Review: Gwen & Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love

Lex Croucher

Publication Date: November 28, 2023

Hardcover, 416 pages, Wednesday Books

Genres: YA, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+

Goodreads

Heartstopper meets A Knight’s Tale in this queer medieval rom com YA debut about love, friendship, and being brave enough to change the course of history.

 

It’s been hundreds of years since King Arthur’s reign. His descendant, Arthur, a future Lord and general gadabout, has been betrothed to Gwendoline, the quick-witted, short-tempered princess of England, since birth. The only thing they can agree on is that they despise each other.

 

They’re forced to spend the summer together at Camelot in the run up to their nuptials, and within 24 hours, Gwen has discovered Arthur kissing a boy and Arthur has gone digging for Gwen's childhood diary and found confessions about her crush on the kingdom's only lady knight, Bridget Leclair.

 

 Realizing they might make better allies than enemies, they make a reluctant pact to cover for each other, and as things heat up at the annual royal tournament, Gwen is swept off her feet by her knight and Arthur takes an interest in Gwen's royal brother. Lex Croucher's Gwen and Art Are Not in Love is chock full of sword-fighting, found family, and romantic shenanigans destined to make readers fall in love.

My Review

If you're missing the fun of BBC's Merlin show or want a book similar to Alexis Hall's writing style, then Gwen & Art Are Not in Love might just be for you. It has some hilarious and disaster characters, along with some crazy situations with a bunch of young people just trying to find love. It's a lighthearted historical fiction comedy with romance and sword fighting thrown in.

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love follows two POV characters, Gwen, the current king's daughter, and Arthur, a descendant of King Arthur with none of his capabilities. Against their wishes, the two are engaged, even though Gwen likes a certain female knight and Arthur is very into men. So, they agree to make each others' lives easier and keep their secrets. What's entertaining after that is watching them become enemies to allies to sort-of friends. Both characters are complete messes.

I will say that in addition to the two protagonists, the other side characters, such as Bridget Leclair, the knight, and Arthur's friend, Sid, all are pretty flushed out characters. Bridget reminds me of Brienne of Tarth in personality, not appearance, which was very fun to read. However, I don't think the members of the royal family truly got a lot of development. I would've liked to have seen more, especially from Gabriel, Gwen's brother, and the king and queen. They felt a bit like afterthoughts at times.

Now, though I did enjoy this book, it took some time to get into. I think I had to get about 15% into the story before I truly immersed myself into the world, especially since I thought this was going to be an actual King Arthur retelling, just with gay characters, and instead it ended up having very little relevance to King Arthur at all. Honestly, that whole plot point could have been taken out. But anyway, I guess I should have read the description more closely. The plot overall, is very fun, though. Gwen and Art are trying to figure themselves out while fitting in some romance, and it's a wild ride. But the ending. I was not expecting the action that happened. Just when you think you're in a fluffy historical fiction book, BAM! Everything goes crazy! My eyes were glued to my Kindle.

All in all, Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is simply a cute, entertaining read. It will give you all the feels and make you wish to live in an age of knights and princesses. Just don't go into it thinking you're getting the actual tale of King Arthur, and you'll be all set for a quick, cheery read.

*Note: I received a copy of this book to review from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

Review: The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

The City of Brass

S.A. Chakraborty

(The Daevabad Trilogy #1)

Publication Date: November 14, 2017

Hardcover, 533 pages, Harper Voyager

Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Historical

B&N | Book Depository | Amazon | Goodreads

Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of 18th century Cairo, she’s a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trade she uses to get by—palm readings, zars, healings—are all tricks, sleights of hand, learned skills; a means to the delightful end of swindling Ottoman nobles.

But when Nahri accidentally summons an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior to her side during one of her cons, she’s forced to accept that the magical world she thought only existed in childhood stories is real. For the warrior tells her a new tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire, and rivers where the mythical marid sleep; past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises, and mountains where the circling hawks are not what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass, a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound.

In that city, behind gilded brass walls laced with enchantments, behind the six gates of the six djinn tribes, old resentments are simmering. And when Nahri decides to enter this world, she learns that true power is fierce and brutal. That magic cannot shield her from the dangerous web of court politics. That even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences.

After all, there is a reason they say be careful what you wish for...

My Review

Wow. So I haven’t had any strong reactions to reading a book in years. But this book. Whew. This book’s ending made me ANGRY. In a fantastic way. And I loved every moment of it. Almost. I actually kind of felt like the little boy in The Princess Bride when Westley dies. Remember him? Yeah, that was me.

We start The City of Brass by following Nahri’s POV. She’s a con artist in 18^th century Cairo, so when she summons a djinn warrior with a snarky attitude, I was hooked. I love me some romantic tension. Things were a little jarring, though, when the POV switched to Ali. At first I was wary, since his chapters were taking me away from Nahri and Dara’s storyline, but I quickly grew to love his viewpoints just as much as theirs. Each time either Nahri’s or Ali’s chapters ended, I was sad. I wanted to stay with the character longer. I give major props to Chakraborty for being able to make me disappointed each time a viewpoint ended.

Basically, I loved all of the characters. Even the evil ones. Ghassan is the evil ruler every evil ruler in fantasy dreams of being. (He’s actually logical at times and that’s what makes him so bad.) Dara is the mysterious bad boy with a humorous side. Ali is a clueless cinnamon roll, and Nahri is a strong woman who looks out for herself. I love it. It also helps that these main characters aren’t the leaders of the revolt that’s happening within the djinn city. All of these characters are kind of just stuck in the middle of this terrible situation. Of course, this may develop differently in the second book, but I appreciated the idea that not every fantasy protagonist is the leader of the rebellion.

Now, I do have to admit that while the beginning was a very fun adventure, with Nahri running to the city of Daevabad and Ali navigating his political family, the middle of the story did slow the pace down quite a bit, as both characters were put into the political minefield and there was a dip in the action scenes. But that ending. Oh boy, that ending. HOLY COW! It was chaotic and insane. I had the most visceral reaction I’ve ever had reading a book. Chapter 27 was heart-stopping. Needless to say, I’ll be buying books two and three. I must know what happens to these precious characters.

One reason I’m not giving this book five whole stars, despite the fact that it’s the only book in a long time to make me so unbelievably worried for a character that I had to spoil myself by looking up the sequel’s description on Goodreads, is that the world-building was a little confusing at times. The djinn/daeva have a complicated history that I’m still not entirely sure exactly how everything played out and when. I wish there was a timeline in the book for reference. But some minor confusion didn’t stop me from devouring this beautiful story.

All in all, if you’re a fan of YA fantasy books, read The City of Brass. If you’re a fan of epic fantasy books, read The City of Brass. If you’re a fan of djinn and less mainstream fantasy creatures read The City of Brass. Just read it.

*Note: I received a copy of this book at BookCon 2018. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

Waiting on Wednesday: And I Darken by Kiersten White

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating.

This week, what's really got my pages in a twist is...

And I Darken

Kiersten White

(The Conquerors Saga #1)

Publication Date: June 28, 2016

Hardcover, 475 pages, Delacorte Press

Genres: YA, Historical Fiction

Book Depository | Amazon | Goodreads

NO ONE EXPECTS A PRINCESS TO BE BRUTAL.

And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets.

Lada despises the Ottomans and bides her time, planning her vengeance for the day when she can return to Wallachia and claim her birthright. Radu longs only for a place where he feels safe. And when they meet Mehmed, the defiant and lonely son of the sultan, who’s expected to rule a nation, Radu feels that he’s made a true friend—and Lada wonders if she’s finally found someone worthy of her passion.

But Mehmed is heir to the very empire that Lada has sworn to fight against—and that Radu now considers home. Together, Lada, Radu, and Mehmed form a toxic triangle that strains the bonds of love and loyalty to the breaking point.

My Thoughts

I’ve read almost all of Kiersten White’s books and I’ve really enjoyed most of them. (The Mind Games duology was a little iffy for me.) But she does fantasy and paranormal really well, so I’m excited to see how this one goes.

What book are you waiting on this Wednesday?

Waiting on Wednesday: My Lady Jane

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating.

This week, what's really got my pages in a twist is...

My Lady Jane

Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi Meadows

Publication Date: June 7, 2016

Hardcover, 512 pages, HarperTeen

Genres: YA, Historical

Book Depository | Amazon | Goodreads

For fans of The Princess Bride comes the comical, fantastical, romantical, (not) entirely true story of Lady Jane Grey.

Lady Jane Grey, sixteen, is about to be married to a total stranger—and caught up in an insidious plot to rob her cousin, King Edward, of his throne. But that’s the least of Jane’s problems. She’s about to become Queen of England. Like that could go wrong.

My Thoughts

I really have no idea what this is about, other than what I’ve read in the blurb. I know it’s historical and it was written by Cynthia Hand and Brodi Ashton, two authors whose work I love. (I haven’t read anything by Jodi Meadows, so I’m not sure about her yet. ;)

What book are you waiting on this Wednesday?

Waiting on Wednesday: Banished by Kimberely Griffiths Little

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating.

This week, what's really got my pages in a twist is...

Banished

Kimberley Griffiths Little

(Forbidden #2)

Publication Date: February 2, 2016

Hardcover, 416 pages, HarperTeen

Genres: YA, Fantasy/Historical

Barnes & Noble | Amazon | Goodreads

She thought she’d lost everything . . .

After spending months traveling the harsh, unforgiving Mesopotamian desert, Jayden reunites with a broken, injured Kadesh. Although everyone was convinced the violent and unpredictable Horeb, Jayden’s betrothed, killed the handsome prince, Jayden knew in her heart that her love was alive and safe. But their reunion is short-lived, as they learn Horeb is on their trail and determined to take back the girl he has claimed. Soon, the two star-crossed lovers are on the run toward Sariba, Kadesh’s homeland, where, as heir to the Kingdom, he plans to make Jayden his princess.

But the trek to Sariba is fraught with heartache and danger. After narrowly escaping being stoned to death for a crime she didn’t commit, and learning that her sister has disappeared, Jayden’s only solace is her love for Kadesh. But even he is keeping secrets from her . . . secrets that will change everything.

This gorgeous and enchanting sequel to Forbidden, is full of love, danger, and heated passion that will leave readers breathless.

My Thoughts

I haven’t read the first book yet, but I really want to.

What book are you waiting for this Wednesday?

Review: Lion Heart by A.C. Gaughen

Lion Heart

A.C. Gaughen

(Scarlet #3)

Publication Date: May 19, 2015

Hardcover, 348 pages, Bloomsbury USA

Genres: YA, Historical

Barnes & Noble | Amazon | Goodreads

The eagerly-awaited conclusion to the Scarlet trilogy delivers another action-packed and romance-filled adventure.

Scarlet has captured the hearts of readers as well as the heart of Robin Hood, and after ceaseless obstacles and countless threats, readers will finally find out the fate of the Lady Thief.

Imprisoned by Prince John for months, Scarlet finds herself a long way from Nottinghamshire. After a daring escape from the Prince's clutches, she learns that King Richard’s life is in jeopardy, and Eleanor of Aquitaine demands a service Scarlet can’t refuse: spy for her and help bring Richard home safe. But fate—and her heart—won’t allow her to stay away from Nottinghamshire for long, and together, Scarlet and Rob must stop Prince John from going through with his dark plans for England. They can not rest until he’s stopped, but will their love be enough to save them once and for all?

My Review

It’s over! This trilogy about Robin Hood and Maid Marian is over! Why?! I only started it last year…

As you can see, I’m a little sad that this series has come to an end. I really enjoyed reading about Scarlet and her escapades with the dreamy Robin Hood. (I mean, who doesn’t enjoy reading about anything Robin Hood related?) However much I enjoyed the series though, it still didn’t have as great of a series-ender as I was hoping for.

Scarlet is still the same old Scarlet. She’s putting herself in danger, standing up for people, and just generally being a head-strong young girl. In a good way. But I noticed with this book, that Scarlet just puts herself in danger too much, especially given the revelations we learned about in books one and two. I also noticed that her fellow guards, knights, friends, etc. never seemed around when she actually needed them, so she’d end up doing the fighting by herself. While I am all for girl-power and being able to fight someone with just a pair of daggers in my hand, I didn’t like how Gaughen made the other characters seem by having Scarlet rush into danger. It made them seem incompetent with their jobs. And this brings me to Robin. Robin Hood was a soldier in the Crusades and he’s the original Katniss Everdeen—his arrows fly like nobody’s business! Yet Gaughen doesn’t portray Robin as someone who is capable of ruling a land or as someone who can take care of himself. This disappointed me just because I didn’t want my idea of Robin Hood to be tarnished. He’s still a good character to read about, he just needs to be a little bit more fangirl-worthy (does that make sense?), in my opinion.

The plot of the story didn’t really connect with me at first. I couldn’t remember what happened at the end of Lady Thief, so I was scratching my head when it came to the start of the book and the characters I was re-introduced to. Once I got into it, though, I didn’t mind all that much. The storyline was fast, maybe too fast, but I liked it. However, the ending just didn’t feel like a real ending. It was so abrupt. I was kind of hoping for an epilogue of some sort. Boo…

All in all, Lion Heart is a good addition to a good historical series. If you want to read about a girl kicking butt in the sixteenth century, I would definitely suggest picking up this fast-paced trilogy.

*Note: I purchased a copy of this book for myself.

Stacking the Shelves: The Heart of a Lion Edition

"Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly haul meme that is hosted by Tynga's Reviews. It allows book buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving community.

I went to Barnes & Noble….so I had to pay full price. Boo.

Lion Heart by A.C. Gaughen

I’ve already finished this book and I enjoyed it. I’ll have a review up soon-ish!

What books have you bought/received lately?

Waiting on Wednesday: Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating.

This week, what's really got my pages in a twist is...

Walk on Earth a Stranger

Rae Carson

(The Gold Seer Trilogy #1)

Publication Date: September 22, 2015

Hardcover, 432 pages, Greenwillow Books

Genres: YA, Fantasy, Historical

Barnes & Noble | Amazon | Goodreads

The first book in a new trilogy from acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Rae Carson. A young woman with the magical ability to sense the presence of gold must flee her home, taking her on a sweeping and dangerous journey across Gold Rush–era America.

Lee Westfall has a secret. She can sense the presence of gold in the world around her. Veins deep beneath the earth, pebbles in the river, nuggets dug up from the forest floor. The buzz of gold means warmth and life and home—until everything is ripped away by a man who wants to control her. Left with nothing, Lee disguises herself as a boy and takes to the trail across the country. Gold was discovered in California, and where else could such a magical girl find herself, find safety? Rae Carson, author of the acclaimed Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy, dazzles with this new fantasy that subverts both our own history and familiar fantasy tropes.

Walk on Earth a Stranger, the first book in this new trilogy, introduces—as only Rae Carson can—a strong heroine, a perilous road, a fantastical twist, and a slow-burning romance. Includes a map and author’s note on historical research.

My Thoughts

I enjoyed Rae Carson’s The Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy, but I’m not sure about this book. I’m not a huge fan of historical books in general (unless they’re set in medieval times) and the cover for this book isn’t my favorite. What do you think?

What book are you waiting for this Wednesday?

Top 14 of 2014

I finally got around to making my Top 14 of 2014 list. It's simple and to-the-point because I'm having oral surgery soon (Yay, wisdom teeth!) and I have to get this thing written. So here they are (I also cheated quite a bit, but oh well...), the best of the best that I’ve read in the year 2014:

 

#14) Uninvited by Sophie Jordan

I really enjoyed the first half of this book. The last half wasn’t as great, but that’s what sequels are for. So here’s to hoping that everyone who’s written a review about Unleashed on Goodreads so far is W.R.O.N.G.

 

 

#13) The Dark World by Cara Lynn Shultz

If you would have told me that Cara Lynn Shultz would have a book on my top 14 of 2014 list back when I read her first YA book, I would probably have laughed in your face. But The Dark World was soooo good. I can just conveniently forget the mess that was that witch series she wrote way back in the day. To read more of my thoughts about The Dark World, check out my review.

