The Lady and the Orc

Orc Sworn #1

by Finley Fenn

He’s the most feared monster in the realm. And she’s what he needs to win his war…

In a world of warring orcs and men, Lady Norr is condemned to a childless marriage, a cruel lord husband, and a life of genteel poverty — until the day her home is ransacked by a horde. And leading the charge is their hulking, deadly orc captain: the infamous Grimarr.

And Grimarr has a wicked plan for Lady Norr, and for ending this war once and for all. She’s going to become his captive — and the perfect snare for Lord Norr.

There’s no possible escape, and soon Lady Norr is dragged off toward Orc Mountain in the powerful arms of her greatest enemy. A ruthless, commanding warlord, with a velvet voice and mouthwatering scent, who awakens every forbidden hunger she never knew she had…

But Grimarr refuses to accept half measures — in war, or in pleasure. And before he’ll conquer Lady Norr’s deepest, darkest desires, she needs to surrender everything.

Her allegiance.
Her wedding-ring.
Her future…

And with her husband’s forces giving chase, Lady Norr can’t afford to play such a dangerous game — or can she? Even if this deadly orc’s plans might be the only way to save them all?

_____________________

A dark, steamy, full-length standalone fantasy romance for adults. Happily ever after guaranteed.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Monster Romance, Monsters, Fantasy Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Paranormal

399 pages, ebook

First published October 28, 2019

About the author

Finley Fenn is “the queen of dark orc romance” (Virgo Reader), and her ongoing Orc Sworn series has been praised as “sexy, romantic, angsty, and captivating … utter brilliance” (Romantically Inclined Reviews).

When she’s not obsessing over her stories, Finley loves reading, drooling over delicious orc artwork, and spending time with her incredible readers on Patreon, Discord, and Facebook. She lives in Canada with her beloved family, including her very own grumpy, gorgeous orc mate.

News, free stories, and artwork: www.finleyfenn.com
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Finley-Fenn/e/...
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/finleyfenn
Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/finle...
Instagram: https://instagram.com/authorfinleyfenn
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/finleyfenn
Twitter: https://twitter.com/finleyfenn

THE ORC SWORN SERIES
1. The Lady and the Orc
1.5: Offered by the Orc: Free with signup at www.finleyfenn.com
2. The Heiress and the Orc
3. The Librarian and the Orc
4. The Duchess and the Orc
5. The Midwife and the Orc
6. The Maid and the Orcs
6.5. Tryggred by the Orc
7. The Governess and the Orc
7.5. Yuled by the Orcs
8. The Beauty and the Orcs
9. The Widow and the Orcs
10. The Artist and the Orc

THE ORC FORGED SERIES
1. The Sins of the Orc
2. The Fall of the Orc

THE MAGES SERIES
0.5: The Mage's Maid
1. The Mage's Match
1.5: The Mage's Groom: Free with signup at www.finleyfenn.com
2. The Mage's Master

Reviews

[Rachael · Rating 1 out of 5]

I. Am. Livid. Absolutely, utterly livid. Fuck this book!

I could rant for days about things I did not like in this book, but, if I hadn't read the last 20%, I could have also talked about things I did like, because, tiring as I found the back-and-forth of the plot, I didn't actually hate it... until the unforgivable happened.

I can get behind a dark book. I enjoy some fucked up shit in my stories sometimes, but there are a small number of things I cannot get behind in any circumstance whatsoever. Some things are simply unforgivable, and this book takes the worst of the worst, and still claims it has a "happy ending." Bull. Fucking. Shit.

The so called "Hero" of an orc betrays the heroine in the absolute worst possible way. He sends her to her near-certain death, and the absolutely-certain death of their unborn child. He does this willingly, intentionally, all while knowing the heroine has been true to him and loves him. He does this after he's promised her countless times that he will keep her safe, bring her happiness, et cetera, et cetera. He does this, apparently, "for the greater good," but it is a choice, not a necessity (there is no gun to his head -- literally or metaphorically), and it is something he had been planning from the very start. This is an irredeemable, unconscionable betrayal, and this is very much not the sort of thing you can come back from. Yet we're told it's forgivable, as we watch the heroine save herself, then apparently forgive the "Hero" when he apologizes. We're told this is a romance book, and that, since everything worked out in the end, this unfathomably cruel betrayal is apparently conducive to a happily ever after with the two main characters still together.

No. I'm sorry, but no. Fuck that bullshit.

[Ruby Dixon]

No, YOU'RE the one re-reading the entire orc series...

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

I finished this last night but I had to take a minute to step back and gather my thoughts before writing this review.

Y'all, I can't remember the last time I had my heart ripped out and stomped on so hard.



I was openly weeping so hard, it woke my husband up. Twenty minutes later while I was still crying and said hubby couldn't go back to sleep, he started rubbing my back and asking if I wanted to tell him about it. What am I supposed to say? "Well, so it's about this Orc..." Pfft. Yeah right.




Thank you Finley, for slapping my emotions this way and that!!



Let's just say in the beginning I hated Grimarr, the Orc prince, like a lot!!





My heart was bleeding for Jule. The lady, married to the most powerful lord in the land, who is left alone to be kidnapped by the Orcs. To be used by Grimar to show his power and petition for peace with the humans.

For anybody that has ever dealt with parental indifference, spousal abuse or rejection, loneliness, and feelings of helplessness or being stuck in terrible loveless relationships...this book right here is gonna hurt. You're gonna sympathize soooo hard. It's gonna "trigger" some feelings that's for sure.








Then I started to come around to Grimarr, he started to win me over.





I mean I didn't think he could change, redeem himself, and yet he did. He loved Jule. He gave her everything she always wanted. He made it possible for her to flourish, to be happy. Everything is working out and going according to plan. I'm reading on, happy as a clam, waiting for the HEA, then...





A SUCKER PUNCH TO THE FACE!!!





RIP MY HEART RIGHT THE FUCK OUT!!






Cue the waterfall of tears!!










So I finally pull myself together, clean the tear spots off my glasses for the 5th time, and use my nose spray so I can actually take a breath and continue on. We see that Jule, is what we've seen through it all, strong and resilient! So courageous, so compassionate. Literally willing to die, to save those she loves, to end the war, and do what's right.





I'm trying to hold it together.







But then she swoops in like an avenging bad ass, and saves herself, with a slight assist from Grimarr.





So.......

I guess, I'm glad they got their tenuous HEA. I'm just feeling like maybe Jule was a little too much of a doormat for Grimarr at the end. I wanted her to stick to her guns and make him suffer a little. I don't think he redeemed himself enough. I don't care about his little thrown together "plan." I know he groveled, but I wanted him to GROOVVVVVVEEEELLLLL!!!!





but then I wanted for Jule to be like:




So since I'm still miffed about the ending and feel the HEA is not enough to heal my heart from the ringer it was just put through, I have to dock a star. I'm still pissed at Grimarr. I couldn't even enjoy the epilogue because I still kinda hated his ass a little. Now I'm gonna go make bread, so I can pound dough and let some of this angry rage out.

P.S. There's also lots of crazy dirty Orc smut going on, just a heads up. But y'all should know by now I love it. The crazier the better lol!! 🤪🤣

[Cece · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you're wondering whether or not you'll enjoy these books, I think there's a great litmus test that will answer that question for you: How do you feel about Old School romance novels?

Think The Flame and the Flower, early Johanna Lindsey, or the original and unedited version of Whitney, My Love. If you enjoy those love stories or feel a lot of nostalgia for the wild and untamed grandmothers of the genre, then you'll like the Orc Sworn series, and if you struggle with non-consent and unrelenting male domination, then these books aren't for you.

I wish I'd known this going in. Since this series is often recommended alongside other monster romances on social media, I was expecting The Lady and the Orc to be another story in that vein, and...it wasn't. On the surface, there are some obvious similarities, like the non-human male partner/s and the array of kinks (breeding kink, exhibitionism, light to heavy d/s, etc.) but I'd argue that's where the overlap ends. The Orc Sworn books and the M/F monster/alien sub-genre are after different things. Their goals aren't the same.

Heterosexual monster/alien romance is constantly working on the fantasy of non-human masculinity. In my sexual imagination, sometimes I want a phallus but not the human man attached to it and the sub-genre recognizes that desire and offers new alternatives: primitive masculinity with soulmate radar (Ice Planet Barbarians), gentle masculinity with an inclination to form family groups around my needs (Chosen, Stolen by an Alien) or worshipful yet sexually dominating masculinity which doesn't hesitate to bring me the severed head of my enemy (King Cobra). Of course, these cultural improvements arrive with pleasurable physical add-ons, like wings, horns, tentacles, etc., but that's not where the fantasy ends. What's being added is just as important as what's being subtracted.

So, what's being removed from the imagined masculinity in this sub-genre? Well, mostly it's the statistical risks for women in heterosexual relationships. The human women in alien/monster romance aren't crushed under cycles of emotional abuse. They're not being manipulated, deceived, and betrayed by more powerful partners. Their bodies aren't the unwitting and objectified vessels for their male partners' cuckolding schemes. If Mars Needs Women, why would the non-human men of Mars put their women through an endless gauntlet of pain and suffering where the only consolation is powerful orgasms and inconsistent male approval?

But that's exactly what happens here.

The orcs are just as bad as the men. Sometimes, they're worse! Unlike all the monster/alien romance I've read, these orcs aren't a fantasy of a new non-human masculinity as much as they're a retro callback to an old masculinity that prizes women's obedience, subjugation, and acquiescent martyrdom. Having expected something so unlike what I got, my reaction to this book quickly turned into one never-ending howl of "WhAt ThE fUcK?!?!?!?!?!" and being wedded to the heroine's POV felt like being stuck on a carnival ride in hell. I kept expecting her to try and kill herself, honestly.

But I also finished this feeling as if I didn't understand it. Like I was missing something essential. The author's writing is strong and surefooted while the narrative uncurls confidently, as if it's achieving all its goals. More mysteriously, even as The Lady and the Orc doesn't feel like a typical monster/alien romance, it also didn't feel like a typical dark romance, despite the plot prominently featuring abuse dynamics and prior trauma. Then, I kept remembering how many people I've seen recommend these books -- even people whose taste I thought was much more conventional than mine! I started to suspect there was a siren song being sung that I couldn't hear and my vulture brain, which circles and picks, picks, picks until all that's left is a decimated carcass, couldn't abide the not-knowing-ness so the only remedy was to read four more of these books. Yes, that's right, I read four more books in a series that I low key loathe, and now I have a theory about Orc Sworn and it may be the battiest idea I've ever had. But this epiphany didn't happen until my third book in so I am going to try and hew close to my first impressions as I review.

My first impression here was split between "get it away from me, I'm allergic" (hence the single star) and "bring it closer, vulture brain isn't done with it" (hence the FOUR MORE BOOKS I READ, goddamn me).

[Jenn (The Book Refuge) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This hero was an ass hole and not in the way I appreciate. He was abusive and cruel. Then he would cry and beg forgiveness. Fuck her into oblivion and then do it all again...

This just went way wrong for me when it started so promising.

Very sad.

2.5 stars for me and I'm rounding down because I am feeling bitter.

[benevolent bastard · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fuck this orc.

[Lyn❤Loves❤Listening to Real Voices Only!!!!❤️🎧📚 Addict ON HIATUS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audio - 5++++ Stars. Shane East freaking rocked the hell out of this audio. His performance as the Orc was phenomenal..gruff and rough. Yum!

Story - 5 Brave, Kind, Lusty, Cunning, Big Dick Energy Stars!!! LOL

I'm so glad I didn't let the negative reviews discourage me from giving this a try. I would have missed out a great story.
The steam level is explosive and filthy.
The push/pull between the H and h is frustrating AF but makes sense because they are both dealing with cultural differences. They have trust issues, insecurities and stubbornness when dealing with each other. They also have some emotional and vulnerable moments.
I loved the way everything played out and can't wait for the next audio to come out.

[Molly · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 58%

Going to be completely honest, 45% off my dislike for this book is the constant overuse of the word "seed". Orc dude does not shut the hell up about about his semen.

There are some interesting ideas here- orcs being an all Male race, being ugly (clearly based on Tolkien orcs and Uruk-Hai) but human women finding them irresistible.

But like, no orc dude figures out in all these years that they should be nice and show a little humanity to the human women they need to procreate with? So the women won't be afraid of the orcs? And run away the first chance they get? I try to suspend my disbelief but this feels so obvious. And it wouldn't be a big deal if this was a hit it and quit it situation but these guys want the women to stay and be their "mates".

But mostly its the seed thing.

[Bex (Beckie Bookworm) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fascinating fantasy type historical romance which was much more than it originally seemed, a creature romance with a love/hate relationship at its centre. Left by her handsome but uncaring and cruel husband Lord Norr at there manor house with no defences to protect her and her household from marauding orc's Jule is taken hostage in chains by the Orc's captain Grimarr. He wants her as mate not only for himself but to dent the pride of her husband.

This one is definitely aimed at adults and the content here was steamy hot and incredibly detailed with a really descriptive style of narrative when it came to the antics of our two lovers.This was all sorts of kinky fun with plenty of Grimarr's huge monster appendage and all its actions included in graphic and erotic detail throughout, bloody loved it.

