Title: Everything I Do (Outlaws #1)
Author: M.C. Frank
Published: April 2019
Publisher: Allen and Unwin
Readership: Adult
Genre: Fiction
Rating: ★★★★
I received a copy of Everything I Do from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Robin Hood is about to steal your heart.
A robber and a princess.
A girl disguised as a boy.
A medieval reimagining of the legend of Robin Hood packed with adventure, sacrifice and romance.
Robin Hood, hidden deep in the Sherwood Forest, is fighting to restore the crown to its rightful king, surrounded by faithful friends, green leaves and clear skies. Burdened with secrets, betrayal and an incredible responsibility, he struggles to stay alive and keep the starving people fed. One day, a boy saves him from the Sheriff’s poisoned arrows. Robin, impressed by the slender youth’s courage and skill, takes the boy with him to the forest.
Only, the boy is not a boy.
In the castle of Nottingham, a maiden who used to be a princess is forced to obey the wishes of a tyrannical Sheriff. She dons on male clothes and trains to become a fierce assassin, vowing to catch the greatest criminal in the kingdom. But when she saves Robin Hood’s life nearly losing her own, she is rescued by the outlaws.
When Robin and the “boy” meet, two worlds collide, resulting in unimaginable danger and intense romance. Who will survive when they learn each other’s secrets? What happens when the assassin falls in love with her victim?
Filled with danger, intrigue and slow-burn passion, this is a Robin Hood story unlike any you have ever read before!
I’m a fan of M.C. Frank’s work, and I was really delighted when both the opportunity and time to read Everything I Do coincided. Frank has a lovely way of telling a story from multiple perspectives that I enjoy.
Everything I Do is a reimagining of the classic Robin Hood story and features many of the signature characters – Robin, Tuck, Will Scarlet and more, as well as characters who are familiar but not like you’ve known them before.
The story opens with Robin being saved by an unknown boy, whom we later discover is Ru (and she’s not a boy). Robin recruits Ru for his band of merry men (and women) but unbeknownst to them all Ru has been sent to infiltrate the group and assassinate their leader at the behest of the Sheriff.
I’m a fan of the traditional Robin Hood story, and many of it’s reimagining (both written and productions) over the years, and it was nice to revisit the world and characters. Frank’s Robin is charming, but not infallible, and has secrets that he keeps closely guarded. Deeply respected by the group of people he’s drawn to him, he’s respectful and caring, while at the same time remaining the same daring hero we’re familiar with. Reading his sections were fantastic, because I loved being in his head.
Ru, on the other hand, was a bit more of a struggle for me, and in part I think it’s because even though we work out who she is pretty quickly, the circumstances for how she got to this point aren’t revealed until much later on and I think that stopped me from connecting with her. She’s strong and determined, but also deeply afraid of who and what’s become. By the end of the book she does begin trusting the others and softening a fraction, leading me to invest in her a bit more.
As with a lot of books, I found all the side characters endlessly fascinating (probably because we don’t get as much information on them so my mind fills in the blanks) and just enjoyable to be in their presence, especially since they mean so much to Robin.
If you enjoy adventure with a splash of romance, or you just enjoy the Robin Hood story, this is worth giving a shot.
Noveltea Corner 
Pretty interesting story…
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