Orc-Ward Encounters

Monster Street #1

by Sam Hall

As a plus sized woman and all round awkward noodle, I’d faced some challenges in my search for love, but none more than this.
I’ve stumbled through a portal to another dimension and fell into the arms of them: Vargan, Kren and Ghain. Three massive orc warriors who keep going on about courting me.
See, in their world, women are few and far between and are seen to be gifts from their goddesses and they are pretty intent on unwrapping me. But not just for a roll in the hay. They are looking for a love that will last a lifetime and the problem? So am I.
I’m torn between two worlds, one where my family, my friends, my life is and the other…?
I’m starting to think that’s where my heart is.

This book will be a stand alone with a guaranteed HEA, with the potential for other stories of women finding love with other monstrous suitors.

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

226 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 8, 2022

About the author

Australian author of paranormal RH novels

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Reviews

[Nat Smithy · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF 13% I just can't with the self hating fat girl. Own it girl. It was a downer to read. Couldn't finish.

[Stephanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've liked other books from Sam Hall, but I didn't love this one. There are very specific reasons why, though:

1. The world isn't a "magical setting" - the heroine lives in the human world and literally trips and falls into an orc world. Similar to time travel, transplant stories (especially one where the magical beings then return to EARTH) just usually aren't for me. *Ice Planet Barbarian is the exception, obviously.

2. The lack of world building, on both sides. We didn't see a ton of Lunor, or the people who live there... and then later, we don't learn a lot about the secret magical society on Earth. We go to the book's version of Diagon Alley twice but... that's it.

3. There was no relationship building besides "we horny"

4. The entire subplot of Susie/Makh. My heart freaking BROKE for him. And he got no resolution?? After decades?? Are you kidding me?!

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the first half of this book.
Sick of being 'the fat friend' at a night club, Laila drunkenly stubbles through the park and ends up in a different realm, where a band of orcs find her and try and convince her to enter 'first courtship' with them. Which basically means they're sweet as hell trying to convince her to stay, and treat her like a queen.
It was funny and weird, and super amusing.
But then they go back into the real world, and I get why it went there, but it pretty much rolled downhill for me. The MC doesn't even attempt to compromise and sees what the terrible results of this decision look like in the future, and does it anyway. It was going for girl power and basically being worshipped by her partners, but she's pretty selfish with it. Kind of killed it for me.

[Rambling Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet but exactly what it's meant to be.

Orc-Ward Encounters is all about some curvy-girl love, slightly unusual monster d1ck, and finding your hearts desire.

Laila, or Lay-la, is used to being overlooked, and she's sort of learned to like it even as she also hates it. She's a curvy girl, one who deals with concerns about body image, how others see her, and how her worth is judged, which is so very relatable to so many readers out there. I think Hall has a good balance where she writes Laila truthfully and doesn't spare the reality of the situation to keep things eternally light and fluffy. However, she also doesn't get SO REAL that it was hard for me to read without getting sucked into my own history of dealing with some of the same things that Laila goes through.

Vargan, Ghain, and Kren are exactly what romance readers could want. Sure, they're big and green, but they're lovers *and* fighters and they want nothing more than to devote themselves to the happiness and pleasure of their woman. We get little glimpses into who they are, what's important to them, and even a bit of a belief system to give their species a little stronger of a background. There's enough to make them feel a little more solid as characters, but there isn't so much that we get dragged out of the rest of the story, out of the romance.

Orc-Ward Encounters is the perfect book for you if you want a little quirk, but you're really in it for the romance. You'll have warm fuzzies, maybe a damp seat or two, and definitely a few laughs, but I know for sure that you'll finish that last page with a smile.

I'm hoping that Hall digs more into this universe, especially because she introduces us to "Monster Street," a place that seems to have infinite potential for a steamy, supernatural, fun story.

[Brooke · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was told there was extensive courting in this book, which was what I was after and why I picked it up. But….there is basically no courting in this book. It’s all tell with very little show. That being said I would give it a 2.5 it kept me entertained well enough and it’s super light (like turn your brain off light)

ON ANOTHER NOTE!!

The most annoying thing to me is that this author decided that her character needed to correct someone else in the book with a WRONG answer. Lemme’ just set the scene someone says “they are polyamorous” and the stupid MC says “no, it’s reverse harem”. I’m sorry is this supposed to be cute? It’s not cute. This book is RH sure. But the act of women being with multiple men is polyamorous. Or if it’s marriage polyandry. (Wife multiple husbands). I’m just… irritated as hell that this “correction” was made. And sure, maybe it was just the MC saying what she thought it was but regardless it’s stupid because it’s correcting something more accurate with something that’s a romance genre term. Others may find it cute. It irritates me.

Peace out.

[Valkyrie ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Vargan would climb into the bowels of hell and tear the devil asunder if it meant protecting a woman.”

These are the kind of orcs I want in my romance books, completely obsessed and simping after their mate.

Sam Hall mashed the best of two world when she blessed us with these giant green warriors, who hunt their food, live in caves and could tear you apart with their talons. But who are also into giving pleasure to their lover with their massive monster c*cks and aren’t afraid to show emotions and vulnerability. This is the kind of monster romance I’m into.

This is a short and sweet reverse harem romance between a plus sized FMC and three orcs from another world. Even when this book doesn’t try to take itself too seriously, the world building was impecable, all characters were amazing and even the secondary characters were interesting. I laughed out loud and the smut was scorching hot. Perfect first read of the year!

Btw, I need Mahk to find his HEA 😩

[❀ Crystal ✿ - PEACE ☮ LOVE ♥ BOOKS · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 possessive green Orc males looking for love just happen to find a stranded human (needing rescuing) in their forest. After a horrible night out with a friend the heroine runs off into the park after overhearing a couple fat phobic loser men trashing her. Honestly I wish she would have stood up for herself in some way here but it led her to her men so I guess it was fate. She stumbles through a portal into a world with three moons and where the men have tusks, form groupings aka reverse harem relationships and devote their entire being to pleasing and protecting their mate. The trio immediately latch onto the heroine and work at breaking her down on accepting their courtship. Honestly the trio is so stupidly cute. Orcs are extremely possessive and aggressive, something the heroine learns very quick. In a matter of days they kind of do form a bond and when they end up back in the human world they all have some big life decisions ahead especially if she accepts their “wooing” and they all have to find a place to call home. It was interesting that there is a paranormal element within the human world, something that’s shielded from outsiders and even the heroine until now. I liked seeing all the different species and would think other books of couples living on Monster St. could be fun. It wasn’t a heavy read and I didn’t think it was overloaded with sex, though they do spend quite a lot of time simply pleasing her. The Orcs are not human and parts of their anatomy are a bit unnatural but probably not something you’ve not read before-the guys knot inside the heroine, connecting them to her until it releases, so keep in mind you may not to read if you can’t handle HOT, filthy and disgusting shit ❤️‍🔥😍❤️‍🔥😍 I don’t think the relationship moved too fast but things of course do move quickly. I wish the heroine would stop and think a bit longer sometimes about things, it felt like she was always making rash decisions when there was no reason for it. I did love how the guys treated the heroine as their Queen though. Their devotion to her and only her was never in question nor was their attraction. The heroine struggles with being plus sized and yet when she’s with the Orcs, she’s completely herself and never self conscious about a thing. Pretty freeing for her in many ways. The end was really cute and I’m glad the portal situation resolved itself. Just wish there was an extended epilogue with some lil orc human babies 🥰 (RH Standalone)

[✧ jay ✧ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sorry, I am, I tried to like it, I did. I just couldn't get past the writing style and feeling like I was reading some cringey fanfic from my middle school years.

[RLbooks (in and out) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a light read with sweet main characters all around. The FMC is a curvier girl and the heroes are big, amazing orcs from another world. The FMC is kind and open-minded and the guys are respectful and caring. There's a lot of relatability with how the characters have been passed over at times by others and the humor, but also the feels, of fish out of water scenarios. I smiled a lot while reading and was invested in seeing these characters work out how to reach their HEA despite the challenges of being from two different worlds and they absolutely do get there.

This is single POV, but there's lots of communications so I never felt like I didn't know what was going on in the guys' minds. There's no ow drama (these guys are so devoted) and no mm. The steaminess is there and allll the romantic connection (I love orc culture). Orc-ward Encounters was just a fun, make you smile, and maybe get a little teary-eyed at times read. I would love to see more books from this world!

[Cat H]

DNF at 56% page 126/226
I’m just not motivated enough to read this right now.
It’s not bad.
I have no big complaints and none of my big no nos were committed.
This just isn’t going the way I expected and That’s not a bad thing, I’m just a little bored and disappointed.
Plus I’m just not in love with the characters so it’s not a hardship to just put it down.

If you’re thinking about picking it up and you read this, I’m not saying you shouldn’t. Most likely it’s a pretty good book with some fun smutty scenes thrown in.
Just be prepared for something a bit different than you might expect with the way the blurb describes things. There’s sort of a plot twist in the middle.

