All the Painted Stars

I loved All the Painted Stars, it is a breathtaking romance, and the letters between Lily and Jo are wonderful and are woven in seamlessly throughout the plot. I am a huge fan of One Night in Hartswood, so i was thrilled to read this. It has everything, forbidden romance, turmoil, bravery, and stunning LGBTQIA+ leads. I couldn’t ask for more, except, maybe a sequel in the future... ;)

My heart was so, so warm while reading this book. The love between Lily and Johanna was palatable with every page that I read. There was solemn and silly moments that equalized themes of the book which I loved.

All the Painted Stars follows Jo and Lily, Jo's hand is being given to a worthy knight in a tournament, and Lily competes undercover in this tournament, because she thinks Jo needs saving from marriage. Along the way, the two reconcile and begin to develop feelings for one another.

This is a very sweet historical romance, that would be perfect for fans of Emma R. Alban's "Don't Want You Like a Best Friend" or anyone who's life was changed by Chappell Roan's VMA's Joan of Arc performance. I really enjoyed how Denny depicted the medieval setting, as this was my first sapphic romance from that time period. I read this without reading "One Night in Hartswood" and while I think this can still be read as a standalone, you'd learn more about Jo and Lily's early years by reading both.

4.25 stars

Jo, sister to a young Earl, is about to be married off, but not if Lily has anything to say about it. Lily dresses up as a knight and enters into the tournament to try to give Jo her freedom.

I feel like I would have liked this book better had I read the first before it as it's built on the friendship that began in book one. And it kept referencing things that happened in the first book without actually revealing much of anything, so I guess it could be read out of order. Even so, this is a fun Sapphic lady/knight, slow burn, friends to lovers romance. While it was a bit predictable, it was also pretty cozy, and I definitely cheered at a certain character revelation. I've heard it gives A Knight's Tale vibes, and that's pretty accurate for the first half, but I actually enjoyed the second half more.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

I was absolutely thrilled to get my hands on an advance copy of this book--I adored One Night in Hartswood and couldn't wait for more in Emma Denny's world, and this did not disappoint! Jo and Lily are both delightful in their own ways, and the burn between them is so slow I was practically screaming at the page for them to figure themselves out. Like the first in the series, All the Painted Stars has a delightful blend of angsty yearning, genuine danger and adventure, and a glimpse of 14th century life with details that feel real and goes in surprising directions (I was expecting more of the book to take place at the tourney rather than a brewery, but the change in setting was quite nice and provided a fascinating look at ale brewing that I absolutely drank up). I hope there are more in this series, and either way I'll be eagerly anticipating whatever Emma Denny writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved One Night in Hartswood so I jumped at the chance to read this one. IT BLEW ME AWAY. I need a thousand more sapphic historical romance BECAUSE WHAT HAVE I BEEN MISSING MY ENTIRE LIFE

This book was a great balance between thrilling adventure and cozy sweetness, with humor thrown in. There was a reveal late in the book that I only partly guessed in advance, but I was delighted to find out the rest (I'm pretty sure I cackled).

What I liked the most about this book was how vivid the descriptions were, so that I felt like I could see the embroidered dresses, taste the sweet blackberries, feel the cool lake water. Like this opening line to Chapter 1:
"Long strands of vibrant red hair caught on the brambles of the blackberry bush, snagging in the thorns and twisting in vivid dashes across the plump berries."
If you're the kind of person who can see in your mind the things you read, you should enjoy the imagery here.

Overall, this book was fun and charming, with a very sweet romance.

This is a romance specifically for the girls who loved Chappell Roan's VMA performance. I don't read a lot of romances with knights and ladies, but this was so cute.

Lily and Johanna met in the previous book (which I have not read) when Lily was betrothed to Johanna's brother but then he ran off (to be with Lily's brother) and besmirched her reputation. So like any other Renaissance girls, Lily is destined for the convent and Johanna is expected to be married off to some guy. When Lily finds out that her best friend is going to get married off to a knight in a tournament, she gets the bright idea to cut off her braids and dress up in her brother's armor to rescue Jo from ever having to marry a man she doesn't want. Bless. So there's "William," a chivalrous but poor knight fighting in a tournament while Johanna deals with the guy her stepmother really wants her to marry. When stuff happens and the besties have to run away together, well, a little more time away from the annoying nobles won't hurt, right?

Just by the characters' ages, this feels more like New Adult Romance, since I feel like I remember Lily saying she's 23 in one of the scenes. Definitely feel like Lily's impulsiveness feels very young-20s! The Best Friends to Lovers romance was so cute that I was anxious in the middle that things would go wrong, but this remained fun and cozy! I have a feeling that the first book is cute too.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper for this cute romance.

This was a fun sequel to One Night in Hartswood; it can be read without the first book. It follows sisters of each of the main characters from the first book as they deal with arranged marriage, a jousting tournament, and fleeing from the keep.

This was told from the perspectives of Jo and Lily. Jo is the sister to the Earl and is about to be married off while Lily is trying to secure Jo’s freedom by posing as a knight. We see how they help each other and watch their relationship blossom.

Overall I enjoyed the story as it was well paced and had some plot twists.

I was given a copy by the publisher via NetGalley (thank you!) and all opinions are my own.

Emma Denny's "All the Painted Stars" serves as a sequel to the novel "One Night in Hartswood." This cozy story revolves around a friends-to-lovers narrative, where the damsels take charge of their own destinies and rescue themselves.

The plot unfolds as Penn's sister Jo prepares to wed the victor of a jousting tournament, leading to her friend Raff's sister, Cecilia/Lily, disguising herself as a knight to compete for Jo's hand.

