Cait Jacobs’ Princess Knight is a Legally Blond like story that centers on Princess Clia. Humiliated by a breakup when she expects a proposal, Clia is determined to prove her prince wrong and change his mind, so she follows him to Caisleán Cósta, the knight training academy.

While it has a fun premise, Princess Knight has a few unbelievable instances and a lot of Welsh names that are easy to confuse and mix up. It may not be a favorite.

I tried so hard to like this book but it just fell a bit flat for me! The FMC was very reminiscent of Elle from Legally Blonde just in a different world...and more of a bimbo in my opinion. I wanted more from her, and that's why the story didn't live up to my expectations. The storyline was also very predictable on where it was going with the romance.

DNF, I just couldn't get into this, but will try again!
I found the writing very choppy and stilted, and it drastracted me from the storyline.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collin’s for the eARC.

The short of it: I really enjoyed this book - if you’re looking for a fresh narrative that borders the YA/New Adult genre start here! This is a solid debut and I'd say a good 3.5 stars for me. There are a lot of 'fun' and adventurous moments in this journey and the plot didn't bore me at any point. If anything, I would have killed for MORE depth in some places. I feel like portions of the plot happened almost too easily at times with little explanation. I did not mind the pacing of the romance and thought there was a good balance throughout the plot to carry the story to the end. I really enjoyed the author's writing style and devoured this book.

The biggest piece that I want to mention is the way queer characters were so simply yet carefully woven into this story was just sublime. The way that it wasn’t an afterthought like many fantasy novels made it feel so much more authentic.

I would definitely read this again and recommend it to anyone looking for a fresh fantasy standalone!

Something I would have loved to see more depth on and exploration was the stone, I feel like we had some of the lore built up regarding the lost items and it did feel a little flat in the end.

Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read. However, I started this book and pretty quickly lost interest. Just wasn't connecting with the writing.

I really enjoyed this book! It somehow had “cozy fantasy” vibes while also having many fight scenes and descriptions of war. I liked the journey of Clía and Ronan and how their relationship grew. I loved the tension between them and how Ronan helped her with learning how to sword fight. The supporting characters were also quite enjoyable and while the names were a bit complex, I think they added some nice depth to the story. My biggest complaints of the story really dealt with feeling like there wasn’t much depth to what they were taught at the war academy and how she progressed so quickly in her training. Despite this, I thought the story was well written and the relationships between the various characters was believable and fun to read.

Overall rating: 3.9/5 ⭐️

Favorite quote:
“Don’t cling to the familiar to avoid potential pain of the unknown.”

Thank you to HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 stars rounded up.

This was fun but nothing incredible. Few things I loved: Clia, the fmc is autistic, and Ronan, the mmc, has chronic pain! The story was queer normative! I think the premise of Legally Blonde but at a war college was really fun and overall, mostly well done. However, I don't think the overarching military plot was well executed. It was predictable, the antagonists didn't have clear motives and I think it could've been more involved, rather that waiting until halfway through to bring it to the forefront of the story. The romance also fell flat a little bit. I would've bought into it more if it had been developed more throughout the story, rather than just a few scenes of them training, and mentions of them studying together. I also don't think the author knew if they wanted to write a romcom or YA fantasy because the tone drastically changes between the first and second halves of the story. The writing style also read more like YA than adult, even though the book was classified as adult. Overall though, it was a solid debut and I had fun while reading.

A fantasy retelling of legally blonde set in a diverse kingdom with magical creatures? Yes please. Much like the movie it’s inspired this book had an incredibly likable lead and a romance you can invest in. I was so invested in the heroines journey to prove herself and I can’t imagine anyone who reads this who won’t!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

When I heard the hook "legally blonde but make it medieval" I was immediately filing away this book in my brain as one to read (rip Medievally Blonde). I was so excited to get my greedy little paws on beautiful book this early.

I was really taken with Clía as the main female character in her tenacity to follow through with the seemingly simple plan to win back her former betrothed by completing the land's most intense military school. Not only did she complete it but her growth through the book from dutiful princess to a true leader. In addition to her growth I loved the training and battle scenes throughout the book. One thing I think done well in the book is the representation for LQBTQIA+ and chronic pain.

I almost wish this book as a duology so that more depth could be developed out of the plot and really sink into the world and more intricate nature of the politics. But overall this was a fun and unique read.

