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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
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
craftyhilary's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I want to preface this by saying I think that Emma Denny has a lot of potential as a writer. That said, this book just didn't work for me. It felt almost like a plot outline than a fully-realized story. There was a lot of moving from place to place, eating, sleeping, and assorted random encounters, but not a lot of character development. Since both Penn and Raff were lying about who they were for most of the book, it was hard for me to believe they were forming a serious attachment, and the agonizing about the deception became tedious. And once both their secrets were out, I was very disappointed in how Raff handled his feelings of betrayal. He had been just as dishonest with Penn, which he conveniently forgot about till reminded by Ash. Raff also knew Penn had been seriously abused, yet struggled to understand that Penn had much better practical and emotional reasons to lie than Raff did . Some of the plot elements felt overdramatized in a way that would make more sense in a movie, such as Raff chasing Penn for days and riding up to the keep just as Penn was being dragged inside . There were opportunities for more complex political issues to be explored--I was hoping Penn's father was holding Raff's father hostage, and they'd have to come retrieve him --but those were dismissed in favor of less complicated or believable ones, like Penn suddenly finding he is both brave enough to stand up to his father and also a brilliant political strategist I am fairly certain that the throwaway references to Oliver were intended to set up a book for Ash, but including almost nothing about him, when his existence clearly impacted Raff and Ash in a way that's relevant to Raff's feelings about Penn, was a wasted opportunity. I expect Denny may not have wanted to give away too much of what will presumably be Ash's book. The correspondence between Jo and Lily was a bit more deftly handled. Overall, I would definitely consider reading another book by this author, but this one was only ok for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Physical abuse and Medical trauma
alreads13's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
I absolutely adored this book! A runaway heir, fake identities and a slow burn romance? What’s not to love?!
Penn and Ash are thrown together in the woods one night and their stories become entangled from there as they search for freedom from their respective roles and expectations. They traverse the forest side by side as their feelings for each other secretly grow until they’re forced to reckon with the burdens they’re running from.
I fell in love with these characters! They took me on such a rollercoaster of emotions! And the LONGING in this book is tangible and almost painfully real. I couldn’t get enough of this story and tore through it! This book is perfect for fans of Cat Sebastian and/or Alexis Hall, I promise!
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper 360, Mills Boon for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Penn and Ash are thrown together in the woods one night and their stories become entangled from there as they search for freedom from their respective roles and expectations. They traverse the forest side by side as their feelings for each other secretly grow until they’re forced to reckon with the burdens they’re running from.
I fell in love with these characters! They took me on such a rollercoaster of emotions! And the LONGING in this book is tangible and almost painfully real. I couldn’t get enough of this story and tore through it! This book is perfect for fans of Cat Sebastian and/or Alexis Hall, I promise!
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper 360, Mills Boon for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement and Physical abuse
Minor: Death of parent
onemamareads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
3.0
Read my full review here: https://onemamassummer.weebly.com/book-reviews/one-night-in-hartswood
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death
Minor: Death of parent
clairew97's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
wilybooklover's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
4.0
Most of this, I adored. How tender and caring the romance was; how charming the two leads and their siblings were. The characters were well fleshed out with distinct personalities and I loved the delicious pining in the first half of the book. I thought the author dealt with the topic of abuse thoughtfully, especially in regards to the intimate scenes. Raff's family dynamics were great; I'd love to read more about Ash or Cecily in a sequel or two.
However, the pacing felt a bit off. There was virtually no plot for the first three quarters of the book (which I actually loved, as a big fan of 'no plot just vibes' books) and then a lot of action and drama crammed into a final act that was drawn out far too long. At times the dialogue felt a bit clunky and there were some jarring POV switches, which I'm attributing to this being a debut.
I also wish the early mediaeval setting had been explored a little more in depth. It was really just scenery for the most part and could have been set at any time pre-18th century given how little detail there is. There wasn't even a mention of the plague!
However, the pacing felt a bit off. There was virtually no plot for the first three quarters of the book (which I actually loved, as a big fan of 'no plot just vibes' books) and then a lot of action and drama crammed into a final act that was drawn out far too long. At times the dialogue felt a bit clunky and there were some jarring POV switches, which I'm attributing to this being a debut.
I also wish the early mediaeval setting had been explored a little more in depth. It was really just scenery for the most part and could have been set at any time pre-18th century given how little detail there is. There wasn't even a mention of the plague!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Homophobia, Xenophobia, and Death of parent