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Dark-Elves of Nightbloom #1
No Man Can Tame
A human princess. A dark-elf prince. A kiss of fire and powder.
After a failed courtship in an ally kingdom, twenty-one-year-old Princess Alessandra returns home to a land torn apart by mutual hatred between the humans and the dark-elves. The "Beast Princess," as Aless is known by courtiers, confidently sets her mind to ways of making peace, but her father has already decided for her: she is to marry one of the mysterious and monstrous dark-elves to forge a treaty, and go on a Royal Progress across the kingdom to flaunt their harmonious union. While she intends to preserve the peace, the Beast Princess has plans of her own.
Prince Veron has been raised knowing his life is not his own, but to be bargained away by his mother, the queen of Nozva Rozkveta, to strengthen the dark-elf queendom. When his mother tells him he is to marry a self-absorbed, vile human, he is determined to do his duty regardless of his personal feelings. After arriving at the human capital, he finds the "Beast Princess" rebellious and untamed—and not to be trusted.
Aless and Veron face opposition at every turn, with humans and dark-elves alike opposing the union violently, as well as their own feelings of dissonance toward each other. Can two people from cultures that despise one another fall in love? Can a marriage between them bond two opposing worlds together, or will it tear them apart for good?
After a failed courtship in an ally kingdom, twenty-one-year-old Princess Alessandra returns home to a land torn apart by mutual hatred between the humans and the dark-elves. The "Beast Princess," as Aless is known by courtiers, confidently sets her mind to ways of making peace, but her father has already decided for her: she is to marry one of the mysterious and monstrous dark-elves to forge a treaty, and go on a Royal Progress across the kingdom to flaunt their harmonious union. While she intends to preserve the peace, the Beast Princess has plans of her own.
Prince Veron has been raised knowing his life is not his own, but to be bargained away by his mother, the queen of Nozva Rozkveta, to strengthen the dark-elf queendom. When his mother tells him he is to marry a self-absorbed, vile human, he is determined to do his duty regardless of his personal feelings. After arriving at the human capital, he finds the "Beast Princess" rebellious and untamed—and not to be trusted.
Aless and Veron face opposition at every turn, with humans and dark-elves alike opposing the union violently, as well as their own feelings of dissonance toward each other. Can two people from cultures that despise one another fall in love? Can a marriage between them bond two opposing worlds together, or will it tear them apart for good?
357 pages, ebook
First published April 18, 2018
2395 people are currently reading
5703 people want to read
About the author
Miranda Honfleur
22 books2,332 followersMiranda Honfleur is a born-and-raised Chicagoan living in Indianapolis. She grew up on fantasy and science fiction novels, spending nearly as much time in Valdemar, Pern, Tortall, Narnia, and Middle Earth as in reality.
In another life, her J.D. and M.B.A. were meant to serve a career in law, but now she gets to live her dream job: writing speculative fiction starring fierce heroines and daring heroes who make difficult choices along their adventures and intrigues, all with a generous (over)dose of romance.
When she’s not snarking, writing, or reading her Kindle, she hangs out and watches Netflix with her husband, gets constantly tackled by her dogs Gizmo and Luna, and plays board games with her friends.
Her next book release is the fifth volume in the romantic epic fantasy Blade and Rose series, The Dragon King, slated for release (barring any further apocalyptic events and meteors) in Q3 2021.
Blade and Rose, a romantic epic fantasy series (ongoing), includes:
1. Blade & Rose
2. By Dark Deeds
3. Court of Shadows
4. Queen of the Shining Sea
5. The Dragon King – forthcoming
6. Immortelle – forthcoming
+ Winter Wren (A Blade and Rose novelette) – available for free on www.mirandahonfleur.com
The Dark-Elves of Nightbloom, a series of fantasy romance standalones (ongoing), includes:
1. No Man Can Tame
2. Bright of the Moon
3. An Ember in the Dark (forthcoming)
4. Crown to Ashes (forthcoming)
Demon Dropout, an urban fantasy series (ongoing), serialized on Kindle Vella and Patreon every Thursday, includes:
1. Slay Date
The Witch of the Lake, a mythic dark young-adult fantasy series (completed) with Nicolette Andrews, includes:
1. Feast of the Mother
2. Fate of the Demon
3. Fall of the Reaper
For regular updates on her releases, be sure to sign up to her newsletter on www.mirandahonfleur.com.
In another life, her J.D. and M.B.A. were meant to serve a career in law, but now she gets to live her dream job: writing speculative fiction starring fierce heroines and daring heroes who make difficult choices along their adventures and intrigues, all with a generous (over)dose of romance.
When she’s not snarking, writing, or reading her Kindle, she hangs out and watches Netflix with her husband, gets constantly tackled by her dogs Gizmo and Luna, and plays board games with her friends.
Her next book release is the fifth volume in the romantic epic fantasy Blade and Rose series, The Dragon King, slated for release (barring any further apocalyptic events and meteors) in Q3 2021.