Also as I mentioned earlier this had so much more happening and despite the erotic narrative this also had a deeper message to impart all about prejudice both hidden and intentional and acceptance of others despite there appearance and origins. My only complaints with this were sometimes the antics and actions of the individuals involved here infuriated me, so much so that at times I wanted to scream in pure frustration. I also thought this could have benefited with some insights from Grimarr instead of just Jule. This really was an incredibly enjoyable read that had a lot more depth than what I was expecting.



Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com

[Tiffany Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book hooked me in from the very beginning. It was an emotional roller coaster, and more than once my eyes misted up. I really loved Grimarr. Yes, some of his actions were questionable, some were flat our mean, but keeping in mind—he is not human. It's the same when it comes to aliens—you can't apply human morals to something that isn't human. So I was able to forgive him for the things he did, especially when he was so torn up about the wrongs he'd done afterwards. He was learning. He had good intentions for the most part, and there was a lot on his shoulders (He is the chief/king/leader, after all), but he was doing the best he could given the circumstances he and his people lived.

Jule was a strong heroine, especially for a woman in the time in which she lived, and also for the life she endured. I felt for her. Though there were a couple instances where I did some pretty hard eye rolling because she was a bit much, I still really liked her and that she was able to love Grimarr despite his appearance. He's ugly...but hot. If that makes sense, haha! Orcs, while hideous in appearance, also have some magical effect when it comes to their voices, their scents, and *ahem* their taste.

Okay, and I have to say it...the splooge! Oh my gosh, the splooge. It was everywhere. And I swear I busted up at the mental image of her getting blasted in the face. LOL! Despite copious amounts of splooge, the sex scenes were steamy and hot and very well written.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and would highly recommend it. I'd rate it around 4.5. The only criticisms I had would be some of the dialogue didn't seem to fit this medieval fantasy setting, and some of the cursing didn't really fit Jule who was a well bred lady (no issue with cursing at all, just that it didn't seem to fit her character from what we saw in the beginning), so it took me out of the story a few times. But other than that, it was a thoroughly engaging, steamy, lovely romance read.

[Yolande Duggan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Confused, angry and disgusted

God this was an utter disappointment. I’m actually angry that an author I like recommended this garbage.

It was hard to get into but I persevered and honestly Jules really impressed me. Her character really started to come through and shine. Unfortunately our hero just got worse and worse. He’s ugly, he treats her like a piece of crap, he says he’s sorry then keeps doing it before he betrays her and worse, their child. I genuinely cannot understand why this crap is peddled as romance. Some things ARE NOT FORGIVABLE.

Do not read this if you enjoy trust and loyalty in your romance. This has nothing good to offer you.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at about 65%. After the fourth cycle of "oh my god you're a monster, I hate you! Oh wait, I'm addicted to fucking you. But the next morning I hate you because you're a liar and an evil creature!" I couldn't take it any more. The sex scenes were TOP notch but the cultural disconnect between the two main characters was frustrating. I understand the disconnect being normal since ones a human and ones an orc, but the main character was really annoying and impulsive (not "strong" like literally every description I've read in reviews).

[Melanie A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 STARS!

The writing was really good and the story was wonderfully dark, but I just can't get past that BETRAYAL at the end. Don't worry though, it does end with an HEA.

[Ms reads a lot · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars ⭐️

What the ever loving fudge?! I was expecting monster p0rn! I was NOT expecting to be bawling my eyes out like a baby! This was surprisingly great. The plot was engaging; the world building was phenomenal; the smexy scenes were hot AF; and it was a rollercoaster of emotions, it ripped my heart out, put it back together, and made me smile with a beautiful HEA.

[Anne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have never been more disgusted by a so-called "hero".

Direct quote from the book:
"What kind of weak orc would I be to place my mate and son in danger?"

Umm... you literally impregnated this innocent woman and faked an entire relationship with her so that you could use her as a bargaining chip and send her back to her husband, a known abuser? You did this knowing he would beat her and forcibly abort your child. Am I missing something here?! Then you watch her husband slap and whip her without intervening but somehow you're the good guy here? Genuinely sick to my stomach reading this

[Lulye · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was inspired by this book. I made a guide for anyone who might find it useful :

Step one : find a woman who’s being abused by her husband
Step two : kidnap her and convince her that you’re not such a bad person so that she agrees to have sex w/u only to be cruel to her afterwards and make her regret her decisions.
Step three : repeat step two several times just to fuck with her a little bit more.
Step four : when reached a breaking point, apologise profusely and start a long con, lure her in, make her think that you actually care about her and give her a false sense of safety.
Step five : pull the rug out from under her feet, reveal to her that all has been a lie and the plan was to give her back to her abuser all along.
Step six : “save her” again from her abuser. And keep her forever. She will be your obedient little slave all her life and actually be grateful for it. You’re reaping the benefits of being a psychological abuser and not a physical one. Enjoy !

