Rating: 4.5 🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈
Red Heir would be tough for any tale to follow, not just that rollicking couple but that sheer magnificent whackiness and frivolity of all that great oddity mixed together.
So Elf Defense takes its own path to happiness. Much like the elves themselves, the quest- minded, Houses & Humans playing Calarian and the abrasive, ever rebellious political anarchist Benji, this story is completely different.
Given a quest by Kings Loth and Quen the elves, friends with benefits, set off to solve a mystery of marauding trolls. A quest that goes spectacularly wrong immediately. Enter the gorgeous Lars.
The tale unfolds through alternating POV, the most interesting for me being the prickly Benji. While both Calarian and Benji have known each other for literally ages, they haven’t really “known” each other. Until the events of their quest start multiplying and Lars becomes more to each of them then just an attractive lay and solution to a problem.
Yes, we will get an encyclopedic list of sexual positions, including the reverse double paladin and of course the ever popular dirty alchemist, but we are also given thoughtful, believable character growth. Especially from two young elves and a culture not given towards love or lasting relationships.
While we might miss the guffaws, we are given plenty of heartwarming moments, including some with cows. Many outstanding characters and other couples also follow as well as the quirkiness and weird elements I expect now from this series. None of which I’ll spoil for you here.
But I’ll say that I’ll never look at a certain movie the same again. Just saying.
The authors do give me the laughs similar to those from the first story by including a snippet story at the end. It includes Loth and Quen, Calarian and Benji, and well the gang from Red Heir. Marvelous!
Next up is Dave’s story. I expect it to be as sweet as Dave is. Can’t wait.
Until then, read the engaging, warm-hearted Elf Defense. I highly recommend it
Series:
Red Heir (Adventures in Aguillon #1
Elf Defense
Socially Orcward
https://www.goodreads.com/series/299397-adventures-in-aguillon
See link above to buying options at Goodreads
