Once the belle of her village, life took a dark turn for Adelaide upon her parent’s death. Plagued by lingering grief, there was not a soul who didn’t turn their back on her. They called her angry and spiteful… Hell, they called her a monster.
One fateful day Adelaide finds herself alone, lingering on the edge of The Perished Woods--a cursed and evil place. Without warning, an orc army attacks.
Her village ablaze, Adelaide races into the Perished Woods, seeking refuge in a place of nightmares. With orcs at her heels, she’s desperate to escape. But when the young woman crosses an aging stone bridge in the middle of the cursed forest she’s met with an even more fearsome enemy. A troll… one who is determined to save her.
Tracy Lauren is a loving wife to her gorgeous but weird husband Greg, and a dedicated mother to her two wonderful children. She has her M.S. in Clinical/Counseling Psychology and during her time as a therapist she provided counseling services specializing in grief and trauma as well as attachment focused parenting. She is now taking time off from her career to focus on her family and explore life as an indie author.
Tracy’s interests have always been in the human experience, and in her writing she aims to capture just that. If you love the thrill of adventure to go with your science fiction romance, then Tracy’s books are for you.
I really enjoyed this story the fantasy vibe here really caught my attention and I am a sucker for anything non-human so this was a sure winner for me. Here we have Adelaide pursued through the Perished Woods, a cursed magical place she has been warned upon entering by her deceased parents. So after her village is attacked by Orcs her only path forward is through these woods and across a bridge belonging to a Troll and we all know the fairy-Tale about crossing a Trolls bridge without paying a Toll. According to ancient laws Brom, The troll guarding the bridge now owns this non-paying human on top of that as he has also saved her from the Orcs themselves it further compounds her debt to him. This one was very much a battle of wills as both Adelaide and Brom go head to head both as stubborn as the other. So here lies my one main bug-bear with this I originally couldn't stand Adelaide at all, I got why she was at war with the world but I thought her treatment of Brom who was somewhat of a reasonable Troll (he did keep telling us this) totally abhorrent. Her Bias and blinkered behaviour bordered on cruel and most certainly ungrateful especially as he had saved her from an awful fate. I know she was peeved about being a slave but I just felt her attitude went beyond what was right and was just downright nasty at times. Brom, I adored from the beginning he was a very reasonable Troll by his own admission and even when he was punishing Adelaide I couldn't help but warm to him completely. At heart, he was just a big softie with a heart of gold and a protective streak a mile wide. Adored the huge grouchy lummox almost instantly. Thankfully despite my initial dislike of Adelaide, when she did wake up and smell the coffee she was so much easier on the pallete. Told in dual POV which I do prefer this was just so imaginative and unique and I really did have a fab time indulging myself. Filled with such fascinating characters and also super hot and sexy this was a definite hit for me. Might need to go check me out some bridges to find me a Troll. I look forward to the continuation of this very unique fantasy series.
This guy was the nicest troll ever. Really the nicest Male everrrrrr. He protected and fed the heroine right from the start, no matter how irritating or seriously injurious her actions were to him. He essentially led her through some therapy sessions where she got in touch with her repressed emotions, smh. I feel like that's what the book was really about, her accessing her emotions. I wasn't really interested in that.
He believed her when she was obviously lying. Like, she claimed to be a virgin (!) but deep-throated his monstrous troll manhood in a 69 w/o gagging on the 1st attempt. They were just fooling around though, so she could maintain her virginity. Prepare yourself for that and some really weird and gross goblin sex scenes. I know someone will read this just for that, lol.
The book really overused the words monster and monstrous, to the point where I stopped reading and did a word count. This guy was a marshmallow to her, not a monster at all. Bummer, lol.
Started out good but declined. The world was interesting but the characters made me eyeroll.
