Ahhhh this book was a stunner and I absolutely loved it!! So much fun, mystery, sabotage, drama and two absolutely gorgeous MCs who I loved with all my heart!

Mattinesh Jay, Matti, is heir to the illustrious Jay House - the foremost manufacturer of woollen goods. Whilst his father is acting as a political Guildmaster for the city, Matti has taken on the head of house responsibilities. Unfortunately the family business is haemorrhaging money and Matti doesn’t know why. In a desperate attempt to save his House, he agrees to marry wealthy heiress and childhood friend, Sofia. However Sofia has a scorned lover and Matti needs to hire a duellist ‘best man’ to represent him at the wedding and fight the challenge…

Luca Piere is running; from his life, from his family and he’s running a whole string of cons. Spying an attempt to make money, he agrees to be Matti’s best man, as well as giving him sword fighting lessons… but Matti and Luca quickly realise that crossing swords in the training room isn’t the only way they want to spend their time together.

Ooooh boy, this book was so much fun! There’s a load of political intrigue and scheming - if you like your fantasy with scheming houses, plots, lies and twists this one is absolutely for you! There’s a cultural melting pot of different religions with deities representing the different guilds which I loved, plus all the side characters were a delight! Massive shoutout to Matti’s parents for being absolutely amazing in every way.

I am absolutely in love with Matti and Luca. Luca is quick as a whip, charismatic, selfish and a total chaos gremlin! He’ll do anything for a good time and can’t sit still for a moment. Matti is his complete opposite- duty bound, stoic and calm, he’s given up on any hope of happiness in order to make his family proud. These two are like fire and water and they bring out the best in each other. Plus the chemistry they have together? Scorching 🥵

Read Swordcrossed for:
✨ Opposites attract
✨ Political scheming & plotting
✨ Breaking into houses, as a couple
✨ Sword fighting as foreplay
✨ Chaotic Good vs Lawful Good
✨ Queer-normative world
✨ Marriage of convenience (almost…)
✨ They’re just two idiots in love
✨ And I love them

I received an ARC from NetGalley but because I’m in love with everything Freya Markse writes I also got a pre-order from Waterstones which came early (bless you Waterstones and your overly-keen dispatch department). It’s out today and you 100% have to read it!

A wonderful, lighthearted, easy-read queer romantasy! Freya Marske does not disappoint. Thoroughly enjoyed myself, and I’m a sucker for loads of longing and pining. Excited to pick up more from this author!

Thank you NetGalley, the author, and Pan Macmillan for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

'Swordcrossed' by Freya Marske sounded like exactly the sort of queer fantasy read I needed this autumn. I hadn't actually read anything by this author before, but have heard great things about her 'The Last Binding' trilogy, and was really looking forward to getting into this standalone novel.

Disappointingly, though, I really struggled to get through it.

Overall impression: this is a really poor homage to - or, less generously, cheap attempt to capitalise on the concept of - the classic 'Swordspoint' by Ellen Kushner (which, while somewhat showing its age, is still a fantastic read).

Firstly, the positives: the quality of the prose was generally excellent and the main characters themselves interesting, though with some elements of questionable classist views that weren't unpacked.

Unfortunately, the worldbuilding was sorely lacking. I was expecting a fantasy novel - low fantasy, sure, but still with some elements of fantasy. Instead, aside from some vague mentions of gods, there were no magical or fantasy elements whatsoever. It felt more like a historical novel set in a vaguely Asian-inspired location with some underwhelming and somewhat cliched cultural components that wouldn't have flown outside of 'fantasy' due to being too derivative; that in mind, this would honestly have worked better as a purely historical romance novel, with the historical world just being queernormative instead of (broadly, historically) homophobic, which feels like what the author was going for. Any fantasy-ish elements felt like a later add-in.

There were a lot of ponderous historical (in relation to the plot) inclusions about guilds and rituals and honestly, these added nothing but confusion and were never alluded to again. Why did we need to know so much about industries, bureaucracy, and commerce when the core plot was essentially about a young privileged guy and a young less-privileged to-ing and fro-ing about getting together, while both expressing as much maturity as one might expect from a light read?

Because of these elements and the rather thin plot, the pacing was tediously slow. Reader, I was bored. Really, truly bored.

Final takeaway: I think this novel could have benefitted from some heavy-handed editing and maybe at least a precursory inclusivity review. I'm afraid I can't really recommend it, but some reviewers will of course love it for many of the things I didn't!

Thank you to NetGalley and NetGalley and PanMacMillan for providing access to an eARC for my unbiased review.

This was one of my most anticipated books of this year, after enjoying A marvellous light so much at the start of this year i was so excited to get a bew Freya Marske book, even more so after seeing it compared to Imagine me and you but i have to say i struggle with it.

