Title: SteelbornAuthor: Taylor J. LaRue
Series: The Steelborn Saga #1
Pages: 432
Publication Date: Aug. 4, 2026
Publisher: Requited
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Fantasy / Romantasy
Synopsis:
Never run. Never bow. Never die.
Reya Connery became the Crimson Dagger, the most notorious thief in Rhiterra, by following a strict set of rules. There is no honor among thieves. A good blade is key to any negotiation. Only the dead keep secrets. And Reya has a secret that must be kept at all costs. But when a heist goes wrong on the eve of paying off her debt to a ruthless crime lord, Reya may need a new set of rules. And a lot of coin. Fast.
Enter Caelan Halcyon, an immortal warrior whose magic makes him a valuable target – if the curse inching closer to his heart doesn’t kill him first. There’s just one person who might be desperate enough to try and get their hands on the fabled cure in time to save his life, someone whose legend claims they can steal the Crimson Dagger. A male of honor, Caelan loathes everything the beautiful, cocky thief represents, yet knows that Reya is his last hope for survival.
Their search takes them to the edge of the known world, where Reya discovers that there is far more at stake than her and Caelan’s own lives. Now, Reya must confront deadly foes, her growing attraction to the immortal who is as lethal as his jawline is perfect, and the rage she’s spent a lifetime trying to bury. This time, her daggers aren’t going to cut it, and the fate of all magic-born hangs in the balance.
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“The most dangerous enemy is the one you don’t understand.”
I absolutely loved Steelborn. It had was such a great romantasy with memorable characters, an immersive world, an engaging plot, and a romance that had me completely invested from beginning to end. I really enjoyed Taylor J. LaRue’s immersive and gripping writing style and was surprised to see this is a debut novel. I was impressed with so many aspects of it and highlighted a bunch of different parts because there were a lot of great lines. Some were beautiful, some were swoon-worthy, and others had powerful messages.
Reya was a fantastic protagonist. She’s known as the Crimson Dagger for a reason, but beneath that reputation is someone who’s spent years just trying to survive. She’s smart, witty, resourceful, fiercely loyal to the people she cares about, and carries a lot on her shoulders. She definitely goes on an emotional journey throughout her physical one, and watching her slowly lower those walls was fabulous. With a secret that threatens her very existence, she has not had an easy life, and she has faced a lot of tragedy and trauma, but Reya never gives up fighting to survive.
And Caelan! Swoon! I just adored him. He’s honorable, reserved, and carrying some burdens of his own, but underneath all of that is so much more. Caelan knows his time is running out and that Reya might be his final hope, and I found his story as compelling as Reya’s. And I loved how he treated Reya as an equal. There was one particular part of the story where he jumps in and stands by her side, no questions asked. And he doesn’t always try to protect her because he knows she can protect herself. He treats her as a partner instead of someone who needs saving, and I thought that said a lot about his character, his astute judgement, and his views on women. .
“There is no part of you that is not worthy of the rest.”
The romance between Caelan and Reya was definitely one of my favorite parts of the book. Theirs is a slow burning and building love story, which was fantastic and filled with chemistry and sexual tension. They spend so much of the story challenging one another, questioning each other’s choices, and reluctantly learning to rely on someone they never really expected to trust. Of course, both are slow to lower their guard, but it was worth the wait. Their banter was fun, sometimes antagonistic, and always chemistry-laden, their quieter conversations were lovely, and the romance as a whole was positively swoon-worthy.
The worldbuilding was detailed, layered, and vivid, but I never felt overwhelmed with info dumps. I loved learning more about the history of the world, the magic, the different people they encountered, and the growing conflicts, both big and small, that they face. Reya and Caelan must travel to new places, meet some pretty memorable characters, and find themselves in increasingly dangerous situations, and it all worked together well to create a unique story that’s seamlessly woven together.
The story has a ton of action, intrigue, secrets, hidden identities, heists, and more, which makes for a layered and suspenseful read with several surprising twists. Even with all of the action, magic, intrigue, and danger, the story is also very character-driven. The plot constantly pushed Reya and Caelan to confront parts of themselves that they didn’t want to face, and those moments ended up being just as compelling as the bigger plot. I also loved the found family elements that developed throughout the story. This is one of my favorite tropes, and it was done so well here. By the end of the story, I was as attached to several of the side characters as I was to Reya and Caelan.
Steelborn was one of those reads that I found tough to put down. It was exciting and suspenseful, the characters and found family were great, everything was layered and intriguing, and the romance was positively swoon-tastic. As soon as I finished the book, I went searching to find out when the next in the series releases because I was so not ready to leave the world or characters. Taylor J. LaRue is definitely an author I’ll be following!
- enemies to lovers
- slow burn romance
- forced proximity
- secret identity
- found family
“In five centuries, I’ve not seen anything more likely to be the death of me than you damp in nothing but a towel.”
“What is the value of life to someone who cannot truly live?”
“Eternity is the death of conscience.”
“I don’t know how to give you what you need. What you deserve. But you make me want to try, Reyanwyn.”
Taylor J. LaRue began her career as a journalist in the Windy City. Now she lives in the Pacific Northwest with her high school sweetheart turned husband, their tiny human tyrant, and one very soggy puppy. Steelborn is her debut novel.
