Lex Croucher has done it again! I absolutely devoured Not for the Faint of Heart, I didn't even move from my spot on the couch to eat dinner. My mom had to hand me my plate, that's how invested I was in this book.

After the smash hit that was Gwen and Art, I had high hopes for this one - and boy was I satisfied. This book is so heartwarming, funny, and swoon-worthy that I just fell in love. I have always been a fan of Robin Hood and any adaptation of it, so I went in expecting greatness. I love the theme in Croucher's books based on the descendants of well-known fairy tale characters, I think it allows for a lot of creativity while still providing a background and framework for the story. Plus, the queerness of it all is absolutely delightful. One thing about me is that I love a queer-found family and always will - and this book was no exception. It had me gasping, laughing, and crying right until the very end. I got so invested in all of the characters, and I think that is a testament to the writing. I genuinely loved all of the main cast, not just our leads. They all felt fleshed out and like a family - a band of merry men some might say.
I want to go ride a horse through a forest and find my true love who is also an outlaw and is also trying to kidnap me. It's complicated.

dnf @ 30%

i thought a sapphic Robin Hood retelling sounded like a slam dunk, but unfortunately i just wasn’t vibing with this.

i don’t really care for the militaristic spin on the merry men and got too bogged down by it.

might try this again in the future.

This gave every vibe I thought it was going to, I really do love an LGBTQ+ romance. They're always so refreshing to read as a bisexual reader. This was so cute.

Kidnapping trope! Hurt/Comfort! ONE BED!! I always love Lex Croucher's books, so I knew Not for the Faint of Heart would be a five star read for me but they really delivered with this one. Clem and Mauriel are so fun and their chemistry is electric! I left wanting more more more!

The story was entertaining and easy to read. Fun and loveable characters. I will be keeping an eye out for more books by Lex Croucher.

I was really looking forward to this one after how much fun Lex Croucher's last book, "Gwen and Art Are Not in Love", was. Where that one was a genderbent queer King Arthur retelling, this one was a genderbent queer twist on Robin Hood. While I love the premise and it had it's moments, overall this book fell fairly flat for me. I think it's largest failing is that there were so many characters that I didn't feel I was able to get to know any of them well enough, depriving much of the story of its emotional punch. The main romance also seemed to be lacking chemistry at times...once it picked up it was ok, but in the beginning there didn't seem to be much reason for these two to like one another, even though you could see it coming. Worth a shot if you're looking for more sapphic/queer YA, but unfortunately this didn't hit the mark.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

I read another book by this author, Gwen and Art Are Not in Love, and adored it. Loved the characters, the humor, the storyline. But after sixty pages, I just couldn't get into this novel and never connected with the characters. I felt like the real story still hadn't begun and kept waiting for something to happen. Looking at the reviews, I know many other readers enjoyed this one, and this novel certainly won't prevent me from reading any future releases by this author.

I’m sorry, I wanted to like this so much but I just could not get into it. I loved Gwen & Art Are Not In Love because the characters were so fun, the setting so imaginative, and the romances were so perfect. Not For the Faint of Heart on the other hand, dragged with unclear worldbuilding and uncompelling characters, at least in my opinion.

The two protagonists of this book just didn’t really catch my attention, and neither did the romance. That paired with some logical jumps by characters and unclear narrative plotlines made me put it down.

It’s not necessarily a bad book by any means — I’m sure some will really enjoy this “Robin Hood follow up,” (and I say so in my review!) but it just wasn’t for me.

Not For The Faint Of Heart by Lex Croucher
#lgbtqia
#classicsequel

This "sequel" to Robin Hood takes place 2 generations later. One of the main characters is Robin's very reserved granddaughter who is a captain in the Merry Men. This romance has a lot going on. The little group that Mariel is in charge of shows all of the representatiom that we would like to see. The healer that she has kidnapped to help them is gay. The youngster that is in the group is non binary. And there is also transgender representation. Don't want to out that character for you. You'll have to read it to find out who it is.

