ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lex Croucher is a nonbinary author from Surrey, England, best known for writing "historical-ish" queer romances. They began their career on YouTube around fifteen years ago, and have since gained 116,000 followers on the platform.
Most of Croucher's books take place in the past -- their debut novel, Reputation, is set in a Regency-era, and their young adult debut, Gwen & Art Are Not in Love takes place in a medieval setting (1). These novels are also both queer rom-coms.
THEIR WORK
Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is a young adult queer rom-com set in medieval England, in a world where King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table are all real historical figures. Arthur, a descendant of
the Arthur Pendragon, and has been engaged to Princess Gwendoline since she was born. Arthur, however, has a problem: he and Gwen have always hated each other. When Arthur's father forces him to spend the summer in Camelot, earning Gwen's favor and appearing publicly as a guest of the annual royal tourney, he must force himself to be on his best behavior.
Unfortunately, Princess Gwen has caught Arthur kissing a boy. Not to worry, though, because he knows where she hides her diary and has proof that she feels romantically towards a particular female knight competing in the tourney. If she is to share his secret, he will out hers as well. This leads the two to realize that while they may despise each other, they may have to rely on each other to keep their secrets.
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| Lex Croucher's newest release, which I already have reserved from the library! |
As a queer person myself, this book felt like very good representation. While Arthur has to hide his sexuality, he isn't ashamed of it. He messes around, and hooks up with other men, and has no reason to feel bad about it. Gwen, however, feels wrong for her feelings, and Arthur has to show her how right it can feel to be yourself. Unlike so many other queer stories, Gwen and Arthur's story didn't end in tragedy. The author allowed them to be young, and carefree, and reckless, despite the things they were going through. They were allowed to fall in love, just like everyone else. I'm not the only one who is refreshed by this novel, as Duke Jenkins -- a writer and editor-in-chief of the Waymark Literary Magazine -- says that "no matter whose point of view you're reading from, the perspective and the romance never feels repetitious or uninspired." They went on to claim that the novel is "a hilarious queer romp that everyone should pick up and give a shot" (2). Shelby, a writer at DuffRunsTough, gives the book a 3.5 star rating, points out the flaws of the novel, but still recommends it, stating that it "offers a captivating blend of genres, weaving a queer medieval rom-com with skillful narrative execution" (3).
SOURCES
1. Croucher, Lex. Gwen & Art Are Not in Love. Wednesday Books, 2023, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61885131-gwen-art-are-not-in-love. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.
2. Jenkins, Duke. "Gwen and Art Pulled the Sword Out of My Stoney Heart: A Review of 'Gwen and Art Are Not in Love' by Lex Croucher." Waymark Literary Magazine, 30 Apr. 2025, https://waymarkmagazine.com/2025/04/30/gwen-and-art-pulled-the-sword-out-of-my-stoney-heart/. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.
3. Shelby. "Book Review: Gwen & Art Are Not in Love." Duffrunstough, 4 Jan. 2024,https://duffrunstough.com/2024/01/04/book-review-gwen-art-are-not-in-love/. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.
The blog is written really well! I get a really good idea on the book itself, it makes me want to read it.
ReplyDeleteRomance is such an interesting genre! I love how Lex Croucher gives readers a space to explore Queer ideals without it having to be sad. You can end a queer story with a happy ending! That's something extremely important to young people, and i'm glad as an author they are making that their mission!
ReplyDeleteReally like how you developed this blog! The description of her novels has made me incredibly interested. I am usually not much of a romance person, but the fun she seems to have with her craft has me intrigued.
ReplyDeleteThis post gives such a great overview of Lex Croucher's work, and it's so refreshing to see queer stories focus on joy and happy endings instead of tragedy! It definitely makes me want to read Gwen & Art Are Not in Love next.
ReplyDeleteI loved the organization of this blog! I had never heard of this author, but after reading your blog, I'm interested in learned more about this author. I love how this author highlights the happy ending to their queer novels, instead of heartbreaking endings.
ReplyDeleteI like how your personal opinions toward the author's work lead right into the literary reviews, it's very cohesive and has a nice flow. My only criticism is that you've included the cover of a different book that looks interesting, but you didn't cover it in the blog. I thought that work would be covered as well, but it wasn't.
ReplyDelete