A Deal with the Elf King is the first book in the fantasy romance series Married to Magic by Elise Kova. Each of the books in the Married to Magic series features a different couple, so the books can be read as standalones, but they are all set in the same magical world, so there may be some character crossover between the books. I love this idea, but I typically see it in a contemporary romance setting, so I was super excited to see it play out in a rich fantasy setting. What a fantastic idea for a series, because the world that Elise Kova has created for us is so rich and atmospheric, and it has many political issues to sort out between the different kingdoms, not to mention cultural issues with all of the different species of creatures present in the world. There are so many things for us to unpack and explore in future books. I am such a huge fan of Elise Kova's writing and world building that I personally hope that the Married to Magic series is a very long series. I fell in love with a Deal with the Elf King and I can't wait for the next book- A Dance with the Fae Rogue, which is currently scheduled to release In November 2021. It cannot come fast enough for me! 

In A Deal with the Elf King we meet our main character Luella, who is the healer for her small town. Her town has another set of problems. Her town borders a part of the forest called The Fade, which is a barrier of sorts separating the human "natural" world with the magical world of the Elves. Each generation a girl is born with magical powers. This girl is known as the Human Queen, and when she comes of age, the Elf King comes to meet her and to marry her. This Human Queen goes to live with the elves to help restore their land. This year, however; no Human Queen has manifested itself. It should come as no surprise that Luella finds out she is the Human Queen and she is whisked away forced to marry the Elf King. That is when the real magic of the story starts. I loved Luella and I loved Eldas so much. Eldas is super caring and thoughtful. I don't think he gets enough credit. He was constantly going out of his way to make sure Luella was comfortable. I absolutely adore everything he did for her, and he never once wanted credit for his good deeds. That is the true mark of a good kind person. Eldas was my favorite because at times I wanted to shake Luella, but overall I really appreciated her independent streak. She was a great, if not a little strong willed to a fault, main character. And I have to mention Kitten! Oh, how I loved Kitten! 

Even more than the romance and the characters, which were superb, I also loved the world itself. I loved the description of the land of beyond, the natural world, the fade in between, the land of the magical creatures, and how magic helps to balance all of it. The mystery of the human queens throughout history was also super fascinating to me. I loved seeing their journals and seeing Luella and Eldas try to figure out how to sustain the worlds. I can't wait to see more of the world in the next book! I am super excited to journey to the land of the fae, which I am sure will present more unique issues, some of which are alluded to in this novel. I think Elise Kova has a winner on her hands with this novel and this series idea. I am in love with it!