I've been describing this to my friends as a paraphrasing of the authors comments at the start of the book:

It's like if two friends watched A Knight's Tale (with Heath Ledger) and went "Okay, but what if this was gay instead??"

Just like me, they all unanimously went 'I would absolutely read the crap out of that.'

And so I was basically rooting for this book even before I read the start of the story. And I was definitely not disappointed.

As a girl who had a crush on the badass woman blacksmith in the film, Gwen was RIGHT up my street, and I rooted for her the entire time. The themes of feminism, proving you're just as good as any man, and classism really stood out and drove the book all the way through. That and the queer angst (which we love to see).

I think some of the inner thoughts of both Gwen and Isobelle while they figuring out their feelings for each other and what they might mean were actually the exact thoughts I had when I was trying to figure myself out too as a teen and in my early twenties. It felt very genuine and real and easy to empathise with.

[One thing that I wasn't a fan of was the formatting of the Narrator's parts in the ARC on my kindle. I'm not sure if this was my kindle or an issue with the download or what, but the words ended up coming out so broken up it was a nightmare to read and I nearly missed some important plot points because of this! e.g. Th iswa s wh a t i t wa slike t o r ead - but I didn't drop a star because of this, because it was a tech issue, nothing to do with the book itself and likely won't be an issue in the finished copy]

I was hooked all the way through, the stakes were high and the tension was too - I loved the women supporting women themes and all the characters (even some of the bad ones). The ending didn't feel rushed and had enough drama that I felt it did justice to the book as a whole.

Overall, one of my most enjoyable reads of the year (not saying too much right now but I'm sure this will keep its to spot throughout most of this year regardless).

Lady’s Knight by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner was such a fun, easy read!
It’s got knights, secret identities, an evil dragon, and a sapphic slow-burn romance that had me fully invested.

The story follows Gwen, a quiet village blacksmith who disguises herself as a male knight to compete in a prestigious tournament. Meanwhile, Lady Isobelle is being offered up as the winner’s prize—but she’s got no intention of playing along. The two of them end up teaming up, and what follows is a mix of adventure, deception, and an unexpectedly sweet romance that builds from strangers to allies to something more.

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.

The stakes of the knight tournament and the risks of Gwen’s secret being exposed kept me engaged, but I do wish there had been more focus on the actual knight training. A lot of the story leaned toward Gwen learning how to navigate court life and acting like "a lady". We did get to see some training sequences, but i would've preferred to see more knightly actions aside from the jousting competition.

Isobelle starts off as the stereotypical noble lady—graceful, privileged, and yes, a little selfish at times. She’s not always the easiest to like, but she has a sharp mind and comes up with brilliant plans that no one expects from her, which made her so much more interesting.
But Gwen? I absolutely loved her.
She’s not the usual “tough girl” fighter FMC who’s loud, brash, or constantly picking fights. Instead, she’s quiet, shy, and incredibly laid-back, yet she still pushes herself beyond her limits to chase her dreams. She has this steady, determined kind of strength, and following her journey was such a breath of fresh air compared to the usual hotheaded heroines.

Overall, I’d rate this around 3.75 stars—which, to be clear, is not a bad thing! It’s super enjoyable, more of a cozy and fun read than something heavy or deeply intense. I read it in one day, so that says a lot!

If you’re into stories with:
✔ Secret identities & disguises
✔ Sapphic Slow-burn romance without unnecessary angst
✔ A knight tournament with high stakes
✔ Just a hint of magic and dragons

Then definitely give this one a try!
Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC!

You go girls 🎀

This was a fun little romp through medieval times with a badass knight and her lady (who is equally as fun). The narrator is very My Lady Jane in style and whilst it was funny I couldn't wait to get back to see if our lovers scheme paid off.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC

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!

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

I absolutely loved this! Adored the main characters, both loudly and quietly fierce.
I found all the characters well fleshed out and engaging. Strong female relationships set in a medieval man's world, with themes of feminism and classism, and a really lovely sapphic slow burn.
Well written, I laughed, squealed and cryed a fair bit. It felt cozy at times and I gobbled it up! Just a really good read that left me full and happy. Really looking forward to the sequel.
Thanks to Farshore/Electric Monkey and Netgalley for the arc, all thoughts are my own and left voluntarily.

As an awkward, straight teenager whose romantic interactions with boys were few and far between to say the least, the vast majority of the romance in my life came either from reading books or watching TV adaptations of classics in which the heroes were invariably tall, dark and handsome and the heroines pretty and often desperate to be swept off their feet. Being the 1980s, there were – of course – no stories told that featured relationships that were anything other than those between cishet couples and reading this new title, I was struck by how much has changed for the better for today’s readers.

Here, thanks to authors Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner, we are whisked back in time to days of yore to enjoy a sapphic love story that takes the traditional tropes of bold and brave knights and helpless damsels in distress and not only turns them on their heads but gives them a jolly good shake and a kick up the backside to boot. Full of fun and perfect for anyone wanting the joys of a read that is set in olden times but that is thoroughly modern, this is a great title that would make a wonderful film and is sure to win lots of fans.

After being introduced to the book by our narrator, we are transported to Market Day, where blacksmith’s daughter Gwen is trying her best to sell the wares that her father has allegedly crafted but that, in actual fact, have been forged by herself, in the hopes of earning enough money to pay the entrance fee for the upcoming jousting tournament. As she reflects on her bold ambition – one that would see her punished in the most violent of ways if she was caught not just impersonating a noble but also a man – her stall is approached by a small group of noblewomen, amongst whom is a stunning blonde who immediately catches Gwen’s attention.

Clearly the group’s leader, Gwen quickly learns that the young woman is the Lady Isobelle and manages to sell her enough of her goods to raise her entrance fee. Thinking little more of her until she discovers she has been recognised by Isobelle at the tournament, despite her face being hidden beneath her armour, Gwen soon learns that Isobelle’s hand in marriage is to be awarded to the overall winner as a prize.

With the prospect of being handed over filling her with absolute horror, Isobelle hatches a plan to avoid this happening and asks Gwen to carry on jousting in the hopes of her winning the competition and thus preventing the noblewoman experiencing a fate worse than death. Keen to help, Gwen agrees but with no practical experience of knightly combat and the constant threat of being discovered hanging over her, can she defeat the more experienced opponents against whom she is pitted? And even if she can, what will she do when the tournament is over and she is expected to claim her prize?

The reader is warned at the start of the book that the story is anachronistic and throughout the story there are devices that are used in the plot that clearly are not historically accurate but are enormous fun, such as when Gwen attends a tea party hosted by Isobelle, but the recurring themes of sexism and being forced to hide same-sex relationships most definitely ring true. Isobelle has been raised with the expectation that she – and her dowry – will make a good match, one based on finance and being of noble birth, with no consideration of how she might feel about it, and certainly no possibility of her marrying for love. Gwen, on the other hand, has had far more freedom, having more or less taken on all responsibility for her father’s forge since the death of her mother – something that is an open secret amongst those who live around her.

While both young women have no romantic interest in men, each of them is pretty much resigned to a single life until fate throws them together and they suddenly find themselves spending much of their time in each other’s company. When Isobelle’s schemes lead to Gwen staying in the noblewoman’s castle home, the two of them are gradually drawn closer and closer until the inevitable happens and they not only fall for one another but admit to it as well. Obviously, the course of true love never did run smooth and the two of them have to deal with obstacle after obstacle that is put in their way so that the story leaves the reader not knowing until very close to the end as to whether things will work out for the pair of them.

I hope it is not too much of a spoiler to say that there will be a second outing for our heroines, publishing June 2026, to which I am very much looking forward. Although not at all the book’s target demographic, I really enjoyed this and having been brought up on tales of derring-do that are probably better left in the past, this has ticked lots of boxes as far as I’m concerned. Romantic, full of fun and action, I can highly recommend it.

My enormous thanks go to publisher HarperCollins and to NetGalley for my virtual advance read. Lady’s Knight hits the shelves on 5th June.