Book Review: Paladin's Grace, the fear of love

I can count the amount of Romance books that I have read on one hand. It is not a genre I particularly seek out, and one that I rarely find myself getting invested in. The first romance book I truly fell in love with was Pride and Prejudice, and while T. Kingfisher's Paladin's grace is by no means Pride and Prejudice, it is still a fun, and rather adorable romance story.

Paladin's Grace is the first in a series known as 'The Saint of Steel Series.' The story follows a broken Paladin named Stephen, lost after the death of his god. Now living in the temple of another god, desperate to be useful, he encounters a woman on the run named Grace. Together the two must navigate through a series of deadly mysteries plaguing the city, all while very clumsily attempting to ignore their feelings for one another.

While the intrigue and mystery of Paladin's Grace is certainly interesting, it is not what kept me reading. It does a serviceable job as a back drop for Stephen and Grace's relationship, but the real reason to read this story is the romance between the two main characters. As I described in my review of Fisher's book 'Thornhedge,' T. Kingfisher's is excellent at quickly connecting you with the characters in her stories, this is no less true for Paladins Grace.

From pretty much their first interaction the two main characters are immediately likeable, and the awkward situation in which they meet one another immediately adds humour while giving them a memorable start to their relationship.

The supporting cast of this story is full of lovable characters who do their best to support Stephen and Grace through their romantic journey. While all of them were very enjoyable characters who fit the story well, I did not find any of them to be particular stand outs in comparison to our to two main characters.

The book is easy to read and moves very fast; on the whole, I enjoy this style of writing however, I did feel that the story was resolved very suddenly. The romance was never unsatisfying and that was the main focus on the book, but the political story surrounding it clearly did not get the same care. If it was any other story I think it would matter a lot more, but I found that didn't I care all that much here. As I said before, I was here for the romance. not the politics. I was here for the characters of Grace and Stephen and I felt very satisfied with where their stories ended up.

Paladin's Grace explores just how scary love can be for someone. Everyone has their own past relationship experiences, be it with a god or an abusive husband. Through Stephen and Grace we see different ways of handling that fear. Stephen feels his emotions so strongly yet he's terrified of what will happen if he lets himself give into those emotions. Grace, struggles with believing that everyone will eventually leave and that doubt causes her to be cautious towards love. Both feel fear immensely, yet also can't deny their desire for connection. Watching them grow through their fears felt gratifying and that was what made the story interesting.

Over all, Paladin's Grace is a a straight forward, and fun romance story. It is not attempting to break new ground, and it doesn't have to. The romance between Stephen and Grace is adorable and watching them discovering their feelings for one another is a satisfying experience.

If you enjoy romance and fantasy I believe that Paladins great would be the perfect book for you.