Give me badass knights defeating stereotypes every single day. This was incredible. I was drawn in from the get go and genuinely did not want to out it down once I started it. I loved the romance in this as much as I loved the training and the fighting. I can’t wait to read anything else Cait Jacobs writes.

I did have a nice time reading this book. However, it was often quite slow-paced and a bit too long for me. The characters were fine and decently developed but the main girl is a bit too naive at times — it wasn’t too annoying though, it just fit her character. The plot was strong enough, I did like that. And the romance was fine, I just wanted more of a slow-burn. I would definitely recommend this book, especially for the winter months. It has a little cosy atmosphere that was quite charming.

Thank you to Netgalley for an e-ARC in exchange for a honest review.

✨3.5 stars✨

This was a fun twist on the legally blonde story with medieval knights, a unique concept that I enjoyed. This book just felt too long with little development with the world or the romance, and I would’ve preferred if this was maybe the start of a duology as then the relationship between Ronan and Clía could have been explored more.

Overall, this was a decent debut book and I’ll be interested in what this author writes in the future.

I received an ARC from the publishers via NetGalley in an exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

The Princess Knight is a lighthearted, fun, fantasy romance, suitable for YA and adult readers alike. Despite their positions as a Princess, Prince, and Captain of the Royal Guard, our young protagonists are somewhat naive and idealistic, yet deeply loyal to their kingdoms.

After a broken betrothal, Princess Clia chases Prince Domnhall to the infamous Caisleán Cósta, a military academy with a brutal reputation for crushing inexperienced recruits. Clia is passionate and sincere, but maddeningly underprepared and at times oblivious. She dives in with the attitude of 'how hard can it be?'. Of course, in the end with help and a bit of hard work she turns out to be a wonder! While the story follows familiar beats and is slightly predictable, it does so in a comforting way. You know what you're getting, and the journey there is very much enjoyable.

Recommended for fans of fantasy, romance and retellings.

Thank you netgalley for this Earc.

The Princess Knight by Cait Jacobs: A Review
Cait Jacobs' debut novel, The Princess Knight, is a delightful romantasy that captivates readers with its charming characters and engaging plot.
The story follows Princess Clía, a woman expected to be a perfect royal match for Prince Domhnall. When he refuses to propose, Clía takes matters into her own hands, following him to a brutal military academy to prove her worth. What she finds is not just a path to securing her betrothal but a journey of self-discovery.

One of the book's greatest strengths is its endearing protagonist. Clía's transformation from a princess defined by others' expectations to a warrior finding her own purpose is truly inspiring.

The dual-POV narrative, which includes the perspective of the stoic warrior Ronan, adds depth to the story. Ronan, who initially sees Clía as a frivolous distraction, is gradually won over by her determination. Their dynamic is the heart of the novel, and watching their relationship grow from skepticism to something more is incredibly satisfying. The supporting characters also shine, as friendships deepen and alliances shift when faced with the challenges of the military academy and an impending war.

While the world-building is well-paced and intriguing, readers may find some of the unique names for places and people a bit challenging to follow. However, this minor hurdle does not detract from the overall enjoyment. The plot moves along at a brisk pace, and the blend of romance and action keeps you turning the pages.

The Princess Knight is a fantastic read for anyone who loves a good romantasy with a strong female lead and a compelling romance. Despite the struggle with some of the names, the emotional core of the story is undeniable, and it will leave you eagerly anticipating the next installment. I would highly recommend this book and am excited to see where the journey takes Clía next.

The premise of this book sounded fun and solid, and I was genuinely excited when I saw the beautiful cover. However, in the end, I was somewhat let down. While the story had enough flow to keep me reading, it didn’t quite live up to its potential. The book reads very much like a YA, probably because the stakes - internal and external - do not feel high enough.

The main plot is fairly straightforward. Princess Clia, the main character, is set to marry Prince Domnhall of a neighboring kingdom. However, he unexpectedly withdraws his proposal and seeks another bride. Determined to prove herself strong and capable, Clia follows him to a military academy, where she seeks training from one of Domnhall’s knights and his close friend, Ronan. You can probably guess what happens next.

Let me be frank: the comparison to Legally Blonde did this book a disservice. With that premise, readers would expect a lighthearted rom-com, maybe even a retelling with a character very similar to Elle Woods. Yet what they actually get is a mix of romantic fantasy and political intrigue. The publisher seemed to realize that leaning into the Legally Blonde inspiration missed the mark when they changed the title from Medievally Blonde to The Princess Knight. However, it was a bit too late, as the association between the two titles had already taken hold, and the author continued to promote the book in that way.