The beginning of the book confused me a bit bc Captain Mariel called everyone by their last names and each of the other characters used first names. It was tough figuring out who was who. 🤦 I hate when authors do that. It makes more confusion when they do not include the whole name to begin with.

I was also reading this book at the same time as another book that I wasn't enjoying. I almost dnf'd this one too. I shifted to a whole different book to give this one a break and when I came back to it, it was much easier to deal with. The story then had a chance to shine a little better. But there were a few times where I had to reread a section and still didn't understand the point that LC was trying to get at. So I just went on without understanding that small part.

Overall, it was a story about friendship, acceptance and love. It was nice. But the writing was a little choppy. I do think I downloaded the most recent arc. But I'm hoping that some editing was done before publication date.

#yaromance
#netgalley
#stmartinspress #wednesdaybooks
#notforthefaintofheart #lexcroucher

This was really cute! I enjoyed the author’s first book a lot so this definitely lived up to expectations.

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Mariel, granddaughter of the infamous Robin Hood, is a new Captain in the Merry Men. She's desperate to live up to her family legacy, which puts a lot of pressure on her. Clem, a cheery backwoods healer, is taken prisoner by Mariel, and the MM, as retribution for Clem's guardian offering healing services to the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Forced proximity abounds as Mariel and Clem travel along together doing Merry Men things. Everything seems to mostly be going to plan, when Mariel's father, Jack Hartley, Commander of the Merry Men, is captured in an ambush. Now Mariel and the remaining MM, including sweetly-innocent Clem, must try to get him back.

With the woods at war, not everyone believes in the Merry Men as they used too. Soon enough, even Mariel is questioning what they stand for. Will they be able to get Jack back? And will the Merry Men continue on their current path, or switch things up for a new generation of bandits?

This is a cute story that showed off Croucher's signature witty writing style. I wouldn't say I connected to this one at the same level that I did with Gwen & Art last year, but it's still a solid Historical YA Rom-Com. As with Gwen & Art, I did listen to the audiobook and definitely recommend that format. The accent of the narrator lends itself well to these stories, and truly helps to bring the action to life.

I appreciate how quickly Croucher can create characters I love. Both Clem and Mariel were so fun to get to know, though for different reasons. It definitely has a Grumpy-Sunshine element to it that evolved beautifully over the course of the story.

I particularly liked the journey for Mariel. As a member of an infamous family, she's had a lot of assumptions made about her and preconceptions made about who she is as a person. She's had a real struggle trying to overcome those things and figure out what exactly her path is going to be.
I also enjoyed her learning more truths behind her famous family. Going in, I had forgotten this was connected to the legend of Robin Hood. I loved that inspiration.

I also really enjoyed, and was impressed by, how even though this is a magical and witty tale, Croucher again managed to seamlessly weave in some heavier topics. There's a lot here for Readers to enjoy.

For me though, as mentioned above, I never ended up connecting with this as deeply as <i>Gwen & Art</i>, and I'm not sure how memorable it will be for me long term. With this being said, it's still a great YA book with a lot of important topics explored and representation. I'll keep coming back for all Croucher's future releases.

Thank you to the publisher, Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I love this kind of funny Historical romps, and hope Croucher continues writing them!

I was very excited to read Lex Croucher's new book, after reading the first one, 'Gwen & Art are not in love.' I love the first book so I had high expectations for 'Not for the Faint of Heart.' Although I love Croucher's writing style, I felt like this book had a slower start at the beginning. I had a hard time getting into it at the start, while finding the side characters more endearing than Clem and Mariel. It took about half way before my attention was fully captured, which for a lot of people might be bad, but I tend to stick to the books I am reading because I feel committed and it was worth it in the end. The way Croucher writes books, I definitely feel like it was unnecessary for secondary character death. I felt like Baxter death was not needed to further the storyline. I enjoyed Mariel's companions a lot, so losing one of them was sad and not necessary. The ending and Mariel & Clem's relationship felt a little too rushed, but overall I still enjoyed the book.

I loved this book so much. It was slow to start which worried me, but once it picked up I was in for the long haul.