3.5 stars

4 stars 🌟 Ex's best friend? Yes, please! This was a wonderful debut novel. The development of the FMC, Clía, was the best part of the book. I was rooting for her the entire time and I love watching her become strong and independent.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️EVERYTHING I WANTED FOR A CUTE MEDIEVAL ROMANCE AHHHH LOVED LOVED LOVED. I truly enjoyed the characters and the plot. The story truly made me forget I was reading at times I was hooked. I’m honored I had the chance to read this.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for honest review.

4.5 stars! This book was SO cute!

Think Legally Blonde in the medieval times and instead of lawyers, they're knights in training!

The FMC, Clia, is a princess of one of the realms on the continent. She's always been obsessed with fashion, design and all things pretty! Her parents have arranged for her betrothal to a prince in a neighboring realm. However, on the night their betrothal is to be officially made and announced, Prince Dohmnall tells Clia that she isn't serious enough and could never be queen of his realm. She has no background in warfare that his kingdom needs in order to survive. He also announces that he'll be traveling to Caislean Costa, a prestigious training academy, that takes ordinary civilians, royalty, and soldiers and turns them into warriors.

Clia is absolutely devastated to hear this news and realizes she must also travel to Caislean Costa to win him back! However, once there, she realizes that Prince Dohmnall is betrothed to someone else!! Clia quickly realizes thta she was in no way prepared for Caislean Costa and gets help from Ronan, who's also the captain of Dohmnall's guard and has been invited to the academy as well.

Ronan has been dreaming of coming to Caislean Costa since he was a boy and the leader saved him from certain death when his mother was killed by a rival kingdom's warriors. As Dohmnall's captain, he is able to come to Caislean Costa and feels like it's one step closer to repaying his mentor and realizing his dream.

Clia and Ronan realize there's more than just a spark of attraction between the two of them as the work together on studying and training. Their love story is so sweet! So many swoon worthy moments!

However, as with any romantasy story, there's going to be some conflict. The neighboring kingdoms are trying to go against the treaties that have been in place for years and eventually attack Caislean Costa. There's betrayal on multiple levels that I didn't see coming. There's love, there's fighting, there's female empowerment, there's hidden artefacts that end up making amazing weapons and there's still a happy ending.

Overall, I adored this book. The first 20 percent or so was a lot of world building and it took me a little bit to fully understand it and fully get into it. However, after this point, I was hooked and can not say enough good things about this book!

This was really fun! It definitely gives the same vibes as Legally Blonde, though I did wish that it would've leaned more into that at times. I really liked the romance and friendships, as well as the message about self acceptance. I also love how unique it felt, I feel like we don't get a ton of romances set in the Medieval time period.

I love that Clía proved herself to be strong and a warrior while also remaining feminine and ????. She wasn't a two dimensional character, and I found myself rooting for her and looking forward to her proving everyone wrong. There were a lot of men who doubted her and decided that she was too delicate and naive to be strong, so seeing her take her autonomy back and prove not only to them, but to herself, that she is capable and can have two different sides to her was great.

I also really liked Ronan. He had things that he wanted to prove to himself, but over the course of the story his faith and loyalty was tested. Seeing the way he pushed himself to be more than just his disability was inspiring, but also sad. I like how he helped Clía and helped give her the tools to boost her confidence, as well as becoming stronger and better.

Tropes/Themes:
- Fantasy Romance
- Dual POV
- Medieval Legally Blonde
- Princess x Military Captain
- Grumpy X Sunshine
- Hints of Found Family
- Irish Folklore
- Disability Rep

This book started a lot stronger than I anticipated. I thought it balanced character and plot well, and it was cozy enough while still having some meat to keep me interested.
I think it started faltering as soon as the first twist was reveled, and really lost its footing during the miscommunication scene to the point I just skimmed the last quarter.
I also wished that we got a bit more of Clia and Domnhal's friendship. It felt extremely shallow throughout as we were told they were best friends growing up, just for him to be an asshole the entire time he's on screen.

I thought this was going to be a solid fun time 4, but it didn't quite stick the landing

I liked the premise of this book. I do think the pacing was a bit off and hard to follow! I enjoyed it and it was still a fun read! I liked the characters and the romance was well done!!