It feels like the author wanted to enrich the Legally Blonde arc with something "bigger", which is why we also have this political plot. Sadly, being part light love story and part political intrigue results in a book that doesn’t fully deliver on either front. The political elements are quite weak – there’s a intrigue between rivaling kingdoms, but it doesn’t really make any sense... Some characters seem to be involved purely to label them as villains and move the plot forward, with little justification based on their development.

Speaking of the characters, I’d say they weren’t particularly complex, though we do get a successful representation of chronic illness through Ronan’s character. What lost me was how the Legally Blonde plot imperatives made the character motivations absurd and completely implausible. I mean, why would Clia even want to marry Domnhall in the first place? He clearly doesn’t want her and expresses this in a rather cruel way. The whole „you see, I’m not just a „pretty face”, I’m strong and capable” should have been a powerful message, but instead the FMC kept sounding very naive. In fact, enrolling in military school without previous knowledge of combat sadly didn’t really feel like a plausible way of proving Clia’s true character. In fact, I didn’t really see her growing as a person there. Also, Clia turned out to be exceptionally capable – to the point where it seemed unbelievable. How could anyone imagine that after just a few months of training, a warrior could defeat generals with many years of sword-fighting experience?

The worldbuilding is fairly simple, but sufficient for the purpose of this book. There are several inspirations drawn from Irish language and folklore, but it doesn't delve much deeper, mostly just introducing a few creatures and giving characters Irish names.

That said, I must admit the book is well-paced, and I never once felt tempted to DNF it. While it wasn’t groundbreaking literature, it could serve as enjoyable entertainment for some readers. For me, however, it’s unlikely to be a memorable one.

Tank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Princess Knight is a medieval retelling of Legally Blonde. it’s fun and lighthearted, has duels and training, and a princess determined to grow and prove herself.

for the most part, i felt like the world building and story telling was severely lacking depth. this lead to it becoming boring at times, feeling slightly flat. perhaps with the added depth required this would’ve worked perfectly as a duology.

what i did enjoy was the love interest between Clía and Ronan. their connection felt very natural and the development between them was sweet. i also absolutely love an academic setting, and the miltary academy was perfect. u do however have to suspend ur believe massively, with Clía going to the prestigious academy without even the knowledge of being able to hold a sword.

Before even starting the book I knew based on the blurb that this would be a retelling of a favourite film of mine Legally Blonde. Due to this I was pretty excited.

Needless to say I was not disappointed at all. The author managed to make something that felt at points so much like the film but also was entirely its own story. The main character Clia had such great character development throughout the story and by the end I felt so attached and proud of all the characters and what they had endured.

A loose retelling on Legally Blonde in a medieval setting? Sign me up! I was really excited for this upcoming release, but did it live up to the hype?

We’re following Clia, a princess who is expected to marry Domhall, a prince from a neighbouring kingdom. When he unexpectedly breaks off their betrothal, she follows him to a military academy to prove to him that she’s worth making an alliance with. However, she may just end up falling in love with someone who deserves her more…

My main takeaway from this book was that it was a fun time. I enjoyed the plot, which was full of political intrigue and I liked seeing Clia growing into a warrior.

I did have a few issues with the book that stopped it from getting a higher rating. The romance fell a bit flat for me, it felt like there was no tension between Clia and Ronan. They had a very sweet relationship, I just wish there was a bit more heat.

Clia also did annoy me at times. I know that the whole point of the book is meant to be about her character growth, like Elle in Legally Blonde, but even towards the end of the book I found that she came across very young and naive.

Also not a criticism per se, but this book is being marketed as an adult romantasy, but it definitely read more as YA fantasy. This is also currently a standalone, but I feel like the ending was definitely setting up for further books, as not everything was wrapped up.

Overall, a fun a time, but I wouldn’t go into it expecting your next five star read.

Legally Blonde with knights? I kept seeing it around and I got curious so in the end I requested the arc and got approved!

And then the obsession started.

I was expecting light fun read but this gave me even more: it has good characters, academy setting, a sewing master princess who grew into herself and into her confidence despite everything, a captain who needs a hug because this guy was such a wholesome character, some villains, some war, a little fantasy, betrayals too, some creatures, basically all the good stuff if you ask me.

There was a moment around the middle where the plot felt a little slow, but it picked up later. It was a little predictable too but honestly? I read it for the good time, I didn’t really expect some hidden heavy plot in this book so I couldn’t care less do I figure it out or not.

The characters, Clía and Ronan own my heart and soul, I loved the slow burn between them and their friendship too. It just made experiencing this book even better. The character development with these two was also great and I wanted to give them both a hug. Actually, I loved all the characters in this, even the bad ones because we gotta appreciate them dying later in the plot.

