Wow...this story just pulled me in! I admit, I was hesitant to read this at first because All the Ugly and Wonderful Things was #Everything to me! I didn’t want to put such high expectations on this book that it would NEVER live up!?! Well, this book did meet my expectations and surpassed them! This book was written with a totally different plot but still possessed the haunting beauty of a forbidden love story! I was blown away by the simplicity & rawness of the characters. The way she was able to develop the characters; I felt as if I knew them or some of them existed in my own family.

I did not find the language (Middle English) that some of the story is written in, as a deterrent to my understanding of the novel. If I had to read and decipher Shakespeare in high school than this certainly was not going to distract me! Luckily it didn’t and I very much enjoyed my time with Sir Gentry and Lady Zhorzha! In its essence, this is a love story but not in the typical way love stories are written. This is real, raw, and gritty! The themes of loss, forgiveness, and redemption ring true throughout the novel.

I highly recommend that you give this novel a read---it is SO worth it! I rated this book 5/5 stars because of the things I mentioned prior but also Bryn has the ability to take the essential elements of a love story and transform it into something uncomfortably beautiful and real! I just can’t say enough about this book!!!! Thank you to Netgalley for the advance ARC of this book, in turn for my honest review.

'Let those who suffer an illness of the mind do so and prosper of it, but I do not and I will not.'

If you told Zhorzha “Zee” that a knight was her destiny, she would smack you silly. Zee isn’t a delicate princess, and no one has ever saved her from anything. Her life has been a lesson in catastrophe, first in early childhood dealing with a criminal father and a mother devoted to him, now as a grown adult she is keeping her family afloat. Sharing an apartment with her sister LaReigne whose little boy Marcus depends on her, she spends her days hustling in any way she can to get money, for bills, for the roof over their head, for food. Her hip injury from an accident on her exes Harley is the least of her pains, nothing causes her more grief than discovering her sister has been taken hostage during a prison break where she volunteers.

Who knew her ‘stalker’ as she calls him isn’t a stalker at all, but a knight in shining armor. “I am her champion. I watch that I might her serve.” So okay, Gentry won’t look her in the eye, walking around speaking like a traveler from medieval times, but there is something chivalrous about him. Gentry brings both she and Marcus to his home, their only refuge, considering her mother doesn’t have an inch of space safe enough for them to stand let alone sleep. She occupies more than her share of space, along with all her junk. Mountains of it, hoarded like precious treasures! Her family is chaos personified. She surrenders to Gentry, why not? Her options have run out. Once surrounded by the kindness of his parents, she begins to see Gentry as more than just some weirdo, stalker and slowly begins to fall under the spell of his charm.

Her sister LeReigne’s abduction escalates into violence, and Zee isn’t going to wait on the cops to do anything, especially when they suspect her sister of aiding in the prison break considering their family’s criminal history, so it is on her shoulders (isn’t it always) to bring her nephew’s mommy home safe! Gentry will serve his Lady, more loyal than blood, even if it means breaking laws, maybe even risking his own life. The voices in his head have foretold of his mission, his life’s purpose, to serve this damsel in distress. Zee isn’t the most admirable, nor likable woman in any book but life has burdened her, made her sour, bitter, suspicious and cynical. Some would say rightly so. One visit with her infuriating mother is enough to understand the bite that comes natural to Zee. This isn’t your typical warm family, they have more than a smattering of mental issues and poor judgement when it comes to their love life, controlling their impulses. They demand a lot of her, but don’t give much in return, certainly not a lot of affection. She is the sort of woman who rubs those who have mastered appearances the wrong way, because she makes you confront your own hypocrisy, imperfections. She doesn’t pretend her family or she herself is anything other than a wreck, she doesn’t make excuses for her ‘hustling’, no. She is more the ‘take me as I am or to hell with you’ sort of gal. It is a strange pair Gentry and Zee make, but there are similarities once she meets his biological mother. Not so different at all.

