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Claws & Cubicles #2

The Orc from the Office

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Mate-bonding with a co-worker is against company policy... accidentally or not.
Janice knows better than anyone that entanglements with co-workers are risky business.
But when Janice accidentally breaks a co-worker's nose, she finds herself accidentally mate-bonded to an orc, and under Monster Resources' scrutiny.
Khent from the IT Department is quiet and nerdy, despite the tusks.
His emails are overly wordy. He won't stop apologizing even though she's the one who broke his glasses.
All Janice has to do is stay away from Khent until the bond dissipates. Easy enough, except...
...Her company laptop chooses this week to need the orc from the IT department, repeatedly.
...She accidentally clicks on orc porn at work and has to take remedial phishing training with Khent.
...The bond has her horny 24/7 and suddenly she can't stop running into Khent at work.

143 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2022

966 people are currently reading
3583 people want to read

About the author

Kate Prior

14 books441 followers
#Romance author, illustrator, hermit. 💕💜💙 My office monster romances are on KU.

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5 stars
1,923 (23%)
4 stars
2,958 (36%)
3 stars
2,511 (30%)
2 stars
602 (7%)
1 star
129 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,112 reviews
Profile Image for Kristina .
1,051 reviews926 followers
January 16, 2024
This was some cute monster smut, right here.

Khent, a ten foot tall Orc working in IT at Evil Incorporated accidentally mate-bonds with Janice, a human from HR. Both are the stereotypical characters from their departments, Khent is socially awkward and adorkable (or adORCable) and Janice is uptight and overly professional. Their attraction is immediate -think mating heat- and they try to fight their desire and get over it alone but end up unable to remain apart. There are some pretty sexy scenes, this orc has a huge love wand, but they somehow make it fit. There are some really cute moments together, but I gotta say, for a 50k word book, I did not expect a third act break up. But they recovered quickly and there is a moment where Khent goes all King Kong and they have sex up against a building several stories in the air. Maybe next time, try solid ground, the choreography on the side of the building was boggling my mind a bit.
So this was a very short read, insta love and not much else, but it had cute moments and was a fun way to pass an evening. It did prove one thing; not even monster smut can make HR not boring.
Profile Image for Ali L.
375 reviews8,340 followers
November 2, 2024
You know what, you judgy sons of bitches? If enjoying a novella about an HR rep who accidentally breaks her coworker’s nose and activates a mating bond that makes them both insatiably horny is a crime, lock me up and throw away the key. Oh, and he’s an Orc for, like, some reason, sure, I literally don’t care I DON’T CARE.
Profile Image for Sonia.
1,299 reviews2,075 followers
March 8, 2024
If I ever elbow any man in the nose, let it be an orc

This orc is a dORC, and ORCward 🥰, but just plain adORCable 🥹. I just love him ❤️ and he’s stORCky too 😅 (okay I’ll stop 🤣).

Janice (human) works at Evil Inc in HR. She’s trying to file a report, but the cabinet’s jammed when Khent, a huge Orc that works in IT, comes to her rescue. He’s not progressing, so she shows him how to wiggle and pull the drawer at a certain angle- and then she elbows him in the nose, causing him to bleed 😬. While she’s trying to help with the bleeding, she feels hot 👀 woozy 😅 and well, kind of hooorny 🫣.

She calms herself down and then goes back to her office when Khent comes back to check on her, she gets 🥵 at his close proximity, and well, he does too 👀. He breathes so HARD that one of his buttons pops off 🤣 (look at this shirt on the cover- that thing needs Jesus to help it stay on). Being the helpful person that she is, she rushes to pin it closed, and then proceeds to unbutton his shirt 🤣.

And then all helllll breaks loose in her nether regions 🔥😬 and Khent does the only sensible thing he can do… he gives her a helping hand 👀 and well, 👅 too 🫣.

Why? Because they’ve accidentally Mate-Bonded and she’s experiencing the Blood Fever 🫣.

They go to HR to explain what happened and it seems it’ll go well, as long as they keep their distance and let the Blood Fever die out.

Since Janice is human, she starts doing some research on what it all means… and one website leads to another and then she’s watching orc 🌽 …on her work computer…😳and Khent has to contact her because of… um… malware 😅.

It seems like it’s going to be a lot tougher to not be in contact with each other 👀.

What I liked/loved:
—the illustration halfway through 👀. And for free?? Say lesssssss 😮‍💨

—how freaking adorable (adORCable) Khent is 🥰. Gah. He’s awkward and cute and made me wanna just hug him tallll AF muscly body 👀.

