Jessie recs 4 romances featuring elves and Fae

'Tis the season for romance, elves and steamy heat …

So maybe calling Fae elves is stretching it a bit, but below are four great books involving the Fae or elves in some way. Enjoy this treat for the holidays! And, trust me, these aren't Santa's little helpers.

A Kiss of Shadows (Meredith Gentry, No. 1) by Laurell K. Hamilton

A Kiss of Shadows is on this list because Merry is no Anita Blake. She's been very … erm … loose her whole life, and that's just the Faerie way. Readers should pick up KoS if they want an erotic dark read involving magic, multiple partners, the High Fae court, intrigue and mystery. Unlike AB, Merry doesn't apologize for her promiscuity. She's a Faerie princess who also works at a detective agency and has quite a full love life. Pick up this book if you're looking for smex, a lot of bedroom scenes, intrigue, shadows and death.

Litha's Constant Whim (Green's Hill No. 1) by Amy Lane

Whim is a type of Fae. He's inconsistent, his mind wanders and he blows from one thing to the next not really understanding. On the night of the summer solstice, Whim decides he's going to do one good thing, bring peace (or a piece of himself) to a mortal in need of help. That mortal in question is Charlie, a human boy who was planning on taking his own life. One kiss later and the two meet every year to exchange a night of laughter, passion and fun. Thirteen years later, and it turns bittersweet … will Whim and Charlie get the ending they deserve? Overall, the world-building in this book is going to seem massive and incomplete if you've never read Amy Lane's Little Goddess series, but if you can read between the lines the novella is short, sweet and a perfect holiday treat!

Deep Kiss of Winter (Immortals After Dark, No. 8) by Kresley Cole and Gena Showalter

This is the eighth book in the IAD series, but if you read between the lines it can be read to amp up a taste to try the rest of Kresley Cole's awesome IAD books. Daniela is a delicate Valkyrie who is also ice fey. This means that her skin freezes all beings, yet she's Murdoch Wroth's bride, and he will claim her, freezing touch or not. The romance and steam Kresley creates with all her leads is exquisite, and this novella is more about the leads than the IAD plot overall, so we get a lot of time with them. The steam coming off the two, the need from Murdoch … wow, seriously, if you want a hot holiday read, pick up this book.

Deep Kiss of Winter also features a novella by Gena Showalter that is a nice treat for Alien Huntress fans.

Skin Deep (Fae No. 1) by S.W. Vaughn

This m/m book is about Cobalt, a Fae, who was banished to the human realm and is now a body artist who owns The Grotto, where he caters to both humans and Fae. When a small human male, Will, visits his Grotto, Cobalt is compelled to get involved … especially when Will arrives battered and broken after his ex beats him in a jealous rage. Vaughn is one of my favorite authors. I love the action, the violence and lust that fill all her books. I think the passion is more explosive because of the violence. If you like action, fighting, lust and redemption, pick up Skin Deep. A perfect holiday treat for readers who enjoy darker indulgences.

Jessie Potts, also known as Book Taster, adores books in all forms. She is a top 600 reviewer on Amazon and also does reviews for Bitten By Books and AllRomance.com.