I thought this book was super cute with a very fun road-trip via horseback. The romance between Raff and Penn was very beautiful and I absolutely adored them! It was great seeing their relationship bloom over the course of their trip across the country! Also who doesn’t love a little “it’s cold so we should cuddle to preserve heat” moment and we get a lot of them in this!

The main reason this book was not a 5 star for me is because their relationship starts on a lie and I always hate that. Raff let’s Penn believe he’s not a nobleman and Penn never tells Raff he’s the runaway groom. I will say the 3rd act breakup does deal with this super well though!
My other issue with this book is I wanted more to happen with Penns abusive father and I felt it fell a little flat there. But I did love seeing Penn navigate the political side of everything!
But all in all this was a very cute story that I absolutely adored and had a blast reading. A great debut from Emma Denny!

CW// parental abuse

Thanks NetGalley for providing me with an arc for my honest review

4.5 stars, rounded to 5 for NetGalley.

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.

CW: physical abuse, injury, violence, blood, sexual content, death of a parent (prior to events of book)

Set in 1360, this queer medieval historical romance follows Raff Barden, who is trying to track down his sister's fiancé, who has gone missing the night before their wedding. Shortly after setting out, he runs into Penn, a man fleeing his father's household who is vastly unprepared to survive on the run during the dead of winter. Unbeknownst to Raff, Penn is actually William de Foucart, the missing fiancé he has been sent to find. Both men are keeping secrets from one another, but as they travel, they begin to rely on one another, and soon find their relationship blossoming into something more.

I was so intrigued by the premise of this book. I don't think I've ever come across a queer historical romance set in medieval times, and I do love a good medieval romance. This...was not that. The historical setting was not well depicted--I didn't get a good sense of the setting at all. A lot of characters/politics were confusingly dumped on the reader at the beginning of the story, but the majority of the book was just Penn and Raff traveling through the woods, which got a little tedious after a while. Despite that, I had a hard time getting a sense of each of them as individual characters, which made it hard to be invested in what was happening to them. I felt like their lies to each other went on much longer than was reasonable as well.

I do appreciate how the author crafted the ending. Despite the fact that Raff's family seemed a bit unrealistically accepting of their relationship, it can be hard to work out realistic HEAs for queer historicals, and I felt like that was sorted out well here.

I believe this was a debut book and overall, it felt like it read like a debut--the characters weren't super developed, the writing was just okay, the historical setting was not well-researched. I think this author shows some promise, but this one didn't do it for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

We read a lot of historical romance, but not a ton of medievals, and definitely not a ton of queer medievals. In fact, we think this was our first trad-published LBGTQ+ medieval romance. It hits a lot of spots:

It's a road trip romance set in a time when just traveling through the forest was a scary undertaking;
A romance where both leads are hiding aspects of their identities from each other (but are able to be more themselves by not being their "public" selves);
A hard look at families of origin, and how they end up affecting us in ways we might not even realize;
A tender romance between two really appealing characters who get a true HEA.

We wouldn't say this is lighthearted, but it's not as angsty as MM Medieval Romance might make you think. It's also an open door romance - Emma Denny doesn't shy away from showing the reader what weeks of forced proximity on the road will explode into once our characters get a chance to act on their feelings!

Definitely recommended for fans of historical romance who are looking for something new!

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

First I was lucky enough to get an arc copy so thank you to the publishers and NetGalley.

Second, I am not big on historical romances because they can come off a bit dry and this one did but I will say it was still a nice read. I enjoyed the overall tone but I don’t think this is my cup of tea and some of the descriptions had a lot to be desired.

And finally, I would try another book by this author but I don’t know if it would be this one. Yes, we need more lgbtq+ in stories but we also need it to not only hope that will save the book.

This was a very beautiful story of two people stuck in lives they wish to escape. Raff and Penn meet in the woods while Penn is attempting to escape his father and getting married to Raff’s sister. Throughout their entire journey together through the woods, they do not disclose their true societal standings with one another. It isn’t until the second half of the book where things begin to unfold. The relationship between Raff and Penn was lovely. They were each fighting with their own personal battles and wanted to escape the lives they had.

The pacing of the story felt slow at time. They spent a lot of time traveling through the woods trying to avoid Penn being recognized. Spending all the time in the woods did allow their relationship to blossom. Raff and Penn’s relationship felt natural. The way they care for one another was heartwarming. Also the fact that they were willing to protect each other no matter the cost made me love them that much more.

This book was full of adventure, longing, and sacrifice. Raff finds Penn in the woods and helps him to escape to a safer place, but they've both lied about who they are. Revelations of how their paths ha e already been intertwined will either pull them apart or closer together.

I loved how they really began to fall for one another. It was sweet, desperate, and so pure. The romance was not left out of this one, and it left me with a warm fuzzy feeling of comfort.

