Brimming with steamy romance, charm and intrigue, Swordcrossed is a dazzling queer fantasy from the internationally bestselling author of The Last Binding trilogy.

'This is fantasy romance at its very best' - Grace D. Li, author of Portrait of a Thief

Low stakes. High heat. Sharp steel . . .

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 home town. 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 - or who - they seem. As the days to Matti's wedding count down, 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?

The cosy, low stakes of Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree meets the scorching bodyguard fantasy of Jennifer L. Armentrout's From Blood and Ash in this enemies-to-lovers romance by Freya Marske.

'Swordcrossed proves there's nothing in fantasy - or queer romance - Marske can't do' - Sarah Rees Brennan, author of Long Live Evil

About the Author
Freya Marske is the author of A Power Unbound, A Restless Truth and A Marvellous Light, the latter of which became an international bestseller and won the Romantic Novelists' Association's Award for Romantic Fantasy. Her work has appeared in Analog and has been shortlisted for three Aurealis Awards. She is also a Hugo-nominated podcaster, and won the Ditmar Award for Best New Talent. She lives in Australia.

Reviews
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, author of Portrait of a Thief
Freya Marske's books catch my heart with a butterfly net, because I believe in her characters so utterly . . . Swordcrossed proves there's nothing in fantasy - or queer romance - Marske can't do -- Sarah Rees Brennan, author of Long Live Evil
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
Marske is an extraordinary talent who writes compelling characters, entertainingly awful families and love stories like nobody else -- Everina Maxwell, author of Winter's Orbit
Delightful and spicy . . . Marske is simply superb at her chosen genres -- The New York Times on The Last Binding trilogy
Cross my heart, can't wait to swoon over this one -- LitHub, A Most Anticipated Book of 2024



Book Information
ISBN 9781035039289
Author Freya Marske
Format Hardback
Page Count 384
Imprint Tor
Publisher Pan Macmillan