𝗦𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 • 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝘆𝗮 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗸𝗲
★★★.𝟱

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗧𝗼 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁
- Historical fantasy
- LGBT romance
- Queernormative setting

𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀
“𝘓𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴. 𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵. 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘱 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘭.”

This is such an accurate tagline.

In this book, dutiful heir Mattinesh Jay collides with con artist and swordsman Luca Piere in a play of twisted fate. Mattinesh needs a swordsman at his upcoming wedding, and Luca needs to make amends for swindling him.

As a side of consequence, Mattinesh requests Luca to teach him how to use a sword, and so begins the longest and most obvious foreplay I’ve ever read in a book.

There was A LOT of desiring each other. And due to this book being mainly character driven with a side serving of plot, that also meant that the pace felt slow and gentle throughout.

I actually found it quite hard to invest in the low stakes, to be honest, since the stakes were for the rich to be less rich. I think I’m too much of a bitter peasant to feel genuine concern for that plot point. But what I did love is the banter between Mattinesh and Luca, and the feeling of lowkey espionage they undertake to save Mattinesh’s family business.

𝗤𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀
“𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘯𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦.”

3.5 stars

This book took me so much longer to get into that I anticipated. If it weren't for how great the characters were, I would have DNFd at 20% as I really struggled to piece together the world.

There is a lot of information about the countries, gods, houses, and industry early on and I found it quite hard to wrap my head around, especially with no map to refer to. It felt like a lot of info dumping but without complete explanations.

Luckily, the characters were fantastic and kept me reading. I loved the development of Matti and Luca's relationship, so much slow-birning longing. Granted, I was screaming at them to get their shit together by the halfway point but they got there in the end.

I did find the end to be quite predictable, but it was still cute. I just wish the pacing was better so I'd have gotten there faster as it took me far too long to fight through 400 pages and get to grips with the world building.

I loved this story! This was such a cosy (albeit slow paced) read. I was expecting a character driven enemies-to-lovers fantasy steamy romance (heavy on the romance) and it freaking delivered. The chemistry between Matti and Luca was absolutely chef's kiss. Freya Marske never disappoints.

I expected to love this, because I love cosy fantasy and I've loved Freya Marske's previous books. But this didn't work for me. I kept waiting for something to happen and for the story to actually get started, but it never really did. This book has no business being almost 400 pages. In cosy fantasy, I need either really strong characters that I feel close connection with, or fun characters with a fun plot, and this book had neither.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC!

Matti is trying to save his family business by marrying Sophia, whom he knows from a childhood acquaintanceship, but doesn't love. This is complicated when he meets Luca—a con-artist swordsman who Matti hires to defend his claim on Sophia should it be challenged during their wedding. A strong attraction develops between Matti and Luca, but Luca has a complicated past is hiding secrets which would jeopardise everything if they came to light.

I loved Freya Marske's The Last Binding series and was very excited for this book. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy it as much. It lacks the vivid, interesting characters and beautiful, intricate, but accessible world-building of her previous books. The prose didn't feel as polished either. Maybe it was rushed? A different editor? I don't know, but it doesn't come close to the Last Binding novels.

I found the world-building in Swordcrossed both incomprehensible and uninteresting. It took me a while to figure out that the story takes place in an invented world. I kept trying to figure out the location: somewhere in Asia? But after googling the place names, I realised it was fictional. It feels both too similar to a real-world historical setting and not different enough. The cultural aspects felt cliche and uninspired.

A lot of the plot's background involved complex beaurocratic machinations that took place in the past, and they were not at all interesting. I quickly found myself skimming long passages involving who shipped what from one place to another etc.

The sword fighting lessons, which should have sizzled, didn't. I didn't get swept up in the budding romance between Matti and Luca. Matti wasn't that interesting a character and Luca, wow. I really enjoyed the writer's descriptions of his physicality, but he seemed to have a personality disorder that made him constantly lie for fun. I also found it weird that Matti didn't care that Luca was a con-artist. Like, a bad person. And Luca wasn't even poor. He didn't have the excuse of necessity or built-up resentment towards the upper classes. In fact, the novel communicates a really weird attitude towards poverty vs privilege, including one scene in which Luca—wealthy, upper class character—condemns and chastises a working class character for being poor. Really weird.

There were also way too many fakeouts as Matti and Luca worked their way towards getting together and Matti's reluctance didn't feel believable. All his postponement's did was make it clear he found Luca resistible, which is no fun. A lot of the characters' choices felt contrived and weird. "It's okay for us to have sex because I'm not officially married yet, even if I am engaged." Huh? Who thinks like that? What culture would find that acceptable?

Maybe the book could work after another few edits, but it's not read as is. Not for me, anyway.

Many thanks to Pan Macmillan and Tor for a complimentary eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Mattinesh Jay (Matti to his friends) is the serious and responsible scion and heir to the Jay family business which has been struggling as of late under his management. An arranged marriage seems to be the solution but he'll need a best man to defend him in case anyone challenges the wedding. Enter Luca Piere, a charming, dashing, and flamboyant swordsman new to town. Under threat of blackmail, Luca agrees to serve as Matti's best man and to offer him duelling lessons as well. As secrets are revealed and the wedding rapidly approaches, both Matti and Luca are pushed to their limits. The pair face off against the machinations of those around them, histories catching up to them, and the undeniable attraction simmering between them.

In short, I loved this book! I already knew what I was getting into, having devoured Freya Marsks's The Last Binding series. If you loved those books, you can expect more of the same great qualities here: impeccable writing, slow burn romance, intimate and passionate spicy scenes. The world of Swordcrossed is both familiar yet fantastic with enough touchstones to not need extended explanations of the world while also offering world-building opportunities (I loved the idea of different deities for each guild!).

Matti and Luca, as the main characters, are likeable and well-written. I related strongly to Matti's sense of obligation and responsibility. When he has a heart to heart with is parents, I was touched by his mother's admission that she could have asked him more to express his own desires and wants. His struggle between obligation and desire is something to which anyone can relate. Luca, meanwhile, is rakish, rogueish, and eminently dashing. His devil-may-care attitude belies, however, his deeply caring nature and his fierce loyalty. Their blossoming attraction to one another is built through their swordsmanship lessons, brief (or, indeed, not so brief) physical contact, and longing gazes. They spend an awful lot of time wanting one another but neither of them acts on it with any haste! (I note that this is a slow burn romance, so readers used to a faster pace might be frustrated. I think that the slow burn works well and only heightens the story!) The entire cast of side characters is also well-characterised, including the villains.

All in all, I though this was a joyful and exciting read. This will satisfy readers looking for a cozy yet spicy slow burn romance as well as those looking for swashbuckling adventure (even a heist or two!).

I'm honestly a bit torn here: I really liked the romance and the plot idea, but the slow pacing and the worldbuilding lowered my appreciation of the book.

The most important thing in this book is the romance, which I really liked. I loved the tension, the way they got to "know" each others, the betrayals, how everything happened, and also the steamy stuff. The weight of Matti having to mary for business but falling for Luca, and Luca having to challenge anyone opposing to the wedding, etc. The whole investigation plot was interesting but a bit far from swordplay but I actually liked it. Also the way the wedding turned out and ended was perfect, I really loved the ending.

However, it was extremely slow paced, and that's probably because it went all over the head with the worldbuilding. Let's be honest, this book is a fantasy only to be able to make it historical where same sex wedding/couples isn't frowned upon and is legal since over 30 years. Because otherwise the fantasy was only here to give Patron Gods to their Guild/Houses - there is no magic, their gods gives nothing to the plot except rituals and faith (and weird cursing, and too many confusing names).
And going on an explanation of the worldbuilding, talking about things that has literally no interest at all to be mentioned because it wouldn't be mentioned later or even used as info ; that's only putting weight on the book and making it hard to digest. And that's a pity because the romance and plot itself was great.

