Not for the Faint of Heart

A Novel

By: Lex Croucher

Narrated by: Kit Griffiths, Olivia Dowd

From New York Times bestselling author Lex Croucher comes a queer historical YA romance, with all the swoons, laughs, and heart-pounding moments you'd expect from a story about the granddaughter of Robin Hood and the girl she's accidentally kidnapped.

‘You aren’t merry,’ Clem said to her captor. ‘And you aren’t all men. So there’s been some marketing confusion somewhere along the line.’

Mariel, a newly blooded and perpetually grumpy captain of the Merry Men, is desperate to live up to the legacy of her grandfather, the legendary Robin Hood. Clem, a too-perky backwoods healer known for her new-fangled cures, just wants to help people.

When Mariel's ramshackle band of bandits kidnap Clem as retribution for her guardian helping the Sheriff of Nottingham, all seems to be going (sort of) to plan … until Jack Hartley, Mariel’s father and Commander of the Merry Men, is captured in a deadly ambush. Determined to prove herself, Mariel sets out to get him back–with her annoyingly cheerful kidnappee in tow.

But the wood is at war. Many believe the Merry Men are no longer on the right side of history. Watching Clem tend the party’s wounds and crack relentlessly terrible jokes, Mariel begins to doubt the noble cause to which she has devoted her life. As the two of them grow closer, forced by circumstances to share a single horse and bed, one thing is clear. They must prepare to fight for their lives and for those of everyone they’ve sworn to protect.

Lex Croucher's Not for the Faint of Heart is a thrilling adventure full of hijinks, found family, and romance destined to change the lives of the inhabitants of the Greenwood Forest forever.

A Macmillan Audio production from Wednesday Books.

©2024 Lex Croucher (P)2024 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“I know I can rely completely on Lex Croucher for a book that cheerfully flays my emotions with one hand and makes me laughter-snort tea up my nose with the other. I had an amazing time with this bold and lively queer adventure." - Freya Marske, bestselling author of The Last Binding trilogy

“Lex has written a truly magical romcom. Dashing, daring and brilliantly funny. It’s a heartfelt tale of found family, adventure and love that will have you swooning in no time!” - Beth Reekles, New York Times bestselling author of The Kissing Booth series

“Hilarious and full of heart, Not for the Faint of Heart is Heartstopper meets Robin Hood and had me hooked from the first page to the last… the perfect blend of campy fun and arrow-through-your-chest emotion. Lex Croucher is an absolute genius.” - Holly Race, author of Midnight’s Twins

just fun and stuff

can’t believe robin hood said the word fascist before it was invented. neat. good for him.

Story Pierced Tone-Deaf Narration

Th narrators are reading the words, but they’re not hearing the story. Much of the humor and rhythm of the prose falls flat as a result. Still, there is something to appreciate in the steadiness of the performance.

Humor At Its Best

As a medical professional I was delighted to have a main character who perfectly personified how I act when watching bad first aid in medical dramas.

Honestly didn’t know what to expect from this book. YA novels aren’t really my thing anymore since aging out of the genre years ago but this one was a pleasant surprise. The humor is spot on and I found myself laughing out loud at several parts. The characters are all interesting and well rounded. The plot kept me invested the whole time. And the narration was oh my god perfect. It’s been a while since I’ve found an audible where both narrators excelled at their job so well.

Yes, there’s some points in the book that are a bit predictable and a few plot lines weren’t wrapped as well as they could be and some parts felt rushed. But overall I loved this book and can’t help but give it 5 stars.

Easy read. We'll developed. Entertaining.

The writing was solid, flowed well, and following the story was pleasingly effortless. I found the rewriting of Robin Hood's sexuality a hijacking of someone elses work, which was neither warranted or useful. As a result, it left a bitter essence to some otherwise good storytelling.

Great narrators

Story was intriguing although could’ve used more development of other characters. Great narrators both which brought story to life.

beautiful story

lgbtq characters effortlessly and naturally in the story, moments of huge kindness and love. my only complaint is *anonymous spoiler*a character dies, and I think that is an unnecessary and uncreative low moment for a book.

couldn't stop listening

so nice to have a fun queer story. with out it seeming forced. fun narrations and somehow relatable characters. some fun fantasy tropes, while still being interesting. which gave it something cool to fall back on. I really enjoyed this book. I've already recommended it to 3 friends.

CUUUTE

My first ever rom com book, and I now have a new favorite genre. Went into this book completely blind, enjoyed every bit of it. It’s cute, super funny, and it even made me ugly cry.

What a journey

I'm already excited to re-read it soon. The character developments and relationships were all beautifully and realistically done so well. I enjoyed listening to every minute of it.

Very engaging

I liked the book and the readers of the book. Very good! Would recommend to anyone looking for a Robin Hood gang extra.