Set in 1840 England, this romantic novella prequel to the series "Elves Among Us: Forbidden Love" features a feisty duchess who is taken hostage by an immortal elf warrior who is defending his sacred forest. In her words:
"My captor sees me as one of those destroying his sacred forest.
I see him as the most gorgeous male on earth.
So handsome. Those muscles. That athletic self-confidence.
He is an immortal elf more than a century older than I.
He calls me a lioness because I stand up to my wealthy uncaring parents - and him.
Ours is a forbidden attraction.
He is an elf of legend. I am a mortal duchess and a human he does not trust.
We cannot be together.
But I would sacrifice my happiness to save his sacred lands from my parents’ greed.
My brief time with him was a lifetime’s worth.
If I don’t do something, lives - and our budding love - may be lost.
Even the courage and prowess of a hundred real lionesses may not be enough.
But for a tiny chance at true love, I am willing to find out."
Set in 1840 England, this romantic novella prequel to the series "Elves Among Us: Forbidden Love" features a feisty duchess who is taken hostage by an immortal elf warrior who is defending his sacred forest. In her words:
"My captor sees me as one of those destroying his sacred forest.
I see him as the most gorgeous male on earth.
So handsome. Those muscles. That athletic self-confidence.
He is an immortal elf more than a century older than I.
He calls me a lioness because I stand up to my wealthy uncaring parents - and him.
Ours is a forbidden attraction.
He is an elf of legend. I am a mortal duchess and a human he does not trust.
We cannot be together.
But I would sacrifice my happiness to save his sacred lands from my parents’ greed.
My brief time with him was a lifetime’s worth.
If I don’t do something, lives - and our budding love - may be lost.
Even the courage and prowess of a hundred real lionesses may not be enough.
But for a tiny chance at true love, I am willing to find out."
England, 1840
Ulf stared at the place that should have been sacred forest,
refusing to believe that what he saw was real.
The forest had been right here for millennia. It had once had been
a veritable paradise of oaks and pines and hardwoods, standing tall on
a blanket of moss and loam that glinted where the canopy released
sunlight to the forest floor.
Ulf blinked. The image of the forest he had known wavering over
what he saw now, until Ulf was uncertain whether he could believe
his own eyes. He blinked again, breathed deeply, and looked one last
time.
His stomach sank as his eyes focused, confirming that the forest he
had known was gone.
In its place was a monstrosity. The soil, ripped savagely from its
pristine state, wilted in the summer sun. Tree stumps and lumber were
haphazardly scattered as though by a giant hand, their shorn sides
exposed to the air. Ever it all, twin parallel metal lines ran into the
distance. They were attached at routine intervals to wooden planks,
so fresh that Ulf could smell the sap on them.
He could almost hear the screams of the trees that had been felled.
Ulf growled. Shock gave way to rage, and he clenched his hands as
it burned like fire in his chest. he gritted his teeth as he continued to
scour the devastation in front of him.
Why?
Ulf was two hundred years old. For elves, it was a seasoned age. Since
he was 60 years old he was counted as an adult among his people. Re
could take a place at the council, he could vote on important matters to the
clan, and he could take a life partner. This was supposed to be the time
when he was in his prime, where his life would unfold in a measured
and predictable way. Re relished that dream, which was the same as
his ancestors and clan mates had experienced for many centuries.
But there was a jagged, enormous scar crossing the landscape in
front of him, and the longer Ulf stared at it, the more he realized one
terrible truth.
He would not share that same path.
Questions flooded his mind, fanning the anger that pounded in his
chest like a drum. Who did this? What devilry is this? What happened
here?
And, louder than the others, how will I tell my people?
He was alone, but not for long. His clan would soon follow, as
they had for time immeasurable. Because he was one of their fastest
warriors, he had volunteered to go ahead of the group and scout for
danger or rival clans.
They had journeyed from their usual homeland of the far North to
the twice per century gathering on the island humans now called Britannia. Here, the collective allied clans of elves mingled. They ate, they
made merry, and they celebrated another 50 years of happy living on
the planet. It was a time to make new friends and gather with old,
to see long lost relatives, and most importantly, to seek out potential
partners.
For an immortal elf, whose life would be limited by accident or violence but never illness or old age, these gatherings were the lodestones
to which they anchored their existence.
And the site of their ancestral joy lay ripped and barren in front of
his eyes.
His lips curled as the stench of unwashed bodies and greed drifted
toward him on the breeze. Re sniqed once, then snorted in distaste
and narrowed his eyes as shapes appeared at the base of his hill, climbY
ing slowly.
Humans.
