Captured by the Orc

Mist-Rift Monster Romance #1

by Mina Carter

He says he’s an orc. He says she’s his. She’s still waiting for the camera crew to jump out of the bushes . . .

After finding her fiancé in the arms of her best friend, Kelly Kingston does the only thing a sensible woman can do. She packs a bag and hightails it to her home town in the back of beyondsville, to lick her wounds.

Fate, plus her ancient and somewhat cranky car, have other ideas. Stranded on the side of the road, she doesn’t expect to become the bait for a monster chase through the woods nor be rescued by over seven feet of green beefcake.
With an axe . . . and tusks . . . and a leather loincloth . . .

Convinced she’s tumbled into some kind of weird reality TV show, she goes along with his delusions. All she needs is a ride to the next town so she can call for the cavalry. Only, the makeup on that demonic monster looks way too good, and -- maybe -- just maybe -- the big dude is her only chance of making it out alive . . .

Doesn’t hurt that he’s sexy -- even if he is green . . .

Author’s Note: Inspired by a previously released title, "Captured by the Orc" The story has been extended, revised, changed . . . and basically it’s a whole new book with monster smexyness. Enjoy!

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

116 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 22, 2022

About the author

Mina Carter is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of romance in many genres. She lives in the UK with her husband, daughter, a puppy who pays no attention to her whatsoever, and a bossy cat.

Reviews

[Kristina · Rating 1 out of 5]

This author got the assignment completely wrong. Orcs are sweet cinnamon rolls of goofiness, they are large and jovial and loyal and sweet. This book did orcs a disservice. Orcs are not manwhore alphaholes, they don’t deal in dubious consent. The orc fiction world is a sweet world of golden retriever heroes with huge cocks who find their mate and treat her like a goddess. This book needs to immediately change its identify to captured by the troll or dwarf or some other mythological being.
Ms Carter, I demand you do some research into the entire Orc fantasy trope and don’t come back until you are fully able to see the faults in this book and correct them.
For now your grade is an F.

[Cara Bristol · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Kelly's car breaks down in remote area without cell phone service she sets out on foot to get help and steps into a magical world where she's chased by a huge green monster. She's convinced it's some sort of cosplay until she realizes the monster is real.

Captured by the Orc is the first Orc book I've ever read. To be honest, this new trope didn't interest me, but the blurb of this book by Mina Carter (whom I've read in the past) hooked me right away. I bought this book because of the blurb.

Captured by the Orc was great! Fabulous world-building, excellent writing, and fun characters made this book a page turner. It was also quite steamy. Highly recommend if you love fantasy romance novels or Orcs.

[Ashley · Rating 1 out of 5]

why?

Why does everything have to be about sex? The heroine was annoying, stupid, rudimentary and half baked. Nothing deep or relating about her. The male main character is so basic and overdone, I’ve seen it all before a million times. The writing was contradictory and boring. If all you care about is sex, you might like it but even that is unoriginal and mostly rape. So, if you like that in a man go ahead.

[Ra! ʕ •̀ ω •́ ʔ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trying out new orc series is always a hit or miss for me and this one was a miss! This was very steamy and fast paced but the romance between the characters was lacking. If there was a fated mates element that could explain their love for each other I could maybe let it pass but there wasn't so I was confused why she loved him. Just having a character be attracted to each other is not enough for the "I love you" to feel earned.

Horn Level: 5/5🌶️

Format:
Ebook — Library

The Rating
I give this book a 2/5🌟 rating. I think I prefer more romance in my orc books than steam.

Check out my socials here for more reviews!

[Poppy || Monster Lover · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

I had mixed feelings about this book. The premise had potential, with Kelly getting lost in the woods and crossing into another world. Garak being an irritable possessive captor. But there were several things that took away from the story for me. Why did they both speak English if they lived in different dimensions? How did Kelly fall in love so quickly with a captor? It felt inauthentic to the kidnapping/rescuer trope. Especially since he was the first orc she’d ever seen.
The author is a good writer in general, just wasn’t her best work.

Spice: 3/5

Triggers: dubcon, violence, mild gore, kidnapping, captivity, cheating (off page, former lover)

[Sydney M Neblett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gift from the forest

Love that the main man is a little off beat, and green! I wasn’t so sure that his main squeeze would survive no cell service, but love works in mysterious ways and she embraced the village life. I enjoyed the detail the author put into the characters and the surroundings, right down to the little flying man. And I especially enjoyed the unexpected hero. The author had me captivated by the first page, and I can only hope that more of her monsters find their perfect HEA.

