He’s an outlaw. She’s his guard. Sparks will fly.
If you loved…
- The snark and banter of From Blood and Ash
- The badass heroines of ACOTAR
- The morally gray hero of The Serpent and the Wings of Night
- The tension of The Bridge Kingdom
You’ll love Vethe and Lyria in Flame & Blade!
Click here to jump to a section:
Lord Vethe knows he isn’t one of the good guys.
Ever since he was old enough to control his illegal wildmage talents, Vethe has done horrible things to support his once-noble family. When his aunt hires a guard to help Vethe retrieve a long-lost contract and bring in some extra coin, Vethe expects the journey to be short and painful. He’s not expecting the guard to be a beautiful woman who looks at him like she wants to punch him.
And, if she discovers the secrets lurking in his family’s past, she just might decide to kill him.
Lyria Guardia let her family down and got her heart broken.
After she discovers her boyfriend in bed with another woman, Lyria limps back to the family and Guild she’d abandoned three years ago. Desperate to prove herself, she accepts a lowly escort mission: Drag a spoiled nobleman through the abandoned and supposedly harmless Demon Forest. But Lord Vethe, the nobleman she’s guiding, is far more infuriating and intriguing than she was expecting. Lyria doesn’t know if she can get through this entire mission without strangling him.
Or kissing him.
FAQs
Is this a standalone story?
I mean… you could read it by itself. But Flame and Blade is the first in a complete series of four epic romantasy adventure novels.
What is the reading order for the Flame & Blade series?
- Flame and Blade (book one)
- Shadows and Secrets (book two)
- Wind and Warrior (book three)
- Demons and Darkness (book four)
What tropes does Flame and Blade use?
Flame and Blade features enemies to lovers, forced proximity, found family, elemental magic, tragic past, and antihero with a side dish of fantasy road trip! Also, plenty of spice.
Speaking of spice… How spicy is Flame and Blade?
Flame and Blade is open door, with multiple spicy scenes. One reviewers said “there are too many sex scenes and it’s disgusting,” so if you don’t want steam in your fantasy romance, please choose another book to enjoy.
What is the point of view?
Flame and Blade has dual point-of-view (his and hers) and characters who think, act, and curse like adults.
Does it have the f-bomb?
Oh my gods, yes. So much fuck. A fuck-ton of fuck in this book.
Please don’t read this book if you don’t want characters to say fuck.
Are there trigger warnings?
Flame and Blade has a lot of sex and a lot of cursing. There’s alcohol consumption, violence, and a no-good cheating boyfriend (don’t worry, he’s not the MMC). There are also monsters, and an unnamed horse who doesn’t make it to the end of the book. RIP, fictional horse.
Does Theo the donkey survive?!?
Yes. Yes, Theo the donkey is just fine. He goes on to lead a very happy donkey life and father several equally ornery donkey children with the love of his life, Daffodil.
Book Club Discussion Questions
First Impressions:
What were your first impressions of Vethe and Lyria as characters? Did your opinion of them change as the story progressed?
Theme of Trust:
How does the book explore the concept of trust—especially between enemies-turned-allies? Were there moments when you questioned the characters’ trust in each other?
Enemies to Lovers:
The book uses the classic “enemies to lovers” trope. What made this dynamic believable (or not believable) for you in Flame and Blade?
Character Growth:
How do Vethe and Lyria grow or change throughout the story? Which of their personal challenges resonated with you most?
Themes of Power and Identity:
How are themes like power, identity, or responsibility handled in the story? Did any of these feel particularly relevant or thought-provoking?
Side Characters:
Which secondary character did you find most interesting or memorable? Would you want to see more of them in a sequel?
Favorite Moments:
Was there a scene that stood out to you emotionally—whether it made you laugh, cry, or swoon?
Final Thoughts:
If you could ask Meredith Hart one question about Flame and Blade, what would it be?
What Readers are Saying
“A long time ago, one of my English teachers told me that great authors don’t tell you a story, they show you the story.
I received an ARC of the third book in this series recently, and I decided to celebrate by re-reading the first two books. About ten pages into the first book, “The Flame and the Blade”, my mind drudged up the well-buried memory of that phrase.
If I think about books, in any genre, they’re all pretty good. I will read pretty much anything to escape the happenings of my day, and I’m more than happy to slip into any story or world. But if I had to point out what separates my 4 star ratings from my 5 star, it would be that sentence.
Meredith Hart shows us this story with such compelling, crystal clear, thoughtful, funny, sexy skill, it’s just wild.
