A mortal woman caught in a fae snare, Calypso intends to survive. A king fighting a never-ending curse, Azulin strives to be free. Together they face The Fae King's Labyrinth . Complete description coming soon!
This was engrossing and cute - a nice escape for a few hours. Like all Elisa Rae novellas, I am caught up in it, even as there are parts I question or want to know more about. I was pulling for the main couple. In this story, there’s a constant run of, “we really need to talk about…” or “have you talked to her about…” and it’s always, “no, there hasn’t been time” until I didn’t buy it, not just from the character, but from the author. Like, instead of merely thinking, “wow, this character really doesn’t want to have this conversation he really needs to have with that character,” I started thinking, “the author doesn’t want to write this conversation.” After a while the other character finds out most of the mystery stuff anyway, and handles it with remarkable aplomb, so no problem. Then there’s a new conversation a friend of the first character suggests he have with the second character. He acknowledges the wisdom of this, acknowledges to himself that he’s afraid to have the conversation….and never has it. The final conflict happens, the book ends, there’s an epilogue that pops the reader into the future and presumably they had the conversation at some point. Though, I wouldn’t lay money on it.
On the up side, her family issues aren’t left completely unresolved, which is something that happened in a previous novella in this world, I think. Also, up side, these stories are sort of like catnip for me, and I want to read them anyway, even though I know there will be things that feel unfinished to me.
I really enjoyed this one. It actually reminded me of Tara Grayce's Mountain of Dragons and Sacrifice, and, of course, it has the mood characteristic of Elisa Rae. I was expecting it to be full of fighting scenes and monsters, but thankfully that only took up about three-four chapters, and then after that, it was mostly about how they resolved various dangerous situations that kept popping up.
I especially liked how protective Azulin was of Calypso. Azulin's much more powerful than Calypso is, but at the same time, Calypso has a lot of her own strengths, especially emotionally and mentally. She's really good at dealing with people, whereas Azulin tends to shy away from that, so it makes them the perfect pairing!
Also, not really important, but why do I keep reading about the king of the elves having the name "Emyrs" or "Emery"? I feel like I've encountered this across more than just two series, haha.
Content: CLEAN. No curse words or explicit scenes. There's some kissing, but it's not heavily depicted. Usually it only takes up a line or two like "and then they kissed" (but in far better writing than my paraphrase, of course).
The humor, the action, and the romantic tension keeps you turning page after page wondering what will happen next. Calypso and Azulin are perfect for each other. I 💜LOVE her inner wisdom and Azulin 's need to protect her from the mysterious person that hurt him. She is so smart and I 💜LOVE how it is her wits that helps protect them both. I also💜LOVE how it sweeps you into a whole other world. Then you have the twist and turns along with the Pooka. I 💜LOVE that character even more now, but no spoilers. He is just so funny🤣. Herman oh boy that sithcat is so cool. I could go on and on, but I don't want to spoil anything. I could not put this one down. Oh one last thing I 💜LOVED is that Greyson from the first book was in it🤩. So if you loved the first then you MUST read this one.
I VERY HIGHLY RECOMMEND
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author and was not obligated to like or dislike it. I am saying this in accordance to Federal Guidelines about Advertising.
I received this Audiobook for free. My opinions are my own.
In my review for the previous book in this series I said, "What I would have liked to have more of, if it had been a longer story, was the interactions & time that the couple spent together." This book is more than 3 hours longer, but it feels like there are even fewer meaningful interactions. I am not sure they had even a single personal private conversation in a non-crisis situation before they started making important decisions about how to proceed with their relationship.
NARRATION: This is "Dual" narration (each reads the whole chapter in their POV) and I found it it a bit more jarring than usual that each character had 2 different "voices" depending in which narrator was speaking. That said, the narration was fine.
Sadly, this one just didn't work for me that well. I wasn't into the romance, and I wasn't into the plot; so, when I had to stop I wasn't excited to start again. But I am still planning to give the series another chance with the next one.
f you love fae, fantasy world, wholesome romance, and grumpy-sunshine trope, read this on!