[Natalie H · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I’m going to have re-read this one at some point. Reading during lunch with a colleague bothering me. Let me read my monster porn in peace! I liked it. It was cute, sweet and pretty smutty, saving the claiming for the end. One woman filled with insecurities and three orcs determined to court her. I wasn’t sure what to think of Hannah. I thought she’d turn out to be a fake friend or something. I’m glad she just didn’t know what she was doing. It was surprising the direction this one went. A nice twist and a lot of interesting characters. Did not like Susie. I felt sorry for that guy. Curious about Draco. Hoping the wizard finds himself in the same situation.

[Zen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great title

This was a very sweet story about acceptance of oneself. It does highlight that in the merging of two worlds big or small, there is always compromise, but it is worth it.

[☾⋆⁺ Nurse After Dark · Rating 2 out of 5]

2023 BEBC Read

2.5 stars

"To try and persuade a woman to accept first courting," Ghain said, moving behind me, running his hands down my shoulders. "A band will bring a woman gifts, demonstrate their prowess in tournaments, show them the splendor of their cave, bring them riches from the depths of the mountains, but the most persuasive thing an orc can bring is always his tongue."

*Hand up in air* Can I have an orc or three please?

Some of the plot dynamics the author used in this series felt nice and fresh. I loved the idea of some kind of rehabilitation/assimilation center for wayward paranormals and almost wish we got a bit more of the details from the classes our orcs had to take to learn to live in the human world! I appreciate that Laila took note of what the orcs would be losing by commiting to a life in the human realm. Their axes and loincloths for one. It was nice in the end that she took this into consideration when choosing how to make their home.

"And that isn't against the rules?"
"It's very much a part of the rules," Kren said. "How else do you think we woo women away from the men? They care not for a woman's pleasure, but us? We like to feast on it."

Our orc's are not the most original of orcs, but I think what the romance genre has done with this particular species of creature is satisfying enough that it doesn't need messing with yet. True to form, there is more than enough heroine-worshipping and fluids to keep us entertained! I also liked that Vargan's mother lived in their territory, that was quite sweet.

Camouflage, I thought. Blend in, fade away. And so, I did.

Time to get real on this book and why my rating is so low.

It really did feel body negative and fat shamey in the opening scenes. I assume the author was reaching for the plus-sized positivity movement but I feel like they completely missed the nail on that one. I almost considered a DNF but fortunately, we follow Laila as she drunk-stumbles her way into a portal soon after and get distracted by warrior orc goodness. Unfortunately, here and there we get these negative little reminders of the heroine's size, like when Suzie states "you're a plump little thing aren't you?" on their first meeting - who does that? To be clear, her size isn't the problem - the problem is it kept reminding me of those unfortunate first scenes.

I did like the idea of Monster street, and the comparison to Diagon Alley - I felt the magic stir in how the author gave us descriptions of the sights, smells and inhabitants on the street. I didn't think I'd be saying this, but I actually might read Grab the Bull by the Horns and give this author another go!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sam Hall has made me fall in love with orcs with Orc-Ward Encounters (I love the title, it's so punny, haha) her new standalone reverse harem was fantastic. Centering on a nontypical heroine, three hot orc dudes, and a whole new fantastical world. All the while, in true Sam fashion, touching on serious social issues without losing sight of the fantastical escape a book is supposed to be.


The main character, Laila, is a big girl. I'm not talking about the common description of a girl that has plenty of curves but is described as the fat friend by others. I relate to Laila in so many ways. The body issues, from how I perceive myself to how society sees me and how that warps my own perspective of myself. But I also connect to her on a personal level. Not everyone is the go-out and party type, Lilah likes the solace of doing activities at home, reading, painting, singing, playing an instrument, watching TV, cooking, and etc. Plus Laila loves all the geeky stuff I do, comic books, fantasy TV, and all that other pop culture stuff. Lilah is one of the most relatable characters I've read. She isn't the chosen one, the perfect beauty (by society standards), the badass fighter, Laila is just are the girl who stumbled (literally) into her adventure.

So let me say this is my first book that centers on orcs (there may have been one orc in another book but he wore a glamour so...) and I'm fascinated how Sam has made them. These three guys, Kren, Ghain, and Vargan are strong warriors but the way they respect women, how much they care, take care of, and protect Laila, had me swooning and wanting an orc of my own. I'm more than excessive when it comes to reading paranormal romance, it's pretty much all I read which means my view on sexy has skewed towards the weird, fangs, tales, horns, tusk aren't gonna freak me out. Laila's guys are hot and their personalities makes my heart go pitter-patter.


