Orc-us Pocus

Love at First Orc #1

by Ava Ross

An orc science teacher is determined to give me a lesson in chemical reactions.

I’ve crushed on my fellow high school teacher, Thraal, since we first met up in the staff lounge. He’s a big, brawny orc, and when he scowls at me through his thick glasses, I pretty much ignite. Sadly, he doesn’t realize I exist.

When we’re trapped inside the janitor’s closet during a Halloween dance, I take the opportunity to show him I’m special. A few spontaneous kisses suggest he might like me too.

Until we’re rescued, and he goes back to ignoring me. Well, other than when we get stuck beneath the bleachers or when we’re locked inside the field hockey supply shed overnight.

Can I find true love with a geeky orc science teacher?

Orc-us Pocus is a spicy monster romcom and Book 1 in the Love at First Orc Series. Each book is standalone, but expect cameos. Plan on hijinks with orcs, heat, and a happy ever after.

Genres: Romance, Monster Romance, Fantasy, Monsters, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance

106 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 15, 2023

About the author

AVA ROSS fell for men with unusual features when she first watched Star Wars, where alien creatures have gone mainstream. She lives in New England with her husband (who is sadly not an alien, though he is still cute in his own way), her kids, and assorted pets, including a yorkie pup and three cats.

Reviews

[scar! . *. ⋆ (Johnny kavanaghs version) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I question what I read sometimes

[BookishKB · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️

I love Ava Ross! This was cute and funny 🥰🥰

I only wish it was also available via audiobook 😩

[Chelsea · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25⭐️ I KNOW MY RATING IS WEIRDLY HIGH, PLEASE LET ME LIVE😫😫😫 let me be so clear, this isn’t GOOD but it also isn’t BAD. is it horrifying? lmao yeah. would I recommend it??? I need you to be so serious, I cannot even look myself in the eye after this one. there is so much about this that had me GASPING, jaw DROPPED, just pure & unfiltered horror (I laughed like the whole time I read). this is pretty much straight up smut but also like why’d they do a fade to black at the end??? had we not earned a crazy finish after everything we had gone through together??!?!?!??

if you want to be degraded by an orc, this is for you😋

I won’t yuck yalls yum if you feel like you’d love this. please don’t yuck my yum either😠 (this isn’t my yum)

if I had to leave you with just a few words: knobby, orphan, popeye’s, omegaverse (alpha), “green cream”

that’s all, goodnight😴

(should I brave the sequel??)




okay a little more reflection here, the shock is wearing off!! the prose was mid (at best), the storytelling was all over the place, certain pieces of info were soooo random and didn’t add anything at all to the plot, it hinged all on miscommunication, was weird and sexist, unlikeable characters, completely inconsistent, minimal world building (also it all happened at a high school for some reason???) the only reason my rating is 2.25⭐️ is because despite how technically terrible it is, I had so much FUN reading something so silly and odd. no hate to the author 🙅‍♀️🙅‍♀️ this just isn’t a genre I can personally rate much higher than this!

[Colleen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I went in expecting to enjoy this book as i usually do her books, but the heroine made this book so hard to finish. Thraal is an orc that has newly started living with humans and is not very knowledgable on human customs. Autumn is a mathematics teacher that works at the school that thraal gets a job at. They both see each other and are infatuated, but each thinks the other doesn’t have feelings back for them. Autumn seems so wishy washy with what she wants without seemingly even taking into account the differences or really even looking into the differences in culture but expects him to understand the differences and adjust his cultural standards for hers. She explains badly and vaguely what she wants from a courtship but doesn’t ask him what the process of finding a mate is like for an orc. Thraal even asks her if she read the treaty about orc matings and she said no and seemingly never did. His orc friend that had been living with humans longer was the one who communicated to him the differences in cultures and what she was actually wanting from the courtship. She just came off as kinda self centered and lacking in communication ability.

[Ashley (Red-Haired Ash Reads) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Series: Love at First Orc #1
Rating: 2 stars - It was ok

This was ok. Autumn was a bit boring and bad at communication. Thraal was sweet and geeky. The situations that these two found themselves in got a bit repetitive and the story never really felt like it was going anywhere because of it. There were a lot of cultural differences between the orcs and humans that caused issues between Thraal and Autumn but it was poorly discussed or worked out. We could have seen better relationship development between these two if they had actually discussed the difference. Overall, this was cute at times but sadly lacked a lot of character and relationship development.

CW: controlling ex boyfriend mentioned

[Mia Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s so bad it’s good in the best possible way. Delightfully unhinged, spicy and orc-ishly irresistible. It’s a short charming romp that sneaks up on you with a side of ‘WTF did I just read?’

You know that feeling you get when you binge your favourite trashy reality show? It’s not a masterpiece but you’re addicted and loving every second and somehow the cringey drama just makes it better? Well this is that in monster romance form. And I am totally HERE for it.

The MMC is a nerdy Clark Kent style science teacher x possessive warrior Orc. Yeah, I immediately wanted to climb him like a tree. It’s short and spicy and I think this series might become my new guilty pleasure.

[Charlene · Rating 1 out of 5]

It started out good but it was all downhill after that. Disappointing.

[Jamie Wagnor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay…

I have a middle of the road feeling about this book. I didn’t hate it by any means, but didn’t love it either. Autumn was sort of bland for a lead and Traal was cute but boring. The repetitiveness of the situations were a little over done and it never felt like the story was really going anywhere. So much could have been done with her ex or the cultural differences (which may come into play with the next book) but it just stayed… in one mode. It was cute in parts. I just wish it had been more. And page count doesn’t mean anything- I’ve read extremely short books that pack a lot of emotion into them. So I’m just in a “it was okay” place.

[Lorēn · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of miscommunications that could have been cleared up if the FMC either A) did her research on orc traditions B) explained exactly what she wanted and didn’t expect the orc who just came from a remote mountain to fully underStand human customs or C) had an actual conversation with Thraal, didn’t hold him to the same standard as her controlling ex, and stop being wishy washy and speak up like an adult

[Nevena · Rating 5 out of 5]

💚 “What would you think if I picked you up, flung you over my shoulder, and ran into the woods with you?”
~~~
Autumn is a match teacher at Baneroot Academy. She’s nice, sweet, helpful and caring. She might be shy, but there’s also a sassy side of her that I really loved. Autumn is a wonderful woman and I loved her so, so much!

Thraal is a chemistry teacher at Baneroot Academy. The big, muscular and strong orc is one polite, formal and growly male. And he’s also geeky and so smart. Thraal is a male of few words, but, ohhhh, that filthy and demanding mouth of his! I couldn’t help but absolutely adore every single thing about this smoking-hot and utterly irresistible orc!

I absolutely loved everything that happened between Autumn and Thraal! From the moment they met, they’ve been strongly attracted to each other. But both thought their feelings were one-sided, so neither was brave enough to act upon them. Until the Academy’s Halloween dance when Autumn found her courage and finally made the first move. I adored those two together! Their chemistry was fantastic and I loved their banters, squabbles and snarky discussions. Even more, they had the tendency to accidentally lock themselves up in small places like sheds and janitor closets… Ohhh, all the naughty and knotty things they did there… 😏 I couldn’t get enough! But, when it comes to mating, Thraal is quite dominant and demanding. And Autumn, having to deal with her controlling ex in the past, is not really sure she’s ready for a new alpha male in her life. Nevertheless, I loved Thraal’s determination to woo Autumn properly. I was laughing so hard with him trying to accurately accomplish the “flower and heart stuff”. And he also proved time and time again that he's nothing like Autumn’s ex. I had so much fun with Autumn and Thraal trying to navigate the mating and dating customs of both humans and orcs. They were so sweet and amazing and absolutely deserved to find happiness and love together.

Overall, Orc-us Pocus is a sweet, fun and passionate story and a wonderful start of the series.

I loved it!

[Natasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave this book 2/5 stars just because Autumn was irritating me towards the middle and end of the book. This book had me laughing out loud with the way Thraal is so blunt about things. I did like how he tried to show that he was interested by buying her favorite cookies and making sure she got them. Also how literal he took the hearts and flowers omg! 😆 But phew man the spicy scenes i wish i was Autumn! However, Autumn did annoy me with her comparing her ex to Thraal about the control part. It wasn’t fair to Thraal. Also how she wanted him to go all alpha orc at times but not all the time. Like girl stop sending him mixed signals. And also he literally told her he wanted to claim her and everyone knows that when an orc claims you become their mate and are technically married. Which she consented she wanted him to claim her and then afterwards she was all freaked out. Like dude you were pining over the guy and here he is wanting you and giving you the best sex ever and you freak out because youre his “wife” when he told you he wanted to claim you! I wanted to slap her! I am glad that they got their HEA even though Autumn towards the end was annoying but I’m glad Kassia basically told her to not compare her ex and Thraal! Being the friend we all need.

[MeaganRyan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first book in Ava Ross’s new series is a real winner! I absolutely loved it and it was probably the most comical of all her books. We had Thraal, our clueless geeky cinnamon roll of a Hero, and Autumn, our shy geeky but knows what she wants heroine. Those two were the perfect match for each other. But… Oh my orc… Thraal was such a cutie! I’d give anything for an orc like him to show up on my front porch! If you are in the mood to read a fluffy and steamy orc romance, then this one is definitely for you! I absolutely came for the orc smut… but the humoristic side of the book was the icing on top!

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slightly disappointed to be honest. The FMC complains that the MMC is hot then cold. And I felt that she was just as much as him. She also said he was acting too alpha...he's an orc, what did you expect? 🤣 I get what she was saying though she wanted him to ask and that's reasonable. But overall miscommunication is not my jam and most of these cultural faux pas could have been avoided. I mean both people did an internet search of the others dating culture but both were clueless. This book would be closer to a 4 star for me but she started to annoy me. She didn't want him to change himself, but she also didn't like his orc tendencies...till she did. Lol

[Goddess of Chaos · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Human dating rituals are complex, but human females are even more complicated.”

Thraal has been in the human world for three months, plenty of time to find a woman he wants to get to know better -- not enough time to learn the human way to do so.

Autumn carries the baggage of a previous relationship gone wrong, but she wants to give the Orc a chance... as long as he'll meet her halfway.

This done in one Kindle unlimited story has a great perspective on learning to communicate in a way one another understands, learning to understand one another perspective, and trying to set aside our own assumptions and see what someone is truly offering.

[rainybookbay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy Orcs as main characters and the cover is pretty...so I jumped in. I found this novella to be fast and fun with dashes of heart and spice, like many monster romances. I typically don't love the miscommunication trope but it didn't bother me too much in this novella. I found Thraal's inner dialogue quite entertaining. I definitely preferred him over Autumn. This story delivered on the general expectations of cozy monster romance. The details around Orc mating rituals were fun and entertaining as well. The spice was pretty standard monster romance spice, which fit the story. If you like monster romance, low angst, and Orcs then I'd read this.

[T Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

HEA
Standalone, interconnected characters
Paranormal, Insta-love
Love at First Orc book 1

Trigger/Content warnings
Mentions Toxic ex

Thraal (mmc, orc)
Autumn (mfc, human)

Orcs have come out of hiding to claim their mates. They signed treaties with the humans and are trying to make their life topside. Thraal teaches science while Autumn teaches math. They keep getting locked into small spaces together. Can they figure out how to make dating work with such *differences* to rituals in their cultures?