Something in him quietened, within the skins of these other invented people. [they] might have had their own small worries, but they didn't have a disaster sprawled in their wake. Or an unwanted future hanging over their heads.
Being himself was a failed experiment... [loc. 546]

I liked Marske's 'Last Binding' trilogy (A Marvellous Light, A Restless Truth, A Power Unbound) very much. Swordcrossed is considerably less epic, and though the world it's set in is not our own, there is no obvious magic. (Though there might have been in the past of that world, when the gods were more active in human life...)

Mattinesh Jay is the hardworking, dutiful heir to a House which trades in wool. Business has been extremely bad lately, and he's about to make a marriage of convenience to the likeable, sensible Sofia, heiress to a brewing empire. Unfortunately, getting married involves hiring a swordsman as best man, to duel anyone who raises an objection to the wedding: Sofia's admirer Adrean is certain to challenge, and cashflow issues mean that Matti can't afford to spend as much as he'd like on a swordsman. Instead, he ends up hiring Luca Piere, a newcomer to the city who says he wants to build up his reputation.

Luca, with his mass of red hair and his inability to sit still or stay quiet, is chaos incarnate. It's unsurprising that straitlaced Matti, having more or less blackmailed him into providing lessons in swordsmanship as part of the deal, finds himself attracted to Luca. More surprising, but utterly credible on the page, is Luca returning the sentiment. Not everything is as it seems, though: the Jays' run of bad luck may not be random mischance, Sofia's ardent swain may be more pest than prospect, and Luca is definitely not being entirely honest with Matti.

This was a delightful read: there's just enough about the wool trade and the Houses, and their gods and quarrels, to sketch out the lines of the world, but the focus is primarily on the romance between Matti and Luca. They work well together as men with a shared goal (Luca being fascinated with Matti's trials and tribulations, and determined to bring his skillset to bear on them) as well as having instant sexual chemistry which, for different reasons, both try to resist. There's a tantalising glimpse of a trans character -- apparently when you have your naming ceremony you can choose a new name and new pronouns! -- and an absence of racism, homophobia and sexism. Matti's sister Maya has as much agency, and more freedom, than Matti himself, and she -- along with Luca's brother Perse -- is a character I'd have liked to see more of. Overall, a frothy romance with swords, farce, maritime fraud and satisfying resolutions.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance review copy, in exchange for this full honest review. UK Publication Date is 10 OCT 2024.

As a huge fan of The Last Binging trilogy, I was so, so happy to receive an eARC of Swordcrossed from #Netgalley.

Matti is soon to be married. Keeping with tradition, he hires a best man to be his fuelling representative, should his marriage be challenged. Due to the finances of his family's business, he can only afford Luca, new chap in town and let's face it, it's Freya Marske, we know what's going to go down. Literally.

Mixed in with the shenanigans is a mystery regarding the weaving trade - Matti's business arranged marriage - Luca's past which made it a fully rounded fantasy/mystery instead of spicy bits with a loose plot you often find in romantasy.

Things I thought were great
- Luca's hair
- Matti's personality when not in business mode
- Use of swimming for self care
- Dyscalclia rep (or what I have assumed to be)
- The Agatha Christie style whodunnit moment

Things I disliked
- The random non binary person who featured in passing, for less than half a page. It felt a bit token and weird for someone who is very inclusive in their books

Started off reading as a big fan of the author, still a big fan of the author. That's a win.

I loved the Last Binding trilogy, and was so excited for this new book and it absolutely did not disappoint - Freya's writing is so beautiful, with it's own whimsical style, and it really shone through in this story. This was everything I wanted and more, with low-level fantasy that's easy to engage in, a gorgeous romance, and the perfect ending - that last wedding scene was so much fun to read! The characters are so well-written, and the world is so vivid - it feels like everything is enhanced because of her beautiful writing style.

Oh, I do love Freya Marske's writing so much! I was thrilled to get to read her new book in advance, after loving her previous trilogy earlier this year.

