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 . . . 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 … 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 . . .
more
How to Love Your Elf is book four in The Embraced series by Kerrelyn Sparks.
I’m not sure why the author or publisher decided to label this novel as Embraced by Magic series when it’s part of The Embraced series. It’s not a title that can be read as a first in a series. How to Love Your Elf needs to be read after Eight Simple Rules for Dating a Dragon.
I’ve loved the previous titles in The Embraced series, but unfortunately this one feel off the mark.
If you’ve been following the series, Sorcha, is a princess and ‘Embraced’. She was featured throughout the series as a women with a fiery personality, but we soon learning that that’s just a front. She’s scared to love to the point that she makes herself physically ill. I was very disappointed to learn that Sorcha wasn’t the go getter she was portrayed. She lacked confidence in everything she did, even her Embraced gift is next to nothing. She was dull and spent the novel pining and obsessing over the Woodsman.
The Woodsman had a sexy appeal. I liked his confidence and strong personality. He was the only thing I liked about this novel.
The store progressed at a snails pace. I was not invested in the characters or plot. The main plot focused on the angst caused by the romance between these two. We also don’t spend any time dealing with who the Woodsman is and his history. As for the ending it happens fast and things are put to rest way to easily.
You might be wondering why I read this one. Well I loved the previous novels, I also wanted to get the full picture on the Embraced prophecy; which is the secondary plot featured throughout this series, and to also get those surprise tidbits offered up in the novel.
How to Love Your Elf was not the book for me. It’s my least favorite and I was sadly disappointed. If the blurb intrigues you, I urge you to give it a shot. Just because it did not work for me does not mean it won’t for you.
Rated: 2 Stars
*Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy provided by Kensington via NetGalley with the sole purpose of an honest review. All thoughts, comments and ratings are my own.
How to Love Your Elf by Kerrelyn Sparks is book One in the Embraced by Magic and book 4 in The Embraced Series. I have read the previous book sin the Embraced series which did add to my enjoyment and understanding of this one. But I did fee you could make it a standalone book if you wish to do so. This is the story of Princess Sorcha and The Woodsman (name is raveled toward the end). Sorcha has seen her friends and family fall in love but she herself doesn’t want to. But when she meets the Woodsman she starts to have feelings that she can’t seem to stop. The Woodsman is out for revenge and doesn’t need distractions which Sorcha is defiantly that with their immediate connection and with her abilities. I have love this author’s writing. She takes you into another world and you just can’t put her books down. Loved it.
Fans of Kerrelyn Sparks’ original “Embraced” series will be delighted to learn that this new series takes us back to Aerthlan and picks up where that one left off!
Sorcha has sworn off love, she is determined to escape the fate the telling stones predicted and not fall in love, especially not with an elf! She is in Norvshka with her brother King Silas and his new bride Gwennore, when Gwen gets a letter from her mother Princess Jenetta of the Elven country of Woodwyn, requesting to meet her. Sorcha insists on going with her and soon it is clear that the letter was a ruse and they are ambushed. Gwen and Silas escape, but when the dragon shifter Aleksi is injured, he and Sorcha are captured by the Elves.
An outlaw elf known as the Woodsman witnesses the battle and helps them escape, he too is “embraced” and has the power to manipulate wood and can communicate with the trees. He is immediately attracted to Sorcha, but he has a mission to complete and has no time to pursue a romance. He tells her he will get help for Aleksi’s injuries and return her to her family. She is wary of him, but with no options, she agrees to accept his help. She is attracted to him, but as he doesn’t fit the description of the man the stone foretold, she doesn’t believe he is “the one” – but she wishes he was! She is upset when she learns he is an outlaw, but soon realizes he is actually protecting the people of Woodwyn, acting as a sort of Robin Hood. The more time she spends with him, the more she wants him, but he is not her destiny…or is he?
This was a well written, fast paced story with lots of humor, some action, a little magic, new and old villains, secrets, surprising revelations, some steamy love scenes, shifters, elves, dragons, cameos with her adopted sisters, some heartbreak and finally a well-earned HEA complete with an epilogue that sets up Maeve’s story. I really enjoyed this book – it was a fun read that pulls you into the fictional world of Aerthlan and the Embraced. I had so much fun reading this book that I didn’t want the story to end and when I got to the last page it left me anxiously awaiting the next book!
If you like historical paranormal romance (but be warned – the dialogue is decidedly modern) – you must read this series. This is the first book in the Embraced by Magic series published by Kensington Books, but it is not the first book Kerrelyn has written about the sisters – You could read this book as a stand-alone novel, but I suggest looking into this authors backlist.
