This book was a little hard for me to get into but I read Bryn's last book and LOVED it so I was willing to push further than I normally do and I'm so glad I did!! I couldn't put it down the whole last half of the book. Some how Bryn creates the most wonderful characters that seem to sneak up on you and wrap themselves up in your life until you feel like you've known them forever and are completely invested in what happens to them. I'm really glad I pushed through and finished, another great book by Bryn Greenwood!

Awful. Not at all what it seemed to be. Profane for no real reason. Just a bad book. Worst book I have read in a long time.

When I found out last year that Bryn Greenwood was releasing a sophomore novel, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. All the Ugly and Wonderful Things is one of my favorite books of all time, so my expectations were high going into The Reckless Oath We Made. I was not disappointed. Greenwood brilliantly tackles hard hitting issues such as poverty, incarceration, drugs, hoarding, and mental illness. Her main characters are unconventional and flawed beyond measure yet I was rooting for them the entire time.

To put it lightly, Zee’s life is in shambles. Her father went to prison when she and her sister were only children, her mother is a hoarder and an invalid, she has chronic hip pain from a car accident, and she moonlights as a weed dealer. To top it all off, her sister was just kidnapped by two escaped convicts at the prison where she volunteers.

Luckily for Zee, Gentry Frank has sworn an oath to be her champion. Gentry, who is autistic and speaks only in Middle English, was told by the voices in his head that he must protect and follow Zee until the end of his days. Gentry takes his oath seriously and has taken it upon himself to aid Zee in her quest to rescue her sister. What follows is a multilayered story of survival, honor, and love.

Rating: 4/5

Publication Date: August 20

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I know a book is good if it causes me to become angry, sad, etc. for the characters. Bryn Greenwood’s new book, “The Reckless Oath We Made”, makes me so angry at times towards Zhorzsa for her insensitive treatment of people who care for her. Zhorzsa, also called Zee and Lady Zhorzsa, has not had an easy life, and by assuming responsibility for her mother, sister, and nephew, she guarantees it won’t get better. The only one who appreciates Zee’s care and concern is Marcus, her sweetheart of a nephew. Zee makes bad judgment calls, has no respect for herself, and is unappreciative to those people in her life who sincerely care and want to help her.
Zee’s #1 benefactor is Gentry, a young man who, upon seeing Zee at physical therapy, is told by “The Witch” that counsels him that he is required to be her knight. Yes, “The Witch” counsels Gentry, along with 3 other strong personalities, at any given moment. He’s autistic and these entities assist him throughout his daily living.
Lady Zhorzsa doesn’t make it easy for Gentry to be her knight. She asks his assistance with something that she knows is out of his league and will bring great danger. What ensues is a storm of emotion involving each character in the book, including you, the reader. Whether you agree or disagree with how the chips fall, Bryn’s landscape of believable characters, high-strung emotions, and unnecessary losses will envelop you.
(I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks so much to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for making it available.)

I thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book. This author was new to me and I was not let down. It was a great story and very well written. The characters were easy to relate to and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I highly recommend this to everyone!!

I was over the top excited to read another Bryn Greenwood novel. I loved All the Ugly and Wonderful Things. Unfortunately for me, The Reckless Oath We Made was over the top border lining on ridiculous. Things go from bad to worse and throughout it all felt disjointed. The lack of cohesion for me is in large part due to the fact that the hero only speaks in Middle English. Yet this novel is not set in the past. I felt no draw to these unlikely lovers. I was not invested in the story at all and it was a struggle to finish.

I would consider adding some disclaimers or more information to the synopsis prior to release so that this novel may find the audience looking for such a book.

DNF at 20%
Giving up early because I’m just not interested in these characters or the story line at all..and...I just loved this author’s All the Ugly and Wonderful Things.. I really was hopeful! I’m in the minority here so don’t let my words deter you from reading this... I’ve too many books to read to settle for this one😅

I liked the storyline for The Reckless Oath We Made and the characters as well. I did have a hard time understanding the middle English that Gentry uses when he speaks, but at the same time I understood that it was a big part of his character. I also struggled with the POV flipping between so many characters, even though it was clearly labeled each time a different character was narrating, I had a hard time jumping back and forth.
I enjoyed this book, although not as much as All the Ugly and Wonderful Things.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC ebook.

The way Bryn writes her characters is so unique and personal that it feels as though these people are so special and different that you couldn’t have made them up entirely. I absolutely love her characters, flaws and all, because they are tragically and brilliantly HUMAN. I highly recommend this and her other novel, All The Ugly and Wonderful Things.

