Two people find themselves in a quandary: Aderri, a powerful dragon shifter with some light defensive magic, and Ellys, a half-elven swordswoman for hire, one of the best across the six nations.
When Aderri gets news that she must come home for the naming ceremony of a new hatchling, she's forced to hire Ellys and her telepathic steed, Roccotári, to see her safely there. Of course, things are never as simple as they seem. Not only do they have to traverse the land between two kingdoms on the brink of war, but Aderri's Clan expects her to return with a romantic interest. So, for the added promise of triple Ellys's normal fee, the half-elf agrees to pretend to be Aderri's suitor.
Ellys and Aderri have to convince a Clan full of magical mixed-shifters for a week that creatures of differing elements can burn with the flames of love, without actually lying. A situation made even more difficult by a matchmaking mare, steamy baths, and an innkeeper with mischief on the mind.
Caught between the weight of the past and expectations of the future, they must find their true destiny within the heat of fire.
Award winning author and Michigan native, K. Aten writes sapphic heroines into existence one story at a time.
As a writer: I've published 16 novels since 2018. I write across the romantic genres, including science fiction, fantasy, historical, contemporary drama, paranormal romance, dystopian, rom com, and adventure. However, my primary output is speculative fiction.
Please see my website, Amazon, or anywhere my books are sold for book descriptions & updates.
SOME WORDS END THE SILENCE, OTHERS BEGIN IT _____________________________________________
As a reader:
My Ratings 5 Stars-The book made it into my heart and if I had to make a top 50 list of all time this book would shimmy its way in. 4 Stars- I loved the book, it was amazing. However, it's not on the elite 'favorite of all time' list. 3 Stars- This is the broadest category. I liked the book all the way to it was average. This should be a 2.5 to 3.5 section. 2 Stars- I read the book all the way through but did not like it. 1 Star- I only give a 1 if I can't finish the book because I dislike it so much. There are a few reasons for DNF. Poor plot line, poor grammar and/or spelling, or maybe just a subject I don't care for. I DO ROUND UP!
4.50 Stars. A lovely rom-com fantasy. Before I start my review I do want to mention that I was a beta reader for this book. I’ve read this story multiple times and have formed more of an attachment to it than I might have had to another book that I read only once before reviewing. Because of that it’s hard to say that I don’t have any built-in bias, but I’m trying my best just to wear my reviewer hat only. The bottom line is that this was a fun read and I really enjoyed it.
As most of you know I’m not the biggest rom-com fan. I find I struggle with book comedies as my humor doesn’t always line-up with them. When Aten told me this was a rom-com, I thought ‘eh’, but then when she told me that the romance in this book was actually a fauxmance, and that there would be dragons, well let’s just say my ‘eh’ went to a ‘hell yeah!’ Fauxmances are my favorite romance trope and to put one in a fantasy setting which include a dragon shifter… I just knew this would be my kind of book. And the best part is that the comedy didn’t bother me in the end. While not all of the jokes hit, and I rolled my eyes a few times, most of them were genuinely funny. It wasn’t a big laugh out loud book for me, but I had a smile on my face almost the whole time. A lot of the jokes involved teasing and were part of the main characters flirting together which actually added to the chemistry of their romance.
The romance really was the heart of the story for me. You have a dragon shifter who didn’t plan on settling down anytime soon, and a half human/elf who’s been too scared to love again after a huge loss. But when the two are brought together to take a dangerous journey, while pretending to be in a relationship (the dragon needs a potential mate to take home to meet her family) sparks start to fly. This is a reasonably slow burn romance so Aten takes the time to really build this potential relationship right in front of our eyes. The teasing and flirting, the subtle touches, everything with these two just builds up so nicely that you absolutely believe in their chemistry. The sex scenes also have a nice bit of playfulness but also steaminess that only makes their connection even stronger.
While Aten put a lot of time into the romance, this really is an epic fantasy book. There is a ton of world building here and this place called Myth World that she has created is wonderful. What I loved is that Aten took us to different parts of this world and introduced us to important characters that have their own story to tell. It’s very clever how she did this because while this first story is completely all done, we got to meet these other great characters and get a small glimpse into what their stories could be. There is a WLW princess and captain of the guard romance that I especially cannot wait to read about. This is not the last we will see of Myth World.
I had fun reading this book and considering this was a comedy, well that doesn’t happen to me too often. The romance was great and the mains were wonderful characters that I am going to miss. I would not call this a gateway fantasy book because it might be a little heavier fantasy for a new fantasy reader, but because the rom-com parts are good and such a big part of the book, I think this would appeal to readers who read fantasy on occasion and all the way up to hard-core fantasy fans. This is a book I would recommend and I’m hopeful that fantasy fans will enjoy this as much as I did. I can’t wait to read more from Myth World. If you have wanted to try Aten before but know that you are just not a speculative fiction reader, I would absolutely recommend her dramatic WLW romance, Burn It Down, about a firefighter.
A delightful fantasy read! Lots of humour therein, but not too much to detract from the plot. Lots of depth of story, the world; the kingdoms therein, and each character! Truly full, and I can see there being many more stories to come from this world!
I adored the light teasing and jibing between our MC Ellys, a half Elven warrior, who fights for balance in all things - and her familial telepathic steed, Roccotári. When dragon-shifter, Aderri hires Ellys to help escort her back home to her family clan lands after many decades away, and also wants her to pretend to be her mate (so a bit of faux-romance here) both are unable to deny their chemistry and attraction throughout their trip.
Ellys is hesitant for a number of reasons, but fate may very well have other ideas. We explore a fantasy world on the brink of war, with dangers mounting, plus threads of characters and stories that could be installments in their own right. (There's a underlying storyline with a Princess who is away while her throne is being threatened and a higher ranking soldier who was a former lover, seeking to find her, so I really hope we get their stories next! I'm always a sucker for a knight and princess story.)
The friendship and comradery between the 3 main characters, of Ellys, her steed Rocc, and Aderri is truly touching and beautiful. Ellys is jovial in her own right, and Aderri is a beautiful flirt. Rocc is wise and self important lol. It's just a joy to read, and I find myself not wanting to leave this world.
This was a fun and funny read with great characters. The slow burn between Ellys and Aderri keeps you on your toes, and the push from Rocco to get the two together was as sweet as can be. That epilogue threw me though. I want more of Ellys and Aderri!
I can't wait to read more of the Myth World series.
This story had it all! Elemental Attraction was as bright, vibrant, fun, and cheeky as the cover.
Elly's, Aderri, and Rocc were the perfect trio. All balancing one another in one way or another. The journey never grew tiresome for me, I was always kept on my toes. Elly's was my favourite, even when she was being verbally out bested by her bondmate, Rocc. (HI-larious at times) As for Aderri, it took me a moment to warm up to her. I think it was because I had already connected to Elly's that when Aderri came along, I felt like one of those girlfriends being all possessive of her lover, or something. "Away with you and your flaming red hair, flawless skin, and beautiful curves from my Elly's!" However, it only took a fraction of time for me to like Aderri, and at times, I sided with her. Aderri proved to be witty, charming, a flirt, and a badass. More badass than Elly's, who had mad skills. I admit, there were several times throughout where I didn't have a clue what was being said between whomever was talking. Some of the vernacular was rather difficult to pronounce so I found myself skimming some of the conversations, but in some semblance, I always understood what was going on. And when it came to Aderri's and Elly's attraction for one another, there was no misunderstandings.
To sum up, if you want action and adventure with a side of shapeshifters going into battle, you got it. If you're seeking love, friendship, and hot sex, strap up. And if you enjoy witty repartee, playfulness, jokes, moments of hilarity, look no further.
This is "A Myth World Novel". It is essentially a fake relationship, sapphic rom-com road trip in a high fantasy setting.
I'd say that there are three equal main characters: Ellys, half-elven Master of Swords and Fist of Toroc, Aderri, adagnitio (knowledge-hoarding) dragon shape-shifter - both 148 years old - and Roccotári, the 942-year-old elven steed who is "not a horse", although she appears to be one. Ellys and Roccotári have been companions for more than a century; the latter is bonded to the former's family. The unending telepathic banter between the two - and also with Aderri, once she joins the party - is the part of the humor that really works well in this book. That, along with the recurring reaction of "I am not a horse" from Roccotári, the numerous times someone refers to her as such.
