If you’re looking for a new histrom to get excited about, then look no further than the upcoming One Night in Hartswood by Emma Denny, releasing from Mills & Boon next year. You’ll sadly have to wait another 2 and a half months (or so) for this book, for which I have to apologise, but trust me when I say that it’s one you won’t want to miss out on. And this post will give you five reasons exactly why!
Before we start, don’t forget you can follow Emma on twitter too.
A love story worth fighting for…
Oxfordshire 1360
When Penn and Raff meet in Hartswood Forest the only truth they know of each other is a brief moonlit kiss they had shared previously. But Penn is escaping a life of cruelty, and an arranged marriage to a woman he has never seen. Raff is tracking the elusive missing groom of his sister to restore his family’s honour. Neither are looking for a travelling companion. Yet both men find themselves drawn to each other in ways neither imagined.
Unaware of their true identities they venture north together through Hartswood Forest. And, as their bond deepens, their fates become irrevocably entwined. But, with one escaping a life of duty and one tracking a fugitive, continued concealment threatens everything they know and trust in each other. So when secrets are finally revealed, and the consequences of their relationship become clear, both must decide what they will risk for the man they love.
One Night in Hartswood
Emma Denny
Rep: bi mc, gay mc, lesbian side characters
CWs: violence, implied child abuse
Release: 19th January 2023
Five Reasons to Read This Book
One. A lot of historical romances focus on the regency period. Which is, of course, fine (think of the necessary repression!), but if you’re looking for something a little different, something that’s earlier than the regency period as opposed to later, then One Night in Hartswood will suit you just fine. It’s set in 14th century England, the century of the Black Death and the Peasants’ Revolt. And a century you don’t get very many romances from.
Two. The primary reason for reading any romance has to be the central relationship. You have to like both characters and to want them to be together. Which is what this book does so well. Raff and Penn are both characters you’ll love from the first page, and they feel so distinct from one another that you instinctively know whose chapters you’re reading. Add onto that a relationship that progresses believably into love, and you have a romance that will capture your attention fully.
Three. Of course, it’s not just characters that have to keep you intrigued, but the writing has to be good too, and that’s definitely the case with this one. All you have to do is to take a look at the quotes that Mills & Boon have been revealing on instagram (link to come when instagram isn’t down…), and that’ll give you an idea of what there is to look forward to.
Four. It’s not only the main characters who are vibrant and real, it’s the side characters too. And each and every one of them is a character you want to read more of (okay, probably not Penn’s dad. And okay, there’s probably two characters in particular I’m talking about…). It’s a book that gives plenty of space for potential future sequels… maybe? Hopefully??
Five. It’s a book with a good balance between giving the romance page time alongside the other side of the story—Penn’s escape from his father and arranged marriage. This, I think, is the biggest reason that the romance has such good pacing—the way the romance is intertwined with the other plotline is carefully done, so that one doesn’t ever overshadow the other. And, really, if you look at my favourite romances, this is a common thread within them.
So, have we convinced you that you want to read this book?
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