Outlaw: A Lesbian Retelling of Robyn Hood

The Robyn Hood Adventures #1

by Niamh Murphy

PRIDE. AMBITION. BLOOD.
With a single shot, a legend is born.


Robyn Fitzwarren, daughter to the Baron of Loxley, only wants to support her mother while her father is off on Crusade.


But when she enters an archery tournament in disguise, she incurs the wrath of the Sheriff of Nottingham's arrogant nephew, Theo. Now, not only is her own life threatened but the lives of her family as well.


Will she flee from danger?


Or fulfil her destiny, stand up to injustice, and become the fabled outlaw of legend: Robyn Hood?

Genres: LGBT, Historical Fiction, Lesbian, Queer, Fantasy, Historical, Young Adult

248 pages, Paperback

Published July 26, 2019

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

Niamh Murphy is a historian and novelist specialising in romantic lesbian fiction. She is passionate about experimenting with different genres and has a fondness for romantic action and adventure. She has written stories with vampires, werewolves, elves, magic, knights, sorceresses, and witches as well as contemporary and humorous stories, but always with a lesbian protagonist and a romantic element to the tale.

Visit her website for a free book: www.AuthorNiamh.com

Reviews

[AnnMaree Of Oz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a first in a series and as such doesn't just end all neat and tidy, infact leaves with a promise of more to come, which I am very excited about.

This first book is setting up the foundations and groundwork for the characters and their stories.

However it is still full of adventure and I read on with great interest. There's only the tiniest bit of a hint of the lesbian romance between Robyn Hood and Maid Marian so far, but I also look forward to seeing it blossom.

A delightful kindle unlimited read for those who love a retelling of an age old favourite!

[Jude Silberfeld-Grimaud · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had loved Escape to Pirate Island and I enjoyed Outlaw a lot too. Niamh Murphy’s books remind me of the stories I loved as a child but in hers the heroes are women, which makes them so much better.

Outlaw is book one of a series full of promises. It tells the story of how Robyn Fitzwarren became Robyn Hood. With her father gone with the King on Crusade, Robyn, as the eldest child, is in charge of her family, a responsibility she takes very seriously. When the new Sheriff of Nottingham, spured on by his greedy wife, threatens to seize their manor if her mother doesn’t pay new and unfair taxes, Robyn sees no other way to earn enough money than to enter the Nottingham Fayre dressed as a boy to win the archery tournament, despite her best friend (and love interest) Marian’s misgivings. The plan goes perfectly well until everything goes terribly wrong.

The thing with retellings is that the reader already knows the story. The author’s job is not to surprise with plot twists (though there can also be some) but to make the tale at least as interesting and exciting as the original story, and hopefully more so. Mission accomplished for Niamh Murphy, I can’t wait for book two! Robyn is a sweet, honorable and brave young woman, with a stubborn streak. I also liked the secondary cast very much and will be happy to see more of Littlejohn and Marian, and maybe, in later books, Robyn’s mother and siblings. Ellie would make a great sidekick someday.

I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[T.J. Dallas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both a brilliantly original, yet imaginitive story! The Disney film was one of my favourites, and I had the characters in my head throughout the tale (I even 'heard' the song 🎶 "Robin Hood and Littlejohn running through the forest" 🎶 from the tavern at the end, lol.) Exciting, fast-paced, with high stakes... Loved it!

[Della B · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great retelling of Robin Hood with a delightful twist. It is an imaginative, fast paced adventure which will keep you entranced from start to finish.
Niahm Murphy books captivate me by her storylines, character development and the fun of an adventure.
5 ⭐️

[Emily Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll be writing a more generalized review for the Lesbrary, but I like to geek out on Goodreads, so here's something different. My Lesbrary review can be found here: http://lesbrary.com/2019/10/03/emily-...

I think it's something of a duty of mine to read any Robin Hood book with "lesbian" in the subtitle. And after finishing it, I'm left mostly disappointed, but also weirdly satisfied. That said, I don't think I'm ever going to get past a gender-swapped Robin. It's fun in concept, but I think I have a very traditional heart when it comes to Robin Hood things. I already knew this about myself going in, so it's not the book's fault.

