Virtual Tour: The Druid Next Door by E.J. Russell ~ (Review + Giveaway)

About The Druid Next Door

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.

GoodReads ~ Riptide ~ Amazon

About the Fae Out of Water Series

Once upon a time, there were three brothers, nobles of the Seelie Court of Faerie, who set out to seek their fortunes. The eldest—

Scratch that. Rrrrrewind.

Nowadays, when tales are told in 140 character bursts on tiny LED screens, rather than spun out by the glow of a midnight campfire, even Faerie’s elite have to get with the program.

The Kendrick brothers have traded longbow for briefcase, battle steed for Harley, and enchanted harp for electric guitar.  But while they’re finding their feet in the modern world, instead of finding their fortunes, they stumble straight into love.

#faeoutofwater

Check out Fae Out of Water! http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/series/fae-out-water

4.5 Stars!!!

This book is number 2 in the Fae Out of Water series and needs to be read in order. If you haven't read book 1, proceed with care because this review may contain spoilers.

I went from really liking Mal to loving him. He was funny, even when he was having trouble after having lost the use of his right hand (his sword hand!) when he saved David from the Faerie Queen's evil consort, Rodric, and being exiled from Faerie. Considering he'd been the Queen's enforcer the last two hundred years, it's not that difficult to see why he would find it difficult to assimilate not being able to do much now. Or even reconciling how he'd always been with other men with the desires that Bryce aroused in him. It took me a little bit more to warm up to Bryce, who was such a stickler for the rules and very stuffy, but he relaxed a bit once his relationship with Mal evolved from hate to love and it was endearing to see how he had Mal's best interests at heart, which was something not even his brothers ever did for him. *cuddles Mal* 

The chemistry between Bryce and Mal was amazing and it was awesome to see them go from butting heads to having very hot sex, to becoming tentative friends to having hotter sex and then to bonded lovers. I especially loved that it wasn't quite a slow burn, but it wasn't instalove either. They took their time getting over their animosity, getting over Mal's issues with submitting to Bryce when he'd never wanted to submit to anyone else and Bryce's own issues over the power he had over Mal for the simple fact of him being a druid. 

I really liked the ongoing storyline with Rodric, who I absolutely detested and I was very satisfied with how the author dealt with him. I'm intrigued over Steve's (Eamon) brother and how it will all play out in Garreth's story, but at the same time, I'm wary because I didn't like Garreth all that much. Anyway, I loved catching up with David and Alun, even if they each appeared separately in this book. :(

 I wasn't sure The Druid Next Door could top Cutie and the Beast and surprise, surprise, it so did. Which shouldn't have been so surprising considering how much I liked Mal in the first book. The ending was a tad abrupt and I would've liked that the whole Druid thing hadn't been left so open-ended, but I'm sure we'll see more of both couples (preferably together) in Bad Boys' Bard.

Overall, this was a fantastic addition to the series! I absolutely adored Mal and Bryce and their love story, it was fun and sweet, with enough action, angst and hotness to keep me thoroughly entertained. So looking forward to more!

Highly recommendable!

*** Copy provided to the reviewer via NetGalley by Riptide Publishing for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***

About E.J. Russell

E.J. Russell holds a BA and an MFA in theater, so naturally she’s spent the last three decades as a financial manager, database designer, and business-intelligence consultant. After her twin sons left for college and she no longer spent half her waking hours ferrying them to dance class, she returned to her childhood love of writing fiction. Now she wonders why she ever thought an empty nest meant leisure.

E.J. lives in rural Oregon with her curmudgeonly husband, the only man on the planet who cares less about sports than she does. She enjoys visits from her wonderful adult children, and indulges in good books, red wine, and the occasional hyperbole.

Connect with E.J.:

Website: ejrussell.com

Blog: ejrussell.com/bloggery/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/E.J.Russell.author

Twitter: twitter.com/ej_russell

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/ejrussell/

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of all three books in the Fae Out of Water series, one lucky winner across all three tours will receive a GRAND PRIZE of a $50 Riptide credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on September 23, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the Druid Next Door tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!