I would totally recommend this for a cozy read in autumn/winter with a hot chocolate and going for a ride with our princess knight.

Thank you so much Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for giving me the chance to read this arc!! I appreciate it!

✨ Thank you to Cait Jacobs and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book!✨

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4 stars!

⚔️ Military academy setting
🩷 Allies to lovers (he falls first)
⚔️Rom-com Legally Blonde retelling
🩷Found family
⚔️Queer representation
🩷The cutest furry sidekick!

The Princess Knight follows the story of Clìa, a princess who is desperate to win back the Prince who called off their engagement and broke her heart. She follows him to the elite military academy to prove herself as a strong and powerful future queen and bride.
Ronan is the Captain of Domhnall’s Guard and attends the academy to prove himself to his former mentor. With his sole goal in mind, he can’t afford to be distracted by a princess. As the relationship between Clìa and Ronan grows and changes, the lines between love and duty start to become blurry.

I really enjoyed the relationships and the banter between all of the characters. The relationship between Clìa and Ronan is filled with tension, yearning and swoony moments. I loved Kìan and Sárait as a couple and really enjoyed the representation of bisexuality and non-binary couples. I think my favourite thing about this novel is Clìa’s own character growth. She starts as a privileged princess set to do her duty to her kingdom and becomes a sword-wielding heroine, whilst still remaining unapologetically herself.
This book was so enjoyable and makes a great debut novel!

The Princess Knight is a medieval fantasy retelling of Legally Blonde and delivers exactly what it promises.
It’s lighthearted, it's fun, but still full of duels, court intrigue, and a princess determined to prove herself.

Clía was such a fun character to follow. She’s determined, a little stubborn, and grows so much over the course of the story. The academy setting was entertaining with its rivalries, traditions, and challenges, and the fight sequences were exciting without feeling repetitive.

The slow-burn romance with Ronan was another highlight! I appreciated how natural their connection felt and how sweet their romance was, as well as the queer-inclusive world-building.

The story does slow down a little halfway through, and some twists are predictable which makes methink the book could have benefited from being shorter or split into two.
Still, it's an overall joyful, uplifting read with a heroine you’ll root for.

If you like the idea of a YA fantasy rom-com with strong characters and a romance that grows at its own pace, add this one to your TBR!

elle woods you will always be famous! i’ll admit i was a little worried it would try too hard to follow the plot of legally blonde but i feel like it used the movie as inspo but still felt very original. the best word to describe this book is cute, if you’re looking for a fun/cozy fantasy this is perfect. for a debut book this was better than i expected but it was just a little too long and started to drag towards the end. if this series were to have more books that were historical fantasy retellings of modern movies i would definitely be interested it’s such a good idea plus there are some other movies that i think would work really well. also i love me a bi4bi couple

4.5 stars

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy of this book. I didn't expect to love this one as much I did. It was definitely out of my comfort zone with the FMC was a knight. It had very good representation in this book which I love to read about.

For a debut it was good. I had a fun time with it. It took inspiration from Legally Blonde and it's meant to be light-hearted, and it was, but I wanted more from the plot. It was fine but something was missing. Some parts felt a little bit flat. The characters didn't really draw me in either. I liked them but didn't get that feeling when you don't wanna let go of them. Will I ever want to reread it?? Probably not. But I enjoyed it and I genuinely recommend to give it a go.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me an eARC for my honest review.

I am conflicted with this one. The first 50% was fantastic, the last 50% not so much.

I was so excited for this one, I love Lady Knights and what more could a girl want than a Princess Knight inspired by Legally Blonde.

I really enjoyed all of our main characters, a lot started at odds in the beginning of the book, the prince breaking off the engagement with the princess because he wanted a warrior queen and basically telling her to her face that she was just a pretty accessory and he doesn't think she would be fit to run his kingdom.

The Princess was determined to prove him wrong and that she could be a warrior queen and win him back, even though she didn't really want him in the first place.

I enjoyed that it wasn't a carbon copy and paste of legally Blonde just thrown into a fantasy medieval world, the prince while I detested him immensely at some points, he was more redeemable in the end, unlike the MMC in legally blonde. My only gripe with him was that I would have liked to see him get thrown down a few more pegs and grovel more, I didn't think he was sorry enough. Also, quite honestly, I probably would have preferred him to not be redeemable, because he said a lot of horrible things and it was like he just got a free pass because the Author wanted everyone to be friends in the end.

This also reads like a YA, I was quite surprised when spice showed up and I was like oh okay, so this is adult. Like I didn't mind, but it's usually a lot easier to be able to tell which you are reading.

