I've been describing this to my friends as a paraphrasing of the authors comments at the start of the book:

It's like if two friends watched A Knight's Tale (with Heath Ledger) and went "Okay, but what if this was gay instead??"

Just like me, they all unanimously went 'I would absolutely read the crap out of that.'

And so I was basically rooting for this book even before I read the start of the story. And I was definitely not disappointed.

As a girl who had a crush on the badass woman blacksmith in the film, Gwen was RIGHT up my street, and I rooted for her the entire time. The themes of feminism, proving you're just as good as any man, and classism really stood out and drove the book all the way through. That and the queer angst (which we love to see).

I think some of the inner thoughts of both Gwen and Isobelle while they figuring out their feelings for each other and what they might mean were actually the exact thoughts I had when I was trying to figure myself out too as a teen and in my early twenties. It felt very genuine and real and easy to empathise with.

[One thing that I wasn't a fan of was the formatting of the Narrator's parts in the ARC on my kindle. I'm not sure if this was my kindle or an issue with the download or what, but the words ended up coming out so broken up it was a nightmare to read and I nearly missed some important plot points because of this! e.g. Th iswa s wh a t i t wa slike t o r ead - but I didn't drop a star because of this, because it was a tech issue, nothing to do with the book itself and likely won't be an issue in the finished copy]

I was hooked all the way through, the stakes were high and the tension was too - I loved the women supporting women themes and all the characters (even some of the bad ones). The ending didn't feel rushed and had enough drama that I felt it did justice to the book as a whole.

Overall, one of my most enjoyable reads of the year (not saying too much right now but I'm sure this will keep its to spot throughout most of this year regardless).

Lady’s Knight by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner was such a fun, easy read!
It’s got knights, secret identities, an evil dragon, and a sapphic slow-burn romance that had me fully invested.

The story follows Gwen, a quiet village blacksmith who disguises herself as a male knight to compete in a prestigious tournament. Meanwhile, Lady Isobelle is being offered up as the winner’s prize—but she’s got no intention of playing along. The two of them end up teaming up, and what follows is a mix of adventure, deception, and an unexpectedly sweet romance that builds from strangers to allies to something more.

I really loved the way their relationship developed—no insta-love, no unnecessary drama, just two people growing closer through trust and shared goals. The romance is definitely YA, meaning no superficial desire or too much focus on physical attraction, and that made it even better for me. It felt so natural and genuine.

The stakes of the knight tournament and the risks of Gwen’s secret being exposed kept me engaged, but I do wish there had been more focus on the actual knight training. A lot of the story leaned toward Gwen learning how to navigate court life and acting like "a lady". We did get to see some training sequences, but i would've preferred to see more knightly actions aside from the jousting competition.

Isobelle starts off as the stereotypical noble lady—graceful, privileged, and yes, a little selfish at times. She’s not always the easiest to like, but she has a sharp mind and comes up with brilliant plans that no one expects from her, which made her so much more interesting.
But Gwen? I absolutely loved her.
She’s not the usual “tough girl” fighter FMC who’s loud, brash, or constantly picking fights. Instead, she’s quiet, shy, and incredibly laid-back, yet she still pushes herself beyond her limits to chase her dreams. She has this steady, determined kind of strength, and following her journey was such a breath of fresh air compared to the usual hotheaded heroines.

Overall, I’d rate this around 3.75 stars—which, to be clear, is not a bad thing! It’s super enjoyable, more of a cozy and fun read than something heavy or deeply intense. I read it in one day, so that says a lot!

If you’re into stories with:
✔ Secret identities & disguises
✔ Sapphic Slow-burn romance without unnecessary angst
✔ A knight tournament with high stakes
✔ Just a hint of magic and dragons

Then definitely give this one a try!
Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC!