A Hired Blade
The Everlands Cycle
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A Hired Blade
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Narrated by:
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Katherine Littrell
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By:
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J.C. Rycroft
About this listen
A sellsword’s bargain.
A burgeoning desire.
A future balanced on the point of a blade.
Sellsword Des is traveling alone in a dry and dusty southern land after a spectacular bust-up with her best friend. She’s running low on coin, so when a former client, Karina, offers her a job leading her caravan’s security through brigand country, it feels like a gift.
Des has done the route before, but she isn’t sure about leading solo. She recommends Cap, a rugged old mercenary, to head up the crew. Maybe she’ll even learn a thing or two about how to lead in between the delightful distraction of Karina’s flirtations and keeping the marauders at bay.
As they head off on their long trip across Rescalin, though, the wheels start to come off Des’s plan. The crew is drinking too much, even on duty, and Cap is dismissive of the dangers she identifies. Des worries she’s made the wrong call by putting Cap as the lead, and Karina is in her ear, wanting her to take over.
As brigands close in, will Des back the merc she put in charge? Or will she take over—and risk the caravan’s safety resting on her blade alone?
If you enjoy badass, sword-wielding women, Australian-inspired settings, sapphic fantasies, and untrustworthy mercenaries, listen to A Hired Blade today and join Des on her journey.
©2024 J.C. Rycroft (P)2024 Dreamscape LoreWhat listeners say about A Hired Blade
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 19-11-2024
Short and spicy setup.
How so much relatable content ended up in a spicy fantasy, well, I’m impressed. Great narration, solid story. Was interested/dubious to see what could happen in such a short time (I usually go for longer titles), but now I’m impatiently counting down for the next one to be released.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- mardie lowe
- 02-02-2025
Perfect narrator for this short but punchy story
I have read, and loved, A Hired Blade but listening to it - wow. It's less than a hundred pages but the story and the captivating way it's written hooked me on this world and the author.
The narrator, Katherine Littrell, is the perfect choice to bring the Des of my imagination to life. She sounds young, spirited, fiesty at times, despondent at others. Her talent for understated emotion is a superb vehicle for the constrained, sometimes sarcastic, occassionally terse representation that is Des. She just felt so right. Her range of voices is good too, making distinction between characters easy. She really is pleasant to listen to.
This story has a high appeal factor for me. Independent women, a reluctant hero who knows how to wield a sword while still struggling to hold her place in a man's world, a fantasy setting inspired by Australia and a found family feel. Round it all out by having the action take place in a caravan of trade goods, moving cautiously through a desert often used as hunting grounds for bandits and you get a riveting character driven story, with enough action, power plays and humour to keep me happily turning pages.
The emotions are real and appropriate for each situation. My teeth ached from clenching my jaw when Des had to repeatedly downplay her instincts and skills so that the men's egos weren't threatened. This author does not hold back when showing how women are marginalised and 'put into their place' by men, but the men doing it are shown as ignorant bigots so I never felt that good men were being attacked, as there are several represented in the story.
Des is a fascinating and engaging character. Her complicated past is often mentioned to draw attention to the misogyny and homophobia of her world (and ours?), as well as to a relationship that was never developed because of wilful misunderstanding. This author doesn't use toxic positivity or hold back from putting her characters in challenging situtaions so I always feel immersed in a real world, moving from one challenge to the next. The pacing and tension are perfect!
The ending though. Check the author's page for trigger warnings. It's heartbreaking in so many ways and will have enduring consequences.
I absolutely recommend this book to anyone who likes the sound of a sapphic friends to lovers relationship, a determined but flawed FMC and a wonderful fantasy tale of mercenaries.
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