It’s book 2 in the series, and I highly recommend reading the first book (or even if you feel adventurous, read the Elves of Eldaran, and you’ll enjoy this book even more!). So many appearances take place, and it’s such a delight to see the characters you fell in love before. However, the main characters, Calypso and Azulin, will surely make into your hearts, as well. There is goodness, stubbornness, shyness, strength, beauty, and so much more. They are very relatable; their relationships and its growth is a joy to watch, and though many things happen in the labyrinth, it is the world outside it that solidifies their love and your sense of completeness. The reading is easy, enjoyable, and clean. And though there are no cliffhangers, the hinting for more story development won’t help but entice you to wait for more.
As much as I loved the first book, I loved this one even more. The Fae King's Labirinth is a lot more action packed, though, with the MCs trying to find their way out of a labyrinth for the most part of the book, and weaving their way around fae court politics and deceit for the rest of it. The labyrinth gave me a similar vibe to the Kejari, so I would recommend this book to people who enjoyed The Serpent And The Wings Of Night. But with no spice, whatsoever. A few kisses is all you'll get. You'll love this, too, if you like:
✨ a cursed MC ✨ action packed fantasy romance ✨ fae court politics ✨ a mate bond ✨ forced proximity ✨ sweet romance ✨ no spice ✨ a fun and captivating read ✨ cat shifter (this was a first for me)
As usual, Elisa Rae has written another heartwarming , captivating story. Calypso is a stubborn, quiet, unshifted shifter and Azulin is an overwhelmed fae with a cold facade to hide just how much he's losing all the pieces. Dealing with forced proximity in a race against death, the moon, and the Unseelie King and surely you still have time to notice what that niggling feeling is in your head, and your heart, and your....arm? For those that have read the Elves of Edarlan and/or Greyson's book, we finally get to see what has been happening to the Seelie King after years of hints and warnings. Which, I don't know about you, but I was ready to know by the first mention.
I really enjoyed the first book in this series, a Fae continuation of her Elvin series, which was also very good. Illeron from the first series plays a role in this story.
A Seelie King has been cursed by and Unseelie king. For years he's been trying to find a way to break his curse, but to no avail. Each month he must go through some trial or on the Hunt, but this month he is sent into a labyrinth where he finds a shifter female human and a pooka. As he seeks to protect the shifter, somehow they become bound - and if I share much more it will be a spoiler. I guess if you want to know more you'll have to read the story! It is very good and it's clean!
First of all, I want to clarify for those expecting a novella, that this is more than 250 pages, so it’s definitely a novel. So if you’re looking for an actual 75-200 page novella, this isn’t it.
We good? Good.
This was cute. There were definitely a few issues. The prose could have used a polish, and there were a few minor plot holes that need to be addressed. But it was clean! So if you’re looking for a sweet fantasy romance with protagonists you can root for without worrying if the story will turn pornographic, this book will give you what you’re looking for.
It was sweet and clean ! This book is a nice little escape in fantasy, where you can just follow the story and turn your brain off. I did find it a bit ridiculous at moments but always in a nice way. I liked the first volume of the Courts in Conflict serie and I liked this one too : I will definitely be reading the third volume of the serie and I have no doubt that it will also make me smile !
Quick with a hint of epic, this story kept me engaged and wanting more. I could easily read a full novel length sequel or four. I want to know what happens to the rest of the folk? I want to hear the happily ever after tales of other characters too! In all I'm super excited for the next book.
This one was longer and had more details than the first novella, but there is an inconsistency that is rather large that really bugged me. Calypso says she doesn't know her true name while in the labyrinth, but then when they get married she provides it no problem. Then suddenly he can do a naming ceremony and give her a new true name? It was inconsistent and too convenient.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Azulin and Calypso's story has so many interesting twists and turns. I loved meeting the elves of Eldarlan again. They are faithful friends and all the alliances are getting stronger. Elisa Rae tells their stories so well.
A light fantasy read with plenty of action and a sweet romance. Calypso and Azulin were too cute together! And great side characters, too— I’m hoping Ghost gets his own book in the future!
Book1 & 2 are great reads but be prepared to be sad that book 3 is not released yet;) I love that these are clean reads and I can and will recommend anything from this author!