You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is Cora Crane's debut book, and I was very pleased with it. And I'm looking forward to the rest of this series!
Elderberry Falls is the small town where the supernatural being fled to many, many years ago, due to being shunned by humans. Mariah is the FMC and runs one of the only human-owned businesses in town. And it's not doing well. Then her HS bully, Thorak, comes into the picture. From there, we get the fake-engagement, second-chance-romance, enemies-to-lovers tropes, and a few others.
Yes, there is also some spice.
Overall, I enjoyed it. My only complaint is that I wish there had been a bit more world-building, since it's going to be a series. And perhaps a bit more from the side characters.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the ALC of this one. This review is entirely my own.
3.75 rounded up stars
This is a review of the audiobook.
Elderberry Falls is the small town where the supernatural being fled to many, many years ago, due to being shunned by humans. Mariah is the FMC and runs one of the only human-owned businesses in town. And it's not doing well. Then her HS bully, Thorak, comes into the picture. From there, we get the fake-engagement, second-chance-romance, enemies-to-lovers tropes, and a few others.
Yes, there is also some spice.
Overall, I enjoyed it. My only complaint is that I wish there had been a bit more world-building, since it's going to be a series. And perhaps a bit more from the side characters.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the ALC of this one. This review is entirely my own.
3.75 rounded up stars
This is a review of the audiobook.
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Thank you to Cora Crane, RBmedia and NetGalley for giving me access to this book in return for an honest review.
Oh lordy! This one is GREAT!
I hit play and within minutes, Jack Calihan’s voice had me ready to scream! And yes, I listened at 2.0x speed and still wanted to melt. That orc has a mouth on him, and I’d gladly let him ruin my peace and quiet (wink, wink). Because seriously, why settle for a human when you can have a hulking orc with emotional depth and a filthy vocabulary?
These two are adorable together in a way that makes you blush and coo. I wasn’t expecting to like this nearly as much as I did, but gods above, I am now fully invested in this series.
This book left no crumbs. You get the heat, you get the tension, and you get the kind of emotional conflict that makes you feel things. The perfect little fantasy-romance cocktail. More please!
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Thank you NetGalley and Cora Crane for the ARC.
A fast-paced, cozy romance with low stakes.
A nice, short book for in-between longer reads.
I loved the female narrator; the male narrator, though, wasn’t really my cup of tea.
I wish it had been a bit slower, especially regarding the romance. I like a good build-up, and that wasn’t the case with this book.
A fast-paced, cozy romance with low stakes.
A nice, short book for in-between longer reads.
I loved the female narrator; the male narrator, though, wasn’t really my cup of tea.
I wish it had been a bit slower, especially regarding the romance. I like a good build-up, and that wasn’t the case with this book.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Thanks to RBmedia and NetGalley for the advance listener copy!
This was a fun and cozy monster romance set in a charming magical town where humans are the minority among supernatural beings. The story follows a fake dating setup between an orc and a human innkeeper. While the premise had a lot of potential, it could have used a bit more build-up to really sell the fake relationship and emotional stakes.
The narrators did a great job and made the audiobook enjoyable to listen to. However, I felt the character development was a little thin, especially when it came to the orc’s backstory as the heroine’s former high school bully. That dynamic had potential for more depth, but the heroine seemed to forgive him too quickly without much effort or growth shown on his part.
Overall, this was a sweet, light-hearted listen with a fun concept, but it could have benefited from deeper emotional exploration and stronger character arcs.
This was a fun and cozy monster romance set in a charming magical town where humans are the minority among supernatural beings. The story follows a fake dating setup between an orc and a human innkeeper. While the premise had a lot of potential, it could have used a bit more build-up to really sell the fake relationship and emotional stakes.
The narrators did a great job and made the audiobook enjoyable to listen to. However, I felt the character development was a little thin, especially when it came to the orc’s backstory as the heroine’s former high school bully. That dynamic had potential for more depth, but the heroine seemed to forgive him too quickly without much effort or growth shown on his part.
Overall, this was a sweet, light-hearted listen with a fun concept, but it could have benefited from deeper emotional exploration and stronger character arcs.
lighthearted
fast-paced
This was a quick read. It was easy to listen to, the narration was nicely done.
I really liked the monster / human aspect of this. I am hoping there is more world building in the future. One thing that I didn't really enjoy was the constant reminder, in what almost felt like every other chapter, that the MMC was a bully to the FMC.
Depending on how you feel about bullies, may be the defining factor on if this is one you should read.
