Not for the Faint of Heart coming November 26th, 2024 from St. Martin’s Press; 400 pages
Content Warning: Violence, implied homophobia and transphobia, panic attacks, PTSD, parental death, and emotional abuse
About the Author: “Lex Croucher grew up in Surrey, reading a lot of books and making friends with strangers on the internet, and now lives in London. With a background in social media and NGOs, Lex now writes historical-ish rom-coms and fantasy for both adults and teenagers. They are the Nero Award-shortlisted, New York Times, Indie & USA Today bestselling author of Gwen & Art Are Not in Love” (Bio from author’s website).
Find Lex Croucher on the following platforms:
The Merry Men used to be the heroes of the less fortunate, but that was back before Robin Hood retired. Now with Jack Hartley in control, their only priority seems to be a territory war against the Sheriff, occasionally utilizing the common folk as extra fighters in exchange for false promises of protection. When the Merry Men discover a healer who is rumored to be treating the enemy, Captain Mariel Hartley-Hood, daughter of Jack Hartley and Regan Hood, is sent to detain the traitor, but comes away with the healer’s willing assistant, Clem, instead. Kidnapped and stuck with a band of not-so-merry mercenaries, Clem finds herself wrapped up in the fight against corruption alongside a captain that she cannot resist and friends she refuses to abandon.
Robin Hood’s tale is one that has been done a hundred times, but I myself have never experienced it like this. While I expected a more traditional twist on the famous character, I was instead met with a protagonist who is a descendant of him, which I thought added even more charm to Not for the Faint of Heart. I enjoyed all of Croucher’s plot elements, especially the way that they turned a small fairytale feud into a full-blown war between the Sheriff and the Merry Men. I also loved how seamlessly Croucher included several queer elements into the medieval setting without drawing too much attention to what may have otherwise seemed out of place for the time period. The relationship between Mariel and Clem was your typical grumpy-sunshine trope, and I found it to be perfectly paced and pleasantly fulfilling without taking away from the rest of the story. Not for the Faint of Heart started off strong and only became more intriguing as I struggled to put it down. It pulled at my heartstrings and left me feeling like I was a member of Captain Hartley-Hood’s troop, and that speaks volumes to the author’s abilities. It’s not often that I find a book with an ending that is more powerful than the beginning and with such diverse and wonderful characters, but Lex Croucher managed to pull it off perfectly.
Not for the Faint of Heart releases on November 26th, 2024.
Pine Reads Review would like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.
Callie Andrews, Pine Reads Review Writer, Social Media, and Web