All's Faire in love and war...Connie leads a double life. During the week, she is an up–and–coming designer and dressmaker, creating sleek, elegant gowns for the wealthy elite. But come the weekend, Connie becomes Lady Constance, a member of the House Felicitous at the local Renaissance Faire, creating beautiful historical garments for herself and her friends and teaching dancing to fair attendees. Fearing loss of business should her stylish clientèle discover her extracurricular activities, Connie keeps her professional life and her faire life carefully separate. However, everything changes when she's saved from certain death by Sir Justin: a rising star in the joust and an actual knight in shining armour. Behind his mask as Sir Justin, Dominic is confident and charismatic, but out of his armour, his courage fails him, and to his own horror he finds himself accidentally pretending to be his own best friend. Suddenly, he is in Connie's life as two different men: the elusive Sir Justin who courts her over the internet and from behind a suit of armour and Justin's 'best friend' Dominic who hangs out at her apartment and helps her move. The lie only grows bigger and Sir Justin finds himself faced with the most frightening challenge he can imagine: extricating himself from his lie and winning Connie's heart as his true self.But there's something rotten afoot at the Faire, something that threatens its future, the community that has grown there, and even Sir Justin's life. Will Lady Constance find the courage to step up and risk everything to defend her friends, save the Faire, and rescue her knight?
The book was good. I liked both main characters as they went through the story. I enjoyed the plot. I recommend.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

What is the first thing, what you thinking, when you read this book’s title? Probably that it’s going to be a humorous guide how to find a knight in modern days? Am I right?

Well that’s what I thought, when I chose this book from #NetGalley. And it’s not that at all.
It’s a story about a fashion designer who is into LARP so besides designing sexy dresses to wealthy customers she also designs and makes her own LARP costumes. And I do not know why or how she is certain, that if her customers know, she is into LARP they would not take her seriously.

But as always, in stories like this, at first she finds love on the jousting field, then another one as her customer and then her life and her business suffer some damage and then she discovers her love’s double life and her customer discovers her double life and then there is criminal mystery and all ends just fine and everybody is happy. And there is no guide what so ever, how to find a knight, unless you into LARP.

Readable.

This was a VERY rare DNF for me. The great title caught my attention and the characters' interest in the Faire seemed like a quirky hook... but ultimately it was all too silly. The intrigues of the Faire weren't especially intriguing and the characters were too boring to keep my attention.

I was a devoted Rennie for many years – and would be still if I could manage it. I loved my home faire (being the one I'd been to most often) more than anything else or anywhere else on earth. Coming home from one of the first visits, I surprised my companions by saying how much I'd love to live there – and I was surprised that they didn't feel the same way. There was nothing I didn't adore. My first kiss came from Suleiman the Magnificent (and no, I didn't care he was from the wrong time period. You wouldn't have either.) I went to my Faire – in New York – just a few days after 9/11, and it was one of the most moving experiences of my life. You know those security questions some websites ask you, the ones that ask you to name your favorite place? Mine is Faire. There is one specific memory that would probably be what I'd use to cast a proper full patronus. That's what Faire is to me.

And so there are days when I want to emulate Charlie Brown in his Christmas special and stand on the edge of a stage and yell, "Isn't there anyone out there who can write a book about what RenFaire is all about?!" Because every one of the novels I've sampled has failed miserably to capture any part of that wonder and joy – and at their worst they turn to mockery.

This one comes closer than most to <i>getting</i> it. It's not quite there – this isn't the type of Faire I know, in its details – is this how they do it in Australia? But for moments at a time it's a lot closer. I wish that had been carried through to the rest of the book.

I could be wrong, but I think the only blatant sign of where this book was set was a note on the Netgalley page of how much it is set to list in Australian dollars. Otherwise, as far as I remember, there was never a named city, no one ever talks about where anyone comes from, currency is never mentioned … I kind of understand an effort to make it a sort of a universal story, and to highlight the reality of the alternative world of the Faire – but I found it a huge distraction to keep coming across obviously not-from-around-here (in the US) phrases without any kind of grounding in the real world. The first, and worst, example of this is the thing that almost plows main character Connie down, from which she is saved by the gallant Sir Justin: a runaway horse float. My first, slightly startled, interpretation was that this was part of some kind of parade that would be taking place in the course of the Faire. Something like this:
<img src="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/a4/e8/51/a4e851c772e373477a9587bb4361d013.jpg">

Or this (probably without Joan Rivers – it would have been terrible to be run over by Joan Rivers):
<img src="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/16/ce/35/16ce35d5fb8330d7f72c1e5eb80f2dec.jpg">

My second, sillier thought had to do with ice cream and soda – obviously that couldn't be.