I really liked the monster / human aspect of this. I am hoping there is more world building in the future. One thing that I didn't really enjoy was the constant reminder, in what almost felt like every other chapter, that the MMC was a bully to the FMC.
Depending on how you feel about bullies, may be the defining factor on if this is one you should read.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the advanced listener copy of this book.
The Orc and the Innkeeper is a low stakes small town, cozy fantasy, monster romance with dual pov, fake dating, he falls first, and GROVELING! It’s a quick read and a great palette cleanser.
The characters are absolutely lovable! The story is touching and heartwarming.
This audio was perfect! The dual narration really brought out the story and the narrators did a wonderful job.
If you’re into creature features, this book needs to be added to your TBR immediately
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The Orc and the Innkeeper by Cora Crane
Elderberry Falls series #1. Paranormal orc romance, fantasy romance. Fake relationship troupe.
Mariah inherited an inn in the magical town of Elderberry Falls. An infestation of glittering pixie dust mites and the cost of cleaning it up causes Mariah to agree to a fake engagement with orc Thorak Ironfost. He tormented her through their school years but they are adults now and he has the money to pay for the cleaning so a deal is struck.
For Thorak, their agreement is the perfect opportunity to apologize for the past and perhaps get to know Mariah, satisfying his long crush on her.
🎧 I listened to an audiobook narrated by Jack Calihan and Rose Dioro. Both performed their POV chapters with the believable humor, sadness, lust and worry among other emotions. Both brought the characters to life and helped make the romance happy and a bit steamy.
I listened to this at a speed of 1.5 to more closely match my reading and conversation speed and noticed no production issues.
Magical pixie dust mites that need an exterminator. What a great imagination and setup.
Entertaining.
I received a copy of this from NetGalley and publisher RBMedia.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Advertisement: I thank Tantor Audio for the ARC through NetGalley.
Although I see potential in this author's work, "The Orc and the Innkeeper" just didn't work for me. Which is sad, because I was just in the mood for a cozy yet smutty fantasy romance with a fake engagement trope. But this book was cheesy — sometimes even unintentionally funny —, had weak world building, no character development and couldn't make me emotionally invested in the relationship between the main character and her high school bully.
The best part of this experience were the audiobook narrators. Kudos to them!
Although I see potential in this author's work, "The Orc and the Innkeeper" just didn't work for me. Which is sad, because I was just in the mood for a cozy yet smutty fantasy romance with a fake engagement trope. But this book was cheesy — sometimes even unintentionally funny —, had weak world building, no character development and couldn't make me emotionally invested in the relationship between the main character and her high school bully.
The best part of this experience were the audiobook narrators. Kudos to them!
lighthearted
medium-paced
A cozy orc/ human romance set in the enchanting town of Elderberry falls.
A fake engagement with the fmc's high-school bully keeps the pair guessing whether their blooming feelings could be real.
Enter grovelling orc and a human struggling to trust the man who once tormented her.
The story looks at racial discrimination and prejudice several times within the plot, the world being a mixture of different magical races, all with backstories to their historical suffering and reason behind their feelings. This genrally light-hearted read also tugs at themes of bullying and the expections of children from their parents.
The setting for this tale is full of potential for further books in the series, i hope we get to see more of Thorak and Mariah.
For a monster romance, this was a sweet romance with some open door scenes and a 2/ 5 chilli rating.
I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy from netgalley of the Duel narrated Audiobook.
Both audio narrators were fantastic and brought the characters to life, their narration keeping with the style of the book.
Fav bit- Thorak's relationship with his sister and how he distanced himself from his parents to start his own business. We are proud of a self-made orc.
A fake engagement with the fmc's high-school bully keeps the pair guessing whether their blooming feelings could be real.
Enter grovelling orc and a human struggling to trust the man who once tormented her.
The story looks at racial discrimination and prejudice several times within the plot, the world being a mixture of different magical races, all with backstories to their historical suffering and reason behind their feelings. This genrally light-hearted read also tugs at themes of bullying and the expections of children from their parents.
The setting for this tale is full of potential for further books in the series, i hope we get to see more of Thorak and Mariah.
For a monster romance, this was a sweet romance with some open door scenes and a 2/ 5 chilli rating.
I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy from netgalley of the Duel narrated Audiobook.
Both audio narrators were fantastic and brought the characters to life, their narration keeping with the style of the book.
Fav bit- Thorak's relationship with his sister and how he distanced himself from his parents to start his own business. We are proud of a self-made orc.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes