This is such a beautiful book, I adored the romance. Denny's prose beautifully captures the essence of budding love, drawing readers into a world where every glance and touch is charged with emotion. Set against the enchanting backdrop of Hartswood, this story is a delightful escape into a realm of passion and romance. If you're a fan of beautifully written love stories, this one is a must-read.

Medieval road trip! This was a fun read with great characters. Raff and Penn find themselves travelling together after Penn runs out on his betrothment to Raff's sister. Obviously, neither knows the truth of who the other is.

I loved their romance and their growing trust and understanding of each other as they travelled together. However, I did feel like the lying to each other/ keeping their identities secret went on for too long and grew frustrating. (I will admit this is a trope that has very particular balance for me, so YMMV.) And I did also really like like that it was both characters keeping a secret from the other, rather than just the one as there often is with this trope.

There is also more of a general medieval-esque vibe, rather than it feeling specifically set in the 14th century or the year 1360 - I get the sense that despite a date being listed this was not trying to be an accurate portrayal of its particular time period.

Overall, I think this is a book where if you go in with the right expectations (a slightly tropey gay romance with a general medieval feel rather than any period accuracy) it makes for a good read.

Penn and Raff are the most wonderful couple. I really enjoyed the setting of this book and progression of their developing feelings. The way they deceive each other to start and with time all become unraveled.

I love how the characters made me feel, but the story itself felt similar to other romances I've read. Very grateful for being given the opportunity to read and review! Thank you

Yes, I read a Mills and Boon book that's a gay historical romp.... and I liked it. I read this book earlier this year and can still remember most of the story, which genuinely says something. A fun, easy, romantic, queer read.

This was such a nice romantic historical story, that really left me wanting an immediate sequel. 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.

Thank you to NetGalley for the early release copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

For more book reviews, please see my Instagram @blondesbooknook

Penn has always been a disappointment to his father, and now he's being forced into marriage with someone he's never met, to bring his father more power and prestige.
When he escapes to the woods, he runs into Raff, and they have an instant connection.
Neither know the truth about the other's identity, but they travel together, getting slowly closer.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The story is split between two narrators.
William "Penn" de Foucart - the oldest surviving son of a new, but powerful Earl. After bringing shame on his father yet again, he's about to be married off and expected to disappear quietly to a house on the estate. But Penn isn't interested in any woman and he bolts to the freezing woods.

Raff Barden the second son of a Northern Earl with a long history. Since his brother went to war, Raff has stepped up and helped run everything. When he meets Penn by chance in the woods, he agrees to take a slow route home, allowing Raff to escape from all the pressure in his life.

This books took a while for me to get into.
I found that our narrators, despite their very different upbringings, had very similar voices. In the review copy I read, it wasn't always clear who was narrating. I had to keep going back to check.
They also felt very young. These "men" are supposed to be in their mid-to-late-twenties - in the 14th Century, that's practically middle-aged! But these guys came across as modern teenagers.

I thought that the setting was repetitive. The plot just circles around the concept that the two guys are traveling through the wilderness together, and spending each night together for warmth. It spins on and on, with nothing new.
The historical accuracy (and general knowledge about horses) was just... frustrating.
I found some sections very hard to believe. How did Raff's brother just happen to find them in the middle of the woods?

The good stuff.
Raff and Penn's relationship is really sweet, and charming, and it won me over, despite all the issues above.
I thought that Penn's history with his father was well done, and you can tell how that affects his confidence in so many things.
When Penn got to stand up to his father near the end, that made me cheer!

Overall, this was a sweet little romance.

I have read so many great things about this book, now I don't ordinarily choose a book because it has a huge hype and following, I am one of those readers who tends to jump on the bandwagon after the hype has gone down so that my own personal view isn't swayed by such great reviews but something about this book pulled me and made me want to read it instantly and I am pleased to say that the hype around this book doesn't do it justice, it is far better then anyone could say, it's beautiful. There is no other word I can use, it is tenderly written, atmospherically romantic and an absolute t joy to read. I fell in love with this from the moment I started reading it and it will certainly be one of those books which have held on to your heart for a long time. So if you are like me and see all the excitement and rave reviews about this and think I will wait then don't just read it and fall in love!
Now I need to get myself a paperback copy for the Forever bookcase!

I really liked the premise of this book but I wasn't convinced by the narrative: it felt very 'young' for both of the characters to be in their 20s. It lacks a richness that I expect of the medieval period and genre. I would've enjoyed more world-building and less plot focus. Convince me of this couple! Make me root for them! This really felt quite 'empty' to me.

A stirring Historical Romance that is beautiful in every sense. I read this book page-to-page in a day and adored it; this touching queer tale of adventure and forbidden love is one I would recommend to The Song of Achilles lovers!

Very well written, but not for me. I like a strong b plot in my romance and this one seemed to lack this.

Easy to read and fall in love with the world. Well written characters and plot, I really struggled putting this down!

LGBTQ REPRESENTATION HERE WE GO!

Queer romance, with a lovely cover, a bunch of LGBTQ+ characters. There was fluff, there was angst, there was humour, there was also some amazing tropes. Also, the fact that it's a queer romance in medieval times? Ugh, I love it. Penn and Raff have my heart and their adventure was a beautiful story to ride along with.
I enjoyed the political intrigue, the fast pace of the story, the characthers and their arcs, and of course, I loved the romance.

This is a queer historical romance. The first of our two male main characters is travelling with his family for his sister's wedding - to a man they haven't met, which is a key point.

Because when he then meets a man in the forest and has a romantic encounter with him he doesn't realise that that is his sister's betrothed.

When said betrothed runs away before the wedding, he agrees to go help track him down but instead finds a "Runaway servant" and they then travel together and a relationship develops.