I didn't even think of a third possibility, which would have made even less sense as a deadly projectile:
<img src="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/fb/44/e9/fb44e96ff22b2de5c6f5e14164d5b4e9.jpg">

What I did not think of for quite some time was this:
<img src="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/0d/bc/96/0dbc968373b717a17ccc34f3bf38557a.jpg">

- Because I've never heard of that thing called by that name. And I've read a lot of horsey novels in my day. But I've never read a horse book written by an Australian or New Zealander – and therein lay a problem. There were a number of moments that resulted in cartoon question marks floating over my head. And … well, it was just odd that throughout the book I never caught one reference to anything at all that would have pointed up for me that this was indeed set in the Antipodes, and this led to frequent disorientation, which was very distracting. If there was anything there – from mention of a town or city nearby to any indication of accent to even a note as to what month the Faire was taking place in (summer in what I consider winter months?) I missed it. And after a certain point, I was looking for something. The author doesn't have much of a an author page on Goodreads; all I'm getting is an .au suffix in the publisher's website.

Anyway. I loved the love of the Faire. But there were some things that just either didn't ring quite true or which bothered me. The details of the jousting were among the latter; I don't know, the jousts I've seen were largely choreographed, and I was startled that this Faire featured a genuine competition. But both my eyebrows went up when "Justin" declared he wasn't going to let a little rain stop him from jousting. Um. That's the only thing that ever did stop a joust, in my experience – because rain + grass = slippery, and rain + dirt = mud and mud = slippery, and horses' legs = fragile. If there was even the least chance of injury to horses or riders, the show most definitely did not go on. (Hell, one rainy day the living chess match, which usually featured characters battling it out for the squares, turned into a living chess insult match. It was magnificent. And no one landed on their armored butt in the mud.) Connie's familiarity with things like proper curtsies and what I usually see called BFA ("Basic Faire Accent") is iffy. She seems to trip on her gowns an awful lot – as if she was unused to wearing them. She has short hair – which is just weird to me in someone who spends untold hours constructing detailed garb. (Good lord, I almost wrote "costumes". Help – I'm becoming a muggle.) My hair was three feet long, and that was the one place it was utterly normal.

The main reason I never much warmed to her, though, was one of the main props of the plot: she was ashamed of her passion for the Faire. She kept her Faire friends at the Faire, never allowing them into her mundane life, and she never let any part of her mundane life know about what she did on weekends. "Connie would sooner drop dead than tell her sophisticated clients what she really did on her weekends." "‘It’d be great if you maybe didn’t mention to too many people at the Faire where I work? At all? I hate to ask, it’s just, my customers wouldn’t understand things like the faire,’ Connie asked, wincing at the thought of a stream of weird and wonderful people from the faire looking her up at her store." I talked about the Renaissance Faire to everyone and anyone, because I was so passionate about it. Maybe it's because I never encountered the derision some idio – I mean some people express toward Renaissance Faires until after I'd stopped going; maybe it's because I'm older now and, at least in this, wiser … but I find this disgusting. And pathetic. And stupid, really. I mean, the friends she loves spending time with on the weekend aren't good enough for workaday people to know about? She has so little self-esteem and/or confidence that she never considers that negative reactions to Faire might be sparked by her attitude? (Has she <I>had</i> negative reactions? I don't think so, actually – she is just stated as considering the Faire a guilty pleasure, with no reason for it given.) I think it's quite stupid because she could probably make a small fortune sewing for Rennies - or at least a few bucks on the side. But no. It was especially sad when at one point she defensively said she wasn't embarrassed by her hobby, and then, explaining what she did feel, gives the very definition of embarrassment. I mean, I understand being afraid to, as friends used to say, "let your geek flag fly" … but I found it repellent to watch this character work so very hard at repressing a huge part of her personality and life, when embracing it is bound to make everything better, not worse. This is the part of the book that lingers with me, and still bothers me. She refers to the Faire as her "other home" – but not to most of the people she knows.

