Paladin's Grace

Paladin's Grace by T. Kingfisher | 366 pages | 2020

Whilst foraging for startleflower, perfumer Grace finds herself pursued by ruffians and rescued by a handsome paladin in shining armour. Only, to outwit her hunters they must pretend to be doing something very unrespectable in an alleyway.

Stephen, a broken paladin, spends his time knitting socks and working as a bodyguard, living only for the chance to be useful. But that all changes when he saves Grace and witnesses an assassination attempt gone wrong. Now, Stephen and Grace must navigate a web of treachery and poisoners, while a cryptic killer stalks one step behind.

(Synopsis taken from Goodreads)

This was much more of a romance than I expected based on how it was recommended to me, but I'm okay with that! Grace and Stephen were both really wonderful characters on their own, and very sweet together. Three cheers for middle aged romance and mentions of back pain. Because the focus ended up being more on the romance, the mystery of the murders took a back seat and seems set up to progress further in the next book, which certainly makes me want to read it because that reveal was super creepy and cool.

Overall a great pick for a slightly-less-spicy Romantasy!