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Cover of Not for the Faint of Heart

Not for the Faint of Heart

by Lex Croucher

🥛clean·spoiler

Why Read This?

A grumpy granddaughter of Robin Hood accidentally kidnaps the most cheerful healer alive, and then has to share a horse with her. The banter alone is worth the read, but it's the slow thaw of Mariel's walls and the found family of misfit Merry Men that will make you want to live in this book.

Synopsis

Beloved author Lex Croucher's second queer historical YA romance, with all the swoons, laughs, and heart-pounding moments you'd expect from a story about the granddaughter of Robin Hood and the girl she's accidentally kidnapped. ‘You aren’t merry,’ said Clem to her captor. ‘And you aren’t all men. So there’s been some marketing confusion somewhere along the line.’ Mariel, a newly blooded and perpetually grumpy captain of the Merry Men, is desperate to live up to the legacy of her grandfather, the legendary Robin Hood. Clem, a too-perky backwoods healer known for her new-fangled cures, just wants to help people. When Mariel's ramshackle band of bandits kidnap Clem as retribution for her guardian helping the Sheriff of Nottingham, all seems to be going (sort of) to plan … until Jack Hartley, Mariel’s father and Commander of the Merry Men, is captured in a deadly ambush. Determined to prove herself, Mariel sets out to get him back – with her annoyingly cheerful kidnappee in tow. But the wood is at war. Many believe the Merry Men are no longer on the right side of history. Watching Clem tend the party’s wounds and crack relentlessly terrible jokes, Mariel begins to doubt the noble cause to which she has devoted her life. As the two of them grow closer, forced by circumstances to share a single horse and bed, one thing is clear. They must prepare to fight for their lives and for those of everyone they’ve sworn to protect. Lex Croucher's Not For the Faint of Heart is a thrilling adventure full of hijinks, found family, and romance destined to change the lives of the inhabitants of the Greenwood Forest forever.

At a Glance

3.87 ★ Goodreads
Spice Level🥛clean
Endingspoiler
PairingF/F
Romance Pacingslow burn

Top Tropes

kidnapped by the heroforced proximityonly one bed

Mood

humorousadventurousheartwarmingwittyplayful

Book Details

Goodreads Rating

3.87 ★

Published

2024

Primary Genre

Young Adult

Pairing

F/F

POV

Dual POV

Romance Pacing

Slow Burn

Cliffhanger

spoiler

Audiobook

Available

Yes

Format

Standard

Narrator

Kat Griffiths and Olivia Dowd

Tropes

RomanceMagicActionAngstWorld
Theme Constellation

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Mood & Vibe

Mood

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Characters

FMC: general badass sign in to unlock

violencePTSDparental deathparental abusemurderpanic attackshomophobia/transphobiagrieffireblood

World & Setting

historical sign in to unlock

Reading Context

feel-good sign in to unlock

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