This book is actually book 4 of a series I'd never read. Obviously, I didn't know that when I picked it. I just thought the title was cute, and it called itself book 1 in the series, thanks to a change in publishers.

My big disappointment in this book was that it was way more of a romance than I expected, like predictable and formulaic. I don't mind romance in my fantasy, but this just felt like the fantasy setting was just thrown in to make it "different." I didn't finish this book.

3.5 Stars

This was the book I didn’t know I needed. The Embraced series has been one of my favorite fantasy romances the past few years and when I saw we were getting more in this world I was extremely excited. I will add in a warning right off the bat. While this is a new “series” it’s very much not a standalone. I wouldn’t consider this book even a spin off. It’s just literally the next installment in the Embraced series. We are still following one of the main friends getting her HEA and it very much picks up on things that happened in one of the previous books. So with that in mind, I do recommend you read the previous books in the Embraced series before reading this one so you can understand what’s going on.⁠

Like I said, this is one of my favorite fantasy romance series and this one takes place in the Kingdom of the Elves which is new. I really enjoyed that as well as the hero’s affinity to wood and his ability to communicate with trees or make any type of wood do anything he wanted! But comparing this book to the previous ones I would say is a little less developed. Both in terms of overall world building as well as the gift/power of the main characters. The heroine’s gift was almost non-existent or used.⁠

But I still enjoyed the story. A little more laid back and simple, the romance a tad insta lovey but it didn’t bother me. And definitely a slow burn romance. Which made sense in the middle of what was happening around them.⁠

I’m probably more excited about the next book which is finally about Brody.⁠

If you are looking for a fantasy series with unique world building and great slow burn romances, look no further. Every installment here will be a good read including this one.⁠

This story was Good. It's a spinoff to the Embraced series, yet I read it as standalone. The story of the main characters is completely standalone, yet the general situation can be foggy if you had not read the series that was before this book. I managed to follow almost everything with ease.
Sorcha is a princess as she has powers due to the time of the year she was born at. I generally liked her, but when it comes to the Woodsmen she was like a blabbering teenager that only thinks about ONE thing, but later in the book, I'm glad she had put rains on that and managed to do what was her part.
Woodsman is a brooding character, that wants to do what is right, he plans nothing about falling for anyone, and he ALWAYS has a plan!
Those two will be playing push and pull games for the larger part of the book and that was a really nice thing to see them gradually fall for each other!
I liked this story and I will read the next story for sure!

This is technically book 4 in the Embraced series. There are characters and over arching story arcs from the previous three books so it is best read in series order.

This book features Sorcha, one of the Embraced, a woman with a magical gift. She's kidnapped along with a friend of hers when she meets the Woodsman, who is also Embraced. From the start, there is an instant attraction between them that they try to fight as they both were preoccupied with other things.

There is very much a Robin Hood vibe as the Woodsman is stealing and giving to those in need. There are other elements that come to light as the story continues but I don't want to spoil anything. There is a lot of action and funny moments as two strong willed people fall in love.

We get so see a few characters from previous books as well as have some significant events that move the continuing story arc forward. I am excited to read more from this series.

This was exactly what I needed in this period: a romantic fantasy entertaining and fun to read.
I liked the world building, the romance, the well developed characters and the plot that flows.
It's the first story I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This was my first Sparks book, and I really enjoyed her light-hearted launch into a new series. It's surprisingly positive and sort of an anthem for opening your mind to new and different people.

Darn it, I got sucked into this world again!

I should have looked closer, because I only read book#1 of the larger world (The Embraced) and, while I enjoy this author, the historical feel is just not my cup of tea. It ended up sucking me in, but I was fighting kicking and screaming the entire way.

This book follows Sorcha, an heir to the throne who has a serious thing against elves. It's not exactly unexpected, since they keep trying to kill and kidnap her loved ones. She's thrown herself into training to be a independent woman who can handle herself. Her first battle, though, ends up with her being taken captive, only to be rescued by the elusive "Woodsman." The story reads like Robin Hood, with elves, magic, and shifters.

Sorcha and the Woodsman have a cute romance, made even cuter by the supporting cast of characters that reside in Haven. I'd love to come back around and see where they all end up, but I think I'm going to stop here. Too many gowns and old timey things to keep me truly engaged in these books.

This is a fun, romantic fantasy. I found it campy in the best way and it was a cute, quick read. Very enjoyable.

Sorcha is afraid of love, the feelings evoked when someone she cares about is in danger scares her. She watches her family and worries that she won't or can't handle the emotions that spill from her so she has see not to fall in love. She is ready for an adventure and when a meeting between the elves is set up Sorcha knows her place is by her sisters side. When the meeting turns into an ambush and Sorcha is captured she has to use her power to help herself escape but using said power is scary. She always afraid that she will go to far and not be able to control it. While trying to escape she is aided by a man known as the Woodsman, a man of mystery who lives among the trees in the forest. Attraction is I stand between the two but neither wants to go down that road. The Woodsman has a path that he needs to follow to become the man he is meant to be. Sorcha doesn't think he is the man she is destined to be with so she isn't ready to get involved. The problem for these is that the attraction between them can't be denied. Follow along as these two play a cat and mouse game with their emotions. Will they throw caution to the wind or will they both deny what is right there in front of them.

Tried to start this one a couple of times and just found it wasn't for me! Not bad by any means just not my go to.

Thank you for the opportunity to read it!

I LOVE this book series. If you like light hearted romance featuring five adopted sisters and magical beings, this is the series for you. The five sisters play a game of telling stones. With each roll, the stones tell who the sister will find, fall I love with and marry. Sorcha is up next. She know that it is going to be an elf, and she ain’t happy about it. They are not to be trusted. Luckily she is recused by the infamous Woodsman. He is not like all the other elves she has known. He is trustworthy and seems loyal, and he is extremely handsome. She is relieved when he reveals that he has brown hair. The elf I the stones predicts it will be someone with white hair and lavender eyes. And she is glad....Sorcha does NOT want to fall in love and leave her sisters. Especially during this time of war and unrest.

I have read the other books in the first series and these is just like the rest. I really enjoyed Brennan and Sorcha's romantic journey. I laughed at the picnic and the entertainment the rest of the picnickers got. The romance was slightly quicker then I remembered from the other books, but overall I really enjoyed it. I can't wait until the next adventure. :)

The newest book in the Embraced by Magic series follows Sorcha, embraced by flame, as she navigates the country of Woodwyn under the "protection" of the Woodsman - gentleman, thief, revolutionary. When Sorcha is kidnapped then rescued by the Woodsman, all she wants to do is go home to her brother and the impending birth of her neice. She figures that the faster she can get away from the devilishly handsome elf, the better for her heart. Afterall, he's not the one prophecised by the Telling Stones - no matter how attractive she may find him. But meeting his people and seeing his land begins to make Sorchas question everything. Can she walk away from her old like and embrace one that she never expected to find?

Kerrelyn Sparks' humor is well evident in this story. The chemistry between the leads is scorching. If you are looking for a light romantic fantasy, this is the book for you.

Kerrelyn Sparks once again delights us with a story filled with adventure, treachery, magic and romance.

For those unfamiliar with the fantasy series, it focuses on five sisters-of-the-heart who were all sent to live in a convent off the mainland as babies for their own protection. These five girls were all Embraced, born on a day when the twin moons crossed each other or Embrace. The ruling Church of the Light deemed that these Embraced and often magically-gifted children were a danger to the populous (or their seat of power) and ordered them to be killed.

The Kingdoms on the mainland were fighting each other for decades until in the last three stories we find that the girls were each hidden by their Ruler father and were actually Princesses. Now they and their husbands rule their Kingdoms with fairness and love and are forging a time of peace between all the people of their adjoining Kingdoms.

How to Love You Elf brings us to the final warring Elf Kingdom of Woodwyn. The Elves have mindlessly been attacking the other kingdoms for years, especially the neighboring kingdom of Norveshki, where we find the dragon shifters. In the last book, we find that (now) Queen Gwennore is part-Norveshki and part-Woodwyn. Her Elven mother still lives and wants to meet her daughter who was sent away as a baby by her evil father. She wants Gwennore to cross over the border into Woodwyn but suspecting a trap, were ready before it sprang. But when her friend, Aleksi was wounded Princess Sorcha stayed behind to protect him and they are captured by the elven army.

A thief known only as the Woodsman helps them escape and keeps Sorcha and Aleksi safe but the longer Sorcha travels with him, the more she is confused. It seems that the River Elves are not only attacking the neighboring kingdoms, but their own people (mostly Wood Elves) and the armies steal food from their own people, burning their villages if they don’t comply. What kind of Leader would attack their own citizens? Was the ailing Elven King really evil or is it Gwennore’s mother who is behind this treatment? Why is the Woodsman mounting what looks like a coup against the King? And why won’t he let her or her sisters and their Kingdoms help?

In this series, the elves have been pointlessly attacking all of the Kingdoms which surround them. They don’t steal anything. They aren’t trying to grab lands. They attack, the kill and then go back home. None of it made any sense. But it does make everyone on the mainland hate elves, Gwennore dealt with a lot of prejudice when she first arrived at Norveshki because of her half-elven blood. When Sorcha first is saved by the Woodsman, she disparages the Elves as two-faced, lying bastards, not knowing that he is an elf because he doesn’t have the white-blonde hair of the River Elves. No one has traveled to Woodwyn in decades and since the army is made up mostly of River Elves, as Wood Elves are treated as lesser citizens in their own land, they weren’t aware that there was anyone living in Woodwyn besides the blonde elves.

While they have a rough start in gaining trust, attraction was never a problem between Sorcha and the Woodsman (and no, you don’t get a name besides Woodsman for about 75% of the story). Sorcha fights her attraction since the Telling Stones indicated that her love would be an lavender-eyed Elf with white-blond hair but the Woodsman won’t be deterred. Don’t worry, as Sorcha begins the soften towards the Woodsman and says to Hell with the Telling Stones, Aleksi is there like a bucket of water to keep our lovers from getting too close. Sorcha may be descended from dragon shifters, but she is not much of a fighter. Yet Sorcha loves with her whole heart and as she embraces the Woodsman’s people into her life, she bravely fights besides these Elves against the armies of the River Elves.

