Fierce Heart

Elven Alliance, Book 1

By: Tara Grayce

Narrated by: Liz Brand

Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

Essie would do anything for her kingdom...even marry an elf prince she just met that morning.

The human kingdom of Escarland and the elven kingdom of Tarenhiel have existed in an uneasy peace after their last wars ended with both kings dead. As tensions rise once again, desperate diplomacy might be the only way to avert war. If only negotiations between elves and humans were that simple.

When a diplomatic meeting goes horribly wrong, Essie, a human princess, finds herself married to the elf prince and warrior Laesornysh. Fitting in to the serene, quiet elf culture might be a little difficult for this talkative princess, but she’s determined to make it work.

With impending war and tenuous alliances, it will be up to Essie to unite her two peoples. And maybe get her hands on elven conditioner while she’s at it.

©2019 Tara Grayce (P)2020 Tara Grayce

FIERCE HEART 7 Stars!! Brilliant!!

Tara Grayce is simply the best author Fantasy YA. there is. Her books are emotionally charged and have you wanting more and more. Very much enjoyed! (It for sure is going on my re-listen list "This book is worth hearing multiple times") I ADORED the hero and heroine. They were both like able characters, not your typical angst rebellious heroine or brooding, borderline-mean hero. I totally neglected editing project to do it. I laughed, I cried, it moved me, They were so well written, and I LOVED the arranged marriage plot. There are not enough books about married couples, and I loved how this one played out. The Narrated (Liz Brand) was phenomenal I will be looking out more of her books. The romance was so beautifully written, so sweet, and very clean while still being deliciously swoon worthy. I haven’t listened to a whole book so quickly in FOREVER.. No, seriously, it did. And I certainly did my fair share of swooning. It was adorable and delightful and I can hardly wait to read book two!!


I would listen to Liz Brand narrate the f****** phone book. She’s incredibly talented. Thank you. THANK YOU!!!

Just Listen to it. You won’t regret it.

Plot. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐stars
Story. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ stars
Narrator.: Liz Brand ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review"

Great story

I thought it was a bit slow for a long time but it was things that you needed to know. The last part was exciting. I am going to get the second book for sure.

WOW! Finally I can get some sleep!

Definitely a favorite series. And this is only book one. I haven't stayed up all night reading while listening to a book. Nothing accomplished yesterday! Really, this was better than any Korean drama I watch where it takes 24 episodes for the kiss. LOL.

I didn't feel the book finish. Only the passing of time through windows. It really has been a while since I enjoyed a fantasy/ romance story with Elves. This was clean, while the romance was building up between Essie and Farrendel. There was action towards the end. Well, there were battles, but the reader wasn't present. Oh, did I mentioned I loved this book!?

The heroine of the story goes into this arranged marriage wanting to make the best of it, even if becomes a one sided love. After all, friendship can make both their lives better. This is a story where both, heroine and hero know what their union means for their prospective Nations, and try to get along.

The world building was... WOW! From the start,I didn't need a full, detailed description of surroundings. Yet, I could see the town, it's Steam Engines. The way the story was told, it took me there.

Ok. Time to sleep, and then on to book 2! Hope there's narration too. I had borrowed the book on KU. I really got shores to do later on. Might just get the Audible. Definitely need to add all in series to my collection. 💖✨

Such a great story

I love how the Elves are depicted in this book. I like this version of them. As for this story, very sweet, endearing and really pulls you in to the highs and lows they experience in it. I did wish there were more interactions between Essie and Farandel but the ones they did have were worthwhile. Overall, Essie is a very positive and upbeat person, she reminds me of myself, choosing the high road and positivity. I loved learning about the elven culture and how the small differences made a big difference in the daily interactions... hand holding, shampoo and conditioner, injuries and ideas of beauty and perfection, frailty... it truly was a great story and I look forward to the second book.

Romance and action!

When I first saw this book floating around I never thought I’d read it. I’m just so picky about the portrayal of elves (I love Tolkien's version but not always other authors' versions) I was afraid it would disappoint me. It wasn’t until one of my Goodreads friends’ updates while reading caught my attention that I thought maybe, just maybe, it would suit my tastes. I’m happy to say after having listened to the audiobook, that I liked it. I liked it a lot.

What grabbed me first was Essie’s bubbly personality. She’s a chatterbox and I found her funny and fun from the first page, but she’s also kind and empathetic, making it easy for me to enjoy being in her head. But what kept me interested was the author’s skill with character development, interaction, and developing a culture for the elves that felt well thought out and well executed. Even then, I was a little afraid the arranged marriage aspect wouldn’t be my cup of tea, but so many of my friends said in their reviews that it was really good, and what do you know, I liked that, too!

Farrendel ended up being an unexpectedly good match for Essie. Though very quiet at first he had a soft heart. He accepted Essie as she was, even loved her for it, and she helped him feel accepted and come out of his shell, in return. I really found myself invested in their relationship, and loved how the author made it clear that any healthy marriage, even one arranged to form an alliance, needs both parties to make the *choice* to love each other in order to work. And that’s what these two did. ❤️ By the end of the story, I believed that they genuinely loved each other in a way that was far deeper than physical attraction.

I also thought it was completely adorable that elven shampoo that makes your hair gorgeous was an actual Thing in this book. That's something my mom and I have joked about ever since I got into the Lord of the Rings fandom and that just cracked me up. XD It's important to the plot, too! I love that so much and appreciate that the story didn't take itself too seriously to do something fun like that.

The one thing that I thought was slightly lacking was that the world this book is set in felt small to me. At this point, we don’t know much about any places besides Essie’s country and the country where the elves live. And also the trolls. But a world consists of more than two or three countries, so I'm hoping maybe we'll get a little sense of the wider world in the next books, just so it doesn't feel so small. Still, the story is so character-centric, this wasn't a huge issue, just something that I think would be icing on an already very tasty cake.

I am very much looking forward to continuing with the next book.

A fabulous series starter by a new (to me) author

I consider myself fairly picky but I took the chance on buying this audiobook by a new to me author. Especially so since I have been in a rut lately and nothing seems to be keeping my attention. Well this book was really a wonderful find and hooked me right away! I imediately went and bought all of this author's back catalog and have been working my way through. This author is now definitely on my "auto buy" list.

Engaging, sweet, clean.

Engaging Story. Sweet and clean - great for teens. I will be buying the series for my teen for Christmas.

Delightful!!

Such a wonderful story. The whole time listening I wished it would not end and wanted to continue with the next release now. Just the right amount of romance mixed with amusing dialogue. The narrator put you right into the story.
This audio was given to me free and I voluntarily gave this review.

great book

I loved this book. it had a slow start but a great budding romance within!

A fun romantic fantasy that will make you smile

This is a light romantic fantasy with characters that make rational decisions, a somewhat damaged assassin/warrior prince, and an adorable slow burn romance. Highly recommend if you are looking for a quick read that will make you smile (and make you wish for elven shiny hair magic). Also, note that the book doesn't exactly end on a cliffhanger, but it isn't a standalone so you are going to want to pick up book 2 (and book 3 whenever it comes out).

Thanks to the author for a free copy of the audiobook. I had already read and enjoyed the ebook and it was great to experience the story in an audio format.