[Fairymysz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ez most nagyon jólesett. Humoros, erotikus fantasy románc egy orkkal és egy embernővel a főszerepben. Imádtam Rettegett Karakot, ahogy megszerezte magának Kellyt, aki teljesen véletlenül kelt át az emberek világát elválasztó ködfátyolon, hogy egyenesen belegyalogoljon Karak őrjáratozásába.
A szereplők jópofák voltak, jókat kuncogtam a jeleneteken és még az orkok párzási szokásai se zavartak (nagyon).
Kíváncsian várom a második kötetet, amiben Karak legjobb barátja a félig ork, félig elf Graal indul útnak, hogy ő is szerezzen magának egy embernőt.

[Kristina]

1. Orc
2. Turns out I hate insta-love as a trope

[OGC]

I’m reading the most peculiar fiction right now and I need to be left in peace.

[Paulajean · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is great but it is really only a rewrite of “Owned by the Elf”. There should be a warning on the book that it was revised to fit the new Orc craze.

[Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book started out good but it lacked the depth of her other books. This was also a mirror image of Claimed by an Elf, with the last 2 chapters being copies of each other. Very disappointing.

[Nikki Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kelly has had a bit of a time of it recently. She caught her fiancee cheating with her so-called best friend, her car broke down in the middle of nowheresville and now she's hiking in the woods in completely unsuitable footwear!

But when something tried to attack her she is saved by the least likely hero - he seems to be a very dedicated cosplayer. That or the Hulk has dropped to Earth!

Karak's aware that his looks and reputation go before him. No one wants to get that close to him, especially not women, not even those of negotiable affection status. So when he spies what he thinks is an enemy faery near his encampment to sets out to kill them. But somehow he ends up saving the wingless female. No, what does he do with his trophy prisoner?

I really enjoyed this take on the myths and tales of Orcs and Fae. This was essentially like a Beauty and the Beast scenario, just no big library LOL. Kelly may be out of her depth but in reality she's the one with all the control essentially, even when it may not seem likely.

TW: Abduction/sexual assault alluded to/darker romance /dubious consent

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big, green, scarred, and absolutely ready to claim the little human he just found as his. On Kelly's end, she's might be slightly less enamored of his plan. Actually, it's more like she's hesitant to believe an orc just chased her through the woods. You know, because orcs are straight out of stories. Once she gets on board the whole "not a cosplayer being weird in the woods" thing, she's allllll about the orc.

Once you go orc, AMIRITE?!?!

A little bit of war between the fairies and, well, everybody else, I guess, a little canoodling in the woods, a whole lot of monster lovin', and a lady who knows a good thing when she gets chased through the woods by it. Orc, amirite?!?!

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal

[Dora · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hadn't read any stories about Orcs before and I was intrigued and impressed by the characters in this story. If an ugly Orc, bloodthirsty but skilled, and that scared everyone had such an effect on women, I'm going to open my eyes wide and wait a lot more when another, more graceful, is the protagonist. Kelly Kingston really had quite a turn of fortune! Karak the Terrible, he knew what he was doing and how he had to do it. Win, win! I liked the narratives about Kelly appreciating Karak's qualities and naturally her other comments about how he made her feel. This story was better than I expected and left me hungry for Graal's story. Interesting characters, action, suspense, intrigue, some violence, a pet that was not a cute one, a strange camaraderie, funny comments, romance and passion.

[ObsessiveReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different than I am used to but was interesting. Seemed a little strange that they were pretty modern in their speech when they believed humans were a myth. Running after she caught her fiance with her best friend, Kelly finds herself transported into another world. When Karak finds her, he thinks she is an enemy faery. Even as he believes he is the enemy he still wants her. Karak scares most women away as he is big and scarred. Kelly sees past that and needless to say they develop feelings for each other.

[Judi · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first Orc romance, won’t be my last…

The mythology of this story is slow to coalesce, but while we’re waiting Karek and Kelly take us for a thrilling adventure. I love that we get to see them in their own environment before the meet cute. Kerek the Terrible is feared my most Orcs all the more by their enemies, but this monster also has a big heart. Kelly is broken hearted and looking to start her life over, but I don’t think she meant to go this far. This witty tale also throws a couple of curves making it a great read.

[Erica Gabel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The most fun I’ve had while reading a book in quite some time. Next time my car breaks down I think I’ll take a walk in the woods, find myself an orc.

