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Too Many Fairy Princes
"Happily ever after doesn t always come quietly. Sometimes it puts up a fight. "
Kjartan s family is royally dysfunctional. He d prefer to ignore the lot of them, but can t since his father has set him and his brothers on a quest to win a throne Kjartan doesn t even want. Worse, his younger brother resorts to murder and forces Kjartan to teleport without looking where he s going.
Art gallery worker Joel Wilson s day has gone from hopeless, to hopeful, then straight to hell. One minute he s sure his boss has found a way to save the floundering business, the next he s scrambling to sell everything to pay off a loan shark. If anyone needs a fairy godmother right now, it s Joel. What he gets is a fugitive elven prince in a trash bin.
They ll both have to make the best of it, because fairy tales run roughshod over reluctant heroes. Particularly when there aren t enough happy endings to go around.
This sweet romance contains a starving artist trying to scrape together a living, extreme sibling rivalry, royalty behaving outrageously, and elves being unreasonably beautiful, grotesque or deadly.
Kjartan s family is royally dysfunctional. He d prefer to ignore the lot of them, but can t since his father has set him and his brothers on a quest to win a throne Kjartan doesn t even want. Worse, his younger brother resorts to murder and forces Kjartan to teleport without looking where he s going.
Art gallery worker Joel Wilson s day has gone from hopeless, to hopeful, then straight to hell. One minute he s sure his boss has found a way to save the floundering business, the next he s scrambling to sell everything to pay off a loan shark. If anyone needs a fairy godmother right now, it s Joel. What he gets is a fugitive elven prince in a trash bin.
They ll both have to make the best of it, because fairy tales run roughshod over reluctant heroes. Particularly when there aren t enough happy endings to go around.
This sweet romance contains a starving artist trying to scrape together a living, extreme sibling rivalry, royalty behaving outrageously, and elves being unreasonably beautiful, grotesque or deadly.
237 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 5, 2013
25 people are currently reading
306 people want to read
About the author
Alex Beecroft
44 books299 followersSpaceships and galaxy spanning empires, conversations with angels, viking villages, haunted mansions and forbidden love in the Age of Sail... I love a good strong plot in an exotic setting, with characters you can admire, and a happy ending.
If you make a venn diagram of genres, including historical, fantasy, gay romance and mystery, I occupy the space in the middle where they overlap.
~
BTW, if you're thinking my reviews on here are a bit mean, most of the books I really enjoy will get a 4 star. I am saving 5 stars for books I find genuinely life changing. 4 is still "this was really really good, you should read it." 5 is "OMG, my mind is blown and my life will never be the same again."
If you make a venn diagram of genres, including historical, fantasy, gay romance and mystery, I occupy the space in the middle where they overlap.
~
BTW, if you're thinking my reviews on here are a bit mean, most of the books I really enjoy will get a 4 star. I am saving 5 stars for books I find genuinely life changing. 4 is still "this was really really good, you should read it." 5 is "OMG, my mind is blown and my life will never be the same again."
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November 16, 2013
The title of Alex Beecroft's book, "Too Many Fairy Princes," doesn't really quite do it justice.
It is too elegant, too delicately wrought, its emotions too genuinely felt, to be classed as a farce, which is what I think the title suggests. Maybe the author, who is a really wonderful writer, thought it would help sell it.
To be truthful, there is farce here, but it is more like a surreal comedy of manners, because the worlds of Kjartan and Joel are so different, their worldviews so completely alien to each other (at first), that it cannot help but make you laugh. But what struck me in reading this book was the wonderful sense of observation - the careful way the author makes us feel we are seeing something actually happen - the strangeness of Joe's discovery of a clearly magical creature right out of Tolkien collapsed behind his trash bins. The strangeness that Kjarten feels while experiencing reactions to this bumbling, awkward human that shouldn't even exist according to his training and his station.
Beecroft offers some of the most beautifully crafted narrative in the m/m genre, bringing in the paranormal/magical aspects of the tale as if she was an anthropologist studying an isolated tribe (which, of course, she is). And she doesn't make everything neat and tidy - we get the world of elves as it is, a mixture opulence and hatefulness. She lets us see Joel through Kjartan's eyes, and vice versa, and lets us feel what they feel with a gentle touch that traps us in the ultimate, crystalline truth of this fairy tale - that love is transformative, powerful, destructive, and potentially redemptive.
And, beyond all belief, HM Queen Elizabeth II appears, and it totally makes sense. Read it, you'll see.
It is too elegant, too delicately wrought, its emotions too genuinely felt, to be classed as a farce, which is what I think the title suggests. Maybe the author, who is a really wonderful writer, thought it would help sell it.
To be truthful, there is farce here, but it is more like a surreal comedy of manners, because the worlds of Kjartan and Joel are so different, their worldviews so completely alien to each other (at first), that it cannot help but make you laugh. But what struck me in reading this book was the wonderful sense of observation - the careful way the author makes us feel we are seeing something actually happen - the strangeness of Joe's discovery of a clearly magical creature right out of Tolkien collapsed behind his trash bins. The strangeness that Kjarten feels while experiencing reactions to this bumbling, awkward human that shouldn't even exist according to his training and his station.
Beecroft offers some of the most beautifully crafted narrative in the m/m genre, bringing in the paranormal/magical aspects of the tale as if she was an anthropologist studying an isolated tribe (which, of course, she is). And she doesn't make everything neat and tidy - we get the world of elves as it is, a mixture opulence and hatefulness. She lets us see Joel through Kjartan's eyes, and vice versa, and lets us feel what they feel with a gentle touch that traps us in the ultimate, crystalline truth of this fairy tale - that love is transformative, powerful, destructive, and potentially redemptive.
And, beyond all belief, HM Queen Elizabeth II appears, and it totally makes sense. Read it, you'll see.
November 28, 2016
This was a difficult book to read and it is a difficult one to review!
On the one hand, the story really interested me. I love fantasy worlds that meet with ours and the idea of elves coming to earth and getting in touch with humans was quite funny and appealing.
Unfortunately, the book had several major disappointments as well.
Sometimes it was interesting, sometimes funny but sometimes just plain stupid!
If you think I am kidding, well actually it is true, and that was only one of the developments that were highly irritating!
For example, the elves were depicted as cruel, without any feelings, which made it quite difficult to like Kjartan or "Kai" one of the main characters. How would you feel about your lover, telling you if you touched him in a way he would not approve, he would probably just rob you and leave you behind damaged and broken??? WTF?
Several of the actions were just inappropriate and certainly not what you would like to read in a gay romance.
The story overall was good enough to keep me interested, but honestly, I would not generally recommend it.
It was an ok read for me, some parts 4 stars, others rather 1, so I would settle for a medium rating of 3 stars!!
On the one hand, the story really interested me. I love fantasy worlds that meet with ours and the idea of elves coming to earth and getting in touch with humans was quite funny and appealing.
Unfortunately, the book had several major disappointments as well.
Sometimes it was interesting, sometimes funny but sometimes just plain stupid!
If you think I am kidding, well actually it is true, and that was only one of the developments that were highly irritating!
For example, the elves were depicted as cruel, without any feelings, which made it quite difficult to like Kjartan or "Kai" one of the main characters. How would you feel about your lover, telling you if you touched him in a way he would not approve, he would probably just rob you and leave you behind damaged and broken??? WTF?
Several of the actions were just inappropriate and certainly not what you would like to read in a gay romance.
The story overall was good enough to keep me interested, but honestly, I would not generally recommend it.
It was an ok read for me, some parts 4 stars, others rather 1, so I would settle for a medium rating of 3 stars!!
January 18, 2019
An entire extra star for being completely bananapants re: tone, plot, characters. Anything that happened was immediately dropped in favor of the next random event. The actual Queen of England is a character in this, talking to elves and you know what, I can't describe this, it can only be experienced, like tripping balls or getting food poisoning.
April 3, 2017
4.5 stars
Joel Wilson’s day cannot go any worse. Penniless, almost jobless, betrayed by his friend and boss, and threatened by a pair of thugs… He does not need an injured elf to look after. But he cannot leave him abandoned on the street, so he takes him home. Because something that beautiful cannot be wicked… Can he?
Kjartan's lost his little brother, and almost lost his own life, to the treacherous schemes of his ruthless brothers. But nothing can be worse that finding himself surrounded by humans, who are known for their cruel ways… Although this particular human seems quite naive… Can he be the answer to Kjartan's prays?
Such a charming story we have here. It is a really well-constructed book, which seems to work on two very different levels. On a superficial level, the story resembles a light comedy of errors, where two worlds clash into each other in the figures of Joel and Kai. Joel is a sweetie, one of those people who still expects to find the best in people, even though he's been betrayed many times in the past. It is his natural goodness what makes him take Kjartan to his place, only to be confronted to a very pissed, and deadly, Elf Prince. Kjartan has no reason to believe anything good can be expected from humans, and has been taught to despise feelings and affection. But the sweet nature of Joel's personality soon changes his mind. The dialogues and misunderstandings between these two are just hilarious. The Queen's imperviousness in the face of an attack form another dimension… hysterical. Joel and Kjartan fall in love, while learning to understand each other, and they achieve their HEA after several crazy adventures…
But there is a deeper level in this book, one which talks about wanting to be loved and being denied it. It is what happens to Joel, betrayed by his ex, and to Kjartan, whose culture considers feelings a weakness, and has to resort to create his own puppets to have someone to love him. It is also about duty and being what you are expected to be, when your heart lies somewhere else. So behind the comedy there is a sweet and sad story that may easily break your heart.
Alex Beecroft books are always masterpieces of beautiful narrative, and her stories have the ability to deeply move the receptive reader. My only complaint about this book is that I fear heartbreak at the end. Because Joel's lifespan will lead him to death, while Kjartan is by all means nearly in mortal… How will he survive the death of his first love? One can only guess….
Joel Wilson’s day cannot go any worse. Penniless, almost jobless, betrayed by his friend and boss, and threatened by a pair of thugs… He does not need an injured elf to look after. But he cannot leave him abandoned on the street, so he takes him home. Because something that beautiful cannot be wicked… Can he?
Kjartan's lost his little brother, and almost lost his own life, to the treacherous schemes of his ruthless brothers. But nothing can be worse that finding himself surrounded by humans, who are known for their cruel ways… Although this particular human seems quite naive… Can he be the answer to Kjartan's prays?
Such a charming story we have here. It is a really well-constructed book, which seems to work on two very different levels. On a superficial level, the story resembles a light comedy of errors, where two worlds clash into each other in the figures of Joel and Kai. Joel is a sweetie, one of those people who still expects to find the best in people, even though he's been betrayed many times in the past. It is his natural goodness what makes him take Kjartan to his place, only to be confronted to a very pissed, and deadly, Elf Prince. Kjartan has no reason to believe anything good can be expected from humans, and has been taught to despise feelings and affection. But the sweet nature of Joel's personality soon changes his mind. The dialogues and misunderstandings between these two are just hilarious. The Queen's imperviousness in the face of an attack form another dimension… hysterical. Joel and Kjartan fall in love, while learning to understand each other, and they achieve their HEA after several crazy adventures…
But there is a deeper level in this book, one which talks about wanting to be loved and being denied it. It is what happens to Joel, betrayed by his ex, and to Kjartan, whose culture considers feelings a weakness, and has to resort to create his own puppets to have someone to love him. It is also about duty and being what you are expected to be, when your heart lies somewhere else. So behind the comedy there is a sweet and sad story that may easily break your heart.
Alex Beecroft books are always masterpieces of beautiful narrative, and her stories have the ability to deeply move the receptive reader. My only complaint about this book is that I fear heartbreak at the end. Because Joel's lifespan will lead him to death, while Kjartan is by all means nearly in mortal… How will he survive the death of his first love? One can only guess….
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2019
3.5 stars
This was an interesting book. I liked the Fae side of it, the world and all. but it also had bits of whimsy that made it funny and weird at times.
This was an interesting book. I liked the Fae side of it, the world and all. but it also had bits of whimsy that made it funny and weird at times.
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March 20, 20193/20/19 Currently FREE via Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06...
March 5, 2016
I've said it before and I'll say it over, and over again. The secret to good writing is to not look like writing at all. The whole time I read this book, I felt like I was reading a book.
It is almost exactly the same as the dumb, silly stuff my friends and I used to write when we were bored. Unfortunately, that kind of thing is not nearly as much fun to read when you haven't had a hand in creating it.
It is silly, and the characters definitely have chemistry. (Although I sometimes wondered how believable either of them were as men. Curtsey? Really?) And the one thing that gives it a star and a half all on its own is the fact that, at effing last, here is a gay romance that does not use prejudice or the coming out story as the foundation or baseline of the conflict.
There are just a few too many logical inconsistencies for it to sit well with me. Kjartan is introduced as a bored, brutal prince, but then he's acting cute and childish because the human world has Technology. He also fails to intuit the importance of a human monarch, despite BEING A PRINCE. And... Sigh. If the magic of communication works on meaning, then verbal misunderstandings won't happen. Not in the same way, at least. That really bothered me, because it would have been fascinating to see how an entire culture communicates when the communication itself is not actually dependent on language.
But no.
Still! The whole thing is worth it for the Queen of England. I won't spoil it. Just... The Queen. Skip to chapter 8 or 9 and just read it for her.
It is almost exactly the same as the dumb, silly stuff my friends and I used to write when we were bored. Unfortunately, that kind of thing is not nearly as much fun to read when you haven't had a hand in creating it.
It is silly, and the characters definitely have chemistry. (Although I sometimes wondered how believable either of them were as men. Curtsey? Really?) And the one thing that gives it a star and a half all on its own is the fact that, at effing last, here is a gay romance that does not use prejudice or the coming out story as the foundation or baseline of the conflict.
There are just a few too many logical inconsistencies for it to sit well with me. Kjartan is introduced as a bored, brutal prince, but then he's acting cute and childish because the human world has Technology. He also fails to intuit the importance of a human monarch, despite BEING A PRINCE. And... Sigh. If the magic of communication works on meaning, then verbal misunderstandings won't happen. Not in the same way, at least. That really bothered me, because it would have been fascinating to see how an entire culture communicates when the communication itself is not actually dependent on language.
But no.
Still! The whole thing is worth it for the Queen of England. I won't spoil it. Just... The Queen. Skip to chapter 8 or 9 and just read it for her.
January 25, 2019
I thought this was a very sweet, low heat MM romance. I appreciated the diversity in the small cast and the happy for now ending. The writing was perfectly serviceable, but there wasn't anything particularly stand-out in the plot (other than it being about a prince, instead of a princess). It was pretty much exactly what you would expect it to be, nothing more/nothing less.
February 28, 2021
wow. this was. a book. i dont even really know what to say. everything was so much. the queen of england just kept coming back. the loan shark was magic. i. i think everyone should read this and also no one should read this. 2.5 stars
April 2, 2014
I'm not really sure what to think of this. In one way, I liked it enough to read it 'till the end but in another way, I was kind of disappointed. I was expecting something more epic, less ordinary. Maybe Kai to be less alien and more approachable. Joel to be more sure and not so lost. Maybe not to have elfs so cold and insensitive. That war was...horrible. All wars are but this was particularly unreasonable and idiotic. So many unnecessary deaths. I don't know. I just never got that happy feeling I have when reading a good story. This one just left me disillusioned and upset. I recognize it's creative, different and solid but...not much else. When it ended, I didn't even care if Kai stayed with Joel or not.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 21, 2013
This is very enjoyable, quite funny and wildly imaginative. At its heart, it's a story about two lonely men who find each other in highly coincidental (or are they?) circumstances.
Joel is wonderful and Kai is a wonder. They take ages to get together, but all the way through their love is there.
The dialogue is clever, the situations they get themselves into hilarious and there's nothing like the Queen of England to ensure we are on a crazy ride.
Joel is wonderful and Kai is a wonder. They take ages to get together, but all the way through their love is there.
The dialogue is clever, the situations they get themselves into hilarious and there's nothing like the Queen of England to ensure we are on a crazy ride.
December 9, 2013
Will come back to this eventually~ in a funky funk
April 10, 2014
Sweet, funny and romantic.
