The Orc's Stolen Bride

The Five Kingdoms #1

by Honey Phillips

One minute Kari is going about her normal life; the next she is thrown into a terrifying new world. Despite the strange bond she feels to the massive orc warrior who rescues her, she is determined to find a way home.

In a desperate attempt to save the orcs of Norhaven, Wulf makes a plea to the Old Gods… and a strange, beautiful female appears. Although she cannot speak his language and she is unlike anyone he has ever known, he’s sure she is his mate.

But prayers to the Gods are a tricky business. Just how much is Wulf prepared to sacrifice for his people?

Each book in the Five Kingdoms series can be read as a standalone romance. This sweet and steamy romance is intended for mature readers.

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

206 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 5, 2024

Reviews

[TaylorReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yall ever read a book and get introduced to a side character that you know is gonna have their own book and then get more invested in them instead of the MC? Yup, I don’t care about Wulf tbh, I WANT EGON RIGHT NOWWWWW. Scarred, lonely, biggest orc there, quiet, likes to cook, and a little sad? Gimme him right now I’ll fix him.

Anyway, I love a good orc book. Short and to the point fr. The language learning wasn’t that believable, and was massively carried by the fact that she had a master’s in history, but that was the only thing that I didn’t like.

The next book is about Lothar but honestly idc I need Egon’s book, like yesterday.

[Gina Iracki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too many errors

The story was ok, if a little rushed, but it’s Honey Phillips and she’s good for an easy read with low stress, so that’s to be expected.

However, there were a lot of errors. Nearly every page had some misspelled word or the wrong word used. Inner monologues weren’t italicized. Even some wrong punctuation. It took me out of it and made me think there wasn’t a lot of effort put into this.

Also world building was seriously lacking. Our main girl got magically transported to this other dimension/world and just accepted it. Yea, she cried once, but after that, I guess we’re good to go? Also, the fmc was somehow after a few days able to have conversations/understand a lot of what they were saying. I don’t care how similar some of their words are. The girl was a real estate agent, not a linguist.

Considering this is supposed to be the first book in a series, I expected more of an effort to pull me in and get me excited for the next in the series. Instead it’s just blah.

I like Honey Phillips and usually her books are a nice comfort read for me. But with the so-so story and multiple errors, I just can’t give it a better review.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who has studied multiple languages, the speed that she learnt the Orc language was extremely unrealistic. There were a lot of errors which made it difficult to read without interruptions. I also didn’t understand Wolfs role in the tribe until it was explained much later. Nevertheless a cute story

[Sarah Verity · Rating 4 out of 5]

*𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴.*


𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑶𝒓𝒄'𝒔 𝑺𝒕𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒏 𝑩𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒆
𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒅𝒐𝒎𝒔 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔
𝒃𝒚 𝑯𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒚 𝑷𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒑𝒔


𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖/𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒:
This was such a great orc romance. It has that fantasy feel to it and has a size difference trope that I'm always a sucker for!

The characters in this were all wonderful and I was really happy to read a FMC who was strong in many ways but whose vulnerability and strength differences were shown and embraced. I loved seeing this more relatable side to a character. I love the occasional strong bada$$ FMC but most often it's the relatable ones I prefer. I love a good damsel in distress that isn't afraid to accept help or saving but also can find her own strengths in other things and can also help those around her. Kari was all of these things and uniquely herself, which I greatly appreciated seeing.

And I loved the MMC in this as well. Wulf is big, strong, a little animalistic, and completely authentic as a male who cares for others, and is strong and dependable.

The characters in this were great and the side characters made you excited for the next books.

The romance was the main aspect alongside an appropriately sized side story that made for a very nice length full story. Nothing detracted from the romance and that's always important to me.

A great intro story for a new series for sure. I'm super excited to see that the next FMCs are also from Earth as I wasn't sure that would be the case and I definitely prefer that! So I'm very excited to continue reading.


𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒:

•𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦
🔥🔥🔥/𝟓
•𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐡
❤️❤️❤️❤️/𝟓
•𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡
😆😆/𝟓
•𝐂𝐫𝐲
-/𝟓


*Ratings are not determined solely by the amount of content in a book but also by how it affected me as a reader.


"𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰. 𝘔𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘚𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘩. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸! 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴, 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳/𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺, 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴! 𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘐 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘵 @𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺_𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘱𝘵_𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺.



𝘈𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳: 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘥. 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺."

[JML · Rating 4 out of 5]

4terrific🌟's for The Orc's Stolen Bride.

Kari a normal human female with an average life and family she's not truly close to has been contemplating her life and what she truly wants while on a bear from her second job she ends up in the park. And a mysterious pull engulfs her and one minute she's on earth the next she's dropped head first until a very cold body of water. When she looks up 3 enormous muscular green warriors with tusks are staring right at her. She's freaked out and doesn't know what to believe. Wulf is the head of his small clan the weight of the responsibilities of taking care of his people are starting to wear his n him. All the Orcs of the five kingdoms have been cursed and very few females are left and within a generation or two his people will be gone. He seeks the power and wisdom of the old gods and ask for help. What he doesn't expect is a female clearly not from this world to drop literally into his life. But he's grateful she has. He immediately feels a mating bond click into place and he knows no matter what Kari's happiness means more to him than anything else. Can he convince her to stay with him? Will she let him prove to her how much he loves her? You'll have to read and find out! I love Orc book and this one was good but parts felt rushed and things moved forward. more quickly than usual, but other than that solid read ill definitely read the next in the series when it comes out.🌟🔥💖🌟🔥💖🌟🔥🌶🌟🔥💖🔥💖🔥🌶🌟🔥💖🔥🌟💖🌟🔥🌶🔥🌟💖🔥💖🌶🌟💖🌟🔥🌟💖🔥

[꧁ᙏᗣᙃⱿꙆᗣ꧂]

The Five Kingdoms Series :
Book 0.5 - The Orc's Hidden Bride -
Book 1 - The Orc's Stolen Bride -
Book 2 - The Orc's Promised Bride -
Book 3 - The Orc's Bonded Bride -
Book 4 - The Orc's Princess Bride -
Book 5 - The Orc's Captive Bride -

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CNNTHVPP

[Fig Leaf · Rating 2 out of 5]

Loved the premise, didn't love the execution...
I enjoy a good monster romance esp. when there is a language barrier between the lovers. It sets them up for a slow burn, riddled with misunderstandings, from silly to severe.
Yep, that didn't happen here...

The Prise was not good. We have many repetitions, lots of shivering, unexpected warmth and curvy legs...I mean, is she bow legged or why do we need to mention the 'curve' everytime we talk about her legs?
English is not my first language, so I have a hard time reading through errors. They confuse me, since my first assumption is always, that I'm just not familiar with the expression or that I missed something....but nope. There were so many of them.

Some things just didn't make sense for entirely other reasons.
I'm still not really sure what Wulf's job is...I mean, he is second in command or something, but what does that entail? He sparred, he talked, he drank with his men, but how does that help lead the clan? It's like the crazy rich and extremely successful CEO who doesn't actually work...except for maybe the one phone call he makes to cancel his appointments.
Also, what's up with Kari? She is a real estate agent or so, but she studies languages and medival...things? Is that a hobby? Well, those are very convenient interests to have in case the isekai train hits you full force.
I would have liked to spend a little more time, learning more about the orcs and their culture - or rather have Kari learn about them and find a place within their society. It should be much slower and not so smooth, because of this language barrier we allegedly have. Instead we get info dumped at the beginning and then we learn very little going forward - Well except for their bathrooms. Those seemed to be very important for some reason, so we took time to admire them.

Then we have the romance...or do we? I don't know where the 'falling in love'-part occured, but apparently that happened...at some point. Whether that was before or after they got I done, I can't tell. Are we maybe missing a story beat here or dis I just blink too often?

[Helena · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love this but it just felt ... Flat to me? For a first book, there's A LOT of exposition and "telling rather than showing". I felt like a load of lore was just dumped on me without any prep work and we don't really get time to get to know or even like the characters. I also didn't get the romance / the smut was just ok.


THOUGHTS I HAD WHILE READING:

- Kari was annoying AF and it seems like she's written like the author is trying way too hard to be relatable (a "curvy" girl with a career who's down on her luck, clumsy, mainlines chunky monkey ice cream and drinks a load of wine? Really?). She goes from being terrified of the huge monster and desperately wanting to go home to "cool, he's hot, I love it here" REALLY quick.

- Wulf pitching a tent / bulging up while meeting her was hilarious to me.

- saving her from a snake... Sigh I kind of expected more, also does she have to scream / cry over everything??

- the whole "oh this language sounds like something I know" thing was so convenient I just had to roll my eyes. Really. She happened to know a language from a completely different world with almost no effort? Sureee

- maybe I missed it but when did she get a notebook? She was naked when she arrived so where did that come from?

- what's the deal with the "curse" we know it's there but not much else, also he never really tells HER what's up it's just her understanding about it but we don't see that?

- I HATE the trope of the guy not telling her stuff she should know and of course it comes between them when she finds out. It's SO played out.

- Kari goes from "I'm so mad at you" to "let me climb that d" in like 2 mins.

- the smut was ok but was way too quick IMO. There's a little foreplay, she initiates later and boom, everyone comes... I wanted a bit more than that. Also, I don't really see romance since they barely bond or even like each other much until they have sex and then it's all "I love you we're mates" but we don't actually see that growth

[Annie]

DNF at 66%. The story started out so promising, but I got too pulled out of it with too many unrealistic things happening at the same time. Listen, I know what fantasy romance (specifically, monster or alien romance) is about: low(er) stakes, steamy, easy reads. But the combination of 1) the heroine getting over the whole “oh shit I think I’m in a parallel universe” with little to no internal conflict over that, 2) her learning their language enough to be conversational in literally about a week, and 3) how easily she just accepts her fate without trying to get home was too unbelievable.

I still like conflict in my lower stakes reads. Maybe she learns the language quickly (though super not realistic if you’re not literally someone who studies languages, I would imagine) — then why doesn’t she use that communication to try to learn more about the Curse and/or get home? Or, don’t let her communicate easily. Have that be the main external conflict throughout the story. Focus on all the internal dialogue the characters have and let us watch them navigate their feelings while being unable to communicate.

The “translator-that-sticks-into-your-brain” trope is overdone and cheesy. But damn, I would even accept more of that over just magically learning a language in a week. If you’re going to go fantasy and have the heroine learn the language in a snap, commit to it. Have some witch make a potion that allows her to understand them. Have her do some moon ritual where they share blood under the full moon and then can communicate with their minds. Idk, anything??

I don’t know, maybe for a lot of people, these mindless easy resolutions are cute or whatever, but to me, it’s way too easy. A story isn’t a story without conflict, and every conflict we’ve read to this point has just been…solved? I wouldn’t even say solved, other than the language barrier just being broken down like nothing. But any internal conflict the heroine has is just kinda forgotten because omg big dick.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

We're dipping our toes in the Five Kingdoms where the orcs are facing the looming threat of extinction thanks to falling birthrates and a pact that's being upheld in everything but spirit. (I feel like maybe I'm wording that wrong, but the king is sending warm bodies to fulfill the terms of the pact, not women who can actually help the orcs with their problems. So maybe I didn't actually work it poorly. Huh.)

I guess I'm trying to say that things are looking dire for the orcs. So Wulf, being someone who cares for his people immensely, does something that could have been dangerous. He calls on the Old Gods. Fortunately for him, they don't smite him down for being presumptuous or anything. In fact, the pull a woman from the modern world into his.

As you might imagine, Kari is not prepared for this. Thrown into a different world with a different language and very different people, she has to figure things out. On the plus side? She has a hunk of an orc who's smitten with her. She's also someone who picks things up quickly and isn't blind to the plight of the people she's now living with. So she starts working on a way to help these people survive.

A little godly magic, a land full of proud individuals trying to survive, a leader who is willing to go the distance for those he leads, and a lady who has to decide where she belongs. *thumbs up*

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick and easy orc romance read that I had fun with, but it ultimately lacked any real depth. It definitely works from the lens of wanting a straight-to-the-point, low-stress read, but for me, it fell flat because everything felt so rushed and underdeveloped.