Blade and Rose, a romantic epic fantasy series (ongoing), includes:
1. Blade & Rose
2. By Dark Deeds
3. Court of Shadows
4. Queen of the Shining Sea
5. The Dragon King – forthcoming
6. Immortelle – forthcoming
+ Winter Wren (A Blade and Rose novelette) – available for free on www.mirandahonfleur.com
The Dark-Elves of Nightbloom, a series of fantasy romance standalones (ongoing), includes:
1. No Man Can Tame
2. Bright of the Moon
3. An Ember in the Dark (forthcoming)
4. Crown to Ashes (forthcoming)
Demon Dropout, an urban fantasy series (ongoing), serialized on Kindle Vella and Patreon every Thursday, includes:
1. Slay Date
The Witch of the Lake, a mythic dark young-adult fantasy series (completed) with Nicolette Andrews, includes:
1. Feast of the Mother
2. Fate of the Demon
3. Fall of the Reaper
For regular updates on her releases, be sure to sign up to her newsletter on www.mirandahonfleur.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 633 reviews
February 22, 2019
Unfortunately I couldn't get past the fact that this seemed an exaggerated Radiance by Grace Draven ("ugly" human and fae with different skin colour and long nails). Note: Radiance is far better. Even if I could have let this go, Alessandra drove me crazy. Her single minded focus on building a library without funding for a people with zero money and who are starving to death was just ridiculous. Vernon wasn't bad, he did call out Aless on her behaviour. The story started with a fizzle and sputtered to a simplified ending.
August 8, 2023
✅ Arranged marriage
✅ Elves
✅🆗 Pace
🆗 Characters
🆗 World-building
🆗 Plot
❌ Romance / Insta-love
2.5 stars
The beginning of this story is interesting, and there is potential, but once I got to know the main character, I started to lose interest. Aless, the main female character, apparently has a rebel streak and is not afraid to speak her mind, which I love, but while she speaks about peace and wants to teach everyone to read (because it was her mother’s dream), she can’t think about anything else than her library project. She can’t see the bigger picture, can’t see that people are starving, poor, and sick. At least Veron did call out Aless on her self-centered behavior early in the story. Still, I was not impressed by Aless as the main character, she has no depth and we don’t even get to see her famous “feisty temper”, she is strong-willed and obstinate, but besides that, she is quite meek and boring.
On the other hand, Veron, the dark-elf prince is nice and respectful. Even though his culture is very different from Aless’s he tries his best to accommodate her and to make her happy in their forced marriage. I have to say though that the almost insta-love was not my cup of tea. They meet the day before the wedding (or was it the same day?), and after 2 or 3 days together, she already thinks about how it would be to kiss him, and how she can’t seem to resist him, while he thinks about how pretty and amazing she is, and how he has to protect her at any cost. Honestly, their dialogues had me rolling my eyes more than once.
Hello Mr. intensity! Let’s take a minute to remind ourselves that this intense declaration was made a few days only after they meet and wed, and they come from two completely different worlds.
Some parts of the backstory were also vague. The dark-elves mention the Sundering from which they awaken, but we do not really know what the Sundering is, why they’ve been asleep for hundreds or thousands of years and why suddenly they awoke…
Maybe it’s just me who was not in the mood for this kind of fast-paced romance. It felt like a rushed beauty and the beast retelling. You know, a version where Belle falls in love with the Beast after two days, and where the Beast is all open-minded and caring and is ready to sacrifice his life for his Belle after knowing her for only a few weeks. I still enjoyed reading this story, but I really don't think that I will read the next book, sadly the (almost) insta-love and bland characters really killed it for me.
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✅ Elves
✅🆗 Pace
🆗 Characters
🆗 World-building
🆗 Plot
❌ Romance / Insta-love
2.5 stars
The beginning of this story is interesting, and there is potential, but once I got to know the main character, I started to lose interest. Aless, the main female character, apparently has a rebel streak and is not afraid to speak her mind, which I love, but while she speaks about peace and wants to teach everyone to read (because it was her mother’s dream), she can’t think about anything else than her library project. She can’t see the bigger picture, can’t see that people are starving, poor, and sick. At least Veron did call out Aless on her self-centered behavior early in the story. Still, I was not impressed by Aless as the main character, she has no depth and we don’t even get to see her famous “feisty temper”, she is strong-willed and obstinate, but besides that, she is quite meek and boring.
On the other hand, Veron, the dark-elf prince is nice and respectful. Even though his culture is very different from Aless’s he tries his best to accommodate her and to make her happy in their forced marriage. I have to say though that the almost insta-love was not my cup of tea. They meet the day before the wedding (or was it the same day?), and after 2 or 3 days together, she already thinks about how it would be to kiss him, and how she can’t seem to resist him, while he thinks about how pretty and amazing she is, and how he has to protect her at any cost. Honestly, their dialogues had me rolling my eyes more than once.
This was where she belonged, safe in his arms. And never in his life, in centuries, in millennia, would he allow her to be taken. Ever. If she was in danger, he’d follow her to the end of the world, to the end of life itself. Because this was where he belonged, too. With her.
Hello Mr. intensity! Let’s take a minute to remind ourselves that this intense declaration was made a few days only after they meet and wed, and they come from two completely different worlds.
“What you don’t realize is that I have loved you long before I ever laid eyes on you.” He turned her, his eyes heavy lidded as he raised her chin. “How’s that, my love?” “I have dreamed of these abundant, sprawling, vining roses, wild and beautiful, even their scent,” she whispered. “And when I came here, saw the Bloom—it can’t be possible, but I dreamed of this place long before you ever brought me here. You were my dream, Veron, and you came true.”
