Tempting the Ogre's Heart

Trollkin Lovers

by Lyonne Riley

The ogre has returned.

In hope of stopping his attacks on the town’s livestock, the villagers choose to send Aliya to him as a sacrifice. Grunagg the ogre lives a mostly peaceful, quiet life in his cave—until a human he never asked for is dropped on his doorstep.

Grunagg wants nothing to do with her, but when Aliya finds herself at the mercy of a bear, he feels duty-bound to save her. Now he has a responsibility to help her recover from her wounds, and teach her to survive on her own so they can finally part ways.

But by the time she’s trained well enough to leave, will they want to say goodbye?

Genres: Monster Romance, Romance, Novella, Fantasy, Monsters, Fantasy Romance, Smut

104 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 1, 2023

About the author

Lyonne Riley writes super steamy monster romance, fantasy romance, and sci-fi romance. She lives in the middle of nowhere with her spouse and two dogs, writing spicy fairy tales.

Reviews

[Yasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this. It was cute little novella. I liked Aliya and Grunagg separately and together. Best of all, we didn't have to suffer through a third act breakup like in the previous two books. Praise God! I've been enjoying this author's work but she has to move on from the miscommunication trope and breakups. I'm glad we didn't have to deal with that in this book.

[Poppy || Monster Lover · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
This was a short and sweet read with plenty of darkness. Aliyah was a bit of a firebrand, sacrificed to an ogre by a village that’d decided she was the least valuable member. She and her 8 ft tall ogre worked through a language barrier and injuries to form their connection. They were cute together. I felt like the book ended without completely resolving a major issue, but their love story at least was at a good place.

Spice: 5/5

Triggers: kidnapping (not by MCs), attempted human sacrifice, animal attack, severe injury, pregnancy, difficult childbirth, violence, gore, mentions of death of parents

[EJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the search for a short and satisfying Monster Romance books, Tempting the Ogre’s Heart by Lyonne Riley will check those boxes. It is short, it is steamy, and yet it has a full story to settle into.

I’m honestly going to read more Riley after this. I already follow her on her Tumblr and signed up willingly for this ARC. In more matured Romance spaces like Contemporary, writers have forged entire careers out of short books like what Riley is doing. Reading stuff like Tempting the Ogre’s Heart makes me feel like I’m getting on the ground floor of an area of Monster Romance that is just getting started.

**ARC provided and voluntarily reviewed.**

[Biblio · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun and spicy novella. Grunagg saves Aliya (after the humans sacrifice her to him) from a bear and takes *really* good care of her. Mhmm. Like bathing her and really making sure every part of her is lick... I mean washed clean. Spicy as heck, all the chemistry and HEA. Super fun short read!

[Kara Headley]

Wow! This sure was a book club pick 🧌

[Cia Petrichor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listen. It’s not even fair how much I love this book. Grunagg and Aliyah’s love story has everything I could want in a monster romance. We have human sacrificed to monster, monster reluctantly takes careful care of human as lust, affection, and more take root 👀 there’s just enough angst as they work together to survive…there are some small miscommunications that are resolved efficiently and seeing our little human grow confident and cold in her own abilities as she fights for the life and love she wants was immensely satisfying. I can’t wait to add this paperback to my growing Lyonne Riley collection!

[JML · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 🌟's for Tempting the Ogre's Heart🌟💖

Aliya and Grunagg a very unconventional love story, but oh so wickedly wonderful. Aliya's parents died when she was young and from what I can gather the town shuffled her around from house to house where she did odd jobs. Never truly belonging just used and moved non from. Because she rejects the advances of someone in an position of power the town decided to sacrifice her to the Ogre that has returned to the valley. Aliya is hurt and feels a sense of betrayal. Grunagg, and Ogre that has come back to his home after many years away looking for a mate. What he finds now is a human female chain ed outside his cave. All he wants his to live in piece alone. Neither can truly communicate with the other but they try. At first Aliya lets fear of the unknown push her into doing something stupid and when Grunagg saves her she realizes he's done more to make her feel safe and cared for in a short time then her whole village ever did. As the weeks progress they become closer and Grunagg teaches Aliya many survival skills. But during this time they also grow closer so close that real true feeling develop. Love grows and nothing and no one is going to get in between them. Both have found the love and acceptance they'd been searching for. Tis was just an h a great story! Great world building and characters that have chemistry. You will just want then to be happy! I'm definitely reading more by this author!!!! 🌟💖🌟💖🌟💖🌟💖🌟🔥💖🌟💖🌟🌟💖🔥💖🌟💖🌟💖🌟🔥💖🌟💖🌟🔥

[Lia ☾ · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I easily fall asleep again, inhaling the smell of him. Something deep inside me is drawn to my ogre, seeking him out as if searching in the dark for a light."

----------------------—

Story rating: 4.5⭐️
Romance lvl: 3.0⭐️
Spice lvl: 3.0🌶️ 
Smut frequency: 3.5⏳

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Tropes:
💚 Lonely Ogre
🦋 Sacrificed Orphan
💬 Language barrier
💫 Fated mates
☁️ Cozy

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~ STORY 📝 ~

Love it love it love it.

It's short, perfectly paced, and super sweet and spicy. Love it.

Tempting the Ogre's Heart in a nutshell:

Aliya refuses to be courted by the dumb son's mayor and she's now sacrificed to the ogre to "calm his wrath and save the village". So here she is, tied up on his doorstep.

She's expecting to be eating alive but he just lets her go. Unfortunately, while trying to run away she's attacked by a bear and the ogre surprises her for the second time, by saving her from her assailant and taking care of her injuries.

This Trollkin is nothing like she learned they were and she can't help but feel safe with him. Anyhow, now she needs to learn how to survive the journey to another village; because she can't stay in this homey cave with an ogre, can she?

~ SPICE 🌶️ ~

This book is a kinda slow-burn with spice and tension that progressively build-ups

If you read this book you're in for:
💚 Size difference
💚 Oral s£x
💚 Breeding kink
💚 Sort of mating frenzy

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the perfect balance of sweetness and steam, packed into a swoony little novella, with such a stinkin cute HEA!

This was both my first time reading from this author, and my first Ogre romance..and I couldn’t be more pleased!

Grunagg is just the sweetest big cinnamon roll of an ogre hero, just living his lonely little life in isolation, until one day Aliya, our human heroine, is essentially thrown to the wolves (or in this case, the ogre) when she refuses an arranged marriage. She is a curvy little spitfire of a woman, who doesn’t care if standing up to the powers that be means they kick her out of their village to d!e at the hands of a monster.

But little do they know, Ogres don’t particularly like eating humans, and rather than hurting her, Grunagg nurses her back to health and even goes as far as to train her in an effort to make sure she can defend herself when she is strong enough and ready to venture back to human civilization. Of course, they end up falling in love, in spite of their differences and the language barrier!

This was just such a joy to read and the perfect quick read to get your mind off of anything unpleasant. The pining and care taking is so adorable, I only wish we could all have a big strong ogre to cherish us the way Grunagg does Aliya!

Highly recommend and will definitely catch up on the rest of this author’s work in this universe!

Thank you to the author for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Wishy Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Tempting the Ogres Heart
Author: Lyonne Riley
Genre: Novella
Spice: 🥵 yes
Series: stand-alone

Thoughts - what a sweet, thoughtful, cute little love story. I love the juxtaposition of an all powerful monster who is super gentle and kind to his new found love and this book is a great example of that. Special mention to the bath/pool 🫠🫠🫠 where do I sign up to participate in that! Definitely recommend if you’re after a pallet cleanser or in a bit of a slump like me.


Plot - Aliya has been cast out of her village. She is the obvious choice to be sacrificed as she has no other family. It doesn’t matter if she’s willing or not. She just doesn’t expect the ogre that’s meant to kill her, to look after her after she is hurt… and then she doesn’t expect him to eat her 😏


* Touch her and die
* Action and adventure
* MMC likes to eat 😏
* Breeding kink
* That spice 🌶️
* ⚠️ Trigger Warnings

“I’m going to fuck you,” I tell her. “And I’m going to keep fucking you until you’re round with my whelp.”

[Poetry Drive · Rating 5 out of 5]

The setup for the story was quick so we can dive right into the romance. The language barrier between them adds well to the miscommunication trope, but surprisingly doesn’t factor too hard in bringing them closer together.

Grunagg and Aliya are definitely more of the “actions speak louder than words” type of couple and they certainly let their bodies do a lot of the talking 😉 They have some language barriers but it really didn’t stop them from respecting one another. It was nice to have a story that is mostly focused on the couple and their interactions, and less on external factors and supporting characters. Spice was fantastic (as always) and the HEA perfectly wrapped everything up.

[Jessica Lyskawa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely Read

Such a sweet short read. Like so many of her other stories, Lyonne Riley is able to create interesting characters and a riveting storyline. And, of course, her spice always delivers. Do yourself a favor and give it a read!!

[Marian Pattechat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first ogre romance and boy was it spicy! The H and h were so perfect for each other; they won my heart over from the get-go, which made their getting together that much more impactful. I also loved the setting, being all cozy and warm in the ogre's cave. A fantastic novella!

[J.P. Sina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I prefer my romance dark, but I thoroughly enjoyed Tempting the Ogres Heart! It made my cold heart feel all warm and sweet. It’s hard not to love Grunagg! Would highly recommend.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lyonne Riley can do no wrong. That is all.

[Ellyn Yost · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 book club ‘24 wrapped 🧌

[TaylorReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spectacular gimme 14 of ‘em right now

[Maple · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this so much more than I thought I would. I was a little nervous about how the ogres would be compared to the trolls and orcs. I see now I didn't have to worry :) What a sweet little story!

[Drea · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐ Rating: 5/5
🔥 Spice: 3/5

I went into Tempting the Ogre’s Heart not really knowing what to expect other than monster smut and got so much more in the best way possible. This was tender, respectful, and surprisingly heartwarming—while still serving up some very satisfying heat.

Grunagg the ogre is perfectly gruff and reluctant, living a quiet life in his cave until the village drops Aliya on his doorstep as a sacrifice. He wants nothing to do with her… until a bear attack forces him to step in. From there, we get a slow-build dynamic that centers on trust, survival, and learning to understand one another despite a literal language barrier.

I didn't know anything about this world before going into it and to be honest, I don't think it's the first one written in the series, but it didn't matter. I jumped straight in and didn't feel like I was missing anything. There was enough world building for me to understand context (along with you know, the usual human/ogre background that I always just assume they don't necessarily like each other). There was a real emphasis on the different cultures and ways of life, down to their language.

And honestly? That language barrier? It worked. Their connection felt earned, not forced. Watching them slowly build a bond through care, protection, and mutual respect hit me hard. This wasn’t insta-love. It was learning, healing, and choosing each other. And I loved every second.

Now, let’s talk smut.

Breeding kink? Absolutely. I hesitate to attach size kink to this as it wasn't necessarily a kink but he's a 7 foot tall ogre. He's got a lot to work with and she enjoys every second of making it work *wink wink*. The scenes we got were deliciously written, but I wouldn’t have minded another round or two (or three). That said, what we did get felt emotionally grounded and added to the intimacy rather than just being there for shock factor.

What surprised me most was how deeply I fell for the series after finishing this one. The overarching plots aren’t overly complex, but each book delivers a unique pairing and dynamic that kept me reading back-to-back. It’s not just copy-paste spice with different names; each story has its own flavor, and that makes the whole series feel satisfying.

TLDR: This one’s for monster girlies who want both heat and heart.
I came for the ogre. I stayed for the tenderness.

Highly recommend.

[Robyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short and sweet monster romance was a perfect little break from longer books. Grunnag is an ogre who lives in a cave near a town, and the town decides to offer him a sacrifice because he’s taking sheep. Who’s the lucky winner? The girl who turned down the mayors son, of course, because that’s how the world works. Aliya is brought to his cave and tied to his pike, left for dead by the other humans in her town.

When Grunnag finds her, he is confused. He doesn’t want a human, and he definitely doesn’t want to eat one. We taste bad! He lets her go but when she stumbles off to the forest, he feels bad that she’s alone and starts off after her, only to end up saving her from a bear attack.

While Aliya heals, they learn about each other while trying to understand each others language, and slowly develop a bond. It’s sweet and cute! Would recommend for monster romance lovers. Spice is low but it’s still a good story!

[Ra! ʕ •̀ ω •́ ʔ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read all of the Trollkin Lovers series so far so I decided to read this novella!

This book focuses on human Aliya who is sent kicking and screaming as a sacrifice to the fearsome orge in the woods surrounding her village. Grunagg has doesn't have much interest in a human captive and sets Aliya free only for her to end up attacked in the wilderness. With no home to return to and sick from injuries, Aliya is brought back the Grunagg's cave where the two begin a tentative bond...

Tropes:
— Language Barrier
— Hurt / Comfort
— Size Difference

Horn Level: 5/5🌶️
Format: Ebook — Kindle Unlimited

The Rating
I give this book a 5/5🌟 rating. While short this book had all the tropes and spice I love in Riley's writing while also having a good amount of wholesome romance!

Check out my socials here for more reviews!

