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Shadow Sword Trilogy #1
Shadow Sword
Defending those they swore to protect might cost more than they bargained for.
Sellsword Morrígan wants nothing more than to defend innocent people. So when Dàibhid, the king of Cunlaran, offers her and her friends the opportunity, she can hardly say no. But working for Dàibhid could expose her secret—she’s not only a princess but Dàibhid’s childhood ex-best friend. If he ever realizes who he has in his castle, Morrígan’s life will come crashing down. The problem is, it’s more difficult keeping her distance than it should be.
Dàibhid is desperate to protect his subjects against an invading enemy intent on stealing his throne. Cautious with lives and hoping to avoid war, Dàibhid hires sellswords to gather information undercover. But when the mission goes sideways and people get hurt, Dàibhid’s fear of failing his subjects worsens. The only effective balm seems to be spending time with one of his new hires . . .
As the pair grows closer, enemy attacks turn deadlier and the team’s mission becomes paramount. With secrets and lives on the line, Morrígan and Dàibhid must ask themselves what they’re willing to risk before everything they’ve worked for is lost.
Shadow Sword is the first book in a New Adult romantasy trilogy inspired by Irish mythology and the fairytale The Twelve Dancing Princesses. Perfect for fans of The Bridge Kingdom and Dance of Thieves, this second world romantic fantasy features a fierce FMC, a cinnamon roll MMC, a slow-burn romance, and found family.
Sellsword Morrígan wants nothing more than to defend innocent people. So when Dàibhid, the king of Cunlaran, offers her and her friends the opportunity, she can hardly say no. But working for Dàibhid could expose her secret—she’s not only a princess but Dàibhid’s childhood ex-best friend. If he ever realizes who he has in his castle, Morrígan’s life will come crashing down. The problem is, it’s more difficult keeping her distance than it should be.
Dàibhid is desperate to protect his subjects against an invading enemy intent on stealing his throne. Cautious with lives and hoping to avoid war, Dàibhid hires sellswords to gather information undercover. But when the mission goes sideways and people get hurt, Dàibhid’s fear of failing his subjects worsens. The only effective balm seems to be spending time with one of his new hires . . .
As the pair grows closer, enemy attacks turn deadlier and the team’s mission becomes paramount. With secrets and lives on the line, Morrígan and Dàibhid must ask themselves what they’re willing to risk before everything they’ve worked for is lost.
Shadow Sword is the first book in a New Adult romantasy trilogy inspired by Irish mythology and the fairytale The Twelve Dancing Princesses. Perfect for fans of The Bridge Kingdom and Dance of Thieves, this second world romantic fantasy features a fierce FMC, a cinnamon roll MMC, a slow-burn romance, and found family.
443 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 27, 2025
About the author
Kaila Desjardins
2 books9 followersKaila Desjardins is a writer and freelance editor from Ontario, Canada. Having never grown out of fairytale magic, she adores stories with epic loves, enchanting worlds, and sword fighting princesses. When not working on a book or editing for a client, she’s likely reading, watching Disney, or wishing Starfleet was real.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 26, 2025
And toying with him was too much fun. Fuck caution. Let’s see what I could get away with.
All the stars because it’s my bestie's debut novel 🤭🥳
You know, I don't think I've read a book based on Celtic mythology? Or at least not like this one! And the Twelve Dancing Princesses! It was so unique! The research that went into it was 👏
Get ready to meet the most cinnamon roll-y man you've ever met. A golden retriever dream. A cinnamon retriever, a golden roll, if you will.
A golden roll.
What tf am I saying at this point?
Anyway, what a great debut novel featuring a badass FMC, found family, all the middle ages vibes (is that a thing? I didn't know how to word it lmao), cheese biscuits, and slow burn romance!
“I’m clearly the eldest if this behavior is anything to go off. They need me.”
“Well, then you’re the eldest of us all,” Brí said.
“How dare you,” Dàibhid said.
I loved Brí and Dàibhid's banter, and I especially loved that she didn't betray her brother because I have trust issues and was expecting it the whole time lmao
The thing I loved most was the family aspect tho, the trio, and I'm hoping we maybe see some more of Rígan's family too 👀 and I'm obvvviously hoping for more Rígan and Dàibhid
“You two really are alike. Time-wasting caution and maybe action later if the mood suits you.”
Regan took no shit from anyone and I loved that *clap*
Thank you so much, Kaila, for this ARC!
_____________
okay, that's cool that Goodreads didn't save anything I wrote, or even the star rating 😗
rtc
All the stars because it’s my bestie's debut novel 🤭🥳
You know, I don't think I've read a book based on Celtic mythology? Or at least not like this one! And the Twelve Dancing Princesses! It was so unique! The research that went into it was 👏
Get ready to meet the most cinnamon roll-y man you've ever met. A golden retriever dream. A cinnamon retriever, a golden roll, if you will.
A golden roll.
What tf am I saying at this point?
Anyway, what a great debut novel featuring a badass FMC, found family, all the middle ages vibes (is that a thing? I didn't know how to word it lmao), cheese biscuits, and slow burn romance!
“I’m clearly the eldest if this behavior is anything to go off. They need me.”
“Well, then you’re the eldest of us all,” Brí said.
“How dare you,” Dàibhid said.
I loved Brí and Dàibhid's banter, and I especially loved that she didn't betray her brother because I have trust issues and was expecting it the whole time lmao
The thing I loved most was the family aspect tho, the trio, and I'm hoping we maybe see some more of Rígan's family too 👀 and I'm obvvviously hoping for more Rígan and Dàibhid
“You two really are alike. Time-wasting caution and maybe action later if the mood suits you.”
Regan took no shit from anyone and I loved that *clap*
Thank you so much, Kaila, for this ARC!
_____________
okay, that's cool that Goodreads didn't save anything I wrote, or even the star rating 😗
rtc
June 1, 2025
I'm so grateful for the opportunity to read this for free. Sadly, work and life got in the way and is inky now that I may post my opinion.
Rigan is quite the stabby and smart-ass FMC. I truly adored her. The chapter could be shorter, in my opinion, although, that didn't take from the story.
I loved the ambiance, the rising tension, the looming war and the growing feelings between Rigan and King Dàibhid. An exceptional slow burn and very worth it! I can not wait to read what will the Exile leader Balor will do next to try and dethrone Dàinhid.
Rigan is quite the stabby and smart-ass FMC. I truly adored her. The chapter could be shorter, in my opinion, although, that didn't take from the story.
I loved the ambiance, the rising tension, the looming war and the growing feelings between Rigan and King Dàibhid. An exceptional slow burn and very worth it! I can not wait to read what will the Exile leader Balor will do next to try and dethrone Dàinhid.
September 18, 2026
Shadow Sword by Canadian author Kaila Desjardins s is the 1st book of the romantasy trilogy Shadow Sword.
Corrigan is a strong, decisive young woman who found at a very young age, that her true path in life had nothing to do with being a royal princess and more with defending vulnerable people. Hence, she decided to leave her country and family and live under a different identity
During one of her missions as a sellsword, she ends up having to work for her childhood ex-best friend, Dàibhid, king of Cunlaran, who hires Morrigan and her friends to help him defend his kingdom from a very complex enemy. A situation, that she is afraid might jeopardize all that she has accomplished. Therefore, in order to avoid that Dàibhid recognize her, after years of not seeing each other,she tries her best to keep her interactions with the king limited and professional. However, this seems difficult, not only because she realizes that even after years of no contact, there is still a special connection between them. But also, because the twists and turns this mission takes will make it difficult for both Morrigan and Dàibhid to stay loyal to their initial purposes.
This is a book that I couldn't put down because it was engaging from the beginning. It has political intrigue, action and drama that were developed in a cohesive and comprehensive way. I also liked the interaction between the main characters, the slow burn and how both navigate through their own struggles and growth. I also enjoyed the dynamic of the found family and how secondary characters are being developed throughout the book.
Highly recommended
Corrigan is a strong, decisive young woman who found at a very young age, that her true path in life had nothing to do with being a royal princess and more with defending vulnerable people. Hence, she decided to leave her country and family and live under a different identity
During one of her missions as a sellsword, she ends up having to work for her childhood ex-best friend, Dàibhid, king of Cunlaran, who hires Morrigan and her friends to help him defend his kingdom from a very complex enemy. A situation, that she is afraid might jeopardize all that she has accomplished. Therefore, in order to avoid that Dàibhid recognize her, after years of not seeing each other,she tries her best to keep her interactions with the king limited and professional. However, this seems difficult, not only because she realizes that even after years of no contact, there is still a special connection between them. But also, because the twists and turns this mission takes will make it difficult for both Morrigan and Dàibhid to stay loyal to their initial purposes.
