#istvhan x clara

[animezinglife]

Istvhan: I have to be more careful. I'm such an idiot. I'm a huge guy and I never want a woman to feel intimidated by that or like she doesn't have power in this situation. Or any situation. Why am I even thinking about that situation?! Clara: [bludgeons bandits over the head and manhandles him into a wall] Istvhan:

[wearethekat]

April Book Reviews: Paladin's Strength by T Kingfisher

Finally managed to get my hands on one of the very last T Kingfisher books I haven't read yet. Clara is a nun with a dangerous secret desperately trying to track down the remainder of her kidnapped order. Istvhan is a former paladin of a dead god on a suspiciously innocuous mission. When Clara is "sold" to a reluctant Istvhan, they agree to travel together temporarily-- but their goals may be closer aligned than they thought.

This is a fun and typically quality T Kingfisher fantasy romance, featuring the standard Practical Middle-Aged Woman x Slightly Smarter Kronk with Traumas. The horror element is reduced from Paladin's Grace (which I'd calculate as higher than most of her horror books). It's maybe a tad predictable, but in a very soothing fairy tale way.

If you like Robin Mckinley, or Olivia Atwater, or Legends and Lattes, you'll almost certainly like these. I've found T Kingfisher books to be predictably enjoyable for me.

[animezinglife]

You know Galen woke up in the middle of the night sensing a disturbance in the Force when Istvhan invented the Celibate Order of St. Galen.

[animezinglife]

"This is why you never sleep with someone who knows what you are. Men say they want an animal in bed, but they don't mean one that weighs seven hundred pounds and eats elk." - T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Strength

[animezinglife]

"The obvious thing to do would be to screw his brains out, which would have been enjoyable, but had its own perils."

- T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Strength

[animezinglife]

I’m loving how Istvhan’s type of woman is essentially “bear-adjacent.”

[animezinglife]

"Clara knew she was on the brink of falling in love. Oh, be honest, you've slid over the brink and are trying to catch yourself before hitting the bottom. And if he's in your bed, in your arms...no, you'll hit so hard you leave a crater."

- T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Strength