A lot can happen in a night, especially when you hang out with knights, talking horses and dragons.
When Talis learns that her dream of becoming a knight might not ever come true because of the family she comes from, her best friend Lellie – a knight herself – convinces her a night on the town, wearing a stolen armour and riding a very pregnant mare, is the best way to get over the disillusion. They soon meet Cinda, a baker trying to get over her knight ex breaking up with her for the vainest reason. The attraction between the baker and the woman she believes to be a knight is immediate, but the arrival of Talis’s sister, who convinces her she needs her help, turns the night into an unforeseen and dangerous adventure.
Strangely enough, this was the longest night of my life. Because of corona and lockdown, I had to stop listening six hours in (I can’t listen to audiobooks with a full house). So I started this on May 2nd and finished on June 22nd. Luckily the story is so much fun that it didn’t suffer from the overly long break. Heavier topics, such as discrimination based on gender identity or social origin, are alluded to in a very organic way, giving the story a touch of seriousness, yet never bringing the fun factor down. There’s an overall feeling of silliness and giddiness that I enjoyed a lot. While part of a series, Just One Knight can totally be read or listened to (narrated by T. J. Richards, who never disappoints) as a standalone. It was my first book by Bridget Essex and I never felt like I didn’t have the necessary knowledge to understand the story and who the characters were. It won’t, however, be my last.
Jude in the Stars 