One Night in Hartswood follows Raff whose sister is arranged to get married to William. But William does not want to get married so he abandons his fiancé. But William is ill-equipped to survive on his on. He runs into Raff a kind stranger to help him escape. They are both unaware that Raff is William’s fiancés sister, and Raff does not know who William is. Soon they both start falling for each other. But will things stay the same once there secrets are revealed?

This book was cute. I did feel like the romance in this one started a little too fast. It made the book feel rushed. I wish the characters got to know each other a little more before the romance started. But I really enjoyed this one. I thought the book had the perfect mix of adventure, finding one’s self, and romance. It was beer cure and I think I would suggest it.

Reading the synopsis for this book, I expected to really like it and I'm glad to say that I was right. I really enjoyed the book. The writing was very good and the characters were really likeable. I left the book feeling not quite satisfied, though. I think it was because, at least for me, the climax didn't feel as...well, climactic as it could've been, and so, when everything was getting wrapped up, it all felt a little too neat. Not to say I don't enjoy nice, neat endings, but to me it just seemed a bit underwhelming. Like I said, it definitely didn't keep me from enjoying the book, I just feel like it could've better stuck the landing. Overall a great debut novel, though.

I really enjoyed this read! It was adorable and hopeful, and I’m so glad that it had a happy ending. I already want a second book focusing on Ash and Penn’s older brother. It’s a very quick read and for that I was thankful, I’ve been in such a spot where I don’t want to read because everything’s so long. The quotations took a second to get used to but otherwise was seriously amazing!

PRE-READ THOUGHTS
This sounds fun and cute and like a book that will get me out of a slump if I ever fall into one. High predictions!

STATS
⚠️ Stay Safe, Friends: animal injury/death, child abuse, scars
⛰ Cliffhanger: NO AND I AM SOARING
🌶 Spice Check: Tobasco on my spice scale (you can find it in my profile!)
⭐️ Rating (?/5): 5/5!!!
🔂 Re-Readability: Y E S

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

TROPES SPOTTED IN THE WILD
•Arranged political marriage (adjacent?)
•Lust at first sight
•Hidden identity
•Royal lovers

SUMMARY + BASIC CHARACTER INFO AND RELATIONSHIPS
Raff and Penn, known to the rest of the world as William de Foucart, meet on the night before William is due to wed his new bride in Hartswood Forest. Raff and Penn team up and escape, unaware that their lives were intertwined before their first meeting. Freedom is their original goal, but maybe love will become more important.

🗡️Raff: protective, loyal, trusting, sturdy, golden-hearted, selfless and almost self-sacrificing. He's the one you want on your team, to be your ride-or-die. He's willing to help, if he can, and he has a strong sense of justice.

👑Penn: a little feisty, no self-love to be seen, cunning, witty, intelligent, quick and strategic. He's an asset as a political strategist and great at manipulating scenarios that will benefit those he is working to protect. He may not be able to save you with a dagger, but he's able to save you with his tongue (wow).

Like every book, there's a fun cast of side characters! I definitely enjoyed Raff's family way more than Penn's. Shocking myself, I ended up loving Ash after the first little bit. (view spoiler)

WHY YOU SHOULD PUSH THIS ONE UP/DOWN YOUR TBR

UP
•It's a quick and enjoyable read! The pace is fast, reading like a contemporary romance, and it never felt sluggish or like a chore to get through.

•Raff and Penn's relationship was just so wholesome and sweet and endearing, even when things got a bit angsty or uncertain. I was rooting for both of them, as a couple and as individuals. They are a couple I know I can go back to when I need a comfort read; I feel like that is so hard to find, which just makes me cherish them and this book even more.

•Common tropes that drive me insane (like miscommunication or jumping to conclusions) happen here, but they aren't beaten to death and they are resolved pretty quickly which makes them more effective and digestible.

•Ash really added a level of (I hate to say) mystery and intrigue that I really didn't expect. He was like a thin hidden layer of darkness and grit in an overall sweet and (mostly) lighthearted historical romance. In the beginning, I was sure I would dislike Ash and would want to skim through his page time, but it didn't take long for him to grow on me. My precious troubled boy 😭.

DOWN
•I.. don't think there's anything in here that is enough to make you push this down on your TBR? Not gonna lie, I'm a little shocked to realize I can't think of a single thing that bothered me or flagged enough to actively note it as a negative.

OVERALL
I loved this so much. So, so, SO much, especially coming off the back of reading The Trouble With Hating You. It was so nice to read something and not only love it but also be so excited for any future books that may join this universe.

Finding a new comfort read wasn't on my October 2023 bingo card, but we're here and we're winning!

Until next time!