This is a book that I couldn't put down because it was engaging from the beginning. It has political intrigue, action and drama that were developed in a cohesive and comprehensive way. I also liked the interaction between the main characters, the slow burn and how both navigate through their own struggles and growth. I also enjoyed the dynamic of the found family and how secondary characters are being developed throughout the book.
Highly recommended
September 23, 2026
This book took me by surprise in the best way!!! I LOVED it and I am so excited to continue the series. The quality of writing and story building is up there with well known series and established authors!
The world building is always so important to me and I could picture all of the different scenes and locations in this book and felt deeply connected to the characters.
I loved the strong FMC, who despite being born a princess, fights for everything she believes in including a name she feels connected to. Also loved the MMC especially his big heart and drive to want to do the right thing by his people. I loved the slow burn and am excited to see where their relationship goes. I also loved being able to flash back to when they were younger as part of the story building.
Along with following the main characters the author also did a great job of building side characters and following their growth. I also love a good found family trope :)
The pacing of this book was spot on and I found it unique compared to other Romantasy books and I still have some questions I’m excited to get answers in the following books. I will be recommending this series to all of my friends and this will be a top read of the year for sure.
The world building is always so important to me and I could picture all of the different scenes and locations in this book and felt deeply connected to the characters.
I loved the strong FMC, who despite being born a princess, fights for everything she believes in including a name she feels connected to. Also loved the MMC especially his big heart and drive to want to do the right thing by his people. I loved the slow burn and am excited to see where their relationship goes. I also loved being able to flash back to when they were younger as part of the story building.
Along with following the main characters the author also did a great job of building side characters and following their growth. I also love a good found family trope :)
The pacing of this book was spot on and I found it unique compared to other Romantasy books and I still have some questions I’m excited to get answers in the following books. I will be recommending this series to all of my friends and this will be a top read of the year for sure.
May 10, 2025
I've never read a book with such a clear "cinnamon roll" male main character until this one. King Dàibhid perfectly embodies this trope, and I loved him. Rígan is the stronger, kickass heroine, and together they balance each other beautifully.
I thoroughly enjoyed this first book in the series. While there's minimal spice—just a kiss or two near the end—it's filled with heart-wrenching emotional struggles. The side characters create a wonderful found family dynamic. This story weaves together secret lives, an uprising, and lost-and-found friendships that completely drew me in. Though it ends without resolving the main conflict, there's a strong determination to continue their fight against a power-hungry villain. I'm excited to see how everything unfolds in the next book. If you enjoy the following elements, you should read this:
💚Cinnamon Roll MMC
⚔️Strong & Stabby FMC
💚Hidden Identity/Royalty
⚔️Childhood ex-best friends to lovers
💚Found Family
⚔️Slow-burn Romance
💚Inspired by Irish Mythology
I thoroughly enjoyed this first book in the series. While there's minimal spice—just a kiss or two near the end—it's filled with heart-wrenching emotional struggles. The side characters create a wonderful found family dynamic. This story weaves together secret lives, an uprising, and lost-and-found friendships that completely drew me in. Though it ends without resolving the main conflict, there's a strong determination to continue their fight against a power-hungry villain. I'm excited to see how everything unfolds in the next book. If you enjoy the following elements, you should read this:
💚Cinnamon Roll MMC
⚔️Strong & Stabby FMC
💚Hidden Identity/Royalty
⚔️Childhood ex-best friends to lovers
💚Found Family
⚔️Slow-burn Romance
💚Inspired by Irish Mythology
May 27, 2025
⚔️ 𝓢𝓱𝓪𝓭𝓸𝔀 𝓢𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓭 𝓐𝓡𝓒 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀 ⚔️
🌿I had a blast reading Shadow Sword, the first book in the Shadow Sword Trilogy by @kailadesjardinsbooks ⚔️ The world building and characters were compelling. Desjardins created a perfect mix of action, character interactions, and romantic intrigue to keep me turning pages late into the night!
⚔️The story follows Morrígan (Rígan), a sellsword with a secret, and Dàibhid, the King of Cunlaran. Rígan hopes to keep her identity a secret after Dàibhid hires her and her fellow sellswords to complete a royal mission. Both characters are fighting for peace for the land that they love dearly, but a mysterious enemy is set on stealing Dàibhid’s throne by any means necessary. Meanwhile Rígan’s secret is at risk of being discovered, making the independent life she’s worked hard to build at risk as well.