—the tension 👀. Oh LAWD. So much tension with these two. Even I was feeling the mating bond 🤣. I was about to move Janice over if she didn’t do some claiming of her own 👀. Even though this book’s short, the tension was so damn palpable I’ll never look at orc 🌽 the same again

—the 🔥. Oh LAWD. It was hot upon these kindle pages 🥵. We get their first office 💦 scene when Khent helps Janice out 😉 and then we get a lot of scenes where they are heating up the office space. And don’t get me started on the holistic place/bathing pool they visit 🥵. Jeeeezus 🔥. I love how realistic it was with how much bigger Khent is compared to Janice (that’s what she said 🤣)

—just the tip 🫠🔥

—their vulnerabilities🫶. We only have Janice’s POV but we can feel Khent’s feelings/insecurities through his actions ❤️. Janice has her own as well

—the mate carry 👀. Ermagod. This was adORCable 😭. He just straight up scales down a wall in order to ensure she’s safe 😭🫶. Gawd. I love him 🥹

—F THE PAPERWORK ELEVATOR SCENE 👀. Did it remind me of 50 Shades? Yes 🤷🏻‍♀️. Did I care? Nope 💁🏻‍♀️. It was 🔥🥵

—unhinged Janice 💅. Yes. She needs to make more decisions 🤣

—the sweet moments 🥹.

What I wanted more of:
—length 😐

—an epilogue 😭. We don’t get one 😑. It just ends and leads to a different POV. I was like 🤨. Give me my epilogue 😭

—more scenes, like meeting the parents etc. Sigh. I just wanted more and didn’t want it to end

Overall, I loved this 🫶

⚠️ safety squad ⚠️
-no cheating/sharing/owd/omd
-mental health/social anxiety
-h on birth control/it’s been a while for H
-HEA (no epilogue)
Profile Image for Rae (semi-hiatus).
520 reviews163 followers
November 6, 2022
Cute, sweet, funny, steamy
So You’ve Mate-Bonded with a Coworker.

When I read that above quote in the book, I definitely snort-laughed.

This was surprisingly good! I started the series with the first book, though I wished I hadn't because that almost put me off this. However my friends had good things to say about this and I can see why. Suffice to say, this was nothing like the first. The writing drastically improved. The connection between the two MC's was there, even if it was horniness for a good two-thirds of the book. There was even an illustration half-way as a tasty treat 😏.

Khent (MMC) was adorkable! I'd let him lecture me on the dangers of unplugging a computer any day. The sheer size of him was hard to wrap my head around though, the dude was 10ft (3m) tall, his battering ram was eye-level with Janice. But with a big dick also comes a big heart. Or however the saying goes. He has always wanted a mate, and proved himself the cutest lil big cinnamon roll ever. He cherished the bond between him and Janice and remained respectful of her and her wishes no matter what.
Janice (FMC) was pragmatic and witty. There were many moments of hilarity when she spoke and it made this such a fun read. I loved how she came around, and realized her feelings for him and how what she was doing might've inadvertently hurt him. Then she owned up to it. Why is taking accountability so hot?

What made me dock a star was the final scene, of them on the side of the building suspended in the air. Having sex. Laying down and riding and holding on with fingertips to the bricks and all sorts of stuff that made no sense. I think the author forgot where the character were. It was supposed to be meaningful and sexy and loving, but I couldn't get the logistics out of my head.

Besides that, this was a fuck-hot, funny novella, that I recommend!
Profile Image for Laura.
195 reviews59 followers
October 8, 2022
I think this book could’ve benefited from the male POV as well as the female’s.
Profile Image for Montse Castro.
118 reviews4,532 followers
September 26, 2022
This was so cute!!!! It definitely delivered. And office romance with an accidental mate bond and a grumpy sunshine ish relationship where the female MC is a grumpy ish one. LOVED IT
Profile Image for Stephanie.
769 reviews1,086 followers
September 19, 2022
This book will be out 10/1/2022

Ooh, this book was pure joy.

I loved Love Laugh Lich, the debut (!!) of Kate Prior, and I really can't believe this one is only her second book. She has such a distinct way of writing and really understands how to do dynamic dialogue and inner thoughts. As someone who's not usually a big fan of single POVs, novellas (unless they're done well they feel too short!), and the name Janice ("OH. MY. GOD." a la Friends) - this was everything I could have wanted from a monster romance workplace novella.

