What do you think?
Rate this book
Battle for Leiria #3
A Heavy Hammer
The Thrilling Conclusion to The Battle for Leiria trilogy!
A healer surrounded by enemies…
Reva never imagined she’d find herself in such a deadly position. In the King’s war camp, every set of eyes she meets belongs to an enemy. But as the war begins, keeping her identity hidden becomes the least of her worries…
A gladiator scarred by a failed rebellion…
After being forced to end his alliance in the most brutal way, Aedon is left broken and forgotten in the dark depths of the arena. What hope could possibly linger, after all he has lost?
An unlikely rebel…
Sellah wishes she’d escaped when she had the chance. Plagued by suspicion, she’s forced to prove herself on a dangerous mission with a partner who's less than trustworthy.
A Princess caught in a deadly trap…
Ari knows there’s no escape. But in order to save the nation, she must put every single person she loves in mortal danger.
Who will survive the Battle for Leiria?
A healer surrounded by enemies…
Reva never imagined she’d find herself in such a deadly position. In the King’s war camp, every set of eyes she meets belongs to an enemy. But as the war begins, keeping her identity hidden becomes the least of her worries…
A gladiator scarred by a failed rebellion…
After being forced to end his alliance in the most brutal way, Aedon is left broken and forgotten in the dark depths of the arena. What hope could possibly linger, after all he has lost?
An unlikely rebel…
Sellah wishes she’d escaped when she had the chance. Plagued by suspicion, she’s forced to prove herself on a dangerous mission with a partner who's less than trustworthy.
A Princess caught in a deadly trap…
Ari knows there’s no escape. But in order to save the nation, she must put every single person she loves in mortal danger.
Who will survive the Battle for Leiria?
678 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 1, 2025
8 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
Jill M. Beene
15 books207 followersBe sure to follow me on Goodreads to get every update! I live in sunny California with my handsome husband and my slobbery English Mastiff, Rupert. I've always loved stories and wanted to write novels. When I'm not getting words on the page, I'm walking my dog or cooking something (hopefully) delicious. Feel free to ask me a question or connect with me here, but you can also find me on Instagram or my website, JillMBeene.com. I so appreciate my readers! Thank you!
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 1, 2025
Stupendous! Maybe my new favourite series - I couldn’t stop reading.
I love them so much.
🥳🥳
I love them so much.
🥳🥳
December 30, 2025
This was a super fast-paced finale with character-driven development and plot action in equal measure. I love the cast of characters the author created and will miss their snarky personalities and heroic grit. The reader comes such a long way with Ari from the very first page to the last page of this trilogy. Her growth is very apparent. And the world of Leiria is so vast and dynamic I could see this author writing spin-off after spin-off in this one world.
Why 4 and not 5 stars? It was hard for this one to follow book two for me. In my opinion, the shining hallmark of this trilogy is Reva and Callan's romance. Their subplot is unmatched. I would have been content with a romantasy novel just about them. I was definitely invested in the other POVs and enjoyed all of them, but I was left wanting more from a couple of characters. If Reva & Callan were my favorite part then my biggest complaint is not getting more of Irick. I feel like he could have been given more page-time in regards to his romance with Ari and in moving the plot. He felt like a little bit of wasted potential. I loved his introduction in book one and just could not shake the feeling the rest of the trilogy that I wish the reader got a lot more of him. I was so excited for him in book one and then in 2 and 3 he felt flat to me, which made me sad haha. This trilogy is definitely a fantasy with romance not a romantasy.
I really liked the post-mortem chapters wrapping up the resolution of this trilogy but the actual climax felt too rushed. It was over too quickly in my opinion for how much waiting and patience the conflict demanded. Overall, this trilogy was such a fun time. I love this author's writing style so much and just love reading what she writes. Her flow is great and the tone is down-to-earth in such a tangible way. She writes some stand-out characters that I will not forget. I will definitely be reading more from her.
In this book:
-multi-POV
-high stakes
-political intrigue
-princess heroine
-several romantic subplots
-wolf companion
-war/rebellion
-so much more!
Content Guide:
romance - clean/suggestive
language - 5 uses of "sh*t", 2 uses of "damn", 1 use of "bastard", 4 uses of "whore", 1 use of "hell" in addition to crude descriptions
violence - frequent and semi-graphic
fantasy - very low/non-magical (1 or 2 brief references to the existence of fae but they're not a part of this trilogy on-page at all; a metal with special properties)
Content Warnings:
-violent animal attacks resulting in death
-domestic abuse/physical assault
-human captivity/slavery
-euphemisms for lewd/sexual acts off-page
-euphemisms for intended sexual violence
-on-page attempted murder/murder/death
-war injuries described
Why 4 and not 5 stars? It was hard for this one to follow book two for me. In my opinion, the shining hallmark of this trilogy is Reva and Callan's romance. Their subplot is unmatched. I would have been content with a romantasy novel just about them. I was definitely invested in the other POVs and enjoyed all of them, but I was left wanting more from a couple of characters. If Reva & Callan were my favorite part then my biggest complaint is not getting more of Irick. I feel like he could have been given more page-time in regards to his romance with Ari and in moving the plot. He felt like a little bit of wasted potential. I loved his introduction in book one and just could not shake the feeling the rest of the trilogy that I wish the reader got a lot more of him. I was so excited for him in book one and then in 2 and 3 he felt flat to me, which made me sad haha. This trilogy is definitely a fantasy with romance not a romantasy.
I really liked the post-mortem chapters wrapping up the resolution of this trilogy but the actual climax felt too rushed. It was over too quickly in my opinion for how much waiting and patience the conflict demanded. Overall, this trilogy was such a fun time. I love this author's writing style so much and just love reading what she writes. Her flow is great and the tone is down-to-earth in such a tangible way. She writes some stand-out characters that I will not forget. I will definitely be reading more from her.
In this book:
-multi-POV
-high stakes
-political intrigue
-princess heroine
-several romantic subplots
-wolf companion
-war/rebellion
-so much more!
Content Guide:
romance - clean/suggestive
language - 5 uses of "sh*t", 2 uses of "damn", 1 use of "bastard", 4 uses of "whore", 1 use of "hell" in addition to crude descriptions
violence - frequent and semi-graphic
fantasy - very low/non-magical (1 or 2 brief references to the existence of fae but they're not a part of this trilogy on-page at all; a metal with special properties)
Content Warnings:
-violent animal attacks resulting in death
-domestic abuse/physical assault
-human captivity/slavery
-euphemisms for lewd/sexual acts off-page
-euphemisms for intended sexual violence
-on-page attempted murder/murder/death
-war injuries described
May 23, 2025
Heart-pounding, action packed, suspenseful climax to the series. The hangover, though! argh
Stakes are high, emotions are raging, villains lose masks, and heroes grow more tired. All careening into the climax of the story! And It’s the perfect climax of the trilogy!
By this time you are quite invested to have the drama of betrayal and violence and rebellion to end. The characters that have become dear demand to have a happy ending, and you are no longer an impassive reader. Be prepared for all your hopes and desires and expectations rise a high wave of emotions. The multiple POVs, engaging prose, and an incredible plot make it easy.
One of the beautiful things you read in the series is the maturity and growth of main characters, the sacrifices they make, the consequence they endure. It’s truly one of the best reasons to read this series.
Plus romance.
Plus humor.
Plus action.
Plus suspense.
Plus plot twists.
Plus redemption and second-chance arcs.
Possible triggers: war, violence, wounds (descriptive), relationships outside marriage (alluded)
I had a privilege to read an advanced copy and absolutely loved it! All opinions expressed are my own
Stakes are high, emotions are raging, villains lose masks, and heroes grow more tired. All careening into the climax of the story! And It’s the perfect climax of the trilogy!
By this time you are quite invested to have the drama of betrayal and violence and rebellion to end. The characters that have become dear demand to have a happy ending, and you are no longer an impassive reader. Be prepared for all your hopes and desires and expectations rise a high wave of emotions. The multiple POVs, engaging prose, and an incredible plot make it easy.
One of the beautiful things you read in the series is the maturity and growth of main characters, the sacrifices they make, the consequence they endure. It’s truly one of the best reasons to read this series.
Plus romance.
Plus humor.
Plus action.
Plus suspense.
Plus plot twists.
Plus redemption and second-chance arcs.
Possible triggers: war, violence, wounds (descriptive), relationships outside marriage (alluded)
I had a privilege to read an advanced copy and absolutely loved it! All opinions expressed are my own
August 5, 2025
I was so privileged to get an ARC copy of this book to read! The last two books had twisted the tension screws so high for me that getting to finally read the ending was such a relief!
As always, the author wrote with such great quality- plot, progression/pacing, emotions, characters etc were just fantastic!
The ending was definitely satisfying too. Nothing too outlandish or unbelievable. The only reason I dropped half a star… the ending did feel just a little *too* easy. This is probably a me problem, but I had felt the stakes getting higher & higher throughout the series and it had been built up so well, that when the ‘solution’ was found, it almost seemed a little anticlimactic. But nothing so much that would stop me from thoroughly recommending this series. If you’ve enjoyed the Author’s other novels, and enjoyed the first two books of this series, then you will definitely enjoy this epic conclusion.
As always, the author wrote with such great quality- plot, progression/pacing, emotions, characters etc were just fantastic!
The ending was definitely satisfying too. Nothing too outlandish or unbelievable. The only reason I dropped half a star… the ending did feel just a little *too* easy. This is probably a me problem, but I had felt the stakes getting higher & higher throughout the series and it had been built up so well, that when the ‘solution’ was found, it almost seemed a little anticlimactic. But nothing so much that would stop me from thoroughly recommending this series. If you’ve enjoyed the Author’s other novels, and enjoyed the first two books of this series, then you will definitely enjoy this epic conclusion.
August 2, 2025
Brilliant conclusion to the series, in fact, the best of all the books of hers that I have read.