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the Publisher.*
How to Love Your Elf is the fourth in the Embraced by Magic Series. This is not my usual genre, and I thought the title was a little strange. I quickly became enchanted by the book. If you are a fan of fairy tales, fantasy, and romance- this book is for you. It has dragons, elves, and warrior princesses! Enjoy the story of Princess Sorcha of Norveshka and the Woodsman!
Sorcha is afraid of love, the feelings evoked when someone she cares about is in danger scares her. She watches her family and worries that she won’t or can’t handle the emotions that spill from her so she has see not to fall in love. She is ready for an adventure and when a meeting between the elves is set up Sorcha knows her place is by her sisters side. When the meeting turns into an ambush and Sorcha is captured she has to use her power to help herself escape but using said power is scary. She always afraid that she will go to far and not be able to control it. While trying to escape she is aided by a man known as the Woodsman, a man of mystery who lives among the trees in the forest. Attraction is I stand between the two but neither wants to go down that road. The Woodsman has a path that he needs to follow to become the man he is meant to be. Sorcha doesn’t think he is the man she is destined to be with so she isn’t ready to get involved. The problem for these is that the attraction between them can’t be denied. Follow along as these two play a cat and mouse game with their emotions. Will they throw caution to the wind or will they both deny what is right there in front of them.
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.
I have loved this whole series. Now I am waiting for the last sister to get her story.
Dragons, castles, magical talents, shifters, talking trees, wicked evil villains, and a love story. What’s not to love ? It was a fun read, a hard to put down storyline and there was a very sexy mysterious Woodsman. It was the perfect book to save me from watching “the big football game” LOL
Sorcha, is a princess with an attitude. She’s part of an extended family of women raised in an orphanage. She is not one to be quiet and sip her tea while the men plan, no she will get into it. I like her 😀
The villains were so vile ! Seriously it was easy to hate them and wish terrible things happen to them. There is a mother, a winner of the worst mother award fro sure. The things she does ! She’s not bright, or terribly beautiful just cutthroat to the bone. Another one that just made my blood boil with a sniveling privileged man/boy who thought he was owed. I may have cheered loudly as a few of them fell.
I hadn’t read any of the Embraced Books that this series came from and was a bit lost in the beginning but quickly figured out the little details and how they fit together. The snippet for the next book at the end sounds really good. I’ll be reading it for sure.
I’ve loved each story so far of the girls who grew to be sisters, each of them embraced with special abilities. This was a great addition to the previous books! (But the beginning of a new series? I can get behind that!)
Sorcha is captured when a plan to meet Gwen’s mother fails. Even as she sets out to rescue herself, a stranger interferes. Soon she’s taken captive again, this time by the Woodsman. But the further they travel and the more she learns about him, she begins to question if she’s his captive or if he’s rescuing her.
The Woodsman was a great hero. Not over the top about the heroine, but irresistibly drawn to her. I loved that she confused him and his emotions and often times had him talking to himself. She sent him on quite a bit of a chase.
’She was definitely a sneaky one. Unpredictable. Surprising. A challenge.
His mouth tilted up. He’d always enjoyed a challenge.’
While Sorcha was tough enough when needed, she suffered from anxiety when anyone she cared for was in danger. To me, that just seemed like what any normal person would do, but for some reason it was a negative characteristic, at least for her. However, I loved her innocence (gotta read about the community picnic) and her ability to keep the Woodsman guessing.
’”The Woodsman will have a plan.”
Liz smirked. “The Woodsman always has a plan.”
The crowd gave the Woodsman an expectant, hopeful look as he came to a stop in front of them.
“So?” Father Kit turned toward him. “What’s the plan?”
Hell if I know.’
This has a lot of humor interspersed within the drama and action. With some political intrigue as well as threats from a force that wants to rule the world, this story had plenty of layers to keep me engaged. There is a lot of romance here but very little steam. Normally, that would be okay but there was also a lack of chemistry between the hero and heroine, so even when I did get to what should have been the steamy parts, I just kinda skimmed through them. However, that did not take away from my overall enjoyment of this book.
I have loved this series from the beginning and was so excited to read How to Love Your Elf. Despite it being labeled the first in the series, you need to read the first three books to understand this one. You will be lost. The world-building is fantastic, but it spans all the books with kingdoms falling and raising in each book. While there were adequate explanations as to who was whom, the relationships between kingdoms weren’t explained. In some instances, it took days to get somewhere and in others the trip took hours. It would have been immensely helpful to have a comparison between dragon flying speed and horse-riding speed mentioned and consistently used throughout the book.
