Safe & Sound in the Arms of an Elite Knight: Volume 1

by Fuyu Aoki, Minori Aritani (Illustrator), Dawson Chen (Translator)

Though she was born a noble, Chloe Ardennes has spent the first sixteen years of her life in servitude, scorned by her own family as a “cursed child.” Finally forced to her breaking point, she flees for the royal capital. But rather than happiness, she finds yet more danger there. Just as the city’s dark side threatens to swallow her whole, the dashing and stoic knight Lloyd Stewart comes to her aid and whisks her away. Has Chloe at long last found the sanctuary she’s so longed for?

Genres: Light Novel, Romance, Fantasy, Manga, Comics, Fantasy Romance

220 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 19, 2023

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this so much, but its glacial pacing and awkward romance prevented it. I understand the characters' trauma, and I applaud the author for making it real, but the balance is off, and in the end I was a little bored rather than swept off my feet.

[Cindee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this very sweet story with bits of trauma and abuse Chloe came from a horrible abusive mother to find people that care for her and an eventual caring love interest in Lloyd. I just love these kinds of books short with much sweetness and just enough other things to keep you interested in the story. I really loved the characters especially Chloe and Lloyd they get close pretty quickly with each of them opening up about their past to each other over time. I love that even with what Chloe lived with and all of the terrible abuse she is a genuinely caring and compassionate girl. The plot was really interesting it starts with the terrible abuse Chloe suffers from her mother and how she is used to this and wonders is that all her life will be not long after her mother tries to kill her so she escapes. After that she finds both help and acceptance in many people she even finds love looking forward to them actually getting together. So overall I loved this book it was an easy and really interesting read.

[Anne Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet & Satisfying

A very wholesome romance. Sweet in that it revels in the simple joys & wonders of life. Just the kind of romance I love.

[River · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fantastic "I'm going to bed" book. I read what I felt like was two to three pages for several nights and passed out in the middle several times. The book is nothing too exciting, not too much dimensionality to the characters and the plot is so easy to follow when you're already too tired to figure out much of anything. Great for putting me to bed. Suppose I'll read the next book in much the same way.

[Mk · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is... so bad. First of all: almost nothing happens in this book. Second, the "romance" consists 90% of her cleaning his house and cooking for him and him being like wow, great! In exchange he treats her decently and that's enough for both of them to consider having feelings for each other. Third, the remaining aspect of their "romance" is him patting her on the head like a dog. I wish I were joking.

[Aelvana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chloe has been tormented most of her life, due to the birthmark which leads others to conclude she's been cursed. But when she finally snaps and runs, she stumbles into the one thing she never expected: a knight who swoops in to save her.

So this was better than I was expecting. Both Chloe and Lloyd have trauma, and the story actually recognizes that and makes an attempt to deal with it. I think it handles Chloe better than Lloyd (he comes off as unintentionally hilarious even after knowing what's prompting all his "in the jungle" remarks), but the fact that it even tries does a lot to elevate the story.

The volume otherwise plays out exactly how you would expect from the description. Chloe and Lloyd meet, he takes her home to recover, and ends up hiring her on as a housekeeper. From there the two start falling in love, although neither of them actually knows that's what's happening so there's nothing more than feelings and blushes so far.

Overall, I think it's the right move to have the relationship progressing so slowly. It's giving both characters time to heal as people before making the romance front and center. If you're in the mood for some fluff with a dark underbelly, Recommended.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok, with clumsy writing and some unrealistic details. Her family was horrible, but the level of abuse was over the top, particularly since they didn’t seem to even think of it as odd. I mean, her mom came after her with a knife…

So she has trauma and can’t even hold a knife, which doesn’t make sense - I can see if she reacts to seeing someone else with a knife, but holding it herself shouldn’t be a problem. But she got over a lifetime of serious abuse within a couple of weeks of living with Lloyd…

Then you had a bunch of morons who decided to get revenge on Lloyd for beating them up. They discover that he is an elite knight, which they pay a huge amount of money to find out. How did they get the money? I don’t even know. But they get 15 thugs to jump him. I understand there is strength and numbers, but that has its limits against a trained warrior. However, Lloyd almost does get seriously injured because he isn’t using his sword because she might be afraid. What. I am pretty sure that if he gets incapacitated or killed, she will be in a lot more trouble than just being a little bit scared.

[DancingMarshmallow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall: 4 stars

This is the fluffiest fluff, and I loved it. We start out with a typical Cinderella story, with our heroine, Chloe, being subjected to physical and emotional abuse by her family. This chapter is fairly short, but if those subjects are hard for you, just skip to chapter 2.

Chloe decides she’s had enough abuse and runs away to start a life of her own in the capital city. There she’s rescued from thugs by the hero, Lloyd, who is knight and also a precious, gentle soul. He takes Chloe in and offers her a job as his housekeeper.

