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Swordcrossed
- Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins
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Publisher's summary
High heat. Low stakes. Sharp steel.
The cozy, low stakes of Legends & Lattes meets the scorching bodyguard fantasy of Jennifer L. Armentrout's From Blood and Ash in this enemies-to-lovers romance where, yes, the swords do cross.
A LitHub most anticipated book of 2024
Mattinesh Jay, dutiful heir to his struggling family business, needs to hire an experienced swordsman to serve as best man for his arranged marriage. Sword-challenge at the ceremony could destroy all hope of restoring his family's wealth, something that Matti has been trying—and failing—to do for the past ten years.
What he can afford, unfortunately, is part-time con artist and full-time charming menace Luca Piere.
Luca, for his part, is trying to reinvent himself in a new city. All he wants to do is make some easy money and try to forget the crime he committed in his hometown. He didn't plan on being blackmailed into giving sword lessons to a chronically responsible—and inconveniently handsome—wool merchant like Matti.
However, neither Matti's business troubles nor Luca himself are quite what they seem. As the days count down to Matti's wedding, the two of them become entangled in the intrigue and sabotage that have brought Matti's house to the brink of ruin. And when Luca's secrets threaten to drive a blade through their growing alliance, both Matti and Luca will have to answer the question: how many lies are you prepared to strip away, when the truth could mean losing everything you want?
"There's nothing in fantasy or queer romance that Marske can't do."—Sarah Rees Brennan
Critic reviews
"Freya Marske's books catch my heart with a butterfly net, because I believe in her characters so utterly. I love guilds in fantasy, and in this book Marske made them integral, meaningful and powerful. In an exciting new departure showing all her strengths, Swordcrossed proves there's nothing in fantasy—or queer romance—Marske can't do."—Sarah Rees Brennan, author of Long Live Evil
"Clever, sparkling, and perfectly indulgent, Swordcrossed feels like stepping into a party already in full swing. Everything is possible; everything is wondrous. This is fantasy romance at its very best."—Grace D. Li, New York Times bestselling author of Portrait of a Thief
"Swordcrossed is so good I want to set it on fire and physically throw it at people's faces. . . . It filled my brain with tickly champagne bubbles of glee."—Alexandra Rowland, author of A Taste of Gold and Iron
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