This was a delightful read! It does not have the tone or pacing one expects from many modern novels, but that takes you for quite an enjoyable ride.

The book started off really great - the writer has a particular talent for scene-setting and the world that the characters inhabit was incredibly rich. I was really onboard with the relic hunt plot-line, but it felt like it lost its tension about halfway through. The outcome felt a little bit anti-climatic, but it was still an enjoyable read. I'd also definitely be interested in reading more work by this author, though, because the premise was very unique, and their writing style exhibits a lot of skill.

I love a romp through medieval Europe any old time and this adult fiction debut did not disappoint.

Brother Nicephorus is a sweet, slightly clueless monk who thinks he’s been called to help the sick. Tyun is shady but a charming relic thief. The two find themselves paired up on what feels like one part road trip and and one part heist to steal Saint Nicholas’s bones. So much fun!

Though set in the 11th century, the tone feels fresh and event cheeky. Anderson leans into the absurd and it works. The characters are quirky and the banter is sharp, and the story moves with a good amount of chaos and charm. A quick brushing up on medieval saints after reading helped the story land even more.

If you’re looking for serious historical fiction, this isn’t it. But if you want a fun, irreverent take on a forgotten bit of history, this one’s definitely worth your time. Would give this 3.5 stars if I could.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I ended up DNF'ing at 44%.
The premise of this book had so much potential and I was disappointed that at 44% I was not connecting to any of the characters and ultimately got bored. I do think someone with more knowledge of this time period would have enjoyed this more.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free digital Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for a review.

Thank you, NetGalley, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Pantheon. for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

In the city of Bari, in 1087, a pox devastated it. When the tender-hearted monk is visited in dreams by Saint Nicholas, he interprets his vision as a call to serve the sick, but he meets the different plans of his superiors.
On the other side Tyan is a treasure hunter, known for getting holy relics from their tombs and the bones of Saint Nicholas are rumored to weep a substance able to heal the sick. For a small price, he will steal the bones with the help of Nicephorus, the monk.

Nicked is based on true event and it's a true delight! An incredible heist, compelling characters, a dangerous and deadly plague, a monastic meet-cute and a slyly funny queer novel, able to enchant everyone!

A fun medieval caper where a rag tag group of thieves and a monk team up to swipe the bones of St. Nicholas.

The writing style and pacing were excellent and I found the characters likable. The action makes you want to fly through the pages and the characters' interactions were laugh out loud funny at several points. Definitely recommend!

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

This is a fun, light, quick read. If you like the Brother Cadfael series but could use some more action, this is the place.

Based on a true story. Sorta. Medieval stories don't come with a ton of details, but this fits the ones that exist. So, the history:

Stealing relics and bodies of saints were very much a thing! It made it broke your tourist industry to be hooked to the highways of the time. People travelled pilgrimage routes and visited famous shrines. For fun, the author took some historical things literally that historians take less so. Medieval Europeans absolutely believed in dog-headed people. And people with one giant foot that used it as a shade from the sun. And people whose faces are on their chests because they didn't have heads. You get the idea. There is not evidence of them roaming Europe.

There is 1000% non-spicy make/male romance. (They kiss twice.) My partner's first question - Did that really happen?? There is a school of thought that thinks that religious institutions were chock full of LGBTQIA+ people. And there's a school that swears everyone was really following all those ecclesiastical rules and no one ever had sex. Like most historical arguments, I think the truth lies in between. LGBTQIA+ people certainly existed, and we have record of them. But it is largely our system of oppression against anyone gender or sexuality non-conforming that creates the category. Medieval people were less uptight about most things. There's even a romance where a princess grows a penis to please her bride.

Everyone loves a good heist, and this silly rendition of the burglary of Saint Nicholas’ remains (yep, that saint nick) feels a little bit like if Terry Pratchett wrote The Historian (Elizabeth Kostova) which is the kind of crossover that I suspect only makes sense to me. It’s a little outrageous and fun with a healthy dose of niche historical information.

It was a quick read, and I think it would be a good fit for fans of The Blacktongue Thief and most other less than serious crime or adventure stories.

Thank you to the publishers for the opportunity to read and review!

I really struggled to keep my focus on this. The premise caught my attention, but the writing style didn't really resonated with me. I can see it being something enjoyed by those that follow me, but this definitely isn't a palate cleanser.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. It was extremely slow paced and hard to get through, despite having a pretty short page count. I didnt have any real connection to any of the characters and the language got a bit beyond me.

Well-researched and thoroughly written, this novel is truly transporting to medieval times and the monks that populated them. Strange and funny, this book had me looking up definitions of archaic words every other page which I enjoy. Some passages are so beautiful and others so bizarrely entertaining. Definitely an original read!

I’ll be honest, I really wasn’t totally sure what to expect when I started reading this. The end result surprisingly was the most fun and unique historical fantasy novel I have ever had the pleasure of reading.

The beginning of the book was rather slow and confusing to me, which had me rethinking my choice in reading it. It did take a little bit to get accustomed to the writing style, as it’s a bit dry. However, it quickly became clear to me than my first impressions were way off base and the story took a turn for the better. I found myself quickly becoming engrossed in the characters and their quirky adventure.

This is definitely all historical and no fantasy, which normally I would consider a point lost but not in this case. The history and the religious aspects were delivered with excitement and intrigue and had me guessing what was going to happen next. I loved the different locations they traveled to and marveled at how wild of an adventure took place is such a short amount of time.

My feeling regarding queer literature is the more queer the better. This was no exception to that!! The slow burn was perfect, and the interactions were tooth-achingly sweet and made me wish for more.

Loved this. It was so weird and so funny and so dark. Also gay. Can't wait to read more of MT's adult work.

I featured this book in a new release video prior to publication and was very excited to read this. This description is such a romp, I love a quest story, I love a rapscallion type of character. Plus I'm so sure this is queer af and I LIVE for it. Will update when final review posts, but I'm expecting 5 stars!

I didn't like this one personally. I felt very lost and there wasn't much to hold onto that kept me interested.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pantheon for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Nicephorus had a dream. A dream that he thought meant nothing but after sharing his dream with others it was believed to be prophecy. Due to this “misunderstanding” Nicephorus went from being a simple monk with a dream to a monk who is part of a heist! What are these characters trying to steal? Just the bones of the late Saint Nicholas.

This book seemed so interesting to me. I wanted to love it so bad but I just can’t seem to make it through. The book is not structured in chapters per se. it’s like really long parts. I made it 25% of the way through the book and I am only to part 2! The structure of this book is the largest part of why I can’t see myself finishing the book. The other part is the language. I don’t feel it’s accessible to those who aren’t in the history books. I wish I liked it more to continue but I find it tedious and unenthusiastic. Maybe I will try it again in the future!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

This was not for me. While the writing was technically impressive, the pacing and tone were off. It felt like I was both dropped into the middle of a story and like the story was dragging along. There were too many mentions of characters that played little to no part in the story and I did not feel any sort of chemistry, relationship, or tension between the two LIs.

I loved this book and was enthralled with the writing. I loved the character study. Would read more from the author!

I love a good fairytale retelling. And I loved how good it did at it. The story was awesome. I read the audiobook too and the accents were amazing.

i am officially giving up historical fiction lol. this just wasn't for me at all. overall the plot was interesting but the characters were so one dimensional that i couldn't latch onto any of their stories for the life of me. i didn't care for any of them. and there were so many side characters that i barely kept up! i'm disappointed because i love a good heist story, but maybe not set in 1087.