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.
"You broke me out of the box."
Freya Marske's Swordcrossed is a low-stakes romantasy with very little fantasy elements and a focus on fencing and wool. Set in a queernormative world, it follows workaholic Matti as he struggles to juggle his merchant family duties and faces a wedding he doesn't really want. His chance meeting with swordsman Luca will help him find a better balance in his life and allies he wasn't sure he had.
This is a cozy story with great things to say about managing familial expectations and finding one's own way, even when one's family is supportive. It's also a fun adventure featuring interesting customs such as the one about using duelists during formal events such as a wedding, which makes for nice shenanigans.
The progression of the attraction between the two main characters was handled beautifully and led to many steamy scenes, but there was some well-placed angst as well. The plot truly is minimal, and the twists are pretty obvious, but sometimes that's all you need. I will say that the fact this was written before the remarkable Last Binding trilogy is made clear by the simplicity of the story, but it's not inherently a bad thing.
Swordcrossed is a fun romp that will make you learn many things about the wool industry.
✨ 4 stars
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