Swordcrossed is a fast-paced, witty, 🔥 historical romance between two disaster-queers whose paths cross in an unusual way... and turn into fiery sparks! When he hires Luca as his best man for his wedding, to duel in his place if challenged, Matty does not expect to find himself attracted to this mysterious man. All he wants is to marry in order to save his House from ruin... but spending time with Luca leads to many unexpected revelations - why is his family in ruin in the first place? Who is Luca, anyway? And what is going on between them?

I thoroughly enjoyed the world-building and the characters the author created. They're believable, layered and entertaining in all the right ways. While the story might not hit as deeply as The Last Binding, it is really catchy and I found myself reading the whole book in two days. Aside from the main characters, through whose two POVs the story is told, I found myself really intrigued by Matty's sister and loved her as a side character!

I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves historical romance with spice, humorous stories and cozy vibes galore thanks to the relatively low stakes of the whole situation.

Swordcrossed is a queer romance with a fantasy twist. It is not fantasy in the most obvious sense; there's no magic or supernatural creatures. But it is set in a unique world of Marske's creation with gods, guilds and house families so I think it may be shelved as romance just as much as historical romance. I enjoyed it much more than I often enjoy popular romantasy. The author manages to create such a real feeling setting, and a relationship that I was invested in so quickly.

Swordcrossed is equal parts cosy, heartwarming, showing characters with deep feelings of friendship and families who will do anything for each other, and at times, intensely and romantically steamy. If you enjoyed the author's The Last Binding trilogy, I think you will like this too. Whilst they are very different worlds, the writing is the same, the spice has very much the same feel, and the main relationship of Matti and Luca is equally captivating.

What fun!! I enjoy Marske's writing anyway, and I looooove stories about duellists.

This felt like Ellen Kushner's Swordspoint (the perfect book imo) as a more light-hearted romantasy. Were all the theatrics and twists and gay crimes believable? Absolutely not, and I loved it

I read "A Marvellous Light" recently and have not continued with the trilogy yet (even though I do own all of them already) so when I saw this new book by her I really wanted to pick it up because I really enjoyed Freya Marske's writing style. Even though it wasn't a fantasy setting, it was in its own ways a fantastical story which I really enjoyed reading! I liked how the relationships in this book formed (between all the characters) way more than in "A Marvellous Light" were I didn't feel a connection to and between the characters (maybe that will change throughout the trilogy and with this being a stand alone) but I really loved Matti, Luca, Maya and all the other characters with each other.

Small Spoiler Warning ahead (maybe), I didn't really understand the need to market this book as "rivals-to-lovers" because that's really not the essence of their relationship or rather we as a reader don't know that until very deep into the book so the book does spoiler you with that from the beginning, which I really don't like in my books because it was so easy to anticipate the twist with that because yeah we knew he was faking his persona but he could've been anyone xD

Otherwise I really loved Luca and the character growth they all went through!

Swordcrossed is a perfectly alright fantasy romance, but remarkably unmemorable, as will be evidenced by the length of this review. I knew what I was getting into beforehand, having read all of Freya Marske’s previous books, and it was pretty much exactly as expected. A reasonably fun read, an enjoyable enough way to pass the time, with characters I liked and a fast-paced plot. But so unmemorable! In fact, I remember more of the third book in Marske’s series (which I read in June 2023) than I do this one (read in May 2024). So, in lieu of continuing to say more here, let me just paste what I wrote on finishing this one:

reminded me a lot of a taste of gold and iron and i don’t mean that in a positive way: the central relationship was a LOT better here & the plot better integrated with the romance, but said plot was somehow made more convoluted than needed.

I LOVED this book.

We follow the story of Mattinesh Jay, who as the heir to his family's wool trade, is responsible for the well being of his family. After having fallen on hard times, ( of which none other than he and his parents are aware) he has entered into an agreement of Marriage with a lady of fortune. Said Lady, however, already has a suitor who is likely to challenge Matti for her hand at the wedding and so Matti must find an accomplished and expert swordfighter to be his best man for when the inevitable challenge takes place. Enter Luca, a mysteriously charming but somewhat dishonest grifter who is a remarkably good Swordfighter. This is their story.