Pub date Aug 20, 2019
I can’t give this one any stars because I really really didn’t like it. One of the characters speaks in old English the entire time and it was UNBEARABLE. Not to mention there’s a lot of awful racist language, a ridiculous plot, and tons of unlikeable people. So disappointed. I loved Greenwood’s first novel. This was an absolute struggle to even finish.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

THE RECKLESS OATH WE MADE is an unlikely love story about a woman whose family has a criminal background and an autistic man who speaks only in Middle English and believes himself to be a knight.

”People talk about having an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. I had a pair of imaginary bill collectors, so no matter which way I turned, there was somebody to remind me I needed money. That’s how I ended up on a train at four o’clock in the morning with my nephew and a hundred pounds of weed.

Zee is downright poor. From childhood on up until adulthood, she has felt the hard knocks of life. From couch surfing to going from job to job just to try and make a few dollars.

Gentry, on the hand, comes from a supportive family. They understand and accept that he has 3 voices which he communicates with. ”Gawen, who was like an overgrown playmate, but a bit of a bully. Hildegard, who was pious but awfully judgmental. And the Witch, who is sort of Gentry’s spiritual adviser.” The witch is the voice who has told him to be the Champion of the lady he has seen at his physical therapy sessions.

Zee is unsure why this stranger has shown up at her side to offer her a hand up when all else seems to be going by the wayside. Not only is this guy seem strange but she finds his matter of speech odd too.

“The Witch has been telling him for years that he has a special duty. It turns out you’re his special duty.”
“I don’t understand,” Zee said.
“The Witch told him he was supposed to protect you, so that’s what he’s been trying to do. He didn’t mention that to you?”

Gentry is always a gentleman and ready to be of service to Zee. Unfortunately for Zee, her life keeps taking a downturn. It hits rock bottom when her sister who volunteers at the prison is kidnapped and taken hostage by a couple of white supremacist inmates.

Zee decides the police aren’t getting the job done on bringing her sister home to her young son. So, she takes matters into her own hands which ultimately will involve Gentry since he’s her Champion. This is where the story really picked up for me. The adventure of how she was going to pull off this rescue mission off was exciting.

The story is moved forward by being told from several different points of view. The majority of the story is told by Zee along with Gentry being the next most used narrator. The story does have some side characters who contribute to the telling of what is happening. When Gentry speaks and/or it’s his chapter to move the story forward it is done in Middle English. It takes a little getting used to the language. It reminds of when you meet a person with an accent and you really have to pay attention to what they’re saying until you get used to their accent.

THE RECKLESS OATH WE TOOK is a standalone book. It’s about overcoming your past and finding a path that follows the straight and narrow.

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦
RELEASE DATE: August 20, 2019
Pre-order | order: https://amzn.to/2K1pJpT

STANDALONE

**Complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.**

I love love loved the character of Gentry. I don’t have a sense of whether he is a plausibly realistic reflection of an autistic man or not, but Greenwood has built him into a dedicated, solid, fierce, funny, practical dreamer. One of the best characters—voices and all—I’ve read in ages.

I would have read an entire book about Gentry just walking around, but the plot wavers between internal struggles, times of waiting, and emotional anguish and also danger and action.

Zee is tough, sometimes cutthroat, emotionally distant by necessity, and often desperate but always ambitious—especially regarding helping those she cares about.

It was tough to read as Zee made questionable choices and many of the joyful elements of the book unraveled. Gentry’s mom is a wonder, but her ability to keep things in perspective and forgive after the crescendo of damaging events felt so angelic as to make me question how realistic it all was. Clearly I’m jaded. But it didn’t make a difference since I was all in anyway.

I’m glad I didn’t know a lot about this book going in, just that I was fascinated by Greenwood’s “All the Ugly and Wonderful Things” and that I trusted her to bring to life another intriguing situation with unique characters, which she did.

I received an advance copy of this book through NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam in exchange for an honest review.

All the Ugly and Wonderful Things was an amazing book. While I forget most books just weeks after I read them, that one really stuck with me. So I was thrilled to get an early look at Brynwood’s latest work.
Brynwood doesn’t pick easy topics or easy characters. Among other jobs, Zee is a drug mule. As the story opens, she’s bringing two suitcases of weed to her drug dealing boss. She’s traveling with her six year old nephew, because her sister is missing. Turns out, her sister, a prison volunteer has been taken hostage by two escapees. She’s also got a hoarder mom. Not much good in her life, except she’s got a knight in shining armor looking after her. Gentry is autistic and things of her as Lady Zhorza and he her knight. He speaks in Middle English and hears voices of Gaiwen, Hildegard and a witch. “Lady, I am thy daughter’s champion”, he tells her mother.
These are folks you care about so much it hurts. Everything is going wrong in Zee’s life, dominoes falling one after another. Her interactions with her mom really resonated with me. And Gentry is just so sweet. I’m not a fan of romance stories, but this is not a typical romance. It’s not a typical anything. It went places o just didn’t see coming. I was anxious the entire second half of the book, worried about what would happen to the characters. And sad to see it end, as I wanted to see further into the future of the characters. This is one I highly recommend.
My thanks to netgalley and G. P. Putnams’ Sons for an advance copy of this book.