Oh and the book claimed the hero was physically appealing and ruggedly handsome, but I couldn't shake images of Shrek! Lol
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ World Building: 📖📖📖📖 Feels: 🦋🦋🦋 Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔 Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡⚡ Romance: 💞💞💞 Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋 Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑 Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥 Humor: Yes Perspective: First person from both hero and heroine
(These are all personal preference on a scale of 1-5 (yours ratings may vary depending what gives you feels and how you prefer you sex scenes written, etc) except the Steam Scale which follows our chart from A Love Less Ordinary )
Should I read in order? This is the first in Lauren’s Perished Woods series.
Basic plot: Adelaide is hiding in the woods, reflecting on how far her life has fallen into despair since her parents death, when a ravaging orc party attacks her village. She enters the Perished Woods, a place known for its mystery, monsters, and danger, running for her life. There she meets a troll that saves her life, only to take her for himself.
Give this a try if you want: - Monster romance - Fantasy world – most of the story takes place in the Perished Woods, with some other towns. Goblins, humans, orcs, and others creatures roam - Troll hero/human heroine - Touch of road trip feel - Enemies to lovers - Huge hero/tiny heroine - Forced proximity - Hero feeds the heroine and brushes her hair - Medium to high steam – 4 full scenes plus kisses - You have to be okay with some dubious consent –
My thoughts: I gave this one a try because I have been loving Tracy Lauren’s writing so much in her Alien series.
I overall liked this one, but it didn’t quite have the same emotional pull I was getting from her characters in her Alien series. Some parts got a little too weird for me (like that whole goblin inn scene???) that lessened my enjoyment of this story just a touch. BUT Adelaine and Brom together were perfection. I loved a lot of scenes in this story and liked the hero’s growth through the story.
Brom is a big scary troll and definitely just takes what he wants in the beginning of this story. I liked getting to know him. I liked that it wasn’t instalove or fated mates here – I liked that they had to grow together as a couple.
Adelaine’s life was giving me Cinderella vibes in the beginning and my heart broke for her. I do think the story worked out well for a HEA for her – but I wish I had felt it a bit more strongly. More of her feelings of not belonging and more solid in her feelings with Brom – they were master/slave for quite awhile and I wanted to make sure we were fully out of that mindset.
So yeah, definitely glad I tried this one! The steamy scenes were fun and Brom was a bit of a naughty talker and I loved that. I definitely recommend if you are okay with all the things mentioned above.
I’ll definitely be trying all of Lauren’s work at some point and continuing with this series.
And Brom was so sweeet! Like yes, Adelaide was bratty and her antics did make me want to repeatedly punch her in the baby maker but she gets better. Not perfect :p but better.
I do wish the end was a little longer...? We got an epilogue but yeah I would have liked to know more about the after, I was totally invested!
On my search for under rated authors, Tracy Lauren has been a gem of a find!
The following ratings are out of 5: Romance: 🖤💙❤️ Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥 Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪🧪 Story/Plot: 📕📗📙 World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏 Character development: 🙃🙁😀 Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙 Narration Type: Dual Narration
The heroine:Adelaide - her parents died a year ago. She lives in her parents thatched roof cottage home with her aunt Celia. The villagers say that the house is filled with ghosts, but Adelaide knows that it isn’t. Celia moved in after her parents died, supposedly to help her out. In reality Celia was just another in a long line of people who just wanted her parents' home and land. Celia treats Adelaide like a slave, though Adelaide fights against Celia’s attempts to rule her. Celia often tells Adelaide to go off into The Perished Woods and live with the monsters. The villagers also judge Adelaide when she angrily rebukes her aunt, they see only her actions, not her aunts.
The Story: When a horde of Orcs attack her village burning everything in their path, killing and raping as they go. Adelaide runs into The Perished Woods, it was not a typical forest, since it is the home of monsters, a portal to their accursed lands. She knows of the terrible things that happen to women at the hands of the Orcs, so she would rather brave The Perished Woods and try to find her way to Ellen, her other aunt who was once nice to her. She runs and tries to stay ahead of the Orcs when she hears an Orc battle cry behind her. Instead, she runs right into a giant Troll who grabs her and takes her to his lair.
