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A review by madimun
A Dance with the Fae Prince by Elise Kova
3.0
“Every time, I was “unreasonable” for reading between the lines. But that’s where the truth always lies, isn’t it? The unsaid between.”
***
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
***
the second book in Elise Kova’s ‘Married to Magic’ series was full of adventure, mystical fae lore and, of course, a cute, binding romance.
the story begins with Katria, a young woman with a dark past that is sold into marriage with a man she has never met by her conniving step-mother. as she grapples with these drastic life changes, Katria is drawn deeper into the secretive nature of her new husband and all of his peculiar ‘rules’, one of which she breaks to learn the truth about her new marriage and the man she is now bound to for life. katria, unprepared for what exactly that truth would tell, is then thrust into a world of magical beings, maliacial rulers and love - in relationships and with herself.
i enjoyed Elise’s first book of the series, ‘A Deal with the Elf King’ when i read it several months ago. it was my first introduction to Elise as an author, and i found her story-telling elements were fleshed out with captivating plots and brooding romances.
this story was no different.
(SPOILERS AHEAD)
that being said, this book did not blow my mind, nor will it stay with me for very long. some aspects of the story were lightly surprising. i like how she writes her male love interests, all dark and brooding and handsome. her female characters can be interesting with some buildable backstory. i find that her female characters, at least from this series, come from somewhat similar traumatic circumstances. i get it. it’s easy to love the broken character that finds a lifetime of love and happiness in the end. i just wish she was more complete as a character, outside of her life before marrying a fae. i hoped the same for davien as well. that being said, there’s only so much you can ask for in a stand-alone novel that is around 300 pages.
the smut, though. oh my god, don’t even get me started on the smut. listen, i like smut as much as the next fantasy romance lover but it must be done well. some of the exchanges between katria and davien were just pure ~cringe~, SJM levels cringe, and it ruined the romance for me a bit. believe me, no one wants to read about how ‘the heavens will dance with their stars’ or whatever the fuck the book said. it took me right out of the moment when i had to literally roll my eyes into the back of my skull. i get that these fantasy romance authors want to razzle and dazzle their readers with the sweetest smut fluff there is but, when i read a line like that, any investment i had in the romance goes completely out the window. it’s intoxicatingly sweet. completely unlike anything anyone would ever say levels of sugary smut. i’ll reprieve from my soap box, now.
if you’re looking for a cute story as a buffer between larger, grander tales, look no further than this series. it’s better written than some books of a similar caliber out there. just don’t expect to remember the characters in a week or recall details of the book at a thought.
***
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
***
the second book in Elise Kova’s ‘Married to Magic’ series was full of adventure, mystical fae lore and, of course, a cute, binding romance.
the story begins with Katria, a young woman with a dark past that is sold into marriage with a man she has never met by her conniving step-mother. as she grapples with these drastic life changes, Katria is drawn deeper into the secretive nature of her new husband and all of his peculiar ‘rules’, one of which she breaks to learn the truth about her new marriage and the man she is now bound to for life. katria, unprepared for what exactly that truth would tell, is then thrust into a world of magical beings, maliacial rulers and love - in relationships and with herself.
i enjoyed Elise’s first book of the series, ‘A Deal with the Elf King’ when i read it several months ago. it was my first introduction to Elise as an author, and i found her story-telling elements were fleshed out with captivating plots and brooding romances.
this story was no different.
(SPOILERS AHEAD)
that being said, this book did not blow my mind, nor will it stay with me for very long. some aspects of the story were lightly surprising. i like how she writes her male love interests, all dark and brooding and handsome. her female characters can be interesting with some buildable backstory. i find that her female characters, at least from this series, come from somewhat similar traumatic circumstances. i get it. it’s easy to love the broken character that finds a lifetime of love and happiness in the end. i just wish she was more complete as a character, outside of her life before marrying a fae. i hoped the same for davien as well. that being said, there’s only so much you can ask for in a stand-alone novel that is around 300 pages.
the smut, though. oh my god, don’t even get me started on the smut. listen, i like smut as much as the next fantasy romance lover but it must be done well. some of the exchanges between katria and davien were just pure ~cringe~, SJM levels cringe, and it ruined the romance for me a bit. believe me, no one wants to read about how ‘the heavens will dance with their stars’ or whatever the fuck the book said. it took me right out of the moment when i had to literally roll my eyes into the back of my skull. i get that these fantasy romance authors want to razzle and dazzle their readers with the sweetest smut fluff there is but, when i read a line like that, any investment i had in the romance goes completely out the window. it’s intoxicatingly sweet. completely unlike anything anyone would ever say levels of sugary smut. i’ll reprieve from my soap box, now.
if you’re looking for a cute story as a buffer between larger, grander tales, look no further than this series. it’s better written than some books of a similar caliber out there. just don’t expect to remember the characters in a week or recall details of the book at a thought.