The worldbuilding took me 150 pages to even start understanding and even so i was still confused by a few things.
It felt both simple and convoluted and i couldn't fully grasp the importance of some things between the world, like the gods and their importance to the guilds.
I found both Matti and Luca likeable from the start, i could understand why the were making each decision and why they were drawn to each other.
The romance really picked up for around the same time that the world building started to settle.
Overall this was a fun read and i understand why anyone would like it but i found some many parts where i didn't want to pick it up because it was very confusing and i was left feeling bored.

Loved this story and the slow burn romance. The characters were fun to read and now I want more set in this world!

Another excellent novel by Freya Marske! I always love how she fleshes out characters and, in Swordcrossed, how she builds this fantasy world in such a natural way rather than hammering the reader with details early on. The chemistry between Matti and Luca was *chef's kiss* and I'm already looking forward to revisiting this story. Marske is quickly becoming a favourite author for me.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

Filled with romance, sword fighting and political/family drama, Swordcrossed is an engaging read. The world is a low-fantasy one, and I enjoyed how real life industrial elements were also part of it (both the good and the bad). A definite recommendation!

Is this fantasy? or is this just a great mlm love story set in an alternate world based on our history?

I would say the second. The setting is based on 17th century European history. There is a focus on things like overseas trading, social status, and class. The world differs from ours, in its customs and religion, but as there isn't any magic, dragons or anything like that, I would call it fantasy. Nonetheless, the world is different enough that it will fulfil a desire for escapism.

For the romance part of the promised romantasy, I have no complaints. The characters have great chemistry and there is plenty of tension between them. Additionally, this book contains spice, which I had absolutely no complaints about.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor for giving me access to an e-arc for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Ok stick with me here but this story feels like the musical Anything Goes, just with swords and smut. Definitely has the air of a comedy musical of the best calibre.

This book is a good time, nice and fun, but I do still think it is missing some of the refinement of the Last Binding. Part of this also comes from the fact, it happens to come directly following me having recently read Cat Sebastian's :The Soldier's Scoundrel, which I think plot wise is quite similar but does it a bit better and likely in the long term will have left a stronger impression on me that this book.

I would definitely recommend this to people looking for a light predictable read and hey if you do like Cat Sebastian, this might also be in your wheelhouse (just savour them further apart haha).

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book.

An absolute pleasure to read, the world building was wonderful, the characters were delightful, I thoroughly enjoyed the intrigue and mystery. It always fascinates me to learn about new worlds, and to see the familiar tropes of greed, corruption, love, family, and honour show their truth.
The two protagonists had such great chemistry and their interactions were so entertaining, I really liked the way the layers of their friendship developed. And the secondary characters were fabulous too.
This was my first time reading this author and I’m excited to discover their other titles.

Absolutely could not put this book down, enjoying witnessing the romance come together through abject chaos, aswell as very much enjoying the characters gleefully working together to piece together the central mystery. Characters were a delight to spend time with, and loved the casual diversity of both characters and world. Finally, I was absolutely all in for all the chat about textiles and industry, would one hundred percent read a side-book entirely about how these different industries could combine under the characters' leadership and create Great New Fashions, thank you.

4.5/5 stars

Swordcrossed is a steamy gay historical romantasy about a groom and his swordsman best man. Matti needs his arranged marriage to push through to prevent his noble House from falling into financial ruin, but the wedding tradition of a sword-challenge may spell its doom because his bride-to-be has a persistent suitor that is sure to take up the challenge. So Matti is forced to hire a swordsman best man, and the best his not-so-substantial money can buy is the services of conman Luca who he sort of blackmails into the position. But as the wedding approaches, they uncover a scheme that has been ruining Matti’s house further complicated by Luca’s own secret history and the growing attraction between them.

This was just such a joy to read. I loved both Matti and Luca with their adorableness and dysfunctional family dynamics—Matti with his near neurotic need to carry the burden of all his family’s problems and Luca with his flippancy in acting before thinking things through. Their sexual tension from the start was palpable, and the author teases it out for sooo long before they finally do the dirty. Like Freya Marske’s other books, there’s a surprising amount of on-page spice set to beautiful prose. I do believe in their relationship and the possibility the future may bring (but for right now probably not to the point of actual love yet because it is mostly lust, friendship, and circumstance so far).

It is a sweet and fun historical romance, though I hesitate to consider it a fantasy because there aren’t any fantasy elements outside of it being set in an alternate world. It’s giving Cat Sebastian historical romance vibes, just slightly more fantastical. So maybe I’d call this an cosy, low stakes low fantasy. outside of the romance, there’s also a mystery that they have to uncover with inter-House politics that is a more mercantile, less deadly Game of Thrones. It allows for Luca to show off his skills as a conman at Matti’s service. The ending may be too idealistic and convenient, but I am always all in for queer joy.

