Emily is working as an art curator in Chicago after divorcing her cheating ex-husband Tom. She is assigned to a statue encased in stone, when she imagines the statue speaking to her. Later, she dreams of the statue.
The next day, she encounters the statue again, and kisses it, unlocking the knight from his stone encumbrance. Emily is shocked but delighted at the gorgeous knight, Griffin. As she and Griffin fall in love, Emily is accused of stealing the enormous stone statue.
Emily must help Griffin navigate time in the 21st C, 600+ years after his time!
This is a steamy, fun romance.

A true romantasy rom-com, Her Knight at the Museum will tick your boxes if you’re in the mood for a swoonworthy hero (who talks in complete sentences), comical hijinks, and sexy love scenes that you may want to dogear for later. The last time a knight statue came to life and stole my heart, it was A Knight in Shining Armor, which also featured a swoonworthy hero and comical hijicks–but I do have to say, I do prefer this ending to the more realistic ending that Deveraux gave us. After all, if I found a guy like Sir Griffin, I would want to keep him.

For me, while the story was very lovely, I did have a habit of putting it down and being distracted by other things. While I have longed for a pure rom-com for ages–and I’m so grateful for Ms. Donovan’s book–at the same time, it can be a little difficult to just lose myself in the fantasy when I’m also thinking, “Aren’t they rushing into bed together? In this era? I mean, you don’t even know if he’s lactose intolerant.” Obviously these were my issues. Never mind that the premise that he is a cursed medieval man who wakes up from stone, like some sort of Snow White, and doesn’t immediately die from the flu due to his naked immune system struck me as far-fetched. Yep, his immune system was the far-fetched part for me. These occasional thoughts would distract me from the book and I would just watch episodes of murder mysteries for the satisfaction of a solved case in 42 minutes. I don’t think this is the fault of the writer or the story–I just think sometimes stories resonate with us more during different seasons of our lives. There have been books I’ve read decades ago I didn’t care for, but read again later and was blown away–and vice versa.

The first hasty love scene aside, the later scenes were very hot and steamy…and distracting. So if you like your sex scenes more steamy–I would say this is moderately spicy. Rom-com spicy. I also loved when they toured the art museum together and she showed him some Andy Warhol paintings (which is the inspiration of her dog’s name) and I had to laugh when Sir Griffin immediately announced the pieces were hideous. Right there with you, big guy. I do not appreciate modern contemporary art. The chemistry between Emily and Griffin felt real and sweet–I was rooting for them the whole time. Even while I was wishing she would hold back a little until she made sure he wasn’t allergic to cheese. Or vegan. (I mean those are the things that can break a relationship. I mean, too late for me–my knight in shining armor hates peanut butter, though it does benefit me in that I get all the peanut butter cups to myself. Hmm, maybe it’s not so bad.)

I love the job that Griffin ends up getting in the 21st century–and the scene for his job interview was particularly diverting. I’m also curious about Emily’s boss, Jason, and wondering if he is featured in other books or if there will be more connected books–which I think would be very fascinating. All in all, I recommend this book for a frothy, fun rom-com with a dashing hero, a relatable heroine, and secondary characters (shout out to you, Rose!) that steal every scene they are in. Romance authors are the true heroes out there–I’m grateful for all of them. Sign me up for the next Donovan rom-com–I hope it’s just as magical.

Reviewed by Hellie for The Romance Dish Blog
ARC received from publbisher via NetGalley

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

This was such a unique take on a romance set in a museum—I’ve definitely never read anything quite like it before! The idea of a literal knight coming to life and trying to fit into the modern world had me intrigued, and there were so many fun moments with Sir Griffin adjusting to 21st-century life.

That said, I couldn’t stop comparing it to the “Hot Frosty” movie on Netflix, which I hated. It’s not the book’s fault, but the similarities made it hard for me to get fully into the story without rolling my eyes here and there.

One thing I really wish the book explored more was Emily’s boss being in on the whole “he’s actually a medieval knight” situation. The whole idea of the boss helping Sir Griffin get official documents and integrate into society was brushed over too quickly, and it could’ve added a lot more depth and tension.

Not going to lie this one was one of the more predicable rom coms. That was on the cheesy side that actually thought that previous movies with the same theme and premise did it better. However, I did enjoy the author's writing style and will read more by the author in the future.

This is a silly, fun rom-com so as long as you can just sit back and let it happen you will love it! It reads like a hallmark movie (and I mean that as the highest compliment) so it was fun to learn Bryn wrote for hallmark and this book has been optioned by them to become a movie, one I will be desperately waiting for! It was giving Kate & Leopold crossed with Hot Frosty or A Knight for Christmas, Griffin is the stereotypical classic knight, he's chivalrous and bright, and his reactions to the modern world were for sure the highlight of the book! Emily was sweet and a little insecure but their chemistry was fantastic and it was clear he was DEVOTED to her! If you're looking for something light and fun, a little bit different from the classic contemporary rom-coms then this is for you!

A Knight in Shining Armor was one of my favorite early romances, so I went into this one with high expectations. While Donovan does a good job with the “fish out of water and finding where you belong” themes, the story dragged. I really enjoyed the art crime component, but it almost seemed an afterthought as the story developed. Worth a read to see Chicago through a newbie’s eyes.

I really enjoyed this one! The characters were so sweet and the storyline was unique! I loved every second of it!

This book was so fun! It was a little cheesy how Griffin talked and acted, but it was still fun. I loved the idea of a statue coming to life. I really loved the relationship between Emily and Griffin. They were really sweet together. This was a quick and easy read.

What a delightful romance read! I really loved this one so much.

Emily works as a conservator as the Art Institute of Chicago, feeling down about her recent divorce and having to start over after working her dream job out west. She is soon tasked with the resoration of a recent acquistion: a stunningly handsome stone statue of a medieval English knight. Imagine her surprise when in a dream, he reveals that there is a real person under the stone and she can break the curse. After freeing him with a kiss, Emily has to hide Sir Griffin Beaufort while explaining the modern world. Along with this, Emily has now become suspect number one in the investigation into the missing sculpture.

I thought this book was such a fun bit of escapism. It was so cheesy at times but I really found myself so endeared to Griffin and wishing for his success. Imagine how lost and confused you would be if you woke up in a completely different century! My absolute favorite parts of this book were him reacting to just the simplest of things.

Though this book did have a bit of insta-love, I didn't mind it. I thought the art heist investigation was so intense at times, it made me wonder how they were going to explain Griffin's missing statue, but I really enjoyed how they wrapped up everything in the end. There was a small aspect that made me wonder if there would be a book 2, so I'm going to stay hopeful that there will be a sequel with some of the side characters.

I think if you love cheesy rom-coms a la Hallmark (which this is being adapted into!) and you just want a good laugh, make sure to check this one out.

OMG I LOVED THIS READ...

I laughed the entire read and I inhaled every word of it.

I loved the characters, the premise, the perspectives, and the dialogue.

I also learned A LOT about medieval times and it warmed my historian heart as well.

This read was SO FUN and SO CUTE and SO FUNNY. I can’t wait to read what book this author will write next!

I received an ARC copy from NetGalley and am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you, Brynn Donovan and NetGalley!

This book sounded so cute and I was ecstatic when Brynn Donovan's team reached out to me with the book. However, the elation was fairly short-lived. This book was incredibly cringey and I couldn't make it past a couple of chapters.

Like how could she hear the "statue's" thoughts and no one else could? And also why was she so attracted to a "statue" and having indecent thoughts about it? This happened in literally the first chapter, we didn't work up to these thoughts. It just icked me out.

I just had to DNF it after barely starting it. That might not seem fair but it was way too cringey and I wasn't about to suffer through it.

