I was sold on the idea of a story about Mariel, Robin Hood's grand daughter, and her carrying on the legacy of the Merry Men.

This novel was so cute and right from the start, I could tell Clem as the sunshine to Mariel's grumpy. I do find it funny the summary says Mariel kidnapped Clem by mistake but it was a pretty clear choice in the beginning, they could either take the older healer who wasn't very eager to go with them, or they could take Clem, the girl who was talking their ear off and seemed more than eager to go. I think the accident must have been falling for the bouncy ray of sunshine Clem turned out to be which is so incredibly cute and is exactly what Mariel needs in her life.

I do love a book with found family and Clem needed to find a place where she belonged. Her backstory was a bit sad and I loved she was able to find a place where she was accepted and loved.

There's lots of action and adventure, the way a "Robin Hood" adventure should be. I am not sure I would even call it an enemy to lover's, I don't know if I feel they were ever really enemies, but I do like the idea that their two opposing forces attract and things seem to work out in the best ways.

This was an absolute delight.

What I liked:

I enjoyed the Robin Hood and his merry men lore - one of our main characters is Robin Hood’s granddaughter. This new generation of merry men was so fun to read.

Clem & Muriel are fantastic. We love a grumpy x sunshine trope around here.

Muriel’s group of rag tag thieves are so fun. I really liked this little found family.

✨ARC Review ✨
Oh look, I do still talk about books! 😆

I LOVED Gwen and Art are not in love and the quirky writing of Lex Croucher. So when I saw that we were getting another Medieval, queer, YA romance.. I jumped at the opportunity to review it!

I truly loved all the characters in #notforthefaintofheart ! They were funny, quirky, witty and entertaining! The pacing of this one was a bit slower to start but picked up as it went.

My only hang up with this book is that the romance wasn’t as believable for me. I felt like Clem and Mariel’s relationship was a bit stunted and honestly just enjoyed the merry bunch of misfits and the found family feel.

Thank you @macmillan.audio for my advanced copy! Not For The Faint Of Heart comes out November 26th.

I will read these books for as long as Lex Croucher wants to write them. Gwen and Art blew me away, so I was extremely excited to get my hands on this one. My only critique here (why it’s 4 and not 5 stars) is that I wish this had been longer, a little more detailed, and a little more developed, especially when it came to the all the extended family backstories. Not to say it was underdeveloped (it was not); I am just greedy and wanted more time here. I was in love with every member of this merry crew and was so utterly charmed and wowed by the genuinely poetic prose. It was also funny as hell. Really just did not want it to end.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.*

I had fun with this! The cast of characters was a delight and it was wonderful to get to know each member of the Merry Men and all of their little quirks. It can often be difficult to juggle so many personalities in a novel without it becoming chaos, but Croucher manages it so easily. Everyone feels like a whole and complete person. It felt like I was part of the crew, honestly. This is where the book truly shines and I’m definitely a sucker for a found family situation!

Additionally, the narration was absolutely wonderful! Both narrators made the immersion so effortless. Their voices were distinct enough to know exactly which character was speaking and I had no issues being confused about which narrator was which character, which can be an occasional challenge in queer audiobooks in my experience.

The one gripe I did have in this one, however, is the romance itself felt lacking. I’m all for a slow burn, but this one just felt nonexistent in most of the book, unfortunately. Clem and Mariel and wonderful characters - and they’re wonderful together! - but I spent a good amount of the book thinking it would’ve been just fine if the romance didn’t exist at all.

Despite this one gripe, I did have a wonderful time listening to this book. The writing is so much fun and the characters were such a delight to interact with. This was actually my first by Lex Croucher and it will not at all be my last!

It didn't draw me in as fast as Gwen & Art, but it's a fun romcom set in an interesting Robin Hood world. It's not entirely light-hearted - it opens with a kidnapping/drugging scene - but it does contain a lot of humor.

Thank you @wednesdaybooks and @macmillian.audio for the #gifted copies!

This was a delightful romp in the world of Robin Hood. I loved the banter between characters and the queer-normative world.

I listened to the audiobook in tandem with a physical copy. Olivia Dowd and Kat Griffiths were fantastic! They really brought the two main characters to life with distinct personalities.

I wanted to like this book so much. I am realizing I’m not a person who is here for vibes exclusively and need a decent plot to keep my interest. These vibes were great, but nothing happened. Not much of a romcom if the romance doesn’t start until 60% in and feels out of the blue. Some of the humor was quite witty though and that was the most redeeming aspect. Narrators were much too slow.

This book hit just right! The humor was spot-on and had me laughing out loud at a few points. The plot was fun and I fell in love with our little merry band of characters. There are a few very serious parts but overall this is a fun, light adventure. I just want to say that the narration by Kat Griffiths and Olivia Dowd absolutely made this experience. Honestly, Croucher's two YA books have been stellar and I'll look forward for more. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio/Macmillan Young Listeners for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a delightful book. I really enjoyed this version of the Robin Hood legend. I liked the banter between Mariel and Clem so much.
Mariel was very grumpy and Clem was a little ray of sunshine (even though she was kidnapped) and quite hilarious. She did not have an off button and just said what she thought.
I was very pleased with the audio version. The narrators did a great job!
I very much look forward to the next book by Lex Croucher and recommend this one whole heartedly!

Well this was delightful.

The found family part of this was everything. And I really appreciated Clem's sense of humour and sarcastic remarks, and made it very easy to fall in love with her and Mariel together. Clem's moral center was so unflappable that although she is thrust forth as the main character, its really nice to see everyone else's emotional development around her.

