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njh_books's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
If you are looking for a historically accurate historical fiction romance novel, please U-turn at your earliest convenience, if not, this may be for you. It was decently believable until the last 150 pages and then...
It's a thick book, about 500 pages, yet it never really dragged for me. Some parts were slower than others but there was never really a point in the novel where I was begging for it to get on with it.
I quite enjoyed Harry and Iain, and they both grew on me as they grew up as well. Sometimes they were both idiots with each other, but they seemed to generally figure it out. Glad Iain got his revenge.
Alys is a rockstar as well and I enjoyed her wit and keeping Harry in check. While this is a MLM novel, Alys could be ace--her distain for the process to get pregnant to the point she basically does some medieval process of IUI and that she desires a courtly love, not a physical/sexual one, speaks of that potential.
The dynamic between Harry, Iain, and Alys I would've loved to see more of, simply because the last scene was killer and the three of them seem to balance each other out well. Liked the ending where the protagonist, the lover, and the best friend all can get along and live in harmony.
Some fav quotes/scenes that may have made me giggle:
"The aide scrunches his face in discomfort. ‘Those are the private royal gardens, Sir Harry. We do not look towards them nor do we reach into them, unless we have a very great desire to lose our hand.'
Harry's face reddens in embarrassment as he is led away from the bench, probably never to be allowed near it again.
'Are you worried the King overheard your prayer?' the aide asks.
'No. I prayed in English,’ Harry says.
'Pfft,' the aide snorts. ‘Then God did not hear it either, for He does not speak the vulgar tongue.'"(474)
"Alys finds the chest containing the scarves and ribbons. Her brow furrows. ‘lain, why on earth do any of us need so much haberdashery? I, for one, have no intention of ever going to court again.’
‘Well,’ lain whispers, in his rough, ruined voice, 'you're going to go through a lot of ribbons, because every time that great Sassenach idiot rides into a tournament he's going to need a favour.'
‘Oh lord,’ Harry groans. 'You're teaming up on me?’
And two bright, mischievous brunets look at him and grin. 'Who, us?' says Alys, her face innocent.
‘We'd never,’ purrs lain." (505-506)
It's a thick book, about 500 pages, yet it never really dragged for me. Some parts were slower than others but there was never really a point in the novel where I was begging for it to get on with it.
I quite enjoyed Harry and Iain, and they both grew on me as they grew up as well. Sometimes they were both idiots with each other, but they seemed to generally figure it out. Glad Iain got his revenge.
Alys is a rockstar as well and I enjoyed her wit and keeping Harry in check. While this is a MLM novel, Alys could be ace--her distain for the process to get pregnant to the point she basically does some medieval process of IUI and that she desires a courtly love, not a physical/sexual one, speaks of that potential.
The dynamic between Harry, Iain, and Alys I would've loved to see more of, simply because the last scene was killer and the three of them seem to balance each other out well. Liked the ending where the protagonist, the lover, and the best friend all can get along and live in harmony.
Some fav quotes/scenes that may have made me giggle:
"The aide scrunches his face in discomfort. ‘Those are the private royal gardens, Sir Harry. We do not look towards them nor do we reach into them, unless we have a very great desire to lose our hand.'
Harry's face reddens in embarrassment as he is led away from the bench, probably never to be allowed near it again.
'Are you worried the King overheard your prayer?' the aide asks.
'No. I prayed in English,’ Harry says.
'Pfft,' the aide snorts. ‘Then God did not hear it either, for He does not speak the vulgar tongue.'"(474)
"Alys finds the chest containing the scarves and ribbons. Her brow furrows. ‘lain, why on earth do any of us need so much haberdashery? I, for one, have no intention of ever going to court again.’
‘Well,’ lain whispers, in his rough, ruined voice, 'you're going to go through a lot of ribbons, because every time that great Sassenach idiot rides into a tournament he's going to need a favour.'
‘Oh lord,’ Harry groans. 'You're teaming up on me?’
And two bright, mischievous brunets look at him and grin. 'Who, us?' says Alys, her face innocent.