Thank gods this book was low angst because I don't think I could've taken any serious issues with these sweet characters. Things got pretty hot but the connections were real too. As far as I know, this is the first time Sam has created a totally new world and she's done a great job. The description of the plants, animals, and societal structure was detailed. Sam is also really good at creating unique lore for her books and she's done it again with this story, I really enjoy that because it helps build a world, makes it more real.


Orc-Ward Encounters is a standalone which means this story wraps up in this one book with a HEA to boot. Now that Sam has introduced us to this world and monster street, oh the possibilities. I wonder if there will be more books set in this world coming, I sure hope so.

[Cas ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and sweet (+) but oddly shallow considering the lengths the characters have to go through to stay together and all the secrets / alternate worlds, etc. (-) There was a lot going on that honestly could’ve been fleshed out to make more sense and give more substance. I’m guessing it’s going to be a whole Monster Street series that follows diff species, that alone makes me wish this one had had more about the street, Hannah’s work, etc. because now it’s going to be needed in the next book, unless it’s also going to be surface level.

(+) I liked that the orcs were appreciative and borderline obsessed with the fmcs fuller body, as a fellow fat femme I love to see it…
(-) but I didn’t like that she was consistently comparing herself to her hot best friend and being down about her size. There are moments when she’s like “I’m a bad bitch and I’ll own my wing man status idc that no one here thinks I’m hot” but then immediately walks back on it and it’s noticeable enough to the stranger-Wizard that gave her the potion that she’s miserable.
(This isn’t a unique thing, it’s a huge problem with BBW books; authors think just including a fat FMC with a partner or partners that love her fat body is enough, but in our current culture-climate it’s not. It comes across as fetishization in most cases. She needs to be comfortable in her skin too, or she needs that self-acceptance arc in the story, or it needs to be addressed entirely neutrally. But I digress…)

(+) The steamy scenes were good, they contained the typical Orc traits of rough s3x, size difference/giant peens, never ending supply ¢um with magic stretching properties, multiple Os…
(+) But also had the unique addition of knots / knotting and the mate bond like you’d see in werewolf books or omegaverse, as well as the ¢um had heat-inducing properties as the mate bond was being established which was new. I could take or leave that part.
(+) The sharing aspect of RH was done well here too. I personally like mm but for those that aren’t, you’ll enjoy the hands off everyone but her aspects. I did like that she got the goddess worship treatment.
(+) Oh also loved the MMCs being virgins, that’s so rare.

(+) PCOS representation was a bonus, I wanted to make sure I mentioned that. Any mentions in media are good, imo. So many people have no clue what it is.

I could really take or leave the fertility discussions, especially how she’s magically cured by their Orc Juice during the bonding process. (I don’t mind breeding kink but I prefer it to be breeding without pregnancy or intent to get pregnant. Preference, not something I’m holding against the author.)

[Chelsie Lucas · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn’t for me. I don’t mind monsters or RH. In fact I love a good RH and I’m fine with insta lust and sometimes insta love if done right but this FMC was SO DOWN all the time. I need someone who can at least TRY to love herself. It’s more frustrating and then I can’t get into the steamy scenes because I feel awkward and can’t picture it going well since she clearly hates herself.
I dont know.
It just wasn’t for me.

[Teahnee Harrold · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book I felt lacked much of a storyline.

[Kenzie Griffin · Rating 2 out of 5]

really didn’t like this book, dnf-ed halfway through. mc was just annoying and a little selfish seeming

[Tallyho · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted a different ending, right up until the very ending. Thank you, Sam for not messing it up. LOL.

This book was spicy sweet. If you want the LOTR orcs, they are NOT to be found here. These guys are the falling over themselves to be nice orcs. Cinnamon roll orcs...with axes. This book brought the spice, and the body positivity and probably the best explanation of how humans treat the not 'accepted'. I identified with so much in this book...from being the fat friend, to just wanting to stay home. It was well done, and the orcs were so sweet, and rightfully angry and then sweet again...and then horny. 🥵

This is 0/3 on buddy reads with read2escape. HAHAHAHAHA

EDIT: OMG, KNOTTING! THERE IS KNOTTING. (can't believe I forgot to mention it! Thank the heavens for THE Lillian Lark's dirty effing mind saying, wait....THERE WAS KNOTTING, yes? As we were discussing it. I LOVE THAT WOMAN.) Read the book already.