For all this book claims to have lesbians in it, I feel like the lesbian elements were strangely lacking? Why did I bother dealing with my dislike of female Robin Hoods if there wasn't going to be much narrative spent on Robyn and Marian as a couple, or even as a potential couple? I could see it, and I knew it was going on just because that seemed to be the point of the book, but the book itself felt like it was missing the point. There were so many moments when I thought that Marian should have been there, or that Marian would be showing up soon, and she just... never did. As one of the lesbians meant to make this a "lesbian retelling", I expected her to be around more. She and Robyn have maybe... 10 scenes together in the whole book.

Robyn and Littlejohn (not a typo, that's how it is) seemed closer than Robyn and Marian, and that was... weird. Robyn never seemed to actually trust Marian the way she trusted Littlejohn. Whenever Marian would ask what Robyn planned to do, Robyn ran off without a word or said something silly like, "It doesn't matter, you don't have to worry about it." And I just? You what? You're not going to trust your best friend from childhood, but you're going to tell it all to some man who you've known for maybe a week? I get that Littlejohn was some kind of outlaw Obi-wan to Robyn, and she relied on him to teach her how to live in Sherwood, but I was just so upset with how Robyn never really seemed to trust or rely on Marian.

Characters spoke using "thee", "thou", "art", etc. It felt disconnected from the rest of the modern voice in the narrative, and I wish it had been one or the other. I can read Howard Pyle, and that's fine. But when I read a YA lesbian Robin Hood book, I don't expect phrases like, "Cover me arse, will thou?" I wasn't a fan of the written dialects and accents. I think there's a good middle ground, where characters don't use older language but also don't sound like a odd mix of Shakespeare and modern writing.

Okay, but I also want to nerd out a bit, because despite the issues I have with this book, the author did her research, and small historical details were included. The author even included an additional glossary with more information on some of the many people, places, and things that she referenced.

Something I was particcularly pleased about was that the sherriff was named William de Wendanal for the historical man who was High Sheriff at the time. Related to the sheriff, this book has a somewhat original villain. The sheriff himself is a very amiable man, and it is his wife who takes on the more villainous role, and acts as the actual antagonist. It's always refreshing to see a new villain.

Littlejohn is loosely based off some of the Green Man mythology, occasionally connected to Robin Hood lore, so that was a nifty addition.

At the end of the day, this is good. It's a better lesbian retelling than Marian, but I still feel like it was missing something. I wanted more from this.

(And, yes, I will be reading the rest of this series, when new books are released)

[Jos · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of an origin story than a story about Sherwood Forest antics. It tried some things that seemed to lay a foundation for future books but did make this book feel a little slow.

Certainly recommend for fans of sapphic Robin Hood retellings.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really love Niamh Murphy's writing style and Outlaw is a wonderful example of why I feel that way! I love her characters and how she developes each of them. The pace of the book was great and the little twist and turns delightful. I really liked this Robyn better than the original. She isn't so arrogant and self absorbed with herself. She is way more sensitive to others and tries to do the right thing.

I guess I was a little bit disappointed that the relationship between Robyn and Marian didn't seem to grow the way I hoped and only one passionate kiss! LOL! I'm hoping their passion for each other comes out more in the next book!

I am so looking forward to her second book, Scarlet.

[XR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic!

When's the next one coming out?

[Taylor Clemons · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this in about a day, and I almost didn’t finish it. There’s a kernel of a great story here with the fresh, queer perspective. But the numerous typos and bland dialogue were a slog to get through. Nobody communicates like actual people, conflict is easily de-escalated or outright avoided, Robyn is boring, Marian is boring, the whole thing is just dull. Littlejohn has potential, and I appreciated his roots in Celtic traditions, but he was a wasted character. Murphy did a terrible job convincing me to care at all about Robyn and her family. I was much more interested in the power dynamics of the Sheriff and his wife: where is THAT story? I’d read the hell out of that.

I wish Murphy hadn’t done a complete origin story for Robyn Hood. We all know the basic story, so why not just plunk us into some real action and spool out a bit of backstory as we go along? I don’t care how she became an outlaw, I care about what she does after. Give me Robyn et al sitting in the woods, celebrating some small victory over the Sheriff or Prince John, or gathering info from sympathetic serfs. Give me ANYTHING besides this tired, half-assed preamble.