(Humor that grew tedious, to my eye, was repeated references to "bad table manners" and "stinkiness". And I don't know if the banished elf and the honey was supposed to be humor - but that whole episode was just creepy.)
We meet Ellys and Roccotári approaching the city of Longoria, the capital of the Kingdom of Carthûne. Down to her last silver piece, Ellys desperately needs a job; sleeping in a stable with her steed just won't cut it. Winning a tournament of swords yields her a paltry purse - but attracts the eye of the mysterious Aderri, who needs to hire an mercenary to escort her to Norn, the capital of Muniers, an adjoining nation, and thence to the stronghold of Clan Dracona. Complications being, the border between the two countries is closed, and also that Aderra is expected to show up with a believable suitor. The wages are very generous, and Ellys signs on.
What follows is a journey of several moons, from Longoria to the border of Muniers, along the impervious magical wall which has been raised to seal the border with Carthûne, through Cat's Head in the Kuwyth Empire, crossing into Muniers and thence to Norn, and finally to Clan Dracona. En route, Ellys and Aderri practice the role they will have to play - that of would-be lovers - and, unsurprisingly, feelings grow.
This is a nicely developed fantasy world. It has the usual fantasy races - humans, elves, dwarves, gnomes - magical creatures - centaurs, satyrs, selkies - and shapeshifters - wolves, foxes, and dragons. It has an interesting element-based magic system (and an interesting dice game based on that; 10 dice with earth, air, fire, water, life, death as the sides of each die. It sounds like a lot of fun. I'd play it!). We only actually see portions of three of the Six Nations, but each is different and distinguishable. Carthûne has an ailing king and intrigue, Muniers has the Twin Regents - powerful mages - and Kuwyth is an Empire. The various gods that people worship are uniquely different. Quite a nice setting.
This story is a standalone tale. There is an epilog which confused me; usually you learn how the main characters are doing a relatively short time later, but this one is a quarter of a page long and set many centuries in the future - three (very long lived) generations later. I assume all mortals from this book are long dead, and are now legends from the past. I'm afraid it did nothing for me.
There are setups for additional stories to be told in this world. Carthûne is still in turmoil, but surely Captain Toridae Kessel and Princess Ameelia Ohtani - assuming the good Captain can reach her in Indenes - can settle things? And how about Doonie and her quest to recover Ailith's stolen seal hide?
I liked this! I will happily read more Myth World stories.
Aderri hires Ellys to help her get back home for the naming ceremony of a new dragon shifter hatchling. Travelling between kingdoms that are on the edge of war breaking out and Aderri needing to return with a partner, nothing is simple. Between them they hatch a plan, but given the magical forces at play, it isn’t as simple as they first thought, especially when their fates are interwoven and at stake, they both have decisions to make.
There was a lot of action and adventure packed into this amazing story. The world building and myths surrounding the kingdoms and characters was phenomenal and I could imagine every detail from the wonderful way K. Aten conveyed the detail of the powers and worlds that played heavily in Aderri’s and Ellys’ story. Excitingly a whole cast of characters join them, lifting spirits with light interfering and a little humour in trying to get Aderri and Ellys to realise there might be a more powerful connection between them than the one they are forcing as part of their plans.
They go through so much together and you can really feel how much they care about what will happen to one another as a result of their meeting, arrangement to work together and plans to travel together. There were many opportunities for them to connect, and with Roccotári, Ellys telepathic steed helping them, there was no doubt in all they were going to achieve, whether it be what they set out for and planned, or even more. It was a very involved story that you could immerse yourself in and be safe from any of the dangers, even though you felt as if you were right by their side.
It is great that this story is standalone but forms part of a Myth World series because it means there is a chance Aderri, Ellys, and Roccotári are likely to make future appearances. A very exciting story and I look forward to more. Definitely recommend for anyone who loves a fantasy story with heart and meaning.
This was a fun read. Witty and entertaining. A quest is made by three women creatures, whose journey turns out revelatory and perhaps fulfilling a destiny. Mixture of mystics, magics, amusing sarcasm.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the characters and their funny banter. The world is interesting and there is so much more to discover. I look forward to reading more in this series.
‘Elemental Attraction’ by K Aten is the first in her new MythWorld Series. It’s a beautifully crafted tale of shapeshifters, mythical creatures and destiny. Ellys is a half-elven swordsman and a great one at that. She hires out her skills to help keep body and soul together for herself and her companion steed, Roccotari. When dragon shapeshifter, Aderri offers her more than the usual rate to help her get home for an important family ceremony she agrees. But the journey is fraught with danger and the threesome find themselves dealing with more than they bargained for. Add in the beginnings of an attraction that grows hotter as they near Aderri’s homeland. As each grapple with their own and others expectations, life becomes a whole lot more interesting.
The world-building is superb in ‘Elemental Attraction’ and K Aten has once again hooked me with her imaginative storytelling. The mixture of different creatures is fantastic and seeing how they interact with each other made me laugh and sometimes shed a tear. Ellys is strong and fearless and loyal. She strives to achieve balance in everything she does. Her relationship with Roccotari is funny, sarcastic and joyful. They have an amazing bond and it is the most significant relationship for both of them. As they travel with Aderri we begin to see that love does not have to be static, and change can be embraced. I loved the banter between the three, but also the traditions, mythology and history that made them who they were. A great story.
This well told fantasy tale is a journey worth taking. The characters are well fleshed out with humor, honor, action and loving bonds. A dragon shape shifter, a half elven sword master and an elven horse with a passion for teasing and apples make their way across mythical lands to deliver a dragon home. I recommend this book and the high adventure it will take you on.
5 stars. What an adventure! A dragon shifter and a half elven swordsman with a telepathic and extremely sassy steed. I was sold from just that alone honestly. The characters are absolutely fantastic and so charming. I’m so glad that there is going to be a book two because I am in love with this world and these characters. The way this ends is definitely a complete (and extremely satisfying) ending for Ellys and Aderri but leaves it open enough to continue on with a new cast of characters.
I’ll admit, this took me a little bit to really get into this. I found the pacing a bit slow going and a lot of info dumping of the world in the beginning but around the 20% mark or so—maybe a bit earlier—things even out and get going and it was a fun ride all the way to the end.
The writing is fantastic, the world and magic system is rich in detail, and again, the characters are likable as hell. Now, the romance. The. romance. Holy wow was the romance in this good. So much flirting and longing and sexual tension between Ellys and Aderri was amazing. Their chemistry is through the roof and I loved watching Ellys overcome the feeling of not wanting to betray the memory of her lover that passed and love again. Aderri was incredibly patient with her which I loved. Besides the flirty banter they had some really tender moments as well that were really well done. I thought they were perfect together.
The humor was great (Rocc, the telepathic steed is a particular scene stealer), the plot is interesting, the world building is cool and the romance is swoon worthy. I cannot wait for book two.
I love this book. Aten has a way with words, that makes everything easy to follow and imagine. This is a romance in a fantasy setting without the main tropes. There is no big angsty 3/4 drama-event for the protagonists to find themselves. There is no big open world fantasy-prophecy which leads to endless sequels and cliffhangers. It's a closed story in a world worth exploring through different eyes. I only wished for a longer epilogue telling us more about Elyss and Aderris lifes afterh the big events.
I laughed, and I cried, and then I laughed some more! I enjoyed not only the story, but the characters as well. I can’t wait for the next book in this delightful series.
Elemental Attraction was a fun read. You have Ellys who is a swordswoman who takes on specific jobs that fulfill the balance. The balance is like a calling to do good in the world and she's been on this quest for many moons. Her companion, lineal bondmate, is Lady Rocotarri who is a telepathic talking horse (not horse). One day they are approached by Aderri who requests their assistance to getting to Clan lands. Aderri is a dragon shifter and she's very attracted to Ellys on sight. In addition to assurance to Clan lands, Aderri offers to pay even more gold to Ellys if she'll pretend they're involved in front of Aderri's family. They're always bugging her about having a relationship and this will help to avoid those questions.
The story overall was pretty cute. Rocotarri was very entertaining and had all the jokes. I also really like seeing Ellys and Aderri grow to really love one another and just help each other see the world outside their heads especially where prophecies were involved. There was an extensive list of side characters and quests and not a whole lot of action scenes. I rated this 3 stars because while written well it was very long winded. It almost seemed like the author had a hard time wrapping up specific moments or storylines.
