When a prophesy brings war to the Land of the Black Hills, Keeley Smythe must join forces with a clan of mountain warriors who are really centaurs in a thrilling new fantasy romance series from New York Times bestselling author G.A. Aiken. The Old King Is Dead With the demise of the Old King, there’s a prophesy that a queen will ascend to the throne of the Black Hills. Bad news for the king’s … the throne of the Black Hills. Bad news for the king’s sons, who are prepared to defend their birthright against all comers. But for blacksmith Keeley Smythe, war is great for business. Until it looks like the chosen queen will be Beatrix, her younger sister. Now it’s all Keeley can do to protect her family from the enraged royals.
Luckily, Keeley doesn’t have to fight alone. Because thundering to her aid comes a clan of kilt-wearing mountain warriors called the Amichai. Not the most socially adept group, but soldiers have never bothered Keeley, and rough, gruff Caid, actually seems to respect her. A good thing because the fierce warrior will be by her side for a much longer ride than any prophesy ever envisioned …
Praise for The Dragon Who Loved Me
“A chest thumping, mead-hall rocking, enemy slaying brawl of a good book.”
—All Things Urban Fantasy
“Aiken aces another one.”
—RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars
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I want to be a war monk when I’m older!
I freaking loved this book, lots of action, it was funny in parts and then gory in others. Lots of drama just what I like.
Keeley is my favorite, she’s all about family and honor. Gemma is another!! Love her skills!! The dynamics between her and Keeley is and was great. Just how I thought I’d be with my sister’s.
My first thought after the sisters were told who was going to be queen was “wait that can’t be right”
The was Beatrix was described and how she carried herself in the beginning, I thought she was a stuck up snob.
My first read by this author has me scurrying to see about other books she has written. I seriously can’t wait to read more about Keeley and her journey with her tribe.
The Blacksmith Queen is a very entertaining tale about a change in leadership; how some will stoop low to fill their greed; and how good & honorable leaders put others first. The story is fast paced with non-stop action, with many surprises, & unpredictable twists. The slow relationship build between the queen and her man is well executed. Keeley Smythe and family provide hours of sarcastic bantering that is hands down laugh out loud funny. The characters flawed, believable, realistic, & likable. Absolutely looking forward to book 2. Well done Ms. Aiken, well done! #TheBlacksmithQueen
3.5 Stars.
I have read this authors dragon books and enjoyed them a lot so had high hopes for this new fantasy series and was pleasantly optimistic.
This was set in the same fantasy world but also completely separate so no need to have read that series before.
So this was told from multiple POV’s and was set amid a civil war and power struggle by the son’s for the human throne after the death of there father the previous king.
This is, in my opinion, is not really a love story it’s predominantly a fantasy with some romantic elements and it is very slow burn at that.
This didn’t really bother me but just thought I would put it out there so your aware.
So this is all about a prophecy made by the witches of a future queen.
Keely Smyth a blacksmith and the oldest of 12 is the older sister of this prophesied monarch and there is no way shes allowing her younger sibling to leave her family without her going along for added protection.
I adored Keeley and her larger than life personality, she loves all creatures including her demon wolf friends, is honest and straightforward, a complete chatterbox with a heart of pure gold who will do anything for her family.
Alongside members of her family, Keeley is also assisted by Amichai Centaurs who have come down from there home to protect the future Queen.
Caid of the Scarred Earth Clan was such a lovable bad-tempered grouch he also took a shine to Keeley along with members of his family these warrior Centaurs join her rag-tag group as they help deal with all sorts of creatures and plenty of magical mayhem along the way.
This had it all Centaurs, Witches, Elves, Dwarfs and dragons this really was a rich fantasy hotpot.
This had great characters plenty of humour and really was an intriguing start.
Be aware this also contains a lot of language and vivid violence throughout.
This is the first book in the series and though this doesn’t end on a cliffhanger the story hasn’t yet reached a conclusion.
So yeh I didn’t rate this quite as highly as the dragon series I still enjoyed it I mean Centaurs hello! how could I not?
I voluntary reviewed a copy The Blacksmith Queen (The Scarred Earth Saga, #1).
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
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I love strong women, and in this case Kelley is literally and figuratively strong. Makes me want to take up blacksmithing. Look we all love women that love with all their hearts, can use a hammer to bash and enemy’s brain in, and have demon wolves as friends. So how can you not like this book?
AMAZING BOOK! I have found a new series and new author I love!
Strong female/male characters, matriarchal societies, witty dialogue (yes, you will LAUGH OUT LOUD, great species (humans, dragons, centaurs, elves, dwarves, wolves), a fight to the finish for the right queen and family is everything.
Can’t wait to dive into book 2.
This was a great book filled with lots of action and great characters. There is a lot of good banter, and the women rock!
very well written. Kept my attention and was a very enjoyable read. Hated to put it down!
