Today I’m back for my stop on the book tour for Knight’s Oath by Juliette Caruso. This tour is hosted by TBR and Beyond Tours. I had the opportunity to interview Juliette, so keep on reading to find out more about this author and Knight’s Oath!
Knight’s Oath (Knights of Enar #1) by Juliette Caruso
Genre: New Adult Fantasy Romance
Publishing Date: August 15, 2022
When 20-year-old Eliana’s father orders her to court, it is with one purpose: to save their noble, destitute family through marriage to a wealthy suitor. Eliana would much rather be studying healing and making use of her rare magical talent for medicines, but there is no escaping his command. She has eight short weeks to find a match she can stomach, or else she’ll be married off to the cruel, despicable man of her father’s choosing.
Navigating court politics is difficult for nervous Eliana, who is determined to take up as little space as possible. Worst of all, she only has eyes for the Queen’s nephew, Corin: a brooding, rugged knight who is already betrothed to another. Though he returns Eliana’s feelings, he’s as trapped by duty as she is. But even as Corin struggles against his own family’s shackles, he is driven by a singular purpose: to rid the land of the bandits terrorizing the Queen’s people.
As the outlaws circle the capital city, Corin and Eliana turn their focus and their talents towards helping the vulnerable common folk who live outside the palace walls. But the bandits have a patron who aims to spread dissent amongst the crumbling ranks of the nobility. The more lives Corin and Eliana save, the more enemies they are both making… and the closer her father’s deadline draws.
This slow-burn friends-to-lovers explores an exciting new fantasy kingdom with subtle magic, steamy encounters, and danger lurking around every bend.
Book Links
Author Interview
What inspired you to write Knight’s Oath?
I’m a habitual daydreamer and I’m always telling myself stories as I go about my day; I usually have half a dozen in the works at any given time. Knight’s Oath didn’t start as a book idea. It was just a collection of daydreams and characters, some of whom first appeared maybe a decade ago. It went through a lot of variations in my head and the book-result would be unrecognizable from the first moments I daydreamed, but I’m glad I finally got it on paper!
What has been your favorite part of your publishing journey so far?
Hearing from the people who liked the book. There’s no feeling like it.
If you were a character in Knight’s Oath, what kind of character would you be?
It would be cool to be one of the paladins, but I’m way too lazy (and a pacifist). There’s just no way. I couldn’t be a glamorous court lady, either; I would absolutely be wearing the medieval equivalent of sweatpants on a daily basis.
I think I’d probably be a minor government official doing a lot of paperwork and writing bad poetry by candlelight. Something like that. Not too different from my current life, I guess!
What is your favorite quote from Knight’s Oath?
That’s an impossible question for me—I’m terrible at picking favorites of anything. But here’s a quote I like. The main characters are stuck talking to each other in a very loud tavern soon after they’ve met. They both think the other is attractive, but they’re generally shy and tongue-tied people, and it is just the most awkward series of moments in the world:
“It struck her then that her decade of etiquette lessons from school were rather useless. It was one thing to make polite conversation with a classmate engaged in the same exercise. It was another to be seated across from Sir Corin in a loud room while her stomach did contortions. Yes, she knew how to curtsey to foreign dignitaries and five different ranks of nobles, but where was the lesson on making small talk with intimidating knights?”
What do you hope readers take away after reading this book?
That our friendships truly matter. That even the shy, quiet sorts can be brave. That beauty comes in a million different forms.
Could you give us 5 random facts about Knight’s Oath (think the story, writing, publishing, anything that comes to mind)?
- The first line I wrote down was “Corin of Mount Eyron, eldest son of the Duke of Mount Eyron, had never been in love before.”
- I wrote the book entirely during my final semester of law school—just a few months. One of my dearest friends in the whole world would read each chapter as I finished it and talked me out of so much self-doubt!
- The sword move that ends the melee at the tournament (I won’t be more specific than that, spoilers!) is a real sword technique; names for it include mordhau, mordsteich, mordschlag… basically, “murder strike.” Ouch.
- I drew the map and the little inside illustration of the sword and potion bottles myself!
- There are a few points in the story where bluebell flowers play a big role. I didn’t explicitly say this in the book… but the climate is based more-or-less off Germany, where bluebells are quite rare. So in Enar, it takes a bit of effort to get a bouquet of bluebells! Not a simple gift!
Tour Schedule
If you’re even more curious about Knight’s Oath after reading this interview, click here for the full schedule. Here you’ll find the posts by the other amazing bloggers and bookstagrammers on this tour.
About the Author
Juliette Caruso is a lifelong daydreamer and fantasy lover. She has a B.F.A. in creative writing and tends to overthink everything. Her hobbies include cooking, drawing, hiking, and buying books that she won’t get around to reading. She lives in a townhome with her husband, one dog, two sugar gliders, and a scraggly garden.
Author Links
I’ve said it quite often, but I love reading about the authors behind the books. Knight’s Oath is definitely one I’m curious about. Adding it to my TBR!
