Raised in isolation on the magic-shrouded Isle of the Moon, five girls became five sisters. Now women, they are ready to claim their places in the world—and perhaps change it forever . . .
HOW TO LOVE YOUR ELF by KERRELYN SPARKS
Series: The Embraced #4
Publication date: February 25, 2020
Published by: Kensington Books
Genre: fantasy
SYNOPSIS
FLAME AND FORTUNE
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.
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 . . .
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kerrelyn Sparks apparently has issues with reality. After writing more than a dozen books about vampires, she has now completely gone off the deep end and wound up on another planet. But how thrilling that she can share this magical new world with her readers! Although she is best known (so far) for the Love at Stake series, which has hit as high as number 5 on the New York Times list and 22 on the USA Today list, she hopes her readers will love The Embraced as much as they did her merry band of vamps and shifters.
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How to Love Your Elf by Kerrelyn SparksMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
When I requested this, I was really excited by the synopsis and the fact that I found a first book in a new series centering around elves. It's listed as Embraced by Magic #1, unfortunately that's deceptive. This book is actually the fourth in The Embraced series, which I haven't read. I quickly noticed after starting that this did not have a first book feel at all. Details of side characters and wordbuilding were explained briefly in the assumption that these facts are merely to refresh the reader's memory of what came before. Although this can be read as a standalone, be aware before you start that you will have some mild spoilers about previous couples when reading this as their stories are discussed.
Princess Sorcha is one of five girls who were raised as sisters on the Isle of the Moon. Because of the circumstances of their birth, they are all considered "Embraced" because of the powers they were gifted with. Sorcha's brother Silas Dravenko, is the new king of Norveshka, and one of the few dragon shifters in existence. Three of her sisters have found love already, Gwenmore with her brother Silas.
Sorcha has made a vow to herself that she will resist falling in love because she fears growing an attachment to anyone. She sees herself as weak, feeling helpless and scared when her sisters were in danger in the past. This was one of the main conflicts which I felt was a pretty flimsy one. It was a matter of one or two days after meeting the hero that Sorcha believed herself in love with him. The insta-love was a bit much for me in this case. Their feelings were too much, too fast, making me question everything between them. After two days together, and another day spent apart she's already decided that she's in love with him and she knows almost nothing about him, not even his name and true identity. She still refers to him by his outlaw nickname very late into the book, because his secret identity is deliberately kept from her.
Dammit. She rubbed her brow. She’d had only three days with the Woodsman. It simply wasn’t enough time. There was still so much she didn’t know.
How could she mean so much to him so quickly? He paused at the top of the stairs leading down to the courtyard. There was only one explanation. He loved her.
The Woodsman is immediately smitten with Sorcha but for various reasons he constantly struggles internally with his feelings. The timing is the most important deterrent. Ever since his father was murdered, he's been plotting revenge, and his plans are on the verge of coming to fruition. He's also uncomfortable with her power to create fire with a snap of her fingers. Oddly, he believes she could accidentally set fire to the Living Oaks which didn't make a whole lot of sense to me to be honest. Is it really possible to accidentally snap your fingers? Fortunately, neither of them have much willpower to resist their paltry objections as to why they shouldn't fall for each other. Before long, they've waved the white flag to their chemistry and are fully devoted, despite the power struggle with the mysterious Chameleon and the Circle of Five who plot to destroy them.
While the instant romance was not to my particular taste, it may not be an issue for others. The romance was cute, if a little cheesy at times, but I did enjoy the banter between the main characters. I think my reading experience may have been a little more enhanced if I had read the previous books in the series first, so those who have been faithfully following will likely find more to appreciate as well. Overall, not a bad read, but it lacked the butterflies in the stomach romantic tension I hope to find. On the positive side, this was a fast read, and a simple fantasy if that's what you're searching for.
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