The Characters in this story are wonderful, feel well fleshed out and even the side characters were interesting. I especially enjoyed the banter that Matti and Luca have. It's witty, occasionally funny and so full of chemistry that you have no doubt that these two are meant to be together. I loved watching (i.e. reading) their relationship develop from not liking each other, to acceptance of each other to eventual adoration and love. There is the ' Oh no, he's hot' vibe right from the beginning though, but I wouldn't call it insta-love so much as intsa-lust which is entirely different and much more enjoyable to read in my opinion.
Both of the MMC's are likable and charming. Matti suffers from anxiety and is remarkably relatable. Luca is a charming gremlin (not literally) sort who I absolutely ADORED.

The plot and pacing were good and the story is well told. It is not just a Romance story, though that of course features heavily. There is some Political intrigue, a little bit of a mystery (though low stakes,) and some investigation. The writing is easily accessible and a joy to read.

Overall this was a highly enjoyable book I absolutely adored. Anyone who enjoys Historical Romance's will love this, as well as those who enjoy LGBTQ books. I would say that whilst there is some spice in this book, it is not so prevalent that if spice is not your thing, you cannot skip those parts and enjoy the book regardless.

I can see myself re reading this over and over again, placing this story as one of my comfort, go to reads. Definitely one of my favorite reads of the year.

Thank you to Panmacmillan and Netgalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own and I am posting them voluntarily.

📚 review 📚
sword crossed - freya marske

is there anything freya marske can’t do?? first she gave me my gay, georgian wizards solving magical crime and now this?! this was so much fun - political intrigue, secrets, unravelling lies, sinister plots, sword fights and mediocre poetry from entitled nepo babies, all with a little sprinkling of gay longing. and if that wasn’t enough - the final two chapters was just overflowing with piping hot tea and i was cackling to myself as all those little plans came to fruition and all the secrets were revealed.
swordcrossed is what i will be ranking all future romantasy titles against and frankly, i fear for the romantasies that try to turn my head in the future.

swordcrossed is out in october, so please preorder your copy now and join me in being hopelessly in love with every thing freya marske writes.

thank you @netgalley for the early copy

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'Swordcrossed' by Freya Marske.

Freya Marske never disappoints. Her latest novel is a romantasy with DUELS? Chef's kiss. From the pining to the beautiful writing, 'Swordcrossed' is a novel that urges to be read.

Swordcrossed is the first of Marske’s works I’ve had the pleasure of reading, despite the fact that I’ve had the The Last Binding trilogy on my tbr for ages now — and this book guaranteed that I will read them as soon as possible, because this was fantastic and left me excited to read more of Marske’s books!

In Swordcrossed the nobleman Matti Jay, whose family has fallen on hard times, is about to get married in an arranged marriage. In his world it is the norm to hire a swordsman as your “best man” for wedding ceremonies, but Matti knows for him this is not just a requirement of tradition, but an actual need in order to ensure that the wedding can even happen.
He finds his best man in Luca Piere, who has fled to Matti’s city in order to reinvent himself after some events in his hometown.

This novel was wonderful, with Matti and Luca’s relationship leaving you swooning and aching simultaneously. If you like smut you will certainly be satisfied here, but even if, like me, you don’t particularly enjoy reading it, you will still have a good time. Just the right amount to satisfy either end of the spectrum.

I loved the amount of detail that went into describing all the different forms of religion and tradition here, while also offering a historical world in which queer people are simply allowed to just be themselves.

Overall I think that as long as you go into reading this with the expectations of reading a fun-but-angsty and low-stakes romantasy, you will have an absolutely fantastic time with it, definitely recommend!

A wonderful read!
I loved everything about this book. A riveting world, a cast of engaging characters, and a very clever plot combined into a story I had to stop myself from devouring at speed. Why? Because the author's turn of phrase, the intimacy of the writing, and the two beautifully drawn and wonderfully matched main characters deserved to be savoured.
My one regret: it's a standalone and not the start to a new series.