Thankyou Netgalley for this eArc!

Back once again with a T Kingfisher review and my god, it's happened again!!! This book was absolutely brilliant. The laughs, the long journeys, the characters, the ROMANCE oh my gosh, it ticked every box.

Sarkis and Halla are absolutely lovely, and the inner monologuing was perfection. Zale is definitely a brilliant side character and I hope to see all three of these wonderful people again in further books. I loved how many 'experiments' we did to poor Sarkis as well!

I would recommend any T Kingfisher book to people, but I think this is the top of the list. I will patiently wait for the rest of this series!

This might have usurped (or at least joined) Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil as my favourite read of this year! (Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to review, my comments are my own)

I loved the sense of humour in Swordheart - every joke hit and even made me laugh out loud multiple times. "Halla would probably trip and fall onto a bear. Though, knowing Halla, she would probably question the bear until it forgot to eat her." - I'm quoting from memory, so allow slight errors, but this amused me.

I liked that the woman of this novel didn't have an accepted 'girly' fighting skill like bow and arrow, yes she learns crossbow a bit but it's not her weapon of choice, and really her weapon is other people's assumptions of her. She questions and acts stupid, so other people don't take her seriously, and honestly it's a completely genius method of defence. Sarkis on the other hand is a very typical masculine main man, but his quips were some of my favourite.

I also really appreciated the addition of a non-binary character who was also a lawyer and servant of the rat god - they really rounded out the character and made them adorable and funny and also slightly scary at times. I noted that non-binary beta readers checked this book before publication in the author notes, so that was appreciated and might have been partly the cause of how interesting and well-rounded they were on the page.

The fact that this book starts with attempted s**cide, and is effectively all about a dispute over inheritance, makes this book incredibly interesting and unique - At face value I'd never have guessed that it also contains a man trapped in a sword, lawyers, paladins, floating goo monsters, murder, kidnap, and more!

I don't want to spoil how amazing this book is much more, so I'll just say to anyone reading this: YES you will love it, go get yourself a copy!

A bit more romance-forward than what I'm usually drawn toward, and more romance than the other Kingfisher I've read for that matter, but this was a delight.

T. Kingfisher always shines with creative worlds and defined, unique characters, and the lore in Swordheart was a standout. Specifically, finding out the background of Sarkis, the swordsman - I'm so glad that there will be an Angharad book to further expand upon that! The religious orders and tensions between them was also neat; obviously any order that has Zale (and Brindle) as part of it is going to be top-notch.

It's a Kingfisher fantasy, so generally kind of quirky and a bit cozy, though not to say there weren't stakes (and also murder). A warm, well-written, and all-around enjoyable read!

Thank you to the publisher, Orbit, and to NetGalley for the ARC.

Very cute book. It’s my first Kingfisher but it won’t be my last.
The world was solid, the writing effective and the romance well done, even if it was insta love.
The twists were good and I also appreciated the dark bit.

A widow unexpectedly inherits her distant uncle’s wealthy estate, including a magic sword, which has an immortal warrior trapped inside. A fun fantasy adventure (with a sprinkling of romance) from bestseller T Kingfisher, set in the world of her previous duology The Clocktaur War. Refreshing, witty, heart-warming and chaotic in a good way – a great book.

This book was like being handed a sword and told, “It’s fine, he’s friendly.” And weirdly… it was.

Halla, our heroine, is a completely sensible woman caught in a very *not* sensible situation involving inheritance drama, awful relatives, and one extremely grumpy warrior magically trapped in a sword. Naturally, she accidentally unleashes him—and instead of running away screaming, she makes tea and starts negotiating. Iconic.

The real charm of *Swordheart* lies in the characters. Halla and Sarkis are an odd but perfect pair: she’s all exasperated practicality, he’s all quiet murdery loyalty with a hidden soft side. Their dynamic is hilarious and awkward in the best way. I didn’t even know I *needed* a love story that involved so much bickering about pants and honor, but here we are.

Plot-wise, it did feel a bit longer than it needed to be—like the story took a few scenic detours—but the humor and character moments more than made up for it. T. Kingfisher’s writing is sharp, dry, and sneakily emotional. One minute you’re laughing at divine bureaucracy, the next you’re feeling unexpectedly tender about a man who’s been stuck in a sword for centuries.

