Rating: 3🌈

Elf is the second of Rinda Elliott’s novels in her Mystic Guardians series and honestly I’m at a loss here with the series.  It’s a series that contains a fated mate/soulmates relationship between preternaturals and humans who can see through their glamour because somewhere in their family history is a preternatural connection. 

The Guardians, all preternaturals of various species, work for a powerful sorcerer, where they track heinous criminals and solve horrific crimes. 

I like the preternaturals. Mostly.  It’s an interesting group and the first novel, Basilisk, was very enjoyable. I did note that the human fated mate character there ,Clive, felt under developed, especially with his special needs. He’s barely mentioned here. 

That aspect of the series continues here with Ezra Forsberg, the human main character of Elf.  While Alaric, the elf who works for ancient sorcerer, Xavier, is well defined in terms of personality, magic and capabilities. His is a layered storyline in a way that cannot be said for Ezra. 

Elliott’s Ezra has a number of troubling elements in his character’s life and story that’s addressed facetiously, especially for their topic. Ezra has been basically sold off by his crime family to another in marriage and for the past 3 years had been living with a murderous psychopath.  He’s just escaped from that marriage prison and falls into immediate danger. 

Ezra’s answer to extreme violence, trauma, tragedy, everyday betrayal, family emotional abandonment? He either throws up or he’s just sad.  He’s just not particularly believable as a victim of the types of abuses and inflicted horrors that the author has written for him.  Elliott writes that he’s been affected but never makes any case for it in the slightest.   Ezra as a character and his family or his history with his husband just doesn’t make sense. 

Nor does it make sense that it’s the boss blurting the sensitive news to Ezra about fated mates instead of Alaric.  

This story came very close to a much lower ranking.  

If the author was to layer a character with all these aspects to his storyline, then give the narrative ample room to fully explore the necessary details and plot points to make it and him feel believable.

For me, this didn’t happen. It’s the second time the human being got the underdeveloped part of the story and  undermines the book. 

I give it one more chance. 

Mystic Guardians:

Basilisk #1

Elf #2

Buy link

        Elf (Mystic Guardians Book 2)

    

Blurb 

Alaric Denman is determined not to let himself care for another human, especially not one like Ezra Forsberg. Ezra is a rich playboy without ambition, someone he could never respect. Why he’s intensely attracted to the man is beyond his understanding—but he is. So much so, it’s affecting his job to protect him.

Ezra isn’t sure who’s trying to kill him, but he has a pretty good idea. After growing up in one crime family and being forced to marry into another, his guess is his ex. He hires a bodyguard and gets a sexy elf. Yeah, he can see past the elf’s glamour, despite Alaric’s attempt to hide those elegantly pointed ears. But Alaric irks him with his stoic nature and he can’t resist poking at him.

While they’re busy clashing, a two million dollar price goes out on Ezra’s head, which brings out powerful preternaturals. Someone really wants Ezra dead, so it’s time they work together to figure out who.

Elf is a MM paranormal romance long novella with a reluctant elf, a snippy-mouthed human, and a soulmate passion that takes them both by surprise. It’s the second in the Mystic Guardians series, but can be read as a stand alone.

• Publication date: February 4, 2025
• Language: English
• Print length: 139 pages