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this novella. Aliya is a truly amazing character. She has had such a horrible life, so she doesn’t take anything for granted. She’s very pragmatic and quick to accept the joys life has to give her. She’s hard-working, inquisitive, and in spite of everything she’s been through, she’s optimistic. This isn’t an Insta-love story. However, there is a lot of intimacy between the two because Grunagg has to take care of Aliya’s injuries, so once Aliya trusts Grunagg and realizes how tender and caring he is, she is very quick to accept pleasure from him, and when she is able, to reciprocate. I really liked how Grunagg’s care for her extended to their coupling. Aware of their size difference, He did a really good job preparing her before hand. It was sweet, and very sexy.

[Arctic_Banshee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a sweet and spicy enjoyable read. You can read it in a day.

This is the first book in this universe that I’ve read that includes an ogre instead of a troll or orc. The mmc is a cinnamon roll.

The fmc was uh… well she was pretty quick to get friendly with him. But this is a novelette. I mean, she was all looking at his tubular watermelon and decided that if she sits she will make him fit. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Betond that, the spice was hot as always with this author.

This is as also the first book where when it comes to whelps, they decide to be one-and-done.

Realistically, the 8 foot ogre would maybe be able to insert a pinky toe. MAYBE. But this is fantasy, right?

Low angst, cozy monster smut is what this is and if that’s what you want, you won’t be disappointed!

[Between pages · Rating 5 out of 5]

We always say communication is important between a couple, right? But imagine the struggle and frustration of trying to express your emotions when both of you don't speak the same language. Both Grunagg and Aliyah are interpreting each gesture, tone, and body language, leading to misinterpretations of how much they mean to each other. I love this kind of sweet torture of anticipation because once they finally lay bare their truths, man... it's overwhelming.

I love how Lyonne gives you a pinch of heartache and then weaves you back with a heart-melting happy ever after.
And those bath nights? I love them! oof! 🥵💦

[Adrianell · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,25 stars
One of the best romantasy novellas I've read this year.
Both main characters were great, Grunagg the reluctant hero who quickly fell for the little human he saved and Aliya the poor soul that her village decided to sacrifice who was astonished to find the ogre much more civilized than her people.
It was so cute that they both wanted to stay together, but the language barrier and their belief that the humans and trollkin shouldn't mix, made them too unsure and awkward to even try saying anything. I was glad that Grunagg got over himself and finally let Aliya know that he wanted her to stay.
There were a few typos and editing errors, but they weren't very distracting ;)

[Amanda books_ergo_sum · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like your size difference trope to be a tad worrisome, this book is for you.

I’m loving how this author combines excellent writing and bonkers smüt. We had:
💛 a scary on the outside, sweet on the inside ogre
💛 language barrier (maybe too much?)
💛 Cave Life™️
💛 forests of pining
💛 and of course, breeding kink

This book is a standalone in the same universe as the main series. So it just depends how you’re feeling—ogres or trolls? My vote is trolls. There’s only so much size difference a girl can handle.

[Roselia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever wished that Shrek was less goofy and more steamy? Well here ya go. A spicy human woman, Aliya, is dropped off as a sacrifice for Grunagg, the ogre. Neither of them want her to be there at first, but when Aliya tries to escape and doesn't make it to the nearest human town without catching a bear's attention, Grunagg takes charge of helping her heal. In spite of the language barrier, they manage to bond, and the story takes a turn toward a cozy romance.

[Alessa Biblioteca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books is short and sweet. A girl gets sacrificed to an ogre by her village in hopes he will stop eating their sheep. The ogre just returned from trying to find a mate with no luck and had basically given up hope. After freeing the young woman and then saving her from a bear attack, he nurses her back to health and grows attached to her. She grows equally attached to him and it’s hard to tell who falls first. There’s some nice spice between the two for the story being so short. I love this author and will def be reading more from her.

[Sydnee Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grunagg is a good Ogre even though the humans see him as a monster. When he finds Aliya tied to the post in front of his cave he doesn’t know what to make of it. With the language barrier they take a bit to understand each other. But with some things you don’t need to speak the same language to understand each other. Aliya finds that she has more in common with this Ogre than with her own race. They have a few trial and errors but they do seem to find common ground.

[D.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's not every day you read a romance with an ogre!

I love the way Lyonne writes smut scenes. They're not going to be for everyone, I realize, but they are definitely for me. I also love that she's incorporating more world building into the series! Super fun.
Another strong, feisty female MC... my favorite.
This is a super quick, hot read.