by Lex Croucher
Wednesday Books
11/26/2024, hardcover
SKU: 9781250847232
From New York Times bestselling author Lex Croucher comes a 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, ' Clem said 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.
Target age: 13 to 18
Reviews:
"This novel is a breezy, comedic romp...The adorable sapphic romance unfolds during a swashbuckling quest filled with thrilling fights and chaotic heists. Readers will delight in this story of two young queer women coming into their own as they wreak havoc on the rich." - Shelf Awareness
"I know I can rely completely on Lex Croucher for a book that cheerfully flays my emotions with one hand and makes me laughter-snort tea up my nose with the other. I had an amazing time with this bold and lively queer adventure." - Freya Marske, bestselling author of The Last Binding trilogy
"Well-paced, witty, and thrilling...A captivating, action-packed, queer reimagining of the Robin Hood legend through the sharp eyes of his granddaughter." - Kirkus
"This lighthearted rom-com adventure features explosively described fight sequences and a wealth of fun and campy tropes." - Publishers Weekly
About the Author:
Lex Croucher is the New York Times bestselling author of Reputation, Infamous, and the YA novel, Gwen & Art Are Not in Love. Lex grew up in Surrey reading a lot of books and making friends with strangers on the internet, and now lives in London.