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linguisticfanatic's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Trafficking, Emotional abuse, Slavery, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Sexual violence and Child abuse
carlaabra's review
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
First half of the book was great, 4.5 stars, slow burn romance. It’s tense and sweet. He rescues her from slavery and treks to return her to her family. There’s some species hostility, surprisingly no language barrier! MMC is a halfling, hated by his orc clan and abandoned by his human mother, drowning in his insecurities and feeling unworthy. He’s a total cinnamon roll with touch-her-and-die orc tendencies. FMC is the control freak oldest sibling, “I’m not a damsel in distress, I’m a callused and capable farm girl”. She was annoying at first, especially ad she took every opportunity to crow about how capable she is, but over time her personality is more fleshed out. They develop friendship then attraction as they travel together; the main angst is miscommunication, “I like them but do they like me”.
Second half, after the feelings reveal and return home, was not great: the pacing was totally off, boring plot, 80% smut and uneventful smut at that. There is a lot of cozy, fluffy family scenes (boring for me). Sorcha’s plotline about becoming her own woman felt forced. Also apparently she’s a badass fighter for some reason, who knew horses were so deadly. The climax in the third act (ESPECIALLY the miscommunication that caused it!) was too much imo.
Second half, after the feelings reveal and return home, was not great: the pacing was totally off, boring plot, 80% smut and uneventful smut at that. There is a lot of cozy, fluffy family scenes (boring for me). Sorcha’s plotline about becoming her own woman felt forced. Also apparently she’s a badass fighter for some reason, who knew horses were so deadly. The climax in the third act (ESPECIALLY the miscommunication that caused it!) was too much imo.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Slavery, and Trafficking
The premise is FMC being sex trafficked - She escapes unharmed. However MMC’s human mother was a sex trafficking victim and her trauma is described, though in past tense and not in great detail.nofys's review
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Slavery
devilbunny6's review
adventurous
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
2.25
This could have been so good. The first half really set up the story nicely. Both MCs were lovely, and the world building, while a little weak and at times contradictory, was decent enough that I could overlook some issues.
Then they got together and the rest of the book devolved into porn with little plot development. You could have shaved about 100 pages and four overlong sex scenes off this book and it would have bumped it into mid 3 star territory. The sex scenes were way too long and frankly exhausting. Let a girl sleep!
It’s a shame really, this could have been a decent lead book into a great romantasy series.
Then they got together and the rest of the book devolved into porn with little plot development. You could have shaved about 100 pages and four overlong sex scenes off this book and it would have bumped it into mid 3 star territory. The sex scenes were way too long and frankly exhausting. Let a girl sleep!
It’s a shame really, this could have been a decent lead book into a great romantasy series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Abandonment, Violence, and Bullying
Moderate: Kidnapping, Slavery, and Rape
bekacrook's review
adventurous
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
An enjoyable story with interesting characters, just a touch too long for me. There were times where it was just too long between bits of action, however overall I enjoyed it and found the characters interesting.
Orek, bless his heart, was so very sweet and a little naive which was unusual considering his upbringing and backstory. It was good to see what humanised him (besides being half human, half orc) by including his early life and particularly the experience of his mother, while still showing his orc side come out with the mating bond. I also liked how strong Sorcha was, she was smart and brave whilst also burdening herself within her family because she needed to feel necessary and helpful. These two characters together were great, I liked how their relationship developed from distrustful to potentially friendly to absolutely besotted with one another and the pace of the relationship was good. It built up to this in a good way and it was filled with really sweet moments.
The book started off quickly quite action-packed and then lulled us into a bit of a false sense of security, then the next piece of action happened and then nothing for ages. It got very domestic for a long while and then a quick bit of action near the end of the story. I wish there had been a bit more consistent action, and peril considering their were escaping a clan of orcs and potential slave traders as well. But the wholesome moments were lovely, I just felt the balance was a bit off for me personally.
Overall a good and solid monster romance.
Orek, bless his heart, was so very sweet and a little naive which was unusual considering his upbringing and backstory. It was good to see what humanised him (besides being half human, half orc) by including his early life and particularly the experience of his mother, while still showing his orc side come out with the mating bond. I also liked how strong Sorcha was, she was smart and brave whilst also burdening herself within her family because she needed to feel necessary and helpful. These two characters together were great, I liked how their relationship developed from distrustful to potentially friendly to absolutely besotted with one another and the pace of the relationship was good. It built up to this in a good way and it was filled with really sweet moments.
The book started off quickly quite action-packed and then lulled us into a bit of a false sense of security, then the next piece of action happened and then nothing for ages. It got very domestic for a long while and then a quick bit of action near the end of the story. I wish there had been a bit more consistent action, and peril considering their were escaping a clan of orcs and potential slave traders as well. But the wholesome moments were lovely, I just felt the balance was a bit off for me personally.
Overall a good and solid monster romance.
Content Warnings
Minor: Abandonment and Slavery
dearhaleynicole's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book was just straight-up vibes and I loved it so much! The characters (specifically our main male & female) are one of the cutest couples I've ever read 🥹💕 Sorcha & Orek had so much heart written into them and their stories that so quickly after they crossed paths, I was already in love with them.
You can quote on me on this... I will ALWAYS be down to read a "scary on the outside/cinnamon-roll on the inside" MMC and Orek was that and more. And Sorcha is such a dedicated, older sister who takes on so much responsibility because she thinks she has to earn her place. But then Orek comes along and not only tells her her true worth, but also SHOWS her. Ugh. This is couple goals. Oh and "Orek the Orc"? Stupidly cute. 5/5 stars for that alone.
