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ronan_lesh's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Homophobia, Physical abuse, Violence, and Blood
camillatd's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
3.5
Fun, indulgent, and adventurous queer historical romance for fans of BBC Merlin and Cat Sebastian. Heavy on the tropes (hurt/comfort, angst, mistaken identity, forbidden love, huddling for warmth, "who did this to you?", etc.), which I found largely enjoyable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Homophobia, and Physical abuse
lexi_air's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Physical abuse and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent
bookboxbabe's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
*thank you netgalley and the publisher for providing me an arc in exchange for an honest review*
WOWW!! okay so just take everyone one of my heart strings and yank them why don’t you.
this author has an AMAZING prose and the writing in the book was so beautiful. i was sold just from that. it’s rare that a book takes my breath away just from the writing alone, but this one did.
i also LOVED these characters. raff and penn are so complex and just troubled guys trying to find themselves in a world determined to rip them apart. their love felt raw and real. these two men found each other and fell in love in such an organic way and i believed these two were real men in love, not just words on a page.
the spicy scenes in here were written so tasteful and beautiful. i loved the exploration of each others bodies and the insecurity such a thing comes with. i thought all of the self hate was dealt wonderfully.
all in all, i loved reading this and i think this is a book that will stick with me for a while
WOWW!! okay so just take everyone one of my heart strings and yank them why don’t you.
this author has an AMAZING prose and the writing in the book was so beautiful. i was sold just from that. it’s rare that a book takes my breath away just from the writing alone, but this one did.
i also LOVED these characters. raff and penn are so complex and just troubled guys trying to find themselves in a world determined to rip them apart. their love felt raw and real. these two men found each other and fell in love in such an organic way and i believed these two were real men in love, not just words on a page.
the spicy scenes in here were written so tasteful and beautiful. i loved the exploration of each others bodies and the insecurity such a thing comes with. i thought all of the self hate was dealt wonderfully.
all in all, i loved reading this and i think this is a book that will stick with me for a while
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse
ezwolf's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Okay, so, by all rights I should have loved this book. It's queer, it's historical fiction, it's got angsty backstories. But I could not get in to this for the life of me.
This is one of those cases where I think it's just not for me. I cannot exactly explain why this didn't grab me, the best I can say is that I found it boring. I wasn't drawn to either Penn or Raff and so it made it hard to be interested in either point of view. By the time the story got to plot points I would have been interested in (like Penn's scars) I was 50% of the way through and I was already just reading for the sake of finishing the story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper 360 for making this available in exchange for an honest review!
This is one of those cases where I think it's just not for me. I cannot exactly explain why this didn't grab me, the best I can say is that I found it boring. I wasn't drawn to either Penn or Raff and so it made it hard to be interested in either point of view. By the time the story got to plot points I would have been interested in (like Penn's scars) I was 50% of the way through and I was already just reading for the sake of finishing the story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper 360 for making this available in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Homophobia, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Grief
Minor: Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Xenophobia
pitsikakku's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Sexual content
Moderate: Animal death and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia
jennp28's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Really enjoyed this historical romance/adventure. I love the way Raff and Penn interacted, and both sisters were excellent side characters. LGBTQ+ people have always existed!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Homophobia
thaliareads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper 360 for the opportunity to read this as an ARC!
A queer historical romance, set in the late 1300s, this book follows the tale of two men whose fates are woven together closer than they would have ever imagined. Penn, William to his father, can’t imagine being married to a woman he doesn’t know and that he knows he’ll never love in the way that his family claims he eventually will. Raff is suspicious about letting his sister marry a man they know nothing about, especially when the rumors of the family are not kind. In an attempt to escape his abusive father and his unwanted engagement, Penn flees into the woods – not considering how ill equipped he is to take care of himself. Raff, unsuccessful in his search for his sister’s missing fiancé, is drawn to this man who’s trying so hard to survive his escape from an unforgiving lord. Raff invites Penn to join him in his journey back home in the north – expecting him to find a good place to settle along the journey. Little do the two men know how much the journey would draw them together. With both of their true identities hidden, what will happen when these secrets are forced into the light? Is their new and fragile love worth risking their lives and the lives of those they love?
All I can say is I’m in love. This was such a heartwarming romance, and I couldn’t get enough of it. I adored how considerate both men were of the power imbalance between their real life position and the mistaken identity of the opposing man. They put the idea of a romantic relationship on the backburner to protecting each other. I also thought it was incredibly nice that while they obviously acknowledged the stigma and dangers of being in a queer relationship in the 1300s, ultimately that wasn’t the main barrier to a happily ever after. The real villain and obstacle was an innately abusive father who can’t stand his son being anything other than an exact replication of his expectations. This book had tons of twists and turns that I didn’t see coming and was overall an absolute delight to read (I read this book in two sittings). My only complaint was that I’m not used to seeing both characters’ perspectives in one chapter, and I was a bit confused at first as I got my bearings for the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death, Homophobia, Death of parent, and War
cateemma's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Death of parent, and War
tincrumbs's review against another edition
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Homophobia and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit