Leythe Blade

by Jaye McKenna

Sasha is a healer forced to take on the role of a warrior when his clan is attacked. Trapped in his caravan, the only weapon he can lay hands on is Ryka, the legendary sword that has been in his family for generations. To Sasha’s horror, the blade takes control of his body and turns him into a ruthless killer. Worse, Ryka sets in motion an irreversible process that will bind them together for life — if Sasha can survive the bonding.

Jace is a mercenary soldier, charged with protecting his commander’s brother, Eredwyn, on a journey through the Middle Kingdoms. When Eredwyn’s sometimes-prophetic visions lead them to the dying Sasha, Eredwyn insists that they must save him.

As Sasha struggles to come to terms with Ryka and his need to avenge his clan, Jace finds himself torn between his orders to protect Eredwyn and his growing feelings for Sasha. Can Jace walk the fine line between duty and desire, or will Sasha’s plans for vengeance lead all three men to their deaths?

Genres: Fantasy, M M Romance, Romance, Magic, LGBT, Supernatural, High Fantasy

238 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 23, 2015

About the author

Jaye McKenna was born a Brit and was dragged, kicking and screaming, across the Pond at an age when such vehement protest was doomed to be misinterpreted as a “paddy”. She grew up near a sumac forest in Minnesota and spent most of her teen years torturing her parents with her electric guitar and her dark poetry. She was punk before it was cool and a grown-up long before she was ready. Jaye writes fantasy and science fiction stories about hot guys who have the hots for each other. She enjoys making them work darn hard for their happy endings, which might explain why she never gets invited to their parties.

Reviews

[Tully Vincent · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded up
This standalone story is set in the same universe as the author’s other series, Guardians of the Leythe, The Wytch Kings of Skanda (Burn the Sky), and Guardians of the Pattern. It takes place on the earth-like world of Aion during the time period after the first two series but before the last. Excellent world-building and characters. And the leythe blades are fascinating. I’d very much enjoy a story in which we get to explore exactly how they all came into existence.

[Jaye McKenna]

Available now at Amazon, All Romance, and Smashwords.

Coming soon to other retailers.

[M'rella · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.3 stars.

For some reason I expected more. More action, more adventure, more suspense, a much more satisfying crunch under the boot when things got really intense in the end. Still, a nice read :)

[Micha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this after Burn the Sky and I like the story, but I can't rate it above 2 stars since Sasha annoyed me so much for practically the first half of the book, making me almost give up several times. Something about him got me impatient. If this book had been part of a series, sure I could understand the need for such a character development arc. As it stands, though, no. He irritated me too long for an abrupt "oh now I see the light and will be a different person" epiphany.

After getting through that, things happened but it didn't feel like much was happening, if that made any sense. The flirting between Sasha and Jace was kinda cute and sweet but that was it. I like Ryka, the sword, most of all. Then suddenly it was epilogue, where everything was wrapped up in a nice little HEA bow.

Overall...

[Chancey "Does not give out 5's like candy" Knowles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I Loved the Guardians Series, and I have really liked most of the other series I've read from this Universe.

This story was not bad at all. It just isn't as good as the others I've read from the author which even included some 5 stars.

The pacing was slow. I had too many questions about the bad guy and the Kind he served.
Examples;
Why was the new King so paranoid when his father was not?
How did the "hunter" get involved with the royal court?
I would have liked a clearer understanding of his exile and what motivated his actions. It seemed extreme and originally had nothing to do with the sword.
Why was it so important Sasha live? That was never really explained.

There were more all of them little niggly things that kept the story from being better than just good.

[Ame · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leythe Blade is one of the best M/M fantasy books I have read this year. The crisp and engaging writing style leaves a warm and fuzzy feeling, and the fully fleshed out world provides a solid foundation for the action of a splendid story. Jace and Sasha look great together. They get their HEA and what's even better is that there are other books set in the same enchanting universe.
A highly recommended read.

[Rebekah Reeves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting ride through fantasy

I enjoyed this from beginning to end. The world building was solid uncomplicated and flowed around the story. Jase and Shasa were made for each other. The story was fast paced and hard to put down. The ending was perfect. Loved reading this adventure/romance.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story! I loved Sasha and Jace and they were perfect for each other. I really love the world that Jaye McKenna has created for this series and I hope there will be even more books about characters living in it. The only other books written that are based in this world, that I haven't read, yet, are the Pattern series and I look forward to reading those.

[Td · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this author's work!

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a shade over 4 stars
reviewette to follow

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love this series and this book was no exception. Five stars.

[Patrick Jones]

Excellent tale! I'm always astonished by the emotional content in her books.