This was good, but not what I personally am looking for in a romance as it's lacking in much joy. On top of the challenges of being in a queer relationship in the 14th century, they're also lying to each other about who they are for most of the book and angsting about it, and, as well, the runaway betrothed has a horribly abusive father who's convinced his he deserves the scars he's been given, and is now going to try and murder our first guy!

That is just too many levels of angst for me in a romance. There are elements of it that would have worked better for me in a fantasy romance where I expect there to be more trauma on the way to a happy ending.

I really wanted to love this but I just wanted our couple to have more on oage happiness.

3.5 stars. If you like a more angsty romance, this one's for you

Exactly what I wanted in a Mills and Boon novel and the perfect medical romance with angst. I haven’t read a good historical romance in a while, so I was excited read Emma Denny's novel.

I found Denny's novel to be a charming dose of historical queer romance that I needed. Both Penn and Raff had distinct voices, and I enjoyed them as a couple. It was easy to fall into the world and follow the romance, which grabbed me from the get go . 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.

I really enjoyed the slow burn aspect of the romance which is a trope I come back to time and time again!

One Night in Hartswood is a queer historical romance, centered around Raff and Penn, who journey across England together whilst keeping their true identities a secret. Raff is searching for the man who abandoned his sister on her wedding night... and Penn is escaping that very marriage. Neither of them know the truth about each other, so their developing romance is constantly shadowed by the truth of the situation.

Raff and Penn are solid, likeable characters and I loved the contrast between their personalities - Penn the charismatic, social and diplomatic noble next to Raff, the muscular Northern hunter more at home in the wilderness than a party. Their connection feels genuine, but is affected by their opposing upbringings, as Raff's Northern family is warm and close-knit, whilst Penn suffers under his tyrannical father. Penn’s trauma is well-written, and the impact of it is woven into his character and life, and is especially heart-breaking in the way it affects him during sex. The intimacy between him and Raff as they confront his trauma is truly touching, and one of my favourite parts of the book was seeing Penn slowly start to heal when he saw how much Raff accepted and loved him as he was.

I liked Raff but I wish his backstory had as much development as Penn’s. All of siblings are gay, which is so interesting? I just feel like the closeness and impact that would create is never explored to its full potential, so if Ash and Lily get their own spin-off books, I would eat that up. I just wanted more depth about Raff's past dalliances, or his relationship with his siblings, or even more about the pressure of taking his brother's role after his brother was traumatized by war. In comparison to Penn, his backstory felt a little lacking which was a shame because he had a strong personality.

I definitely enjoyed the second half of the book more than the first. I found the pacing a little off in the beginning; Raff and Penn kiss very early on, which killed some of the slow-burn tension for me. The walking/journeying parts of the book felt a little repetitive and it lacked the yearning tension because they both already knew the other was gay and they had already kissed. There was a lot more action and drama in the second half, once the truth finally came out, and the yearning in this part was beautifully agonising.

Their foresty journey does have lots of great viewpoints to visit on the way though, such as huddling together for warmth, watching each other bathe, and sword-fighting lessons, plus there’s also some excellent hurt/comfort in the second half. I just wish there was less walking and more focus on character backstory, and the politics of each family. However, if you like historical romance, and watching love interests to yearn after each other in secluded snowy woodland, then there is lots to enjoy about this warm and genuine story.

DNF’d I just couldn’t continue with this
There wasn’t really anything wrong with it exactly. I just found myself trying to read this book for the entire month and failing to read more than a chapter or two at a time
This book was extremely slow
The hidden identity didn’t work for me
The pov was very confusing as the chapters would change very quickly between Penn and Raff
This one just wasn’t for me
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review
Giving 3 stars because it feels harsh to give 1 (what I would assign to the part I did read) when I haven’t read the entire book. So a middle rating

A thoroughly enjoyable historical romp through the woods!

I really enjoyed One Night in Hartswood - I found the characters interesting and fully formed. I’m usually more of a fantasy reader, and the author purposefully avoided fantasy elements in this novel, but I liked the interpersonal relationships and enjoyed the low-stakes feel of the novel.
Towards the end there is more of a dire issue to avoid, but before then we get a lot of time where the two MCs - Pen and Raph - are simply travelling through the woods together enjoying each other’s company.

Overall, I enjoyed the novel and would continue the series in the future.

The best historical romance I’ve read in a long time - I will be recommending this to everyone!

From the first page, I was hooked and this book held my attention the whole way through, it was such a page turner. I could not put it down because I simply needed more of Penn and Raff.

Charming characters, beautiful writing and a plot that will stick with me for a long time.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Mills and Boon for approving me for an ARC of this book. I was initially taken in by the beautiful cover but, once I’d read the blurb I knew this would be one for me.

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.

What made this story so enjoyable was the alternating POV, I loved getting the inner thoughts of both men. From the moodiness of Raff to Penn’s naïve and gentle nature these two couldn’t be any more different and that is what makes them work. The lingering stares and accidental touches all added to the sexual tension, that was shining off the pages, and when that inevitable chemistry boils over it certainly knocks the temperature up a few degrees.

There were moments of laughter, sadness and emotion in this story, I particularly loved the transformation in Penn. Raff’s siblings, Lily and Ash, also stole the show a little. It was clear that they had a great relationship with their brother and they played an integral part in the story, as did Penn’s sister Jo. Both of our leading men had their own struggles and reasons for keeping secrets from each other, I desperately hoped that these wouldn’t cause the end of their love affair. When all the secrets were out the final scenes brought about a satisfying conclusion and I’m very excited to hear that there will be two more instalments to this series.

I found this book difficult to read. The genre did not really appeal. I persevered but it was hard work and difficult to relate to. A queer romance set in the 14th century with more steamy sex scenes that would like.