Highly recommend if you’re into quirky fantasy with heart, reluctant heroes, and women who will absolutely not put up with your magical nonsense.

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and honestly review an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

I love the World of the White Rat - I’m working my way through the Paladin books now, so I loved reading this book set in the same world! (Even if I didn’t get to see my favourite Paladins :( )

Halla is a hilarious protagonist, I absolutely loved her! She is so smart, so quick witted, and the perfect match for the adorable and grumpy Sarkis. If you loved the Paladin books, you just can’t miss this one!

Another absolute banger or should I say cozy romance from T Kingfisher. She has quickly became an autobuy and auto devour author for me. The story surrounds a housekeeper how is imprisoned in her home after inheriting the family wealth. She is saved when she tries to kill herself but is saved and rescued by a man trapped inside a sword. The pair then embark on an adventure to go to the temple of the rat to claim her inheritance and get rid of the family and in-laws trying to steal it. The adventure has all sorts of twists and turns. Halla is a character is easy to relate to from talking far too much to being clumsy but convinced that she doesn't need to saved.

A great read and part of the wider universe.
Three words to describe the book:
sword
damsel
priest/lawyer

Swordheart is the kind of low-stakes, character-driven fantasy that really hit the spot for me. It is quietly funny, deeply charming, and refreshingly grounded. There are other books that walk this line, but Kingfisher does it with a tone and warmth that is hard to beat.

The story follows Halla, a sensible, somewhat overlooked widow who suddenly inherits her late uncle’s estate. Her in-laws aren’t thrilled about this and promptly lock her in her room with plans to marry her off to a cousin. In a moment of desperation, Halla unsheathes an old sword hanging on the wall and accidentally releases Sarkis, a brooding, slightly bewildered immortal warrior bound to protect whoever wields him. From there, the two set off across the countryside, trying to get Halla’s inheritance sorted while dodging inquisitors, bandits, and the occasional jelly monster.

There is no demon chicken in this one (a small disappointment after Nettle and Bone), but there is still plenty of Kingfisher’s signature offbeat charm. I loved how normal the characters felt. Halla isn’t a chosen one. Sarkis isn’t a mysterious dark prince. He is more of a slightly grumpy dad-bod knight who has been stuck in a sword for centuries and would very much like to not be. Their slow-growing connection is sweet and believable, and the dry, understated humour in their dialogue had me laughing more than once.

The worldbuilding is lightly sketched but imaginative. There are talking birds (possibly cursed), hills that rearrange themselves when you are not looking, and plenty of nods to a broader universe without ever overwhelming the story. That said, the world did feel a little small by the end, with some repeat locations and a few plot threads left hanging. But it is clearly part of a wider setting, loosely linked to The Clocktaur War books, so I suspect some of those threads are deliberate setup for future stories.

The pacing is gentle, the stakes are personal, and the focus stays tight on the characters, especially Halla, who gets to come into her own in a way that is subtle but satisfying. I really liked that it gave space for someone a little older and a little more practical to be the protagonist. It is a nice reminder that not all fantasy needs to be about teenagers saving the world.

If you liked Nettle and Bone or want something with romance, adventure, and a hefty dose of dry humour without the endless angst or world-ending doom, Swordheart is well worth picking up.

Firstly I want to start by saying I love this cover it is so eye catching. This was a quick, easy, cute and funny read that had some slow moments but on the whole I really enjoyed. I can't wait to read more by the author

• I received an ARC for this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and I appreciate both your work and commitment to this project. The following opinion is my own and holds no major spoilers. •

Swordheart is proof there are still books out there that can exceed my expectations, even amongst the fantasy genre I’m so used to reading. I was expecting somewhat of a tragic romantasy and not one where I’d lose track of time while laughing so much until my Kindle notified me I was out of battery and that it was 4am.

The story tells us about Halla, our FMC stuck in a situation where she’s the heir of her great-uncle who passed away and held captive by her family who wants to marry her with a cousin to keep the fortune in the family (and away from her hands). Realizing death is a better way out, she finds a sword and decides to take her life away with it. However, when she unsheathes it, the guardian of the sword materializes itself in front of her like a very attractive man who swears its service to her.

