Sarcastic healer Ember stumbles into a cave to escape raiders and finds a massive, dying orc who should terrify her. Exiled warrior Thane—all seven feet and battle scars of him—wants nothing to do with the tiny, irritating human invading his space.
Then a deadly blizzard traps them together. One cave. One fire. One fur bed between them and freezing.
She won't let anything suffer, even a grumpy orc who thinks her dark humor is deeply inappropriate. He's spent five years believing he's the monster his clan claimed, until this stubborn woman with gentle hands starts making him feel things he has no right to want.
Survival means sharing body heat. Proximity means lowering walls. And when she looks at his scars like they make him beautiful instead of broken?
He'll burn down anyone who tries to take her from him.
But when the storm clears, choosing love over their peoples' hatred could destroy them both.
I really enjoyed this story. The MCs relationship feels like a sanctuary of peace, healing and hope surrounded by a storm of danger - weather, illness, raiders, and prejudice. There are some editing errors but the tale is compelling enough to ignore them.