I was granted an ARC of this book despite not reading the author’s debut book which all my friends adored. I own her first book but haven’t yet read it though I will be remedying that. I mention this as I write this review and cannot compare it to her previous work.

I am adding an edit after reading reviews....this book contains Middle English in Gentry’s POV or when others recount his words. I read other reviews where this detracted from their experience but for me it greatly added to my enjoyment of the book. It is also so explainable with autism.

The writing is amazing. I will read everything she writes from here on out. Gentry was so well written and she included an important lesson about how others often view those with autism, as not being capable of making their own decisions and mistakes. I adore that Zee never treated him as someone incapable and trusted that he was her champion. Zee was such a flawed character but also perfect.

I didn’t like where the story went but I trust that it had to go there and the author kept true to her characters. I wish there was more of Gentry as he was such perfection.

The virtuous Christian knight becomes the protector of the poor odious serpent.

LaReigne Trego-Gill was taken hostage in the prison escape from El Dorado. Zee wants to find her sister.

Overall:
Zee and Gentry are by far the most unusual characters I’ve have ever read. Gentry behaves like a knight from the medieval time period. He is autistic with imaginary friends who guide him. Zee is poor, homeless, and promiscuous.

I’d image an audiobook performance of Gentry’s character would better portray him. I did a botched up job reading the Middle English dialogue. I’m certain a narrator would enhance his performance.

Gentry definitely steals the limelight with his special interest in knights and knives. I wouldn’t have determined him autistic had it not been stated. It doesn’t change how I feel about his character, but I must say his dialogue is challenging to decipher. I’m not particularly fond of that Middle English. At first, I did have a hard time identifying the imaginary friends Gentry spoke to.

This was an interesting roller coaster ride with unusual twists and turns. One thing you can count on from Bryn is a unique story. Her characters are zany and bizarre. The ride wasn’t smooth with the variety of characters, but let me just say there were some colorful characters with some odd behaviors. Sadly, I couldn’t relate with any one of these characters.

Bryn is a fabulous artist one who I believe is out of my league. I wish I could’ve understood the Middle English language but it was too challenging to decode. Bryn stretched that creative muscle with her unique characters yet I wasn’t addicted to any one of them. Although this story didn’t satisfy all my needs for an amazing read it was still good.

The Reckless Oath We Made is part crime thriller, part romance, part other worldly (Medieval) and a whole lot of grit. The novel has raw, real and deeply flawed characters who unexpectedly come together on a journey self redemption and love.

One of the main characters, Gentry, is autistic. He is a knightly gentleman that speaks solely in Medieval Middle English. I went back and forth on how I felt about this style. Part of my found it to be in line with his character- this romantic, chivalrous protector. The other part found it to be a distracting plot device. I have a feeling readers will either love it or hate it.

This isn't a bad book, it just wasn't for me. I never found myself rushing to pick it up. Yet I kept pushing through, waiting for the moment I'd fall in love with the characters and their story. It never happened.

In full disclosure, I loved Greenwood's 'All the Ugly and Wonderful Things'. The writing and the characters drew me in so completely that I could forgive the horribly taboo, conscience troubling parts. This latest novel isn't the same book, It couldn't be. I was just hoping for a similarly amazing reading experience and was disappointed that I didn't connect.

All that aside it is a well-written novel. If you're looking for something unique that blends grit, crime, and romance- this could be for you.

It hurt me a bit to rate this so low. Greenwood's first novel, All the Ugly and Wonderful Things, was one of my favorite books I read in 2018. I was extremely excited for this one because it takes place in Wichita, my hometown and where I just moved back to. It was fun to read through and know the streets and landmarks they discuss but that was my favorite part of this novel... similar to All the Ugly and Wonderful Things, the pair in this story is unlikely and sometimes problematic. Gentry is autistic and speaks only as he is a knight in medieval times. This is hard to get used to but after awhile, I didn't mind it. Zee doesn't seem to have many likable qualities and I felt as if she took advantage of Gentry the majority of the time and he continued to let her. It was uncomfortable and in the end it was sad. I thought this novel was entirely too long and I was waiting for it to end. I still would recommend her first novel to anyone but I would skip this one once it's released. Thanks to Netgalley and G.P Putnam's Sons for the advanced copy of this book for an honest review.