The Blacksmith Queen is the first book to G.A. Aiken’s The Scarred Earth Saga. This book is a Fantasy Romance, so it’s full of action-packed scenes and adventure, but it has some romance elements. This happened to be the first book I read from G.A. Aiken and won’t be my last.
Storyline: The Old King has died, so his sons are battling and killing each other for the throne. There’s a prophecy, though, that a queen will ascend to the Black Hills throne, which is terrible news to the sons fighting for the throne. The centaurs set out to find the future queen and protect her from the King’s sons. They never expected to see the queen with the Blacksmith family. Now the family has to fight off royals and whoever else wants to kill the future queen in their family. I don’t want to give away too much of the storyline. I’m moving onto my thoughts of the story of what I did like and didn’t like.
My Thoughts: I loved the main characters in the story, and I also loved the secondary characters. G.A. Aiken not only had the main characters have a POV, but the secondary characters had one too. I loved getting all the different POVs because there were more angles to the story. Although, I wish I had less of the bad guys/gals points of view. It made me despise them even more. I loved the main character Keeley because she was strong and determined. She was one kick-butt heroine who could take care of herself. She also came off as rude and violent, so some readers may not like her. They may not even like the other characters too. Keeley’s family is much different from other characters I read before. This was the first book that I read from G.A. Aiken, so I had nothing to compare to, but I plan on reading her other books now after reading this one. I loved the humor in this book, especially with particular scenes that involved Keeley’s cousin, who was different from the other characters. There was also Keely herself and how she saw the world. It drove the Centaurs crazy how Keeley put herself in danger at times. I mean, she does have ‘demon’ wolves in this story that everyone is scared of, but her. I loved her to take in the world and how much she loved animals.
Here are the things I didn’t like, though, in the story. There are certain words in the book that was overused in how characters described each other. I won’t type them in my review. It got annoying at times. There was also the ending that left me in shock. I felt like there needed to be more, but I know that G.A. Aiken will continue it in the next book. I was not prepared for the ending, though. Overall, this book gets 3.5-stars from me.
Another thing that bothered me was the villain(s) in the story, but that is because G.A. Aiken wrote them to be hated, if that makes sense.
Would I recommend this book? Yes. I recommend it to readers that enjoy the Fantasy Romance genre and are looking for a book that has a lot of fighting in it. It has a lot of action-packed scenes, which is why I love this genre. The romance element is not a priority. The storyline, main characters, and even secondary characters take center stage in this book. I can’t wait to dive into the next book.
I have always wondered about the humans who live on the Dragon Kin world who are not connected to Annwyl the Bloody. The author has decided to satisfy my curiosity with bloody mayhem reminiscent of the Game of Thrones series and centering around a self-proclaimed peasant girl who acts and talks a lot like Annwyl. I have got to see what Keeley does next, as she sets up her kingdom while creating unexpected alliances and tormenting the men in her life with confusion and many unwanted hugs and kisses. The part I found most hilarious (because I have read the Dragon Kin books) is Beatrix’s suggestions for taking over the Dark Lands (otherwise known as the dragon lands). Oy vay!
This book was a very pleasant and delightful surprise. I can imagine every character in a movie. Funny, warm, action-packed. I cannot wait for the next book!
I love this series! It really brings back great memories of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. A blend of magic, mayhem, mythology, and the weirdest courtship in history LOL. There are enough earthlike shenanigans that you actually forget it’s not really based here, only when mention is made of 2 suns does your brain register it’s not on home turf!
when the previous Old King pops his clogs and his malevolent sons quickly turn on each other, you know there is drama ahead. But how does the prophecy of a possible queen from the Black Hillsplay into their plans?
Keeley Smythe is the eldest of the Smythe tribe children. She is a Blacksmith with a talent for organising her squabbling siblings, taking care of everyone and everything in her vicinity and if you diss her “wolf” friends she will cut you off at the knees! When one sister is prophesised as a possible futures queen and another turns up after a decade away, Keeleys problem escalate at an exponential rate! Add in some Centaurs, a vengeance filled mare and a plot that will twist your brain, all laced with a wacky sense of humour and a caustic family feud and you have a superb read!
Action, adventure, and the weirdest courtship in history all blend seamlessly into a very well thought out plot. Bloodthirsty siblings and a creepy, psychotic, machiavellian queenmaker will keep you on the hop!
I fell in love with this author’s book’s when I found the Dragon Kin series. I’m so dang excited that this new series is just as freaking awesome. I cannot wait to read the next one! All Hail the Blacksmith Queen!! Highly recommended.
This was so much more than I expected!
With lots of great world building, without being heavy handed or bogging the story down, the characters are introduced and the plot-line is set up. However, as things evolve more is revealed and some of it is absolutely shocking.
