All the Painted Stars

I loved One Night in Hartswood, the first in Emma Denny‘s Barden Series, and was excited to read its sequel, All the Painted Stars. This time, the sisters get a chance at love.

Jo de Foucart is due to marry, and a tournament to celebrate her young brother’s rise to earldom is also a chance for a lucky man to win her heart. Never mind that a husband has already been chosen for her. But Jo is hesitant about marriage, despite accepting that it’s her duty, and says as much to her friend, Lily, in a letter. Lily Barden recently escaped her own unwanted marriage, and she wants to give Jo that same freedom. So Lily disguises herself as a man and enters the tournament as the Knight of Stars. Things go south, leading Jo and Lily to escape. But can they find freedom—and even love—together?

Tropes & Narrative Devices:

• Friends to lovers
• Secret identity
• Winning her love
• Marriage of convenience?
• Kissing lessons
• Gay awakening
• Dual third-person POV (Lily and Jo)

What I Liked:

• Another fake William. In the last book, Penn’s given name was William, though he never identified with it. Here, Lily dresses up like a knight and uses William as her fake name. What a funny coincidence that, once again, William isn’t the true name of a character! But really, I love a good secret identity, and this one has slight Mulan vibes to me.
• Escape! Another recurring theme is our main characters going on the run. This time, Lily and Jo are facing some violence, so they flee to avoid danger. Along the way, they find a nice place to hide, which leads me to my next point…
• Found family. This is a popular trope among LGBTQ romances, and for good reason. Here, Lily and Jo find a safe haven, a feeling of acceptance, and a found family they can rely on. I loved how this all unfolded! Some things were delightfully shocking!
• Discovering her romantic identity. While Lily is already aware of her own interest in women, Jo has never had much opportunity to consider what her romantic inclinations are. She’s always assumed she’d marry a man, as she’s been raised to do, but was unsure how that would go in terms of physical intimacy. Jo considers Lily a very close friend… but has she realized they could be more to each other?

What Didn’t Work for Me:

• Nothing, this was great!

Final Thoughts

All the Painted Stars has a lot in common with the previous book in the series, One Night in Hartswood: secret identities, an escape, and more. However, instead of feeling repetitive, it feels like a knowing nod to that with intentional changes to make this one stand on its own. Indeed, this book has its own spark and is a luminous sequel. I loved it as much as the first book, and I can’t wait to for the next one. Ash Barden is due for his own romance, and I look forward to reading it as soon as it’s available.

Special thanks to Harper 360 and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Get the Book

You can buy All the Painted Stars here – it’s available as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

All the Painted Stars by Emma Denny
Series	The Barden Series (#2)
Audience	Adult
Genre	Historical Romance
Setting	England
Number of Pages	336
Format I Read	Ebook (NetGalley ARC)
Original Publication Date	November 5, 2024
Publisher	Mills & Boon

Official Summary

‘Tender and gallant…Beautiful and romantic.’ Ashley Herring Blake

To win her heart, she’ll have to fight…

Oxfordshire 1362

When Lily Barden discovers her best friend Johanna’s hand in marriage is being awarded as the main prize at a tournament, she is determined to stop it. Disguised as a knight, she infiltrates the contest, preparing to fight for Jo’s hand. But her conduct ruffles feathers, and when a dangerous incident escalates out of Lily’s control, Jo must help her escape.

Finding safety with a local brewster, Lily and Jo soon settle into their new freedom, and amongst blackberry bushes and lakeside walks an unexpected relationship blossoms. But when Jo’s past catches up with her and Lily’s reckless behaviour threatens their newfound happiness, both women realise that choices must always come at a cost. The question they need to ask is if the cost is worth the price of love…