🌿You’ll love this book if you love🌿
⚔️Sellsword FMC
⚔️Secret Identity
⚔️Royal MMC
⚔️Found Family
⚔️Childhood Friends to Lovers
⚔️Slow Burn
**I received an advanced copy of Shadow Sword - All opinions are my own**
🌿I had a blast reading Shadow Sword, the first book in the Shadow Sword Trilogy by @kailadesjardinsbooks ⚔️ The world building and characters were compelling. Desjardins created a perfect mix of action, character interactions, and romantic intrigue to keep me turning pages late into the night!
⚔️The story follows Morrígan (Rígan), a sellsword with a secret, and Dàibhid, the King of Cunlaran. Rígan hopes to keep her identity a secret after Dàibhid hires her and her fellow sellswords to complete a royal mission. Both characters are fighting for peace for the land that they love dearly, but a mysterious enemy is set on stealing Dàibhid’s throne by any means necessary. Meanwhile Rígan’s secret is at risk of being discovered, making the independent life she’s worked hard to build at risk as well.
🌿You’ll love this book if you love🌿
⚔️Sellsword FMC
⚔️Secret Identity
⚔️Royal MMC
⚔️Found Family
⚔️Childhood Friends to Lovers
⚔️Slow Burn
**I received an advanced copy of Shadow Sword - All opinions are my own**
May 26, 2025
Shadow Sword by Kaila Desjardins 💚
Series, Book 1
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
New Adult • Romantasy
ARC Review
501 Pages
🗓️ May 27
💚childhood friends to strangers to lovers
🤎🗡️ FMC
💚cinnamon roll MMC
🤎secret identity
💚found family
📌”I like how much you care. Might be one of my favorite things about you.”
📌 “Why aren’t you telling him?”
“You’re too important to me.”
I think I’ve entered my cinnamon roll MMC era. This might be the beginning of an age because I’m so not leaving Dàibhid, our king with the biggest heart.
But if I adored our golden retriever monarch, I also very much adored our “I will not apologize for kicking everybody’s rear end” FMC. Rigan was strong, resilient, loyal and so sweet under all that hard shelling.
Kaila’s writing was top top 👏🏼 I was sold from the very beginning and so invested in this two in a blink of an eye. I know I shouldn’t but I just can’t help it… I’m already thinking about book 2 🫣
Series, Book 1
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
New Adult • Romantasy
ARC Review
501 Pages
🗓️ May 27
💚childhood friends to strangers to lovers
🤎🗡️ FMC
💚cinnamon roll MMC
🤎secret identity
💚found family
📌”I like how much you care. Might be one of my favorite things about you.”
📌 “Why aren’t you telling him?”
“You’re too important to me.”
I think I’ve entered my cinnamon roll MMC era. This might be the beginning of an age because I’m so not leaving Dàibhid, our king with the biggest heart.
But if I adored our golden retriever monarch, I also very much adored our “I will not apologize for kicking everybody’s rear end” FMC. Rigan was strong, resilient, loyal and so sweet under all that hard shelling.
Kaila’s writing was top top 👏🏼 I was sold from the very beginning and so invested in this two in a blink of an eye. I know I shouldn’t but I just can’t help it… I’m already thinking about book 2 🫣
October 14, 2026
The King called us shadow swords in for a mission to gather information against the rebels and exiles that want to dethrone him.
What the King doesn't know is he once knew me as Kit the girl he chatted with at the yearly ball. Till our age and countries drifted us apart.
I am the youngest daughter, I chose to come to another country and become a shadow sword recruiting friends Maya and Luc. What they don't know is that I am a princess and I am sacred. If they find out they will treat me differently?
The battle is brewing between Exiles and the Crowns.
Will Nina be able to help the King win the battle or will she lose the only allies she ever had?
The King and Nina will face feelings, truth and betrayal unlike no other.
The battle has started which side are you on?
For fans of hidden identity, true love, war, and betrayal this book will knock down the right doors for you. Inspired by King who is just fighting for his people and a princess who is here to serve justice.
What the King doesn't know is he once knew me as Kit the girl he chatted with at the yearly ball. Till our age and countries drifted us apart.
