Imagine if Juno Dawson had written The Once and Future King. You'd get this: a romp powered by female rage and full of anachronistic charm.

The style was fun and witty, and it was an enjoyable read. But the problem with a style that pokes fun at stereotypes can be that your characters end up feeling, well... a bit stereotypical. (Not the two main protagonists, but all the secondary characters.) The plot was tropy and fairly predictable, but that's fine for this sort of story, which depends more on the chemistry between the main characters. That chemistry felt a bit predictable, too, though.

Altogether, it was fun but not deeply memorable.

LADY'S KNIGHT is a comedic, feminist take on classic knightly tales that refuses to take itself too seriously. Think A Knight's Tale but about women. The situations are absurd, the men awful, the women angry, and there are asides from the narrator that are pretty meta about the structure of stories.

The book is a caper full of tournaments, secret identities, feminine rage, and falling in love. I loved the maid Olivia who was so capable and put upon whenever she had to fix their problems - and casually suggesting murder as a solution. Isobelle's friends were also a great trio of girl friends who at first look like twittering airheads but have a lot of depth.

I was surprised by how much I liked the narrator's aside. They poke a lot of fun at particularly the romantic arc with things like "it's not going to be rosy from here on". It felt like being told "you know what you signed up for, so we're not even going to hide that there are common structures to tales." It was pretty meta at times, which helped reinforce the idea that the book was having fun and poking fun.

This book is incredibly and deliberately anachronistic. It's set in an invented land somewhere in Europe (they talk about France and Vikings). There are those inflatable, waving people. Somehow clothes can be dyed hot pink. The girls play "never hast thou ever" and so on. But you are told about this from the start, through the narrator setting the tone, so it's not jarring. At no point, are you expecting the world to be anything but vague vibes of medieval. This sort of world building is certainly not my favourite, but I do at least appreciate being told the book is not taking the world building seriously and it does fit the overall irreverent tale.

Though this is a first book, the plot wraps up in the first book, leaving future instalments to have their own adventures. There are a few hints of what the sequel might involve. I'll probably pick it up.

Gosh, I loved this so much more than I anticipated! The beautiful cover initially caught my eye but I loved how unique the story was, a female knight being trained to win a tournament with the prized lady helping her progress throughout. Both Gwen and Isobelle were so lovely and charming, I adored both of them for different reasons, and I loved them together, too!! The writing style was hilarious and eccentric, a bit campy and totally ridiculous in the best way possible! It was just a lovely delight to read.

Hilarious, heartwarming, and had me gripped to the very end!

Having absolutely adored Gwen and Art are Not in Love when it came out, I was very excited for Lady’s Knight as it seemed to have similar themes and vibes, and I was not disappointed.

I adored our two main characters, Gwen and Isobelle, and their bumbling advances and schemes - I loved how they used people’s natural disposition to disregard women at the time to their advantage, but also they were pretty obvious about it! 😂
The way their relationship developed was full of misunderstandings but empathy, and I really enjoyed their individual character arcs.
The plot was fun and funny and didn’t take itself too seriously. There were serious reasons and realities sprinkled in, but overall the vibe was very light and enjoyable.

Overall I would highly recommend Lady’s Knight for a delightfully queer medieval comedy. And I need to go watch Lady Jane now because I’ve been reliably informed they’re very similar tonally!

Lady's Knight is such a fun, sapphic romance filled with humour, reflection, jousting, and dragons. If you love A Knight's Tale, then I absolutely recommend picking this one up as the vibes were on point!

I really liked the characters in this one, especially the sections with the narrator, which made me laugh out loud. Gwen and Isobelle are great characters, and it was really nice to see their character development throughout this one and to see their friendship and relationship blossom!

I honestly had such a great time with this story. It was fun, light-hearted but also full of adventure, magic and dragons! I absolutely recommend picking this one up!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

ARC review
4,5 stars

"Lady’s Knight" is a medieval fantasy queer feminist story.

