Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

You don’t see as many medieval romance books, especially not queer romance, but this made me want more. Especially the moving description of healing from abuse.

This is for all the historical MM lovers! I love the trope of running away and finding love in unexpected places.

I could not put this book down! I was sucked in so quick and had to make myself stop so I wouldn't finish it too quickly.

Extremely quaint, and tender hearted. The book was such a lovely experience that it ended far before I was willing to let go of the characters. I'd pay good money to return to this little world and see them, as well as the side characters, yet again.

I think I wanted to like One Night in Hartswood more than I actually did…and god did I try. Unfortunately, I just found myself kind of bored through most of the first 2/3rds of the book. It wasn’t bad by any means…just not really what I was expecting or wanting this story to be.

I found the characters extremely charming and I grew to love both Penn and Raf immensely. I desperately wanted them to be together and to find a way to make it through their tribulations. I also really liked Ash and Cecily as side characters, but I wish we got to learn more about them. All around, I felt like the characters fell a little flat - even when they were doing horrible things, they didn’t hold the weight that I expected them to.

This would have been excellent with another pass through with an editor. Over half of the book is of Penn and Raf traveling through the forest…making camps and sparring. A few chapters of that would have been fine, but it dragged on entirely too long and I just kept wishing it were over.

Once it picked up around the 70% mark, I was completely hooked. I found all of the tension with the climax of the story exhilarating and I wish there had been more of that and less of the meandering paths. Penn’s father was truly atrocious and I enjoyed seeing the strategy behind Penn’s decisions.

Overall, this was very cute, but not very substantial and I found myself constantly wanting more.

I enjoyed many aspects of this historical queer romance, but I found certain things took me out of the story and just annoyed me- the long dragged out mistaken identity, the sudden change in some of the character's reactions and personality at the end. The way that Penn's father is suddenly not that big of a deal or tyrant at the end was a bit lackluster.

That said, I appreciated the way trauma was depicted and how that is navigated in a relationship. I enjoyed reading a queer historical romance in a time period that isn't written in as often as the Victorian.

I recently started reading more books with lgbtq+ rep, and I’ve loved them!

This one was no different. Such a cute, fun and entertaining book.

I’ll continue to read more books with the rep, and I’m excited!

I loved it so much, please read it!

Thank you NetGalley and Mills & Boon for the ARC of One Night in Hartswood by Emma Denny.

In One Night in Hartswood Raff heads to the wedding of his sister and William de Foucart. One night he runs into Penn in the Hartswood and after spending a nigh talking to him he becomes enamored with him. The next day when William goes missing Raff heads back to the forest to find the missing groom but once more runs into Penn. Unbeknownst to Raff, Penn is the missing William.

I really loved the fact that these two traveled and fell in love without either knowing who they are. It added just a nice little bit of drama to the story. This is set in the 14th century so homophobia is rampant and the two are very much aware that they need to hide their budding attraction.

Penn broke my heart. His history and story was so raw and heartbreaking. He truly needed someone like Raff to show him that he is not meek and that he has his own inner strength. Raff was very much a quiet man who felt like he had to shoulder the burden of his fathers estate and his siblings. I loved watching him grow and learn that he can be a little selfish.

I can talk about this book without talking about Raff and Penn's sisters and Raff's father and brother. They were major allies for the two and I loved seeing Penn realize that not every father is like his. You could see the healing he went through being around Raffs family.

This is a book that you won't be able to put down. You will fall in love with Penn and Raff and all the other characters. Content Warnings: homophobia, child abuse, and violence.

Very much enjoyed this story. There’s some lying by both main characters but it’s crafted perfectly so the deceptions make sense. I also liked the medieval setting, would love to see more historical romance authors step outside of the 1700-1800s. And the road trip and will they/won’t they elements were really good. But what really makes this a great read is the main characters. Both are good men who feel stuck in roles they don’t want, and the story unravels all of that very effectively, in parallel with them falling in love.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC I received.

Lush writing with an engaging love story! This was one that I couldn’t put down and I’m so thankful that I was able to get an arc.

Absolutely loved this book and immediately preordered the next one. It's such a fun time, and I love historical romances that aren't regency. The characters were immediately loveable even when they're making decisions that make you want to yell at the book (as all good characters do. The pacing of this book was just right for me too, so I finished in one sitting!