Love blossoms in the strangest of ways, and maybe we aren’t always worthy of the devotion Gentry shows Zee, who is to say? Maybe someone who hasn’t known tenderness has a hard time opening themselves to it? I was frustrated by what many would call a quirk, Gentry’s medieval knights and castle obsession, his Middle English speech that feels like a riddle half the time, but then it became a natural part of his character that I couldn’t imagine him without it. Bryn Greenwood knows how to create relationships that make us scratch our heads, because in the real world, that’s often how love works. It doesn’t always make sense to outsiders why two people band together. There is a lot of blind devotion from the heart in this novel, and I am not just talking about Gentry. In fact, he may be the only character with logic on his side, no matter what psychiatrists think! “Let those who suffer an illness of the mind do so and prosper of it, but I do not and I will not.” Bless his heart!

This is a story about the madness of family loyalty and love. Yes, read it.

Publication Date: August 20, 2019

Penguin Group

Putnum

This book was a little hard for me to get into but I read Bryn's last book and LOVED it so I was willing to push further than I normally do and I'm so glad I did!! I couldn't put it down the whole last half of the book. Some how Bryn creates the most wonderful characters that seem to sneak up on you and wrap themselves up in your life until you feel like you've known them forever and are completely invested in what happens to them. I'm really glad I pushed through and finished, another great book by Bryn Greenwood!

Awful. Not at all what it seemed to be. Profane for no real reason. Just a bad book. Worst book I have read in a long time.

When I found out last year that Bryn Greenwood was releasing a sophomore novel, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. All the Ugly and Wonderful Things is one of my favorite books of all time, so my expectations were high going into The Reckless Oath We Made. I was not disappointed. Greenwood brilliantly tackles hard hitting issues such as poverty, incarceration, drugs, hoarding, and mental illness. Her main characters are unconventional and flawed beyond measure yet I was rooting for them the entire time.

To put it lightly, Zee’s life is in shambles. Her father went to prison when she and her sister were only children, her mother is a hoarder and an invalid, she has chronic hip pain from a car accident, and she moonlights as a weed dealer. To top it all off, her sister was just kidnapped by two escaped convicts at the prison where she volunteers.

Luckily for Zee, Gentry Frank has sworn an oath to be her champion. Gentry, who is autistic and speaks only in Middle English, was told by the voices in his head that he must protect and follow Zee until the end of his days. Gentry takes his oath seriously and has taken it upon himself to aid Zee in her quest to rescue her sister. What follows is a multilayered story of survival, honor, and love.

Rating: 4/5

Publication Date: August 20

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I know a book is good if it causes me to become angry, sad, etc. for the characters. Bryn Greenwood’s new book, “The Reckless Oath We Made”, makes me so angry at times towards Zhorzsa for her insensitive treatment of people who care for her. Zhorzsa, also called Zee and Lady Zhorzsa, has not had an easy life, and by assuming responsibility for her mother, sister, and nephew, she guarantees it won’t get better. The only one who appreciates Zee’s care and concern is Marcus, her sweetheart of a nephew. Zee makes bad judgment calls, has no respect for herself, and is unappreciative to those people in her life who sincerely care and want to help her.
Zee’s #1 benefactor is Gentry, a young man who, upon seeing Zee at physical therapy, is told by “The Witch” that counsels him that he is required to be her knight. Yes, “The Witch” counsels Gentry, along with 3 other strong personalities, at any given moment. He’s autistic and these entities assist him throughout his daily living.
Lady Zhorzsa doesn’t make it easy for Gentry to be her knight. She asks his assistance with something that she knows is out of his league and will bring great danger. What ensues is a storm of emotion involving each character in the book, including you, the reader. Whether you agree or disagree with how the chips fall, Bryn’s landscape of believable characters, high-strung emotions, and unnecessary losses will envelop you.
(I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks so much to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for making it available.)

I thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book. This author was new to me and I was not let down. It was a great story and very well written. The characters were easy to relate to and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I highly recommend this to everyone!!

This was a fantastic book. I'll be honest, I nearly put it down in the beginning. Gentry's character really threw me at first and the story got off to a slow start. That being said, I'm so grateful I pushed forward. This book has something to offer nearly everyone. It has romance, action, adventure, sword fighting, castles, estranged families, and escaped convicts. Gentry is a hero of a protagonist and I really came to love him. Zee is a little broken, but it means she's one hell of a fighter. The relationships in this book are complex and each one is worthy of discussion, but I especially loved watching Zee and Gentry's evolve. This is one of my favorite books of 2019 and I'm so grateful to have been given the opportunity to read it.

I was over the top excited to read another Bryn Greenwood novel. I loved All the Ugly and Wonderful Things. Unfortunately for me, The Reckless Oath We Made was over the top border lining on ridiculous. Things go from bad to worse and throughout it all felt disjointed. The lack of cohesion for me is in large part due to the fact that the hero only speaks in Middle English. Yet this novel is not set in the past. I felt no draw to these unlikely lovers. I was not invested in the story at all and it was a struggle to finish.

I would consider adding some disclaimers or more information to the synopsis prior to release so that this novel may find the audience looking for such a book.

DNF at 20%
Giving up early because I’m just not interested in these characters or the story line at all..and...I just loved this author’s All the Ugly and Wonderful Things.. I really was hopeful! I’m in the minority here so don’t let my words deter you from reading this... I’ve too many books to read to settle for this one😅

I liked the storyline for The Reckless Oath We Made and the characters as well. I did have a hard time understanding the middle English that Gentry uses when he speaks, but at the same time I understood that it was a big part of his character. I also struggled with the POV flipping between so many characters, even though it was clearly labeled each time a different character was narrating, I had a hard time jumping back and forth.
I enjoyed this book, although not as much as All the Ugly and Wonderful Things.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC ebook.

The way Bryn writes her characters is so unique and personal that it feels as though these people are so special and different that you couldn’t have made them up entirely. I absolutely love her characters, flaws and all, because they are tragically and brilliantly HUMAN. I highly recommend this and her other novel, All The Ugly and Wonderful Things.

Pub date Aug 20, 2019
I can’t give this one any stars because I really really didn’t like it. One of the characters speaks in old English the entire time and it was UNBEARABLE. Not to mention there’s a lot of awful racist language, a ridiculous plot, and tons of unlikeable people. So disappointed. I loved Greenwood’s first novel. This was an absolute struggle to even finish.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

THE RECKLESS OATH WE MADE is an unlikely love story about a woman whose family has a criminal background and an autistic man who speaks only in Middle English and believes himself to be a knight.

”People talk about having an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. I had a pair of imaginary bill collectors, so no matter which way I turned, there was somebody to remind me I needed money. That’s how I ended up on a train at four o’clock in the morning with my nephew and a hundred pounds of weed.

Zee is downright poor. From childhood on up until adulthood, she has felt the hard knocks of life. From couch surfing to going from job to job just to try and make a few dollars.

Gentry, on the hand, comes from a supportive family. They understand and accept that he has 3 voices which he communicates with. ”Gawen, who was like an overgrown playmate, but a bit of a bully. Hildegard, who was pious but awfully judgmental. And the Witch, who is sort of Gentry’s spiritual adviser.” The witch is the voice who has told him to be the Champion of the lady he has seen at his physical therapy sessions.

Zee is unsure why this stranger has shown up at her side to offer her a hand up when all else seems to be going by the wayside. Not only is this guy seem strange but she finds his matter of speech odd too.

“The Witch has been telling him for years that he has a special duty. It turns out you’re his special duty.”
“I don’t understand,” Zee said.
“The Witch told him he was supposed to protect you, so that’s what he’s been trying to do. He didn’t mention that to you?”