Honestly, I’m not sure I would've picked this up if I’d known just how short it was. When a romance involves a “foreign realm, different species, language barrier" setup, there’s a lot to establish, so with a barely 200-page count, it’s kind of a given that everything would feel too fast and distractingly unrealistic. And that was definitely the case here. The author relied heavily on the mate bond between FMC Kari and MMC Wulf to force their romance’s progression. Kari learned a new language at a completely unbelievable rate and very suddenly accepted being trapped in another world with almost no emotional struggle. The writing itself also felt a bit rushed, not just the story; there were quite a few grammatical and editing errors that pulled me out of reading.

Don’t get me wrong, I can see the appeal, though. It’s a cute story with some light spice, and it’s the kind of book that’s easy to tear through in one sitting. It just wasn’t for me—I really couldn’t get past how quickly everything moved. And, lowkey… I found myself way more interested in Egon, the scarred gentle giant side character with the sad eyes and lonely vibe. I could maybe convince myself to read his book in the future.

[Sarah_A6210 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Orc-Tastic

This is a new author for me and having just finished a heavy fantasy series I wasn’t ready to change genre but needed something a little lighter.

I loved the characters, the world building, the ease of drama without it being too heavy. This story is based more on hope, love and overcoming hardships as a team. That sometimes fate has you covered in ways you could only hope and dream.

Wulf is the MMC, he’s a commander for his Orc village, a village that has been cursed with an ever lower number of females and almost no female babies. If they are lucky enough to even be blessed by a child. Desperate for his village he seeks help from their God. He prays for his family but is given a gift for himself. His mate. Can he overcome his guilt that his happiness highlights the sadness of his village. Even when that happiness comes in the form a human woman.

The FMC Kari has been pulled from her world, literally dragged from Earth and dumped naked and confused on a new planet. As terrifying as all that is, she can’t deny the pull she feels towards the Orc who found her, or deny his every action is in trying to help her navigate her new world.

5⭐️2🌶️

[kymagirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kari (h) is mysteriously transported to a world where orcs rule and she finds herself bound to Wulf (H), a powerful orc warrior desperate to save his people from extinction due to a burse that's impacted birth rates. As Kari struggles to adjust to this new world, she has to rely on her connection with Wulf is she wants to survive. Kari and Wulf grow closer, even in the face of challenges from ancient magic, cultural divides, and the curse that has doomed the orcs for generations. Wulf is really supportive and caring towards Kari, helping her adjust to and being patient with her, even if he feels torn between his duty to his people and his feelings for her. Loved how Kari is is determined to help the orcs overcome their curse, driven by her love for Wulf and her desire to help the orcs survive. Kari has to make hard choices as to what she wants for her future, her old life or the new one, including Wulf, that's come to mean so much to her. Hot and steamy orc-human fantasy romance, exploring love, connection, sacrifice, challenges, belonging, identity, new beginnings, and more.

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Orc’s Stolen Bride is a delicious book one in the five kingdoms series.
With the kingdom of Norhaven suffering under a curse and in need of females of childbearing age Orc warrior Wulf turns to his old Gods and scared stones in prayer.
A sacrifice of his blood and spoken ancient words pulls human MFC Kari from her world into his. When Wulf sees her he feels a mate bond set into place but wonders how one female can help his people, while Kari is confused by her new reality and the strange pull she feels surfacing for the strange male standing before her who is definitely not dressed up as a cosplay character, those tusks looked pretty real to her!
With a language barrier to circumvent, spice, found family, and emotion flowing seamlessly through the pages a captivatingly written story unfolds that will have readers engaged and immersed to the last page.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Racheal · Rating 4 out of 5]

While certain parts of this story could have had a little more depth to it or have been a little more fleshed out, it still was such a great, light read! I loved the fantasy vibes to this story where there was a magical curse to break. The whole mystery surrounding the Gods was very well done. The romance was so sweet to witness as the mate bond grew stronger between Wulf and Kari. Especially the ending, it was like a cherry on top to their story.🩷
I would have liked to have seen more detail in the parts where the females from the ship were involved. I absolutely loved the mystery surrounding them, but just wanted a little more info/interaction in that part of the story. Especially considering that the storyline was building up to it so much. That said, if you go into the story expecting a light read, spice and a sweet romance, you won't be disappointed. It was a charming and light read!