**Thank you to NetGalley for sending me this book in return for an honest review.**

Oh my gosh I had so much fun reading this book! I haven't been in the mood for historical romances recently but this book cured that! I thoroughly enjoyed following Penn and Raff their adventures and seeing them fall in love ❤

I received an advanced copy of One Night in Hartswood by Emma Denny from the publisher Harper360 via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: Raff and Penn meet one night in the forest and share a passionate kiss. However, the next day both their lives are thrown up in the air. Penn knowing he cannot hide who he is and live under his cruel father’s treatment so he flees the night before the wedding. When Raff’s sister’s betrothed vanishes, he is called to track and find him to restore his family’s honor, while looking for the missing groom, he run into Penn again and thinking that he is a servent escaping a cruel master, Raff helps him escape. The two journey through the wilderness of the England to Scotland and begin to fall for each other.

What I Loved: A queer historical romance set in Oxford 1360, yes, please! This book is such a creative tale and I loved the premise. I loved getting to see two characters who live under totally different circumstances. I loved Raff’s family and their clear love for one another. I also really loved Raff and found him to be a caring and loving character who was smart and knew his stuff. I really thought he was an excellent character.

What I Didn’t Like: I have to say the mistaken identity lasted longer than I wish it would have, it got to the point where it was ridiculous and absurd. It made the romance seem unfeasible and unlikely to be successful. I also did not love Penn, he was immature and naïve, he did not bring warm clothes when he escaped in winter.

Who Should Read It: People who love a romance set amidst a journey and love mistaken identity trope.

Summary: Two men alone in the wilderness and hiding who they are find one another.

This was a 3.5 star read for me - rounding it up to 4! I usually adore most historical queer romances however I think this time period just isn't my taste. I thought the main characters were good and that their romance was really cute but ultimately it just wasn't a favorite of mine.

4 stars. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I HOPED it would hit a lot of my buttons, going by the synopsis, but there are many promising books that end up disappointing you. Here, I liked both main characters right from the start, and even though the novel is set a full six hundred years before I was even born, the world described in its pages felt very real, very complicated, very rich. Too many historical fiction books feel anachronistic, and sadly, this can be especially true of books with LGBTQ characters, where the author perhaps wants us to relate to characters not having options or even thoughts we would in our age. So kudos for creating a real-life 1360 world in real-world 2023.

Many thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. I very much recommend this book.

I enjoyed this one quite a lot! Their journey while on their own gave off Robin Hood vibes, and the hidden identities and secret motivations made for an interesting book. Would love to read more by this author!

This was super cute! Perfect for anyone who loves queer historical romance. I also love the secret identity trope in this setting. It was really well executed here.

One Night in Hartswood 🌳🦌

This book is so cozy and sweet with steam and substance and I want to live inside it even if I’ll be cold a lot and have to sleep on the ground and walk miles through the woods. 🤷‍♀️🦌🌲

One Night in Hartswood focuses on two men, both running from a duty they wish to escape, as they travel across medieval Britain. Raff, second son of a lord, longs to explore the forest and live outside the bonds of nobility. Penn, son of a different lord, is suffering from the loss of his siblings and the actions of a cruel father. He decides to escape his fate and meets strong, capable Raff in the woods. The two set off on a journey through the woods, both keeping secrets and pining for the other. Raff and Penn are such a sweet couple. I loved how their story came together! 🥰

🏰 Medieval Romance
🦌 Secret Identities
🏰 Arranged Marriage Escape
🦌 Lots of walking through woods
🏰 Family Secrets
🦌 Only One Bedroll-ish
🏰 Must snuggle for ✨WaRmTh✨😈
🦌Mutual Pining

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a complimentary arc. All opinions are my own.

Overall, a very strong debut novel from this author.

I am, in general, a big fan of period pieces, and I don't think that I've seen a whole lot of good LGBT+ romance in this kind of medieval setting (the Regency gets all the good stuff, doesn't it?) The romance between our two leads was really well built and the chemistry was delightful. I just love a slow burn.

I do feel like it could have been a strong choice to have Penn come clean about the lying once Raff was sort of forced to come clean about his identity, but I understand why that couldn't happen.

Also, the settings and descriptions were really lovely.

4 out of 5 stars, would pick up this author again!