I will be honest that I did not enjoy the first half of the first book in this trilogy. I only finished reading it because I had committed to an ARC Review. When authors do not write to their strengths it can disappoint their readers. (Compare plot driven Agatha Christie vs character driven Mary Westmacott - same author different style of writing - her strength was in her plotting.) A good content editor would have cut the weakest sections, kept them to brief retrospectives, to keep the pace and interest. There is no point to having a slow start if you lose a lot of readers after the first chapters.
I will be honest that I did not enjoy the first half of the first book in this trilogy. I only finished reading it because I had committed to an ARC Review. When authors do not write to their strengths it can disappoint their readers. (Compare plot driven Agatha Christie vs character driven Mary Westmacott - same author different style of writing - her strength was in her plotting.) A good content editor would have cut the weakest sections, kept them to brief retrospectives, to keep the pace and interest. There is no point to having a slow start if you lose a lot of readers after the first chapters.
August 14, 2025
This was fantastic, I think Jill outdid herself with this one. Everything wrapped up perfectly and I loved all of the different POVs that brought everything together. I was really tempted to DNF the first book because of how naive the princess was for the whole first half of the book, but her character growth was off the charts.
Personally, Callan was definitely my favorite male character in all the books. Master Eoin came in second, they seemed to be the most helpful. And I loved Sellah and Reva’s roles. And the brothers all coming to protect their sister was *chef’s kiss*.
This was a great series!
Personally, Callan was definitely my favorite male character in all the books. Master Eoin came in second, they seemed to be the most helpful. And I loved Sellah and Reva’s roles. And the brothers all coming to protect their sister was *chef’s kiss*.
This was a great series!
September 14, 2025
What an excellent ending to this series.
The characters development was wonderfully done with some of those I had disliked growing on me immensely.
The end battle was executed to perfection and the pacing driving up to the crescendo was steady and engaging.
I’m a little sad that this series is now finished, it’s been one of the best this year for me.
I look forward to what Jill brings us next!
The characters development was wonderfully done with some of those I had disliked growing on me immensely.
The end battle was executed to perfection and the pacing driving up to the crescendo was steady and engaging.
I’m a little sad that this series is now finished, it’s been one of the best this year for me.
I look forward to what Jill brings us next!
January 2, 2026
Great finale!
This book was full of adventure, teeming with intrigue, and bursting with all the heart-pounding romance you can handle.
Rated PG-13 for violence and the presence of a few swears. The romance would again be around half a 🌶 for basic kisses, though its swoon inducing abilities are 10/10.
I felt this was a beautifully written wrap-up of the series, and i loved the growth the characters made throughout the story.
Don't miss the epic journey of this one!!
This book was full of adventure, teeming with intrigue, and bursting with all the heart-pounding romance you can handle.
Rated PG-13 for violence and the presence of a few swears. The romance would again be around half a 🌶 for basic kisses, though its swoon inducing abilities are 10/10.
I felt this was a beautifully written wrap-up of the series, and i loved the growth the characters made throughout the story.
Don't miss the epic journey of this one!!
August 21, 2025
I loved the series
I'm a picky person so every little thing that wasn't right would bother me. A few times I was not happy with the authors way of going into a situation but, the rest of the story kept me interested. It had lots of action and funny characters. Loved the banter. Anyway,hi recommend the short series. Love her ending too.
I'm a picky person so every little thing that wasn't right would bother me. A few times I was not happy with the authors way of going into a situation but, the rest of the story kept me interested. It had lots of action and funny characters. Loved the banter. Anyway,hi recommend the short series. Love her ending too.
August 3, 2025
Great ending to the series!
August 3, 2025
such a great end
The end of the series is so worth the journey. I enjoyed every moment. All the different lines are satisfactorily resolved. Such great characters.
The end of the series is so worth the journey. I enjoyed every moment. All the different lines are satisfactorily resolved. Such great characters.
August 9, 2025
Loved it!
I’ve been waiting for this final book & it was everything I hoped for! Cannot wait for more Jill M. Beene books!
I’ve been waiting for this final book & it was everything I hoped for! Cannot wait for more Jill M. Beene books!
August 13, 2025
Couldn't put it down
This series is so good! I wish I could have ignored all of my responsibilities because I didn't want to put it down. The ending was quite satisfying.
This series is so good! I wish I could have ignored all of my responsibilities because I didn't want to put it down. The ending was quite satisfying.
August 15, 2025
Great Trilogy
I really appreciated this trilogy. It’s been here for me during a time of sickness and difficulty. I found it deeply satisfying.
I really appreciated this trilogy. It’s been here for me during a time of sickness and difficulty. I found it deeply satisfying.
September 18, 2025
: )
This devious author could conquer and reign her own kingdom.
If you enjoy your power as a woman of strategy you should read what MS Beene has offered in this series.
This devious author could conquer and reign her own kingdom.
If you enjoy your power as a woman of strategy you should read what MS Beene has offered in this series.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews