Publisher: Wednesday Books
Genre: LGBTQIA+ Young Adult Fantasy Romance
eBook Source: Publisher
Audiobook Source: Purchased by Reviewer
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Audible
It’s been hundreds of years since King Arthur’s reign. His descendant, Arthur, a future Lord and general gadabout, has been betrothed to Gwendoline, the quick-witted, short-tempered princess of England, since birth. The only thing they can agree on is that they despise each other.
They’re forced to spend the summer together at Camelot in the run up to their nuptials, and within 24 hours, Gwen has discovered Arthur kissing a boy and Arthur has gone digging for Gwen's childhood diary and found confessions about her crush on the kingdom's only lady knight, Bridget Leclair.
Realizing they might make better allies than enemies, they make a reluctant pact to cover for each other, and as things heat up at the annual royal tournament, Gwen is swept off her feet by her knight and Arthur takes an interest in Gwen's royal brother. Lex Croucher’s Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is chock full of sword-fighting, found family, and romantic shenanigans destined to make readers fall in love.
Hundreds of years after the famed fall of Camelot, England has a new Arthur and Gwen in Gwen & Art Are Not in Love. As you can guess from the title, our main characters are not about to be swept off their feet… At least, not by each other. They may be betrothed, but they loathe one another. On top of that, Gwen is hopelessly crushing on the kingdom’s lone female knight and Art is a general gadabout who finds himself swiftly falling for Gwen’s brother. What are two decidedly not in love nobles to do? Why not put aside their differences and cover for each other?
Gwen & Art Are Not in Love starts off a bit slow as Art and Gwen clash, but it picks up steam as the two come together to, well, not be together. I really loved Gwen and Art’s growing friendship over the course of the story – it’s likely my favorite thing about the book. Gwen is formal and grumpy, but it hides a loneliness I don’t even think she sees at first. Art is impulsive and rarely serious, but his jokes cover a lot of pain. I liked seeing the two of them come into their own over the course of the story. I listened to this story on audiobook, and I feel like this is definitely a case where the narrators added to the story. Sarah Ovens hit the right notes as Gwen, but Alex Singh really made Art come alive for me. I’m not sure if I’d have enjoyed Art as much as I did had I just read the book. Singh brings such personality to the role that he really elevated it for me.
A romp with gay best friends would have been a solid story for me because Gwen and Art could be so much fun. But there’s romance here as well. Gwen has a major crush on Bridget and Art can’t help but fall for Gabriel. I do wish we’d have gotten Gabe and Bridget’s points of view because that would have rounded out the story much better. Still, as it stands I enjoyed seeing our protagonists fall in love, overcome obstacles, and take a risk on letting their true selves show.
I won’t spoil the story, but I will say that in the last quarter of the book Gwen & Art Are Not in Love takes a turn from fun romp with romance and adventure to violent and quite dark, with political machinations taking center stage in the final act. I can see what Lex Croucher was building to so I can’t say it came out of nowhere, but the shift in tone felt abrupt and I’m not sure I was satisfied with how the ending came about, but your mileage may vary.
I had mixed feelings about Gwen & Art Are Not in Love but overall I think it was entertaining. The middle of the book was delightful but the slow beginning and the change of tone at the end weren’t really my cup of tea. Still, there’s a lot to enjoy about this story – I love what Croucher did with the Arthurian legend and the friendships in this book were top-notch. Gwen and Art may not have been in love, but the themes of love, family, and finding the courage to stand up for who you are shine through this book.
FTC Disclosure: I purchased the audiobook and received the eBook for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
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