Our hero is the Woodsman who is a magical Robin Hood who doesn’t disappoint. He is a complex ball of decisive action and childhood insecurities that make him positively swoon-worthy. He has the power to talk to trees which allows for characters from previous books to be kept in the loop and join the action. He also can manipulate things made of wood which is not a common superpower in the books I have read. I loved experiencing the different ways he could use this power in battles, chases, and ruses. Not to mention that the Woodsman is a rough-and-tumble guy with the courtly manners of a knight in shining armor. He’s hot for Sorcha from the minute he sees her but provides the slow, romantic courtship fit for a princess.
Sorcha was a young, impressionable, hopeless romantic in the first three books, in my opinion. I looked forward to her story because she wanted her turn with the stones until the stories of her sisters scared her. I thought this book would be her return to romance and conquering her fears. Instead, her character completely changed. She starts the book bitter that she is alone but determined to stay alone and bitter. Her statements and overall attitude were very off-putting. Once she meets with the Woodsman, her protests become more about her reading from the stones than the character of the Woodsman. She likes him (I think) but doesn’t want to miss out on the guy predicted by the stones. This seems too petty for the character I had grown to love in the previous books. I’m glad she came around for the Woodsman’s sake (if she didn’t want him, I was ready to stand in), but I would have liked her to spend more time wanting to get to know him rather than obsessing over the stone colors.
There are a ton of new characters and political battles introduced in this book that weren’t completely explained so I was hoping Woodwyn was getting its own series. I was disappointed that the numbering change was a publishing decision not the start of something new. I enjoy this world and can’t wait for the shapeshifters to get their story in the next book. Overall, I recommend this book as continuity between the first three books I loved and the last in the series which I am excited to read.
How To Love Your Elf is book 4 in Kerrelyn Sparks Embraced series. Because these last two were done by a different publisher, they have a different series name (Embraced by Magic rather than A Novel Of the Embraced) but they are the same series and this is definitely book 4. Though you could read any of these books separately, you will miss a lot if you do. Each book is a different sister’s story, but the five have an overarching story line that makes you Jones for the next book whenever you finish one.
This is Sorcha’s book. Sorcha is an interesting character: she’s not shy or quiet, but neither is she nearly as bold as she pretends to be. And she is absolutely terrified of falling in love. That makes for an interesting story since this is a romance. She discovers that she is braver than she thought and learns to take the reins of her own life and make it her own.
The woodsmen is a rather enigmatic and secretive fellow and the whole things smacks of Robin Hood. If Robin were an elf. I loved it. I also loved how Sorcha manages to endlessly ruffle the normally infuriatingly cool headed rogue. It’s a tossup between him and Silas as to who my favorite hero of this series is, though Brody might try to beat them out yet.
I don’t want to give anything away because where’s the fun in that, so I’ll suffice to say that our pair made a great team, a fun couple that fought their attraction tooth and nail (we know it’s inevitable, so it’s fun to watch them squirm isn’t it?), and who earned their happy ever after. There’s plenty of action, some carnage, a bit of sorrow (I teared up at one point), some steam, a dose of humor (honestly I adored Alexi and his fervent attempts to keep our Sorcha safe), some sweet bonding time with elves, and of course some sisterly love. You really have to read this series. It’s amazing.
How to Love Your Elf
Kerrelyn Sparks
Kensington Publishing Corp.
March 2020
#HowToLoveYourElf
The cover and title drew me to this book and once inside I was pulled to another land.
The main character Sorcha takes you on a journey in which you meet many different characters, each with their own stories to tell.
This is a great read. I look forward to reading the next book in the Embraced by Magic Series: The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea.
I just love this series. It is such fun and every book puts a smile on my face. They are low on the angst and so easy to just devour. Sorcha and the Woodsman were such fun and I really enjoyed the Robin Hood inspiration with this one. Sorcha is so feisty and the Woodsman was a planner and those personalities clashed in the best ways. I also loved delving into the realm of the elves and expanding this world even more. And of course, I still love Brody and I am so excited his book is finally next!
