I love the medieval vibes from this book. It was slow to start and it took me awhile to get into. I love the characters and I wanted to root for them throughout the book. I do feel as if this story wrapped up too quickly, and I wanted a little more towards the end. I quite liked this one and it was a sweet, sapphic read.

This books is a beautiful queer historical romance. Perfect for young readers, or older readers who have a queer inner child who needs healing! The writing was incredible, the characters were likeable, and the romance was sweet. I’d definitely recommend this to anyone who loves historical romance!

Lex Croucher’s ‘Gwen and Art are Not in Love’ was one of my top reads of 2023 and I’m STILL raving about it, so I was elated to receive a proof copy of ‘Not For the Faint of Heart’. I was SO READY for more ye olde comedy and NFTFOH delivered!

THE PLOT:

Mariel is the granddaughter of the famous Robin Hood. With Robin retired, Mariel’s dad has taken over the Merry Men. To prove herself to her old man, Mariel leads her own band of bandits to kidnap a healer.

… The most stubbornly cheerful, overly talkative, utterly INFURIATING healer Mariel has ever met.

At first Clem is stoked to be kidnapped by Mariel and her Merry Men. Maybe they have a mission for her. Maybe she’ll get to meet [GASP] THE Robin Hood?!

But as time drags on Clem realises that no, she’s just a captive, and now she’s being roped into a daring rescue: Nottingham’s ol’ Sheriff has locked up a bunch of senior Merry Men, and Mariel is determined to bring them home.

Clem and Mariel are soon thrown together in an adventure full of found family, one-horse tropes, and plenty of derring-do. Will they succeed? Read it and find out!

THOUGHTS:

This is the second of Lex Croucher’s books I’ve read and honestly they feel like warm hugs for your brain.

I’ll admit this one had me SOBBING at one point (which I absolutely did not expect!) but sad scenes aside, NFTFOH was a fun romp through ye olde medieval forest.

Robin Hood remakes have been done over and over again, so it was refreshing to see an author play with Sherwood's descendants rather than rewriting the OG mythology. Having a background knowledge of Robin Hood will help you understand the worldbuilding, but it’s not a necessity.

Notable mentions need to go to the jaunty little hat Clem makes for a fox, and Lex Croucher’s continued dedication to making sure at least one character expresses their love for bread.

IF YOU LOVE:
• queernormative fantasy
• bread
• one-horse tropes
• rom-coms
• quick banter
• mental health rep (check the CW’s on Lex’s website)

You’re going to have a great time with ‘Not For the Faint of Heart’!

Huge thanks go to @netgalley @bloomsburypublishing and @lexcanroar for the #gifted copy :)

I just couldn’t get into this one. Some of the side characters were likeable and Clem was okay, but every character felt fairly one dimensional. I also felt like Clem had more chemistry with Kit than her intended love interest, Marian. At 54% (which is where I eventually DNF’d) I still wasn’t seeing anything worth sticking with it. I think this author is unfortunately just not for me.

Another incredibly enjoyable book from Lex Croucher.
Just like ‘Gwen & Art Are Not In Love’, their latest historical romance delivers on fun, fresh takes on old tales, witty banter, and queer found family.
Would recommend to anyone wanting diverse books that prompt more laughter than tears.
Check the tw just to be safe, and enjoy this merry adventure through the the woods.

Despite a number of recommendations, this is an author I haven't read before, so I was really excited to dive into this novel. I really enjoyed the narration style and found myself immediately entranced with the characters. The story unfolded beautifully, and I really enjoyed the journey from start to finish. I will definitely be seeking out other works from this author!

This is such a fun and charming take on Robin Hood. It had me laughing and swooning and wanting more from this gang of "merry men" If you enjoyed Gwen and Art are not in love, you are sure to love this just as much.

**3.75 Stars**

I enjoyed this a lot! The premise of continuing the story of Robin Hood with the next generation was cool, and Croucher did a pretty good job executing it. I liked how it played with the idea of 'what happens when something that started well-intentioned gets derailed for personal self-interest' because it felt very relevant to the real world.

Clem was a really enjoyable main character, she did verge on the edge of silly but I just really loved her whole vibe and attitude. Her job is to heal and despite being kidnapped she was still getting to do that so she wasn't too fussed about it all, which I thought made for a more unique plot then if she was just constantly trying to escape.

I think once again the romance is what fails Croucher which is SO painful because in both this and Gwen & Art the sapphic romance plots were SO good but just way underdeveloped. Granted this book does the romance wayyy better than Gwen & Art (which had so much beautiful potential but only the mxm couple ever got any actual development or page time). This wasn't that bad (since it wasn't competing against another romance like in the former) but I think a little more time to the romance could have really enriched the plot. It just would've been nice to see Clem and Mariel actually bond a little more, because while it was very obvious the romance was going to happen it almost felt like it came out of nowhere because the build-up was just lacking. Once the romance started it also just kept coming up but then being dropped for ages then they'd kiss again then it would get dropped for ages, and like okay a lot of other stuff was also happening but idk there was room for a lil more romance I think.

I thought the ending was well done, there were some stakes established and a plot twist that I didn't see coming and it all wrapped up very nicely.

All in all, this was a great YA read and definitely one I would recommend to young readers!

Thank you to Netgally and Bloomsbury ANZ for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

"You aren’t merry, said Clem to her captor. And you aren’t all men. So there’s been some marketing confusion somewhere along the line."

When healer's assistant Clem is kidnapped by Robin Hood's own granddaughter Mariel, all seems to be going to plan... until inevitably, a series of antics that throws everyone's plans head over heels ensues. Infallibly clever, with heaps of hijinks and full of found kin, Not for the Faint of Heart is a splendid sapphic romp through Nottingham and the Greenwood Forest. If you loved Gwen and Bridget’s arc in Gwen & Art are NOT in Love, you enjoy mythology particularly of an Arthurian persuasion, or were a big fan of Robin Hood and his Merry Men, this one’s for you!

Thank you Bloomsbury for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.