Title: Elves and Espresso

Series: The Haunted Brew #1 (standalone within the series)

Author: Scarlett Luna Strange

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retelling, Romance

Rating: 4 stars

Review:

The Hunt of the Realm Guard…

Calista isn’t opposed to romance. However, she is opposed to accidentally being bound to a human on the run. And she’s even more opposed to the binding ceremony the Realm Guard has demanded with her instead. Neither seem like good options, and it seems she must work together to find freedom with none other than a human.

Aleixo is destined to die. At least, that’s what he’s been told as the Realm Guard hunts him down. He never intended to pull a beautiful star shard elf into this mess, let alone end up bound to her, but here he is. The only problem is, as they rush to solve their unusual predicament, he can’t seem to get enough of her.

As attraction and peril grow, it’s up to Calista and Aleixo to break their bond before death comes calling for one, and marriage for the other. But when the Realm Guard finally reaches them, it’s not what they think. Facing a plan more sinister than they could have imagined, will they finally be free, or will the end come for them all? – summary from Goodreads

Elves and Espresso is an adventurous story inspired by the Enchanted Maiden with spooky vibes, perfect for Halloween!

I am not familiar with the story of the Enchanted Maiden, and I am very appreciative to the author for including an overview before the story. I love the way she does her introductions. I also really enjoyed how she changed the original story for this book. It was very engaging and well done.

I do not drink coffee because I think it is not very good, but I do love the inclusion of coffee in this story. I love when food and drinks are incorporated into stories, so I liked the role this beverage played in the story. It was something different and I liked how it brought our characters together. It was also a different profession than you normally see in fantasy books, so I liked that, too.

I really liked our main character, Calista. She was very grumpy and serious, which I kind of liked. I do love a bubbly character, but I also love a good grumpy character. I have read one other book that took place in this world, and this book provided some backstory to A Hint of Hatters and Hazards. This world is a very interesting and intriguing world, and I hope to read more books that place here in the future, but it is a little confusing at times. The way that Calista talked sometimes was confusing, but I think that was, at least a little bit, intentional. I loved how Calista grew throughout the book and became a little less grumpy, but she still remained true to herself.

Alexio was our other main character, and I really liked him. He was a little bit of a mystery, which was fun, and the end was a shock. He was a lot more laid back and relaxed, and a nice pair for Calista. He was also unfamiliar with this world, so it was nice getting to understand this world through his character.

The romance between them was slow, but very sweet. It was a gradual build up and I loved them together. There wasn’t a moment when they realized their feelings, and the author acknowledged this through the characters, and I actually liked this side of their relationship. They brought out different sides of each other, and they truly grew to care for one another. Calista and Alexio were absolutely adorable together and I loved their story!

The antagonist of the story was Nilsorn, who was the main character from A Hint of Hatters and Hazards. I knew he had done some bad things from the previous book, but this book shares exactly what he did. I will say that because I read the other book first, I did have some sympathy for him. He did do some bad things, though. I did like how the author showed the complexity of people, and while Nilsorn did bad things, you could also feel bad for him.

This book is perfect for Halloween, especially if you want to be festive but don’t like scary things. At the beginning of the book there is a cozy to spooky meter, and this book is at the bottom of the scale. This book is not at all scary, but it atmospheric. I loved that so much about this book because I hate scary stories, but I am wanting to be festive!

Elves and Espresso is a story full of adventure, romance, espresso, and is perfectly atmospheric for Halloween!