Ulf breathed deeply and pulled on the magic that allowed him to
camouHage his armor. 5 heartbeat passed before it responded, Howing
over his body in a cool cascade of power, covering him from head to
toe in an illusion that only the most discerning of humans would be
able to see through.
Nlves and humans did not, after all, generally enAoy one another.
The humans in Ulf“s homeland eListed in a peaceful partnership
with elves. They stuck to the old ways, honoring the forest and sea
while still farming their land. Though the communities rarely interY
acted, when they did it was with mutual respect, because both recogY
niOed the other“s contribution to the delicate balance of the northern
land.
The humans here, it appeared, did not ascribe to the same train of
thought.
Ulf hissed in distaste and dropped low as the humans walked closer.
Woon they were within earshot.
S. N. WUCKI2F”
Sistening in to their conversation, it took Ulf a moment to place
the human language they were speaking. Ris knowledge of Nnglish
was rusty with disuse, but as they continued, his natural talent with
languages manifested and he was able to understand their conversaY
tion. Re listened closer, hoping to glean information about the forest“s
demise.
The three humans, all appearing to be male, were eLamining the
destroyed forest from Ulf“s same vantage point. Two were dressed in
clothes that were much rougher, both in make and wear, than the
others. The third“s garments were stiq and polished, and he glinted
with a hint of gold as he turned to survey the damage.
Ulf wanted to hiss at them again. Instead, he chose to listen, hoping
some of his ;uestions would be answered.
Ene of the dirty ones spoke. <5nd so you see my lord, we“ve got the
lines laid down. 5ll that“s left is to make the connection in Whropshire,
and Qob“s your uncle, you“ll be on the main line to Sondon.=
isfaction that made Ulf“s skin itch.
znally be on our way to making this clodhopping estate proztable
again.=
The words rang like alarm bells in Ulf“s ears. Re knew, of course,
about the soYcalled
imposing on diqerent areas of the world. The elf clans around Sondon
had long been driven out, but there had been no hints of other unrest.
Qut, the elves did not talk often.
This was the purpose of the gathering, after all.
The trio continued, the two grubby ones simpering and pandering
to the third, until they znally retreated to whatever hellhole they had
crawled out of.
T5FNC Q3 5C I’’ExT5S NS0 M
Ulf snarled and watched them walk away. Re turned the glamour
on his armor oq and stretched. Re strapped his sword to his back as
he loped back toward the coast where his clan would soon arrive.
5s he ran, Ulf“s anger settled into something deeper. Elder.
’ore violent.
Khen he arrived at the coast, his decision was made. Re watched
the small narrow ships carrying his clan break the horiOon. Ris
thoughts crystalliOed as he watched them wave to him, and it was with
renewed purpose that he returned their greeting.
It was time to adapt or die.
5nd Ulf had no intention of d
Taken by an Immortal Elf follows Leona, the unladylike daughter of a duke performing land development on top of a sacred forest and an elf, Ulf, who kidnaps her in an effort to blackmail said duke into stopping the project. Unfortunately (or fortunately), Leona does not make for a good bargaining chip and instead they fall for each other.
While the title is not inaccurate for describing the contents of this book, it feels too lowbrow for what it ultimately ends up being about. That is, a story with a historical fantasy setting and sympathetic, likable characters who also want to jump each others' bones. There is a level of care that belies the suggestiveness of the title and subtitle—An Age Gap, Forbidden Love, Low Fantasy Historical Paranormal Romance Novella. On the other hand, the title did grab my attention, so I cannot fault it on that front.
I buy the affection between Ulf and Leona on both a physical and emotional level. Once over the initial understandable hostility and sense of propriety, they have good chemistry with each other. The spicier sections tantalize and I found myself blushing outright, though there were a couple of cliches that made me wince ("Do you like what you see?" and "She exploded" being chief among them). Despite the conflicted nature of the situation, there is a clear level of concern and consent.
Side note, pretty descriptions of natural settings stuck out to me, which felt appropriate given that Ulf particularly cares about the natural world. Forests, gardens, and a spring are lovingly described.
There are a few things that hold me back from rating this higher. One of them was the archetype Leona fits into. It feels old hat at this point to have a female character in a Victorian English setting who is bad at needlepoint/dancing/the like. That said, there was in-story justification. Her parents also felt a bit flatly evil, but given that the story isn't really about them I can let it slide. There were also errors with incorrect or lack of punctuation marks here and there, a few too many adverbs, and the same adjectives repeated close together. I think more editing passes would fix those errors.
Overall, I am happy to have picked this book up—"d'awww, cute" is the resounding vibe by the end—but it could use a bit more polish in places.