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.

Unfortunately the ARC is unreadable in epub format due to poor formatting. Electric Monkey, this is NOT accessible. Don't bother uploading it if you have not checked that it is legible. ARCs are tools; we cannot review without them.