Although it does not match the highs of the author’s The Last Binding trilogy, Swordcrossed is a lighter, softer offering of a low fantasy, gay historical romance that is cosy and steamy.

*Thank you to Pan Macmillan for the eARC via NetGalley

The scream I scrumpt when I was approved for this arc was ungodly, and I can confirm that the ungodliness only continues throughout this absolute masterpiece of a book. So let's get into it.

Mattinesh 'Matti' Jay is the eldest son of the household who makes their money trading in wool and fabrics - or rather, are trying to continue making their money. One piece of luck after the other means Jay House is one sunken shipment away from complete collapse, and that is something Matti absolutely cannot let happen. What's a guy to do? Well, get married to the daughter of a wealthy family in an arrangement that, while not filled with the happy-ever-afters Matti may have hoped his future may hold, is at least with someone he can call a friend. Besides, Matti can put his own desires on hold until Jay House gets back up on its feet. That just means he needs to go through the motions and make the wedding perfect, and that includes following in the tradition of finding a swordsman to act as his best man, ready to strike down any challengers at the altar.

Enter Luca, a new face in town who just so happens to be the perfect choice for a best man. And, much to Matti's horror, fit as fuck. Deciding to seize one last thing for himself before a lifetime of duty, Matti arranges to take lessons from Luca. But maybe learning to swordfight isn't truly the freedom Matti is clinging to...

Intimate sword-fighting scenes involving characters getting all hot under the collar? Check.

Worldbuilding that prioritises and normalises queerness, including trans identity? Check.

A good helping of Freya Marske's legendary smut scenes against a background of forbidden love? CHECK.

Now, on representation...

Freya Marske is fantastic at creating characters who make me immediately go 'ohhh they're neurodivergent'. Examples from The Last Binding series include Edwin being the most autistic man to live and Maud having so much ADHD coding it's unreal. In this book, my ND-senses were tingling as soon as I laid eyes on Luca, who can't sit still to save his life (almost literally), fidgets constantly, and has never heard the phrase 'impulse control' in his life. He's also hinted to be dyscalculic, which is something I've never seen represented in a book like this. Meanwhile, Matti has frequent panic attacks and is a chronic people-pleaser, often to the detriment of his own health. I love how well these two balance each other out, with Luca encouraging Matti to be more spontaneous and Matti teaching Luca how to control his temper. They almost remind me of Robin and Edwin in that way, like perfect counterweights to one another.

I often find fantasy quite impenetrable as remembering the sweeping details of complex worldbuilding feels like it gets in the way of characterisation (aka the bit I'm really there for) but Swordcrossed avoids that masterfully. Snippets about the world are revealed naturally and gradually until, without even realising it, the landscape and context has become fully fleshed-out. If you're someone who has been unsure about picking this up because of the more fantastical setting: do not fear. You are in good hands.

I can't wait to see what Freya Marske writes next. She really is one of those authors who is an absolute master of her craft, and there isn't a doubt in my mind that Matti and Luca will join the ranks of the Last Binding characters as total fandom sweethearts.

Despite owning pretty special editions of her first trilogy, this is my first Freya Marske read!

I liked it, Matti and Luca were both interesting characters and I liked how they contrasted and complimented each other. I really liked Maya and Sophia too, and I suspect we could see more from them in the future? I’m happy with how they ended up — I called that from the start!

I expected more from the fantasy element and I’m disappointed there wasn’t more to it. Just mentions of Gods yet no real explanations about any of it. When it says this book is light on the fantasy it means it.

I wish I had more to say — I liked it but I’m not enamoured by it. The plot wasn’t exactly thrilling — the most entertaining parts were towards the end when all the drama happened in one go. I did think the plot was decently plotted and paced, however I didn’t care really for any of these people involved and couldn’t differentiate who was from what House and the significance etc so I feel like a lot of the stakes went right over my head.

The chemistry between Matti and Luca was good and I would be intrigued to see where the story takes them even if I’m not bursting at the seams with excitement.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘗𝘢𝘯 𝘔𝘢𝘤𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘯, 𝘛𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘈𝘙𝘊.

Swordcrossed is filled with low-stakes action, swashbuckling, political manoeuvring, subterfuge and (of course) swordplay. More of a light-hearted, whimsical period piece than anything explicitly fantastical (there are no magic systems at play here), Marske crafts a gorgeous setting of taverns, warehouses, shipping routes and hustling, bustling markets. Think Pirates of the Caribbean but on land and without the pirates.

MMC Mattinesh Jay is heir to his family's crumbling business and agrees to a marriage of convenience in order to secure his family's future. To ensure his marriage goes off without a hitch, he requires a duellist to defend him against any challenges. Enter Luca - sometimes con-artist and a dab hand with a sword. Tension builds. Shenanigans ensue.