Some parts of the backstory were also vague. The dark-elves mention the Sundering from which they awaken, but we do not really know what the Sundering is, why they’ve been asleep for hundreds or thousands of years and why suddenly they awoke…
Maybe it’s just me who was not in the mood for this kind of fast-paced romance. It felt like a rushed beauty and the beast retelling. You know, a version where Belle falls in love with the Beast after two days, and where the Beast is all open-minded and caring and is ready to sacrifice his life for his Belle after knowing her for only a few weeks. I still enjoyed reading this story, but I really don't think that I will read the next book, sadly the (almost) insta-love and bland characters really killed it for me.
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March 26, 2019
3 Very Tepid Stars
I downloaded this book because of the cover, which I thought was pretty and the plot sounded good, and whilst it was a not bad one time read, I didn’t find myself transported to the world the author had constructed. I felt that the world building was lacking and the author needed to clarify somethings such as why Alessandra was viewed/known as the Beast Princess.
This book very much reminds me of Grace Draven’s Radiance. This book also involves a human woman marrying a sharp nailed, dark-skinned Fae of royal blood, in a bid to create an alliance and peace between their two species. One difference is that the Fae Queen in this one is nicer (kind of).
I also needed more dimensions to the two main characters, and more intensity in their interactions, I wanted something to hold my attention tightly even if it was for a moment, but that didn’t truly happen.
Acquired via KU.
I downloaded this book because of the cover, which I thought was pretty and the plot sounded good, and whilst it was a not bad one time read, I didn’t find myself transported to the world the author had constructed. I felt that the world building was lacking and the author needed to clarify somethings such as why Alessandra was viewed/known as the Beast Princess.
This book very much reminds me of Grace Draven’s Radiance. This book also involves a human woman marrying a sharp nailed, dark-skinned Fae of royal blood, in a bid to create an alliance and peace between their two species. One difference is that the Fae Queen in this one is nicer (kind of).
I also needed more dimensions to the two main characters, and more intensity in their interactions, I wanted something to hold my attention tightly even if it was for a moment, but that didn’t truly happen.
Acquired via KU.
dnf
July 20, 2019DNF At 1 hour and 36 minutes (audio book)
I couldn't even get through this book with it sped up. The narrator wasn't bad but the main character only knew how to rebel to try and get a library built. I understand it meant a lot to her mother but would it kill her to look at the bigger picture? A library is a great idea when everyone's at peace and no one is starving or dying of disease. If I had only enough money for one of those things you can bet I'd help the people first and think on the library in a few years. The male counterpart was overall nice and respectful. I didn't mind him in the slightest, which I wasn't expecting to be the case.
My other problem with this novel may be because I'm not accustomed to reading high fantasy. The way everything was presented really confused and bored me. I was thrown into scenes that I had no idea what was going on. The heroine did nothing to clarify anything with her inner monologues about the freaking library. Everyone and everything was introduced one after another without giving me a chance to try and piece them together which just made for a confusing hour of what seemed like a very interesting story/audio book.
I couldn't even get through this book with it sped up. The narrator wasn't bad but the main character only knew how to rebel to try and get a library built. I understand it meant a lot to her mother but would it kill her to look at the bigger picture? A library is a great idea when everyone's at peace and no one is starving or dying of disease. If I had only enough money for one of those things you can bet I'd help the people first and think on the library in a few years. The male counterpart was overall nice and respectful. I didn't mind him in the slightest, which I wasn't expecting to be the case.
My other problem with this novel may be because I'm not accustomed to reading high fantasy. The way everything was presented really confused and bored me. I was thrown into scenes that I had no idea what was going on. The heroine did nothing to clarify anything with her inner monologues about the freaking library. Everyone and everything was introduced one after another without giving me a chance to try and piece them together which just made for a confusing hour of what seemed like a very interesting story/audio book.
January 19, 2019
3.5 stars
No Man Can Tame is a high fantasy romance, a very loose retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It actually reminded me of Radiance by Grace Draven. I really liked the premise of the story and while I think I could have loved it, it ended up being a little too over the top for me.
I read a lot of fantasy books and I know strange and hard to pronounce names are a thing but, in this case, the names were simply impossible to pronounce and remember. This isn't something that may bother a lot of people but it bothered me. I hate when I can't for the life of me understand how to say a word/name etc. Just an example, the full name of the hero is, Prince Veron u Zara u Avrora u Roza, Valaz u Nozva Rozkveta, Zpevan Kamena, Volodar T’my. Yes, all that. What does it all mean? We don't know because none of it is explained to us. And the entire book is filled with strange names like this one. So, it got a little annoying for me.
Also, the fact that this may be a sequel, or set in the same universe as her other series, is frustrating for the reader because if, like me, you haven't read her previous work, a lot of things end up being confusing and difficult to understand. You basically have to guess on what those things are and hope you're not too far from the truth. An example, the heroine is known as Beast Princess but we have no explanation as to why, it's mentioned several times in the book but we're left wondering the reasons behind this peculiar nickname. It's extremely frustrating as a reader when you feel like you're missing half of the story.
But if you forget this aspect of the book, the rest was quite good. The story is interesting and full of promises, the characters are well written and the romance was lovely albeit a little underdeveloped. I really liked Aless, the heroine. She's strong and caring, she's not afraid to stand up for what she believes in and fight for what she loves. Veron, our hero, a dark elf, is everything you think him to be, big, strong, ruthless but with a good heart and he's willing to marry a human woman for the sake of his people.
All in all, No Man Can Tame is a solid high fantasy romance but the over the top/impossible to pronounce names and the fact that we were left in the dark about a lot of things made it hard for me to fully enjoy the story. I will definitely keep on reading this series and hopefully the author will be more careful in the future.
You were my dream, Veron, and you came true.No Man Can Tame was my first Miranda Honfleur's book and while it wasn't perfect, I still enjoyed the story and characters. I am not sure, but I feel like this book is a sort of sequel to her other fantasy series, because there were a lot of random facts thrown in there that weren't explained and left me confused, so either you're supposed to read the other series before this one or the author simply overlooked a lot of details.
No Man Can Tame is a high fantasy romance, a very loose retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It actually reminded me of Radiance by Grace Draven. I really liked the premise of the story and while I think I could have loved it, it ended up being a little too over the top for me.
I read a lot of fantasy books and I know strange and hard to pronounce names are a thing but, in this case, the names were simply impossible to pronounce and remember. This isn't something that may bother a lot of people but it bothered me. I hate when I can't for the life of me understand how to say a word/name etc. Just an example, the full name of the hero is, Prince Veron u Zara u Avrora u Roza, Valaz u Nozva Rozkveta, Zpevan Kamena, Volodar T’my. Yes, all that. What does it all mean? We don't know because none of it is explained to us. And the entire book is filled with strange names like this one. So, it got a little annoying for me.
Also, the fact that this may be a sequel, or set in the same universe as her other series, is frustrating for the reader because if, like me, you haven't read her previous work, a lot of things end up being confusing and difficult to understand. You basically have to guess on what those things are and hope you're not too far from the truth. An example, the heroine is known as Beast Princess but we have no explanation as to why, it's mentioned several times in the book but we're left wondering the reasons behind this peculiar nickname. It's extremely frustrating as a reader when you feel like you're missing half of the story.
But if you forget this aspect of the book, the rest was quite good. The story is interesting and full of promises, the characters are well written and the romance was lovely albeit a little underdeveloped. I really liked Aless, the heroine. She's strong and caring, she's not afraid to stand up for what she believes in and fight for what she loves. Veron, our hero, a dark elf, is everything you think him to be, big, strong, ruthless but with a good heart and he's willing to marry a human woman for the sake of his people.
All in all, No Man Can Tame is a solid high fantasy romance but the over the top/impossible to pronounce names and the fact that we were left in the dark about a lot of things made it hard for me to fully enjoy the story. I will definitely keep on reading this series and hopefully the author will be more careful in the future.
February 12, 2021
DNF @ 32%
I wanted to finish this, I really did, but I didn't like anything about this book.
This is a more watered down version of Radiance by Grace Draven, and I'm not 100% obsessed with Radiance, but that one had a lot of things going for it and was good for what it was. No Man Can Tame is just.... really lame to be honest.
This book features a forced diplomatic marriage between a mortal human, Aless, and a dark elf, Veron. While there's not a ton of hostility between them, they are both wary of the marriage and have to deal with being different species and not finding each other attractive.
No Man Can Tame is just SO boring. It's like eating wonder bread with butter. Maybe when I was young I could appreciate the tasteless carby-ness but now I look at it with a faint disgust.
The world building is lackadaisical at best. Characterization is extremely weak. Humans and dark elves hate each other and fight because they're ~different.~ Elves are starving, Veron needs to save his people by getting with Aless, yadda yadda. Aless is known as the "beast princess" for no reason except the author wanted to make her hollow character seem cool. She's just naive and all she cares about is building a dumb library while being ignorant of real struggles in the world. And I'm sorry, I get that libraries are good for access to knowledge and all that jazz, but wow I felt like it was a questionable choice for the author to make a library the hill Aless is going to die on when people are you know... starving.
thank u, next
I wanted to finish this, I really did, but I didn't like anything about this book.
This is a more watered down version of Radiance by Grace Draven, and I'm not 100% obsessed with Radiance, but that one had a lot of things going for it and was good for what it was. No Man Can Tame is just.... really lame to be honest.
This book features a forced diplomatic marriage between a mortal human, Aless, and a dark elf, Veron. While there's not a ton of hostility between them, they are both wary of the marriage and have to deal with being different species and not finding each other attractive.
No Man Can Tame is just SO boring. It's like eating wonder bread with butter. Maybe when I was young I could appreciate the tasteless carby-ness but now I look at it with a faint disgust.
The world building is lackadaisical at best. Characterization is extremely weak. Humans and dark elves hate each other and fight because they're ~different.~ Elves are starving, Veron needs to save his people by getting with Aless, yadda yadda. Aless is known as the "beast princess" for no reason except the author wanted to make her hollow character seem cool. She's just naive and all she cares about is building a dumb library while being ignorant of real struggles in the world. And I'm sorry, I get that libraries are good for access to knowledge and all that jazz, but wow I felt like it was a questionable choice for the author to make a library the hill Aless is going to die on when people are you know... starving.
thank u, next
June 26, 2022
“No one is ever too little to fight for what they believe in.”
This book was marketed for fans of Warlord or Stolen Songbird, but I feel like the plot is so similar to Grace Draven’a Radiance. It’s got a similar tone, just on a YA setting, so if you liked Radiance, you will either like this book too or wonder if it’s an homage or just straight ripped off. But Radiance is a retelling of beauty and the beast so if you’re looking for a beauty and the beast retelling, you’ll like this one.
