Connolly, Kara. No Good DeedJuly 18th 2017 by Delacorte Press
E ARC from Netgalley.com
Eleanor Hudson is in England for an archery competition, but she isn't happy with her performance. It's even worse when she thinks she sees a monk on the shooting range and gets in trouble for alerting the authorities, who don't see anyone. After a nice lunch with her mother (who is a medieval history professor), Ellie decides to see some local sights, but is surprised when real guards come after her... and she realizes she has traveled back in time! She is mistaken for a spy (her short hair and jeans mark her as male), and she manages to escape only by jumping into the sewage filled moat. Luckily, she is rescued by the very attractive James, a Knight Templar who is home from the Holy Land and taking some time at a religious order to regroup. He takes Ellie to the Priory of St. Mary, where she is healed but where she still manages to get into a lot of trouble. Eventually, her cover as a boy is blown, even though she keeps wearing the same clothes, and she does get to use her tremendous archery skills on a real yew bow. Because of the place and time she has visited, she comes across all sorts of historical characters, from the Sheriff of Nottingham to her namesake, Eleanor of Aquitaine. Playing at being Robin Hood is both fun and dangerous, but most importantly, Ellie needs to figure out how to get home.
Strengths: I loved the details of Ellie's archery competition, and the details about modern day Nottingham, and appreciated that she didn't immediately talk and act like a typical person in the 12th century. (Not everyone is quite as prepared to time travel as I am!) The way that the people involved in the Robin Hood history/stories are introduced was particularly well done; true to the accounts I've read, but with a bit of a twist.
Weaknesses: The time travel was never really explained, and I had a little trouble believing that men in the 12th century would have accepted a woman so easily, but this was great fun once I suspended my disbelief.
What I really think: Fans of Pierce's Alana series or books like Cadet of Tildor or Longbow Girl will appreciate this Young Adult (but completely middle school appropriate) adventure. The incipient romance with James doesn't hurt the appeal of this one, either.
Hop around the blog tour! It's much safer than traveling through time!
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