Creative world building, and beautifully written, the writing elevates this to 4 starts
MC's charming and believable (not that I know any elves)
Creative world building, and beautifully written, the writing elevates this to 4 starts
MC's charming and believable (not that I know any elves)
January 12, 2020
1. Murder elves coming to London is a veeery interesting premise and most of the reason why I picked this book up. I guess it did fulfill my expectations on that front? Maybe not as much as I could have hoped, but there was definitely a lot of elvish fish out of water content.
2. The romance was uh... okay, I guess. There's nothing objectionable about it and it also had a few really sweet moments. But the basic arc is
3. I think one part of the book I absolutely did not like was
4. The best part about this book was the Elflands. There's a lot of fascinating worldbuilding, some of which is genuinely creepy. Kjartan's mermaid-making is fascinating, and I would probably have spent the entire book focusing on developing that instead of The Elfland princes are also a lot of fun. They are such assholes and blue and orange morality is very much in evidence here.
5. Verdict: A fairly quick read, but the interesting stuff is abandoned early on for events that are somehow both more mundane and more fantastical. Not really to my taste, I think.
2. The romance was uh... okay, I guess. There's nothing objectionable about it and it also had a few really sweet moments. But the basic arc is
3. I think one part of the book I absolutely did not like was
4. The best part about this book was the Elflands. There's a lot of fascinating worldbuilding, some of which is genuinely creepy. Kjartan's mermaid-making is fascinating, and I would probably have spent the entire book focusing on developing that instead of The Elfland princes are also a lot of fun. They are such assholes and blue and orange morality is very much in evidence here.
5. Verdict: A fairly quick read, but the interesting stuff is abandoned early on for events that are somehow both more mundane and more fantastical. Not really to my taste, I think.
February 16, 2022
February TBR Challenge 2022 https://wendythesuperlibrarian.blogsp...
After seeing the prompt for this month's TBR Challenge was Fairy Tale, I looked though my TBR list and found this book by Alex Beecroft which I put on my list in 2012. I've enjoyed Beecroft's books in the past so I happily selected this for this month's challenge.
I admit after reading the blurb, I was thinking it would be a relatively light romp with perhaps some fighting, but mostly some funny moments of the fairy prince adjusting to the human world. I was wrong. Too Many Fairy Princes has a lot more in common with the original, unedited Brothers Gimm than with your average modern fairytale. It's at times brutal and unflinching. It's also beautifully written, incredibly creative, and tongue-in-cheek funny (a savvy Queen Elizabeth makes more than one appearance). The world-building is detailed and inventive. Kjartan and Joel are well developed and grow in strength and understanding over time.
It's interesting that Beecroft does not soften the realities of her fantasy world (or the real one) or make the actions of her characters more palatable for her readers. I was at times uncomfortable and wanting an easy out from the situation, but overall I'm actually very pleased the characters acted in ways consistent with their personalities.
Moral of the story: The "soft"emotions are not weakness, but instead are essential for being a good person and a good ruler. At the same time, no one gets through life without tough choices and sacrifice.
After seeing the prompt for this month's TBR Challenge was Fairy Tale, I looked though my TBR list and found this book by Alex Beecroft which I put on my list in 2012. I've enjoyed Beecroft's books in the past so I happily selected this for this month's challenge.
I admit after reading the blurb, I was thinking it would be a relatively light romp with perhaps some fighting, but mostly some funny moments of the fairy prince adjusting to the human world. I was wrong. Too Many Fairy Princes has a lot more in common with the original, unedited Brothers Gimm than with your average modern fairytale. It's at times brutal and unflinching. It's also beautifully written, incredibly creative, and tongue-in-cheek funny (a savvy Queen Elizabeth makes more than one appearance). The world-building is detailed and inventive. Kjartan and Joel are well developed and grow in strength and understanding over time.
It's interesting that Beecroft does not soften the realities of her fantasy world (or the real one) or make the actions of her characters more palatable for her readers. I was at times uncomfortable and wanting an easy out from the situation, but overall I'm actually very pleased the characters acted in ways consistent with their personalities.
Moral of the story: The "soft"emotions are not weakness, but instead are essential for being a good person and a good ruler. At the same time, no one gets through life without tough choices and sacrifice.
