Then burn, it shall.
The Silversmith
LJ Claren
Hardcover edition, 475 pages
ISBN 9798218800390
Kindle edition, 475 pages
ASIN B0F9ZCTN4T
Independently published July 13, 2025
Power is awakening. Love is a liability.
And the fate of the world rests in the hands of a grieving girl who never asked to be chosen.
Still reeling from the deaths of her father and brother, Ary Gold survives only by sheer will in the icy wilds of the North. But when friends arrive with stories of long-lost magic and a power buried in her newly discovered royal blood, Ary is thrust into a fate far larger than her sorrow.
The realm of Nyrida is under threat. An ancient shadow wielder is determined to claim Ary’s power and plunge the world into corrupted darkness. To stop him, Ary must marry the commander she’s been promised to—a man whose army could help them win the war—and train to fight alongside him.
But her fiercest challenge may not be on the battlefield.
Assigned to shape her into a warrior is a man cloaked in violence and secrets. Cold, commanding, and maddeningly unreadable, he isn’t her betrothed… but he may be her undoing. As sparks fly and loyalties are tested, Ary must decide whether to follow the path laid out for her—or risk everything for a love as wild and dangerous as the power awakening inside her.
Eighteen months ago, Ary woke up to no memories of the first seventeen years of her life.
Nine months ago, she found the dead bodies of her father and brother in their beds. Their throats slashed and an X marked upon their chests, through their clothes.
And three months ago, her mother abandoned her. Her last words: I would give you up to have my boy back. I am done being your safe haven.
So Ary is far from living her best life. And now, she's starving to death. Fortunately, her Aunt Gemma makes one hell of a grand return, foul mouth and all, on the eve of four grown, handsome and strange, men showing up as well. Caz. His brother, Finn. Ezra, her cousin by marriage.
And Mister I found you... her wolf slayer... Gavin Smyth.
All here, according to Caz, for her protection and companionship.
Because, surprise! Your father wasn't really your father. Your dad's name is Simeon. He's hundreds of years old and you're destined to save the world. By the way, you're the queen of Nyrida. Because as long as there was a female alive in the bloodline, a female would rule. And your dead paternal aunt's prophesy has you betrothed to a man named Elias, the commander of your army and "Prince of the People".
I would have been an hysterical laughing mess. But Ary? She just needs some air.
I was in trouble with this book. Labeled a Slow Burn and yet, here I was, swooning at every word that came out of Gavin's mouth less than ten percent in.
"You don't like coffee."
I didn't like coffee. But even if I did, his conviction could convince me I didn't.
I didn't like coffee. But even if I did, his conviction could convince me I didn't.
Gurl, same. He brought her her hat, gloves, and a blanket. He gave her his jerky. Threw all his coin into paying for groceries and raged against the idea of her sleeping on the floor. And he knew her for less than a day! Aaaand he's in her head with the honey in the tea? That's it. Mark it down. I'm gone.
The sparks were sparking. The gazes were gazing. Somebody shut this man's mouth; my processors can't take it.
He built the library ffs!
So he's not really in her head. He's... :sigh: I do love this kind of trope, which I won't divulge, because believe it or not, I don't like to spoil everything. But if you're into 'Touch her and die' and then bodies actually start dropping, then this is a book for you. And he will unapologetically kill for less when it comes to her. From the moment he finds her in the barn, he zeroes in and does not look away.
Tried to pace myself. Tried to make the goodness last as long as possible. But I devoured this book. It is a slow burn that actually burns. The intensity with which these two went at eachother in their arguments. The ache in their longing. So pained. So desperate. I don't think I took a breath during chapter twenty-nine.
And when I turned to thirty-two, I had to ask myself if I was ready as the author gave what every romantic fiction writer should give until the end of time: the male main character's point of view.
5 out of 5 stars. The forget-me-nots adorning the cover are a beautiful touch. The moment the flowers were described in the story, I flipped to the cover and well, ...damn.
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