[Marcie Brown-Wendorff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was blessed with an ARC copy of this book. I love this author!
This book was cleaner than some but as knotty as most of Sam's books.
The story was a bit of a twist from her other works with time/universe jumping portals that take our FMC to another universe to find her happily ever after with a trio of kind-hearted, goddess worshipping orcs. It was a wonderful medium burn story with good world and culture building to set the stage for the orc band to win the maiden's heart. The story is not as much about whether they can win her heart as it is whether they can find a middle ground culturally for the long term and how they get there. I would highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a fun, sexy, and romantic read.

[LaTosha Webber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet Orc Romance

I loved the message about cherishing women and partnership. How it’s about giving your all and making the compromises worth it so that there is no room for resentment or regret. I also enjoyed the teach me your ways aspect. I think what was missing for me is the way the story didn’t let you feel the emotions so much it just told them to you. It didn’t take me in the journey with Laila, she just recounted it to me. It was still very sweet and enjoyable and I’m enjoying my time in Sam Hall’s worlds.

[Skay Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Orc-Ward Encounters” was a little bit shocking. I was unaware that I had a thing for orcs until I read this book. It was so easy to identify with Laila. She’s the sweet best friend wingwoman. This book puts her in the spotlight. Laila accidentally portals through into Lunor where she is found by three orcs who know the value of a woman. They try to entice her to stay with them through first courting. The orcs are so sweet and sexy. They will do anything for Laila. This book was emotional because they don’t belong in each other’s worlds. She can’t ask them to give up everything they know and they won’t do that to her either. Is there a way for all of them to get the life they deserve? You have to read it to find out. You won’t regret it.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Úplný nádech pohádkového světa (kouzelné postavy, jiné světy, portály, prochází z jedné strany na druhou, tým v lidském světě ne úplně lidský pomáhající stvořením z jiných světů)

Náš svět, ale s pohádkovým nádechem pro dospělé s 🌶️ scénami.

Bylo tu představeno tolik postav, světů, předměstí v lidském světě plné těchto stvoření a já potřebuji slyšet příběhy těchto postav!!
Třeba příběh čínského draka, orc který žil se Susie, příběhy všech žen se kterými jsme se setkali? Potřebuji to slyšet.

[V.P. Nightshade · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a cute story!

I really enjoyed this monster romance! But, to tell you the truth I wasn't sure I would. That had everything to do with the cover. It seemed childlike and more YA than I usually enjoy in my books. I am really pleased to tell you that it is totally an adult book. Very detailed smexy times! The plot was excellent and there was a twist to it and I wasn't sure if I would like the reverse fish out of water theme for the guys but in the end it worked out for me. It was quite creative and well-written. I very much enjoyed it and highly recommend it!

[Doris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great story. Laila is a big girl and always feels out of place and is more comfortable sitting home. Her BF talks her into going out to the bar and coming back from the bathroom she hears some guys say some hurtful things and runs from the bar. She ends up running thru the park and falls thru a portal into a different world where she falls at the feet of 3 hot orcs.

This is great Sam Hall did a great job with this book and I highly recommend reading.

[Esmeralda Silva Tenazinha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very easy to read, it flows so smoothly that you just can't stop reading. We want to know how Laila is going to assimilate things. Is She going to love Orcs? Is She traped Forever in another world? Would Vargan, Kren and Ghain live on her world? How? This is all explaned so beutifully that we want to know more if this world! A great book.

[Dara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light, very low-conflict fluffy orc romance. Leila falls through a portal and meets three orcs who are all, yes, this is how the world works human woman, we would like to court you please and thank you. Cue adorable courtship behavior. Sweet and fun.

[D]

Sam does it again! I could not put this down and totally devoured the pages! Loved the concept, the plot, the characters, and the steamy scenes are amazing! I can only hope that the lovely Ms. Hall writes some spin offs or other books with these characters!

[Sarah]

DNF

I dnf'd this one quite early. I'm wasn't a huge fan of the heroines characterisation and just couldn't convince myself to push through. Which is sad because loads of the reviewers seem to have really enjoyed this book and I thought the premise was interesting.

Another issue: there is a warning at the top saying the book was written in Australian English and boy was it ever. I'm not really used to seeing in books even though as a Kiwi it's my everyday life. It just felt a bit cringe when you have the heroine explaining what 'pissed' and 'buggered' mean

[Aaira · Rating 4 out of 5]

asked for short and sickeningly sweet and short and sickeningly sweet is what i got. really lighthearted playful and heroes that are at the heroines' beck and call