One Night in Hartswood

For the past two years I’ve been excited to read One Night in Hartswood by Emma Denny. Though it came out in the US a full year ago, now that its sequel is out, I figured it was time to finally dive in.

Set in 1360, it follows Penn (William) de Foucart and his impending wedding to a stranger. But he doesn’t want to marry and doesn’t even like women in that way. Moreover, he needs to escape from his abusive father. The night before his wedding, Penn meets and kisses a stranger named Raff—the brother of Penn’s bride-to-be!—in the nearby Hartswood forest. Neither knows the other’s true identity or relationship to the upcoming marriage. And then there is no marriage: William has gone missing! While Raff is searching for the missing William, he comes across Penn and agrees to assist him north to a better life. But both are keeping their full identities to themselves as they journey away, even as they start keeping each other warm in the cold winter nights. How can a relationship unfold with all these secrets? And how can these two men ultimately have a life together?

Tropes & Narrative Devices:

• Road trip (kind of!)
• Secret identity (x2)
• Only one bed
• Dual third-person POV (Raff and Penn)

What I Liked:

• Medieval setting. I’ve read many historical romances, but this is the first one set as far back as the 1300s! I loved getting into this older setting and seeing two characters find love, despite the medieval times and the obstacles in their way.
• Romance between men. While I have read contemporary romances between men, this is the first (but not last!) that I’ve read in a historical setting. Penn reads as gay and Raff as bisexual, and I loved watching these two get to know each other, mistake how the other feels, and hesitate until their mutual attraction was undeniable. Ah, so cute!
• Penn’s escape from abuse. This is a tougher theme (readers, take care), but Penn’s father is physically and emotionally abusive to Penn. As horrible as that is, I appreciate Raff’s response to learning this and wanting to protect Penn from any future harm.
• Barden siblings. Raff has a brother and sister—Ash and Lily, respectively—and the three form a tight-knit sibling group. I liked seeing their banter between each other and getting to know such a delightful family. Both siblings get their own love stories in future books, and I look forward to reading them!

What Didn’t Work for Me:

• Nothing, this was great!

Final Thoughts

One Night in Hartswood is such a sweet (but steamy) romance. It has beautiful romantic and family relationships, tackles darker themes, and is ultimately a wonderful medieval escape. I loved Raff and Penn.

I’m already nearly done reading All the Painted Stars, a romance between Lily Barden and Jo de Foucart, so look out for my review of that within the next few days. And Ash will reportedly get his own love story in book #3—I can’t wait!

Get the Book

You can buy One Night in Hartswood here – it’s available as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

One Night in Hartswood by Emma Denny
Series	The Barden Series (#1)
Audiobook Narrator	Tom Alexander; Sebastian Humphreys
Audience	Adult
Genre	Historical Romance
Setting	England
Number of Pages	346
Format I Read	Audiobook
Original Publication Date	November 7, 2023
Publisher	Mills & Boon

Official Summary

‘A thrilling, heart-stealing historic romp and achingly romantic.’ M.A. Kuzniar, bestselling author of Midnight in Everwood

‘A heartwarming tale of forbidden love that captured my heart from its opening page… Unputdownable.’ Sunday Times bestselling author Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York

Oxford 1360

When his sister’s betrothed vanishes the night before her politically arranged marriage, Raff Barden must track and return the elusive groom to restore his family’s honour.

William de Foucart — known to his friends as Penn — had no choice but to abandon his intended, and with it his own earldom, when he fled the night before his enforced marriage. But ill-equipped to survive on the run he must trust the kindness of a stranger, Raff, to help him escape.

Unaware their fates are already entwined, the men journey north. But amidst the snow-capped forests an unexpected bond deepens into a far more precious relationship, one that will test all that they hold dear. And when secrets are finally revealed, both men must decide what they will risk for the one they love…