<i>The Reckless Oath We Made</i> by Bryn Greenwood brings characters I am still thinking about days after completing the book. Centered around Zharzha (Zee) and her champion Gentry, we learn of their very different lives and how they came to meet when both were in physical therapy. Zharzha's therapy is the result of a motor cycle accident partially caused by an ex-boyfriend after a fight; Gentry's as treatment for a shoulder injury. The action opens on Zee is return by Amtrak from Colorado to Witchita - running marajuana for a local dealer. Such runs are the only way she affords her life of sharing rent with her divorced sister, LeReigne, while waiting tables. On this particular run, she was forced to bring along her 5 year old nephew, Marcus, because LeReigne had not returned from volunteering at the state prison. Upon return, Zee learns that there was a prison escape, and her sister was taken hostage by the escapees, who were convicted of a Mosque bombing. As Zee's life devolves trying to care for her nephew and her invalid, hoarder, mother, Gentry takes his job as her protector and champion quite seriously. An adult on the autism spectrum, Gentry speaks only in middle English, works 3rd shift as a riveter on milatary aircraft, and considers himself a K-night and Lady Zhorzha the women his inner voices have told him to protect.

Told in alternating narration by Zee, Gentry, Marcus, and other members of the plot, I cannot say much more without blowing major plot points. I found the story compelling and the characters even moreso. It is a romance of an altogether different sort, one which will no doubt return to my thoughts again and again. Highly recommend.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. I was very disappointed with this book. I read Greenwood’s All the Ugly and Wonderful Things and absolutely loved it. It felt like there was a similarity between the characters of both books, meaning they were all sort of outcast-ish. It just didn’t work for me in this story. I couldn’t connect with the story at all.

This was an incredibly beautiful book, but I have to say I disliked it at the beginning and severely disliked the ending. The middle 80% was the really magical bit in my mind. Let me explain.
Before getting into the main body of work I browsed the table of contents for the book. There were about twice the number of chapters I'm normally used to, and each were only identifiable via what seemed to be a character's name. Seeing that, I was nervous about having too many potential POV switches with no context on chapter content. I found myself feeling lost initially. The gradual introduction to the characters was apparently not rounded enough for me to feel grounded within the first three chapters. By the fourth, however, I started to feel comfortable with the book and really began to enjoy it. Around that point is when we start getting a fuller picture of Gentry.
Initially introduced as a 'stalker,' Gentry in fact turns out to be a very endearing character I loved for the remainder of the book. A young man on the autism spectrum with symptoms of auditory hallucinations, he sports an old Middle English accent and an obsession with knightly culture. Pure and chivalrous, Gentry is a memorable character. My only nit is wishing there was slightly more character development in his story, but I understand the focus was on the primary driving plot. He did make strives in growing close to Zee, which is a notable change through the book. For these bits I'm torn. I wanted more sincere slow-burn romance and less detailed intimacy, but another part of me felt those parts were done pretty well. Ultimately I'm left with very few complaints with Gentry as a character, only minor crits wishing for more build-up. He was the perfect foil to Zee.
Coming around to Zee (or Zhorzha), I had trouble connecting with her story simply due to her personality and background. From a troubled family with a history of mental/physical health issues, prison, and hoarding, she attempts to provide for her family via whatever means necessary. Given her rough background it's no wonder her outlook and projection are a bit abrasive. In fact the writing style complemented this perfectly, with its unembellished and easy to read approach. Zee grew on me through the book (certainly with the help of Gentry's role), but towards the end her actions led me to absolutely hate her. I never managed to resolve that feeling and ended the story with severely negative feelings towards her character contrasted with extremely positive feelings towards Gentry. If this was the author's intention (which it very likely was), it's a testament to how well the characters were conveyed that such strong connections were formed. It's been a while since I've had this kind of reaction to a story.
I read this book in two sittings while traveling, delayed only because I was nervous about how the plot would resolve. It turned out my intuition was right and I didn't love the ending, but I have to admit it made some sense given the context. (If anyone reads this please let me know what you think!) Overall I found this to be a beautiful book with themes of acceptance, fidelity, trust, and forgiveness. Gentry was a stand-out character that really shined, and the plot cadence was paced well for a relaxing but engaging read.