Ohhhh my goood I just love this series 😊 sooo Paladin’s Strength is what happens when two emotionally exhausted adults are forced to solve a mystery instead of properly processing their trauma. In this book, we follow Istvhan, another paladin of the Saints of Steel, a walking pile of dead-god grief with impressive biceps. Clara is a nun who has absolutely had it with nonsense, and their romance consists largely of mutual competence, dry sarcasm, and accidentally falling in love. It’s genuinely funny, I laughed so hard more than once, oddly tender, and refreshingly free of melodrama, proving that the sexiest thing in fantasy is communication and not being an idiot. And just like in the first book, all the main characters are middle-aged, which is honestly pretty awesome. Finallyyyy, some hot knights my age 😂 -> “What if she kills you, Boss?” called Galen. “Then either avenge me or put her in charge. Your choice.” -> The larger part of power was understanding the power you had over others, even if you would rather not have had that much power in the first place. -> “Madam,” said Istvhan, his voice dropping nearly an octave, “I have made love. I have had sex. I have bedded, rutted, fucked, and on one occasion, with enthusiastic consent and a great deal of oil, I have sodomized, but I have never, not once, canoodled.” 😂😂 -> “I was just thinking, first you’re with Beartongue and now you’re chasing after someone with an actual bear’s—” “Galen.” “Look, I’m just saying you have a type. A weirdly specific type.” “If you ever make that joke again, I will end you.”

4.5