I received an ARC from Farshore and an ALC from HarperCollins UK Audio (via Netgalley).
Opinions from this review are completely my own.

Gwen is sick of hiding that she took over her father's blacksmithing duties, that she is attracted to girls and that she wants to be a knight.
Isobelle is a the Lady of Avington and has been chosen as the prize in the Tournament of Dragonslayers.
After she discovers Gwen disguised as a knight, they work together to help her win the Tournament.

I liked the writing, the parts when the narrator took over the story and spoke directly to the writer and the characters.
This is a fun read about the power that women have if they work together.

It was so nice to also listed to the audiobook narrated by Helen Keeley and Barbara Rosenblat.
When I have the opportunity, I like to imerse in a story by listening to the audiobook while reading the book.
Both narrators did a great job with the characters and managed to improve the experience of the story.

The romance part is a slow burn with a lot of tension that was intensified by the forbidden aspect.
My favorite part of the story was the female friendship and the fairytale overall atmosphere.

Much as I love this writing duo, Lady's Knight didn't quite hit the mark for me, and I found I wasn't as impressed as I'd hoped. The characters felt flat and I couldn't connect with any of them, which left me a bit unsure about how I felt about the book as a whole. Worth giving a go, but not for me.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Do you ever wish A Knight's Tale had more than two women in it...?

Lady’s Knight is a refreshingly fun and unapologetically feminist take on medieval legend, blending romance, humor, and adventure in a way that kept me completely hooked.

This book was an absolute joy to read. Gwen and Isobelle are a dynamic pair, and I loved how their partnership and romance grew throughout the story. The tone is witty and charming, and the story doesn’t take itself too seriously, making it easy to lose yourself in the fun. What really stood out to me, though, was the strength of the female friendships around them, and the fact that this story refused to apologize for being exactly what it is: a sapphic, girl-power-filled romp through a medieval landscape.

Lady's Knight is a thoroughly enjoyable read that left me with a big grin. If you’re looking for a lighthearted, feel-good romantic fantasy with a feminist core, definitely add this to your TBR.

Firstly, this book was very well written! I thought elements of the book were very good, like the vibes and the writing. I also appreciated that it has very good LGBTQ+ representation. However, my main issue was that I felt the authors were focusing more on entertainment and adding in tropes rather than focusing on the actual plot. But overall it was a good book and I’d recommend it to anyone that wants to read a historical fantasy with dragons, witches and an excellent sapphic romance story. Overall 3.5 stars

I loved this book. As someone else mentioned, it’s very much A Knight’s Tale but sapphic. Which I loved that movie and I loved this book.
There’s more to it than just that. It’s very much about female empowerment and the relationship between the two FMCs is beautiful and love watching it grow.

I was given an advance copy for review by NetGalley and Electric Monkey.

Unfortuantely, I DNFed this book at about 60%.

There was nothing inherently wrong with the book or the story but unfortuantely, it just didn't capture my attention enough.

I did love the concept of the story - a female knight undercover competing in a tournament and falling in love with the Princess. It sounds perfect.

But the pacing fell a bit short for me and I found it difficult to catch my attention long enough.

I can't pinpoint any specific aspect didn't work for me - I don't think it was character or setting as I enjoyed all for the most part. I even loved the snarky narrator who I felt actually didn't get enough screen time by the time I decided to DNF.

Overall, I enjoyed what I did read but I decided to DNF when I struggle to continue to be engaged with the story. I would, however, still recommend to anyone who enjoys medieval knights and sapphic stories.

I didn’t read the synopsis before starting this, I simply saw it was a sapphic romance (one being a lady & one a knight) with dragons and I immediately requested the arc.

It isn't historically accurate but is filled with amazing plot lines, dragons, sapphic romance, lady knights, and witches. Its storyline is grounded in magical realism.

I really loved the way their relationship developed—no insta-love, no unnecessary drama, just two people growing closer through trust and shared goals. The romance is definitely YA, meaning no superficial desire or too much focus on physical attraction, and that made it even better for me. It felt so natural and genuine.

