If you enjoyed Humans Don’t Have Horns, please request it at your local library. Libraries are how books find new readers who were not even looking for them.
The paperback is available for libraries to order through Ingram. The audiobook is already distributed widely across major platforms. If you use Libby, I do not think it’s there yet, but patron requests are exactly how librarians decide what to bring in.
The Plot
Wrenched from a monastery before taking final vows, Adrian de Lancey’s fighting skill wins him an earldom. Fierce discipline masters his darker nature until he finds a winsome slip of a girl lost in his forest, an illegal falcon on her wrist.
Encountering the ice-blond warrior Earl of Shropshire, Meriel de Vere knows his dangerous reputation and hides her identity to protect her brother’s estate from the enemy earl. She does not expect to be arrested. Still less does she expect such a great lord to want her as his mistress.
Her passionate need for freedom clashes disastrously with his obsession with his enchanting captive. Given a second chance to properly woo Meriel, can Adrian learn tenderness? Will the two of them claim lasting happiness, or will they lose all to a brutal sworn enemy?
My Breakdown
This book gave me:
⚔️ Medieval danger that actually feels dangerous
⛪ Religion + guilt baked into the hero’s identity
🕯️ High emotional intensity, not a light read
I love historical romance, and especially prior to the Regency era. No offence, Bridgeton lovers, I have reviewed Regency books I’m obsessed with: Lady Awakened and Gentleman Undone.
The problem is that most medieval romances belong to the “bodice ripper” genre, which usually includes explicit rape, and that is not my flavor.
Uncommon Vows really does a good job detailing the history of the medieval era, without including rape. That said, the consent in Uncommon Vows is problematic. The MMC doesn’t physically force her, but he uses his power and circumstances to push her into becoming his lover. It didn’t make me cringe, so it passed my personal test, but I can absolutely see how other readers would experience it as coercion and be triggered by it, so please take note.
If you want a medieval historical romance with full consent across the entire series, check this review:
The historical aspect in Uncommon Vows was my favorite part. Putney drops you into a very specific slice of England, during the civil war between King Stephen and Empress Matilda (the Anarchy era). Law and safety are fragile, loyalties shift, and a noblewoman’s options can disappear in a single bad decision.
Putney went full research mode for this, and it shows. But she kept the focus on the character drama instead of turning it into a history lecture, which is exactly why the learning sneaks up on you while you’re busy being stressed about the plot.
Our MMC, Adrian, is a former monk who was called to his royal duty through bloodshed. He reads like a man constantly negotiating between control and guilt. He’s obsessed with the MMC and struggles with himself for all the wrongs he’s willing to do to keep her.
Our FMC, Meriel, is clever and resilient, but she’s also repeatedly put in situations where cleverness isn’t enough, because the world keeps taking her choices away. And when the story adds memory loss (again, and again), it becomes even more brutal.
Christianity is loud in this one. Both MCs are religious, and the hero’s faith is central to his inner conflict. I found it interesting, but I’ll be honest, it can get a bit tiresome at times.
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