 

 #12) The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White

I was beginning to lose faith in Kiersten White after I read her Mind Games book, but this book made me feel her greatness once again! I think I might have enjoyed this one more than the last two books in her Paranormalcy trilogy! It was cute and adventurous and fantastic. Plus, I’m a sucker for anything involving gods and goddesses.

 

 #11) The Unwanted by Jeffrey Ricker

This story was so cute! But at the same time, it was amazingly deep. I remember falling in love with the ending, and with the story itself. This was the first time I had read a YA LGBT paranormal-esque story, and I enjoyed it immensely. For more of my thoughts on the book, read my review.

 

#10) Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, and Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

I honestly have no idea which one of these I would consider my favorite out of the series (so far). So I had to combine them. I love the fantasy and lore in this book, but I also have come to realize that I enjoy all of the characters in this series. It’s rare that I come across a book that has me loving anyone but the love interest and MC, so thanks Sarah J. Maas!

 

#9)  Angelfall by Susan Ee

My only thought after reading this book was “Creeeeeepy” according to my Goodreads review of this book. I think that about sums it up. The only other things I would add would be “hawt, smexy, tortured angels” and “awesome world-building.” The only reason this book isn’t as high on my list is because I didn’t really enjoy World After as much as I loved Angelfall. I was a tad bit disappointed.

 

 #8) Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini

This book has only recently moved up in my eyes. I had read it back in July, and kind of forgot about it, even though it was really good. But for some reason, I can’t get it out of my mind now. All I can think about is Rowan and the scientific magic thing this world has going on. For more of my thoughts on this book, read my review.

 

 #7) Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

I’m a sucker for historical novels about Robin Hood, King Arthur, and any other noble knight out there. So when I finally read this book, I immediately fell in love. I read the second one not too soon after and I’m anxiously awaiting Lion Heart.

 

#6)  Alienated by Melissa Landers

Aliens are hot. Not the green, short, black-eyed things, or the tentacle monster things, but the Daemon Black and Aelyx aliens. I could read about their species all day long.

Here’s what I said about it on Goodreads, “4.5/5 stars. I did really love this book, there were some very minor things that I didn't like, but they were miniscule in comparison to the entirety of the book. And I can't wait for Invaded.”

 

 #5) Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Sometimes the last two books in this series get a bad rap. I don’t understand why, they’re great! Granted, I liked this one better than Ruin and Rising, but that’s just because I found some elements in the trilogy ender to be a little predictable.

Here’s what I said about it on Goodreads, “4.5/5 stars. This book took some time for me to get into, mostly because I'd forgotten what happened in book #1, but once I made myself sit down and read it, I was hooked.”

 

 #4) Queen of Zombie Hearts by Gena Showalter

I love this series. More specifically, I love the snarkiness and wit within this series. And Cole. Cole is drool-worthy. I’ve recently heard that Gena has some information to share about this series and future installments. I really hope this means more Cole. Can you tell I’m obsessed with Cole?

Here’s what I said about it on Goodreads, “I'm going with 4.5/5 stars. I enjoyed the humor and the romance, but something was missing...”

 

 #3) Deliverance by C.J. Redwine

I went through all of my ratings on Goodreads to see which books I gave 5 stars (which is never very many considering I’m a very nit-picky reader) and this was one of the few I’d given 5 stars. I don’t remember why specifically I gave it that rating, though, because I didn’t write a review. *sigh*

Rachel and Logan = awesome OTP
 

 

#2) Death Sworn by Leah Cypess

 I didn't write a review for this book. I should have. Here's what I said about it on Goodreads, " 4.5/5 stars. Umm... So... Holy cow. I read this book in less than five hours. It was good. Really good. The only reason I'm not giving it the full 5 stars is because that ending left me a tad unsatisfied. Hopefully Book #2 will fix all of that though. All in all, my first Leah Cypess read was a major success." 

 

 #1) White Hot Kiss and Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Everything that JLA writes is covered in gold and awesome-sauce. These books were my faves of 2014. Roth is a hunk of burning love and Layla is a great character to read about! Check my review of White Hot Kiss out here and be on the lookout for a Stone Cold Touch review.

**I also want to throw in a good word for Don’t Look Back which I also loved but just didn’t have room for on this list.

What were some of your favorite reads of 2014? Sound off in the comments.