Shannon C.’s review of What Do You Say to a Naked Elf by Cheryl Sterling
Fantasy romance released by Love Spell 1 Jan 05

I’ve wanted to read this book for years. It got the Shannon’s Mom stamp of approval, which automatically meant I had to read this book, if only to prove to myself that Mom still has good taste. Plus, this book features a premise I like–Earth girl goes to fairyland, has wacky adventures, and finds love.

I wasn’t disappointed at all, and am happy to report that Mom still has good taste. What really surprised me about this book, though, was how funny it was. Bear in mind, of course, that humor is totally subjective and someone else might be rolling their eyes at some of the things that Sterling’s heroine, Earth woman Jane Drysdale, has to say. But I laughed.

One night, after driving home from a Realm of Pleasures party, down-on-her-luck Jane accidentally runs over a bunny. But wait! The bunny is actually an elf, and Jane has just killed him, so she has to return to Lowth, the elven kingdom, to face a murder trial. Luckily, she’s got hot elven lawyer Charlie there to plead her case. Before their trip has ended, Jane may be asked to play a huge part in saving the world.

I loved Jane. I think the primary reason she worked for me is that she didn’t take herself too seriously. She reacts the way any normal person might to finding themselves in this sort of situation, neither adjusting too quickly nor living in the land of denial. And she really does want to go home, even as she starts to fall in love with Charlie. Her dialogue is full of pop culture references, and while that did grate after a while, the difference here was that Jane has a dry wit that I liked. The only thing that made her lose points with me is that she does something that’s so very romance novel cliche-ish at one point and I wanted to smack her for it.

Charlie is a good hero, too. He’s a quiet, restrained foil to Jane’s exuberant personality, and I really liked that it was Jane who seduced him. To my intense pleasure, Charlie also has to do some soul-searching and growth in this book. Sometimes it feels like the character developments are all one-sided in books like this, so I was pleased this wasn’t the case.

The romance between Charlie and Jane is excellent, although the sex scenes here didn’t particularly do much for me. I liked that the romance wasn’t forced, and Jane and Charlie are allowed to become friends without the destined soulmates crap getting in the way.

There are many interesting secondary characters, from the senile king of the elves, who likes to dress in women’s clothing, to Charlie’s brother Hugh, to the ambitious and scheming castle steward, Eager. Ms. Sterling leaves herself open for playing more in the world she’s created, although she does so without having the sequel-bait scream, “Look! Mine is book 2!”

I liked the plot. The book moves rapidly along at a nice clip, with lots of adventure along the way for our intrepid heroes. My only quibble was with the ending, which wrapped things up in a particularly schmaltzy bow.

Before I close, I should also mention that I thought the world-building here was handled well. It still feels largely like a Tolkien rip-off, but I think that was a conscious decision on Ms. Sterling’s part. I’ve read fantasy romances that did a better job with the world-building, but I have also read far, far worse.

I’m glad I read this book. Apparently Cheryl Sterling is working on a paranormal novel now, and I can’t wait to read it.

Grade: B

Summary:

Plain Jane Drysdale supplements her uninteresting day job by selling sex paraphernalia at what are basically erotic Tupperware parties. One dark night as she is speeding home, she brakes to avoid running over a rabbit and crashes her car. Woozy and hurt, she is taken away by a group of men. As they walk deeper into the woods, one of her rescuers, Charlie, tires of her questions, drugs her, and slings her over his shoulder. When she awakens, Charlie shares a few choice pieces of information with her: she has gone through a portal into another world; he has half elf, half fairy, and he’ll be representing her at court for the murder of Tivat, a shape-shifter who happened to be the rabbit she ran over. Jane not only adapts to her new world, she also effects miraculous changes in it as it begins to change her.

You can read an excerpt here.