Check it out if you enjoy slow-burn enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, mistaken identity, queer representation and morally grey (but would do anything for the one they love) MMCs.

Swordcrossed is a captivating queer low-fantasy romance, the best I have read this year! Freya Marske has created an exhilarating story full of great chemistry, funny exchanges, spicy scenes, and intriguing mystery.

Spice; 🌶️🌶️🌶️+1/2
Enemies to Lovers
Responsible vs Rogue
LGBTQIA+

Matti has to marry to save his family's struggling business, and it's not the fact that he's entering a loveless marriage that's the problem. He knows a jealous poet will challenge him at the ceremony, and he is no good with a sword. To defend against any challenges, he can only afford to hire Luca, a charming man who recently conned him. As a distraction from his troubles, he bargains with Luca to teach him to duel. As they learn to trust each other, more secrets begin to unravel. Secrets that could drive them apart or bring them together forever.

The romance between the responsible Matti and the charming rogue Luca develops slowly and beautifully, with their feelings for each other growing gently as they practice sword fighting and uncover each other's secrets. Their bond feels real and truly romantic, and is well balanced with the overall plot of saving Matti's family business.

Marske builds an engaging low-fantasy, low-tech world that feels familiar (less magic than Patchett but similar tech/social systems) and historical, blending everyday elements with interesting political and financial situations to unravel the mystery of the real reason Matti's family business isn't doing as well as it should be.

I love so much about this book: the normalised LGBTQIA, the protagonist being of colour, the family business prioritising workers' rights over profit, and the lesson that you don't have to shoulder every burden all by yourself.

A perfect mix of tender, thrilling moments and intense passion, Swordcrossed shows that Marske has a gift for queer fantasy romance.

Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for an eARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

I seem to be suffering from the law of diminishing returns from this author. The first book of hers I read, I really liked, the next a little less and this one... well, I didn't even finish it because the pacing was all over the place and frankly, I didn't give a crap about any of the characters.

This is one of those pseudo-historical fantasy books that actually has no fantasy elements in it, which makes it a tough sell for a start. It's set in a world where duelling is used to sort out things like contested marriages (so your best man is literally there to fight anyone who might oppose your plans) and our protagonists are the heir of a struggling merchant house and the new-to-town duellist who he engages as his best man for an upcoming arranged marriage which might save his family.

Unfortunately, I struggled my way through to about a third of the way in and then decided I'd had enough. It's not the low-fantasy setting, as nobody can doubt my love for Melissa Scott's Astreiant books which occupy the same niche, it's just that the characters are so tedious. I usually struggle on with the books I get on here but I just couldn't. Apologies to the people who love this book, I guess?

I've enjoyed everything I've read from Freya Marske so far, and this book was no exception! I loved the amateur detective vibes, the intrigue and, of course, THE ROMANCE! Matti and Luca and are the absolute cutest and Freya writes them in a way that makes me feel like I actually know them. The way she portrays the world and characters is just so much fun to read and I love how this world is so accepting of LGBTQIA+ people and relationships.

I might have done a little happy dance upon receiving the ARC for this book. I love Freya Marske's books and this one, apparently the first book she's written, didn't disappoint. It's a standalone book, so everything is wrapped up neatly in the end. Though it might be possible for Marske to pick up the thread and set another novel in this realm.

The novel is set in a fantasy realm that has similarities with Europe at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. There are different guilds and houses for different trades. Mattinesh Jay, the main character, is the heir to the Jay House; a family of wool merchants, who've imported, processed and woven wool for some generations. After some misfortunes the family is on the brink of ruin and Matti has to save his House by marrying rich. His wedding to Sofia, daughter of wine merchants, has been arranged and now he's looking for a skilled swordsman to be his best man. There are ceremonial customs to a wedding between Houses and Matti knows he's going to be challenged at the ceremony, which mustn't go wrong.

Luca is new to town and wants to put his skills with a blade to use. Matti, who cannot afford any other swordsman, hires him under the proviso that Luca teaches him how to fight with a sword. Of course there is friction and chemistry and of course the two of them act upon it. Duh! But did you expect the two of them, with the help of fiancée Sofia and Matti's sister Maya, to sleuth out why Matti's family's business is close to ruin?

I like Marske's writing style. I like her characters, who seem fully fleshed no matter whether they are main characters or secondary ones. There is good banter and, as in The Last Binding trilogy, a mystery has to be solved.

If you liked The Last Binding trilogy, I'm sure you will like Swordcrossed, too.

I really enjoyed this book! As an enjoyer of fantasy, of queer romance, and of Freya Marske's previous books, this really hit the spot for me. The push and pull between the protagonists was delicious, the sex scenes were scorching hot, and the way their relationship develops was just gorgeous. The twists and turns in the plot were delightful and so much fun.