5 Best Fantasy Books With Romances With Elves

Sometimes we’re in the mood for not just a great fantasy book, but a fantasy book with a heartwarming romance. What books exist with romances featuring elven characters?

After searching for stories that include elves, I’ve narrowed them down to books that have romances where at least one character is an elf.

Here are great fantasy books with romances with elves:

Elvish by S.G. Prince
The Elven by Bernhard Hennen
Elfshadow by Elaine Cunningham
The Dragonstone by Dennis L. McKiernan
Red Rope of Fate by K.M. Shea

Some of these are fantasy romance books, while others include romance as a subplot.

I’ve included books descriptions, ratings and a summary of what readers said below. In addition, here’s a comparison chart of all these stories side-by-side.

Elvish by S.G. Prince

Description

It’s against the law for elves and humans to fall in love. But laws can be broken.

When Venick is caught wandering the elflands, he knows the penalty is death. Desperate, he lies about his identity in hopes the elves will spare his life.

Ellina doesn’t trust the human, and not merely because he speaks the language of men. Men lie. In elvish, however, lying is impossible.

In a moment of intuition, Ellina decides to give Venick a chance: learn elvish, reveal his truths, and she will set him free.

That is not, of course, what happens.

As Ellina and Venick grow to know one another, their feelings start to shift. Then Venick uncovers a dark secret, and suddenly the fate of the elflands seems to rest in his hands.

But every choice comes with consequences, and Venick must decide if it’s worth risking his life to protect a race that hates him, all to save an elf he’s not allowed to love.

What Do Readers Say?

Goodreads Rating: 4.18

Most Common Rating: 5

Positive Comments

First on our list of fantasy books with romances with elves is Elvish. This fantasy romance captured reader’s warms with its two lead characters and its enchanting writing.

Fans praised the book for its portrayal of Venick and Ellina, the protagonists, who both come across as convincing, fleshed out, and compelling. As the story progressed, readers felt more and more attached to the two and rooted for their romance.

Fans also frequently mentioned the author’s, S.G. Prince’s, beautiful prose. Because of it, the story transported them immediately and powerfully into its world. Readers described this as giving Elvish a rich, evocative setting and vivid scenes.

Negative Comments

If readers didn’t enjoy Elvish, what did they say?

In general, they tended to have two main criticisms. The first was that while Venick and Ellina were realistic characters, their romantic feelings seemed out of sync with the pace of their relationship.

Some of these readers described their outward actions, for instance, as cool, whereas their inner dialogue was the complete opposite. Overall, these readers didn’t think the romance was organic.

Another reason critics cited was Elvish‘s plot. These readers said that it seemed more like a premise than a story line, with little action happening after the protagonists’ initial meeting.

The Elven by Bernhard Hennen

Description

A fierce and merciless demon has been unleashed on the world, spreading destruction and bloodshed in both the human and the elven realms.

Northlander Jarl Mandred witnesses the ruthless attack on his men, and he seeks vengeance with the help of the elf queen, Emerelle.

Despite Mandred’s barbaric human nature, the queen orchestrates an elfhunt joined by the two strongest warriors in Albenmark to pursue the beast.

Farodin, the fiercest fighter in the land, and Nuramon, the healer, seize the opportunity to make history alongside Mandred in a life-defining series of battles waged in parallel universes.

The Elven is an epic tale, bringing heroes together across the boundaries of their worlds to avenge past losses and influence fates yet to be decided.

What Do Readers Say?

Goodreads Rating: 4.07

Most Common Rating: 5

Positive Comments

Next on our list of fantasy books with romances with elves is The Elven. This story includes a elf romance more of a subplot than a focus.

Fans praised this novel for its characters, which they described as easy to love and enjoy. Many of them mentioned that they were a pleasure to get to know, and that it was wonderful to follow them through their adventures.

Other readers praised The Elven for being a thoughtful and nuanced fantasy epic in general. These fans described it as moving them with themes of love, tragedy, friendship and more.

Overall, they lauded The Elven for its convincing and intricate portrayal of heroism and self-sacrifice.

Negative Comments

So what did The Elven‘s critics say? In general, they had two criticisms.

The first was that the story’s pace seemed slow. The second was the book’s use of simple rather than poetic language. Because of this writing style, critics said the fight scenes in particular came across as dry.