The ensuing chaos, adventure, and the characters' pursuit of independence make for a compelling read. I recommend this novel, especially to fans of Natasha Siegel and Lex Croucher. Thanks to NetGalley and Harper 360 for providing the ARC.

We love a lady knight. When Cecily "Lily" Barden hears that her best friend Lady Johanna is hosting a tournament for her hand in marriage, she knows that she needs to enter. Even though Lily knows she won't win, it's a chance to see Jo before she's wed. Jo's hand as the prize is a bit of a farce though, because Lord Adam has already offered, and his status and wealth are worth more to Jo's family than an errant knight. When Lily is injured and her life threatened, she and Jo make their escape to the countryside. And for the first time, they can be themselves, and share feelings that Jo didn't know could exist and that Lily is too afraid to share.

I enjoyed this sequel to One Night in Hartswood! Jo and Lily have a relationship built on friendship, and while it takes 2/3 of the book for Jo to realize what this means, the mutual pining is palpable. I thought the book got a little weighted down by plot, especially at the brewery, but overall loved the medieval sapphic tale.

All the Painted Stars is a wonderful followup to One Night in Hartswood. Following the sisters from the first book, we follow Jo as she's dealing with the fallout from her brother's departure from the keep, and Lily who is desperate to return to her. Jo's family is hosting a tournament and whoever wins also wins Jo's hand in marriage. Learning this from a letter, Lily decides to enter as a man to save Jo from her fate. The two women keep finding each other and find their own way to fight fate together. I loved all the different turns this story took, and all the side characters we meet add heart and depth to the story. I can't wait to see what Denny writes next.
Thanks to Harper 360 and NetGalley for the ARC in trade for an honest review.

I requested and received an eARC of All the Painted Stars by Emma Denny. I really enjoyed this other’s previous work in this series, One Night in Hartswood, because I need all of the fourteenth century queer romance in a bad way. Luckily, Denny has done it again, this time with a Sapphic spin. In All the Painted Starts, we follow Raff’s sister Lily Barden who has just discovered that her best friend, Johanna, is to given away in marriage to the winner of a tournament. Lily, determined to stop this, dresses herself as a knight and enters the contest herself. Unfortunately, this decision is not received well all-around, and Lily is forced to escape with Johanna to avoid danger.

I really enjoyed the blossoming romance between Lily and Jo, the sort of cluelessness about what their feelings really mean before it dawns on them. In the beginning of the novel, I really got a kick out of the tournament and Lily’s successes. I was always amused when Ellis appeared on the page! Who doesn’t love a young earl? I sympathized with Jo’s plight, but I was very drawn to Lily’s character. Her boldness and sense of adventure both make for an excellent protagonist to root and swoon for. As Lily prepared to enter the tournament, under the name William, I wanted nothing more for than her to sweep the competition and dash away with Jo’s heart.

All the Painted Stars is a charming and very sweet read. There are moments of action and suspense and these both helped to capture my attention in this story. Denny also offers a lovable (and detestable!) cast of supporting characters that make this story feel well-rounded and worthwhile. I found the romance to be handled especially well and crafted with so many moments of tenderness and longing that I quickly became a JoLily (LilyJo? Are we over couple names?) fan. I don’t always love the “hidden progressives” in historical queer romance, and while I understand they are often necessary to help facilitate the story or create a sense of found family, it always takes me out of the story a little bit. My attention did wane during the middle portion of the story, but overall I really enjoyed this book. The strong beginning and the rewarding ending, combined with Jo and Lily’s outstanding chemistry, made it a success for me.

I'm not into medieval English history BUT I have always wanted a romance between a lady and a female knight-errant for obvious reasons. And that's what we have here! It's also a sweet friends-to-lovers relationship. The plot is pretty much broken up into three arcs:

Part One: Tournament
Part Two: Brewery
Part Three: Arranged Marriage/Say No to the Patriarchy

Part One was my favorite. Lily's master plan was just peak sapphic fantasy: disguise yourself as a man, enter the knights tournament, win and therefore win the hand of your bff, live happily lesbianly after. I feel like an amazing book could be written based on that premise alone. Part Two was slower plotwise but focused on Lily and Jo's romance. Part Three moved much faster. It introduced/brought back some queer antagonists (sort of? as antagonisty as this book gets) to hinder the ladies' HEA and had THE BEST "I object" wedding scene ever.

This had a lot of queer rep for a novel based on this time period in Christian European history, but it seemed pretty realistic and as positive as I imagine most people could've been back then. I don't believe you need to read the previous book One Night in Hartswood to enjoy this.

Sweet and cozy read, perfect for fans of medieval romance, lady knights, A Knight's Tale and Chappel Roan's VMA performance.

Lily is determined to save her friend Jo from a marriage she doesn't want. The solution she comes up with? Chop off her hair, steal her brother's clothes and some armor, and fight for her friend in a jousting tournament. While obviously impractical, Denny does a great job of giving us realistic action around an obviously unqualified knight. Lily is stubborn, brave and impulsive, while Jo is practical, dutiful and perhaps overthinks things too much. I love the interactions between Lily and Jo, as well as the secondary characters like Mabel and Ellis. The friends-to-lovers romance is sweet and slow, with a luscious amount of tension (made better by getting both POVs and feeling that "just kiss each other already!" feeling). There is a prequel book that involves some of these same characters, but enough to discussed/revealed in this story that you don't feel like you need it, and LIly and Jo are the stars.

If you are looking for cozy sapphic romance, fight the patriarchy in a fun way vibes and found family - highly recommend.