The Scottish Boy

Henry becomes a knight at 19 and is immediately horrified to find out war is not honorable when he’s asked to join a raid to kidnap someone. Iain (pronounced Ian in the audiobook) is basically a feral cat and promises to kill Henry every day. Of course, Iain is ordered to go to Henry's estate where he has to keep an eye on him, or else, by older knights nearby. He has no idea what to do with him so he eventually teaches him how to joust and fight because that's what he likes to do in his free time. Eventually, they become friends and more.

A lot of this book is centered on tournaments and then war. Lots of political dealings and Henry is so young, bless him. He has no idea what's going on most of the time but he's earnest and that ends show more up being something that draws his actual friends and allies to him.

You can tell when a book was fanfiction first because that smut is just so crisp. Can't explain it but I know it when I see it. Delightful. show less

I was immediately intrigued to read a queer romance set in late medieval England. Besides the romance aspect, there is a lot of insight into knighthood and tournaments, royal lineage, and farming tenements. I'm not a historian by any means but it read like de Campi really did their research and brought this small part of the world to life for me. However, readers should be aware that Ian and Harry's relationship is the main point of the book. While the book does take place during Edward II's continued war with Scotland, that's just the setting, not the plot, so if one goes in expecting a lot of real world historical references or to learn something about the time, they'll be disappointed.
While I really enjoyed this book, there was a show more few issues as always. The formatting of the writing when Harry is internally grappling with his sexuality and its consequences in a Christian-ruled nation goes into weird poetry formatting with short stops and things which are obviously meant to create impact but it doesn't really flow with the rest of the book. There also is hardly any character development with Harry as he doesn't seem to really learn anything from his time with Ian besides that he likes anal. This would have been a good opportunity for Harry (and thus the reader) to learn more about medieval Scotland or perhaps why Ian was so important to Edward I and his house in the first place but he's too occupied with running his farm, fighting off his childhood friend turned enemy from taking his farm, and also touching Ian's bits whenever he could without someone catching them. Past reviewers complained about the amount of sex in this book - while that wasn't a problem for me, an avid reader of historical MM romance, it's definitely something readers should be aware of ahead of time. The cover shouldn't have to be plastered with two ripped models in each other's arms for people to realise this is first and foremost a romance novel.
I'd recommend this to more mature and seasoned MM historical fiction readers. show less

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this book when I started it, but it delivered an intriguing package of historical fiction, adventures, secret identities and romance.