jacey | Booklog 11/2021: T Kingfisher: Paladin's Strength

A nun and a paladin walk into a bar… no not quite, but Istvahn is a paladin of the Saint of Steel, a recently deceased god whose dying drove most of his paladins beyond the edge of reason. Clara is a nun (lay sister, really) of the order of St Ursa, and she has a big secret. He is on a mission to track supernatural killers (the smooth men) who manifested in Paladin's Grace. She is following raiders who attacked her convent and kidnapped the sisters. We met Istvahn in the first Saint of Steel book (Paladin's Grace) as a supporting character. Here he gets his own book. Big and jovial, he's used to looming over everyone around him, until he meets Clara who is tall enough to look him in the eye, and powerfully built. He fancies her like mad, but she's a nun, so, y'know… he doesn't think he should take advantage when they are thrown together on the road. Both hold back secrets until they absolutely have to confess, but in the end their individual journeys are heading in the same direction… unfortunately it seems to be leading towards the gladiatorial pits in a totally corrupt city. I love T. Kingfisher (pen name of Ursula Vernon). I really enjoyed Paladin's Grace and this followed on very neatly. The characters are excellent the worldbuilding is complex and satisfying. The romance is funny and sweet with oodles of will-they-won't-they tension. I do hope that there are more in this sequence Galen should have his own book next. Expect gnoles, severed heads, bears, and pit fighting. You can read this as a standalone if you've never read any other books in the world of the Temple of the White Rat, though I highly recommend all of them: Clockwork Boys, The Wonder Engine, Swordheart and Paladin's Grace. In fact I would grab and read anything by T. Kingfisher.