Sorcha was raised on the Isle of the Moon with 4 other orphan girls. Their closeness brought them together and made these girls sisters. Now that they are grown three of her ‘sisters’ have moved on with their life. They have married and taken their place in the world. Sorcha feels isolated and powerless. She wants to make a difference and protect those she loves. I liked how much she cared. When she goes with Gwennore as one her guards, she puts herself at risk. Their enemy could use her as a hostage since she’s a princess and heir to the throne. When Sorcha is captured along with her dragon shifter protector, she has to use her embraced power of fire to try and escape. The Woodsman, a brigand, has come to rescue and her wounded dragon. He’s drawn to this stubborn princess. As these two argue sparks fly. I loved how these two challenged each other. Both are strong willed and stubborn. Their romance added spice to this tale. I wanted to see if Sorcha and the Woodsman had a HEA in their future. I enjoyed seeing how he communicated with the Living Oaks. The trees played a big part in the story. I enjoyed reading How To Love Your Elf. Kerrelyn Sparks pulled me into this fantasy with her passionate characters and action packed story. The romance between Sorcha and the Woodsman was icing on the cake.
I received a copy of this book which I voluntarily read and reviewed. My comments are my honest opinion.
I received this book from Kensington Publishing Corp. but this review is my own opinion. Although I do like movies with elves, dragons, etc, I have surprisingly never read a book in this genre. This author is also new to me. I loved this book! Every time I picked it up to read, I didn’t want to put it down. There are 2 small, but somewhat descriptive sex scenes so keep that in mind for young adult readers. I loved the storyline and that the main character is a strong, independent young woman. There are elves, dragons, shape shifters, royalty and the Woodsman who can communicate with the Living Oaks. There is romance, fighting, castles and mysterious forests. This is book one in the Embraced by Magic series. I’m looking forward to reading book 2 when it releases on August 25, 2020. I do recommend this book.
Having read the previous three volumes of The Embraced, I have been waiting for Sorcha’s story. As I enjoy the easy readability of this romantic epic-fantasy series, I was not disappointed. It does require that the reader buys into the paranormal rules of this world and accepts that they speak with 21st century slang but have Tolkien Middle-Earth technology. The solid world-building continues. We learn more about the races that populate Earthlan, as well as the political mechanizations that have brought its people to war against each other. The romance is carried out more by listening in to Sorcha’s and The Woodsman’s thoughts, as they are obviously attracted but unwilling to speak of it. There is a nice blend of humor and suspense/danger.
I requested and voluntarily read an advance review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley and I offer my honest opinion in response.
I absolutely love this series.. I can not get enough of these books…
These two character’s are fighting hopeless attraction to each other
*both with opposite gifts, 1 speaks and workers with wood, the other controls fire
*he finds her brave, determined, stubborn , comfort , a sweet distraction, honour, bravery, and loyalty
*This book had some funny parts where I burst out laughing.. the tricks they played
*I love the little quirky these two are and their little jokes
* by the end she doesn’t care if “He is the one” but falls in love and turns out the he is the one
This series is fantastic.. can’t wait for the next book
This book is the 4th in the series, but can easily be read as a stand alone novel. In the world of Aethlan those born when the two moons embrace are born with special powers. In the 4 mainland kingdoms they are considered unnatural and killed. 5 girls were sent from the mainland and raised in a convent on the 5th island kingdom. As this book begins, 3 of the women have learned of their families and found love and position as queens. Gwen has discovered a brother who is half dragon shifter and has married one of her “sisters”. While trying to save her friend from an attack she is kidnapped, twice, and finds herself trusting the thieves who kidnapped her from the bad guys and in the midst of a revolution. We know there will be a happily ever after (HEA) because that’s why we love Kerrlyn Sparks. At the end of the book, we’ve discovered new dangers facing the women and the uncertain future of a favorite character. Waiting patiently for the completion of the series.
Ok so its been almost 2 years since the last book come out in which that was the last time I read it. It took me a bit to remember all of the characters and who is who. But then this story took off! Im 60+% in and I can’t put it down. It does have some cheesy lines, but its funny. This might be my favorite in the series. I cant wait to see how it ends and Im looking forward to the last book for sure.
I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
How To Love Your Elf by Kerrelyn Sparks was a different, unique and original story which, for me personally, was enjoyable and entertaining read. Without giving any spoilers away, it is the story of five girls who became sisters, and includes marvelously crafted characters like the kings, queens, princesses, and characters who turn into dragons breathing fire in their efforts to protect themselves, their families and their kingdom against conflict and battle with the ferocious elves. It is a magical, enchanting tale of how the characters work to make themselves strong so they can defend each other and their homes as well as learning to recognize what love is and come to terms with their feelings and how to love. The author’s creation of these characters and the magical storyline she very carefully and successfully wove was, in my opinion, sheer genius. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I understand it is part of a series, but I personally believe it could also be read as a stand alone book.