I’m honestly not sure why it doesn’t have as much traction as some other books out there. Romance, even fantasy or paranormal, has a tendency to become very formulaic. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the formula as well, but it’s the difference between getting dinner at Chili’s and getting dinner at the new, innovative restaurant concept that came in. Both will feed you. You’ll feel happy after both (okay, maybe not after Chili’s but that seems to be a matter of personal debate), but you’re definitely going to walk away with a different experience from one than the other.
The Flame and the Blade is five star dining, that’s for sure.
This book is really the story of things that are overlooked, down on their luck, or beyond the mainstream. Both Lyria and Vethe are characters that, for different reasons, have simply just seen better days, and their meeting finds them both at particular low points. They are sent to retrieve an ancient marriage contract, set up by Vethe’s world-ending ancestor, from the site of an ancient battle of light against darkness.
At first, their assumptions of each other are baseless, and rooted in stereotypes. Lyria sees Vethe as a pampered noble, and Vethe thinks Lyria a “meathead” (I chuckle still) without grace, knowledge, or any grain of fun.
As they travel together, their attraction for each other becomes stronger, especially as they each begin to see each other for who they are, instead of who they should be. They also begin to see that something is afoot in the world around them, which again, is not as it should be.
Ending on a killer cliffhanger, this book is a fast read, because each turn of the page reveals a new, hidden surprise, which could feel forced, but flows together seamlessly.
I laughed. I cried. I gasped out loud. I cannot sing the virtues of this book enough, and I highly, highly recommend you read it.”
-AlmostDrQ, Amazon 5-star review
“Come for the fantasy or come for the romance—this book has both and they’re done very well. This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I loved the characters. The world building and world rules, regarding magic and guilds, was well grounded. It was easy to sink into this world without confusion or exhaustive descriptions.
Vethe is a fire mage, although he has to keep that fact hidden. He’s gorgeous, capable, funny and adorably aristocratic as he does his family’s bidding and embarks on a quest to find a scroll containing a marriage contract that would allow riches to flow to his awful aunt and uncle (who care for his sister and mother). Lyria is an amazing FMC. She’s an accomplished guard to agrees to escort him through dangerous territory to find this scroll. She’s a wonderfully strong character who knows her own mind.
Naturally, they fall in love along the way, but considering this couple as three more books to go before they get their (hopefully) happy ending, we get to enjoy the first part of their epic saga. The book does NOT end on a cliffhanger, but I will be reading on to find out what happens next. I can’t wait to see what else is in store for these two characters and the mysterious cast in this book.”
-C. Flake, Amazon 5-star review
Alternate Editions
The original title, The Flame and the Blade, was shortened to Flame & Blade in 2023. The original cover, featuring Vethe and Lyria, was also retired and replaced with the new cover (below).
Sample Chapter
“The guard is leading a donkey,” Aunt Hylena announced as she stormed into the room, scowling. From her tone, it sounded like the luckless bastard had arrived dead drunk and naked to boot.
Several possible responses to this incensed declaration came to mind, all of which I bit back. Gods knew I’d tried to be on my best behavior, although a dark, constant anger simmered just beneath my pained veneer of civility. And the longer I stayed in Raven’s Wing, the stronger that repressed rage grew. It had been ten gods-damned days, and I was almost at my absolute limit. I had to get out of this cursed fucking place. I’d spent almost all of yesterday hunting deer, and several of the days before that sparring with Uncle Henrix until every muscle in my body had screamed in protest.
“I expected more from a Mayhaven Guard,” Hylena declared to the open room, disappointment dripping like acid from her words.
I just shook my head. A fucking Mayhaven Guard, from the gods-damned legendary Guard’s Guild. Just in case I had any lingering doubts as to what had become of all the money I’d sent home over the years.
I couldn’t even flatter myself that Hylena had spent good silver to ensure my protection. No, she was just that passionate about this idiotic betrothal contract. If she’d thought the guard was apt to be trustworthy, or even literate, my dear aunt probably would have left me out of the entire expedition.
Henrix cleared his throat. “Shall I greet the guest?”
Hylena nodded stiffly. “Please. Allow him an audience.”
I ground my teeth together so hard I worried one of them might shatter. Beside me, Anette snickered. I didn’t dare look at her, lest both of us start laughing. Instead, I tried to act comfortable in the ill-fitting formal clothes Hylena had dragged out of some gods-forsaken wardrobe in some mouldering corner of the estate and act like I was granting the Mayhaven guard an audience out of the goodness of my noble heart, instead of hiring some muscle-bound meathead to act as demon bait on my trip to Valrion’s Ruins.
