Bride of the Elven Innkeeper by Autumn Wolff is a sweet, cozy romance between an overworked crystal elf and her feathery Rynari employee who proposes in order to save the Flying Filly inn.
Lucia owns and operates the Flying Filly. Lina flies off when needed to buy supplies and run errands, and Rasa irascibly deals with the stable. Despite a steady stream of customers, money is tight and Lucia continues to ignore Lina’s and Rasa’s concerns about working too hard.
Bad enough the Crimson Cloaks are threatening to invade the city and subjugate all non humans to death or hard labor, but now the king is invoking a business killing tax to fend off the religious fanatics. Lucia isn’t sure what she’ll do, until Lina proposes marriage to merge their wealth to pay the bill.
Neither of them is unhappy with the deal and discover their feelings for each other are deeper than imagined.
Writing
The story is a cozy despite the looming threat of the Crimson Cloaks. There is very little angst over their feelings for each other, so the fauxmance aspect is light. Nothing happens quickly, and a lot of innkeeping, fashion and cooking minutiae is covered. Worldbuilding is tight, with a good mix of mostly non-humans peopling Lucia’s world.
Narration
The narrator has a very soothing voice that easily furthers the drama, humor and awkward thoughts of romance, making the book more enjoyable. There is a little difference between male and female character voices, but good separation between females. Dialogue is much more sparse than narration, giving the narrator more latitude in dramatic emphasis with an easygoing, almost deceptively clear diction. Their only weakness was cursing. I felt like they don’t do that much in real life.
Pros And My Favourite Parts
Despite the continuing threat of a dangerous religious cult, the story is peaceful, sweet and humorous throughout. I really enjoyed living in Lucia and Lina’s world while they discovered how much they love each other. There is a real depth to the world and it’s a great place to stay a while, inside their city state at least. Even the irascible Rasa, Lucia’s stableman is a sweet character, one of many. I was especially taken with Lina’s father Wren, who cries at the drop of a hat, and her little cousin who humorously warned everyone about the danger of marrying into the nest.
The reason for the fauxmance is solid, and is actually a blip in the plot as a whole. The two would obviously have found their way to each other, but the push of needed tax monies felt organic and more fun than the usual dire need for faking a romance.
Heads Up
There is a simmering threat of violence from a militaristic religious cult.
The Conclusion
Lucia and Lima run the Flying Filly inn, and must marry to pool their money for a burdensome new tax. This pushes them more quickly into acknowledging their love for each other in a sweet and funny story set in a well constructed fantasy world.
The narration is comfortable, perfectly dramatic and humorous as needed, enhancing every aspect of the book. I enjoyed the story, but the reading made the experience even better.
Excerpt from Bride of the Elven Innkeeper by Autumn Wolff
The rynari stepped closer than the innkeeper expected and scoffed while pulling a fresh scowl out of the oven for her least favorite scribe.
“Lucia is no snake. You see, she actually possesses the ability to stay true to one partner,” Lina said, suddenly wrapping her arms and wings around Lucia. Lina then rested her head on top of the innkeeper’s.
And suddenly, that skipping feeling was back in her heart. She’d been touched by a few different folks like this before, and nothing else elicited this kind of baffling response. It was a giddy, almost sickeningly sweet sensation that left the crystal elf wrapped in temptation to lean back into her— her coworker! And nothing more.
The rynari was so warm, and if Lucia spent too much time thinking about her laugh and all her opinions on everything from the shape of clouds above Kamas to the best bakery in town, would that be such a crime?
Yes! It would, the innkeeper thought, furiously fighting to stop feeling like she wanted to just call off the rest of the day’s work, find a nice spot along the Tebac River, and fall asleep in a sunny patch of grass still struggling to hold onto summer’s warmth as autumn seized more territory.
There was no room in Lucia’s life for thoughts like that.
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Bits and Bobs
ASIN number: B0CHDSSDR8
Publisher: Indie Author
Audiobook Publisher: Indie Author
Narrator: Rose Cowel
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