First of all, let me say this: taking this book seriously is the worst thing you’ll do. The humor (most of the time, dark humor) is the permanent main character of Swordheart, and when you eventually realize the book is making fun of itself and its genre, it’ll be one of the best reads you ever read.

Let me start with the characters: We finally have a FMC that’s 30+ that acts like it without being boring and a MMC that’s brooding without losing the sense of humor. Their interactions and dialogues made me put my book down to laugh so many times and I don’t even know how many quotes I highlighted just because of it. They’re both clever in their own way and I saw myself dreading that the book would end at some point even though I was really far from it. Their romance is also a very slow burn which is ACTUALLY a slow-burn and I almost cried when I noticed the author wasn’t rushing it. The secondary characters are also delightful, and even the ones that are there just to help the main characters move the plot forward are interesting and thicken the worldbuilding somehow.

The other thing that made me so glad was seeing a worldbuilding slowly unraveled through the character’s eyes and into the book, and not just walls of infodump. Since Halla (the FMC) is someone who almost never left her home and Sarkis (the MMC) has been stuck inside a sword for so many years, they both have very different and compartmentalized knowledge about the world outside, which puts them in delicious situations that made me giggle uncontrollably.

I know some people would find it weird that the plot isn’t that heavy, but I feel like the cosy genre creeps in often in this book on purpose, even though there’s also heavy themes and moments, making the perfect balance for both fun and deep reading.

The author said there will be two more books in this saga, probably focusing on the other two swords, and I’m dying to read those as well. This was my first Kingfisher book and she already became one of my favorite fantasy authors just because of it.

Unfortunately, I have had to soft DNF this and I don't know if I will be able to pick it up again before the archive date. Please be assured, though, that the issue is mine, nothing to do with the story. As always, it's wonderfully written and funny, but I think I've read too many T Kingfisher books back to back at the minute and they're all just sort of merging into one entity.
Will definitely come back to this at some point in the future.

When 36 year old, widow Hella inherited the estate of her elderly uncle who she has been keeping house for, she had no idea of the trouble that it would cause. Her family insisted that she marry her husband’s cousin to keep the inheritance in the family and when she refused, she was locked in her room with no chance of escape. Driven to despair, she tried to commit suicide with an old sword that had been hanging on the wall. To her intense surprise, when she pulled the sword from its scabbard, a man appears. This was Sarkis, an immortal soldier who has been magically trapped in the sword for centuries and who informs her that he is now her protector.
Halla’s previously calm, quiet life is then turned completely upside down as she is rescued quite dramatically and then goes on a journey to try and get help to secure her inheritance.
I loved Halla. Although she is 36, she has led a very sheltered life, married to a man who really wasn’t interested in her as a woman and then looking after her elderly uncle so is fairly naïve. She also talks constantly and asks seemingly never ending. This can be irritating but stick with it as it becomes clear that this is her defence mechanism against people who have power over her. Naïve isn’t the same as stupid and Halla uses the fact that she is underestimated by people to get herself out of some awkward situations.
Sarkis is the grumpy to her sunshine and was a brilliant foil for Halla’s personality. I would have liked it if he had been a bit less fixated on Halla’s physical attributes as I felt this lessened the strength of the attraction between them.
My favourite character was definitely Zale, the priest/lawyer who I had met previously in Paladin’s Grace and was really pleased to see had a much more important role in this story. His asides and banter with Halla added a huge amount to the level of humour in this story which as always with this author was excellent. I don’t often laugh out loud while reading but but T Kingfisher hits the spot every time. Sock raids anyone? There was a lovely found family aspect to this book which also included the non-human gnole.
A minor negative would be that the characters spent most of their time travelling up and down the same piece of road which felt a bit a repetitive. Even they were fed up with it but that’s a minor grouse and this was a book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I hope that the author does get around to writing about the other two who were trapped in their swords. I would love to read Angharad’s story.
This was a lovely, humorous cosy fantasy with a touch of horror and I am very grateful as always to Net Galley and the publishers, Little Brown Book Group UK, for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book. T. Kingfisher is one of my favourite authors and I’m on my way to reading all her books. There were a few short sections where I wished the story would move a bit faster but overall I loved this cozy romantasy.