TL;DR: If you're spending time with people who will mock you for something you love, you're spending time with <B>the wrong people</b>.

Actually, it's not just Connie; none of the characters seem to have a grasp on the whole authenticish Faire language thing. Thee and thou are tossed about willy nilly, and incorrectly as often as not, and – well, speaking of embarrassment, there were moments that should have been deeply humiliating for both characters and writer. I won't even mention some of what was said in a chat session – let this suffice: "Let me know how thou liketh the tea". My comment on this Kindle highlight was unprintable in polite company. "‘As dost wilt remember, my lords and ladies". "How fares thee?" Even writing that now makes me want to slap someone.

Also less than authentic: Connie's complaints about the difficulty of running through the grounds in a heavy velvet dress and a wig. Nuh uh. I ran down a hill at my Faire in garb. Once. Never did it again. I wasn't wearing velvet, but I did have on layers (and of course I wasn't wearing a wig) (honestly, I don't believe I ever saw anyone in a wig) – but I was wearing a bodice. One does not run in a bodice. (At least not mine.)

And come on. Someone says "Was he hot?" in referring to a knight. I mean … duh. It's a little like asking if a jet pilot was hot. Even if he's not a specimen of beauty, the simple aura of being what he is adds magnitudes of hot. I would have been cheerfully … er, rescued by any of the knights my Faire ever featured. (Especially the Justins. *sigh*)

And … well, on the whole I just didn't much like the main character. She frequently complains – often when people compliment her – about her name being long and unwieldy . "It … takes up far too much room on my business cards" … but "Constance" is nine letters. There are lots of women's names that are nine letters – take "Elizabeth". I kind of have a feeling that if her name was "Mia" or "Zoe" she'd be sad about it being so short.

There were a few missteps in language. Redolent: I don't think it means what you think it means. "How's life faring?" isn't a thing. Unbidden: see "redolent".

And there were some rather bigger missteps elsewhere. The string of events that lets Dominic pretend to be Justin is idiotic; it doesn't say much for Dominic's skill as an armorer that a shall we say "wardrobe malfunction" in armor he made for himself is the reason Connie never saw "Sir Justin's" face. And the fact that not one of the other competitors knew Dominic or Sir Justin or any other name he might want to call himself was absurd. I mean, seriously – I sincerely doubt that in the US there are so many jousters that someone at a top level could appear out of nowhere; it might have escaped notice, but Australia's smaller than the US. The fact that Dominic continues to pretend to be Justin begins to be as pathetic as Connie's fevered attempts to keep Faire and Mundane separate. Connie has to control her jealousy at one point when, instant messaging with "Justin", she oh-so-casually asks who that lady is in a photo of his – and he doesn't immediately say "My sister", and thus ensues a feeble but happily brief misunderstanding. (Of course he would say "My sister". One does. But he doesn't.) Over and over she talks about how her biggest customer's rocky marriage pays her rent singlehandedly (which is used incorrectly, but by now that's just a quibble) – and over and over she ponders how she feels kind of guilty about it, and usually someone has to reassure her that it's not her fault and so on.

Worst of all was the fact that it wasn't very long before I knew without a doubt that that "personal flair" Connie needed for her collection, that "something that really screams you", would be Faire. The only reason I didn't see the rest of it coming was that it tried very hard to be madcap and frothy, and just wound up a bit mad and silly. I did, however, twig to the fact that the other half of the rocky marriage was that one guy – which means that the author did a terrible job of covering up the breadcrumbs, because I am generally terrible at figuring these things out.

Well, no. Worst of all was the moment when Connie has cause to put on Justin's armour – and it just fits. I … don't think so.

The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review.

This book hooked me because of the title. The premise reeled me in: a modern fashion designer who hides her passion for all things historical, and her participation in the local Renaissance Faire. She falls for Sir Justin, a knight at the Faire, but is also attracted to Dominic, his squire and best friend in the real world. Except Dominic is actually Justin, and doesn't know how to tell her ...

