The Princess Knight

G.A. Aiken

Nov 2020 · The Scarred Earth Saga Book 2 · Kensington Books

About this ebook

USA Today Bestseller
An Amazon Best of the Month Selection

“Electrically fun...turns the usual fairy-tale class dynamics upside down...this is a book that encourages trust in people’s goodness, if not their patience or good sense. It’s light on the romance, but prodigiously good for the heart.”
—The New York Times 

In New York Times bestselling author G.A. Aiken’s gripping new fantasy romance series, the Blacksmith Queen must confront armies and pretenders desperate to take her new-won crown. But with the Princess Knight at her side and a centaur warrior clan at her back, she’ll risk everything for victory . . .
 
LONG LIVE THE QUEEN
 
Gemma Smythe dedicated her life to the glory of battle. With her fellow War Monks, she worshipped the war gods, rained destruction on her enemies, and raised the dead when the fancy took her. Until her sister Keeley became the prophesied Blacksmith Queen, and Gemma broke faith with her order to journey to the Amichai Mountain and fight by Keeley’s side.
 
The Amichai warriors are an unruly, never-to-be-tamed lot, especially their leader-in-waiting, Quinn. But when the War Monks declare support for Gemma’s ruthless younger sister Beatrix, the immaturity of her key ally is the least of Gemma’s problems. She has to get to the grand masters, dispel their grudge against her, and persuade them to fight for Keeley and justice. If her conviction can’t sway them, perhaps Quinn’s irritating, irreverent, clearly unhinged, ferocity will win the day . . .
 
Praise for The Blacksmith Queen
 
“It may be laugh-out-loud funny, but at its heart this is a story of a woman who cares deeply for both the family she has and the one she creates.”
—Bookpage

“Tilting more toward fantasy, this paranormal romance will be a hit with fans of both genres who enjoy tales that are lighthearted and humorous.”
—Booklist

 

Ratings and reviews

This was a great book with a lot of strong female characters, and was done in a very well-written way. Sometimes authors feel the need to really emphasize that their characters are strong without offering any substance to back it up. Aiken simply lets the male and female characters blend together in a very cohesive manner. I also like how one of the main characters is a female blacksmith. I first balked at this idea because in history female blacksmiths are almost unheard of, but in a book with magick, centaurs and gnomes, why can't there be female blacksmiths? In addition to all the strong characters there's also witty dialogue and stories being told from the viewpoint of multiple characters. I read this book without reading the first book in the series, "The Blacksmith Queen", and was able to understand what was going on, which I always appreciate in a series. A few thoughts on the cover of the book. The cover it stunning, it has beautiful colorwork and a nice soft-touch feel to it. However, at the bottom of the cover there is a review from "Smexy Books", which I never heard of before, but that review made me worried as to what type of book I would be reading. This is a plot-driven book with only one sex scene (that is not overdone), so don't let that review give you doubt to read this book.

*SPOILERS* (Abbreviated review-original was much This story reminds me of adventure sagas I read back when paper was still a thing(😸). It's a fast-paced adventure with a fair amount of twists, including throwing many gender norms on their heads❤. An absurdly strong, talented blacksmith never dreamed she'd be told she will be/is queen of the realm. She doesn't want it, and the adventure commences. But things kept kicking me out. Beatrix's story makes very little sense - a sociopath/psychopath from an isolated farm grew this vast array of conspirators and convinced them to betray their values, all while under the supposedly close watch of loved ones? How exactly does she manage to marry into the paranoid royals, fully intending to betray them all? The questions continue... Worse, it makes us question Keeley's character - How could someone so nurturing/ responsible fail to notice any of this? Finally, the Ainsley teaser - another who slipped through this family's cracks?

That was a simply amazing read! Perfect com-action, act-comedy? Anyways, it was a comedy that kept the action going, and everything flowed so smoothly in the story, even though there was a lot, a lot a lot, going on. It was easy to follow, it was easy to lose yourself in the story, it was easy to giggle, cringe, laugh, and gasp along with the characters. This is Gemma and Quinn’s story, sister to Keely and brother to Caid featured in the previous story. Everyone is still around, everyone is still fighting in the Smythe family way, and the Amichai and dwarves are still bashing at each other. Two enemy fronts are needing attention, and unlikely alliances are made out of necessity, and then kept out of familiarity, respect, and companionship Awesome world building, great story telling, wonderful dialogue, on-point comedy, and fast-paced action, I love everything about it and can’t wait for more!

About the author

Originally from Long Island, New York Times bestselling author G.A. Aiken has resigned herself to West Coast living, which involves healthy food, mostly sunny days, and lots of guys not wearing shirts when they really should be. Writing as Shelly Laurenston, she is also the creator of the wickedly funny Pride series for Brava. For more info about G.A. Aiken’s dangerously and arrogantly sexy dragons, go to www.gaaiken.com.