A Deal with the Elf King

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“I am your king.” Eldas takes a step forward and I lean back. But he’s still too close. His long form is oppressive. He looms over me. I plant my feet and refuse to let him make me feel small. I will be the bud that sprouts from the gray rock of this place. I will be the flower that blooms even despite his shadow. “You are a moody prince glorified with a thorny-looking, iron crown,” I snap back. “You’re selfish and self-centered. You have no idea how to speak to people or relate to them. Any compassion and effort you exert to know someone is nothing more than a ruse to get what you want out of those around you.” 

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A Deal with the Elf King Summary

The elves come for two things: war and wives. In both cases, they come for death.

Three-thousand years ago, humans were hunted by powerful races with wild magic until the treaty was formed. Now, for centuries, the elves have taken a young woman from Luella’s village to be their Human Queen.

To be chosen is seen as a mark of death by the townsfolk. A mark nineteen-year-old Luella is grateful to have escaped as a girl. Instead, she’s dedicated her life to studying herbology and becoming the town’s only healer.

That is, until the Elf King unexpectedly arrives… for her.

Everything Luella had thought she’d known about her life, and herself, was a lie. Taken to a land filled with wild magic, Luella is forced to be the new queen to a cold yet blisteringly handsome Elf King. Once there, she learns about a dying world that only she can save.

The magical land of Midscape pulls on one corner of her heart, her home and people tug on another… but what will truly break her is a passion she never wanted.

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A Deal with the Elf King Review

This light and quick read from Elise Kova is fantastic. I love a good retelling and this one follows Hades and Persephone and Beauty and the Beast. They are not wrong when they said fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses would like this standalone.

The world that Elise Kova built for the Married to Magic series is rich. The world includes almost every major type of magical creature you would want to see. While we only got to touch on a small part of it in this novel, all the Married to Magic novels will be taking place in this world.

The main characters, Luella and King Eldas, are well developed and each have their own distinct personality. Luella is an herbalist focused on maintaining her hard-earned independence and being at service as a healer to Capton whom supported her financially when he parents couldn’t to complete her studies of Herbology. 
She is an accomplished young woman yet little did she know that magic lingered in her blood and that magic determined her fate: to become the bride of the Elf King.

This standalone novel is great if you are looking for a quick fix of romance and fantasy without having to get into a long term series. It is short and sweet but is well paced and well written. Once you finish the book you should definitely read the extra chapter from Eldas POV. I look forward to reading the next books in the Married to Magic series.

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More about Elise Kova

Elise Kova is a USA Today bestselling author. In her past lives, she has graduated from an MBA program, lived in Japan for a bit, and worked for a Fortune 500 technology company. However, she finds herself much happier in her current reincarnation as full-time author. When not writing, she can usually be found playing video games, drawing, watching anime, or talking with readers on social media. She’s happy to call Florida her home, but is always looking forward to her next trip.

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More Books by Elise Kova

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Married to Magic Series

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