Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book!

Not for the Faint of Heart is a charming rom-com/found family story that feels like a warm hug (after all the sword fighting, of course). It is set in the world of Robin Hood, though the main characters are his descendants and a new band of Merry Men. The story is funny and I loved all the positive representation of the LGBTQ+ community. I did struggle with the pacing of the first quarter or so, as it felt a tad slow and I had a hard time connecting to the characters. But, as the story progressed the pacing settled into a good rhythm.

I love Lex Croucher's writing so it was no surprise how much I loved Not for the Faint of Heart! The modern references and language were so on point, enough that they made me laugh but not too many that it took me out of it. And of course, I absolutely loved Mariel and Clem!

I was so ready for a fun, light-hearted-until-it's-not romp in the same vein of Gwen and Art, this time using Robin Hood as the legendary inspiration. And at times, that's what we get, but for the most part, there's just something that doesn't quite fit. Maybe it's due to making Mariel Robin Hood's granddaughter, and thus much closer to the original tales and characters, or maybe it has more to do with the way the setting feels like it's modern kids LARPing medieval England or the main characters got transmigrated from modern times (the phrase "fuck the fascists" appears, along with everyone having last names, modern military structure, etc.) in such a way that kept throwing me out of the story.

I also never quite clicked with Mariel - she's supposed to be the archetypical grumpy, uptight perfectionist, angling for respect, but we never really get a sense of /why/ she's that way, and all the attempts to explain her devotion to her father fall short (I also never bought her mother's excuses, not to mention they sort of came out of nowhere). This was especially a problem because it meant she felt out of place as a love interest for Clem, who has much better chemistry with everyone else in the crew.

That said, great found family vibes overall.

A creative, original, and deeply enjoyable Robin Hood retelling that takes a well-known, popular tale and gives it a refreshing spin. Though the plot is recognizably Robin Hood, Croucher takes just enough liberties to make the world feel entirely new. It's a fun jaunt of a book overall with a lighthearted enemies-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers romance, but in Croucher's interpretation is an unexpectedly poignant and grounded commentary on social movements and the struggles and pitfalls of organizations fighting for change. Action-packed, difficult to put down, and utterly captivating.

Lex Croucher is rapidly becoming one of my favorite authors for their brilliant characterizations and hilarious dialog. If you’ve ever wondered what happened to the Merry Men after Robin Hood retired, Not for the Faint of Heart offers a satisfying story of what might have come next. It’s an exciting adventure filled with an admirably diverse group of flawed yet lovable characters, many of whom are queer in one way or another.

One aspect of the story is a slow-burn grumpy/sunshine Sapphic romance between obstinate Captain Mariel Hartley-Hood (granddaughter of Robin Hood), and Clem, the irrepressibly cheerful healer that Mariel and her little troop of Merry Men kidnap. I absolutely adored Clem from the moment I met her. Mariel could be frustrating, but as I got to know her better, it was easy to understand why she acted the way she did. And to her credit, she goes through a wonderful growth ARC by the story’s end.

The secondary characters were well developed and memorable, and there’s a strong sense of found family.

I loved the very matter of fact queer representation. This is a world where I did not notice any assumptions about or limitations based on gender or sexual orientation. People simply are who they are and love who they love.

I would recommend this book for fans of queer young adult historical romances, romantic comedies, and adventures. If you enjoy books by T. Kingfisher, Alexis Hall, or Casey McQuiston, you should definitely give this a try.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books for providing me with a free advanced review copy through NetGalley. I volunteered to provide an honest review.

I've loved all of Lex Croucher's books so far and I'm so honoured to be getting them as advanced copies but this one was a total miss for me. I found it really hard to connect with any of the characters or the plot at all. I don't mind diving straight into the action but this one just seemed really weirdly paced for me and I couldn't get into a flow with it at all. Unfortunately not my favourite!

Lex Croucher absolutely has a talent for queer historical romance and I'm so happy to see that Not for the Faint of Heart is every bit as much fun as Gwen & Art Are Not In Love. This was a delightful twisting book full of intriguing side characters and a unique plot that takes a story you thought you knew and turns it on its head.

Clem has made a life for herself working with the local healer after being orphaned at the age of ten, and everything is going well for her helping the villagers and causing misery among the local wildlife (via attempts to put them in tiny hats). At least, until she's kidnapped by the Merry Men as revenge for her guardian helping the Sheriff of Nottingham. Except, these Merry Men are nothing like the stories that Clem grew up dreaming of; they're fighting wars against the Sheriff and kidnapping folks, after all, which is a far cry from what Robin Hood used to be about. Her kidnapper, Mariel, just so happens to be the granddaughter of Robin Hood, and while she's grown used to following the orders of her father, Clem's doubts might start to take hold.

The slow-burn romance between Clem and Mariel is so trope-y and fun. There's only one horse! There's only one bed! Grumpy X Sunshine! Genuinely, Clem's perky optimism in the face of being kidnapped is just SO funny and plays well with Mariel's permanent grumpiness. But where this book truly seemed to shine was in the secondary characters, especially Mariel's team. Baxter and Kit had my whole heart and I would love to see more of this team in a future book!