Lines are drawn but scrambled again as this heroine does her thing which is never what you’d expect. I loved her unconditionally. She’s so tough, strong and wickedly capable and yet she’s got a heart of gold and a soft spot that made her pretty perfect in my opinion.
The romance is definitely on the back burner but I didn’t feel it’s loss as there is so much happening that I was constantly turning the pages. Secondary characters were developed and given their fair share of page time which I hope means they’ll be having a story based on them as well. There is also a charming amount of humor throughout which this author is known for in her Shelly Laurenston books.
This sets up what promises to be an amazing series and I read it in preparation for book 2 so I’m able to quickly move forward and see if the promise continues.
Good set of Paul Bunyanesque characters in a fantasy story
I didn’t want it to end.
Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2020
As a fan of the Dragon Kin series, I was a bit hesitant. Other authors who have spun out into other series have often disappointed me. While there is the similarity in the writing style which I love, this was a new and fresh story. Though not a part of the tale, there was an allusion to the Mad Queen, which I liked as well. I don’t think you have to leave old friends completely out. Yes, there is bad language but these are rough people so it didn’t bother me as much as some books do. The world-building and character development are as wonderful as expected.
I heartily approve this sometimes funny, sometimes sweet, always action-packed book. If you like strong female leads and the men or Centaurs who love them you will not be disappointed. Now I can’t wait for the next one.
Keeley Smythe wants nothing more from life than to be a blacksmith, be kind to all animals, and loving her crazy family. Her life is turned upside down when the Old King dies, his sons go on a murdering spree to see who will be the next king and her sister Beatrix is named the future queen. They must travel to the witches compound to confirm this and our accompanied by a warrior clan of centaurs. Keeley is drawn to Caid, the cranky glaring centaur who wants nothing to do with humans. When the unimaginable happens at the witches enclave, Keeley must fight not only her life, but accept the prophecy that she will be the Blacksmith Queen.
I absolutely loved this book. Ms. Aiken has written a compelling, intriguing and laugh out loud funny at times book as the sisters Keeley and Gemma fight/argue throughout their journey across the land. There are so many surprising aspects to this fantasy, the characters, the family, the magical beasts and the growing relationship between Keeley and Caid. If you’re offended by swearing, this isn’t the book for you because it’s an important part of the relationship between the characters. There was so many twists and turns in this book that I couldn’t put it down. Can’t hardly wait for the next book in this fantastic new series!
I voluntarily read the advance reader copy and all opinions are my own.
Well hello, gorgeous.
This book rocked my world. There’s hilarious family dynamics that will have you saying, “Wait, what? Are you serious?” on numerous occasions, the characters are people you can’t help but fall in love with, and the writing style of the author is to die for. I cannot wait for book 2! Come to mama!
This author is seriously one of my absolute favorites and I’ve read everything any library I can find that carries them in both their pen names. The insane world they create under the name G.A. Aiken is fascinating, well-detailed without being overly complicated, includes incredible creatures and their personalities are all distinct as races, and the characters are both nuanced and simple so the overall story carries a wonderful balance. And with the irreverent, slightly immature, witty humor? I’m just…gone. I adore it. And I’ve already re-read it four times.
With this story in particular, we’re in the same world of the dragons in Dragon Kin, just in another part of the world and we get to focus on a human and the centaurs she meets all because of a quietly power hungry sibling no one ever expected much of. I really love Keeley, how her thoughts are always of her forge and her family, that her daydreams are of what she can create from her own hands and fire. Despite her difficult relationship with Gemma, it does get sorted in the end once they both drop their prejudices and expectations and just express their feelings, the banter and “arguments” between every other character fit with the characters themselves as well as with the author’s style. Keeley in particular is positive, loyal, determined, and just scared enough to balance out her desire to do what’s best with what’s possible.
Well, what’s possible in this world is nothing short of fantastic. She meets amazing creatures, amazing characters, and her adventure is more about forging her own path to becoming the kind of queen the world needs to combat her brilliant yet soulless sister. The story follows that journey and the romance is kind of a consequence of getting to know one another in all kinds of situations. That’s something I absolutely adore about this author’s stories, that lust and getting it on is rarely the first thing that happens when there’s a saga to be had. Characters are well-formed, connections are made, and the relationship is often based on a believable foundation. When species live as long as they do in this world, it would be a shallow connection and a horrendous future they’d face as mates if it weren’t strong and real before adding all the sexy times. The romance does take a bit of a back seat in this story and I feel that was absolutely appropriate for not only the MC’s, but for the whole saga that’s to come. It’s a part, not the focus, and I CANNOT WAIT for more!
Great book, one of my favorites in a while. Great character’s, fun storyline. Great fantasy book, you won’t want to put it down!
Humor, sex, and great fantasy!