Gentry is always a gentleman and ready to be of service to Zee. Unfortunately for Zee, her life keeps taking a downturn. It hits rock bottom when her sister who volunteers at the prison is kidnapped and taken hostage by a couple of white supremacist inmates.

Zee decides the police aren’t getting the job done on bringing her sister home to her young son. So, she takes matters into her own hands which ultimately will involve Gentry since he’s her Champion. This is where the story really picked up for me. The adventure of how she was going to pull off this rescue mission off was exciting.

The story is moved forward by being told from several different points of view. The majority of the story is told by Zee along with Gentry being the next most used narrator. The story does have some side characters who contribute to the telling of what is happening. When Gentry speaks and/or it’s his chapter to move the story forward it is done in Middle English. It takes a little getting used to the language. It reminds of when you meet a person with an accent and you really have to pay attention to what they’re saying until you get used to their accent.

THE RECKLESS OATH WE TOOK is a standalone book. It’s about overcoming your past and finding a path that follows the straight and narrow.

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦
RELEASE DATE: August 20, 2019
Pre-order | order: https://amzn.to/2K1pJpT

STANDALONE

**Complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.**

I love love loved the character of Gentry. I don’t have a sense of whether he is a plausibly realistic reflection of an autistic man or not, but Greenwood has built him into a dedicated, solid, fierce, funny, practical dreamer. One of the best characters—voices and all—I’ve read in ages.

I would have read an entire book about Gentry just walking around, but the plot wavers between internal struggles, times of waiting, and emotional anguish and also danger and action.

Zee is tough, sometimes cutthroat, emotionally distant by necessity, and often desperate but always ambitious—especially regarding helping those she cares about.

It was tough to read as Zee made questionable choices and many of the joyful elements of the book unraveled. Gentry’s mom is a wonder, but her ability to keep things in perspective and forgive after the crescendo of damaging events felt so angelic as to make me question how realistic it all was. Clearly I’m jaded. But it didn’t make a difference since I was all in anyway.

I’m glad I didn’t know a lot about this book going in, just that I was fascinated by Greenwood’s “All the Ugly and Wonderful Things” and that I trusted her to bring to life another intriguing situation with unique characters, which she did.

I received an advance copy of this book through NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam in exchange for an honest review.

All the Ugly and Wonderful Things was an amazing book. While I forget most books just weeks after I read them, that one really stuck with me. So I was thrilled to get an early look at Brynwood’s latest work.
Brynwood doesn’t pick easy topics or easy characters. Among other jobs, Zee is a drug mule. As the story opens, she’s bringing two suitcases of weed to her drug dealing boss. She’s traveling with her six year old nephew, because her sister is missing. Turns out, her sister, a prison volunteer has been taken hostage by two escapees. She’s also got a hoarder mom. Not much good in her life, except she’s got a knight in shining armor looking after her. Gentry is autistic and things of her as Lady Zhorza and he her knight. He speaks in Middle English and hears voices of Gaiwen, Hildegard and a witch. “Lady, I am thy daughter’s champion”, he tells her mother.
These are folks you care about so much it hurts. Everything is going wrong in Zee’s life, dominoes falling one after another. Her interactions with her mom really resonated with me. And Gentry is just so sweet. I’m not a fan of romance stories, but this is not a typical romance. It’s not a typical anything. It went places o just didn’t see coming. I was anxious the entire second half of the book, worried about what would happen to the characters. And sad to see it end, as I wanted to see further into the future of the characters. This is one I highly recommend.
My thanks to netgalley and G. P. Putnams’ Sons for an advance copy of this book.

I was granted an ARC of this book despite not reading the author’s debut book which all my friends adored. I own her first book but haven’t yet read it though I will be remedying that. I mention this as I write this review and cannot compare it to her previous work.

I am adding an edit after reading reviews....this book contains Middle English in Gentry’s POV or when others recount his words. I read other reviews where this detracted from their experience but for me it greatly added to my enjoyment of the book. It is also so explainable with autism.