If you read book 1 in the series (and if you haven't, you really should) you know that in this monster universe, it's surprisingly similar to "real life" - down to boring corporate jobs. The characters work at Evil, Inc., which is run by a lich overlord. In this book we meet Janice, who works in HR, and Khent, who's in IT.

I went into this book without really knowing the plot, something I've been enjoying doing lately. All I knew is that they work at the same company, there's some fated mates vibes, and as described on the author's Instagram, it's "two idiots in love" and using tech problems as banter.

I want to share more about WHAT I loved so much but it's not out til 10/1 and I don't want anything ~spoiler-y~ so I will refrain. But here's one tidbit... accidentally watching p-0-r-n at work and not immediately clicking out because "wow look at the size of that thing......."

There were laughs and awkward moments and steamy times and for my size queens - you'll definitely enjoy. I really like Kate Prior's writing and I can't wait to see what she comes out with next!
Profile Image for Elizabeth.
3,680 reviews327 followers
July 25, 2023
Second read. 5 stars. I don't know why I marked this book down by a half star the first time. This short and smutty book is sweet and cozy. I'm making a shelf for sweet beta heroes that I absolutely adore because Khent is on there. A hero who blushes!? Ugh, he's so cute.

It's amazing that this author could get so much character growth in such a short book. Loved the arc for Janice and my heart broke for both of them.

This time I read the audiobook and the narrator does a great job. 🥰

I also adore how this author provides commentary on office jobs and how evil some of their practices are... it's funny and also, fabulous.

I love this story. So so much.

----
First read. 4.5 stars. OK, I had to make it to work late so I could finish this book. This was adorable! Or should I say adorkable? A sweet orc who is in IT accidentally gets mated to someone in human resources. After that, they are sent to monster resources to work things out. This is one of those fated mate books where they don’t automatically get together just because. But it gives them a chance to get to know the other person and to realize that that person is spectacular and they want to be with them.

There’s something really fun about office romances that also include aliens or monsters and I think I need to create a new Goodreads bookshelf for these because I adore them! This book has the added bonus of a dirty cartoon in the middle! Character art.

Highly recommend!

PS I don’t get why we have to have so many crazy size differences in our romances. Even in monster, I would love more ordinary size heroes. This dude is WAY bigger than the usual. And yet, his equipment fits with no big (haha, see what I did there?) issues.
Profile Image for Inna.
1,678 reviews372 followers
November 6, 2022
3 stars. This novella would have been infinitely more enjoyable if the hero’s POV was included or if there had been more dialogue between the MCs. I think there were more mentions of them having had conversations off page then actual on page conversations. The hero barely spoke. I never knew what he was thinking, and I never really got a good idea of who he was.

I think I liked the idea behind the story more than the execution, but this was still a decent novella.

Safe; no virgins, no om/ow drama or scenes, no cheating, hero mentions being celibate for a while.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for rae ✿.
356 reviews328 followers
June 30, 2023
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙄 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙖𝙥, 𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚����𝙚 𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙤𝙪𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚. 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙛 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙘𝙠 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙚.

𝘑𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦-𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘣𝘪𝘨, 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘖𝘳𝘤 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘒𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘨𝘰 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨?


When I say I need some feel-good brain candy, this is it. This is giving me nothing else but a good laugh.
This is just straight up insta love and has some smut that happened in very questionable places, like they have a thing with heights. The ground? Pfft boring.

𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙛 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙝 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙊𝙧𝙘 𝙘𝙤𝙘𝙠

Also, the illustration helped my imagination. Thank you from the bottom of my heart❤️‍🩹
Mr.Orc has some good stuff; how did it fit, though? I have no idea, but my prayer goes to Janice.
There are not so many plots going on. It's really short, and I think it will be so much better if we have Khent's POV.

𝘼𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡, 𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙝𝙚’𝙨 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙛𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙢𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙮 𝙗𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙩. 𝙄 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙀𝙍.


3.5⭐
---------------------
don't mind me i just need some feel good read✋😔

also thank you so much Kristina for the amazing recs!💖
Profile Image for Thirstygirl.
345 reviews
November 9, 2022
3.5 Stars

Everyone was reading this so I had to, too. I’m glad I did!
I was really feeling the office theme of this book; it was very present and felt pretty realistic (as someone who has worked in a large organization). I love how the author took this mundane environment and made it entertaining by introducing a supernatural element.
The video soon ends, and the light flicks back on. I feel like half a lifetime has passed since this morning. Fuck. I’m mated to an Orc. I’ve sat through a number of sensitivity training sessions with other company members, usually teaching them how not to micro-agress the undead, respecting the cultural boundaries of swamp creatures and accommodating the needs of cursed peoples. I’ve seen most of these videos enough to have them half-memorized. None of them have made me feel like I’m back in seventh grade watching a video about the wonders of puberty through my fingers.