This is my second book that I’ve read by Lex Croucher and I enjoyed it! Lex always has a fun writing style.

A lively retelling of Robin Hood and the Merry Men that sees some of it turned on its head and a very eclectic cast. I suspect many YA readers won't know the original story and those won't be hampered by making comparisons and linking characters - they'll just enjoy it. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good found family tale.

I love a good re-telling / reimagined story and this one had me laughing, cheering, and feeling sappy the entire way through. I enjoyed Gwen and Art are not in lover by this author as well. This book is pretty light hearted, funny, and face paced and I think anyone looking for an easy read or a read to get out of a slump should check this one out.

The mostly delightful and only sometime heartbreaking story of Robin Hood’s granddaughter, the sparkling genius of a healer she kidnapped, and their journey to a happy life they can be proud of.

There’s so much in this book that made me laugh out loud, from Clem’s constant stream of cheerful chatter to Mariel’s inability to remain uncharmed by her to their little gang’s friendship and camaraderie. It’s full of moments that made me smile and sigh with happiness, like every time Mariel admitted by word or deed that she had a heart that was slowly opening up and letting people in, and when Baxter and Kit danced close and whispered in each other ears, and when Josey and Morgan joked and and supported one another.

Of course, there’s also so much sadness. For Mariel, her crappy parents left her with a lifetime of insecurities, always making her feel like she’d never be good enough, no matter how hard she tried. To find out that everything she thought was true was a lie was both a shock and betrayal. And then there was Clem, with her PTSD after the death of her parents and her panic disorder, trying to find a place in this world that would let her do what she does best: heal everyone, no matter who they are, to the best of her abilities.

There’s more sadness that I won’t spoil here, but if nothing else, that sadness shines a spotlight on the happy moments, and the need for love, community, fairness, and thoughtful care, and at the end, I’m left with an overwhelming feeling of hope. This is one I can wholeheartedly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy of this book. It will be available in stores and your local library on November 25.

Mariel is the new captain of the Merry Men and is determined to live up to her grandfather Robin Hood’s legacy. So they capture Clem, a backwoods healer whose guardian was helping the Sheriff of Nottingham. Everything seems to be going according to plan until Jack Hartley, the Commander of the Merry Men and Mariel’s father, is captured. With Clem in tow, Mariel sets on a journey to get him back.

However, the woods are now at war, and the Merry Men aren’t exactly on the right side of history. As Mariel and Clem start to grow closer, they realize they have to fight for themselves and for those they love.

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an advanced copy of Not for the Faint of Heart to review! Lex Croucher is establishing themselves as an expert in queer historical YA fantasy. If you read for the vibes, this historical romance will definitely be a book for you.

There are a lot of great romance tropes in this, like enemies to lovers, only one bed, hurt/comfort, and kidnapping. The pacing is a little bit slow at the beginning, but it definitely picks up about halfway through the book as sparks start to fly between Clem and Mariel. Their relationship is probably the best part of the story, hands down.

There’s some great banter between the main characters as well, making the book itself entertaining to read and just a fun time. If you like historical rom-coms, definitely check this one out when it comes out in November!

I enjoyed the author’s previous novel, Gwen & Art Are Not in Love, so I thought this book would be along the same lines. Sadly, this missed the mark. The story was so dull, aimless, and uninteresting, I only got through about 30% before throwing in the towel. I couldn’t connect to either character. Unfortunately, I will not be finishing, but I see where this could appeal to younger readers.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for the review copy.

I wanted to like this one, but it was just so slow that I put it down. I primarily listened to the audiobook, so I will say that I enjoyed the narrator!

As someone who enjoyed Gwen & Art Are Not in Love, I was eager to see what the author had next in store… And it was okay.

I think the story suffers from uneven with pacing, with the first 30-50% being slow — to the point wherein I experienced difficulty with properly engaging with the story — and the rest of it being very fast-paced. Yes, the cast is sizable, but there’s a way to introduce them and establish the world that they’re in without it being so drawn out and dry. This was an issue in both progression and dialogue. The resulting trade-off when the story finally picked up was that it almost went too quickly, with new revelations (i.e key components of characters’ backstories and also “quirks” that signal deeper, unresolved traumas) being introduced but not always followed up on or resolved. The final resolution itself was quite tame, all things considered. I don’t mean that an ending needs to be “explosive,” necessarily, but the wrap-up lacked a certain kind of excitement that it could have had, had the entire work possessed a better sense of balance.

So it was okay. Nothing quite mind-blowing or spectacular, but akin to the kind of program you let play in the background when you’re doing something and need some easy or light noise.

My thanks to the author (Lex Croucher), the publisher (Wednesday Books), and NetGalley for providing the eARC through which I was able to read the work and write this review.

I love found family in books so this was a hit for me! The start of the book was slow but it did pick up. I enjoyed the queer representation as well.

