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What I am happy about is definitely that a mainstream romance publisher is making a choice in favour of a soft gay historical to break up the line up of safer titles.
where would you like to spend one night? I’d love to go to a beach but honestly I would be happy going anywhere that was quiet & had soft comfy bedding 😴.
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The story felt very contained within Raff and Penn’s romance. I would have loved to see more exploration of the period. One Night in Hartswood by Emma Denny is a character-driven romance with some big moments at the end that really amp up the action & the dramatic gesture quotient for each lead. I was not rid of you,’ he spoke quietly --- ‘I have not been rid of you since that first evening in Hartswood Forest. Oh what a great romance. What I loved about this was actually how unpredictable it was. Even though I knew it would have a HEA, I could not foresee how it would play out and lots of bits took me by surprise. Told in alternating POV we are first introduced to Raff and Penn as they prepare for their families to be united in marriage. On the eve of the wedding Raff happens upon Penn in Hartswood forest and the chemistry between them is palpable. Whilst not knowing the true identity of each other the pair go their separate ways to prepare for the marriage of Penn and Raff’s sister. For Penn this preparation involves him escaping via a secret tunnel, in search of his own freedom and happiness, unbeknown to him, Raff, has been tasked with finding Penn and returning him to the castle to save his sister’s honour. It’s not long before our two protagonists find themselves in each other’s company once more and Raff offers to help Penn find a new beginning.
One Night in Hartswood is an incredibly sweet and emotional story of Raff and Penn trying to find their freedom in a world that really does not lend itself well to them reaching it. These two are the best of "cinnamon roll" heroes, and their slow dance toward each other was a delight to read. This was the ultimate in slow-burn, pining romance, and I am here for it. Because when everything is finally laid out in the open, the reward is worth the journey to get there. I haven’t read a good historical romance in a while, so I was excited to throw myself into One Night in Hartswood. The MCs in this story have so much chemistry - it's something a lot of authors don't get right, and the books end up suffering due to it. But that wasn't an issue here. The chemistry was intense and electric and so perfect. I was swooning through about 80% of the book 😍 They're both so adorable. I just loved Penn, and Raff turned my heart to mush. They're so cute together and felt so perfect for each other right from their Meet Cute. A large portion of the book was just the two MCs together, but it was never, ever boring. I don't know why, but for some reason, when I think of the Middle Ages, I always tend to immediately think of dragons, unicorns, and magic, so when I find out that a book is set in this time period, I just assume it's a fantasy. I say that because when I saw this book on Netgalley, I assumed I was going to be reading a fantasy novel with a same-sex romance, but that's not what I got - and that's okay because I loved it nonetheless.The medieval setting is similarly undistinguished and the attempt to build a sense of time and place (beyond ‘there are castles and woods here’) is minimal. It’s not that I was looking for a rich and precise historical fiction but some specificity would be nice, especially when the story arises out of a dynastic marriage. All of the tropes in this one seemed to flow and work really well together, there’s mistaken/hidden identity, there’s forced proximity from traveling and camping together and needing to stay warm, there’s fighting lessons that turn into sexual tension, and there’s “I want you but I don’t think I can have you”. I found this book to be a really charming dose of historical queer romance. Both Penn and Raff had distinct voices, and I enjoyed them as a couple. I had no trouble falling into the world and following the romance, which started off strong. Penn, who I feel had more depth than Raff, was an intriguing character. There was a lot of trauma that he was struggling to deal with, and I loved the moments where he opened up to Raff.
The fictional dog, unlike dogs who live around horses in the real world, isn't keeping out of range of the horse's hooves and teeth. See above. Shortly afterward, I began to suspect that Denny's idea of medieval history went something like this: There were castles. People rode horses and wore tunics. Playlists containing One Night in Hartswood, By Emma Denny, Read by Tom Alexander and Sebastian HumphreysWhere should I start? How about with the optimism I felt when the epigraph was a quotation from Euripides as translated by Anne Carson? I loved all the lovely moments shared with Penn and Raff. Their personalities were different and yet so similar as they hesitated to make the first moves in admitting their feelings and once they had they didn't hesitate to gravitate towards the other with all the affection they could openly display. 💞 The heart of the novel lies in the growing bond between Raff and Penn. As they navigate challenges and rely on each other for survival, their connection deepens into a love that is both forbidden and profound. The chemistry between the characters is palpable, and their emotions are portrayed with sensitivity and depth, making their journey all the more captivating. I will be keeping my eyes open for more from this author in the future. This one was a delight to read and our main couple was good together.
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