[Andi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the writing and I enjoyed the story line, but….there are a couple chapters that really have nothing to do with this story and feel more like they are put there for future stories, you could seriously not read them and it would not change this book at all. There was also a couple of instances when something was brought up to give the plot a little umph but then the author didn’t go anywhere with it. Another bummer for me was anything exciting about the plot happened in like the last 10-15% of the book. I was a little worried this would happen seeing as at even up to over 50% it was like two different story lines since they couldn’t communicate, but I guess the author decided she needed to get things moving and remedied that quite quickly. Just not sure if another book comes out in the series if it will be worth my time.

[Avis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book in a series. A standalone with a wonderful HEA for the couple. The world building was ey good. I could see the 5 Kingdoms lands , and feel the heartache, hope and wonder after Kari arrives and before.
I liked both Kari and Wulf. The struggles Wulf goes through to keep his clan from falling apart is painful. The gods are with him though and sends him Kari. I loved that they had to use a different way to communicate. Neither knowing the others language.
Powerful emotions, action through out and of course steam to the eventual romance. Both were drawn to each other . But Wulf is an honorable orc.
Can't wait to see which orc gets his HEA. I'm hoping it will be Ergon.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Katie Dennis 📖 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing is more disappointing than waiting anxiously for a book to come out, and to have it not meet expectations.

There’s so many spelling, and grammatical errors. But I could’ve ignore that, if the plot was better. 135ish pages is not enough. The first part of the book got me excited, it was a new concept in an orc book I haven’t read. But I kept getting whiplash because one moment, Kari is anxious, scared (as she should be) entering a new world and village to not so scared and NOT wanting to go home. Then one moment she can’t understand them, then the next moment she can. “The language sounds similar” isn’t really a good explanation as to why they can speak full sentences two pages later.

Wulf never really explained “the curse” to Kari either, he was saying he withheld some truths about it, and gave brief explanations. I can understand Wulf’s emotions, but Kari’s had me second guessing this book in general.

[Donna Zug · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new workd created by Honey for us- her readers. The Five Kingdoms. Wulf is our main guy, a big green orc, the leader of his clan.. So many worries on his shoulders and no idea how to solve their problems. Very few females and no children. He goes to the shrine to speak to Wold, to ask for help, to get mates for his clansmen.
With a splash Kari lands in the lake. Wulf feels the snap of the mate bond linking them. Kari had been walking in the park and stopped by the seawall, felt dizzy and then a weird pulling sensation. And here she lands in a feeezing cold lake, naked. She sees three huge males and they can't understand each other.
The plot twists, patience, growth, learning to communicate, acceptance and the steam round out this amazing first book on this series.

[Cynkris · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are few things that make me happier than a new series by a favorite author. After reading The Orc's Stolen Bride I am ridiculously happy! What a magical journey she took me on. The characters are all amazing! The story incredibly engrossing. The world building impeccable. We meet Wulf first. His tribe of Orc's, who accepted a curse for ALL orcs, is dying out. He makes a decision to ask for help from one of the Old Gods...alway a risky proposition. Wulf is everything a leader should be, strong, smart and kind (i loved Wulf).Then we meet Kari who is the answer. Keri is lonely but very independent. She has a heart to match Wulf. I loved this book. I can't wait for the next but the book I really want is Egon's! Buy this book! You will feel so good afterwards! 5+stars!

[Deborah Durand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Answered Prayers

This is a fabulous start to a new series by Phillips. And I heartily approve of the traditional depiction of Orcs on the book cover. I shun the cartoonish illustrations for all genres, but for paranormal stories, it’s particularly disturbing. Anyway, readers will love this story, and although the tale of fated mates is not original, the characters showcased here make the tale very enjoyable. Is the human female Kari a gift from the gods to dispel the Curse that plagues Wulf’s clan? Why is there a paucity of females? Will his brothers, Lothar and Egon, succeed at finding their mates, too? I can’t wait to read Lothar’s story…it is next, but I’m going to download the free prequel about Thorn and the goddess Freya. Enjoy this 5 star 🌟 read.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty mediocre.

