The Orc and Her Bride

The Sapphic Orcs of Torden #1

by Lila Gwynn

Sapphic fantasy romance with a monstrous twist…

RUGA KARRSDAUGHTER, dutiful orc princess with a heart of gold, has spent the years since her sister was elected queen serving the orc country of Torden. Her duties now include marrying an elf princess for a much-needed alliance against an outside threat.

ELKETH CERIDWEN, rakish elf princess with a penchant for chaos, has never lifted a finger in her life. Now that an engagement is sprung upon her by the stern elvish king, she has to fulfill a fifty-day betrothal period in Torden surrounded by strangers…unless she can wreak enough havoc to get sent back home.

These poor orcs don’t know what they’re in for.

A gentle orc princess is betrothed to a bratty elf princess in this sapphic fantasy romance. This novel is first in The Sapphic Orcs of Torden series but can be read as a standalone.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Lesbian, Queer, LGBT, Audiobook, Adult

236 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 9, 2023

About the author

Lila Gwynn is a lesbian author (and avid reader) of sapphic fantasy fiction. In her free time, she can be found binge-reading indie books, casually playing video games, or occasionally writing. She lives with her wonderful butch girlfriend and their many cats.

Reviews

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to politely force everyone to read this gem of a book. Sapphic orc/elf love — I never knew I needed it in my life. Ruga has to be one of my favorite characters ever, she is perfect.

[Lila Gwynn]

The Orc and Her Bride is my first foray into fantasy romance. This series is going to have a different couple for each book with an overarching background plot, but the characters and their romances are central enough that they can be read as standalones.

I wanted to warn you about two things in case they aren’t your cup of tea:

1) I made these orcs from the ground up, so they’re pretty dissimilar from orcs you’d find in franchises like D&D or WoW. A lot of their culture is borrowed from Vikings with some fantasy flourishes and medieval European aesthetics. Also, I’m not interested in exploring fantasy racism, so I didn’t.
2) One of the main characters, Elketh, is quite prickly. She is bratty and likes getting her way, which means she causes a lot of the conflict.

In this book, I’m poking a bit of fun at a genre expectation—Elketh is engaged to an orc, Ruga, against her will. Instead of Ruga being possessive and haughty and keeping Elketh captive, she is kind, and instead of Elketh giving in to Ruga, she defies her every step of the way. I think they’re both incredibly fun characters, and I hope you will, too.

As a bonus, here’s the fantasy map designed by Sarah Waites of The Illustrated Page Book Design:



Trigger warnings, spice content, HEA info, and more can be found here: https://lilagwynn.com/books/sapphic-orcs-of-torden.

[S.D. D Simper · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Orc and her Bride is a delightful reading experience and a fantastic edition to the f/f fantasy romance genre. Any of its flaws pale to the fact that I read it in less than one day, which isn't something I've done with a book in years. Elketh was obnoxious in the best of ways, which made her growth and humility arc all the more satisfying to watch. Kudos to the author for making it feel so natural. Ruga is a saint, perhaps to levels that suspend disbelief at times, but at the same time, she's always fun to be around, and her treatment of Elketh is incredibly sweet to witness. There was one plot thread involving a former lover of Ruga that I felt was left unfinished - however, knowing this is only the first book, I strongly suspect it will be addressed in future installments, which I will definitely be reading.

4.5 stars rounded up. Overall an incredibly sweet and wonderful read.

[Clara's Book Lab]

DNF’d at 30%

Welp that was the end of my 5🌟 streak…..

I just couldn’t enjoy the book any longer with one character being very VERY unlikable. Elketh is infuriatingly selfish, rude and overall the ultimate brat!🙄, while Ruga is the kindest, prettiest, most patient orc in all the land 💗

Yes, I did see the warning that one character is unlikable but I didn’t expect her to have no redeeming qualities at all??? I did read some reviews with spoilers and apparently she would get an arc, but I think it’s too late??

Ruga deserves so much better! 😤 Elketh, you can yeet yourself off the jetty, bye bye 👋

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Right from the start I figured this would be an fun read plus I liked the imposing book cover. Meant to provide protection against enemies, an alliance between two kingdoms is agreed upon - one Elven and one Orc. Elketh the spoiled Elven princess and a serial womanizer is sent to Torden for a predetermined betrothal period to be followed by marriage. Demanding and selfish, she has no intention of staying and over time does anything she can to be sent back to Branwen. Diplomacy be damned. Beautiful Orc Princess Ruga has her hands and days full dealing with Elketh. Kindhearted and loyal she is going along as usual with the commands of her sister the Queen. Her place of happiness and solace is her rose garden.
Gwynn's fantasy world is nicely written. The vastly different lifestyles/customs, character descriptions, Elketh's shenanigans, the humor, Ruga's ruses to prevent potential gossip and the simmering attraction all lend well to the storyline. This is a quick, sweet read with lots of heat and a few ups and downs before happiness abounds. There are a few threads left dangling in the plot so I look forward to more from the Orcs of Torden.
What the heck, 5 stars because I loved the Elf as a female casanova and the Orc as the gentle lover.

[Emily Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.8 You really have to be on board with bratty sapphic elves to like this. Are they healthy together? No. Am I here for it regardless? Yes.

If you read Legends & Lattes and enjoyed the soft sapphic orc and warm vibes but want more political intrigue, a little spice, & an enemies to lovers trope? This is for you.

This was cosy and was also backed by an intriguing premise and plot that was fairly fast paced.

It boasts tropes/themes like arranged marriage, forced proximity, and enemies to lovers. There is smut, a good dash but not tonnes.