***

In all seriousness, I had such high hopes. But no. Just. NO ! I hate dragging books and I try my best to find good in them because it’s honest work by talented people and it really isn’t in me to be negative and judgmental. But I feel cheated and honestly I am offended. Because at the 80% mark, shit hits the fan and then it’s smeared, smeared and smeared some more, but never cleaned. And I need an outlet to voice my disappointment. I think I deserve that after this slap in the face of a book.

Let me tell you this : in the past, I’ve sucked my teeth at more than one occasion when characters made stupid decisions but this… this takes the cake. My dude sends the woman he supposedly loves back to her abuser ??? And she actually rationalises *his* decision to do so and goes on to kiss him passionately while she knows full well that her “cuckolded” petty abuser will most definitely kill her unborn child and probably her too ? She actually called his actions heroic ! I can’t even…

This was betrayal at it’s most cruel, a very layered one at that. My dude did his best to break this domestic abuse survivor. It’s only because this is romance and it has to have a happy ending that she wasn’t broken.

I also want to note that, this was such a missed opportunity because it had the best build up for some good, satisfying and stretched-out grovel, but the author tried to explain away the lack of proper grovelling after that horrible betrayal with empty promises and a good deal of rationalisation on the heroine’s part but I don’t accept it.

Instead of actions or some sort of comeuppance, we’re left with “oh he’s doing all the bullshit for a good reason so that’s what matters”. Fuck that. Grimarr should eat shit for at least one aspect of his grotesque betrayal. Let’s see, maybe the fact that he’s sending a domestic abuse survivor back to her abuser or maybe feeding that survivor endless lies about how she’ll be safe from now on ? Or maybe, he should eat shit because he put such a stupefying spell on that survivor that all it took was kneeling and some sweet talking for her to forgive him. I truly do hate men sometimes.

This is one of the worst books I’ve ever read and a domestic abuse survivor deserves better from her creator -at least in romance genre we should be able to have that. I am utterly disappointed. It had such potential. Completely wasted. The only reason I didn’t dnf is because of all the time and energy I’ve poured into this dumpster fire. This book gave me heartburn. Absolutely do not recommend.

Ugh. I was too harsh. In all honesty the writing was good (so were the sex scenes, although after “the betrayal” they kind of made me sick) and I liked the world building. It had potential. Just goes to prove that even good writing and strong potential can be wasted. So maybe, in the distant future, I could give the second book in the series a chance. Maybe.

Ps. Breeding kink, exhibitionism and butt stuff. TW : domestic abuse obv. + maybe some biphobia -scratch that- yes biphobia.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐️ Interesting, but I'm not sure if Orcs are my thing

It’s hard for me to rate this because I liked certain parts of this book but also strongly disliked other parts.

What I liked:
• The writing was solid.
• The sex scenes. Even though some of it was shocking, why did these sex scenes turn me on? Did I just develop a breeding kink? Lol
• I really LOVED the world-building and politics! A great combo of romance and an interesting plot!


What I didn’t like:
• So much use of the word prick and seed. But also, this is just how it is in this world of Orcs, so best get used to it.
• Grimarr (the MMC) was a lying ass-hole and mean for way too long. He just wasn’t likable. I felt like he was constantly gaslighting Jule, who was already used to being controlled and manipulated by her narcissistic human husband. 😭
• The lack of trust between Grimarr and Jule was so fucking infuriating. Jules constantly goes back and forth between trusting Grimarr, only for her to realize he’s lied or withheld truths. This drama/conflict got repetitive and was so annoying that it threw me off. After a while, I just kept thinking, “OMG, can he stop lying and just tell her the whole truth?!” I get why neither really trusted each other, but for fucks sake, it went too far, especially with that final betrayal….I do not understand how Grimarr could ever justify it! And how on earth does Jule forgive him or accept him back so quickly?! It was an amazing apology but honestly, nah, fuck that orc.


I'm still unsure about my interest in Orc romances, but I’ll keep reading the series eventually to see how things progress. 🙈 Hopefully, the other orcs are more trustworthy and treat their women better.

Update: I was wrong. lol

[Paige · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded down.