I know what you are thinking, four kingdom/four sisters everyone has a happy ending, what about little Maeve. Well we know that Maeve and Brody have that I hate you but really secretly love you thing going on and uniting all the Kingdoms isn’t the ends since the Circle of Five (made up of those who have lost their power when the Kingdoms united, as well as The Chameleon, who can shift and become anyone), they wants all the Kingdoms to bow to them. There is still much more story to tell and I can’t wait to see what Kerrelyn has in store for the conclusion.

I can’t imagine what St. Martin’s Press was thinking when they decided to drop this series after the third book. Let’s start with, who didn’t read the intro of the first book which said there were five sisters and therefore the story ARC would include five romances? Did they never read a romantic fantasy series? Why contract for a series and stop after a trilogy? Kerrelyn Sparks is a talented author with a strong fan base who love her storytelling. Sorry SMP but your failed on this decision. Kudos to Kensington for seeing this little gem dropped on the ground, picking it up and running with it.

I absolutely love this series.. I can not get enough of these books...
These two character's are fighting hopeless attraction to each other
*both with opposite gifts, 1 speaks and workers with wood, the other controls fire
*he finds her brave, determined, stubborn , comfort , a sweet distraction, honour, bravery, and loyalty
*This book had some funny parts where I burst out laughing.. the tricks they played
*I love the little quirky these two are and their little jokes
* by the end she doesn't care if "He is the one" but falls in love and turns out the he is the one
This series is fantastic.. can't wait for the next book

Loved this book so much!! Anything Kerrelyn Sparks writes instantly becomes my favorite. She gives me a "Book Hangover" every time!

How to Love Your Elf by Kerrelyn Sparks was a wonderful story. I enjoyed the Woodsman and Sorcha’s story, and how well the other characters fit smoothly into the story. There are secrets to be told and wars to be won, and a princess and dragon that need rescuing. I highly recommend this book who love a little fantasy in their lives.

“We can’t control the future, Sorcha. Danger can happen to anyone at any time.”

Sorcha is staying with her adopted sister Gwen when a delegation of Gwen’s people, the elves, come wanting to take Gwen to her birth mother. Sorcha suspects a trap and insists on going as protection. She is taken captive but gets her sister away. Sorcha is rescued by the Woodsman, a mysterious elf who is a Robin Hood figure.

This fantasy romance series is one of my favorites. I read them out of order and wasn’t lost, but I really feel like you would need to read the third book Eight Simple Rules for Dating a Dragon to understand the relationships and politics at play.

Sorcha is not necessarily a strong fighter, but she is a strong character. I really liked how she’s feminine and strong while knowing her strengths and weaknesses. A lot of this book was about Sorcha confronting her fears of not being able to save the person she loves while they are in danger.

Elves have a reputation for being very cold, and they are known for murdering humans who trespass on their lands. Sorcha is terrified of them.

“Like everyone else in the other mainland countries, Sorcha had always heard horror stories about how elves would stream unexpectedly across their borders to maim and murder. And then they would retreat just as suddenly without taking any plunder or prisoners. Since the elves didn’t seem interested in gaining wealth or land, people believed they attacked because they simply enjoyed being cruel.”

I really loved how Sorcha was so prejudiced against the elves because of their reputation, but after staying with them she learns that they aren’t quite so different.

I was thinking it would be more of a play on how two different cultures are, with Sorcha learning about the elves and being a representative to them. It didn’t quite go that way, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I liked Sorcha overcoming her prejudice a lot. If you’re looking for a book that explores the culture differences between a fantasy race and humans, I’d recommend also checking out Fierce Heart by Tara Grayce, which was a favorite read of mine last year.

This is a really fun fantasy romance. I would recommend reading the first three books first, or at very least reading the third book. I feel like without knowing the set up and story, the plot would be a little confusing.

I can’t wait for the final book, Brigid and Brody’s story.

How to Love Your Elf by Kerrelyn Sparks is book One in the Embraced by Magic and book 4 in The Embraced Series. I have read the previous book sin the Embraced series which did add to my enjoyment and understanding of this one. But I did fee you could make it a standalone book if you wish to do so. This is the story of Princess Sorcha and The Woodsman (name is raveled toward the end). Sorcha has seen her friends and family fall in love but she herself doesn't want to. But when she meets the Woodsman she starts to have feelings that she can't seem to stop. The Woodsman is out for revenge and doesn't need distractions which Sorcha is defiantly that with their immediate connection and with her abilities. I have love this author's writing. She takes you into another world and you just can't put her books down. Loved it.

Ok so its been almost 2 years since the last book come out in which that was the last time I read it. It took me a bit to remember all of the characters and who is who. But then this story took off! Im 60+% in and I can't put it down. It does have some cheesy lines, but its funny. This might be my favorite in the series. I cant wait to see how it ends and Im looking forward to the last book for sure.

I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.