I also loved Raff’s siblings and how supportive of Raff they were. They knew about Raff’s inclination towards men and despite it being taboo and wrong for the time, they didn’t care and only wanted what was best for him.

When Raff happens upon Penn in the woods, he aims to help the man, not knowing Penn is actually William, the man who is to marry his sister. The plot is really addictive - even though you *think* you know what might happen, there are so many twists and turns that'll leave your heart in mouth. It's an emotional rollercoaster - I found myself laughing at some points, melting at some, and bawling at others. It's been a long while since I've been this invested in a book - I'd go as far as saying it was one of my favourite books of the year.

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Sweet and romantic, tempered by achingly painful moments and excruciating longing. I laughed, I cried, I held my breath through moments of disaster…a fun and wild ride that pays off beautifully.

One Night in Hartswood is a historical romance that is beautiful and cozy. This is not an overly complicated world which is a change from some of the historical novels that I have read. It is a nice change of pace. It is a simple world that is easy to imagine. It takes place in the 1300s which is the first that I have read for a historical m/m romance. The conflict here gets resolved easier than realistically possible, so if you’re about having your historical romances be completely rooted in reality then the angst and resolution of the end of the story might not be your cup of tea. This was fanciful and heartwarming, I really enjoyed it. Raff is the aimless younger son of an Earl, trying to find his place in the world. While attending his sister’s betrothal celebration, he meets a mysterious man in the woods and they share a kiss. When his sister’s fiancé disappears, Raff stumbles upon the same man again and offers to help him escape, not knowing he’s aiding his sister’s runaway intended. As they travel, they fall in love but have to deal with the lies they’ve told each other as well as their respective families.

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One Night in Hartswood is a thrilling, heart-stealing historic romp and achingly romantic." - M A Kuzniar

The thing I didn't enjoy as much is that their relationship was built on lies from both sides. I also felt the slow burn was REALLY slow. But it was so worth it when they finally give in to each other. Thank you to Netgalley, Harper360, and Mills & Boon for the opportunity to review this amazing story. One Night in Hartswood by Emma Denny is a character-driven romance with some big moments at the end that really amp up the action & the dramatic gesture quotient for each lead. I appreciated how much Penn stepped up to the plate when he was so terrified of his father. He's been told he's a terrible heir and would make a terrible Earl but he seems to have done alright in my opinion. His father is just a terrible abuser and I hated that he never seemed to suffer true consequences for his actions. that was the first and foremost thing that drew me toward this novel. it is a time period i am quite interested in and to read about a queer relationship during this time was so intriguing.The book opens with Raff, the son of an Earl, traveling to the home of his sister’s intended, William, who is a nobleman she will soon marry to shore up an alliance between their families. Penn is definitely the more-developed character between the two, or at least, the one who undergoes the most growth that we get to see. We hear from Raff's family that he has changed for the better, but we don't get to see much of a change other than his falling in love with Penn, which don't get me wrong, is beautifully sweet, but he is much more of a stable, loving force for Penn. Penn, by contrast, is so adrift at the beginning that to see how far he had come in the epilogue all but brought a tear to my eye. One Night in Hartswood, set in 1360, is the story of two men who find themselves on a road trip together. Both are harboring secrets that threaten to tear apart their budding relationship. What will happen when those secrets are revealed?