As I just finished reading the book, I also checked out the author's note at the back of the book and I think Wendel described the book there as a whole SO well when she said: "It's like a cozy blanket and soft cardigan and warm chocolate cookies." I want that tonight and every night from now on out! Overall, just such a sweet, heart-warming read (with top notch spice ✌🏻).
Would highly recommend for lovers of Jenna Wolfhart, who wrote Forged by Magic and Brewed in Magic!
You can quote on me on this... I will ALWAYS be down to read a "scary on the outside/cinnamon-roll on the inside" MMC and Orek was that and more. And Sorcha is such a dedicated, older sister who takes on so much responsibility because she thinks she has to earn her place. But then Orek comes along and not only tells her her true worth, but also SHOWS her. Ugh. This is couple goals. Oh and "Orek the Orc"? Stupidly cute. 5/5 stars for that alone.
As I just finished reading the book, I also checked out the author's note at the back of the book and I think Wendel described the book there as a whole SO well when she said: "It's like a cozy blanket and soft cardigan and warm chocolate cookies." I want that tonight and every night from now on out! Overall, just such a sweet, heart-warming read (with top notch spice ✌🏻).
Would highly recommend for lovers of Jenna Wolfhart, who wrote Forged by Magic and Brewed in Magic!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Slavery, Death, Gore, Trafficking, Violence, and Sexual content
Minor: Sexual assault and Rape
doahdancer's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Kidnapping, Trafficking, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Blood, Violence, and Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment and Bullying
occasionalyarnie's review
adventurous
relaxing
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? It's complicated
3.0
I am so sad that I felt the way I did about this book. It let me down. Hard.
In short: If this book had ended at approximately the 60% mark,when Sorcha is reunited with her family and she and Orek decide to give their romance a shot in "the real world," this book would have been an easy 4 or 4.5 star read. The character development was *chef's kiss* and I loved the romantic tension and pining strung through the story, even if some of the "monster" elements were a bit much for me at times. But this book did not end at the 60% mark (shocker). While I appreciated what the author was trying to accomplish in the latter half, I ultimately found it... boring. That boredom, combined with pet peeves about the writing style becoming impossible to ignore, really made it difficult to push through and finish. I strongly considered DNFing this multiple times in the last 20% because any and all enjoyment I had for reading this felt long gone.
A spoiler-filled rant: Let me start by saying that I've never read a monster romance. I never thought they would be even remotely appealing to me. But this one came strongly recommended for those looking for sweet and inexperienced MMCs, which I was down for. So I gave it a go. I have learned in this experience that my gut instinct was correct, and monster romances probably aren't for me. Many of those elements were a big turnoff for me(such as Orek's tusks, no matter how small, and "his beast," which just seemed like a convenient way to write off some territorial/jealous emotions that would be a red flag if he was human) and took away from my enjoyment. While I didn't mind that Orek and Sorcha formed a mate-bond, it reached a point where it exceeded SJM levels of calling each other "my mate," which is... I didn't even know that was possible. At one point, Orek said it three times within the span of two short paragraphs, and *eyeroll* . Because this was a medieval fantasy, I also didn't care for a lot of the language used in spicy scenes (such as "quim" for lady bits and an excessive amount of "spend" for... well, you know) . And this isn't even getting into some of my issues with the plot, which I'm not even sure I can fully articulate even after sitting on this for a few days. Mostly, it boils down to being dragged out for too long. When Sorcha is reunited with her family, the reader kind of knows that they haven't seen the last of Orek's clan, so you really spend the next fifty or so pages just waiting for the other shoe to drop. It's just days and days of Sorcha doing a majority of the family's farm work, Orek enjoying seeing where Sorcha comes from and how she came to be who she is... and subsequently getting horny over her total competence (which was actually welcome). Then the other shoe drops and Orek decides that Sorcha and her family aren't safe if he stays, so he leaves in the middle of the night to seek out his clan and kill them before they can harm her. And, it'd be an understatement to say that this is my least favorite trope in literature. What can I say? I utterly despise it when a man takes away a woman's agency by making a decision that affects both of them without consulting her in the name of "protection". Then, of course, because Sorcha is a badass, she decides that she's going to go after him. They're reunited during the big fight and, what do you know? The woman who could hardly yield a dagger earlier in the story is suddenly competent with weapons because she's on horseback. She saves the day, blah blah, blah, they live happily ever after .
At the end of the day, the late portions of this book kind of ruined it for me. But I still really loved the characters, the setting, and the romance (up until a certain point). Another book is set to come out in this series, and I'm definitely curious to see where the author takes it. I'm not against the idea of trying a new story in this world.
In short: If this book had ended at approximately the 60% mark,
A spoiler-filled rant: Let me start by saying that I've never read a monster romance. I never thought they would be even remotely appealing to me. But this one came strongly recommended for those looking for sweet and inexperienced MMCs, which I was down for. So I gave it a go. I have learned in this experience that my gut instinct was correct, and monster romances probably aren't for me. Many of those elements were a big turnoff for me
At the end of the day, the late portions of this book kind of ruined it for me. But I still really loved the characters, the setting, and the romance (up until a certain point). Another book is set to come out in this series, and I'm definitely curious to see where the author takes it. I'm not against the idea of trying a new story in this world.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery and Sexual violence
Minor: Rape and Gore
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