Ursula Vernon (aka T. Kingfisher) will soon be returning to Minneapolis to be the Author Guest of Honor at Minicon, and we’ve made an effort to acquire some of her backlist. I have for some time been hearing great things about Swordheart and the Paladin series, which begins with Paladin’s Grace. Initially, I had to borrow them from a friend, who obviously treasures them. But now we have some copies in stock!

Swordheart is the story of a “respectable middle-aged widow” who does not expect much from life, and so is not prepared to fight for her inheritance or position. This changes, a little, when a battle-scarred and dishonored man emerges from an ancient sword that has become hers. With the help of a priest of the Rat God, who is a lawyer—because the Rat God’s priests believe that legal aid is the best way to help people—both widow and warrior find the courage to simply seek happiness.

Paladin’s Grace takes place in the same world but does not overlap much, so can easily be read as a stand-alone. The death of the Saint of Steel has left His holy-berserker Paladins abandoned and bereft. Those who didn’t die or succumb to battle madness have made a new but empty life as servants of the Rat God. Their leader takes a small step toward redemption while defending a perfumer named Grace who is mistakenly caught in an assassination attempt against a foreign prince. Again, both perfumer and Paladin make the big step to allow themselves to seek happiness.

Both books are gently funny and bittersweet at the same time. They are both sort-of romances and are surprisingly thrilling, despite their older, world-weary protagonists. It seems that the battle to stand up for yourself or defend someone else from a small wrong, requires its own form of heroism. There is redemption and grace to be found in simple courageous acts.