As it stands, Robyn doesn’t do much besides run from Ye Olde Cosplayers, break her bow, and cry in the woods for 300 pages. There isn’t any real tension between Robyn and Marian; no buildup for their, frankly out-of-the-blue, kiss. Pair them together, sure, but give us something more than “oh no! We’re scared in a tree! I guess I should smooch your face now.” There isn’t even any real tension between her and the Sheriff; the pacing is so off-kilter, that you have no time to absorb the ramifications of Robyn’s predicament before she’s either snotting all over Littlejohn in the woods or suddenly deciding she’s a badass and and attacking the towns guard to no real end.

I am sure the follow-up books will tell stories with a bit more substance, but honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever be bothered to pick them up.

Outlaw was a quick, easy read and killed a few hours time. So if you have a long flight or something and need something to read, this is a good pick for that. But this isn’t staying on my bookshelf.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 stars

[endeavoursofvic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outlaw: 3.75 Stars
[5.63 - very good]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Robyn was a great main character to follow and I was sucked into the story from chapter 1. This is a retelling of the Story of Robin Hood and it does it's job amazingly - that being said I can't give it more than 3.75 Stars because something was missing for me. I can't quite put my finger on what it was but I am very much looking forward to reading the Sequel and potentially loving that one even more.

I especially liked the little glimpses we got into the villains POVs - I found them to be such fascinating characters. The side characters in general were done really great. Both the individual characters and their relationships with eachother were top tier. I cared about all of them. Which is making me believe that what I was missing was more plot related (or maybe that I wanted more Group-Scenes/Dynamics)

Highly recommend.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was in second grade I read Howard Pyle's Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, and it became a life long love of fantasy and most especially the legend of Robin Hood, this was an interesting retelling that made that old legend fresh again. Everything from archery tournament, fighting Little John on fallen tree trunk, to the bath they both take, is recreated with a little spin. I really can't wait to read the next book in the series.

[Gerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly enjoyable Robin Hood retelling.

[Kate Hershberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting retelling of a classic tale

A very fresh look at the table of Robyn Hood. I really enjoyed reading the origin story of the female Robyn and how she becomes the legend. I did hope for a bit more romance with Marian, but I imagine that will come in the second novel. Can't wait for the sequel.

[Sabriel Mastin · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I wasn't the most fond of the last book by Ms. Murphy that I read, this title was suggested to me and wanting to give her another chance, I dove in. I'm pleased to say that I enjoyed this one much more!

The story is similar to the one many of us have heard before, but with her own twists. Here Robyn enters an archery contest dressed as a man to earn money to save her family's estate, the Sheriff of Nottingham is really a puppet for his overbearing wife, and Littlejohn is more of a mountain man.

I enjoyed Robyn, but with two books now I see a potential pattern building for Murphy's main characters, they always start with themselves constantly talking down about themselves. Now this is only two books I'm talking about and many women do feel this way or do this about themselves, but I do love a bit of confidence in my heroes. Robyn isn't quite as bad as the MC of the last book, and by the end she really comes into her own which I appreciate.

The Sapphic moment when it finally came made my heart melt. You're in for a slow burn here if you're looking for the gay stuff in Book 1. I suspect we'll be getting more later on.

All-in-all I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to get into the second.

[Katia M. Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75

I wanted to like this more than I did. The idea is great, although I found the book a little slow to start. The archery scenes were good, but they felt muffled by other things around them.

I also got a bit annoyed with the dialogue, in some scenes that were supposed to be fast with a rapid fire exchange of words, the dialogue was swamped by exposition and action tags so it slowed everything down and it felt like the characters were waiting to talk to each other.

The inclusion of verbal tics like, oh, also took away from what was being said, especially if it was repeated several times.

There was also some repetitive thoughts, we know Robyn thinks herself a fool and unworthy, but sometimes it seemed we were being told it every few minutes. I would rather have seen her actions talk.