It's a plot ripe with potential, and it delivers by the end. However, I found the beginning a little confusing because I had no idea where the book was set. I thought it might be set in New Zealand or Australia, as the author is from New Zealand and the publisher is Australian. But that didn't fit. Then I thought it might be set in England, home of knights and fair maidens. But that didn't fit either. Maybe it was set in the State? Maybe the setting was secondary to the story (as it should be), but not knowing kept bugging my subconscious.

The writing and editing was solid but didn't sparkle, and the second quarter dragged a bit as I wondered how long the when-will-she-guess would take. I almost gave up, but I'm glad I didn't because the book really picked up at the halfway point. All the seemingly disparate plot points came together and delivered an unexpected mystery/suspense element. And if there's one thing I love more than a good romance novel, it's romantic suspense ...

So the plot definitely delivered on the early hook. The characters were excellent, especially the minor characters (especially Joanna Marshall, Connie's main customer). I'd love to see some of the other characters from the Faire.

Thanks to Escape Publishing and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Meh, this was really too short for me to judge anything. I didn't really get a good view of what the characters were like but it was a cute little story

Complete snore fest.

The romance is from afar and very boring with little to no chemistry. The characters have no Wow factor. I think it was far fetched that he kept his secret for that long. The “evil”in the story was roll eyeing.

Not for me.

Received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

🌟🌟🌟🌟 STARS
"The Modern Woman's Guide to Finding a Knight" by Anna Klein
Well Well Well!!! What a little gem this was.
And It's not very often I read a completely clean, no hanky-panky romance and actually enjoy it.
But this one just really appealed to me so I thought I would give it a chance.
And I'm so not joking folks, this is clean with a capital "C" there was one little kiss at the end of the book and it wasn't even a passion filled snog, just a sweet couple second smooch and you know what, it made my girly romantic heart go pitter-patter.
So "The Modern Woman's Guide to Finding a Knight" is a clean contemporary romance that features heavily around the Renaissance Faire.
Connie is a dressmaker in the week but come the weekend she is lady Constance,
Dominic is a software programmer in his day to day job, and in his leisure, he is Lord Justin competing in jousts and making his own armour.
After Dom saves Connie from a runaway vehicle he tracks her down to ask her out but lacking self-confidence he manages to get himself in a right muddle pretending to be his own best friend.
What follows is a very amusing tale full of twists, turns and even intrigue and it was such a delight to settle in and read.
Both Connie and Dominic are such likeable characters.
Dom is so obviously completely smitten over Connie and Connie herself is so confused by her feelings for what she thinks is two men.
Also just have to mention Lucas the best friend, he was a hoot probably my favourite person in this story, he had all the best lines.
So "The Modern Woman's Guide to Finding a Knight" is a romance of old, it has a lovely old world feel to it, it shows a proper courtship between two imperfect people, both with a bucket load of insecurities to boot.
I was charmed all the way as Connie and dom found there own sweet HEA.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the Author for providing me with an arc of this book, this is my own honest opinion

The Modern Woman's Guide to Finding a Knight is a fluffy contemporary romance that managed to be a little too contrived for my taste.

It's a story that's sweet more than substantial. The romance between Connie and Dominic is a chaste one, with very little heat and only a few modest kisses towards the end. Instead, they mostly admire each other from afar by chatting via email and IM or with Dominic's suit of armour or his guise as Sir Justin's best friend between them. I enjoyed the big romantic gestures, such as the exchange of tokens between the knight and the lady prior to the jousts. However, once the barriers between them have fallen away, I was left with the feeling their relationship didn't have a lot of depth.

The characters also felt pretty shallow, with the villains seeming a bit moustache-twirly, literally looking to be kings of their own small kingdoms. It was nice to see a strong-minded older woman in Connie's wealthy client Joanna, but her preoccupation with her philandering husband felt more contradictory than complex thanks to its lack of nuance.

Despite this lack of depth from the characters, the friendships were a highlight of the story for me. I particularly enjoyed Dominic's friendship with Lucas. The banter between them felt natural and I enjoyed the way Lucas supported Dominic even while berating him for being an idiot. There was a similar dynamic between Connie and her friend Claire. A strong theme of the story was to do with not being ashamed about the things you love, so it was nice to see Claire calling out Connie on that issues.

