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If ever a book could make me love the mistaken identity trope, this is it. I did not expect so much emotional sweetness and aching pining when I started this book, and I enjoyed every minute of it that I got. Raff and Penn are simply the most pure and unsuspecting heroes.

One Night in Hartswood is an incredibly sweet and emotional story of Raff and Penn trying to find their freedom in a world that really does not lend itself well to them reaching it. These two are the best of “cinnamon roll” heroes, and their slow dance toward each other was a delight to read. This was the ultimate in slow-burn, pining romance, and I am here for it. Because when everything is finally laid out in the open, the reward is worth the journey to get there.

Penn is the son of a noble who has been chosen to marry Lily, Raff’s sister. Neither really want to go through with it, for different reasons. Raff has his own issues trying to step up to what he needs to be for his family and those they hold power over. Both men just want a moment to be free, and not what others expect them to be. In a chance meeting (or two), Raff and Penn mistake each other for being a tracker and a servant, respectively. They forge a bond as Raff vows to help Penn flee the grasp of de Foucart (unknowingly helping the man flee marriage to his sister). Their tentative pull toward each other grows stronger the more they spend time together on the road.

This book does have depictions of abuse (not between Raff and Penn), and it is a queer romance set in the 1300’s. However, our heroes do find acceptance that they do not expect. The final obstacles that they overcome make the HEA even sweeter. Raff and Penn stole my heart, and I loved seeing their journey to both individual freedom and their acceptance of what they meant to one another.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins360 for the ARC. All opinions are my own. Publication Date is November 7, 2023.