Scorching slow burn. Morally grey men. And enemies who burn so much hotter than lovers...
Book Details:
ASIN: B0FZH2TWR5
Publication Date: January 1, 2026
Print Length: 1,011 pages
Book 1 of 2: The Lady and the Blade
About the Book:
I came to Camelot to kill a king.
Instead, I became his obsession.
Magic is banned in Camelot—hunted, executed, erased.
When my own power surfaces, I’m marked for death and forced to cross the infamous Standing Stones… right into the hands of Merlin himself.
Merlin turns me into something dangerous.
A weapon.
A secret.
A woman trained to destroy a king.
Now I’ve returned to Camelot disguised as a male knight, competing in the Shadow Trials—the king’s brutal recruitment of elite warriors.
My mission is simple: destroy Arthur Pendragon from the inside.
Except Arthur isn’t what I expected...
Brutally handsome.
Cruel.
Magnetic.
His icy blue eyes seem to see through me as easily as he wields the magic he condemns.
He wants my surrender.
He gets my defiance.
And when he drags me to the edge of obedience, hatred starts to taste a lot like hunger.
Then there’s Lancelot—Arthur’s deadliest knight.
Sharp-eyed.
Lethal.
Sinfully beautiful.
He's a predator in polished armor who watches me like he can see the woman beneath the disguise… and he's already deciding what to do with her.
In a court built on secrets and sharpened by betrayal, surviving the Trials means choosing the right enemy.
One wants to break me.
One wants to claim me.
And both would burn down kingdoms for the truth I’m hiding.
My Review:
Sworn to Ruin Him is the first book in the epic dark fantasy series, The Lady and the Blade. HP Mallory delivers a wonderful Sword in the Stone/King Arthur retelling. I was engrossed in the story from the start. The author constructed a strong world filled with magic, deception, the need for revenge, revelation of secrets, tension (in many forms), twists, turns, dominance, and submission.
The character development is rich, complex, and filled with backstory. Each character is three-dimensional and realistic. I loved the multiple POVs, as they give each character time to shine, allowing the reader to really get to know and understand them, their motives, and personalities.
The romantic content is spicy, messy and complex, and flows freely throughout Sworn to Ruin Him. It ebbs and flows between obsession, danger, need, and want. You'll be rooting for one pairing only to have the script flip and change your mind.
There are content warnings listed in the description on retail pages, as well as inside the book, including:
Violence, explicit scenes, dark themes, and elements of non-consent. 18+ recommended.
I was provided with a copy of this book. This does not
affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. The opinions I have
expressed are my own.
My Rating:
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