The writing is amazing. I will read everything she writes from here on out. Gentry was so well written and she included an important lesson about how others often view those with autism, as not being capable of making their own decisions and mistakes. I adore that Zee never treated him as someone incapable and trusted that he was her champion. Zee was such a flawed character but also perfect.

I didn’t like where the story went but I trust that it had to go there and the author kept true to her characters. I wish there was more of Gentry as he was such perfection.

The virtuous Christian knight becomes the protector of the poor odious serpent.

LaReigne Trego-Gill was taken hostage in the prison escape from El Dorado. Zee wants to find her sister.

Overall:
Zee and Gentry are by far the most unusual characters I’ve have ever read. Gentry behaves like a knight from the medieval time period. He is autistic with imaginary friends who guide him. Zee is poor, homeless, and promiscuous.

I’d image an audiobook performance of Gentry’s character would better portray him. I did a botched up job reading the Middle English dialogue. I’m certain a narrator would enhance his performance.

Gentry definitely steals the limelight with his special interest in knights and knives. I wouldn’t have determined him autistic had it not been stated. It doesn’t change how I feel about his character, but I must say his dialogue is challenging to decipher. I’m not particularly fond of that Middle English. At first, I did have a hard time identifying the imaginary friends Gentry spoke to.

This was an interesting roller coaster ride with unusual twists and turns. One thing you can count on from Bryn is a unique story. Her characters are zany and bizarre. The ride wasn’t smooth with the variety of characters, but let me just say there were some colorful characters with some odd behaviors. Sadly, I couldn’t relate with any one of these characters.

Bryn is a fabulous artist one who I believe is out of my league. I wish I could’ve understood the Middle English language but it was too challenging to decode. Bryn stretched that creative muscle with her unique characters yet I wasn’t addicted to any one of them. Although this story didn’t satisfy all my needs for an amazing read it was still good.

The Reckless Oath We Made is part crime thriller, part romance, part other worldly (Medieval) and a whole lot of grit. The novel has raw, real and deeply flawed characters who unexpectedly come together on a journey self redemption and love.

One of the main characters, Gentry, is autistic. He is a knightly gentleman that speaks solely in Medieval Middle English. I went back and forth on how I felt about this style. Part of my found it to be in line with his character- this romantic, chivalrous protector. The other part found it to be a distracting plot device. I have a feeling readers will either love it or hate it.

This isn't a bad book, it just wasn't for me. I never found myself rushing to pick it up. Yet I kept pushing through, waiting for the moment I'd fall in love with the characters and their story. It never happened.

In full disclosure, I loved Greenwood's 'All the Ugly and Wonderful Things'. The writing and the characters drew me in so completely that I could forgive the horribly taboo, conscience troubling parts. This latest novel isn't the same book, It couldn't be. I was just hoping for a similarly amazing reading experience and was disappointed that I didn't connect.

All that aside it is a well-written novel. If you're looking for something unique that blends grit, crime, and romance- this could be for you.

It hurt me a bit to rate this so low. Greenwood's first novel, All the Ugly and Wonderful Things, was one of my favorite books I read in 2018. I was extremely excited for this one because it takes place in Wichita, my hometown and where I just moved back to. It was fun to read through and know the streets and landmarks they discuss but that was my favorite part of this novel... similar to All the Ugly and Wonderful Things, the pair in this story is unlikely and sometimes problematic. Gentry is autistic and speaks only as he is a knight in medieval times. This is hard to get used to but after awhile, I didn't mind it. Zee doesn't seem to have many likable qualities and I felt as if she took advantage of Gentry the majority of the time and he continued to let her. It was uncomfortable and in the end it was sad. I thought this novel was entirely too long and I was waiting for it to end. I still would recommend her first novel to anyone but I would skip this one once it's released. Thanks to Netgalley and G.P Putnam's Sons for the advanced copy of this book for an honest review.