Overall this is a fun book with great LGBTQIA+ rep.
It's not that I don't like romantic comedy, it's that I only like it when it's actually funny and the relationship is convincing. This one hits that spot for me. The relationship is sweet and builds up in a believable way that has you rooting for both women. (It's also very hot if you're looking for that!) I also really enjoyed the world building here - the religions and magical structures were fascinating, the language distinct and creative, the culture fully fleshed out. It's those elements that really add in richness and make it something more compelling. The details of Ellys's religious devotion to the idea of balance and to her Goz (gender neutral term for god/goddess) were so interesting. In addition, there's a beautiful friendship story (not the main romance, I mean, one of the main characters has a platonic life mate bestie). All around it's a very well thought out story and I am encouraged by the "myth world #1" designation that implies there will be more in this universe.
While Ellys and Aderri were compelling characters, I particularly loved Roccotári and Ellis's dynamic. I loved it even more watching their gradual development into a trio. The actual romance was great too. I felt Ellis's struggle to get over her lost love and enjoyed watching the back-and-forth between her and Aderri until they finally realized what they could be for each other. (The realizations took longer to come on Ellis's part but it was lovely and realistic watching the building tension between the two.) I was fascinated by the world the author built, the magic system and cast of characters. I would be interested in reading more in this world but also more of the author's work. The humor and adventure in this book was great and I'm interested to see the other worlds and romances she's created.
Right, I don't know where to begin with this review..After the other books I read from Aten's masterpieces, this one classifies as one as well. I love the interactions between Rocc and Ellys, good way to induce a depth to such a character as a steed :)))...see what I did there?...not unless you read the book :))) Right, I see many possibilities of this story going forward so I cannot wait for the next installment. Great work!
Aderri, a knowledge seeking dragon shifter, Ellys, a half-elven swordswoman who follows the path of balance, and Roccotári, her telepathic snarky mount who is definitely not a horse. Certainly not your average group of travelers, but when Aderri hires Ellys to escort her home to Clan for a naming ceremony, and to act as her romantic interest for the event as well, all the while with a war brewing between kingdoms, perhaps things are not going to be as simple as they seem. Especially when there is an element of attraction involved. After all, Aderri did say that Ellys was her type, right at the onset...
While this is slow burn fantasy romance, it is also a shifter story as well, and in both regards it didn't disappoint. While some of the terms take a bit of getting used to (measurements of time for example: candles, cycles) the world building is very good, painting an interesting setting. The interactions between the characters was great, especially with the addition of Rocc, and it was nice to see the romance develop, as they got over the issues that they have, and find something else between the two of them. All up, a solid and very enjoyable fantasy/shifter story, and definitely recommended.
This novel showcases the author at the top of her game in the fantasy romance genre. The first half of the story uses a clever plot device, aka road trip, to allow time for the organic development of Aderri and Elly's relationship and character revelations. The pacing is steady, the dialogue and setting intimate.
The story's tempo steps up at their destination. The narrative dramatically expands with political intrigue, the introduction of more mystical creatures, family dynamics and an explosive battle scene.
Although the novel ends well and can be read as a standalone, I'd love to and am hoping for more stories in this fantastic world.
New fantasy series based on the four archetypal elements
SAPPHIC BOOK BINGO: out of your comfort zone, butch character, different sexual orientation (B/L), meet-cute, non-human characters and probably other categories
I've really enjoyed several of K. Aten's stories, and I liked this one too, but not as much as the others. The characters were diverse and complex, the plot was good, and it was well-written. (Rocc was my favorite character.) There just seemed to be a few things that were mentioned but were missing or forgotten later on in the novel. I liked it enough to continue reading the series, so that should also be considered when reading my review.
3.5 rounded up. This book was fun and funny and relationships heart warming. I struggled with the fantasy world itself. It almost felt overwhelming...but that's most likely my personal ta0ste.
Overqll ....A great book on family friends and love.
This is an excellent book and brought together a couple of my favorite genres and plots, fake girlfriend to bring home with a healthy dose of fantasy. It is well worth the read and I plan to reread it at some point.
What more can you ask for a good fantasy with magical characters. A sweet romance with more stories that could be told. Hoping for a book two. Thanks very entertaining read.