Halla has just inherited everyone from an uncle, something everyone else in the family does not agree with. Naturally they lock her up in her bedroom until she marries her dead husbands brother. In desperation Halla decides to kill herself and unsheates a sword.
Said sword has a man (Sarkis) bound to it and he is forces to serve the wielder.
This book was genuinely funny without feeling like it tries super hard to be funny.
I also get the concept of a book boyfriend now. Sarkis is geniunenly goals. Him not confessing his feelings for Halla bc he wanted to make sure that she would be in a place where shes not reliant on him anymore and therefore will not say yes out of fear of him leaving her (which he’d never do) was just peak romance idk. I was so invested in his and Hallas relationship and I usually dont care about romance at all.
The entire concept of man bound to sword is so well thought out, down to stuff I hadnt even really considered.
I would also die/commit murder/both for Zale the lawyer priest.
Now I cant wait for the other two books since not knowing what happened to the other sword was my biggest complaint about this book

Oh my. This book. I have a particular fondness for T Kingfisher's sense of humour because I suspect it is very close to mine. For any one that's woken up with a pain in your back from sleeping awkwardly, this is the book for you. For any one who's had someone dry rub your left l*bia lip and asked if it's good for you, this book is for you. For any one that's just about had enough, this book is for you.

No one is perfect. One is an immortal warrior stuck in a sword, and one is a very inquisitive middle-aged widow. But maybe they're perfect for each other.

Also, Zale is great!

(4.5/5⭐️) 📚 Thank you NetGalley and T. Kingfisher for a copy of ‘Swordheart’. This was such a wholesome fantasy. I never know what to expect from this author, having only read ‘Nettle & Bone’, but this had a very similar vibe yet was completely distinct. I love a story that’s about a journey, following characters as they have internal journeys of their own. Halla is one of my favourite characters. She is so uniquely herself, not tainted by the world around her, innocent but intelligent. I loved seeing her grow within herself, and was completely invested in her mission to get her rightful inheritance! I do hope there’s a sequel as I am very curious about the first sword that Nolan’s order had acquired. It’s rude to leave me on such a cliffhanger!! I will definitely be on the lookout for a book 2, and will continue to reread until then!

This is such a heartwarming book. I loved the characters but not all. Halla has inherited her great uncle’s estate as well as a sword too. But when her Aunt forced her to marry her cousin, she somehow summoned the swordsman trapped in the enchanted steel since so long. She wanted to k!ll herself but as soon as Sarkis came out, secrets, truth, mystery and adventure also unfolded. Halla made really brave decisions and some bad decisions too. I felt all the emotions and the book is so immersive. The book will break and mend your heart at the same time. This is the author’s best book.

Thanks to the Publisher

This is my fourth book of the author
and was very excited to read the ARC.

Swordheart is an adventurous tale that has tons of interesting things happening to our main characters on unplanned road trips. It was hilarious, a bit repetitive, but had T. Kingfisher’s signature charm sprinkled throughout the story. If you are looking for a bodyguard romantasy full of adventure, I’d recommend this book.

Halla was naive and underestimated herself a lot for the most part of the book but she was bold and confident in voicing her ideas by the end of the book. She had a subtle yet noticeable character development in the story. The same couldn’t be said for other characters or the plot.

While I did enjoy reading this book, most incidents became predictable and repetitive after a point. It didn’t help that the characters travelled the same route for four times. Even our protagonists were tired of passing through the same roads.

However, if you are a fan of Paladin’s Grace or new to the author’s works, I’d suggest reading this book. It’s a good intro to the magic system and the Kingfisher’s world.

Favorite book alert!!
I love, love, love this story with all my heart!
Cozy fantasy and sweet romance at its finest!
If you enjoy quests, grumpy x sunshine dynamics, adorable characters, and lovable sidekicks, what are you waiting for? Read this book!!!!
It’s so worth it!
Infinite stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Many thanks to NetGalley, Little Brown Book Group and T. Kingfisher for providing a digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts!!