2 out of 4 stars
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Zipping through his Elf Realm home on his motorcycle, Calpernicus’ life was turned upside down when a Fey Witch literally stumbled into his path. The resulting accident seemed fairly minor, but when the witch took umbrage and cursed Cal, she set off a string of events that would both cause Cal to need to live among the humans and produce repercussions even at the highest levels in multiple supernatural realms. As Cal navigates his radically-changed life, he must search for a way to reverse the curse and, for reasons unknown to him, search for his one true mate as well.
Bad Boy Elf by E. A. Turley is the fourth book in the Destined Dates series and combines the fantasy and romance genres. If my reader is anything like me, the phrase “fourth book” in that sentence just set off alarm bells. Before you stop reading the review, let me first assure you that this is a book that can stand alone. I haven’t read any of the previous three books in this series, and I never once felt like I was missing any vital information.
The best part of Ms. Turley’s story is its sense of humor. This isn’t a novel that takes itself too seriously. Even as it uses common tropes like a bad boy with a motorcycle, a supernaturally fated mate, or a werewolf with aggression issues, the usage feels more utilitarian or pragmatic than most other incidents of these devices. These are tools, not plot points. The author challenges the reader to accept a different idea of normal for these supernatural beings and learn to face challenges from this new paradigm. Without becoming satire, the author turns some of the common assumptions of the genre on their heads.
While this is fun, one downfall of the humor is that the writing sometimes seems juvenile or under-developed. Not all of the characters seemed adequately rounded, and there were several side-plots that were perhaps too swiftly and neatly resolved. Some of the subplots were even resolved in the literary equivalent of off-camera. There is also not a lot of world-building, although the reader will get enough of a general idea to understand what is happening with the plot. Notably, there is one scene that actually makes this book unsuitable for juvenile readers, as it is rather explicit in nature.
Bad Boy Elf is a quick read. It’s a short book with a plot that develops very rapidly. Because of the humorous tone, readers who do not normally choose books in this genre may find it enjoyable, but many might be put off by the frank lack of nuance that seems to be the flip-side of that particular coin. Readers who truly love the fantasy-romance genre may not enjoy the book because it moves too quickly to explore the world, creatures, characters, and subtleties that bring life to that genre. I rate the book 2 out of 4 stars. I appreciate the sense of humor, but the execution of the book could have been more sophisticated in order to appeal more to an adult audience.
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Bad Boy Elf
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