I enjoyed it. However, I'm a bit confused as to why this is classified as fantasy when there is no world-building or any particular fantastical details that would indicate that this is set in a different world. Despite that this novel reminded me a lot of Marske's previous work A Marvellous Light, which I read a few years ago. Sadly, Swordcrossed didn't have the same appeal and, although it has beautiful prose, was weaker compared to the other one. I think that characters are interesting and charming, but as this is clearly a romance book, it is quite clear where the plot is going. Nevertheless, it is a light and enjoyable read.

Thank you Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions!

I liked this. Not as much as The Last Binding trilogy, but it was a good story. It had an interesting culture with many ceremonies where you had to prove you had the gods’ blessing with swordfights (usually staged). It was an interesting world to explore.

I did find that there was an unfortunate lull. I enjoyed the start and the finish but I found myself a bit bored in the middle. The author tried to cover it with a sex scene so the more spice inclined reader might not find it so dull, but it wasn’t for me.

The ending was really clever. I love how Marske brings things together so well, and thinks up all these loopholes and fixes for getting her characters out of the tight spots they find themselves in. I also love how incredibly gay it all is, as she takes any opportunity to have an LGBTQ+ character (or several).

I’d like to read more in this world I think, though I feel these characters’ stories are done.

Swordcrossed by Freya Marske was really cute. It was a cosy, low-stakes romantasy, and gave me exactly what I wanted—plenty of humor, swoony moments, and characters I couldn’t help but root for.

Matti and Luca are everything. Matti is so responsible and serious, trying to save his family’s business, and Luca? He’s this cheeky, charming mess of a swordsman who just wants to make some quick cash. Their banter is perfect, and I love the tension between them. Watching their relationship grow had me grinning like an idiot. I’m a sucker for enemies-to-lovers, and this one hit all the right notes—it felt real, emotional, and so satisfying.

If you’re into queer fantasy with lots of heart and some heat, you need to read this. It gave me all the warm fuzzies and left me with a huge smile.

I really enjoyed this although I will say it’s a slow burner and took me awhile to really get into.
I wouldn’t describe it as cozy fantasy, more cozy fantasy adjacent.
The writing is beautiful, the characters are well fleshed out and the story is enjoyable.

This was a bit of a slow start to me - but that might just be because I'm not best equipped to be plunged into fantasy. I struggle to visualise lots of description, and keep track of names and customs. However, once I got to know the two main characters, and witnessed their fantastic chemistry, I was invested. As ever, the writing is gorgeous - funny and clever and heartfelt. Matti and Luca were a joy to spend time with, and I loved how well rounded they were, the complexity of their experiences, emotions and motivations. Matti's upcoming wedding (arranged - and not to Luca), his and Luca's growing feelings for one another, the backdrop of Matti's family (I'd have liked more time with Maya), and a twisty industrial espionage type plot all provided plenty of action, immersing us into this colourful world and giving us time to get to know our protagonists, all of which was woven through with the theme of honesty - the lies we tell to others, to ourselves, through omission, and what all of that can cost. Although it took me a while to get going, I was soon racing through it, and was sad to say goodbye. Plus, as a bonus, I did enjoy the brief mention of a sexy librarian.

I love the concept of having duelist at formal events. It was such a good idea and well executed and if anything I'd have liked to have seen more of this! Both our main characters are really well fleshed out, and I felt for them both learning their history and pressures they face. I'm not sure the relationship was built up as well as it could have been, it was very rapid and I felt we could have had some excellent tension instead. That being said, they actual relationship was lovely to read. They seemed to really see each other for who they were, vulnerabilities and all.
The plot itself I found to be a little lacking, but it was a romantasy so I guess it mostly focused on the romance part more than the plot, which was okay but nothing amazing.
Marskes writing is beautiful and easy to follow as always but was a tad repetitive by the end, but otherwise an overall good romance

💚🗡️🌸BOOK REVIEW - Swordcrossed by Freya Marske🌸🗡️💚

🌟🌟🌟🌟 (4/5 stars)

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the advance reader copy!