Aless is a strong character, known as the Beast Princess before she goes into her engagement. This really isn’t explain except she had scoliosis or something? There was a mention of braces but it really didn’t go further.
Vernon was kind and caring. As a dark elf, he’s strong and a capable fighter. It makes me think of the original Beauty and the Beast, where the beast looks like a monster but is polite.
The romance is slow, but there’s a lot of action. The world the story is set in is fun but it felt more like a sequel series than a stand alone. I would read another book by this author.
~~~~~~~~
“If you like the fantasy and politics of Danielle L. Jensen’s Malediction Trilogy and the romance of Elizabeth Vaughan’s Chronicles of the Warlands, No Man Can Tame will lure you into its world and not let you go.”
Reader, I bought it based on that line alone.
It felt like targeted advertising tbh.
This book was marketed for fans of Warlord or Stolen Songbird, but I feel like the plot is so similar to Grace Draven’a Radiance. It’s got a similar tone, just on a YA setting, so if you liked Radiance, you will either like this book too or wonder if it’s an homage or just straight ripped off. But Radiance is a retelling of beauty and the beast so if you’re looking for a beauty and the beast retelling, you’ll like this one.
Aless is a strong character, known as the Beast Princess before she goes into her engagement. This really isn’t explain except she had scoliosis or something? There was a mention of braces but it really didn’t go further.
Vernon was kind and caring. As a dark elf, he’s strong and a capable fighter. It makes me think of the original Beauty and the Beast, where the beast looks like a monster but is polite.
The romance is slow, but there’s a lot of action. The world the story is set in is fun but it felt more like a sequel series than a stand alone. I would read another book by this author.
~~~~~~~~
“If you like the fantasy and politics of Danielle L. Jensen’s Malediction Trilogy and the romance of Elizabeth Vaughan’s Chronicles of the Warlands, No Man Can Tame will lure you into its world and not let you go.”
Reader, I bought it based on that line alone.
It felt like targeted advertising tbh.
April 4, 2021
Just okay. An arranged marriage between a human princess and a dark-elf prince encounters pockets of resistance against the union.
January 22, 2020
@ 70% and honestly don't really care about continuing. This whole "Beast Princess" is the most ridiculous thing. There's absolutely no depth to that statement, other than Aless continuously referring to herself as such. I've seen no indication of her supposed fiery temper or whatever the heck it is that supposedly merited this nickname. I do like the dark elves but absolutely can't tolerate the human princess. NEXT!
February 1, 2019
Three and a half
I first came across this story in the anthology Beasts and Beauties so if it's a fantasy that tips towards the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast that appeals to you then you will no doubt be keen to read this story. Unfortunately for this reader I've read a book with very similar characters (Radiance) and indeed physical appearance so if honest I'm not sure if this is truly original or perhaps just a homage. The set up Elven type Prince marrying a human royal female to cement relationships is just so similar that I almost stopped reading. However the situation between kingdoms and unrest was sufficiently different to hold my attention.
Veron is a heroic and reasonable male complete with fangs, claws and colourful skin. His bride Aless is clever, kind and somewhat wayward but her desire to spread knowledge makes her very likeable. Their journey to love and romance didn't feel too rushed although I wasn't totally convinced by early declarations. All in all it was entertaining and I do realise that we are all influenced by something but I do wish the claw thing (no spoilers) hadn't felt so familiar.
I first came across this story in the anthology Beasts and Beauties so if it's a fantasy that tips towards the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast that appeals to you then you will no doubt be keen to read this story. Unfortunately for this reader I've read a book with very similar characters (Radiance) and indeed physical appearance so if honest I'm not sure if this is truly original or perhaps just a homage. The set up Elven type Prince marrying a human royal female to cement relationships is just so similar that I almost stopped reading. However the situation between kingdoms and unrest was sufficiently different to hold my attention.
Veron is a heroic and reasonable male complete with fangs, claws and colourful skin. His bride Aless is clever, kind and somewhat wayward but her desire to spread knowledge makes her very likeable. Their journey to love and romance didn't feel too rushed although I wasn't totally convinced by early declarations. All in all it was entertaining and I do realise that we are all influenced by something but I do wish the claw thing (no spoilers) hadn't felt so familiar.
February 18, 2019
3.5 stars.
This book is like listening to a hungover friend describe a dream.
You've met up for coffee post-party and maybe there's a scone. Crumpled napkins. Artsy music is pumping through the café speakers, and your friend has been passionately recalling a dream for the past ten minutes. You know there are dark elves. A princess with a dream to rebuild her mother's library. There's an arranged marriage and...unicorns?
Now it's been fifteen minutes. You're losing the thread. Elves are immortal, blue, fanged, and with claws that they are honor-bound to keep sharp. Their names are long and hard to pronounce. There are werewolves and harpies and really big tunneling earthworms, but they're rare. Don't worry about it. A band of misguided humans wants to kill the elves for...reasons. Maybe they're jealous of the elves' white hair.
You slowly push the scone crumbles into a pile.
The elves just woke up from a 2,000 year sleep. Why? How? You don't know. They live in a lush paradise with cool bioluminescent mushrooms ("Like Avatar?" you hesitantly ask) but they're starving because there's nothing to hunt. Once hero!elf and heroine!human meet and marry, there's a press tour and cultural assumptions that eventually bleed into respect which bleeds into passionate love. Skin is described as being taut. Blood gets on leather. The horses talk.