There were some turns of phrase that made me cringe, such as when Connie describes a perfume she doesn't like as 'Oriental'. In that same scene, she imagines Joanna's husband with "a hateful, deformed visage", playing into some ableist stereotypes. Then, later, one of the characters is noted as being (temporarily) wheelchairbound. These faux pas did nothing to endear the story to me.

Overall, The Modern Woman's Guide to Finding a Knight wasn't my cup of tea, despite having some nice moments.

The Modern Woman’s Guide to Finding a Knight’s heroine is Lady Constance, who charms all in the medieval world of a Renaissance Faire on the weekend while being plain old Connie, a designer/dressmaker during the week. Her hobby’s excitement increases when when one jousting knight, Lord Justin, saves her from injury when she’s involved in an accident.

This is where the novel falls into a ‘You’ve Got Mail’ type idea as the real Lord Justin, Dominic, does not immediately reveal his secret knight persona. Instead, Lord Justin interacts with Connie via email and personal messaging, while Dominic tries to woo her away from the romanticised version of himself by befriending her in the flesh.

The book doesn’t rely upon the secret identity trope completely. In fact, I wouldn’t say the main focus of the book is the romance at all.

Klein offers up descriptive passages of the Faire as well as subplot which focuses mainly on a conspiracy by a couple of evil Lords and knights to take over the Faire. Sounds corny, but somehow Klein managed to keep my interest throughout.

I spent a lot of time trying to work out what country the book was set in and it was never really specified. I was thinking there was an Australian feel to the writing, but I could imagine a Faire being held somewhere colder, like England, for some odd reason. After finishing I found out Klein is from New Zealand, so I guess one could say that's the setting and I was almost right with my guesses!

Overall, I did enjoy the book. Connie and Dominic are likeable characters; modern romantic leads, despite the archaic setting they play in.

If I had one complaint, it would be the lack of heat that Connie and Dominic exude. I’m not demanding a plethora of sex scenes (not that there’s anything wrong with that) but I wouldn’t say there was too much passion or UST in the romance which was a little disappointing. On saying that, if you’re looking for something suitable for younger, or older prudish (LOL), readers, this book could tick all the boxes.

I also need to mention Connie’s feisty client, Joanna. Joanna actually saves the damsel in distress more than Dominic/Justin and I would definitely read a book starring her if Klein would like to write a sequel of sorts.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was worried that a Cyrano retelling would seem overdone but this book was anything but. I have never read anything set in a Renaissance Faire and found it delightful. It made for an interesting cast of characters and a glimpse into a world I have never thought that much about. The romance was sweet and balanced perfectly with the rest of the plot. I was so surprised that this is a debut and cannot wait to see what the author does next.

"<i>.. we have a yearly quota on damsel saving we must meet, else they revoke our right to ride in the joust, and also our right to say 'forsooth' and 'verily'.</i>"

THE MODERN WOMAN'S GUIDE TO FINDING A KNIGHT was an impulse request click when I saw it on NetGalley. I'd never heard of the author before, only to later discover this was her debut, and while I have no interest in RenFaires it was a unique setting for what seemed like a charmingly fun <i>You've Got Mail</i>-ish romance.

"<i>He saved my life.</i>"
"<b>Unlike in medieval times, saving your life doesn't count as a marriage contract. You aren't obligated to fall in love with him because he did a decent thing.</b>"

I'll admit that this story did get off to a somewhat rocky start for me. I found the writing to be a bit.. stiff, I didn't like that some of the dialogue/verbage of the Faire was crossing over into the attitudes, behaviours and.. well.. dialogue of the non-Faire scenes. Especially with those who didn't participate in that hobby. At first I thought the setting was American and the characters were trying too hard, then it was obviously somewhere in England, but there were still some weird inconsistencies in the flavouring of the modern/non-Faire moments.

