If you are looking for an amazing Fae romance novel, The Druid Next Door by E.J. Russell is truly phenomenal. Book two of the Fae Out of Water series, you will follow Mal and Bryce as they struggle to lift a curse, save Faerie, and navigate the bonds of love. I received one copy of this book at no charge in exchange for my honest reviews but all opinions expressed here are my own.
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Amazing Fae Romance Novel!
The Druid Next Door by E.J. Russell
Purchase Links: Amazon
Title: The Druid Next Door
Series: Fae Out of Water #2
Author: E.J. Russell
Publisher: Riptide Publishing (August 21, 2017)
- ISBN-13: 978-1626496224
Genre: M/M, Contemporary, Paranormal, Fantasy
Length/Format: ebook, 328 page
Heat Rating: 3
Star Rating: 5
About E.J. Russell
Learn more about E J Russell by checking out the author’s website or following along on Facebook or Twitter.
Buy The Druid Next Door on Amazon!
The Druid Next Door Blurb:
Professor Bryce MacLeod has devoted his entire life to environmentalism. But how effective can he be in saving the planet when he can’t even get his surly neighbor to separate his recycling?
Former Queen’s Enforcer Mal Kendrick doesn’t think his life could get any worse: he’s been exiled from Faerie with a cursed and useless right hand. When he’s not dodging random fae assassins in the Outer World, he’s going toe-to-toe with his tree-hugging neighbor. And when he discovers that the tree hugger is really a druid, he’s certain the gods have it in for him–after all, there’s always a catch with druids. Then he’s magically shackled to the man and expected to instruct him in Supernatural 101.
All right, now things couldn’t possibly get worse.
Until a mysterious stranger offers a drunken Mal the chance to gain back all he’s lost–for a price. After Mal accepts, he discovers the real catch: an ancient secret that will change his and Bryce’s life forever.
Ah, what the hells. Odds are they won’t survive the week anyway.
Other Books by E.J. Russell
My Review:
I cannot even begin to describe how fabulous this book was. I spent all day reading and was so absolutely depressed that it ended. Not that it didn’t feel complete but because I hated having to give up these characters!
The Druid Next Door by E.J. Russell is Book Two of the Fae Out of Water series and yes, you really do need to read book one before you read this one If you love great fantasy romance books, start this series with Cutie and the Beast and then read The Druid Next Door. You will NOT be sorry!
The Characters:
Bryce is my kind of guy. Nerdy professor on sabbatical from teaching who has designed and helps maintain a fabulous environmentally sustainable wetlands habitat/green neighborhood. It is a beautiful ecosystem paired with humans whose homes work in harmony with the environment to allow them to live with a small carbon footprint. He is SO dang proud of it. Like many science geeks, he is a little bit insecure, a bit of an introvert, and doesn’t really have a lot of experience dating.
Mal is Fae. You meet him in book one….he is dominant, confident, a playboy, and hired muscle for the Faerie Queen. There is more underneath the surface that you get to see occasionally which I really loved! Unfortunately, at the end of book one he was cursed and is struggling to learn how to live one handed in the Outer World. He is not impressed with the green home his brother in law has purchased for him and he and Bryce don’t get off to a very good start.
The Plot:
This Fae romance book is complicated and follows along where book one left off. I won’t give away too many clues, however, Mal gets involved in a questionable quest in an attempt to regain the use of his hand, which he lost the use of due to the curse. His quest has far reaching consequences for both Faerie AND the Outer World. The author does a phenomenal job of creating an intricate plot and the way it played out, in the end, was brilliant. I loved learning about the history of the Fae and how society is made up in both the Seelie and Unseelie worlds. If this isn’t your thing, you might not enjoy the book as much as I did but I have always loved Fae lore. And the history of the assorted races plays a big part of this story. I love that Alun (in book one) and Mal are both learning to change a bit with the times! And it was also nice to see Alun and David in this book.
What I loved:
Watching Mal and Bryce grow and change, both individually and as a couple, was awesome. The bonds between these two are strong (and literal…there are several actual bonds tieing them together for most of the story). I loved seeing Mal accept the parts of himself that needed to be explored. Watching him accept that Bryce was his one, true everything was just beautiful. Seeing Bryce grow from slightly awkward professor to take charge Druid was so perfect….he has a way to go yet but he grabbed the bull by both horns and was eager to get started.
What I wanted to see:
If I could make ONE change to this story it would be that I don’t think David got enough time in the story to fully explore his Druid nature. I would have liked to have seen more exploration of his abilities in addition to the quest to save Fairie and the Outer World from harm.
The Heat
The heat between these two was scorchingly hot when they were together but the plot and development of characters/setting came first. And that last scene ended in a fade out WAY too fast! Darn the author for not giving us just a few more days of these characters back home in bed!
Overall
The Druid Next Door by E.J. Russell is truly an amazing Fae romance book and I cannot WAIT to see what the author has coming up next. I really hope there is another book in this series because there is one more brother that needs a happily ever after!
Buy The Druid Next Door!
Buy The Druid Next Door on Amazon!
Read my review of Book One in the series!
Another Fae Romance Book:
Cutie and the Beast by E J Russell
Purchase Link: Get this on Amazon!
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