Freya Marske's Swordcrossed is a romantic and charming low-stakes fantasy that ticks all the boxes for a feel-good read. The book centres around Matti Jay, the heir to a struggling merchant family, and Luca, a swashbuckling swordsman-for-hire, who get tangled in a series of duels, marriage arrangements, and unexpected chemistry. Marske's signature witty banter and tender romance shine through, making rooting for this pair as they navigate secrets and schemes easy.

While the plot was pretty predictable, it didn't detract from my enjoyment. The slow-burn romance between Matti and Luca is sweet and steamy in all the right ways. While less complex than her previous Last Binding series, the world-building was solid enough to support the story.

If you're in the mood for a low-stakes, feel-good romantasy with just the right amount of intrigue and swordplay, Swordcrossed is a solid pick. It's not groundbreaking, but it's a thoroughly enjoyable read that will satisfy fans of Marske's unique blend of romance and fantasy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the advance reader copy.

I found this a hard book to get into, there’s a lot of information about wool and trading.
There seemed to be a large portion of the book that felt like it was padding out the story and felt like it could have been edited out and made this into a novella of some kind.

I imagine people will enjoy this but I personally didn’t and had to DNF.

Swordcrossed is a cosy and romantic low-stakes fantasy book that centres on Matti, heir to a noble merchant house that has fallen on hard times, who must hire a duellist for his upcoming wedding. Enter the charming and witty Luca, the only duellist Matti can afford who also happens to be the man that scammed him the day before. What follows is a charming story involving scheming, secrets, hidden identities, arranged marriages, flirting and lots of swords. I enjoyed the banter and chemistry between Matti and Luca and was rooting for their romance from the very start. The plot was a little predictable, but I didn’t mind as I found it to be an original premise, and I enjoyed every minute reading. I would recommend Swordcrossed to anyone wanting a romantic light-hearted read.

*Thank you to the publisher for sending me an early copy in exchange for an honest review*

As always Freya Marske’s writing is so beautiful. The queen of sensual intimacy and pining.

I really enjoyed the romance and the slow building attraction between Luca and Matti. The sword lessons were such a great way of building up the chemistry between them.

I will say I found it a little slow and not the most captivating plot. The world building felt a little odd and almost too subtle for me. I’d actually have preferred it if it was in an actual historical setting.

This may have suffered a little from my ridiculously high expectations - Marske’s last binding series are among my favourite books of all time. I did enjoy this and it’s wonderfully written but didn’t blow me away as much as I wanted.

Thank you to Netgalley, Pan Macmillan, and Freya Marske for this ARC of Swordcrossed.

I thoroughly enjoyed Swordcrossed, another fabulous M/M romantasy creation by Marske. Set in an entirely fictitious world, the worldbuilding was excellently handled and richly woven. The details were dropped in throughout the novel, rather than all being dumped in the beginning, like so many books do, which I appreciated. It is written as a one-off novel, but lends itself to being a brand new world for a universe of novels.

I am a character reader, and I wasn't disappointed. The two protagonists have plenty of (hidden) depth and motivation and the progression from enemies to lovers is handled well and 'realistically' in as far as a fantasy romance can be realistic. The romance and intimacy is incredibly steamy, passionate, and well-written - this is very much an adult book, and should not be classified as YA (this is why I like Marske's books, they have the playful romantasy elements of plot, but with adult intimacy I'm looking for at the ripe old age of 41).

The plot appears simple and straight-forward until twists and turns appear, which are clever and insightful, and keep you hooked - turning the page again and again to find out what happens next. Absolutely a treasure and a boon to the LGBTQIA+ genre.

After loving Marske's debut trilogy, I was pretty much up for anything she wrote next. Both that series and this book are listed under historical fantasy, but they couldn't be more different. There are very little fantasy elements in Swordcrossed; it is set in a fictional world with fictional mythology. While there are hints that the deities may have an active role in the lives, they do not have an active role on page.

I have to admit that for a good portion of the book I wasn't sure if this was my type of book, despite being a fan of the author. This book is a very slow burn, but it is worth the wait, and I was won over in the end. I'm not a huge romance fan, and normally need more fantasy elements to catch my interest. It says a lot about the calibre of the writer and the strength of the characters that I loved this book.