All the painted stars

A woman's quest to help her friend avoid marriage leads to a dangerous escape across the English countryside in Denny's exhilarating follow-up to One Night in Hartswood. In 14th-century Oxfordshire, Lily Barden is determined to stop her friend Johanna "Jo" de Foucart from being forced into marriage, so she disguises herself as a knight to enter a jousting tournament where competitors vie for Jo's hand. But when Lily is injured while competing and Jo stabs a man who she believes wants to harm Lily, they must quickly flee the consequences. After a harrowing journey, they find refuge with a female brewer who offers to board them in her barn loft in exchange for help with chores. As Lily and Jo's friendship gradually deepens into a sweet attraction, they wonder how to carve out a future where they can be together despite societal expectations. Denny expertly captures how her heroines' tentative exploration of their feelings develops into true love. Readers of queer romance and those looking for historical love stories outside of the Regency period will be well pleased. (Nov.)