Anette sniffed a few more times, trying to suppress her giggles. Hylena cleared her throat, an action that managed to be both menacing and condescending. Thick slats of late afternoon sunlight fell across the tiled floor of the great hall. Dust motes danced hypnotically above the gleaming black tiles. Anette had spent most of yesterday on her hands and knees, scrubbing this floor, while I’d battled decades of grime on the walls, mantles, and sconces. And tried to avoid looking at that incredibly disturbing portrait of dear old great-great-great granddad Lord Valrion the Duskbringer.
Footsteps echoed down the hall. One heavy and solid, the meathead, I imagined, accompanied by Uncle Henrix’s lighter and softer thud. I laced my fingers behind my back and stood tall. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Anette smooth her skirts.
Henrix entered the room with an odd expression on his face. The guard followed. He was shorter than I’d expected, and younger. Much younger. I’d envisioned someone with a full beard and a chest like a tree trunk. But this guard was smaller than me, and clean shaven, with soft features, a long, dark braid—
“You’re a woman!” Aunt Hylena gasped.
The guard stood at attention in front of us. Oh, yes, she was unmistakably a woman. Her leather breastplate did nothing to hide the feminine curves of her chest and hips, although her face was far too stern for those curves to be particularly appealing.
To her credit, the guard’s steady golden eyes didn’t leave Hylena’s face, not even to gawk at the atrocious painting looming behind us. She lowered herself into a respectable curtsey and then rose back to standing.
“Yes, my Lady,” the guard said. Her face was carefully composed, a neutral mask that gave nothing away.
“But, I asked for a guard!” Hylena sputtered.
“I am a guard, my Lady,” the woman replied, her tone as neutral as her face. She shifted slightly so the afternoon sunlight played across her breastplate and the very obvious guild insignia there. An emerald triangle stamped with a golden G. The Mayhaven Guard’s Guild. I hadn’t had many run-ins with them, gods be thanked, but everyone in the kingdom knew that particular sign.
In the bright light, I noticed something else about the woman’s insignia. The leather of her breastplate was lighter around the crisp lines of her Guard’s Guild patch, almost as if she’d placed her Guild insignia on top of something else, something round and invisible. Or something that she’d recently removed.
Hylena shook her head almost imperceptibly and drew herself up to her full height. I felt cold, as though a breeze had gusted through one of the windows, but of course it was no wind. Careful, Hylena, I thought. It might take twelve witnesses to convict someone of improper usage of magic, but a magical assault on a member of the Mayhaven Guard’s Guild would bring all the King’s soldiers down on Raven’s Wing faster than we could plea mercy for our pathetic lives.
“And you came on a donkey?” Hylena said, in a tone which suggested the woman in front of her had just dragged Hylena’s most cherished possessions through the mud.
The woman nodded her head slightly. “A courtesy, my Lady. You only hired a guard. We’ve included the donkey at no extra charge.”
Damn. If that insult was intentional, it was spot on.
Hylena turned to Uncle Henrix and dipped her chin twice. Bloody obvious. This woman had to know an attack was coming even before Hylena broadcast it.
Henrix lunged forward. The guard’s neutral expression didn’t falter as she stepped out of the way. Henrix nearly crashed into me. He spun again, lunging for her waist. She turned, and he sprawled across the floor with a grunt.
The woman was fast. I’d been sparring with Henrix for a week, and I still couldn’t outmaneuver him. The guard knelt down, extending her hand toward Henrix. He rose to his elbows, grabbed her by the forearm, and yanked.
It was a desperate move. The guard was well balanced, in a crouch, and Henrix was already prone. But the guard fell to the floor behind Henrix. I watched, stunned that his ploy had worked.
Until I saw the flash of metal against Henrix’s neck. The guard held a dagger against his throat. Her legs immobilized the lower half of his body, and her arm wrapped around his shoulder. The flat edge of her blade rested just below Henrix’s chin.
“I won’t hurt him,” the guard said. Her knife pressed to Henrix’s jugular, but her eyes were fixed on Hylena. “Do you have any further questions for me?”
I watched Hylena’s pale neck flex as she swallowed. Time pulled taut between the five of us. I wondered if Hylena would order the guard to keep going. To punish Henrix for his failure to embarrass the woman who’d dared approach Raven’s Wing with a donkey.
“That will be all,” Hylena finally said.
Meredith Hart 