Review – The Reckless Oath We Made by Bryn Greenwood

The Reckless Oath We Made by Bryn Greenwood
Narrated by Alex McKenna, Kirby Heyborne, full cast
Publisher: Penguin Group Putnam / Penguin Audio
Publication Date: August 20, 2019
Date Read: August 23, 2013
Length: 448 pages / 14 hours 43 minutes
Source: NetGalley / Audible Purchase
★★★★★

A provocative love story between a tough Kansas woman on a crooked path to redemption and her unlikeliest of champions, from the New York Times bestselling author of All the Ugly and Wonderful Things.

Many things can bind two people: love, a common enemy, a dangerous promise.

Zee is nobody’s fairy tale princess. Almost six-foot, with a redhead’s temper and a shattered hip, she has a long list of worries: never-ending bills, her beautiful, gullible sister, her five-year-old nephew, her housebound mother, and her drug-dealing boss.

Zee may not be a princess, but Gentry is an actual knight, complete with sword, armor, and a code of honor. Two years ago the voices he hears called him to be Zee’s champion. Both shy and autistic, he’s barely spoken to her since, but he has kept watch, ready to come to her aid.

When an abduction tears Zee’s family apart, she turns to the last person she ever imagined–Gentry–and sets in motion a chain of events that will not only change both of their lives, but bind them to one another forever in one of the most moving and complicated love stories of our time. The Reckless Oath We Made redefines what it means to be heroic, revealing the strength, honor, and power that lie at the heart of love.

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I loved this book!  I was completely mesmerized by the story and found myself thinking about even when I was wasn’t reading it.  I was a little hesitant to pick up this book because I didn’t love the author’s first book, All the Ugly and Wonderful Things, like so many did.  I had nothing to worry about because this book worked for me on almost every level.  I am so glad that I gave this book a chance.

Zee and Gentry were wonderful characters.  I don’t think that I have read about a more unlikely hero than Gentry which was one of the things I loved about him.  Gentry is a present-day knight.  He isn’t really a knight but he lives like one.  He speaks in Middle English and is often seen wielding a sword.  He is loyal beyond measure and has sworn himself to be Zee’s champion.  Zee does what needs to be done to take care of her family.  She lives with her sister and nephew and isn’t above moving a little weed if that is what it takes to pay the rent.  She is a little rough around the edges but she takes care of those that she feels responsible for.

I loved Zee and Gentry together.  Zee might think that Gentry is a bit strange but she takes him as he is and can’t imagine him any other way.  Gentry was so determined to do whatever Zee needed him today and I loved how fiercely protective he was of her.  I loved watching their relationship grow over the course of this story. 

This was an exciting story at times and a really emotional one at others.  It has been a long time since I found myself as emotionally involved in characters as I was with this book.  There was a point where I not only worried about the characters but I was mad at their behavior as well.  I pretty much flew through this book because I had to know what happened to Zee’s sister and how this pair would get to the bottom of things. 

When I saw that the audiobook was narrated by a full cast, I decided to go that route with it and I am so glad that I did.  There are a lot of different points of view in this book and each one uses its own narrator. and I thought that they all did a great job.  The bulk of the story comes from Zee and Gentry’s perspectives and I thought that those two narrators really nailed their characters.  I think that Gentry’s Middle English may have had a bigger impact on me since I heard his character saying the words.  I am pretty sure that I liked this book just a little bit more because I decided to listen to it.

I highly recommend this book to others.  It was a really unique story that I found almost impossible to put down.  This is a book that will stay with me for a long time and I can definitely see myself revisiting it in the future.  I will definitely be reading more of Bryn Greenwood’s work.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Penguin Publishing Group – Putnam via NetGalley and purchased a copy of the audiobook.

About the Author

Bryn Greenwood is a fourth-generation Kansan, one of seven sisters, and the daughter of a mostly reformed drug dealer. She earned a MA in Creative Writing from Kansas State University and continues to work in academia as an administrator. She is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels All the Ugly and Wonderful Things, Last Will, and Lie Lay Lain. She lives in Lawrence, Kansas.

Author Links: Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

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