You pick up your phone to check for non-existent messages. It's not that you don't care, but this dream has the feel of a runaway train. Finally, you interrupt with, "Did you like it?"
She liked it. She's surprised that you had to ask.
I liked it, too. This book had absolutely all of the ingredients I crave in my fantasy romance novels. But there's a difference between having what you need and knowing how to combine them effectively. Like Alton Brown may know how to use margarita mix and orange juice to baste ribs (true story), but left to my own devices, I'm better off grabbing a shot glass and tequila.
There were a few elements that kept this book from really wowing me:
- The names. I feel like I'm a seasoned war veteran of fantasy. Give me 1,000 page tomes with political intrigue and complex magic systems or give me death. But lord help me, I could not manage the names in this book. Names of people. Names related to elf and human religion. Names of regions, kingdoms, historical events. It was almost enough to prevent me from reading, but I eventually got a handle on which names mattered and which didn't. It was too much, though, and admittedly distracting.
- The lack of context. Too many things in this book lacked context. What's up with the elves being in suspended animation for 2,000 years? Why is the heroine called The Beast Princess? There's a brief mention of her having to wear an uncomfortable metal device as a child--was that to fix her back? Was she beastly because of appearance or beastly because she spoke her mind? Why do the elves lack food? Is there a difference between the Immortali and the elves? How are the humans able to kill them so easily?
- The pacing of the love story. I absolutely adored that there was a lack of drama with respect to the marriage. Fairly early on in the story, the hero and heroine figure out they can be kind to each other. Civil. They don't blame the other for their circumstances. The heroine's initial idea is to convince her husband to be friends and avoid marrying in the elven realm (they're supposed to have two ceremonies) so they can be free. Okay. Well, all this very quickly transforms into love. Which I'm down for--don't get me wrong--but it quickly transformed into cheesy love. This is the man I am meant to adore beyond all others type of love with clutching and declarations and such. I adore epic, passionate love stories, but it did happen too quickly here. And too dramatically.
All that being said, there was a ton to love. The hero and heroine were normally reasonable people. I loved how they had to work together. There were some great political speeches in here, some interesting dilemmas where elf versus human culture had to be reconciled. If assumptions were made, they were not dragged out beyond bearing but resolved, instead. There was communication and forgiveness. And while the setting was a bit confusing at times, it was still a cool world. I wanted to learn more about it.
The author has talent, for sure. She has the ability to write great, great books. She just needs to hone her talent a little bit. Her first mission: tell one story at a time.
This book is like listening to a hungover friend describe a dream.
You've met up for coffee post-party and maybe there's a scone. Crumpled napkins. Artsy music is pumping through the café speakers, and your friend has been passionately recalling a dream for the past ten minutes. You know there are dark elves. A princess with a dream to rebuild her mother's library. There's an arranged marriage and...unicorns?
Now it's been fifteen minutes. You're losing the thread. Elves are immortal, blue, fanged, and with claws that they are honor-bound to keep sharp. Their names are long and hard to pronounce. There are werewolves and harpies and really big tunneling earthworms, but they're rare. Don't worry about it. A band of misguided humans wants to kill the elves for...reasons. Maybe they're jealous of the elves' white hair.
You slowly push the scone crumbles into a pile.
The elves just woke up from a 2,000 year sleep. Why? How? You don't know. They live in a lush paradise with cool bioluminescent mushrooms ("Like Avatar?" you hesitantly ask) but they're starving because there's nothing to hunt. Once hero!elf and heroine!human meet and marry, there's a press tour and cultural assumptions that eventually bleed into respect which bleeds into passionate love. Skin is described as being taut. Blood gets on leather. The horses talk.
You pick up your phone to check for non-existent messages. It's not that you don't care, but this dream has the feel of a runaway train. Finally, you interrupt with, "Did you like it?"
She liked it. She's surprised that you had to ask.
I liked it, too. This book had absolutely all of the ingredients I crave in my fantasy romance novels. But there's a difference between having what you need and knowing how to combine them effectively. Like Alton Brown may know how to use margarita mix and orange juice to baste ribs (true story), but left to my own devices, I'm better off grabbing a shot glass and tequila.
There were a few elements that kept this book from really wowing me:
- The names. I feel like I'm a seasoned war veteran of fantasy. Give me 1,000 page tomes with political intrigue and complex magic systems or give me death. But lord help me, I could not manage the names in this book. Names of people. Names related to elf and human religion. Names of regions, kingdoms, historical events. It was almost enough to prevent me from reading, but I eventually got a handle on which names mattered and which didn't. It was too much, though, and admittedly distracting.
- The lack of context. Too many things in this book lacked context. What's up with the elves being in suspended animation for 2,000 years? Why is the heroine called The Beast Princess? There's a brief mention of her having to wear an uncomfortable metal device as a child--was that to fix her back? Was she beastly because of appearance or beastly because she spoke her mind? Why do the elves lack food? Is there a difference between the Immortali and the elves? How are the humans able to kill them so easily?
- The pacing of the love story. I absolutely adored that there was a lack of drama with respect to the marriage. Fairly early on in the story, the hero and heroine figure out they can be kind to each other. Civil. They don't blame the other for their circumstances. The heroine's initial idea is to convince her husband to be friends and avoid marrying in the elven realm (they're supposed to have two ceremonies) so they can be free. Okay. Well, all this very quickly transforms into love. Which I'm down for--don't get me wrong--but it quickly transformed into cheesy love. This is the man I am meant to adore beyond all others type of love with clutching and declarations and such. I adore epic, passionate love stories, but it did happen too quickly here. And too dramatically.
All that being said, there was a ton to love. The hero and heroine were normally reasonable people. I loved how they had to work together. There were some great political speeches in here, some interesting dilemmas where elf versus human culture had to be reconciled. If assumptions were made, they were not dragged out beyond bearing but resolved, instead. There was communication and forgiveness. And while the setting was a bit confusing at times, it was still a cool world. I wanted to learn more about it.
The author has talent, for sure. She has the ability to write great, great books. She just needs to hone her talent a little bit. Her first mission: tell one story at a time.
February 15, 2019
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was definitely surprised and ecstatic how the storyline flowed. It was a nice blend of politics and romance. Aless and Veron are fantastic and it was fun to read to read how the their relationship evolved through the book. This is a first for me to read by Miranda but I do look forward to diving into more of her work.
April 6, 2021
Just okay. As others have stated it is much like Grace Draven’s Radiance. I liked this one slightly better than Radiance though.
I just couldn’t get past the insta-love. The MC’s are in an arranged marriage, literally just met for the first time and within a week, they are madly in love.....*agitated sigh*
They’ve already boned, so now I’ve got nothing left to anticipate and have grown bored.
I just couldn’t get past the insta-love. The MC’s are in an arranged marriage, literally just met for the first time and within a week, they are madly in love.....*agitated sigh*
They’ve already boned, so now I’ve got nothing left to anticipate and have grown bored.
March 8, 2019
I have to admit that it reminded me enough of the book Radiance by Grace Draven. But the setting was very well written and the characters were interesting.
June 9, 2021
A fun, escapist fantasy romance! Miranda Honfleur never fails to deliver.
March 1, 2019
This cover is so gorgeous that I went around showing it to all of my friends and family today. Yes, it's that pretty! Plus, the book was the best read I've had all year - the world building was good, the fantasy was interesting, there was enough plot and separate tension to really makes stakes high and the story matter to me, and above all, the romance was wonderful, soul deep and incredibly epic. There wasn't any insta-love, or perfection. The main characters made actual mistakes, and I got angry and frustrated with them, but they both grew and redeemed themselves, to me and to each other. It was definitely a rollercoaster ride, not in the least helped by the tensions between their peoples, people in their lives, and the stirrings of war around them. Coupled with that, the story was very, very epic and jaw dropping.
I was incredibly impressed with the editing as well, for the record. Pacing was excellent, and the author's writing style was beautiful! I really liked how there was a wedding at the beginning, and a wedding at the end, and the differences between the two - it really did a good job of highlighting the relationship between Aless and Veron, and how they both had grown, changed, and loved each other. It was lovely! Overall, I loved the hell out of this book! It was epic, and there's no other way to put it. This fantasy romance was just what I needed! 5 stars.
I was incredibly impressed with the editing as well, for the record. Pacing was excellent, and the author's writing style was beautiful! I really liked how there was a wedding at the beginning, and a wedding at the end, and the differences between the two - it really did a good job of highlighting the relationship between Aless and Veron, and how they both had grown, changed, and loved each other. It was lovely! Overall, I loved the hell out of this book! It was epic, and there's no other way to put it. This fantasy romance was just what I needed! 5 stars.
November 3, 2018
Some parts of this story reminded me of “radiance” by Grace Draven (which is WAY better than this one!!).
I didn’t like the use of Italian words mixed with the English prose...it sounded weird, at least you should write them in Italic. Had it been the work of a novice, I would have given 3 stars, but I expected more form a professional editor.
I didn’t like the use of Italian words mixed with the English prose...it sounded weird, at least you should write them in Italic. Had it been the work of a novice, I would have given 3 stars, but I expected more form a professional editor.
nevermind
July 4, 2020DNF @ 9%
I nominated this for my romance group's July theme read. It sounded really good, and I was excited. But I found the worldbuilding incredibly messy, with meaningless political info dropped clumsily into a masked ball scene. The elf characters all showed up without proper introduction, so the list of their names the author threw out meant absolutely nothing to me. On top it all, I was bored. Next.
I nominated this for my romance group's July theme read. It sounded really good, and I was excited. But I found the worldbuilding incredibly messy, with meaningless political info dropped clumsily into a masked ball scene. The elf characters all showed up without proper introduction, so the list of their names the author threw out meant absolutely nothing to me. On top it all, I was bored. Next.
Read
February 25, 2019Adored the world building in this fantasy romance! It's more focused on the love story than on the sword/sorcery aspect, which was a change up from my usual fantasy read. I definitely recommend!
P.S. That cover...OMG! I had to one-click :)
P.S. That cover...OMG! I had to one-click :)
March 8, 2019
Reads like Radiance fan fiction. Heroine was focused on building a library while people were starving. You will hate libraries before the end of this book! Almost insta love. Hero was boring. DNF
Just read or re-read Radiance instead.
Just read or re-read Radiance instead.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 20, 2020
I found Veron to be extremely sweet and Aless to be headstrong. She tends to act before thinking but she has a good heart. I found these characters enjoyable. The story line was interesting and held my attention. I would probably read more of this series.