[Nancy R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captured by the Orc is a delightful new series that leads you into the fantasy of Orcs, fairies, demons and the like. I devoured this in one sitting and when I finished, I checked to see when the next book will be released. Karak and Kelly’s story will have you sighing with pleasure at this well written tale. I like the direction Carter is taking her writing and using her incredible talent to weave a blissful innovative story for you to enjoy.

[Juanita E. Arp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the characters, the interaction and chemistry between the characters of Kelly and Karek is great. The storyline is entertaining and filled with action and adventure. I can't wait for more from this author. I received this book 📚, as a FREE ARC copy to read and I voluntarily leave this review.

[🌙steph🌙 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This went all over the place and moved at the speed of lightning lmao but I’m here for the chaos

[Nevena · Rating 4 out of 5]

🔥 “Keep looking at me. I want you to know what… who is taking you.”
~~~
Kelly is the happy-go-lucky bubbly redhead and someone you could always rely on. Until she catches her fiancé with her best friend. So, she runs and finds herself stranded in the woods and then transported into another world. Kelly is feisty and brave and sometimes so cutely naive. I liked her!

Karak the Terrible is the Captain General of the Orc King’s army. He’s built quite the reputation of a vicious, dangerous, deadly and bloodthirsty warrior. Even more, he’s snarly, grumpy, brash, brooding and possessive. But he’s also fiercely protective of what’s his. I loved that growly, big, green and scarred male!

I loved everything that happened between Kelly and Kerak! From the moment they met, their attraction was strong. And I loved their chemistry. There was a bit of a misunderstanding in the beginning - with Kelly thinking Kerak’s just a huge cosplayer and him believing she’s one of his enemies - a faerie - and a fair game. It was so much fun watching the fearsome Kerak moon over the tiny redhead and Kelly slowly realizing what’s actually happening. I really liked how well those two fit together. And the passionate moments they shared were so hot. You know, once you go orc… 😉

In addition, the storyline was great! There’s a war between the orcs and the faeries. And there are even more dangers lurking in the forests. Even more, I really liked Graal. And, of course, there’s Claw, too!

Overall, the story is a quick and fun read and a great start of the series. It’s filled with action, danger, suspense, violence, twists, magic, passion and great characters.

I loved it!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captured by the Orc is a steamy monster romance that will set your reader on fire. Kelly is running from the heartbreak from her ex when she’s lost in the fog and then rescued by a giant green monster. Karak thinks she’s a faery spy, but also can’t deny the pull to possess her and keep her safe. But when she has the chance to walk away, will Kelly pick Karak and his passion, or will danger strike and all is lost?

It’s fast, it’s naughty, it’s oddly sweet, and once I started this book, I could not put it down! I stayed up way past my bedtime because I was completely captivated by Kelly and Karak! It was definitely one of those reading sessions where I just thought I’d read a chapter or two, and the next thing I knew, it was one in the morning! I loved this book! It was so fun! Kelly was brave and I loved getting into her thought process! Thinking Karak was just a cos-player was kind of hilarious, but it was fun to see her process this new world around her. Karak was brash and bold, possessive and passionate! It was fun to see him interact with Kelly versus how her interacts with his fellow orcs. This book was two worlds colliding into one explosive, red (or maybe green, heh heh) embrace, and I was all for this monster romance. I haven’t read any orc romances previously, but I really hope that Ms. Carter writes more in this world!

[Lexee Toste · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this read a lot. It's a little on the darker side of things but not overly so. This is set in a new world and so figuring out what was going on and what the rules were was interesting. We figured it out with the characters, mostly Kelly. Kelly is transported into a new realm where monsters, mythical beings and magic exists. She is found/captured by Karak who thinks she is a faery, an enemy, but he saves her from a demon and keeps her as his. They are drawn to each other but don't know how to deal with it at first since it is so out of the ordinary for them, for different reasons. The story was on the quicker side for me and was an enjoyable read. I enjoyed watching these two figure out what was going on in the midst of what was happening around them. The Orcs are at war with the Faeries and of course females are scarce in the Orc camps and civilization. I had some fun with this one even though it is a little on the darker side and I can't wait to get the next book in the series!
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