October 17, 2017
This was an alright book. The premise sounded quite interesting with attractive fae men, struggling artists, conflict, world-hopping, and a bit of dangerous attraction.
Kai was more apathetic than I hoped he would be. He has talent in virtually everything but takes all of it for granted. He has feelings that he was taught to abhor and deny and discard. This is a troublesome thing because the human he's imposing on is inspiring quite a few of those pesky feelings. In this world fairies have just as many stories about humans as humans do about them and most of them are quite unfortunate. These stories color Kai and Joel's first meeting and may of their interactions throughout the book. Most of the issues get worked out, and that's fine, it just takes a really long time.
The Dagnar situation was a bit of a surprise but not unexpected, I believe that was one of the best parts. Confessions were sweet and tender, the steam was pretty much non-existent, but their connection was pretty solid. Everything was concluded satisfactorily, the writing was just a bit dull. Even the conflicts with guns and war in Vagar were muted instead of intense. Overall, the book was fine, it was just a bit dry when it could have been so much more...well, more everything. 2.5 stars.
Kai was more apathetic than I hoped he would be. He has talent in virtually everything but takes all of it for granted. He has feelings that he was taught to abhor and deny and discard. This is a troublesome thing because the human he's imposing on is inspiring quite a few of those pesky feelings. In this world fairies have just as many stories about humans as humans do about them and most of them are quite unfortunate. These stories color Kai and Joel's first meeting and may of their interactions throughout the book. Most of the issues get worked out, and that's fine, it just takes a really long time.
The Dagnar situation was a bit of a surprise but not unexpected, I believe that was one of the best parts. Confessions were sweet and tender, the steam was pretty much non-existent, but their connection was pretty solid. Everything was concluded satisfactorily, the writing was just a bit dull. Even the conflicts with guns and war in Vagar were muted instead of intense. Overall, the book was fine, it was just a bit dry when it could have been so much more...well, more everything. 2.5 stars.
May 11, 2021
Oh my God, this book was soooo bad. 😂 I don't have words for it. I mean I didn't expect a masterpiece, but still.
It started out good, honestly good. But then something happened. The writing became lazy, the events completely, utterly implausible (and no, I'm not talking about an elven prince teleporting to Earth, that was the most plausible thing in this book), the characters fell in forever love after like 2 days.
And let's not talk about the plot "twists" that were predictable from the start.
It started out good, honestly good. But then something happened. The writing became lazy, the events completely, utterly implausible (and no, I'm not talking about an elven prince teleporting to Earth, that was the most plausible thing in this book), the characters fell in forever love after like 2 days.
And let's not talk about the plot "twists" that were predictable from the start.
June 1, 2017
This was a very weird book and really not much of a romance. Before the end which ends mid-foreplay, there are maybe 2 chaste kisses. It is completely fantastical, including QEII making a few appearances. There were some funny moments in it, but it is by far the worst book I've read by Alex Beecroft. I really don't know how this made it past a precursory imaginative stage.
December 28, 2018
Magical
Very imaginative and extremely well written! Loved the characters and the almost poetic (at times) styling of the author’s words. Simply exquisite. Loved!! Highly recommend!
Very imaginative and extremely well written! Loved the characters and the almost poetic (at times) styling of the author’s words. Simply exquisite. Loved!! Highly recommend!
December 28, 2018
This one was really beautiful. Different.
Rrcommended.
Rrcommended.
January 28, 2019
I liked this, but found it a little hard to get my brain around in the beginning, not too sure why.
March 21, 2019
4.5* I really enjoyed this!
April 23, 2019
MM romance.
June 26, 2022
3.5 stars
November 27, 2016
It had a few moments that kept me interested, but overall thiswasnot for me. Won't read it again.
November 4, 2013
This review can be found at The Blog of Sid Love.
This was a fascinating tale about Joel, a struggling artist who’s been forced to pick up the pieces of his boss’s financial problems, and Kjartan, an elven prince fleeing to Earth to save his life. When Joel finds Kjartan injured and unconscious near his home, he takes Kjartan in and cares for him. That is until Kjartan awakens and almost kills Joel for touching him. What follows is a slow-forming fondness between a haughty elven prince and a kind-hearted human while they try to stay alive fighting against a very deadly loan shark and Kjartan’s crazy brother who fancies assassinations.
It was hard for me to finally immerse myself in this story. One reason for that is because of Kjartan. I didn’t really like him in the beginning. He’s a pompous, arrogant prince that has no concept of what is considered grotesque or wrong. He creates disturbing creatures that have no right to be made. As the story progresses, though, you realize who Kjartan is in Vagar, is just a facade. More than anything he wants to be loved and cherished and that’s exactly what Joel gives him without demanding anything in return.
From the beginning Joel is a sweet, kind man. You might see him as naive and innocent but, in fact, he’s experienced how horrible people can be but doesn’t let that get him down. He’s strong and sincere but knows wrong from right and refuses to just sit back and let something wrong happen when he knows he can change it. I LOVED Joel but more than anything I loved what Joel does to Kjartan. He makes the usually conceited prince mellow and opened Kjartan’s eyes to what love is. It’s sweet in a way but also interesting to see the transformation that Kjartan goes through just by being around Joel for a short time. It’s lovely and made me eventually love Kjartan, too!
One thing this story has, that I wasn’t expecting, was action. When Kjartan fled Vagar, it meant his brother, Tyrnir, would eventually find him and try to assassinate him to become King. While Kjartan doesn’t want to be King, he also doesn’t want to die, which is why he flees for his life. I liked the mix of Kjartan’s problems and Joel’s problems and how they eventually merge. More than that, I liked Kjartan’s world and how unique and gruesome it is. It’s vastly different than Earth, made up of a kingdom that values emotionless and cold-hearted beings. It’s repulsive and disgusting but at the same time fascinating to experience Vagar and the creatures that inhabit it.
There were a few issues I had with this story. My main issue being how much I struggled to get into it in the beginning. It took about a third of the story for me to really get invested. There were also times when there was too much purple prose for my taste to the point that I would get confused at what was trying to be conveyed. More than once, I was left scratching my head at what I just read. Then again, that could just be because Kjartan has a very regal upbringing that confused me at times. I’m not quite sure. Either way, it still left me wondering what in the world was trying to be said.
All in all, I enjoyed the book once I got into it. I liked the world Ms. Beecroft created and how detailed it was. The characters were fascinating and had multiple layers to them that gave them a great amount of depth. The conflicts provided enough action and suspense to keep me reading and overall, the story was a delight to read. Definitely recommended for those who are fantasy fans who adore The Prince and the Pauper type stories.
This was a fascinating tale about Joel, a struggling artist who’s been forced to pick up the pieces of his boss’s financial problems, and Kjartan, an elven prince fleeing to Earth to save his life. When Joel finds Kjartan injured and unconscious near his home, he takes Kjartan in and cares for him. That is until Kjartan awakens and almost kills Joel for touching him. What follows is a slow-forming fondness between a haughty elven prince and a kind-hearted human while they try to stay alive fighting against a very deadly loan shark and Kjartan’s crazy brother who fancies assassinations.
It was hard for me to finally immerse myself in this story. One reason for that is because of Kjartan. I didn’t really like him in the beginning. He’s a pompous, arrogant prince that has no concept of what is considered grotesque or wrong. He creates disturbing creatures that have no right to be made. As the story progresses, though, you realize who Kjartan is in Vagar, is just a facade. More than anything he wants to be loved and cherished and that’s exactly what Joel gives him without demanding anything in return.
From the beginning Joel is a sweet, kind man. You might see him as naive and innocent but, in fact, he’s experienced how horrible people can be but doesn’t let that get him down. He’s strong and sincere but knows wrong from right and refuses to just sit back and let something wrong happen when he knows he can change it. I LOVED Joel but more than anything I loved what Joel does to Kjartan. He makes the usually conceited prince mellow and opened Kjartan’s eyes to what love is. It’s sweet in a way but also interesting to see the transformation that Kjartan goes through just by being around Joel for a short time. It’s lovely and made me eventually love Kjartan, too!
One thing this story has, that I wasn’t expecting, was action. When Kjartan fled Vagar, it meant his brother, Tyrnir, would eventually find him and try to assassinate him to become King. While Kjartan doesn’t want to be King, he also doesn’t want to die, which is why he flees for his life. I liked the mix of Kjartan’s problems and Joel’s problems and how they eventually merge. More than that, I liked Kjartan’s world and how unique and gruesome it is. It’s vastly different than Earth, made up of a kingdom that values emotionless and cold-hearted beings. It’s repulsive and disgusting but at the same time fascinating to experience Vagar and the creatures that inhabit it.
There were a few issues I had with this story. My main issue being how much I struggled to get into it in the beginning. It took about a third of the story for me to really get invested. There were also times when there was too much purple prose for my taste to the point that I would get confused at what was trying to be conveyed. More than once, I was left scratching my head at what I just read. Then again, that could just be because Kjartan has a very regal upbringing that confused me at times. I’m not quite sure. Either way, it still left me wondering what in the world was trying to be said.
All in all, I enjoyed the book once I got into it. I liked the world Ms. Beecroft created and how detailed it was. The characters were fascinating and had multiple layers to them that gave them a great amount of depth. The conflicts provided enough action and suspense to keep me reading and overall, the story was a delight to read. Definitely recommended for those who are fantasy fans who adore The Prince and the Pauper type stories.
February 18, 2017
The title let me expect a sweet fairy tale in Disney style. What I got was so much better: "real" sidhe, merciless conflict, a clash of cultures and the dawning of understanding and love. Not to forget the Queen with a hunting rifle.
Don't read "Too Many Fairy Princes" if you are looking for erotica or sweet romance, you'll be disappointed - read it if you want speculative fiction with lgbtq characters.
Don't read "Too Many Fairy Princes" if you are looking for erotica or sweet romance, you'll be disappointed - read it if you want speculative fiction with lgbtq characters.
January 3, 2014
I did enjoy this book. I wouldn’t call it great literature or anything, but it was an enjoyable read. It’s a pretty classic Romance plot, the world-travelling love interest having to be rescued in present-day time (the flipside of the other trope, the love interest traveling BACK in time), and as such things go, I think it was well done. I actually think the author did a good job with the world of the elves, their culture and their description.
This is why I think the author should have avoided mentioning Tolkien. It wasn’t needed–the reader got that these were beautiful elves. The world wasn’t Middle Earth, so why compare it? I get that the character might think such a thing. But I think it detracted from the beauty and differences of Beecroft’s own elves. You made them different–now own it!
Other than that little nit, I only had one other issue with the story line, which was the strange resolution between Joel and Drake, his nemesis or at least the guy who is trying to kill him. The battle in the flat was a bit hard to follow and it just seemed a little too neatly packaged as a solution. I think I would have liked something more there. Perhaps more clues ahead of time (won’t say why–spoiler). Again, it just felt a little artificial. The stuff between Joel and the Queen, however, was priceless. I ate that stuff up, as well as all the little nuances of having an elf in modern London–Nutella!
I see that this writer has other historical gay romance out there, so I’ll have to check it out. What I saw here tells me that while this writer is still developing, Alex has a strong grasp on the romance side of things, and I look forward to seeing more.
This is why I think the author should have avoided mentioning Tolkien. It wasn’t needed–the reader got that these were beautiful elves. The world wasn’t Middle Earth, so why compare it? I get that the character might think such a thing. But I think it detracted from the beauty and differences of Beecroft’s own elves. You made them different–now own it!
Other than that little nit, I only had one other issue with the story line, which was the strange resolution between Joel and Drake, his nemesis or at least the guy who is trying to kill him. The battle in the flat was a bit hard to follow and it just seemed a little too neatly packaged as a solution. I think I would have liked something more there. Perhaps more clues ahead of time (won’t say why–spoiler). Again, it just felt a little artificial. The stuff between Joel and the Queen, however, was priceless. I ate that stuff up, as well as all the little nuances of having an elf in modern London–Nutella!
I see that this writer has other historical gay romance out there, so I’ll have to check it out. What I saw here tells me that while this writer is still developing, Alex has a strong grasp on the romance side of things, and I look forward to seeing more.
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