The first 75% of this book had its fair number of issues — heroine who swung wildly and repeatedly from horny to angry, overuse of the word seed, etc — but it was still a thoroughly enjoyable read. Probably 3.5 stars up through that point, not sure which way I’d round. Excellent world-building, in particular.

But THEN. Oh then. We get to the betrayal, which made me so infuriated (even though I had spoiled the specifics for myself via reviews), that I had to put down the book for a hot sec.

Basically the hero sells the heroine to her abusive ex husband, sending their son to near-certain death, in exchange for a peace treaty that is poised to fall apart before the ink is dried.

WHAT

I appreciated that the heroine was able to finally stand up for herself and murder that bastard of a human husband, but the tricks and lies and omissions from her orc mate were nigh on unforgivable.

I doubt I’ll read on in this series. There are a lot of good books out there, and I don’t need to read more by an author who would have the hero condemn the heroine to misery and death that far into the story.

Steam: 5/5🔥

Contains: kidnapping, dubcon (coercion), voyeurism/exhibitionism, interspecies, impregnation

CW: violence/warfare, knife violence, murder, domestic abuse by heroine’s ex, reference to abortion and infanticide, reference to infertility

[Szaman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yep, sold, next please.

A napiszę sobie coś więcej, bo myślę trochę o tej książce.

Przede wszystkim - mnóstwo radochy mi przyniosła ta książka pod względem emocji, budowy świata i postaci, i choć chciałabym, żeby niektóre kwestie były nieco bardziej rozwinięte, to spodziewam się, że będą - w kolejnych częściach, które na pewno przeczytam.

Świat i społeczeństwo orków są super spójne w świecie przedstawionym, trzymają się kupy, a postacie nie są jednolite - każdy ma jakieś spektrum poglądów, ale wciąż tworzą sensowną całość. Serio, wszelkie romantasy typu Czwarte Skrzydło mogłyby się tu wiele nauczyć.

Podoba mi się też konsekwnecja autorki w podejściu - to nie jest świat przyjazny kobietom i do końca takim pozostaje. Co więcej, główna bohaterka porusza się w tym świecie tak, jak każda inna kobieta, która spędziła w nim całe życie. Nie udaje wojowniczej księżniczki, która chce być niezależna i chce odkrywać świat. Chce bezpieczeństwa, chce dziecka, chce radochy z seksu, chce być pożyteczna i nie chce się bać.

I to jest chyba najlepiej napisana powieść, którą czytałam w ostatnim czasie, która pokazuje, że choice feminism to można wywalić do kosza (a przynajmniej w naszych czasach i naszym świecie, bo przecież z tej perspektywy czytam tę książkę). Jule robi to co może, żeby żyć komfortowo, ale w swojej sprawie, jej wybory nie mają wpływu na inne kobiety w tym świecie - może za wyjątkiem tego, że na koniec książki kobiety będą mogły, przynajmniej w teorii, wybrać sobie chłopa człowieka albo chłopa orka. Wciąż jest to życie w partiarchacie, gdzie decyduje męska część społeczeństwa, wciąż jest to loteria, czy ten chłop przypadkiem nie okaże się przemocowy - w końcu Grimmar jest, tylko Jule to akceptuje, a w kwestiach seksualnych przejmuje jego kinki, bo generalnie to do tego sprowadza się jej wybór. To że dla niej jest to ok, nie znaczy, że dla innych też będzie to ok, ALE, jak już pisałam, to w ogóle jej nie zajmuje, bo jest kobietą w swoim świecie i jest z nim spójna.

Super interesująca i emocjonalnie satysfakcjonująca lektura. Jestem fanką.

[Ali L · Rating 3 out of 5]

We all know sexuality can be fluid but did you know that fluid can be a sexuality? Orc books: something for everyone, assuming everyone is into the same very specific thing.

[AvidReader · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writing and the world the author created was fantastic but the heroine... dear god, I hated her!

She was one confused mess, who one moment sleeps with the hero orc ( though she is married to an insensitive, cruel human) and next condemns and shrills at him.
Still I was very immersed in the story so I ignored her and continued and then she ruined everything by giving the hero ultimatum about their unborn child. That was totally callous and utterly cruel. From there onwards I didn’t particularly care about anything else.

[Emma Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s good. I’m not elaborating.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alright - editing my review and bumping it from 2 to 3 stars because this crazy orc series has brought me a lot of comfort in the last week. (They are my emotional support orcs.)