[Amanda Bhear · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had fun reading it & am waiting for the other one! Kelly, catches her fiance cheating on her with her best friend. They are in the hallway by the restrooms, in a bar where she had agreed to go with him for drinks. She gets in her car, after she grabs a few things, she's going to go to her home town, I think. Anyway, her car dies in the middle of no where, it's probably after midnight & there is no one around. She figures she better walk back to the town she passed a little while back. What else can she do? It wouldn't be that bad. She gets a little creeped out with all the mist around but keeps going getting more lost & frustrated as she goes. Karak & his friend Graal are talking to the woman who runs the prostitute house. Karak is scary looking to everyone with his larger tusks & scars. Graal is pretty much the lady killer & everyone wants him. Graal is trying to wager a girl for Karak. He gets tired of listening to it. Besides, he doesn't really want to try to get it on with something so terrified of him he can smell her fear. He tells Graal he's going to go patrol. He & his hell dog, Claw go out into the no man's land to look around to see if any of the fairies they are fighting against are out. He then notices they are not alone. He hears a female voice ranting about all kinds of things but no one is there. It must be a fairy it doesn't sound like an Orc, like him. He stays hidden with his magic as he watches her. She is an odd looking fairy, she is tiny but has no wings. Then he notices something else is hunting his prey. Drago's demon, if one of them gets a hold of her she is finished & he already sees her as his. Kelly walks up to see this thing that is shaped like a dog but has scales & lots of teeth. What is it? She tries to back away, it's going to jump at her. It tries to get her but something big grabs her. She ends up being carried over it's shoulder looking at that thing while her rescuer is running. Karak finally evades it & they make it to his camp. He puts her down & she sees a big muscular green man with tusks! He has a battle axe! OKKAY! Nice costume, she's either on some sort of show or he's a serial killer with a sci-fy theme going on. He keeps calling her a fairy which she has denied a couple of times. During a mind blowing kiss the demon finds them again, he kills it but assumes she is working with it. She wants to know what it is, he is sure she is playing him. He decides to make her talk. It seems that once a fairy joins with an Orc, they never want anything else. That's what part of this war is about. So he's going to get her to tell him that way if he needs to. She finally figures out, this isn't a show, & he isn't a human dressed up. When she asks him, he tells her humans are a myth. That does it, she needs to get out of here & find out what is going on. She gets away from him, but runs into a tree & knocks herself out. She wakes up tied up looking at Claw. She sees this really scary looking dog. He wants to play with her. Karak finally sends him out of the camp. He gets back to her asking about the demon. She tells him her name & asks his. He kisses her again, & notices she isn't acting like she is too scared. He sees she is as attracted to him as he is to her. He decides to seduce her. When he gets to just about make her his, he hears noise. He tells her they are about to have company. He tries to hide her behind him. It is Barak, Their king, all women seem to love him! Barak wants to know what he was doing. Karak tells him he was questioning a prisoner. Barak just kind of laughs at him & leaves but tells him them to finish & get back. Karak, gets them back to the Orc camp but tells her to stay away from things. She is told to stay in his tent until he gets back. Claw his left to keep her safe. When he does get back he sees that she is not like other women. He, Graal, Kelly & Claw are sitting by a campfire eating. She is feeding his hell hound treats, petting him & rubbing his belly! Most women would have been screaming & running by now. Graal has told Karal she is a keeper. He thinks so. When they go into his tent & get cozy he is deciding she will be his. The next morning they are being hit by fairy bombs. She gets tied to the tent pole & told to stay there while they go take care of things. Later the soldiers come back looking weary & she is so happy to see him. Even is she still could kill him for leaving her like that! Barak comes by to tell them, there has been some sort of peace talk & the fairy queen wants Kelly back. While Karak is so upset working of his problems beating up trolls in the training rings, Kelly is over in the fairy territory hearing about what had happened from her handler. The portal in the mists unbeknown to the fairies has come open & she had come through. It happens sometimes, they just have to find the person & get them home. In just a little time she will be home. She then hears a group talking about setting a bomb off in the Orc camp when the fairies are sent over to be claimed by the Orc as part of the trade. She has to get back to warn Karak. She hides in the group as they are shown to the men. The king calls Karak to come see the fairies, he comes to stop being bothered. When Kelly finally spots him, they are about to set off the bomb. She knocks it away from the fairy & throws herself on it. Somehow it does something to shut it down. Karak sees the fairy about to stab Kelly & saves her. He then remembers one of the myths about humans, only humans could nullify magic like that. He then truly sees Kelly as she is. When one of the Orc is going to kill her for being a fairy enemy he tells them, she isn't a fairy, she's human. They demand he claim her or let someone else have her. She tells him, she came back for him. He claims her but shields them as best he can. Later, every new moon they play claiming chase games. She tries to outwit him & get to the blanket in the forest, but he always seems to catch her! Now Graal has Claw out in the mist with Kelly's old Jacket doing his best to find himself a human mate.