Thank you, NetGalley, Harper360 and Emma Denny for providing a copy of 'One Night in Hartswood' for review.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Available 7 November 2023

One Night in Hartswood is a very cute road trip tale of Penn and Raff falling in love. Fourteenth-century England, castles, Earls, Lords, Ladies and extremely cold winter nights - this has it all.

I had a great time following Penn and Raff on their journey. It was compelling reading and I flew through this story. Raff's family is also very adorable.

An extremely solid read for those interested in medieval gay love stories and fully played-out lovemaking. No fade to black here.

I received and ARC from Netgalley for and honest review

I absolutely loved this book. I did not want the story to end but at the same time I couldn’t stop reading.

One Night in Hartswood by Emma Denny is a historical romance. It follows the two main character, Raff and Penn, as they create the future that they desire together while dealing with all the mess that comes from politics, family and their own issues. I did enjoy reading this book and would recommend it to people under the caveat that I don't believe this book truly feels like historical fiction and if they are looking for a mediaeval historical romance this probably isn't for them. My main problem was the setting and time period because I was constantly left feeling as though it was an afterthought in the book and that this same book could have easily been written as a fantasy without losing much of anything in the story. It felt clumsily researched and like they weren't actually in the time period and setting that the author told us they were in.
Other then the setting, I found the writing slow at times but that honestly can be chalked up to the authors writing style not being to my personal taste. I would like to say though, if you are someone who enjoys more dialogue heavy books, this might not be the book for you. Both of the characters have distinct voices which makes it easy to follow and complex backgrounds within the story which leads to an interesting read. In spite of the issues I outlines, the romance between the two main characters is lovely and the complexities of their relationship as it develops through the book was so dramatic and interesting that I had a hard time looking away. Overall, this is definitely a 3.5 star read and I will be checking out the authors future works.

One Night in Hartswood is must read. It is sweet, suspenseful, and angsty rolled in to the perfect read. Penn is the son of the Earl and set to marry. Instead he runs away in an attempt to live happily ever after. Raff is the son of a nobleman and brother to Penn’s betrothed. Raff finds Penn lost in the woods and proceeds to help him escape; neither knowing whom the other is. What occurs next is probably the sweetest love story ever. That being said its not with out strife.
One Night in Hartswood is one of the best historical romances I have read in a while. It reads almost as a cozy fantasy instead of a historical romance, despite the struggles the boys face. The characters are lovable and relatable. Penn and Raff have the most tender of moments and both have hearts of gold. I will be rereading this!
I received an arc of this and am leaving this review of my own volition.

Unfortunately the writing style was just not working for me. It was very slow to start, and pacing continued ant a glacial speed, I also had a difficult time feeling any sort of connection to the characters. The chemistry was lackluster, and that makes it difficult to engage in an otherwise very slow burn romance.

I DNF'ed this book. I am giving it 3 stars because this is my fault, not the book or the author's. I must have misread the synopsis as I honestly didn't realize this was a historical romance.

I really loved this book! I thought the plot was a unique concept and I absolutely loved all of the traveling in it! I fell in love with Raff and Penn right away and loved seeing their story play out. There are some great side characters and a true villain in the book as well. I’d love to read more work by this author!

This book was so charming - I loved Penn and Rafe and the comedy of errors in their misunderstood identities, even when things took a darker turn toward the end. I really enjoyed seeing the two of them travel together and open up to one another, turning a natural interest and great chemistry into deeper intimacy. The stakes were high and I felt like they paid off emotionally! All in all, a fun little journey!

One Night in Hartswood by Emma Denny follows Penn (William) as he flees from an utterly unwanted arranged marriage forced on him by a brutal father. He takes solace in the forest at hand, and runs into Raff, the brother of his soon-to-be-wife. Neither man knows the other’s true identity, and after the meeting, which sets sparks flying, they part—only to find themselves reuniting again, unexpectedly. Penn is fleeing under the guise of a servant, and Raff is sent to find and bring the wayward son back. He promises to help Penn escape instead, which sets off a chain of consequences that could destroy them both even as they find themselves growing closer while on the run.

This book was absolutely lovely! I stopped at like 15% for a break, and when I picked it up again, I meant only to read a bit. I ended up reading up to and past the break of dawn (!!), as the story gets more gripping as the pages fall away. I found myself devouring it in the last perhaps third or fourth of the book.

The chemistry between the two was powerful, the intimate scenes were wonderful, and the palpable ache brought forth in a couple scenes between the two…? Magnificent. Also—I’ve read a few novels with queer themes and I have to say that the 14th century generally isn’t a period setting people clamour to use. I think I’m relieved the author didn’t try to stuff the dialogue with overly flowery phrases to suit the time; I feel it would have bogged the work down and detracted from the crackling urgency that permeated the novel.

Anyway! I would definitely recommend this book to people who like a good love story, and doubly so for those who want it queer.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.