What a fantastic Robin Hood retelling! I absolutely loved every moment of it and truly adored the characters. Both Robin and John were so vibrant and endearing. And yes, granted, John is an arrogant ass, but the more time you spend with him, the more endearing he becomes. Beneath the surface of the façade he puts on, is a really deep and vulnerable character.
Robin is spunky and full of fun, but being a prisoner wears on her, bringing out her angst and her doubts. Terrified of misjudging her situation and getting herself more trapped than she already is, Robin spends a lot of time running away from the hard truths, but at the same time, when it really matters, she's there, facing her fears, standing up for what she believes in, and fighting for the truth.
I really love how Baxendell gets these two characters to work together to make their lives easier, but also bring out the best in each other for the good of others. Teamwork is often overlooked in romances, so it was a real treat to have so much focus on it in this novel.
Have I mentioned I'm a sucker for enemies-to-lovers? Well, this retelling has such a deep version of this trope mixed up with "he falls first". It's the perfect blend for a very slow burn, intense reading experience. And the twist at the end made me so happy! Partly because I'd been rooting for John from about a third of the way through the book when I realised his façade really did him a disservice and came to see him as a really likeable character. But more than anything, I loved the ending because it's all about choice and free will and that just made it so much more powerful than if the author had chosen another route.
If you love clean romance that's more about the good the right match can bring out in people and about team work than about all the emotions and physical attraction, then you'd better grab this book. It's also put Baxendell back at the top of my tbr as I have several of her other books and really ought to get to them.
For that matter, get the whole series! I've now read three of these and they've all been absolutely excellent!
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