‘We'd never,’ purrs lain." (505-506)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Animal death, Death of parent, Torture, War, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Medical content, Alcoholism, Blood, Death, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual violence
Minor: Excrement and Sexism
quinnyquinnquinn's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Homophobia, Murder, Violence, War, and Sexual content
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Pregnancy, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
wildatheart1339's review against another edition
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Murder, Kidnapping, Blood, Sexual content, Violence, and War
Moderate: Alcohol, Animal death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Classism, Sexual harassment, Fire/Fire injury, Sexism, Vomit, and Pregnancy
peacelilies1's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Well-written, sweet, incredibly spicy, and also angsty, with a happy ending. A great recommendation for anyone who enjoyed Captive Prince.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and War
Moderate: Homophobia
slee907's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Confinement
ohloulou's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, Sexual content, and Blood
Moderate: Homophobia
pitsikakku's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Sexual content, Confinement, Grief, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, War, Violence, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Slavery
Moderate: Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Death of parent
menomica's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
He knows now the word for the soaring feeling he gets in his chest every time he looks at his squire. He knows now the name of the song his body sings when he touches his friend. It is love. And it is impossible.
Maybe my brain is rotted because everyone’s saying they hated this book meanwhile I was getting my life with this.
Once you know and understand that this book was originally a stucky fanfic everything clicks. Like once you see and accept that it’s a repackaged
That being said, I would argue this book does manage to stand on its own. Like for me at least I enjoyed watching
Idk I liked it. Wouldn’t be mad if there was a sequel 🤷🏾♀️.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Homophobia, Sexual content, Violence, and War
Moderate: Confinement, Murder, Grief, Alcohol, and Blood
Minor: Animal death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Pregnancy
rey_therese07's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Blood, Violence, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Animal death, and War
Minor: Death of parent
mallorypen's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I don’t think I have reacted as physically as much to any book as I did to this one in a very long time. Gasps, blushes, tears, giggling and full body flinching … holy cow, what a story.
What I loved:
What I loved:
- Harry’s abrupt transition from naive boy hoping for glory and riches with war, to disillusioned participant in horrific acts of war, to unwilling jailor, to a man so desperately In love that it changed the rest of the course of his life. His ability to cling to chivalry, even during his darkest years of depression, make him such a good man and worthy of the love he receives.
- Ian’s rage and fire - from his capture, to his transition from captive to member of Harry’s household, his journey from doomed pawn to master of his own fate as the Knight of Death. His knowledge of courtly politics, his inability to back down, and his intense jealousy balance his character so well into a compelling character and unwilling hero.
- The machinations of Montague and his cronies … and how thoroughly Ian takes them all down.
- The medieval courtly GOODNESS … this felt like all the best parts of A Knight’s Tale but infused with the research and delivery of a historian. I died at Ian and Harry’s joust, and Ian throwing away the win at the last moment -!
- The Yearning™️ intermixed with the most compelling political intrigue. I’m starting to think that dangerous political machinations as a B plot to a fantastically steamy romance is exactly my brand of storytelling.
- The smut was absolutely on fire. I don’t think I’ve blushed so hard listening to or reading anything else this year. “I only bow to one man” hnnnnnng.
- The narrator did a great job … Scottish accent notwithstanding.
- Elise and Annie. Does this book pass the Bechdel test? Not in the slightest. Are Annie the Straight Aly and Elise the Asexual Badass still great characters? Obviously.
I didn’t love how Harry turned to war to drown out his pain after he thought Ian was dead, but it made narrative sense. It also got Harry to France, so he could be in Ian’s path once again. The ending also wrapped everything up neatly and in a lot less time than the rest of the plot, leaving it feeling a bit like an afterthought. That said, the ending was happy, the chivalrous were handsome, strong and true, and Ian got to meet his “niblings” and I am suffused with joy imagining the love of the household.
… We will also forgive the untimely death of Star. Why are these authors killing all these horses lately???
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Sexual content, War, and Violence