The Hero:Brom - his home is hidden by enchantments in The Perished Woods. His larder contains vials of powders and potions, his precious magic stores that are dwindling. When he saves the human from the Orcs, he has to make sure that the black magic of the Orcs doesn’t get inside him and uses some of his healing potion to get it out. Even the smallest cut from an Orcs blade can kill someone within a day. He tells the human that she belongs to him now since she crossed his bridge without paying the toll.
I liked Adelaide at first when she fought back against her aunt, though for some reason I didn’t like her as much when she fought back against Brom. I think it was because she called him names, like oaf and said things like he is an animal, and other things like that. Not that he was nice to her, he expected her to be a servant to him, so it was right that she fought against being a slave. I just didn’t really like the way she did it.
Adelaide starts out as someone easy to root for—defiant against injustice, refusing to be crushed under Celia's heel. But when she fights Brom, her approach shifts, and it changes how I connected with her. It makes sense; defiance alone doesn’t always make a character likable. How they express it, the emotional undertones, and the level of respect they show—especially to someone who isn’t just another petty oppressor—can alter the way we perceive them. She also tells Brom a lie and doesn’t fess up for far too long.
Adelaide’s insults toward Brom felt less like righteous rebellion and more like misplaced hostility. I expected her to resist in a way that was more strategic, or even grudgingly respectful, given the strange circumstances. She’s in survival mode, sure, but her words might have cheapened the tension between them rather than making her feel powerful in the moment. Though I admit that once they became friends and stopped always arguing and baiting each other, the story got much better, though it was a bit of a slow burn and the story moved about as slowly as the romance, I wanted more action, but it was good enough that I will continue on with this series.
This audiobook was narrated from multiple perspectives, done in dual narration by Allison River and John Masterson. I like Allison Rivers voice; it is soft and feminine. You she does a good job, though isn’t one of my favorite narrators. John Masterson has a super deep voice which I really like for the Troll male, and he speaks in a slow, measured way that just makes them sound more authentic for some reason.
What can I say? This book was pretty much exactly what I thought it would be. I like the idea of The Perished Woods, where all the monsters we hear about in scary stories live. I can definitely see how this is a great setting to start off a series of standalones. We briefly meet a few characters in this story who I can imagine getting their own arcs (I'm looking at you half-breed Orc). I'm also a sucker for human/nonhuman pairings, especially when one half of that pairing is a hulking, brutish troll with sweet side. This is a 3-star and not a 4-star book for two main reasons. One, the sex scenes were a little cringe-worthy at times. I mean, the word "slobber" just isn't sexy. And two, Brom's POV didn't feel totally authentic. I get that the author is NOT a bridge troll, but Brom's voice was too similar to that of Adelaide for me to feel fully immersed in his character. I wanted a more pronounced demarcation between the two. However, all that aside, this was a sweet story about self discovery and healing and exactly the type of pick-me-up I was looking for.
It’s rare for me to like a book when I don’t like the heroine, but here I am. Adelaide has suffered from loss and trauma but, while I sympathized with her reasons and sometimes wholeheartedly agreed with her righteous anger, her ACTIONS were mostly petty and bratty. She withheld information relevant to her own damn safety, threw tantrums, lashed out without thinking and judged others not like herself. *sigh* Like I said, she is not a fave and I didn’t even start to like her until about 85% in.
Brom helped. He sees deeper than I was able to and through his POV I was able to have a roundabout appreciation for Adelaide. Also, sexy trolls...who knew?
The story is very much one of self-discovery and Adelaide and Brom have to struggle for their answers. The perished woods as a setting is so interesting too, I definitely want to see what other creatures and beings will get a story next.
Short review: Generally we have phrase 'Don't judge book its cover'. Apparently, we have to add 'Don't judge by its title'. Leaving cover and title aside, it is good story with good characters.
Adelaide's parents died and she is filled with anger. On top of that her village gets destroyed by orcs and Brom saves her. Their relationship is kind of weird at first but as they take quest to go in Perished woods, it develops into a romantic adventure.