Cute, fast read. Maryanne was a funny side character. Prequel was not available on Amazon or KU.

[Samantha McLean Haas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know. Maybe I’m just having an off day, but I couldn’t stand Autumn. She was so hot and cold. Also, pretty much every issue they had came down to lack of communication or miscommunication or them apparently not realizing that human and orc mating rituals might look very different from each other. Considering that he teaches a science of some kind and she teaches math, they were both idiots. Giving it three stars because I liked the premise, it was blessedly short, and I’m fairly certain that if I were less sleep deprived and had a higher tolerance for bullshit today, I would probably have enjoyed this more.

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Orcus Pocus is the first book in Ava Ross' new series Love at First Orc. This story follows 2 geeky teachers: Autumn, a human math teacher and Thraal, an orc chemistry teacher. This book was a fun read, right from the beginning. I loved the attraction and banter between the two characters, and Thraal learning to navigate the dating in the human world. Once these two find themselves locked in unexpected places, their chemistry was off the charts. I can't wait to read the next book in the series. I highly recommend it

[Cynkris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thraal and Autumn are a great couple to start this new series. Thraal is a fish out of water (Orc out of cave?) When it comes to dating a human female. Human females are complicated! But when he and Autumn find themselves in compromising situations again and again he steps up his dating game to try to woo his lady love. And oh my are there some giggles in store! Also some very steamy times. This book was so much fun and I loved it!

[Stacey Gomez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short but sweet story of two geeky teachers finding work romance. Thraal and Autumn are adorable together…their chemistry is red hot! I found them being trapped in rooms funny. And oh my the janitor must think their story is bologna. But its so true. Also, I loved how Thraal tried to navigate human courtship and not go all caveman on Autumn, But in the bedroom that's another story. I hope you will enjoy.

[Sydnee Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a cute little read. Autumn is crazy about the orc chemistry teacher Thraal. She doesn’t know if he feels the same as her but with her besties help she takes the first step and takes his offer of help. This leads to a pair up together and during the pair up on a school project they find that mating is what they both want. Thraal just need to convince her without alpha-ing her to keep him for ever.

[Michael K · Rating 5 out of 5]

it's not a five star.
but the amount of people giving it a two star is atrocious. This book is not masquerading as anything other than a tropey novella about sexual orcs with a hea. It trades in on geeky meet-cute, teacher, culture clash, awkward hero/heroines--if you don't want those, don't read this.

It's short, it's snort-worthy. Not many typos, and the language, plot map and introduction to information for world-building makes sense. So yeah, to me, it delivered.

Merry reading!

[Spinneretta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

Thraal is an Orc, and Chemistry teacher in the school where Autumn also teaches. Autumn has been crushing on Thraal for a while, and finally gets her chance at the Halloween dance…

This quick read lives up to its subtitle… sweet and steamy, and at times, funny. It’s an enjoyable orcish tale, with a cinnamon roll hero, who’s not exactly up on human customs. It all makes for a fun, fast read for the monster romance lover.

[Sage · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of miscommunications that could have been cleared up if the FMC either A) did her research on orc traditions B) explained exactly what she wanted and didn’t expect the orc who just came from a remote mountain to fully underStand human customs or C) had an actual conversation with Thraal, didn’t hold him to the same standard as her controlling ex, and stop being wishy washy and speak up like an adult

[Sharon Gillman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rom-com High School special

Who doesn't love a good geeky science orc and an MFC math teacher? I thoroughly did.

Thrall was the perfect, highly intelligent, but total lack of common sense when it came to courting autumn. Maryanne, our sage janitor who kept catching them in their most compromising situations, was perfect as a side character.

I loved this so much that I breezed right through this lovely high school rom-com and give it 5 stars.

[Nancy R · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short but sweet afternoon feel good read! Ava Ross is a master at storytelling. Thraal and Autumn are delightful together…their chemistry is red hot! I was always worried they would get caught in each of their interludes and get fired. I think this series is off the chart with hotter than hot romance. I loved they way Thraal tried to navigate human courtship. Download and enjoy❤️❤️

[Lisa Bing · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an entertaining and steamy read that caught my attention right from page one ;D The banter and attraction between Thraal and Autumn was great. She was shy and caring, and he had to figure out how to date a human - don't let that confuse you, though, as he was all alpha in the bedroom ;P I'm really looking forward to the next book to see who gets their HEA :D

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

okay

This was one just okay for me. It had moments that were kinda funny and cute and of course it was steamy but there was just a little something off for me. I think it was Autumn that threw it off. I had a hard time connecting with her. It felt like she tried too hard to be tough on him and I didn’t really care for that. It it was okay for a fast read.

[Kourtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

fast fun steamy orc romance

I love Ava Ross books! Always a guaranteed fun read! This one had me laughing at the cultural misunderstandings between orc and human dating. Then pulse racing at the hot steamy love scenes. You root for the characters to find their HEA and enjoy every second of their journey!

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Autumn is a human who is crazy about the Orc teacher named Thraal. Past trauma makes her reluctant to commit to an alpha male but that doesn’t stop Thraal! The Orc is clueless about mating and goes about wooing the human in all the wrong ways. It was hilarious, sexy and so entertaining. I received an ARC and purchased a copy because I love this author and her works.