While the plot itself is fairly predictable, with a clear direction throughout, some of the character motivations kept things interesting. Ultimately, Lady’s Knight is a celebration of female empowerment, strong friendships, and a whole lot of silliness.

Come for the gender-twisted Knight's Tale and cheesecake-on-a-stick, stay for the opposites attract slow burn sapphic romance. I loved how the leads believed in each other when the world underestimated them. True to it's inspiration, this book is knowingly flaunting the historical liberties it takes, and I found it be both funny and heartwarming, with an entire entourage of great characters that I would fight a dragon to learn more about!

“Never Sende a Manne to Do a Woman’s Jobbe”
This quote right here should be tagline for the entire book.

This is A Knight’s Tale (arguably the best movie ever) in book form, and I absolutely loved it. It’s about Gwen, who is a blacksmith, basically runs her dad’s business, makes her own armour and thought herself how to fight. And it’s about Isobel, a lady who is stifled by men, despite having money and being in a position of power. So when Isobel (and her dowry) are offered up as the prize in the dragonslayer competition, Isobel decides to get her own champion, one who can win Isobel her freedom. Enter Gwen. Of course things take an unexpected turn when actual dragons show up to the competition, and the knights that have been competing to prove their prowess against dragons suddenly turn tail and hide. All except Gwen, of course.

This book had a very comedic style of writing that had been hooked from the beginning, but I think the style sacrificed some of the emotions. I think a better balance would have made the book really shine. There was also an anonymous narrator running throughout the book that broke the fourth wall and spoke directly to the reader, and I did not like that. It added nothing to the story. It actually ruined some of the suspense in places. I found the execution of the narrator just clumsy.

If you want a book about women doing a man’s job, quietly fighting for their rights and showing up when the world needs it the most, definitely read this book. It’s entertaining and will keep you turning the page. Plus, dragons!

Lady’s Knight was a book that I was immediately interested in the moment I heard about it. I’ve always been a huge fan of books with knights and tournaments and so this definitely sounded like something I would love. Imagine my excitement when I heard that this was actually inspired by A Knight’s Tale. A Knight’s Tale is one of my favourite movies of all time and so I was so excited to dive in. Add into the mix that there are dragons and I was definitely sold. I really enjoyed Lady’s Knight. It was such a fun read and one I would definitely recommend.

One thing I really enjoyed about Lady’s Knight was the writing. I thought it was done in such a fun way. There are chapters where there’s a pause in the story where a narrator or voiceover kind of character says things about what is happening and I thought it really fit the storyline. Especially if you’ve seen A Knight’s Tale, because there’s a character in that movie that does introductions for the jousts as a ‘narrator’ and so it reminded me of that. I really loved all the A Knight’s Tale vibes sprinkled throughout the book. I dub this book as A Knight’s Tale if the female blacksmith was the Knight. Another thing I really enjoyed about the writing was just how easy it was to get lost in it. There were times where I really couldn’t put it down.

I really enjoyed the characters. Gwen and Isobel were fantastic main characters, and I loved how they were totally different personalities. You had Gwen who was very shy and introverted and wanted nothing more than to fade into the background of social situations and then you have Isobel who loves being centre of attention. I loved the whole opposites attract aspect of the book for them. And I also thought it was great to see them falling for each other, and not only dealing with being women in a medieval time, but also having a female/female relationship at that time. While Gwen and Isobel were fantastic characters, I also absolutely loved the side characters. I am desperate to find out more about Isobel maid Olivia. We know she is not who she says she is and I think she has such a colourful past, I really want to know more about her. I’d love to see a whole book about her as I feel it would be fascinating.

