Title: How to Love Your Elf
Author: Kerrelyn Sparks
Series: Embraced by Magic #1
Publisher: Kensington
Release Date: February 25, 2020
Pages: 336
Book Source: Trade Paperback
“Sorcha knew the mission was dangerous. Leaving the safe grounds of her brother’s kingdom and parlaying with the elves across their border … well, treachery seemed at least as likely as true peace. But to support her sister, Sorcha would brave far more than the underhanded ways of the elves. Or so she thought, before she was taken hostage.
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Of course, her captors didn’t count on her particular abilities—or on the help of the Woodsman, the mysterious thief who made his home in the forest. He saw the battle from the trees, saw the soldier attacking against incredible odds to save a comrade—and then saw the valiant fighter revealed as Princess Sorcha of Norveshka. He can’t tell if he wants to kidnap her or kiss her. But despite Sorcha’s stubbornness, his inconvenient honor, and a rebellion on the cusp of full war, something burns between them that neither can let go …” – Amazon
Kim’s Review
Although How to Love Your Elf is the start of a new series, Embraced by Magic, by Kerrelyn Sparks, it’s a continuation of characters from her Embraced Series, so if you loved that series, you’ll want to continue it with How to Love Your Elf and book two, The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea, coming out August 25, 2020.
This is the first book I’ve read with any of these characters and Sparks incorporates enough information from past books that I didn’t feel confused when the characters referenced things that had happened previously. Sparks also gives enough character development to the side characters from previous books that they feel very fleshed out. And she does a fantastic job developing the main characters in How to Love Your Elf.
There is a lot of romance that takes place in this fantasy world, which is good to know in case you were looking for more of an epic fantasy. There is quite a lot of the main characters not thinking they should be with the other person for their own personal reasons that they thought were insurmountable, but as always in fantasy romance, love can conquer all. If The Woodsman and Sorcha would have taken five minutes to talk with each other then they could have gotten onto the sex part much, much faster. 😉
As with most fantasy books there are some great fight scenes and some secrets about lineage. While each book follows a similar formula, it’s the getting to know the characters where How to Love Your Elf really shines.
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