Narrated by Joel Leslie

Tobias Lykke is big, awkward, and accustomed to spending his holidays alone. This year, however, his godmother—who may or may not be an Italian countess—gives him an elf doll originally entrusted to her by her second husband, who might or might not have been a wizard.

An evening of THC snickerdoodles and an offhand wish later, Tobias finds himself faced with a living, breathing elf—and a royal elf at that—with an exceptionally traumatic past. Bloodthirsty trolls are on a mission to recapture Prince Alfie, and the search for answers leads Tobias to unexpected discoveries about himself… and deep feelings for Alfie. Now, they just need to live long enough to make sense of it all.

Since Ms. Fielding’s A Very Genre Christmas is one of my favorite humorous Christmas stories, I decided to try this year’s new one and I’m so happy I did. It’s a clever story. In fact, the author has said a certain narrator sent her this idea and she ran with it! It’s a bit insta-love, but that’s explained, and even so it isn’t all smooth sailing for the pair. Tobias needs to figure out what he is and how to keep Alfie safe. With the help of Tobias’s godmother, who is a great character, Tobias and Alfie decide to face certain danger in order to secure their future together. Joel Leslie’s narration is lots of fun. He does a wonderful job voicing all the characters, including trolls and elves Recommended for light, well-done holiday fun.

~ Carrie Gwaltney

Breakdown of Grade: Narration – A; Story – B

Running time: 5 hours 22 minutes