BOOK REVIEW: Gwen and Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher

Gwen and Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher is a delightful YA pseudo-Arthurian romp set in Camelot generations after King Arthur’s defeat. 

Gwen is the daughter of the struggling King of England. She has been betrothed to the irritating Arthur, son of a troublesome lord, since they were both infants. Now that she is eighteen, and there is rising discontent in the kingdom, it is time for her to marry (and appease Arthur’s father.) So Arthur arrives in Camelot for the summer tournament season and immediately begins plaguing her. He doesn’t want this match any more than she does.

It’s a particularly bad time for Gwen to be forced into marriage. She has a developed a massive crush on a young knight, the only female knight in the land, Bridget Leclair, who is also in town for the tournament.

Gwen’s only ally is her brother, Gabriel, although she hasn’t dared confess her crush to him when she doesn’t quite understand it herself. Besides, Gabriel has enough troubles of his own. Quiet and bookish, he doesn’t want to be the heir to the kingdom, but knows it is not something he can get out of. So he spends all his time studying how to be a perfect king. This includes studying a good deal of Arthuriana, which gives him some understanding of and sympathy for the “cultists,” those English who believe Arthur will one day return. And who, meanwhile, have a pagan-ish style of worship of Morgana and a belief in wizardry. (As opposed to the prevailing Catholics.)

Arthur despises his father. He finds Gwen overbearing. He drinks far too much and has essentially given himself over to hedonistic pursuits. But he’s also nursing a broken heart over a fair-haired young lord who rejected him. 

Things heat up when Gwen spies Arthur kissing a boy and Arthur discovers Gwen’s crush on Bridget. Mutual threats turn into an agreement to cooperate. And Gabriel is inserted into the mix when he and Arthur grow attracted to one another.

The action is quick-paced. The interactions are amusing and often times touching. The young folks take charge as the fate of the kingdom falls into their hands. A very entertaining read!