😂 😂 😂

Khent was such a sweetie. Despite his formidable (10 feet tall!) size, he came across as introverted and even self-conscious. Janice was determined to keep her distance from him, but that turned out to be easier said than done. I was pretty baffled as to how they could manage to have sex on the side of a building, but I tend to overthink things.

Overall, this was a funny and cute novella—great for when you need something a little different!
Profile Image for Kate V.
1,838 reviews365 followers
October 14, 2022
This was so adorable. Janice in HR accidentally makes an IT employee bleed and triggers a mate bond and blood fever.

Y’all know I love my dominant, take charge alpha males but Khent stole my heart the moment he came in like Clark Kent - Orc edition. Orcman - he’s nerdy and shy but he’ll fly you high.

Janice was such a funny and quirky character with her uptight demeanor that just needed someone big and green to smooth out her neurotic moments. I loved her.

This had such a nice amount of steam and relationship development and I found myself chuckling out loud several times. I wish there had been more of an epilogue but overall these two were just adorable. Love this series!
Profile Image for Bluestockings Read.
199 reviews194 followers
June 4, 2023
SNL skit:

Bigger, Longer, and Uncut

I liked this one much more than Love, Laugh, Lich.

While still a quirky, fun novella, it's twice the length of the previous book. And that made such a difference. The characters were just better fleshed out here (npi 😏).

ps there's even explicit art in the book - that alone is worth an extra ⭐.

┌──────────💻❤🗄──────────┐


        Claws & Cubicles series:
  📎 Love, Laugh, Lich ⭐⭐⭐ (3.25)
  📎 The Orc from the Office ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.25)

└──────────💻❤🗄──────────┘
Profile Image for Andrea ☾  [is inconsistently consistant].
714 reviews104 followers
August 15, 2023
3.5 ⭐️ Orc mating rituals are weird.

This novella was highly recommended, and usually paranormal, monster novellas like this are right up my alley. It reminded me of Clio Evans and her amazing novellas, which it's always a good thing. But this one didn't quite reach the 4 stars for me. Maybe because it was so fast or because orcs with tusks kind of freak me out, but I couldn't really get into this.

Janice accidentally mates with Khent, her massive and sweet co-worker after giving him a nosebleed trying to open a cabinet. Apparently, fighting and making each other bleed is part of orcs mating rituals and it can jumpstart a state of heat and a mating bond between the fighters. After going to the HR of monsters, they learn that the mating bond will go away on its own as long as they don't... um... consolidate the union and all. The only problem is that even being in each other's presence is torture because of the heat state the bond puts them in.

That doesn't mean that Janice gives into it. No, she fights it tooth and nail, which I think is the part that kind of took me out of this. The entire time she's half horrified that she could ever possibly be mated to Khent, and her reluctance made it feel like the whole situation shouldn't be happening. She thought him sweet and all, but she doesn't really feel much for him and it felt it cheapened the relationship once they finally get together in the end.

Idk. It was good, but it wasn't my favourite. There are much better monster novellas out there, imo. If you liked this, seriously check out the latest Clio Evans' books if you haven't yet!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 / 5
🌶🌶🌶 / 5
Profile Image for •Mrs Pizza•.
501 reviews139 followers
October 8, 2022
Here comes a sentence I never thought I would write. Adorable Orc Office Romance.
All those words together seems like nonsense, but it wasn’t. It was lovely, dorky, sexy good times at the office. I liked this even better than the first in the series and can’t wait to see what other steamy good times happen at Evil Inc. in the future.

Profile Image for RLbooks (in and out).
990 reviews479 followers
October 19, 2022
When I looked at reviews before reading, I kept seeing “adorable” over and over and I have to agree, it was so adorable. Janice (h) is a somewhat neurotic HR rep who accidentally triggers a mate bond with Khent (H), a sweetly nerdy orc who works in IT. Lots of awkwardness, arousal, and affection ensue. The story is written in first person, single POV of h. No ow/om drama, neither are virgins (been a while), and bc used.

The Blood Fever trying to draw them together was no joke, but along with the steaminess and bits of humor is a really meaningful romance. These two compliment each other well but take some work to get there esp since they’re not trying to work on being together at first. Janice doesn’t understand the depth of how important this event is for Khent and deals with a lot of frustration with being accidentally drawn in. Then while he is a grounding presence in their interactions and then relationship, Khent also can’t always articulate his thoughts. There are some unintentional hurts that occur and the dreaded third act breakup, but our hang-ups and pasts can be significant road bumps.