Review in image/gif:
Recommended:
Yes Aftermath: (possible spoilers)
There are some cringe worthy scenes in the books, which I had to swallow like bitter pill but overall it is good story and if/when another Perished woods book comes out, I'd want to read it.
I’m feeling brave so I decided to come out of my comfort zone to read a book with a Troll hero. At first I had a very hard time picturing the Troll’s face because let’s be honest here, trolls are hideous. But I got past the awkwardness eventually and was really enamored by the character when I ventured farther in the story. He was adorable and the author made sure that he’s one fine knight in a shining armor. Over all, the story was good albeit short, I still enjoyed myself.
Had so much listening to this book. Loved too see how the relationship grew between then even as it didn't start out on great terms and both being stubborn. I didn't mind that the actions from the heroine caused problems and issues that needed to be delt with as it made sense and it wad well done. There where things in this that had me laughing so hard, especially when the hero warned about Goblins and their very addictive "fluids". That whole discussion was so funny as I did not expect that at all. A very fun, romantic and enjoyable audiobook.
First of all, Brom, the troll is HOT! Secondly, Brom, the troll is an amazing monster and thirdly, I need my own Brom and a map to the Perished Woods.
Adelaide is rescued by a handsome, caring, protective troll from nasty ass Orcs, who set out to burn down her village and rape her. As any respectable troll would do, he takes payment from young Adelaide, in the form of making her his slave. She owes him her life and for crossing his bridge. Adelaide is the worst kind of slave and makes Brom's life miserable. Only after a terrible curse if lifted can Brom and Adelaide, see each other for who and what they really are; two people destined to be together.
Adelaide is no damsel in distress, but Brom is definitely a knight in shining armor. I love this story, not only is Brom sexy AF, he is the epitome of a gentleman and an alpha hero. This book reinforced the fact that people need to look beyond outer appearances and see the 'real' person, not the one we show to the world, but who we are inside.
This book is sexy, full of adventure and sexy situations, not to mention, scary witches, wicked goblins, wonderful trolls, and annoying humans.
You need to read this book if you love fantasy, PNR, and sexy monsters.
This story starts off with some strong enemies to lovers vibes and a lot of mistakes made between the two of them that caused real harm to be done. Both MCs were effed up in their own way and has growth to do before they could have any kind of relationship. They had great banter and some tender moments to offset it. I would have liked to know more about Brom’s family and maybe a little more detail in the spicy scenes. But that’s just be being nit picky.
Spice: 3/5
Triggers: attempted SA (not between MCs), kidnapping, captivity, grief, violence
This wasn’t a quick read or something I devoured in one sitting it was a long read. I liked the characters they were amazing. Adelaide was a character that we can all identify with. I wanted to draw out her story because of how much I admired her. Brom was an interesting character because of how he dealt with everyone and everything. He was trying to be reasonable throughout the whole story but with Adelaide there was no way. This was a really awesome story.
If your into zero plot and cringy sex encounters then this one's for you. I honestly don't understand how books like this pass muster, there a dime a dozen an I'm sick of finding them in my recommendation with glowing reviews.
this was just freaking adorable. The bickering, the back and forth, the spiciness. And I don't like spanking at all but I'll let it slide this time on account of I just love these two so much. And I loved the faerie forest with all the classic details I grew up daydreaming about. i think I'll be re-reading this via audio over and over just cuz it makes me smile <3
Fantastic new first in series. I’m hoping that there are many more to follow.
I know this author for her fantastic sci fi romance reads. So I was overjoyed to see her branch in to the fantasy romance genre with This book. I am a die hard lover of all far/fairytale tales, there’s something so great that can be found in a connection between a human and a being that is ‘fae’. From the initial oh so scary to the changing of perspective that allows a development of mutual respect and ultimately love.
This book made my brain light up and do a happy dance of epic proportions. I loved the interactions between the Brom and Addy. They were a veritable word buffet of humour and sass and emotion that just kept on giving and giving.
I’m so so so looking forward to more in this series and cannot wait to see what other times of other that we meet.