I really liked the representation of chronic pain with the MMC and the FMC's struggle with her insecurities and finding her voice and power. However, with that said there was a big gap left unsaid with her parents, in the beginning they were such an integral piece of the FMC's story and after she went to knight school (that's what I'm calling it) they just dropped off the face of the world and all her issues with them were addressed internally but not with them directly.

I also didn't realise this was a standalone until the last few minutes left of the book and I was like 'wait what, is that it?'

So, let's talk about the plot. It was very predictable, at one stage I was hoping I would be wrong with who betrayed who, because that would be no fun, but it was too easy to guess. The last 50% felt rushed, it was building to something, one Villain revealed then that all ended too quickly and while this villain did the typical 'here is my big bad speech of all my motives' I was shocked that his tale ended so abruptly and no further expectations or understanding of his actions. I felt the build-up to his reveal and moment could have been executed a lot better.

This also goes for the other big bad that is revealed later on, I was half hoping he would be a misdirect because that would have been more interesting, or more information into his motives to be slowly revealed or his connection to the other big bad and that they had been planning this for years and not just because he was a power hungry douche... basically.

There was also too much cat and mouse, wishy washy-ness throughout the last bit of the book: eg, ooo they get captured, ooo they are escaping, wait no they didn't escape, ooo yay they are being rescued, YAY they escaped.

The princess got too overpowered by the end, and while that is explained in ways it was not explored to its fullest potential.

I felt like the author had all these overarching plots that would have been great in a series but just tried to do too much in a standalone that I was left wanting.

The ending just felt too wrapped up with too many loose ends. However, I don't think I would want a sequel.

I think Cait Jacobs has great potential, and I would be interested to see what else se write, but I will probably wait for reviews first.

A fun romantasy with lady knights and a loosely-inspired-by Legally Blonde storyline.

Princess Clia is cast in the same sort of role as Elle Woods as she tries to win back Prince Domnhall by joining him at an academy for warriors to get the highest possible rank. She is helped by his best friend and war chief, Ronan.

You have to suspend belief quite a bit with this one (despite it being a fantasy) and just accept that Clia has a really great knack for battling and excels in something she’s never done before (to the point that she wins some pretty unlikely match-ups) but I guess that was one of the biggest plot points of Legally Blonde too. I did feel guilty for feeling this way as Clia was continually under-estimated and I was doing it too! She proved me and everyone else wrong by the end. She’s a great main character and is full of heart and love for her kingdom.

Ronan was a worthy main male character and complemented Clia well. He deals with chronic illness and this is handled well in the book. He treats Clia like the princess she is.

A wider glossary of the pronunciation of some of the Celtic/Gaelic names would’ve been nice but I was ok googling them/working them out myself. (I did have fun calling Domnhall DUMB-nal even though it’s pronounced DOH-nal).

Perfect for lovers of Legally Blonde, fairytales, medieval settings and badass lady knights!

🌟 A well-crafted story with depth and heart. It draws you in and leaves you thinking long after the last page. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Princess Knight was exactly what I needed to break out of a month-long reading slump! From the first chapters, it pulled me into a world of medieval courts, fierce duels, and one determined princess who refuses to give up. The academy setting is such a fun backdrop, full of rivalries, traditions, and challenges that keep the story moving. The fight scenes were a definite highlight for me because they are exciting, well paced, and never feel repetitive.
Clía is an engaging protagonist, and her growth from a heartbroken princess to a capable fighter is one of the book’s strongest elements. I loved seeing her determination pay off and the way she learns to define herself on her own terms.
The romance was so interesting, especially her relationship with Ronan. Their connection builds slowly and feels completely natural, with moments of trust, humor, and vulnerability woven into their interactions. I loved the dynamic between them during training and how the slow-burn tension grows into something deeper. Ronan is such a solid character. He is supportive without being perfect and full of small details that make him feel real. Their chemistry gave the story a lot of heart.
That said, the story does have some predictability, particularly toward the end. The so-called “twist” was very easy to see coming, which made the resolution feel a little flat. While the familiar tropes were comforting at times, I found myself wishing for a bigger surprise or something that could raise the stakes in an unexpected way.
Even with that, The Princess Knight is a thoroughly enjoyable read. The setting is vivid, the duels are thrilling, and the romance gives the story an emotional center without overshadowing the action. If you are looking for a fantasy romance that combines training sequences, strong character growth, and a slow-burn romance worth rooting for, this book is absolutely worth picking up.

As a debut book what a start! The story the characters and the cover all do it justice. The layers of the world and characters with fantastic! Had such a good time with this one that it made me want to read soo much more! I can't wait to see what else this author will bring our way!