"<i>I think the caffeine would react badly with your other condition right this minute.</i>"
"<b>What condition's that?</b>"
"<i>The crazies.</i>"

As for the characters, we have Connie Manning and her alter-ego Lady Constance, a dressmaker who caters to some wealthy and snobby clientele, and who keeps her hobbies very separate from her every day life. Her main client is Joanna Marshall, a woman who is trying so hard to please her husband, to keep his attention, and who is both highhanded and yet also incredibly kind. Joanna was a sidecharacter I absolutely adored but, oops, back to the mains.

<i>She had plenty of friends at the Faire, but she hadn't let any of them into her everyday life. She was living two lives, in a way, and had actively not bridged them. And now, all her friends might as well literally be living in the renaissance, for all that she could ask them to help.</i>

Connie was a delight to read about. I'm glad she had the majority of the POV scenes. She's a little neurotic, keeps her life diligently separated in two categories, but isn't ashamed of her hobby. And then there's Dominic and his alter-ego Sir Justin, a jousting knight. He saves Connie's life (literally) and in an attempt to woo her outside of the Faire, hesitates just long enough to confuse her into thinking he is Justin's manager/armourer, and thus begins an added element to this romance around people leading double lives.

"<i>You cover yourself in this Sir Justin rubbish like armour -- armour is all well and good but it ain't worth damn without a decent warrior inside it.</i>"

As mentioned before, the romance was very <i>You've Got Mail</i> but with Olde English Accents. In addition there was conspiracy, sabotage, and intrigue. Some of it was pretty obvious but I don't think Klein's intention was to make it a big convoluted mystery; which I appreciated. So while this was some sweet, uncomplicated, fluff in an interesting and hardly (if ever?) used setting, what actually brought this down for me was some of the writing (see above RE dialogue) and the fact that Dominic, despite being kind and gallant and sweet, if completely hung up on his own insecurities, was a <b>total dick</b> to his bestie Lucas. Whom I loved. Sure, he was the occasionally snarky comic relief dude giving Dominic hell over his situation, his subterfuge, but.. Dom was either pretty mean or ungrateful or inconsiderate in return instead of partaking in the fun banter. Which kind of wore away at some of his shinyness.

"<i>All right. I'll be your midnight Dr Phil. But get out, would you? I've got nothing on and, well, let's just say you don't need more to be insecure about.</i>"

While I liked the setting, there were some funny moments, and the book had a few memorable and wonderful characters, overall there was an almost equal amount of stuff that either bothered me or left me unmoved. I could appreciate the research that went into the legalese and bylaws when trouble came to the Faire, but it also filled up a lot of space and made my eyes cross. And at the same time, the James Bond-like mission the characters took on, the role reversal that took place regarding who wore the armour to defend one's honour at the end, and every scene with Joanna.. I loved those. So that's why I'm rounding this one up.

There's definitely a lot of potential here and I think this light romance would be enjoyable for many readers. And now, if you'll excuse me, I feel the need to go and watch <i>A Knight's Tale</i>.

2.75 "to add or not to add, that is the modern question" stars

4 Stars! Such a cute book! I really liked this one. It wasn't like any other romance book I've read! Romance books don't usually have Renaissance fairs or main characters that are so self doubting with really low self-esteem! It's usually always super confident alpha male types! It was a refreshing change! I really loved all the mystery, the deceit, the backstabbing, the strong friendships & the strong female characters!! There is nothing that ruins a good book more than a weak female main character!! Definitely a good book and I recommend you read it!
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!*

A very sweet and original romance set in the faux medieval landscape of a renaissance fair.

*ARC provided by NetGalley and they publisher in return for an honest review*

Enjoyable from the first page. BUT it was the interaction between Dominic and his friend Lucas that made this such a good story! Making me laugh at the scenes, especially when Lucas pulls a afk.

This is a voluntary review and I do not get paid for this review.

Imaginative debut novel

Renaissance Faire's have always been a whimsical place for me so I was really looking forward to reading this book. I was not dissapointed. Anna Klein did a wonderful job of bringing the Foxingwood Renaissance Faire to life.
Her characters' dual lives especially Domimic /Sir Justin bring a warm-hearted richness to the story. I also loved the strength of our heroine Connie/Lady Constance.
The twists and turns in the story kept my attention as I eagerly read chapter after chapter to the very satisfying end.

I received an advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.