Clemence volunteers to get kidnapped by the Merry Men that she has fantasized about her entire life. Unfortunately, the experience isn’t exactly what she thought it would be. It’s uncomfortable and cold. The kidnappers don’t seem to be like Robin Hood at all. She’s going to escape and then people start getting hurt and now she can’t leave because her role as healer won’t let her. She’ll leave once they are better or she’ll stay if she can get the Captain to kiss her.

I have to confess that I actually didn’t read the blurb so I had no clue who Clem’s love interest was supposed to be in the story. I actually thought it was another character by the flirting and it wasn’t until I was a quarter of the way through the story that the lightbulb went on and I said, “Ohhhhh, Mariel is the love interest.” Lex Croucher doesn’t always write their books with romance at the forefront and Not for the Faint of Heart is no different.

I was going to say that the story is about identity, but Clem has a pretty good idea of who she is whereas the rest of the gang is struggling as a whole with the exception of Josey. Mariel, the other voice we get to hear, has the biggest struggle as Robin Hood’s granddaughter and the legacy holder. She struggles with her identity in a man’s world. Her role as daughter, military leader, and as a legacy. I don’t think she once thought of a partner until Clem comes into her life and basically forces Mariel into a relationship. I think Mariel is just dumbfounded by Clem (chuckle).

The secondary cast is heartbreaking. The diversity is wonderful and it is in this spectrum the pain comes. Plus, this is an action-adventure story with battles and sacrifices - need I say more? Croucher doesn’t give us a straight happily-ever-after because life doesn’t work that way. They leave the betrayals on the page and don’t smooth over them. It’s raw and unhealed.

Not for the Faint of Heart is exactly that for a book. It’s about found family with a clean romance subplot as an afterthought. It’s about orphans and people choosing to come together because they want community. They want to belong and they are willing to fight for it. They want to fight for justice. This story lingers for all of the right reasons.

Not for the Faint of Heart is a heart pounding jaunt through the woods with Robin Hood’s Merry Men. –although, under new management. This story follows the story of Robin Hood’s granddaughter, Mariel Hartley-Hood, as she struggles to prove herself as a Captain of the Merry Men, and Clem, a “ridiculous” healer kidnapped by the Merry Men to help tend to battle wounds.

This was a lovely queer reimagining of a classic tale, with all sorts of rep. Lesbian, gay, trans, non-binary, and bisexual. I absolutely LOVED Clem as a character. I thought she was just magnificent, but I will be totally honest when I say that I REALLY didn’t like Mariel. In fact, I thought she was insufferable for the most part. I know the dynamic was grumpy x sunshine. But I just didn’t like Mariel, and I never got on board with her.

I thought this story was a lot of fun though, and I want to go back and read Gwen and Art are not in Love.

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing me with a copy of the book!

this book was so cute and whimsical. honestly i feel it was more character-focused than on the plot, which is not a problem since i liked all the main characters. the romance between mariel and clem had me giggling and i kept wanting more. it really does have the vibe of horse riding through an enchanted wood.

4.75/5

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Not for the Faint of Heart by Lex Croucher is a third person dual-POV YA Sapphic historical fantasy romance starring the granddaughter of Robin Hood and Maid Marion and a healer. When Clem, the apprentice of the local healer, takes the place of her teacher in a kidnapping by the Merry Men, she meets Mariel. Mariel is the daughter of the current Commander of the Merry Men and wants little more than to prove herself to her father and her team.

Unlike Lex Croucher’s previous YA, Gwen and Art are Not in Love, Not for the Faint of Heart is set more in a Queernorm version of the time period Robin Hood is set in. There are multiple openly Queer characters, such as Morgan who is nonbinary and Kit and Baxter as well as Robin himself and Will Scarlet from the original legends. I would say that this book is not set in the exact same world as Gwen and Art because of this, but they are adjacent enough that if you liked the worldbuilding in one, you’ll probably like the other.

Mariel has a complex relationship with both of her parents. Her mother, who is the daughter of Robin Hood, hasn’t really been a part of Mariel’s life for a long time with limited visits and fairly brief points of contact. Her father has always placed a lot of pressure on her and it feels like a father-daughter relationship filled with a lot of emotional neglect. It helps to explain why Mariel is so closed-off and has difficulty trusting others because her own parents haven’t really been there for her and both are too wrapped up in themselves and what they want instead of their child.

Clem and Mariel’s romantic arc is full of a lot of misunderstandings and tension related to Clem’s job and how the Merry Men’s reputation has seriously gone down since Mariel’s father took over. I wouldn’t classify Clem and Mariel as enemies-to-lovers because they’re never antagonistic towards each other in that way, but they are on opposite sides and need time to cross over and meet each other in the middle. Mariel is a lot more withdrawn than Clem is while Clem is very compassionate, but those two qualities show why they are a good match.

I would recommend this to fans of adaptations of Robin Hood looking for a Sapphic reimagining and readers of YA fantasy romance who preference something more historical-based