The plot was well done, and I liked the alternative to a Robin Hood retelling. It felt fresh and unassuming, just "here's a solid young adult sapphic romance where the queerness isn't the conflict", and really everything I needed it to be. Something to be said about characters who are comfortable in their queerness and it's not up for debate.

I listened to the audiobook, and both of the narrators really nailed their characters. Thank you to Macmillan Audio, St. Martins Press and Netgalley for an early copy.

Robin Hood's granddaughter, Mariel, is out to prove herself to her father, Jack Hartley, and the rest of the Merry Men. She leads a band of misfits who kidnap Clem, a healer, in retribution for her guardian treating the Sheriff of Nottingham. But then Mariel's father is kidnapped and Mariel tries to lead a daring rescue, with kidnap victim, Clem, in tow. Told in 2 different POVs, through both Clem and Mariel's eyes.
Adorable romance. Found family and a lot of straightening out of those Merry Men. (Such a dated name, since they're not all men, nor merry.)

*Special thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this audio e-arc.*

This book was so much fan and I enjoyed so much the audiobook version. The narrators were amazing, I really sense every differences between the characters. They really brought Clem and Mariel to life for me.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

<i>Not For the Faint of Heart</i> is an action packed Robin Hood story set in a queernormative world. We meet Mariel, Robin Hood's granddaughter as she is kidnapping Clem, a local healer because her guardian may be treating individuals from the Sheriff's household. Things go from bad to worse when Mariel's father is captured and many of her party are injured, causing them to lean on Clem to help heal them. 

Clem and Mariel have great tension and this was grumpy/sunshine done very well. The stakes in this book are high and it left me in my feelings. It absolutely captured the themes of trying to live up to your parents standards and finding your own path. I adored and loved all the characters and thought they absolutely brought the story depth and richness. 

I read the audiobook version of this and I was very impressed with how each narrator truly brough Clem and Mariel to life! It was quite the experience to be able to so resolutely be able to jump into each character's mind and see the story through their eyes. 

If you love historical retellings with a spin I would absolutely recommend picking this book up! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

I love Lex's queernormative worlds, it's something I always enjoy about their books and look forward to.

YA is pretty hit or miss for me nowadays (and mostly misses) but I've enjoyed their books in the past so wanted to try out this one especially since it's sapphic. And it just didn't work for me quite as well as some of their other books! Clem was incredibly naive and immature which just really frustrated me particularly in the latter half of the book. And then Mariel, who I didn't think was super naive, ended up also struggling with naivety towards the end of the book. I ultimately had a hard time not getting distracted while listening to the book which definitely may have affected my enjoyment.

I did enjoy the narration by Kat Griffiths & Olivia Dowd and felt that their voices and personalities were distinctive.

Lex Croucher brings so much heart and wit to everything they write and this is no exception. Not for the Faint of Heart is a sapphic romance set in the world of Robin Hood. I particularly loved the look into reality versus legacy and how to come to terms when something you love might not be what you thought it once was. The side characters were well developed and interesting. The world building nods to the familiar tale while weaving in new and interesting takes.

The audiobook is fantastic and both narrators, Kat Griffiths and Olivia Dowd, bring their respective characters to life in unique ways.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

What an amazing, fun book! A sapphic ya fantasy enemies to lovers slow burn. This book centers on Clem, a healer, and the Merry Men of Sherwood Forrest, who are led by the son-in-law of Robin Hood. His daughter, Mariel, is a captain. The Merry Men, led by Mariel, kidnap Clem by mistake while trying to figure out who the mole is in their organization. The mole has been passing secret information to the Sherriff of Nottingham. Clem has a very positive and uplifting outlook on life and is very much a glass half full type of person. She takes everything in stride and tries to see the silver lining in every situation- including being kidnapped. Clem is also a very smart and talented healer who does advanced experiments with medicines and salves that are far different than the blood letting leechees that other healers use. Mariel, on the other hand, is a very serious and by the book captain who is always trying to prove her worth. The narrator of the audio book did a wonderful job

Lex Croucher is the author of a lifetime. Her books always hit exactly the right spot, giving me everything I need. I didn’t know I needed a Robin Hood legacy story but here I am absolutely obsessed with everything about this. Also caught that Disney Robin Hood wink and LOVED IT

I absolutely loved this book! Kat Griffiths and Olivia Dowd did an outstanding job with the narratives, adding life and humor to the imaginative story created by Lex Croucher. What happens when Robin Hood passes away, and his family takes over the Merry Men, completely altering their reputation? Clem, an apprentice healer, grew up hearing the tales of the legendary Robin Hood, dreaming of one day becoming a healer among the Merry Men. The old healer they are training under has been rumored to be aiding the enemies of the Wood, prompting the Merry Men to come and take her away. In a bold move, Clem offers to take her place, and that’s where the adventure begins.

The story is filled with action, a touch of romance, plenty of humor, and so much more. I couldn't stop listening once I started! I really enjoyed the concept of our childhood heroes' families taking over and seeing how they navigate the legacy left behind.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio | Macmillan Young Listeners, and Lex Croucher for providing the advanced listener copy of this book. After listening, I am willingly sharing my honest opinion.

Another Lex Croucher masterpiece. I always look forward to the banter this author has the characters batting back and forth. Main characters Side characters even one time talking characters, the dialogue is always amazing. I love the gender bent take on Robin hood, I am always loyal to Strong female heroines and this book gave us two to choose from. Both women are strong in their own right, one trained in battle, leadership and ready to ride into Danger. The second half taught half self-learned healer, ready to provide help and support to all who need her, despite being told to choose a side. I loved the ending of this book, but the entire ride had my heart. I will forever read any book this author comes out with