I loved the update to the Robin Hood story, especially the LGBTQ aspects.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for an advanced copy.

Lex Croucher- is an absolutely 'must 'read'. The way their books take historical stories that feel so familiar and makes them queer and diverse in ALL the best ways has my whole heart!
The book takes the familiar Merry Men....except now they are not all men. The time is after Robinhood day and now his granddaughter is in charge! The two FMCs are super likeable and I found myself rooting for them individually and as a pair. I also really enjoyed their cast of side characters. This story checked so many boxes for me. The pacing was a little off to me, and I wanted their to be a bit more at the ending (but that may just be because I was loving the story? Hard to say for sure!!)

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-arc in exchange for a review!

This is my second Lex Croucher book, and honestly the books just keep getting better. Croucher writes with such wit and humor that the whole reading experience is genuinely just a delight. I enjoyed this story, and thought Clem and Mariel were such interesting characters. The supporting cast of characters were well-developed as well. I will continue to recommend their books to literally everyone I meet.

4.5/5 stars

This was a very enjoyable read! I loved this creative look on how things could have progressed after Robin Hood’s story more or less ends. If you’re a fan of the grumpy/sunshine trope, then this is the book for you! I really thought Clem and Mariel had great chemistry, and were very enjoyable characters.

The real shining part of this book, though, was Mariel’s group of Merry Men. As Mariel is one of the captains of the MM, I loved how Mariel’s group was really more like a found family, and how Clem eventually fit into that so seamlessly. Josey, Kit, Baxter, and Morgan were such excellent characters to follow alongside Clem and Mariel, and the book would not be the same without such a strong group. I also really appreciated how queernormative everything was!

My only complaint is that the first third or so dragged too much - it just felt like it took too long to really set up. However, once you get past that point, the other 2/3 really sucks you in!

TW: violence, panic attacks, PTSD, death of loved ones

Not for the Faint of Heart is a historical fiction book about the Merry Men. Mariel is the granddaughter of Robin Hood, and is trying to prove herself to her father, who has now become the commander of the Merry Men. Mariel and her group of friends are sent to kidnap a healer and instead kidnap her apprentice, Clem. Clem is a determined healer that loves to help people no matter who they are.

Unexpectedly, I was really attached to this story! We meet a whole cast of lovable characters that make the story feel so alive. This book is emotional, funny, and had a lot of story alongside the romance, which didn’t take all the focus. There was plot to follow and the romance progressed naturally and didn’t take over the whole story.

Lex Croucher broke my heart towards the end of the book, and I haven’t felt that emotionally invested in a fiction book since middle school. I was so anxious to know the ending and also read it in two days.

It took me a while to figure out how to review this, it was full of twists and turns and vibe changes that I've come to expect from Lex Croucher - making it hard to rate/review, I loved most of the characters and loved how queer the story was and enjoyed the story

Lex Croucher’s "Not for the Faint of Heart" reimagines the legend of Robin Hood with a fresh, feminist twist and a blend of humor, action, and romance. Croucher’s sharp wit shines through the dialogue, creating a fun and fast-paced dynamic between the grumpy Mariel and the ever-cheerful Clem. Their growing bond adds emotional depth and romantic tension, even as the story explores heavier themes like legacy, loyalty, and moral ambiguity in a world at war. Overall, "Not for the Faint of Heart" is an entertaining read that blends queer romance, adventure, and self-discovery. It’s perfect for fans of irreverent historical retellings and stories that challenge classic hero myths.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC!

This book was so good! Gwen & Art was one of my favorite books that I read last year, so I was excited to see that Lex was writing queer version of Robin Hood. This book had a lot of the same elements that I loved from Gwen & Art: an amazing group dynamic, hilarious banter, and a sweet romance.

I loved Clem and Mariel’s relationship. They were insanely adorable and I loved the grumpy x sunshine dynamic they had going on. I also loved how several of the side characters were also queer and it wasn’t made out to be a big deal. Like that’s just who they were and it was accepted.