Paladin's Grace

Stephen is a paladin whose god died on the longest day of the year. The Saint of Steel's paladins were berserkers, kept in check only by their deity's power, and with that power gone Stephen lives in dread of the day his own rage takes over. He now serves the Temple of the White Rat and waits.

His grim routine breaks when he rescues Grace, a perfumer on the run, from a botched assassination attempt. Neither of them can walk away afterward. Spies and poisoners are at work, and a killer is stalking the city, so the two are pulled into a conspiracy that keeps growing around them.

This is a fantasy novel with a romance at its centre, and the attraction between Stephen and Grace is not something either expects. The mystery and the danger drive the plot, while the dark humor keeps the mood from sinking under the grief of a man who has lost his god. Stephen and Grace each have to decide how far to trust the other, and how far to trust themselves.

It is the first book in the Saint of Steel series by T. Kingfisher, so it works as a starting point for the series.