Elfshadow by Elaine Cunningham

Description

Silent death stalks the Harpers of Faerun. One by one, members of the semi-secret society for good in the Realms are falling to a murderer’s blade.

Now a Harper agent and a beautiful half-elf assassin must solve the mystery. If they fail, they will be the next victims.

But things in the Realms are rarely that simple.

What Do Readers Say?

Goodreads Rating: 3.85

Most Common Rating: 4

Positive Comments

This next entry in list our has plenty of fans. In terms of its romantic content, Elfshadow pairs the ‘odd couple’ of part-elf assassin Arilyn with Danillo, a flamboyant mage and spy.

Fast-paced and suspenseful, this story entertained readers with its mystery plot as well as entertaining clashes between its main characters. Fans thoroughly enjoyed the two of them, praising their excellent characterization, fun interactions and ever-building chemistry.

Negative Comments

If readers thought that Elfshadow wasn’t right for them, their reasons related to how the book had aged since its 1991 publication.

For instance, the background characters often fell into recognizable character types. The female characters might be either the ‘stoic female warrior’ or the ‘sexy barmaid’. The male characters might be either the ‘despicable lecher’ or the ‘upright manly man’.

At this point, many of these character types are pervasive in the fantasy genre. As such, readers suggested that they stunted rather than diversified the cast’s personalities.

The Dragonstone by Dennis L. McKiernan

Description

For as long as she can remember, the Elven Lady Arin has been besieged by visions from the past — or the future.

But none has ever left her so shaken as the one that foretells the fall of Mithgar: images of raging dragons and brutal legions laying waste to everything in their path signifying a devastating war that will threaten the land.

There is more to the prophecy than a warning — riddles within the vision that Arin must decipher if she is to prevent the forthcoming destruction.

And it will take a journey across countless leagues — connected to a relic of immense power known as the Dragonstone — to find the answers to Mithgar’s salvation…

What Do Readers Say?

Goodreads Rating: 3.89

Most Common Rating: 4

Positive Comments

Next on our list of fantasy books with romances with elves is The Dragonstone. This novel features many of the aspects of classic fantasy that fans loved: elves, dragons and mages, as well as epic quests.

Fans consistently highlighted the character cast as one of their favorite parts of the story, describing both the main and supporting characters as easy to enjoy and delightful to follow. These readers praised the book for its heartwarming friendships, romances and adventure.

Others mentioned that they appreciated that The Dragonstone is free of graphic content, and generally would make a good read for teen readers or those newer to the fantasy genre.

Negative Comments

If readers didn’t enjoy The Dragonstone, they generally focused on the how many romantic pairings there were.

Since several couples formed throughout the book, critics began to see the relationships as overly convenient or outright forced. Others said that not all of them were convincing.

Other readers focused on the book’s similarity to The Lord of the Rings, and thought it was too standard a fantasy tale.

Red Rope of Fate by K.M. Shea

Description

In a land where humans and elves find it difficult to communicate, Tari — an elf — is bound to Captain Arion — a human military officer — in a ceremony designed to promote friendship between the two races.

When the ceremony is over the pair discover that the impossible has happened: they can understand each other in spite of the language barrier.

Thrown into a storm of politics, Tari and Arion are put in danger by those who want humans and elves to remain separate.

To make matters worse, Tari realizes she has fallen in love with Arion, who has the emotional capabilities of a rock. As both societies dictate that an elf and a human can never be together, Tari must conceal her feelings.

Unfortunately the taciturn Arion is watchful and attentive to Tari’s well being, constantly pushing her to her limits with his loyalty, friendship, and dreadfully informal habit of touching her.

If Tari and Arion survive, their tumultuous relationship will either strengthen their countries’ alliance, or cripple the human courts of nobility. The deciding factor will be Arion, and his indecipherable feelings for Tari.

What Do Readers Say?

Goodreads Rating: 4.19

Most Common Rating: 5

Positive Comments

Last on our list of fantasy books with romances with elves is Red Rope of Fate. Fans praised this book for its sweet, clean romance. Heartwarming and tender, the story was also filled with likable characters, court intrigue, and entertaining culture-shock moments.

Negative Comments

In general, critics of Red Rope of Fate tended to focus on two areas. The first was that they thought the story was mostly straightforward, without swerves or complications. Others, though, thought that the romance came across as overly sweet.