Emily Porter has just started fresh in Chicago following her divorce. As an art conservator, she’s used to getting up close and personal with historical relics. The last thing she expects is to be drawn to the rather handsome statue that’s been left in her care. When she starts having sexy dreams about a man who looks quite a bit like her statue, she doesn’t think too much of it. But the connection feels so strong, almost like this man wants to communicate with her. He’s just so handsome that she can’t help but give “him” a kiss. Imagine her surprise when the statue, Griffin, actually comes to life.

This was such a unique take on the time travel romance trope. Griffin is definitely a fish out of water in the 21st century and often finds himself in a bit of a sticky situation. I just loved how silly this book got at times. Emily trying to get Griffin a job at Medieval Times? Genius, but also hilarious. I live in the Chicago suburbs, so I also really loved the setting and appreciated all of the destinations that popped up throughout the novel. The romance between Emily and Griffin was sweet, but rather instalovey which made it hard for me to really feel invested in their love story. That being said - I did love just how gone for Emily Griffin was by the end of the book.

If you’re looking for a silly, spicy take on the time travel romance definitely check out Her Knight at the Museum!

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for a review copy.

Her Knight at the Museum is a fun twist on time travel romance novels, and offers a mostly fun and fluffy romance dabbed gently with some deeper topics. This is one novel where miscommunication actually made sense, because of course that’s going to happen when you throw a medieval knight and a modern day woman together in modern day Chicago. This was just the light, fun read I needed, though I didn’t particularly enjoy just how horny the entire novel felt. It sometimes also felt like a tour guide to Chicago, but a bit of a mystery and a guy who really wants to be able to take care of his beloved really helped balance it a little better.

Emily is an art conservator on a 6 month contract with a museum in Chicago after having to leave her dream job at the Getty Villa in California thanks to her ex-husband wanting to develop an app and move them to Silicon Valley. Then, of course, he decides to leave her. With just her dog, Andy War-Howl, to keep her company and no real friends to speak of, though her parents are nearby in the suburbs, Emily can’t help but find herself weirdly attracted to a full-size statue of a medieval knight the museum just acquired for an upcoming exhibit. Fortunately for her, and thanks to a wicked curse, the statue is more than just a statue, and he thinks Emily is the one he’s meant to be with. With the help of her colleague Rose, Emily manages to break the spell, but that leaves her with a medieval knight on her hands, one who is desperately in love with her, and the prime suspect in a suspected sophisticated art heist.

I liked Emily. She’s not described as beautiful by today’s standards, but instead beautiful by the standards Griffin, her knight, would have known, and she wears glasses. Divorced, she’s definitely gun shy, and it takes the entire novel for her to see her worth from Griffin’s eyes, especially since her ex cheated on her and left her for the other woman, which was a brief aside in this novel that I did not need or want and I cringed through the entire scene. But Emily’s absolutely hurting and it leads her to have a difficult time understanding that Griffin is deeply in love with her. Professionally, she’s new to the museum and doesn’t appear to make friends easily, and her colleagues Terrence and Laurie are lukewarm at best to her. But she’s great at her job, and I liked that her knowledge of art history helped her deal with Griffin, though there were definitely some holes in her knowledge that made things interesting and difficult for them. Fortunately, she does manage to become friends with Rose, who handles the museum’s social media. She’s a really fun character who is always there for Emily, and I really enjoyed their friendship.

Griffin made me smile, even if I kept hearing the voice of Thackery Binx from Hocus Pocus in my head whenever he spoke. He was fun, and I loved watching him delight in modern day Chicago. Everything is new to him, and it takes time for him to adjust and learn things are different. He throws himself into just about everything with zeal, and it was just a lot of fun to read about. I wasn’t so keen on how much he thought about having sex with Emily, but he was cursed to be stone for centuries while also aware of his surroundings, which definitely helped him adjust better than he probably would have if he hadn’t had any exposure to the changing times. There are, of course, differences that he and Emily struggled with, and I found this novel really used miscommunication well. It’s naturally built in and created the perfect third act breakup while keeping Emily and Griffin true to their characterizations.