They do get their HEA, more of a HFN but you know it’s forever, and an adorable ending with a bit of a jump ahead. Then the book ends with a POV of a side character who I’m guessing is the heroine of the next book, but who’s a bit of a mystery.
Profile Image for b.andherbooks.
2,353 reviews1,272 followers
October 14, 2022
this was so charming and me actually laughing out loud, especially the part in monster resources with the VHS tape about "mate bonding at work." I was also delighted to find a spicy illustration tucked away in a sexy scene.

Khent really stole the show for me, despite not being in his POV at all. He's so uptight and buttoned up until he's mate bonded and can't help but EAT and PROTECT. He can write such professional emails but also eat you out like a champ. Amazing. Head canon is hipster hulk from the MCU.

I was so glad there was an epilogue, as love laugh lich by the same author ended so abruptly mid coitus at the end and it made me big mad.

Super fun read!
Profile Image for PlotTrysts.
1,204 reviews471 followers
January 24, 2023
We continue our journey through the corporation of the Evil Reign with this book, sequel to Love, Laugh, Lich. Its charm and satire remain evident in this book, as Janice from HR unwittingly triggers a mate bond with Khent, an orc from IT. ⁠

Everything that happens in the office really worked for us, including flirting through IT tickets, unwittingly clicking on "mating ritual" links that turn out to be orc pr0n, realizing that there are cameras in the elevators, and a trip to Monster Resources (as opposed to Human Resources). ⁠

That said, the book tried harder to be a more traditional romance. Khent and Janice hang out after work, begin to cohabitate, and even talk about meeting the parents. Apparently we just want a monster romance version of The Office. Also giant appendages just aren't our thing. That said, we're honestly loving the series, so we'll continue our commute with whatever Kate Prior writes next!⁠

1-Word Summaries:

Laine: Work-husband⁠

Meg: Orc-husband⁠
Profile Image for Monique.
460 reviews
October 20, 2022
Had potential and started off interesting but a combination of a short book, editing woes and my annoyance with Janice stopped this from being great.

It ended quite abruptly and ultimately novellas just don't work that often for me because so much is skipped or just casually mentioned which I'm not a fan of.

Also the sex was just kind of....ehh. I at least thought for a short book the smut would be top tier but it was very average.
Profile Image for Nicole.
326 reviews79 followers
August 5, 2023
- office setting
- I didn't feel any romance between the two MC's
- hardly any dialogue between the two as well
- I found the writing to be choppy and didn't flow for me personally
- first person only from the h. Would of loved to hear the H thoughts
Profile Image for Stef.
74 reviews1 follower
September 14, 2022
Full disclosure, I feel like the gods have smiled upon me yesterday when the lovely Kate Prior has so graciously sent me an ARC of this book 🤯 (*all thoughts and opinions are my own*). Like, to little ol' me? 🤯 ME? 🤯 I honestly don't think I've ever felt more cool, this right here is the peak for me 💯. Also, I am kinda speechless? 🤓

All that mushy part aside, I would like to mention that I read this book in one sitting and I absolutely had a blast. Not only that, this book had me laughing to myself like a deranged person in the early hours of the morning 💀.
The characters are very likable and their dynamic works - it makes for a very enjoyable read and I don't remember the last time I had such a great time reading a book. I am not exactly sure how but the author made the idea/possibility of breaking someone's nose kinda romantic??? Once I figure out how she did it I will get back to you ✌️
This book should come with a warning, something amongst the lines of "may cause warm fuzzy and lovesick feelings upon reading" and considering the fmc's reaction to the idea of feelings and intimacy was of the "ugh/yuck" persuasion, the irony is not lost on me 💀.

Personally, I feel like I liked this better than Love, Laugh, Lich, but maybe it was because the universe the action takes place in feels more established here. Having said that, I should also mention that the same sense of humor and ridiculousness that sold me on Love, Laugh, Lich can also be found in this book 👀. So, if you liked that title, you'll most surely enjoy this one as well 💯.