So this was an OK read, but I felt it could be improved. I didn't really feel much for the characters because we were told about the emotion through internal dialogue and exposition rather than see it for ourselves. That just might be my taste, and others may love it, but I didn't get on with this one.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I reread this to refresh my memory before reading the sequel. Since it’s a retelling of the Robin Hood legend, we’re all probably familiar with the story. To me, this felt like the origin story for Niamh Murphy’s Robyn Hood. Robyn tried to win money to save her family’s home, but she created some powerful enemies in doing so. Littlejohn schooled her in fighting so she could rescue her family. I enjoy reading this author’s work, but this was a little slow for me, especially in the beginning, but this is the first in a series, so it is setting up the rest of the series. The forests, towns, castles, and the people are all well described. There’s enough to understand the motives of the major characters, both good and bad. Although I liked the story, I would have liked more Marian and Robyn scenes. Littlejohn has more page time than does Marian, but hopefully she'll get more time in the next book.

[Monique S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic!

I have just finished the first two of Niamh Murphy's Adventures of Robyn Hood, "Otlaw" and "Scarlet", both much more plausible and realistic than the "original" if ever there was one anyway :)

I have been reading a lot about the time before Richard, his mother and the crusades in German history books (at school), during my time in the UK in English and finally in French here in Brittany. I think that Niamh has understood the time and the life of the "common" people then much better than anyone writing a re-telling, be it a lesbian one or a script for a film. I quote Mel Brooks here and his answer to the question of how to proove being Robin of Locksley in his TV farce Robi, Robi, Robin Hood:
"At least I, unlike some, can speak with an English accent."

I rest my case.

[Le · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to claw my way through this and won't continue on to part 2. I love Robin Hood, the legend, and even with a female twist I didn't care about anyone or what was happening. Honestly, the sheriff and his shrew wife were more interesting, but I also found the wife annoying for personal reasons.

The wife reminded me of my shrew aunt who I absolutely couldn't stand.

Not much of a building up for Robyn and the Sheriff or her relationship with Marian. Even with Little John it was bland of him taking on a stray pup instead of a mutual respect for each other that many know Robin and Little John to have.

[Mirielen de Arantes Corrêa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outlaw reconta a história de Robyn Hood, com Robyn sendo uma mulher lésbica. Só aí esse livro já tinha meu coração, mas ainda assim foi melhor do que eu imaginava.
O foco do livro não é desenvolver um romance para Robyn e, sim, transformar uma nobre em Robyn Hood. O que funciona muito bem, já que o livro é mesmo uma aventura.
O único problema que eu tive foi com os diálogos, já que ele emula um inglês antigo e meu inglês é no máximo um intermediário.
Eu gostei muito de todos os personagens. E fazia um tempo que eu não odiava tanto dois vilões.
Ansiosa para o livro dois.

[Elien · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book as a paperback on amazon.
My expectations were pretty high. The action part of the story was nice, I really liked Robin's backstory.
I did expect a lot more romance though for a book called 'a Lesbian retelling'. It just felt like more of a normal friendship to me, barely any spark.

[Hayate SK · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love this author. I've read most of her books and loved them all but this book was a bit hard swallow. The pacing is a bit off and at times you realize you've read for pages and nothing's really happened. She does a great job of immersing you in the story. It's one of her greatest strengths as an author but at times it just feels like your character is literally in the same place for half a story without much else going on.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t put it down

Well I’ll never quite be able to watch Robyn Hood in the same way again, I’ll be too disappointed that the MC isn’t female 😭. Brilliant retelling, plenty of anticipation and tension.

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great fun, a lesbian-themed retelling of the tale of Robin Hood. I found two typos, but otherwise, it was well-edited. My biggest complaint about this book is that it was over too soon. On to the next installment!

[Susan Welch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is cute, a fun YA read. More of an origin story than anything else, largely centered around a version of the archery contest. The lesbian part is pretty minimal and romance is not the focus of the book, more just a gender swapped young Robin Hood.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fast paced, enjoyable sapphic retelling of Robyn's coming-of-age. I like this slightly naive, conscientious and earnest version of Robyn. Will definitely be reading Book 2, just have to find it in the TBR pile. Lol!

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one, though I wish there'd been more to the romance.

Rating: 3.5 stars

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. Can’t wait for the sequel.

[Eva Reddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gosh but that was a good book. It had my heart racing at times.
Couple this with such good writing and it's definitely going on my 'must read again' shelf.
Great book!

[Amy Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Completely obsessed can’t wait to read the sequel I’ve already downloaded it to my kindle. What a fantastic twist on a classic story and to make it queer loved it!