Synopsis

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. 

Review

A delightful queer romp set amongst the myth and legend of a Britain in the Dark Ages.

This was such a great concept, that took the traditional idea of enemies to lovers (and to a certain extent – fake dating) and turning it entirely on its head. He loves him, she loves her… yet they’re betrothed. And they hate each other.

Considering this a YA romantic comedy, its length seemed excessive. There’s a lot covered within the pages, but it probably could have been quite a bit shorter. I was very excited for this book and expected to fly through it, but it ended up taking me three weeks to finish, which says a lot. However, it does pick up about halfway and is an enjoyable story about love, tradition and expectation.

The characters are brilliant and I loved the different relationships. Art and Gwen have an amusing enmity, whilst Gwen and Bridget’s burgeoning relationship blossoms slowly and sweetly. The banter between Sidney and Art is amusing and Croucher does write humorously about the various situations, although at times it feels more adult than it should; as this is Croucher’s first foray into YA, their writing for this market will no doubt improve.

That said, there are a few darker elements, which bring home the harsh reality of that period of history and provide a little poignancy to what is for the most part a sweet but comic story. The ending is a little vague and open, which makes me think that there is a sequel coming. And I am here for it!

Thanks to Bloomsbury Kids for my proof copy. Opinions my own.