Lots of spelling mistakes. First chapter builds up a decent sounding conflict that is never mentioned again. FMC somehow learns an entire new language in just a handful of days. When the FMC comes to their main decision at the end, the whole thing that’s been built up for her character so far, it appears all her decision making has occurred off page and we get no explanation on what changed her mind or what she was thinking. It felt very out of the blue, jarring, and confusing. Then the MMC withholds information and we never find out if he shares it, if he explains anything, or if it caused any conflict. It’s just never mentioned again.

Not the worst. A quick read with a happy ending. Won’t be reading any more of the series.

[Sydnee Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story. Wulf is the leader of his own family. Has been for a long time. He has two brothers who play a huge part in his life and daily life. Then there is Merow the kind older orc mother figure every home needs. She comes in handy when the gods bless Wulf with his mate from a distance world.
Kari goes from being a teacher to children and selling homes on the side to a whole new world. Yep one with big muscular green orcs. A world that she tries and succeeds in learning. She also has a connection with a very kind hearted orc. Her mate who is her rock in this whole new world experience.

[Chelsea Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing

So I was hesitant to read another orc story that was part of a series.
You start a series and the 1st is great and makes you read another and that is great and you're excited because there's more and it's exciting... Then the books start getting diluted and it becomes like a copy and paste...

I loved this 1st book! I loved the way the author built it around the language barrier.. Could have lengthened the time it took for the FMC to get a handle on the orc language... But eh. It transitioned well. I'm hopeful to see more world building and descriptions of the FMCs in the next books.

[Christal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Kari and Wulf's story! Wulf took a mission with his two brothers to ask for help for his people from the Gods. Then Kari somehow pops up. They cannot communicate initially but they learn words from each other. Their connection to each other is immediate although Kari thinks about going home except, what does she have to go home to? As they journey back to Norhaven, they learn about each other while their connection grows stronger. The storytelling is amazing. You can feel the emotions of not only Kari and Wulf but also Egon and Lothar. I'm looking forward to both Lothar and Egon's stories!

[Kristine L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the beginning of a new series. Wulf has asked the gods to help his tribe and he gets Kari. She can understand him but they have an instant connection with each other. Kari didn't know how she ended up with Wulf but she trusted him and his brothers. The hope is for the Gods to provide mates for families. There are some mysteries and steam. Enjoyable story and can't wait to read the next book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sharon Gillman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent addition to the world of the 5 Kingdoms. I'm really loving this new fantasy series.

Kari is a human from Charleston whom gets pulled through a magical portal and dumped naked into a cold lake when Wulf our Orc hero prays to his god Wold for help for his people from the curse they are plagued by. With very few Orc females and no new births, the Orc nation dwindling. Can Kari help his people break the curse?

I suggest you read the book to find out.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Niki {Still a Widow but reading more} · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this series opener.

Honey Phillips is one of my favorite sweet romance authors.

I loved Wulf and Kari. I just wish there had been more resolution or more added to how Kari could be a help for their people. I felt like there was a missed opportunity where Wulf could have taken Kari with him to meet the brides. She could have helped alleviate their fears while also showing the brides how wonderful it could be between them and the orcs.

I can't wait to see Lothar and especially Eben's stories.

[Rissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute and fun, but the insta love felt so forced for me. Like, we’re really gonna agree to marry this orc we met like a month ago cause we have a “connection” ?? And you suddenly speak their language fluently after a month?? Nah girl you lost me.

I feel like this one had sooooo much potential, but needed more to it. I feel like the story could have taken place over MONTHS and the novel itself been like 200 pages longer. I’m intrigued enough to continue the series, so I’m hoping for a more well-rounded story in the next one.

These covers tho…they need some help 😭

[Rach Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of hoped it would be better - I’ve read some Honey Phillips works before and they’ve been solid easy reads. This felt to me, quite heavily weighted to Wulf’s point of view. Nothing wrong with that if you can still get to know both MCs well enough, but it just felt like Kari popped into Wulf’s world, immediately learned a completely new language and fell in love. I liked the idea of the parallel universe, but just hope the next books might slow down a bit and be more balanced. After all, I do want to see Lothar and Egon’s happy endings.