February 8, 2019
Boring. Confusing. And the heroine is annoying.
January 31, 2020
This was a book
July 13, 2019
3,5 stars
So I really like some aspects in this book!
First of all, I want more books with elves. Not fae/fairies but elves. This is why I read this book, to be honest. The only books I have read with elves were The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarion, Beren and Luthien and Eragon. I'm not going to compare No Man Can Tame with the masterpieces of J.R.R. Tolkien, it's not fair.
I liked that this book was about dark elves and how they have been treated, because of their different nature. Another thing I liked was the characters. Both Alessandra and Veron were great, and I appreciated that this wasn't an insta love. They had to grow, leave their differences aside and find common ground to build a friendship and love. The matriarch society of the elves, as well as some strong characters like Alessandra and her mother, was a beautiful touch.
What I didn't like was that it felt like it wasn't the first book, not of the story, but in the world, and a lot of things didn't make sense. I wanted better world building! There is mention of different races such as unicorns, mages, dragons, shapeshifters, but the information is very little about them. I hope this will change in the next book, or it's going to be complicated.
I will try to find if it's a sequel to a different series. If anyone knows more, please tell me!
So I really like some aspects in this book!
First of all, I want more books with elves. Not fae/fairies but elves. This is why I read this book, to be honest. The only books I have read with elves were The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarion, Beren and Luthien and Eragon. I'm not going to compare No Man Can Tame with the masterpieces of J.R.R. Tolkien, it's not fair.
I liked that this book was about dark elves and how they have been treated, because of their different nature. Another thing I liked was the characters. Both Alessandra and Veron were great, and I appreciated that this wasn't an insta love. They had to grow, leave their differences aside and find common ground to build a friendship and love. The matriarch society of the elves, as well as some strong characters like Alessandra and her mother, was a beautiful touch.
What I didn't like was that it felt like it wasn't the first book, not of the story, but in the world, and a lot of things didn't make sense. I wanted better world building! There is mention of different races such as unicorns, mages, dragons, shapeshifters, but the information is very little about them. I hope this will change in the next book, or it's going to be complicated.
I will try to find if it's a sequel to a different series. If anyone knows more, please tell me!
October 25, 2019
I loved this book. I’d say it’s a mixture between ‘The Taming of the Shrew” by Shakespeare and ‘Radiance’ by Grace Draven, both awesome beyond measure.
Princess Aless is a rebel that don’t’ want to be kept like a trophy by a husband but she must do what her position demands and marry an unknown dark elf. Prince Veron is a strong and extremely righteous dark elf that is willing to sacrifice everything for his queen and his people.
Aless and Veron are meant to understand each other and find out that beyond the physical differences there’s more than meets the eye in most of the people.
A wonderful fantasy book with a slow burn romance, fantastic creatures and great plot.
Princess Aless is a rebel that don’t’ want to be kept like a trophy by a husband but she must do what her position demands and marry an unknown dark elf. Prince Veron is a strong and extremely righteous dark elf that is willing to sacrifice everything for his queen and his people.
Aless and Veron are meant to understand each other and find out that beyond the physical differences there’s more than meets the eye in most of the people.
A wonderful fantasy book with a slow burn romance, fantastic creatures and great plot.
November 3, 2019
It was Ok, suited to teenage reader, and the H was disturbingly similar to Grace Draven's amazing book. The h is human and self absorbed, and unfortunately had little personal growth. The other issue was the number of characters, they all talked endlessly, so the writing was heavily into 'Telling". At the end, the h's priority was 'her library', despite the deprivation all what was now her people. Yes, a library would educate them but how many would die from starvation first? Disliked her character.
March 3, 2019
The book was set in similar tone to that of Radiance written by Grace Draven.
The only reason, i not giving the book 5 stars is because it didn't feel original to me. It felt more like inspired from the works of other authors in the similar genre.
The only reason, i not giving the book 5 stars is because it didn't feel original to me. It felt more like inspired from the works of other authors in the similar genre.
January 27, 2020
I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS!!!
November 19, 2019
No Man Can Tame is a beauty and the beast type romance with two waring kingdoms (human and fae) brought together through politically arranged marriage alliance.
The hero and heroine fall in love despite their physical differences and cultural bias and overcome hate and deadly plots from both camps. This book is so very similar to my favourite beauty and the beast dark Elves vs humans book called Radiance. You can just see how much the author got inspired by Grace Draven's Radiance.
The hero and heroine fall in love despite their physical differences and cultural bias and overcome hate and deadly plots from both camps. This book is so very similar to my favourite beauty and the beast dark Elves vs humans book called Radiance. You can just see how much the author got inspired by Grace Draven's Radiance.
October 14, 2020
A gorgeous Dark-Elf and a strong willed woman! Yes, please! I read this book in one sitting! I've been anxiously and impatiently waiting for the release of book 2. This book follows Princess Alessandra as she navigates getting married off to the Dark-Elf prince Veron to form a political alliance between the two peoples. The two form a bond due to their similar circumstances and become allies. The two work together to try and change their worlds for the better.
This is a gorgeous romance story with all the aspects of great political intrigue. I can't wait to see what happens when Alessandra and Veron finish taking on the world.
This is a gorgeous romance story with all the aspects of great political intrigue. I can't wait to see what happens when Alessandra and Veron finish taking on the world.
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