# Paladin's Grace

By T. Kingfisher · The Saint of Steel, book 1

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/paladin-s-grace-f492fbbd/

Since the death of his god, Stephen has made himself useful as a bodyguard. One day a perfumer named Grace needs him to help her hide from her pursuers. The two improvise an intimate scene in an alley, then find themselves drawn together again when an assassination attempt goes awry.

## What makes it funny?

Stephen knows how to use a sword and how to knit a sock. He figures a bone knitting needle could do some damage if he had to fight with it. The trouble is getting all the stitches back on the needle afterward.

### The comedy at work

Grace and Stephen are better at their jobs than they are at guessing how the other feels. Grace pays such close attention to scent that one of her first puzzles about the man she’s drawn to is why a paladin smells of gingerbread.

### Try this if…

There’s time here for a perfumer to think about her work and for a guarded pair of adults to get to know one another. The court intrigue keeps them busy outside the romance, especially once they get pulled into a killing plot.

### Good to know

Kingfisher uses the same world as Swordheart for a different romance. There are headless bodies, and part of Grace’s story concerns the abuse she survived.

## What to expect

- Genre: Fantasy · Romance
- On the shelf: Romantasy
- Kind of humor: Dry wit · Situational comedy
- The atmosphere: Warmhearted
- Audience: Adult
- Format: Novel
- Published: 2020

## A few distinguishing details

- A paladin who worries about dropping stitches
- A perfumer who wants to know why a knight smells of gingerbread

## Sources & further reading

- Publisher: [Argyll Productions book page](https://argyllproductions.com/product/paladins-grace)
- Review: [Russ Allbery's review](https://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/reviews/books/paladins-grace.html)
- Publisher: [Orbit book page](https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/t-kingfisher/paladins-grace/9780356524306)
- Review: [This Splendid Shambles review](https://thissplendidshambles.com/book-review-paladins-grace-t-kingfisher)