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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As well written as all of Laurenston’s books but just didn’t hold my attention. This is a personal choice and not criticism of the authors work.
Love G.A. Aiken, and this book is set in the same world. But now we’ve left the dragons and moved on to others, humans, centaurs, wolves, witches, elves, dwarves, plus more to come I’m sure…
I am a fan of Aiken’s books. I like her irreverent dialogues and her characters’ outlook on their world and circumstances.
I thought this book was even better than her dragon series and am looking forward to the next installment.
I love the way she writes makes me laugh out loud
G. A. Aiken/Shelley Laurenston is an absolute gem. I look to her to find diverse strong sexy females being pursued by often perplexed but strong and sexy men. The stories are fun and often outrageous. She is one of my favorite authors of all time. I still haven’t recovered from her Pride series. (Long live Micky Kendrick!) She doesn’t shy away from writing about women of color and does them justice each and every time. If you’re looking for a good time you’re in the right place.
Fantastic fantasy world building and battle scenes well-thought out. Building romance that grew along with the story. No meet-greet-sex immediately. I liked that.
Laughed all the way through. It was a great plot and characters.
I loved it! I liked the characters and the humor the Smythe clan brings to the e story. And I couldn’t put it down.
As usual, whenever I pick up a G.A. Aiken/Shelly Laurenston book, I know I’ll be in for a wild ride. With this book, the author starts a new series set in the same fantasy world as her Dragon Kin series, but located in an entirely new part of the world away from the dragon lands, where humans dominate. Not to worry though, a dragon does make a short but very memorable appearance in this book as do centaurs, dwarves, elves, and a “war monk”, a necromancer who can raise the dead to fight. I also don’t think it’s necessary to read the previous series in order to thoroughly enjoy this one.
The MC though is human, a blacksmith in fact. Keeley is freakishly strong and can be ruthless, but she’s also kind and compassionate to others that deserve it, she loves any and every animal (including the aforementioned dragon and a group of “demon” wolves from the underworld that she’s made friends with in spite of their glowing red eyes that spit fire LOL). She is also fiercely loyal to and protective of her family which includes her former blacksmith mom, her former soldier turned farmer dad, her 12 or so younger siblings and all of her assorted aunts, uncles and cousins. She will do absolutely anything to protect them and it’s this trait that sets her on the path to become the blacksmith queen, as path she would never willingly have chosen.
There’s really no other way to describe this book. It’s crazy, over-the-top, action-filled, violent, and fun. There is a romance of sorts between Keeley and one of the centaurs that is sent to protect her family, but as usual, it takes a backseat to the plot. I would characterize this book firmly as fantasy (not fantasy romance), something I don’t read that much of, but it doesn’t really matter what Shelly writes, I’m there for it. There are enough loose ends to seed the next story, but no cliffhanger and I can’t wait for the next book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book from Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I chose to make The Blacksmith Queen my first review of the year because, why not start the year off with one of my all-time favourite authors? G.A. Aiken also writes as my personal deity, Shelly Laurenston. That’s right, y’all, my precious. In keeping with her usual style of weaving romance in with comedy and bloodshed, The Blacksmith Queen is an excellent launch to Laurenston/Aiken’s new series in her Dragonkin world.
The characters we’re given in The Blacksmith Queen are, as usual, hilariously dramatic and nonchalantly violent. Keeley has a freaking hammer that she swings around like it’s a feather pillow and takes a dude’s head off with it. Cousin Keran’s a retired member of a fighters’ guild. Keeley’s mum gets bored whilst preggers and builds things for the farm. I can’t even begin to get started with Gemma, just y’all. Come on! And that’s just the Smythe family. There’s also Keeley and Gemma’s father Angus and his brother, Archie, who need a family counsellor (there is no shame in that, that’s healthy). And finally there are the Amichai, Caid, Laila, and Quinn all of the Scarred Earth Clan, who make me cackle.
Some of the things I loved most about The Blacksmith Queen were the demonic wolves, I love them and I want one. They’re so loyal to Keeley, it’s so beautiful! I loved how G.A. Aiken brought up a special deity connection again, because I loved that in the Dragonkin books. I like the absurdity of the Aiken & Laurenston books, they’re great for reading after a bad week or when you’re stressing out over something or hiding in your closet from your anxiety (hey, I don’t judge you…). One thing I disliked about this book was the naming system. I just really freaking hate occupation = surname. My last name translates to the verb “kill”. That means that way back in the past somebody decided that someone in my family was good at killing. And my family has had this name for centuries. A bunch of people, known for killing. Okay, I just really hate that naming system, it’s not the book’s fault. It’s my murderous ancestor’s fault. But honestly, I’m glad that our civilisation has grown past that.
But the story is not just laughs and giggles, there is heartbreak and hapless adventure and an obsession with working metal that normal folks just won’t understand. You will encounter acts of vengeance and acts of betrayal in this story that you won’t expect and some you will.
Now, as per usual, I have content warnings for you! If you feel that forewarned is forearmed, all you need to do is click the reveal button (there is no button, I C&P’d from my site where I use a spoiler button code to hide warnings) and you have the content and trigger warnings. As always, please practise care in your readings if any of these might be problematic for you, and if you have any questions about them, please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions about them!
This book contains gore, violence, fratricide, attempted sororicide, mention of infanticide, attempted fondling, murder of beloved animal companion, mentions of sexual assault (not on main characters and not described), a threat of rape to a main character, violence against animals, animal sacrifice, cursing, copious alcohol use, manipulative behaviours from a sociopath.
Overall, I’m giving all of my 5 stars and 2 flames for heat to The Blacksmith Queen. I always love reading G.A. Aiken and Shelly Laurenston, no matter which pen name I’m reading, and I can’t wait to read her next book! Thank you to Kensington Publishing for the finished copy, I now I have two copies so I can read one and lend it if I wish and one pretty one for my shelves. Readers, if you’re looking for an entertaining read that you can lose yourself in, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of The Blacksmith Queen by G.A. Aiken.
This has been a review from Once Upon a Time, I Read a Book, feel free to visit my site for more weirdness! Have a happily ever after!
***4 Stars***
And we have another crazy set of characters to love, adore and want to Gibbs smack upside the head at their antics, which, if you’ve read this author before you know that the craycray is ALWAYS on the OTT end of the spectrum and will have you laughing and rolling your eyes all at the same time.
As for Keeley and Caid, I adored both of them. Keeley is such a good woman. She has a huge heart. She accepts people for who they are and only wants what is best for them. Caid is a bit grouchy, but has a really good heart. Their journey to their HEA was a fun one because they both just kinda fell for the other and rolled with it. There wasn’t much drama/angst going on between them ~ which I was happy about considering everything else that was going on ~ but their bantering and teasing (well, Keeley’s teasing) was a lot of fun and it was easy to see how they could end up falling for each other.
If you’ve read any of the books by this author, you know that while there is a romance storyline, there is so much more going on: Multiple POV’s, various subplots and, as I stated before, a whole lot of crazy. And this one is chock full of all of that. There were a couple of things that did surprise me, but totally worked within this world and the fact that this series does take place in the same world as Dragon Kin has me crossing my toes that we may get to see some of my favorite characters as this series progress.
~ Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley & voluntarily reviewed ~
I have never picked up anything by this author before and I feel like I have been missing out. I absolutely loved this book. I really did not think that I was going to like this book half as much as I did. I only picked it up because I felt like every time I turned around there it was. I am so happy I finally caved and took the chance.
This book is not very long but the amount of stuff that is crammed in there is amazing. I did not feel like there was any useless information in the story that everything that happened was vital to the story. I really appreciate that is a book. The family was amazing. I loved watching how they all interacted with each other. You see each persons personality shine through.
Keeley has such a kind heart yet mess with her kin and she is a force to reckon with. Then there is the budding romance between her and Caid and I loved watching that develop. I can not wait for them to announce the next book.
I first fell in love with her Dragon Kin series and this is a delightful spinoff. Best characters… flaws and all
Big fan of Aiken’s Dragon series and was psyched to see this is set in the same world. Can I say how badly I want these two sets of characters to eventually clash?
Full disclosure: G.A. Aiken/Shelly Laurenston cannot write a book that isn’t at least 4 stars for me. This series starter is full of the unabashed, joyful delight she infuses into all of her works. Kickass heroines who do NOT need rescuing (TYVM) and the friends and lovers who have their backs. I read it in one sitting–but with this author, I always do.