But if you're still not convinced, I will list the reasons why I enjoyed this book:
✨ likable, petty and unhinged (see what I did there?👀) fmc who is fluent in office passive-aggressiveness ✅
✨ shy and awkward mc ✅
✨ the banter, the BANTER, THE BANTER (yes, I am aware I am virtually shouting that, in case you didn't get the idea, I really enjoyed it ) ✅
✨ the ridiculous situations the main characters manage to get themselves into and the way they handle it ✅
✨ the fact that there is a monsters resources office in parallel with the human resources one ✅
✨ the vhs training tapes ✅
✨ the fact that the main characters can indeed be best described as idiots. Loveable idiots, but idiots nonetheless ✅
An honorable mention goes to Gwen, specifically the way she is described and how that just screams "I am not payed enough to deal with this sh✨t" 💀.
Overall, I feel like this is a very cute/fun read and it absolutely delivers on what it promises 💯
Profile Image for lisa..
251 reviews114 followers
October 17, 2023
shut the fuck up and read this monster romance.

“I tug on his tie and he leans in for another kiss goodbye. He doesn’t even fully kiss me back, he’s smiling too hard, the nerd.”


& ignore that Janice was dumb.
Profile Image for a seductive cactus.
294 reviews292 followers
October 4, 2022
Honestly this was hilarious in its accuracy of corporate life. I hope Kate Prior writes more for this Claws & Cubicles series because it is utterly delightful.

FMC is human, MMC is an orc, they accidentally mate bond, most of the time I just wanted to shake the FMC and force her to tell the MMC she loves him but I suppose without any conflict it'd be a boring book?

Very interested to see what Gwen's background is...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Miki’s⚠️ Safety Reviews & Rants⚠️.
736 reviews939 followers
August 5, 2023
3.5 ⭐️This was cute and completely safe!
No OW
No OM

Not gonna lie, the FMC annoyed me with her wishy washy attitude for the entire book. I legit just didn’t like her that much 🤷🏼‍♀️ she was to ridged and detached for me.

💗We didn’t get enough of the H and all he barley spoke BUT he was cute, shy and sweet. So he made up for the idiot that the h was. Kent deserved better than her. He was just so sweet. I guess they balanced each other out 🤷🏼‍♀️

The novella isn’t the best or worst I’ve read. Even the sex could have been better and hotter. I would have like more exploring and details about Orc sex 😅
The final scene was more like it! 🫶🏻

I also don’t like when a woman call her V a cunt. It’s not dirty it’s just a turn off. Now when the H does it? Total diff story.

Anyways still cute and sweet I just wanted more. Maybe multiple POV would have helped.
Profile Image for Wicked Fox ✨️.
449 reviews152 followers
September 16, 2022
I love how fun and sexy this novella is! This workplace romance novella is a perfect sequel to love, laugh, lich. The sexual tension between the two was 🥵 and I can't wait to see what Kate Prior has for this series in the future!

Many thanks to the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Profile Image for evelynn kate.
510 reviews
October 7, 2022
Plot ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Romance 💗💗.5
Vibes ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
1st person POV - Janice
(ratings based on novella expectations)

Fast burn, Orc + human, office setting (HR & IT), great banter, undeniable chemistry, sweet and tender romance, and included artwork of the first sex scene... what more could you want?
Profile Image for Ava.
1,120 reviews1,726 followers
November 22, 2022
This is a monster workplace romance between Janice and Khent. Janice is a human woman who works for a big company that hires monster creatures. One day, she is having trouble opening a filing cabinet, and Khent (an orc from IT) is there to help. But there is a little mishap when Janice accidentally ends up running her elbow into Khents face and sparks the flow of orc blood. Little does she know that the drawing of orc blood is an ancient tradition of orcs kind. It sparks a mating bond.

Janice and Khent were so cute!! They are also a little awkward, but that is to be expected given their predicament. I loved the workplace setting, and how HR tried to help them with this accident. This was a great and unique mate romance! I cannot wait to read more in this series!

TROPES: forbidden, kindle unlimited, monster, office, orcs, novella, size difference
Profile Image for Vicious but Romantic.
358 reviews17 followers
October 16, 2022
The curious case of a woman who couldn't keep it in her pants and was as dumb as a rock.

It's like a gender reverse romance where the MMC keeps fucking up and is hot and cold and thinks he's not worthy of the heroine. Plus he keeps coming on to her. Well, in this case it's HER who's hot and cold and keeps harrasing him. If the dude starts to j*rk off in front of the heroine, it's creepy. Same with this woman when she did exactly that.

I have never read stupider FMC and I can't believe someone would actually hire her.

And we know nothing about the MMC because this is a single POV so we actually see and hear from him so little that I would barely call him a main character.

Why do I keep reading hyped books when they are always overhyped?
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