I am the youngest daughter, I chose to come to another country and become a shadow sword recruiting friends Maya and Luc. What they don't know is that I am a princess and I am sacred. If they find out they will treat me differently?
The battle is brewing between Exiles and the Crowns.
Will Nina be able to help the King win the battle or will she lose the only allies she ever had?
The King and Nina will face feelings, truth and betrayal unlike no other.
The battle has started which side are you on?
For fans of hidden identity, true love, war, and betrayal this book will knock down the right doors for you. Inspired by King who is just fighting for his people and a princess who is here to serve justice.
May 3, 2025
Thank you Kaila Desjardins for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Rigan is a sellswords man, Dàibhid is the king who hires her. However there is more to their story then he knows, its a past Rigan hoped to leave behind. While she struggles to keep who she is a secret Daibhid is fighting to keep control of his country.
Rigan and Daibhid have a multilayered relationship that hinges on trust and acceptance.
Rigan has truly focused on being herself she has built a relationship with 2 friends that ended up becoming her family and the bond those 3 share was fun to read about.
Tropes
Found family
Sells swordsmen
Childhood friends
Hidden identities
I really enjoyed seeing how this complex relationship develop and change throughout this book and cant wait to see what happened next.
Rigan is a sellswords man, Dàibhid is the king who hires her. However there is more to their story then he knows, its a past Rigan hoped to leave behind. While she struggles to keep who she is a secret Daibhid is fighting to keep control of his country.
Rigan and Daibhid have a multilayered relationship that hinges on trust and acceptance.
Rigan has truly focused on being herself she has built a relationship with 2 friends that ended up becoming her family and the bond those 3 share was fun to read about.
Tropes
Found family
Sells swordsmen
Childhood friends
Hidden identities
I really enjoyed seeing how this complex relationship develop and change throughout this book and cant wait to see what happened next.
May 11, 2026
A runaway royal living as a sellsword among friends who are closer than family. A gentle-hearted king seeking peace with a rebel group bent on violence. Sparks fly when these two childhood friends meet again, yet one of them is in disguise. This is a story about identity, found family, and authentic self-expression with high political stakes. The slow burn is painfully slow in the best way. Gorgeous prose, astute emotional insights, and elegantly crafted world building. A must read for fans of cozy-adjacent high fantasy with romantic subplot, green flag men, and LGBTQ+ rep.
June 2, 2025
You know a book is great when you stay up way too late and shirk your responsibilities to finish it. The characters were filled with heart, the world was artfully crafted, the romance was the perfect amount of squee. Loved it.
Did Not Finish
October 1, 2025Soft DNF’ing this 18% simply because I don’t think I’m the right target audience for this . . . 😥
Thank you to the author for sending this to me in exchange for helping reveal the cover and give an honest review of the book! ❤️
Thank you to the author for sending this to me in exchange for helping reveal the cover and give an honest review of the book! ❤️
September 27, 2025
Excellent read, well built out world and characters. Can’t recommend it enough. A tale about the various kinds of love, the families we have, the families we choose and finding our own paths.
August 4, 2026
I really enjoyed this book from start to finish. Great characters and strong female characters who are in charge and mean business!
Did Not Finish
September 16, 2026Just couldn't get into the world or connect with any characters. Might try again in the future.
September 14, 2025
This book means so much to me. The characters, the story, the warmth from all around is like a hug in book form.
I loved the FMC Rígan, a true bad@ss in every sense of the word. And despite all that, she still loves her dresses. Multi-faceted, and breaking stereotypes all around, she was a delight on the page.
And the MMC, Dàibhid, a true all around cinnamon roll, also broke stereotypes of his own. His power given to him by birthright, his imposter syndrome by his genuine care for the country for which he is ruler, he is the type of king everyone wishes they had on their side.
With the sweetest found family, and a strong sense of altruism, the characters will weave their way into many hearts.
I loved the FMC Rígan, a true bad@ss in every sense of the word. And despite all that, she still loves her dresses. Multi-faceted, and breaking stereotypes all around, she was a delight on the page.
And the MMC, Dàibhid, a true all around cinnamon roll, also broke stereotypes of his own. His power given to him by birthright, his imposter syndrome by his genuine care for the country for which he is ruler, he is the type of king everyone wishes they had on their side.
With the sweetest found family, and a strong sense of altruism, the characters will weave their way into many hearts.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews