Running a successful inn is hard work. There are customers to check in, food to prepare, horses to stable, and much more for Lucia to juggle. The crystal elf spends her days working 16-hour shifts to keep the Flying Filly in business. There's little time for a life outside of work beyond what quiet moments she finds before bed to crack open a book. And if there's no time for hobbies or social events, Lucia definitely has no room in her schedule for romance.

And it doesn't matter how fast her heart beats when her coworker, Lina, is around. Her head can spin all it wants when the two accidentally touch while working in the kitchen or behind the front desk. Love is for people with free time, and Lucia is far too busy to fit into that category.

But everything changes as their city faces a new threat from religious fanatics spreading across the land. Kamas is the last free city on the western half of the continent, and the Crimson Cloaks are eager to conquer. So, a desperate king hatches a quick plan to save his city. He'll hire the best mercenaries coin can buy and levy a new tax on every business in the city to pay for it. And the crown will absorb any company that can't afford the fee.

Faced with the prospect of losing her business and home, Lucia is about to panic when Lina offers an unorthodox solution: They'll get married and join their finances to pay the sudden tax.

It's a wild idea that leaves the innkeeper with all sorts of conflicted emotions. And while she gratefully accepts Lina's proposal, inside Lucia is shaken to her very core. The Flying Filly will be saved, but the crystal elf will have to face her feelings and decide whether this is just a marriage of convenience. . . or perhaps something more.

Bride of the Elven Innkeeper is a cozy sapphic fantasy about a hardworking elf who has no time for love until circumstances and a kind birdfolk force her to reconsider. It's full of cute moments and sincere hearts, perfect for a leisurely read.