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A review by accidentalra
One Night in Hartswood by Emma Denny
4.0
When I saw that this novel was set in 1360, I immediately wanted to read it. Ultimately, I'm glad I did...despite the constant feeling I had that the setting was fairly arbitrary and it really could have been any pre-industrial time period.
On the upside, the lack of strong historical worldbuilding allowed the relationship between Penn and Raff to dominate the story. They complemented each other very well, and I certainly enjoyed their chemistry. I particularly loved how gently but adamantly Raff challenged Penn's shame, the result of so many years of physical and emotional abuse. Watching Penn realize his own worth and grow into his strength was more than satisfying. And despite knowing how the story would ultimately end up (I love a guaranteed HEA!), I still thought the way it was brought about was clever.
Even though the two MCs were traveling alone for most of the story, a few of the secondary characters were surprisingly well-drawn, most especially Raff's brother Ash who shows up in the narrative a number of times. Honestly, I would have enjoyed seeing even more of him in this book, and I would absolutely love to see him get his own novel.
Overall, One Night in Hartswood was a lighthearted read that still managed to navigate some heavy themes with skill and compassion. I will definitely be recommending it during readers' advisory discussions, and I look forward to more from this author.
[I received an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.]
On the upside, the lack of strong historical worldbuilding allowed the relationship between Penn and Raff to dominate the story. They complemented each other very well, and I certainly enjoyed their chemistry. I particularly loved how gently but adamantly Raff challenged Penn's shame, the result of so many years of physical and emotional abuse. Watching Penn realize his own worth and grow into his strength was more than satisfying. And despite knowing how the story would ultimately end up (I love a guaranteed HEA!), I still thought the way it was brought about was clever.
Even though the two MCs were traveling alone for most of the story, a few of the secondary characters were surprisingly well-drawn, most especially Raff's brother Ash who shows up in the narrative a number of times. Honestly, I would have enjoyed seeing even more of him in this book, and I would absolutely love to see him get his own novel.
Overall, One Night in Hartswood was a lighthearted read that still managed to navigate some heavy themes with skill and compassion. I will definitely be recommending it during readers' advisory discussions, and I look forward to more from this author.
[I received an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.]