Review, Tour, & Giveaway: Elsker by S.T.Bende

Elsker by S.T. Bende
(The Elsker Saga #1)
May 16, 2014
286 pages
Genre: New Adult Paranormal
(Content: Clean)
Source: eARC for Honest review

Book Synopsis:

You don't win the heart of an immortal assassin without making a few enemies along the way. Kristia Tostenson prefers Earl Grey to Grey Goose and book clubs to nightclubs, but when she transfers from her one-stoplight town to Cardiff University in Wales she falls in love with Ull Myhr. Her new boyfriend isn't exactly what she was expecting. He's an honest to goodness Norse God - an immortal assassin fated to die at Ragnarok, the battle destined to destroy Asgard and Earth. Kristia's crazy visions are the only thing that can save their realms. Her orderly life just got very messy.

My Review:

First, you should know there is a prequel novella, TUR (free at the time of post), that isn't necessarily a have-to-read, but I don't see why anyone wouldn't want to, and I recommend reading it first. It's short, gives you great backstory about Ull and his best friends (who are adorable), and is fantastic! So grab it, read it, and then dive into ELSKER.

As for Elsker, I was already hooked into this series by Tur and wanted to find out about Ull's prophesized love interest. Fortunately, I thoroughly enjoyed Elsker. It has a great mixture of old Norse mythology combined with the modern college experience and the newness of falling in love. I felt like I was right along the ride with Kristia seeking out her new international experience, making new friends, and meeting this hot guy who gives her mixed signals. The storyline really drew me in, at first with wanting to see how Ull and Kristia would connect, then with how the Norse god side of things would come out. While the pace was a little slow at times, I was still completely engrossed in this story, and loved how the author made everything work and how it all played out. 

The characters themselves were terrific. Kristia is sweet, intelligent, endearing, and has a great sassy side that keeps Ull in his place. The coupling of their personalities was very well-written and a very believable match. Ull the hottie, who is quite a bit older (being a god and all), is used to being treated and seen a certain way. I loved that Kristia is just the breath of fresh air he needed to see what he's been needing in his life. They laugh, they love, they bicker - they are adorable. Ull is also the perfect gentleman, and I loved the sweet way their relationship played out. And I applaud the author for the direction she took in their clean romance. The secondary characters were also great assets to the story, and I hope they will all be a part of the future books.

I loved Elsker and recommend this series to anyone who enjoys mythology in modern times, sweet romance, clean writing, and charming characters. This is the first book in the Elsker Saga. I don't know how many books are planned, but I will let you know that this one did not end on a cliff-hanger. It has a great ending that gives you something to look forward to and something to worry about in the future, but you will be fine until the next book comes along. I'm definitely looking forward to the rest of this series.

4-1/2 STARS

Book Links:

Amazon  *  Barnes & Noble

KOBO  *  Goodreads

 

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 S.T. Bende Bio:

Before finding domestic bliss in suburbia, ST Bende lived in Manhattan Beach (became overly fond of Peet’s Coffee) and Europe… where she became overly fond of the musical Cats. Her love of Scandinavian culture and a very patient Norwegian teacher inspired the ELSKER series. She hopes her characters make you smile and that one day pastries will be considered a health food.

You can follow ST Bende on Twitter @stbende, or send an e-mail to stbende@gmail.com.

Links:

Blog  - ST Bende on Twitter - Ull Myhr on Twitter - Facebook - GoodReads