Fierce Heart by Tara Grayce

New Adult Clean Fantasy

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Fierce Heart (Elven Alliance #1) by Tara Grayce

5 STARS, New Adult Clean Fantasy, My format: e-book

Goodreads Synopsis | Buy on BookShop

Human Princess Essie agrees to a peace-alliance marriage to the elven Prince Farrandel, who is known for his terrifying feats on the battlefield.

Personal Review:

This is for those of us who wished the Lord of the Rings was only about the elves.

And Essie is my new favorite heroine EVER.

I loved this book. I loved the world, the politics, the magic, the characters, being immersed in a "new" culture, the writing. I am in complete awe of how authors can create such a magical place with such a heartfelt story.

The elf culture is so beautiful and yet so stilted. Stiff expressions, harsh judgments of imperfections, and intense battles lead the way. Farrendel did not exactly fit some of these molds and had many reasons to hide throughout the book.

But Essie, oh Essie was amazing. I want to BE Essie. Her heart was gold. She embraced adventure and was ready to love, and I couldn't help but appreciate every part of her story. The patience she had with Farrendel was unmatched. And the way he returned the affection in his own time, without cutting her off, was so brilliantly done.

This is the way love stories should be done. There was no extra drama (from the couple, maybe a little from the family), and affection grew slowly and comfortably without any sort of physical spice. This was a love that gave us time to believe it and grow with it. Clean romance at its best.

Content Warnings:

fantasy war-killing (of trolls)