Now for the things I wasn’t crazy about… for me there wasn’t enough plot. I was so excited for a book full of knights and a jousting tournament, and I was so looking forward to seeing the tournament but there wasn’t enough of it for me. The first half of the book is Gwen and Isobel prepping for Gwen to go into the tournament and then I felt like the tournament was over super fast. It really disappointed me, as I really wanted to see more of the training for the tournament and the actual tournament but there was very little of it throughout the book. I still really enjoyed the book but I found myself skim reading some bits as I was losing interest a little.

Overall, Lady’s Knight was a really fun and adorable read, filled with drama and some gorgeous LGBTQ+ rep. I would definitely recommend it, but would say don’t go in expecting loads of action in terms of the tournament. I will definitely be picking up the next book in the series.

This was such a fun read! The narrative flowed easily and was quite funny at times. The slow burn romance between the FMCs perfectly toned and I loved the journey these women went on as they fought to be themselves. I'll definitely be picking up the sequel next year!

This was amazing!!!! It's so funny and fresh and doesnt take itself too seriously while also covering some key points about woman and their constant battles and it's queer! Please go and pick this up you absolutely will not regret it!
~~~~~
Gwen has spent the past several years manning the blacksmith’s in place of her father, an open secret in the village in which she lives. A much more covert secret, however, is that she knows not only how to craft but also how to wield a sword.

Isobelle has secret dreams too, but she’s been promised in marriage to the winner of the whole stupid tournament, which means an end to any freedom or choices for her. Desperate to avoid this fate, when she connects the newcomer knight to the female smithy she saw earlier that day, she begins to hatch a scheme…
~~~~~
If you loved the film A Knight's Tale but wanted more women in it, or if you just love a good sense of humour, Petty knights, Backstabbing noblemen, dragons, witches and a whole host of hijinxs and chaos this is absolutely the book for you.
I devoured this in a couple of days and is one of the first books in a while I couldn't wait to get home and continue reading!

A Knight’s Tale is in my top 10 movies, so when I heard this books what a sapphic retelling of A Knight’s Tale, I was so excited & it did not disappoint!

I absolutely adored this book! I would class it as a cosy book, which isn’t my usual genre, but this was perfect! Enough action to keep my interest & the best characters!

Gwen and Isobelle were the best kind of contradiction, complete opposites, yet complimentary rather than combative. I loved their chemistry from the start and the way they worked together.

If you’ve watched the movie, then you basically know the plot, obviously a few extra flourishes here and there and a tweaked ending, but solid, no notes. The ending I kind of didn’t expect the way it unfolded though, I liked it a lot, but I kind of wish there was more build up to it, it felt a bit thrown in or rushed, but hopefully it will be expended on in the next book instead!

Thank you to Electric Monkey for the opportunity to review this ARC.

3.75 stars

Lady's Knight is such a fun read and probably one of the funniest books I've read in a while, I loved that it combined medieval and modern aspects together, and the addition of a narrator was fun. Although I wish that more of the book was focused on the actual tournament and I felt that the pacing was a bit too slow in the middle of the book. Overall I definitely recommend it if you're looking for a fun fantasy read with sapphic representation and I'm interested to see what happens in the sequel.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

Gosh this was just such a fun read. It's an enjoyable YA historical fantasy, maybe on the younger side, but honestly fun for all ages.

A perfect mix of A Knight's Tale and She's The Man. With a little of The Princess Bride or Lemony Snicket style narration sprinkled in.

The writing is exceptionally funny, and had me grinning and smirking at my phone for the duration of the story. A great mix of adventure, whimsy, and silliness.

It has some great messages about female empowerment, unity and friendship,  and being true to yourself. Some people might say it was a bit heavy handed at times, but I disagree, especially considering the intended audience. It also had cute age appropriate queer rep, incase the blurb didn't make that clear ;)

-----Minor Spoilers------
No horses are harmed in this story, but unfortunately the same cannot be said about dragons. I may read a few too many shifter romances, because I kept waiting for the dragon to be sentient and somehow ally itself with the girl....

This ends with a HFN, and I thoroughly look forward to read book 2 and more of Sir Gwen's adventures.