Their romance was sweet, and I did love how Griffin is so protective of Emily. I adored that he was intent on finding a way to make a living so he could take care of her while also respecting her own work and not interfering with it. They worked well together, and I really liked watching him break through her walls. He’s patient and willing to do as she asks, but certainly is not perfect. Their relationship had its ups and downs, but I thought they worked through most of their problems like rational adults, though they often clearly forgot the other’s from a different time than their own now and then.

The art heist angle that naturally arises when a statue walks off was fun, but definitely not a main point. Instead, it throws hurdles in Emily’s professional career as her life is poked and prodded at, and Laurie clearly doesn’t like her. Actually, that’s a thread I wish the author had taken hold of a bit more. I don’t know why Laurie didn’t like Emily, and their working relationship never moved beyond that. It could have added an interesting layer, but Laurie and Terrence came off more like museum pieces themselves than as functional characters. The FBI investigating the team and the museum and that impacting their dynamics could have been fun to watch, and I certainly had a good time following what was woven into the narrative. I can’t speak to any authenticity regarding the FBI’s tactics, but it kept me interested, and I really enjoyed all the bits and pieces of the investigation the reader is given.

Her Knight at the Museum was a fun read, though it did feel like the first half was more focused on showing Griffin, and the reader, around Chicago and the second half was more focused on the art heist and wrapping up Griffin’s character arc. It was nice to get to know Chicago since I’ve never been, but it also came off as horribly touristy and I found myself wishing there had been more to the story woven into it, but I suppose a romance only has so much to it’s typical story line. But it was fun to explore the city, and the world of today, through Griffin’s eyes. He’s such a good sport. Andy War-Howl was also really cute, and I liked that he was never forgotten throughout the entire novel. He was a fantastic presence.

I’m not a big fan of time travel romances where the heroine falls through a portal and ends up somewhere in history, so I really enjoyed this twist on a time travel romance. I loved that it was the hero traveling in time, and the problem of how to help him fit in was partially solved by making him, as a statue, aware for all those centuries he stood as stone. Her Knight at the Museum also presented some real world problems for him that he and Emily had to solve that would have been a lot easier if the story had been reversed with her going back in time, so it was really fun to see them deal with it in this book. While I had some problems with the story, and eventually grew tired of just how much Griffin thought of sex, Her Knight at the Museum was a fantastic diversion that focused on the romance while also throwing in a bit of a heist, a female lead with emotional scars but really supportive people around her, and a male lead thrown into our world and having to adjust.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Restoration specialist Emily never expected the statue she was restoring to come to life. Griffin is out of place in the modern world and can't believe that the curse that left him immobile but aware is finally broken. Can Emily trust the Griffin's feelings for her or is he confusing gratitude and love? And how are they going to cover up this magic?

A very light rom-com with a small supernature thread. It was about what I was expecting from the cover and description. I really liked the secondary characters.

I had fun with this! My rating is generous because I have a soft spot for novels set in Chicago that are written by someone who clearly knows the city and surrounding suburbs, but the plot is fun as well--there are some laugh-out-loud moments even amidst some of the more tiresome "how does modernity work??" bits from Griffin. I wanted more from Jason and his secret society, but maybe that will be covered in a sequel...

If you ever dreamed of a knight in shinning armour then please read this as soon as possible! So steamy and the tension between characters is the best

I tried to read this book a couple times and I just couldn’t get into it. I think the writing style just wasn’t for me and I didn’t connect with the characters. I ended up DNFing at 50 pages.

I didn’t finish it, I was so bored. Cute idea, and there wasn’t anything intrinsically wrong with it I just couldn’t manage to care about any of the characters. Knight guy (don’t even remember his name…) talked like a bad Renaissance Faire actor. I’ve read romances set at actual renfaires that were significantly better than this.

One of my favorite things to do in Chicago is to go to the museum so I was so excited to see a book set at one of these museums! Emily works at the Art Institute but curse breaker was not part of her job description, yet here she is doing just that!
This was just pure fun !

Thank you #NetGalley and #berkley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.