Off the bat? This series won’t be for everyone. It’s a breeder romance with a heavy emphasis on ~fluids~. The heroes also aren’t falling all over the heroine like in other exophilia romances (like IPB). This is something that caught me off guard the first time around, because there’s a lot of lying and hiding the truth - but on my reread I really appreciated it.

The world this book is set in is pretty bleak. Humans are in a constant war with orcs, hunting them down. There are around 1,000 orcs left. There are only male orcs (orcs can only have sons), which is why orcs must mate with human women. But human women are raised to hate, be fearful of, and betray orcs (helping human men kidnap/kill them), so orcs usually need to kidnap women to “mate” with them. And women are then scared by how drawn they feel to orcs, because orcs have some kind of dick magic that makes women sex drunk…

I mean, these books are 18+

Jules, the heroine, is a lady kidnapped from her neglectful and abusive husband’s home by Grimmarr, the leader of a large group of orcs. He makes her his mate both because he wants a son and because he wants to fuck over her husband.

There’s a lot of scenes that bummed me out - especially the climax. But tell me you weren’t on the edge of your seat!

CW for biphobia, abuse, public sex

-

Everyone was talking about this book on IG and so I had to read it! I posted about it on my stories and my favorite response was from someone who said: "not gonna lie, I check your reviews a lot and 9/10 end up going: this better not awaken anything in me" hahaha.

This is my first monster romance but probably not my last. It's a fun change of pace, like an alien/sci-fi romance. This one had heavy breeder vibes though, which was meh. Also the world (setting) wasn't my favorite. But there was a lot of plot, not just smut.

[minnemoo · Rating 2 out of 5]

My only favorite part of the book was when Jule killed her nasty abusive husband Astin and saved herself. And her awesome takedown of her just-as-shitty cousin Otto, who really proved the shittiness of all the men in this book. Yes, that includes the fudging a-hole "hero" Grimarr, who chose to sell Jule back to Astin in exchange for a fragile peace at best, all while knowing that she and their son would suffer a terrible fate.

I mean, as much as the h irritated me with all her constant mood swings, petty vindictiveness and headbutting with the H, I was actually impressed--even rooting for her--when she stood up against the [human] men who had essentially mistreated and abused her all her life. Only for all my admiration to crumble to bits when she forgave and returned to the arms of the shit-tastic hero. Love (ahem, lust) always prevails, amirite?

Otherwise, I got tired of the repetitiveness of the arguments between the h and H; the emotional and verbal abuse; the wishy-washiness of Jules and her "oh my traitorous body" moments; Grimarr's manipulative, gaslighting bullcrap...boy, the list just goes on. There was also way too much sex--yes, this is erotica, but still--that my eyes glazed over and I started skipping said scenes. Which certainly explains why I finished the book quickly and saved my poor, aching brain cells from further trauma.

Yikes.

[E.J. Frost · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such an amazing book.
It was recommended to me by another author and I'll admit that orc romance is not something I've ever read before, nor something I thought I'd enjoy. But I respect the other author's recommendations - she made me enjoy tentacle first contact erotica - so I went into it with a (mostly) open mind. Man, I'm glad I did. This is such a treat!
The book is nominally about the orcs trying to carve out a place in a hostile human world and abducting the heroine as a bargaining chip, but it's so much more than that. It's about finding yourself in the Other, realising your own worth, losing the inhibitions and fears that make you weak, and finding the strength to risk what you need and want most for the greater good. I bawled all the way through the last third of the book and actually cheered at the end. The author evoked an avalanche of emotion in me, all the more impressive because I'm still not sold on the sexiness of orcs and the heroine initially left me cold.
This is a fabulous book and I'm so much looking forward to the next in the series. Highly recommended.

[Romantically Inclined Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for what it is: a filthy monster romance that made me sweat. Writing was good. Sex was off the charts. Lots of drama and groveling.

Bought the rest of the series immediately.

[TT Reads · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a complete let down! This book was absolute shite!🤦🏽‍♀️

When are authors going to stop pushing this narrative that women heroines all need to be stupid, doormats who are ruled and led by their female parts? I mean that’s all I got from Jule is this god awful book.

Grimarr was an epic a-hole. And that betrayal so close to the end was just plain ridiculous. He kidnaps her, humiliates her repeatedly, lie lie lie and lie some more then knowing what would happen to her, sends her back anyway? Like WTF 😳

There was soooo much crap in this book that pissed me off and at one point I felt physically sick🤢

This is why I prefer Villains. You know they will burn shit down just for their woman. Not sacrifice them in the name of some BS agenda.

And I hate that ‘mate’ was used in this context. No. The meaning of a mate isn’t to keep going until the right one comes along. This spin was nonsense.

Also let’s address the word prick🤦🏽‍♀️ just no. Dick, cock, shaft, member…you’re welcome🙄 it’s meant to be huge but it’s called a prick? Seriously🤣🤣
I
Enough already! I can’t with these women authors who continuously write stupid heroines and think they’ve done women-kind a favour. No you aren’t so stop. It’s getting tedious.

Defo won’t recommend or continue to read the next books after seeing the reviews. Yuck!

Thinking of reading this book or fooled by the ridiculous higher star reviews? Don’t do it. Save yourself the time you won’t get back. If there was a way to send these books into a void where they won’t be found again, I would gladly shove them all there.

[ERW · Rating 1 out of 5]

After reading approximately 1000 romance novels of various types, this is the first one where I have actively wished for the heroine to murder the “hero.” He was abusive, manipulative, and an unrepentant liar. I wish this book had ended with her killing him and riding off into the sunset on her own.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hoo. Strap in for Orcs, Lords, Ladies, mountains, battles, late medieval-ish kinda situations...and a lot of orc spooge.



This is the story of Grimarr—Captain to the 5 Orc tribes—and Jule— aka Lady Norr, told solely from her point of view.

Jule is living a miserable loveless existence as Lady Norr, stuck with a beautiful but terrible husband who finds her detestable since she is barren. She is regularly mistreated and rarely given even basic affection. After 5 years and no heirs, Lord Norr can not be bothered to even pretend he is concerned for her and her welfare. So when he goes away on his latest trip and knowingly leaves her with no guards during a time of rampant orc raids, Jule knows nothing good will come of it and scrambles to find anything she can to hire some guards. 3 days after Lord Norr leaves, the orcs arrive, and Jule is captured by their Captain—despite being told they would never want her due to her non-producing womb. When the horrifying hulk of an orc informs her she is indeed fertile and reeks of it, she goes into shock and is taken away.

Grimarr is on a mission: to end human/orc hostilities so orc sons may once again live peacefully and without fear. He makes a plan and sets his sights on the wife of his enemy, Lord Norr. After having watched her for some time, he strikes when presented the opportunity and takes the striking tall woman as his own. Or does he? No one knows what Grimarr's actual plan is except Grimarr. And Grimarr is a pretty conniving bastard, not going to mince words here.

This read is intense and wastes no time getting down to business.



We only know what Jule knows, which can be super frustrating at times and leads to some serious heart breaks for her as the depths of her mistreatment by every male in her life comes to light. All Jule wants is to be valued and loved. That's it. She stretches and grows so much over the duration of this tale and becomes the hero she needs...because none of those damn men are going to step up to the plate.

Even though Grimarr is technically the hero of this story, he does so many terrible things through out it to her—usually right on the heels of having been breathtakingly swoon worthy. I wanted to set him on fire more than once. Even at the end, I wasn't 100% convinced that he was going to play things straight from then on. It's just not in his nature.

The characters in this book are excellent without being too trope-y. It was a welcome change from the majority of my romance reading. Jule is both vulnerable and strong with growth, and Grimarr is incredibly damaged and capable of both great and terrible things. Despite being a mostly good guy with the right intentions, his ability to cause pain and harm was breathtaking. His capacity for cruelty was gutting—including to himself. And despite that, it was hard not to feel for him and all of the obvious hurts and losses he had to deal with as he was trying to achieve this impossible dream he has. All of the secondary orcs we get to know are a delight, even if not on the level.

Despite being dark and heart-wrenching, this story does end on a HEA. Without Jule's big heart and courage, it would not have been achieved. Definitely worth a read.

[Rain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well that was some surprisingly lusty good fun! Highly erotic sex scenes with copious amounts of splurging omissions.

A strong h with forward thinking ideas for that time period. She rode horses, practiced with swords and had a saucy mouth.

"Luckily for you, I just have more experience than most in dealing with your particular brand of asshole"

Really liked that the author made the H true to his species and not some dreamy substitute.

His skin was a deathly shade of gray, latticed over with scars, one almost bisecting his long, crooked nose. His eyes were sunken and black, framed by stringy black hair that was tied back in a matted mockery of a braid, and his neck was thick and corded, angling down to sloped, bulbous shoulders.

I had to remind myself often that the H was a different species and had survived an epically tragic childhood in order to forgive his deceit. Could have used more groveling at the end, but still really enjoyed the overall story!