Pros:
* lovely artwork
* Domestic skills as a super power!
* Lloyd is a caring, gentle hero <3
* Praise kink?? (it was kinda cringe tho)
* Chloe stands up for herself
* It’s a fantasy setting that’s not a isekai! (No modern heroine getting transported into another world)

Cons:

* it’s a pretty quick, short read
* Some cringey moments with Chloe bowing to Lloyd etc. He shuts it down and tells her she doesn’t have to be so deferential but still, I felt kinda icky from it

Overall, I enjoyed this manga in all its fluffy, sweet glory and I’m off to volume 2.

[R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a twist on a Cinderella tale with Chloe as the sister who is treated as less than a servant, this time due to a birthmark that is the reason she is labeled as a "cursed child". After escaping her home and somehow surviving the trek to the capital, she is fortunate enough to cross paths with Lloyd, one of the First Order Knights. The two of them are equal parts awkward and lost, with their own dark pasts that perhaps allow them to understand each other better than others, even if they aren't aware of it yet. Chloe is just coming to terms with her own feelings and wanting to share her story with Lloyd at the end of this volume after learning of Lloyd's past. Time may be running out it seems as her mother is still searching for her, and now her sister is heading towards her new haven, even if neither are aware.

[Chi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a rather sweet and uncomplicated story of two people with rather traumatic childhood, finding each other, and ending up supporting each other.

On the downside, there is a case here for heaps of wish fulfilment, insta-love between the leads, and a case of weird additions: such as mentions of jungles, where the world is one that's rather European in nature, talk of "karaage" and Japanese bath practices / ettiquete (again, odd to find mentioned in a Euro-centric story), as well as moments where the author was describing elements commonly found in manga (beetroot red blushes, invisible question marks hanging over the characters' heads).

Other than above, the story did its job: it was a fun piece of escapism. :)

[Librarian Jessie (BibliophileRoses) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a simp for these kinds of stories. Fast-paced, emotional, and drama-ridden.

To summarize, the main character flees her abusive mother and ends up in a knight's care...
The issue?

She's scared of knives & sharp shiny weapons.... and he's a knight with a big ass sword.

That being said, he's super sweet and supportive of her. Not once does he judge her for her fears. Instead, he takes caution in caring for her, ensuring she's safe and ok. He waits for her to talk and doesn't push her to discuss her trauma. Let me tell you, even if the author cuts corners (which respectably I understand skipping the "traveling from point a to b" in the intro), I will always like the light novel solely for the amazing man that was birthed from this tale.

Thank you

[Mariána K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing special, mostly mediocre

I feel like the beginning portion up until the two main characters meet was rushed. It made Chloe's journey feel more of an inconvenience for the author than a part of her character. The antagonist for the story was weak and there really wasn't any tension for the story. Everything came really easy and felt weird.

I think it was a very simple read with nothing particularly good or bad going for it. I am curious about the developments for the next book though, since it is implied she will have to confront her nasty family.

[Siu Lum · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the first volume in this series.

Chloe escapes from an abusive home and heads to the capital city. She encounters some thugs and Lloyd, an Elite Knight, saves her. When Lloyd realizes that Chloe has no one, he offers her a job as his housekeeper.

This is such a sweet read and I love how their relationship developed.

I am looking forward to reading the next volume.

[J-Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

You read the first novel and skimmed the second novel. Actually, this is your second time reading this volume and it does not bring you joy, so don’t try for a third time. I get it; the title and cover is interesting, but you were bored to tears.

[Vania Zhao · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty much what you might expect of a romantic light novel, it was fairly cute though.

[Gaea · Rating 4 out of 5]

RTC

[Queen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the book to be very sweet and heartwarming. I enjoyed the depth of the characters emotions and the way the author described each emotion the characters were feeling.

[China · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute

Cute book, low stakes, slightly shallow characters, but it fits the “cozy novel” genre very well. Not sure I will be reading the second book or not.

[Alarna · Rating 4 out of 5]

good. :)

[Saidah Gilbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boring romance tropes. Cardboard characters and then inconsistent worldbuilding. Still it was a sweet romance in spite of that.

[mellsmurmur · Rating 2 out of 5]

в первой части буквально ничего не происходит. все одно и то же: она готовит, они вместе тусуют, они обмозговывают каждый свою ситуацию. why.

[Sammie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the stuff for romantics right here. The story is simple and straightforward but very healing for the soul.

Our main couple are both lonely and damaged individuals who somehow make their way to each other. They find a hard-won peace with each other and slowly but surely build a life together despite the ebons of darkness circling.

The writing is a bit simple but it effectively managed to grasp my heart and tear ducts. The relationship between the main pair is awkward, natural and really amusing. It's not a heavy read, there are a lot of sweet and quiet moments, but your heart will definitely be squeezed a number of times.

There isn't a lot of action or tumultuous events, it's certainly a romance, slice-of-life, but with everyday they are together, they grow closer and the readers' hearts get sweeter.