[Racheal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a middle of the road kind of read for me. There were things I liked, like the worldbuilding, spice, magic and the scene where Kelly saved the orcs. But there were many points in this story that really could have been expanded upon/ fleshed out better.

Examples: the romantic connection could have been expanded upon to feel a little more authentic. Or even the turning point of having mutual respect for each other could have been expanded upon. Their love for each other just felt very sudden and out of the blue. Another example of what could have been improved, is that Kelly disappearing with the faeries was super sudden. It would have been nice if that was expanded upon as well. Action-y areas could have had more detail too.

As I kind of mentioned already, the spice was on point but the romantic connection didn't completely hit the mark in this one. I mean it was close and I mostly enjoyed this story. It just felt like something was missing from it. Overall, this story was just okay for me. It was mostly enjoyable, but just kinda meh.

[Ruth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read the whole series because these are very short novelas. I think this first book is around 100 pages.

I HATED this first book. For a moment I wondered if Mina Carter was actually a man disguising himself as a woman author to be able to live out his rape fantasies.

Honestly, this book didn't have any character development. There was something that resembled a plot, but even that was questionable. Almost every sexual interaction was non-consensual, with the most consent being something along the lines of "without speaking I knew she wanted this" (lets face it, that's NOT consent, it's rape.) I won't lie, I ended up skimming most of the book, but I'm still counting it towards my book count cause I wasted my time on it.

While the other two books in this series are loosely connected, this one isn't.
My suggestion would be to skip Capture by the Orc and start with the second book in the series.

*Horrible read, 1 star*

[Fran · Rating 4 out of 5]

First time I've ever read an Orc novel.
Not sure what I expected but Karak's story was a breath of fresh air. Here the reader is presented with an Orc only bent on getting with as many of Madame Mildas' ladies as possible. All that changes when human Kelly crossing over into his world and shakes up his existence. As for Kelly she just assumes she's in some kind of Cosplay. I really liked Kelly's naivety when faced with this bulky, brooding Orc. As for Karak he assumes Kelly is just a faerie or elven female which means she's fair game for his attention. The miscommunication between these two makes for an interesting and humorous story. And I can't forget to mention Karak's pet Claw, a cross breed of dubious pedigree. And the ending has the promise of more to come and I look forward to Graal's search. This is my honest review.

[Hannah Griffith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!

I was momentarily disappointed when I got past the first few chapters. This is a revamped version of 'Owned by the Elf'. Instead of an Elf and his Fairy captive, its an Orc and a human. The further I got into it though, the more I enjoyed the new version. This was the second book that I've read that I had both the original and the revamped. The first was two short stories that were later turned into one long book. The originals were 'Hard as Rock' and 'Between a Rock and a Hard Place' which later became 'Hearts of Stone'. I'm hopeful that Mina Carter will continue to visit her old works, as those were the ones that made me into one of her fans. Would absolutely love to see 'Like it Ruff' redone to explore more about the characters, and that universe. I would recommend this book to anyone, enjoy!

[Gwendolyn Thaggard]

Kelly finds her fiance in the arms of her best friend.
Naturally, she's upset and distraught.
Kelly storms out.
Her car breaks down and somehow she ends up on the other side of a fairy circle.
Kelly is then captured by an Orc named Karek.
Karek is suspicious of Kelly and what she is.
Karek soon finds himself enamored and possessive of Kelly.
Karek can't keep his eyes and hands off Kelly.
Karek is on the middle of a war with the fairies.
Kelly and Karek form a trauma bond during battle and deepen their connection.
When Kelly is given the opportunity to return to her home and her life she chooses to stay with Karek.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book and am leaving a voluntary review.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kelly just knew she had to be dreaming. There was no way her fiancé was making out with her best friend. Or even that her car just died on the side of the road. NOT HER DAY. She just needed to walk to town and get some help. Karak didn’t expect to find a faery roaming the grounds. This one seemed different. She had no wings like a fae but there were those few. Something about her called to him. I love that there was an instant connection. Kelly deserved to find happiness. A broody Orc was the answer. Karak may be the Terrible but he wasn’t when it came to her. And humans were a myth. Or so the Orc thought. I love that we fall into a different world within the mist. Looking forward to reading about this friend Graal. Maybe we can find a play thing for Karak’s pet Claw.