It is a fun story and the descriptions are truth full. It took me a bit to get into the story the beginning felt a little slow pace with all the descriptions but once the story develop more it was very interesting and fun to read.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for the e-ARC!

Forever mourning the title of Medievally Blonde because thats what this book is ;(

The premise starts out as the former title implied, an Irish kingdom take on Legally Blonde! Princess Cliodhna is rejected by Prince Domhnall when she believed he was about to propose, saying that she was not serious enough to be his wife and queen. So, when she learns he is traveling to Caislean Costa, the top military academy on the continent, she follows him there to prove that she can be everything he said she wasn't, and more! Of course, when Clia arrives, she is entirely overwhelmed at the rigor of the academy and the fact that Domhnall is already engaged to another warrior there. But at least Domhnall's best friend and captain of the guard is helping her to train, and he's not bad to look at either...

Eventually, between classes and missions and training sessions, Clia improves as a warrior! Just in time too, because war is threatening the continent and her kingdom!

I really like the concept of this book. I mean, a princess version of Legally Blonde? Sign me up! Thankfully, after the initial set up, The Princess Knight takes on a plot of its own and makes its characters more than archetypes of Elle Woods, Warner Huntington III and Vivian Kensington. Cait Jacobs also does a great job of working diversity and inclusion into the book. Clia has autism, Ronan has chronic pain, both love interests are bisexual in a queer-normative world. It gives The Princess Knight something to set it apart from other romantasy books coming out, and I thought it was very interesting to be in Clia's head!

I do wish there had been a character pronunciation guide at the beginning of the book. There's a list available on Jacobs's website, but it's not super fun to have to go look it up when I can't remember how to pronounce a character's name. Some names sound the same with English pronunciation as they did in Irish (Ronan, Declan, O Connor, etc), and some Irish names are popular enough that I knew how to pronounce them (Niall, Niamh, etc), but without the pronunciation guide I would have struggled with Cliodhna, Domhnall, Sarait, and Eithne. The average reader won't know how to correctly pronounce these names, and I would like to know as these are REAL names and not ones made up by a fantasy author.

Overall, this was a super fun read that combined two pieces of media I love, and sprinkled in some great representation along the way. I would recommend!

I was lucky enough to be an ARC reader for this book.

If you love, Legally Blonde and the medieval times this book will be right up your alley.
I have always been a huge lover of the movie Legally Blonde. I love the story and the character growth throughout it. I also love books set in medieval times and romantasy books.
There are plenty of retellings of fairytales, but this book is unique as it is a retelling of Legally Blonde sent in a different time.
In this book are leading lady is Clía she is a princess and is expected to marry a prince of a neighboring kingdom as a way to protect her people. When it’s time to get engaged, he backs out. Just as Warner did in Legally Blonde.
She then follows him to knight school to prove that she is what he wants.
This, of course, where the book begins.
Cait Jacobs did a great job, translating the world of Legally Blonde into a different era and with different scenarios and consequences.
I loved the world building and each of the characters. They’re all given their own unique personalities and traits, which made reading their dynamics so interesting and intriguing.
Clía is such a strong character, though she’s naïve and sheltered. She’s also stubborn and has a strong sense of justice. I also loved how it was incredibly important to note that she was very diplomatic which I think is an incredibly important trait for someone who is a princess to have and I loved how Cait Jacobs explored that part of her character.
Ronan was a great MMC. He’s not your typical brooding male lead. He is helpful, strong, kind, and loyal.
There is real romantic depth between Clía and Ronan which made their love so wonderful. You also get there relationship build from mutual respect to love.
I highly recommend reading this book!

The Princess Knight by Cait Jacobs
👑⚔️
This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I’m so lucky to have had the chance to read it early! A princess goes to knight school, becomes a badass warrior, and falls in love with the moody captain of the guard of her former almost-betrothed? Hi yes sign me up.
This book was so fun and I’m a sucker for a hyper-feminine FMC finding new levels of strength as a fighter. I will say this felt a little slow to me, and I really got lost in the weeds of the different locations & conflicts at times. The overarching political drama felt a little bit over- complicated and not very well explained at times. However the characters and relationships really pulled through to make this a worthy read.

The way I gobbled this up!!! I so enjoyed the plot and the tension between the characters. Thoroughly enjoyed my time with this book!