I’m only half-way through and I already recommend it. I was skeptical at first but then the action began and I couldn’t put it down!
The Scarred Earth Saga #1, I’m no stranger to Shelly Laurenston but this is my first time reading her under the name Aiken. I’m picky about the fantasy genre I read and I was hesitant to pick this one up fearing it would be overly dramatic, long winded, and full of political backstabbing bs but then I remembered who the author was and read it……..And loved it. The beginning of the book with The Old King dying and the sons all killing each other off kind of reminded me of Stardust except less humorous and way more violent. I didn’t dislike all the violence, because this book is full of it, I was surprised by how gorey it was described, again not a bad thing for me I just wasn’t expecting it. True to form Aiken writes her female characters full of snark. With Keeley you see many sides of the strong fighter standing up for those who can’t and when she’s around her family you see a funnier side but overall she is protective. But when it comes to her sister, Gemma, you see a more childish side like picking fights doing things she knows bug her. Gemma and Keeley are both head strong and very similar which causes them to butt heads and argue at the drop of a hat but you see throughout the book they are starting to trust each other more and more and that there is love between them. Keeley has plenty of depth. Aiken wasn’t gratuitous with the sex either, like some others, for which I am grateful. I loved how the story played out and how the narrative switches to other characters so you get the full picture, one reason I prefer third person I must know everything. I liked the characters everyone has quirks that make them unique and memorable. Caid, I really like, he’s a good strong warrior and you can see the gradual change in him the more he’s around Keely.
It all started as a simple journey protecting her sister, the girl who would be Queen, but turns into an all out war with Keeley in the lead. Keeley must now find allies to fight with her against The Old King’s remaining sons. Overall, it was a fun read. There is no cliffhanger there is a definite end to the book but it’s far from over.
This series is different than Aiken’s dragons. It’s bloody, violent and primal. It has its moments of funny and sarcastic but not what I was expecting. It’s a very urban fantasy type of story. Yes there’s a romantic moment and you can see it building throughout the book but it could have ended up a platonic friendship with the lack of sizzle in the story. It is full of action, battles and unexpected turns of the story. I never knew what would happen next. Overall the story was not what I was expecting but a good story and I’ll need to read the following installments to see how Keeley finally secures her crown.
Keeley Smyth is a blacksmith from a family of blacksmiths who is all about family and being kind to everyone especially animals. We quickly meet a young man, Simon hanging in a tree, who needs rescuing which she can’t walk away from. Her sister Beatrix, the nerdy oddball of the family, has been named as the next queen of the land by the Witches of Amhuinn. Keeley and a contingent of protector centaurs accompany Beatrix to see her confirmed. Within this contingent is Caid who becomes Keeley’s love interest. When meeting the witches Keeley is also named queen as well and Beatrix. Beatrix does the unforgivable thing of trying to kill her sister to be the only queen. After that Beatrix calmly leaves to meet up with Marius, the elder brother battling for his late father’s throne. She’s been corresponding with Marius’ mother Maila for quite a while planning the coup over the other surviving 4 brothers. This is the set up for the series. We meet more centaurs, her sister Gemma a War Monk, her insane Uncle Archibald, Stratton The Devourer-one of the royal brothers, devil wolves with fire eyes, dwarfs, wood elves, barbarians and even a dark plains dragon from her Dragon Kin series. It’s a constantly moving brutal adventure.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
G. A. Aiken can take a world war and make it entertaining. One has to love the characters and the violence take a back seat to the story, the characters and the fun.
With the Old King’s death, his sons have started off their quest to take the throne by killing one another and seeking out the prophesied Queen who is but a farm girl. Keely Smythe is more though she is a Blacksmith and when the Amichai and her long lost sister arrive claiming that Beatrix is the Queen from the prophesy all hell breaks loose. Caid, a surly man who Keely knows there is more too catches her interest but her main focus is protecting her family. The prophesy though is not all it seems to be and Keely finds herself in the brunt of everything swirling around her.
There is so so much more to this story that I cannot even delve into. Keely is a heroine you truly want to know. Caid is perfect for Keely. Filled with humor, action and several surprises. I would reread this book in a heartbeat. Thoroughly entertaining.