My only grumble is as always minuscule... I wanted another epilogue... because I’m greedy 🤣🤣💯♥️
This book felt like a full length YA-slash-erotica novel. It was a bizarre mix of YA tropes and idiotic angst sprinkled with detailed erotic language and scenes. The whole thing felt like fan fiction attempting to be something more than what it is; deep with some sexy times thrown in for the hell of it. It failed on both accounts, miserably.
I could go in depth into the reason it is such a bad book, but it really isn’t worth any more of my time. I skimmed it and, honestly, the only reason I didn’t dnf it is because i just went through a disappointing string of dnfs and was determined to finish something.
I do not recommend reading this. Find something more worthwhile to spend your time with.
I am a huge fan of shifters and paranormal romances, especially ones that are off the beaten path. When I heard about a romance that featured a troll, I was in.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book, it wasn’t too campy, too raunchy or too off the wall. I loved how Tracey Lauren gave both characters arcs that were actually better than the writing in Game of Thrones recently.
The love story between Adelaide and Brom grows naturally and without cloying sweetness. Check Tamed by the Troll if you are looking for a good out of the ordinary paranormal romance!
This is a wonderful tale about to stubborn fiery temper heard lovers of different species coming together. Trolls under the bridge are known to make foul deals, but instead, he got the short end of the stick. I loved Brahms personality and snarkiness along with our heroine! If you like monsters in fairytales and kick-ass women, I’d go with this book
Tracy Lauren's characters are great! I really enjoyed this story with its unique relationship between a young human woman and a troll. Good storyline, as well! Look forward to reading more by this author.
I thought "maybe this has potential, maybe people were just being judgy when they said the MC was a huge, intolerable brat..." Nope. Wrong. I was wrong. It was just.
Le premier 20% allait encore, mais franchement l'héroïne est terrible. Et le troll tombe sous son charme du jour au lendemain, sans véritable raison. Je n'ai rien contre le côté plus "kinky" de l'histoire, après tout il est question d'une forêt maudite. Mais je crois que la relation entre Adélaïde et Brom aurait pu être mieux amener, mieux naviguer... Et au final, c'était très intense, très dramatique. L'auteur va dans les extrêmes... J'aurais écris les même réactions à 14 ans. 😬 Bref, en somme le début était correct, l'univers est intéressant et j'aimais bien le troll (même si en réalité, il est plus humain et raisonnable que l'humaine...) mais c'était sans plus. 😕
4.0 / 5.0 for a monster smash, this book really surprised me. It’s not the absolute best written but it’s well written. The characters are repetitive and it all hinges around a miscommunication trope, plus the whole driving plot to go to the witch is pretty much a wash. That’s the main shortcoming in this one, that there is direction but then it’s negated, so there’s a new direction introduced which is then negated. All the way to the end and then it’s HEA… just, there you go.
So, while I will read more from this author, it’ll be fluff filler, this mindless reading of a decently written book with no real plot.
I really enjoyed this story! I love to read about non human main characters especially for love interest. And this story felt very authentic. The author does a good job developing characters and doesn’t get too caught up in outside world building, which I think is better sometimes. I did catch a few errors but It by no means distracted me away from the story. I thought there were some corny parts that made it feel YA but also a lot of intense adult content. Also, there is SERIOUS angst in the first third of the book. I almost couldn’t handle it! But further along you get some explanation for the characters behaviors. Stick with it!! Glad I came across it!
3.5 stars I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. I felt like the aversion by the heroine was realistic to the situation, and that is something that I love in books, when the h doesn't suddenly get over her fear/anger at being kidnapped just because of Body Betrayal Syndrome. (Which probably didn't happen because she wasn't initially attracted to the Hero.) I was also liking that the Troll was protective and sweet with her, since the very start, that seems out of the norm for paranormal stories, and I loved to see it. Overall a good story, and I'm kind of excited to pick up the next book in the series, to find out what happens with the Aunt, and to hopefully see these two again. Also, the audio was pretty great too. He did so well that it didn't even bother me that it was a solo narrator doing both points of view.