Rep// Pansexual vegetarian Orc (woman), Lesbian Elf (woman), Sapphic SC, Main relationship is WLW / sapphic.

TW’s listed below, please skip if you don’t want vague spoilers.







Tw// Cw// sex (on page, a couple fairly short scenes), alcohol, mentions of war.

[AnnMaree Of Oz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kindle Unlimited - releases FEB 21.

This is a unique and spirited sapphic fantasy story about an arranged marriage between two Princesses from differing Kingdoms. One is Elven the other an Orc!

Elketh is the fussy and spoiled Elven Princess, shipped off to a nearby kingdom for an arranged marriage. When she realises her bride-to-be is an Orc woman, Ruga, she does all she can to prevent the upcoming nuptials!

Ruga is a loyal, caring and talented woman who doesn't deserve the bratty behaviour of Elketh. Yet there's a spark of attraction that simmers between them, if they can ever really get to know one another, and Elketh stops playing games.

I did wish that we could have seen Elketh come more into her own, and not be quite as bratty for so long. I also had wished for Ruga to stand up more for herself, and not be such a doormat. I would have also liked more clarity about why the Kingdoms truly needed this alliance, because it really seemed like they didn't. I wanted more details from everything!

It's a very readable story, albeit kind of predictable and low stakes - but it's comforting and entertaining in that cozy way, very enjoyable. Just don't go thinking too deeply, this is always my downfall.

[lauraღ · Rating 3 out of 5]

It may not have been in the temple, but Elketh was going to spend time on her knees today after all. ‘I will be worthy of you,’ Elketh thought.

2.5 stars. If I rated this based on how much I liked Elketh, it would be about 1.5 stars, maybe 2 stars. If I rated it based on how much I liked Ruga, it would be a solid 4.5 stars. So I decided on an average of maybe 3 stars, or a little less. Obviously, lol, this is not the perfect scenario for a romance book, where I really like one character, and I really don't like the other. So I can't really call this a success.

The thing is, I like the tropes that are being employed here, and if written differently this could have really worked for me. At the start of the book, the author has a little warning that one of the main characters is really unlikable, and I was actually laughing at that, because in a lot of cases I tend to LIKE most of the traditionally unlikable female main characters. I love prickly women sooooo much. But Elketh isn't really prickly. She is bratty and selfish and spoiled and mean and there is some eventual character growth, but in my opinion it all comes too little too late and I feel like Ruga just deserved so much more from her. I won't harp on too much about all of the stuff she did earlier on in the book, all of that really obnoxious stuff, but I really thought that there would have been more tangible growth, more actual apologies, more real remorse, more consequences to her actions that she really had to face up to. The chemistry between Elketh and Ruga was really well-written, and the love scenes were great, but I wanted Elketh to really enact some kinds of, I don't know, acts of service and love. Those do come, (Elketh's vow to be worthy of her is sweet) but again, I found that when it actually happened, it was just too late. 

I don't want to sound like I'm bashing Elketh, because she's a kind of character that I can usually really like. When she realises that her terrible, duplicitous father has abandoned her to an unwanted marriage that she had no say in, she literally jumps into the lake and is prepared to swim back home. That's wife material. I love women who are brash and headstrong like that. But the way she continuously took out her anger on Ruga and so many unconcerned people about the castle was just ugly. All those tantrums she threw with the staff, ruining Ruga's clothes, throwing things around? Least attractive thing I've ever seen in my life. And sometimes she's just unkind. She apologises a couple times but I wanted to see her actually do more to show that she understood the consequences of her actions. And it needed to happen before the epilogue for me to actually start liking her or start staunchly rooting for the relationship.

But Ruga at least was a complete dreamboat. I love women who are gentle, who are determined to be kind, and are still strong and independent and dependable. The fact that she's big and buff and wears lovely pretty dresses is icing on the cake. Some of the fantasy politics didn't really line up that well for me but since it was mostly in the backdrop, I didn't mind. There's also the fact that Ruga had a 20-year relationship with another woman whom she loved, which she was forced to break off, and we're supposed to believe that what she develops with Elketh in a few weeks has surpassed that? That was not written believably at all. But oh well.

Bit of a frustrating read all in all, but the last chapter and the epilogue did kind of make up for everything that came before. They were cute (though I still think Ruga can do better). I've been meaning to give this a try, and I'm glad I eventually did. I'm always hungry for sapphic fantasy. 

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

I was so torn on this book because Elketh drove me insane. She was so selfish and pulled no weight in the relationship until the 11th hour. Ruga was a sweetheart and deserved better. If Elketh started to really grow by mid book then I would feel differently, but the lack of personal accountability frustrated me to no end.

Spice: 2/5

Triggers: hunting, involuntary betrothal, complicated parent/child relationship, drowning incident (brief, she’s ok)

[Ashlee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute read, one of those that lightens the day a bit. The story was fun, quick and had a nice finale. The author says in the beginning that one MC is not very likable and she’s definitely telling the truth, Elketh makes it a bit harder to cheer for their relationship. Ruga is just a bit too nice to everyone and her kind nature is taken advantage of, and not just by Elketh. I liked their relationship arc for the most part though once I got past Elketh and her prickly character. This is a cute light read to save for an afternoon you don’t want anything too heavy.

[•° Whimsy Fairy °• · Rating 3 out of 5]

While there were many things that I enjoyed about this book, there were certainly a few small details (including Elketh's total lack of respect at certain points) that sort of turned me off from the book. That being said, I loved the ending, and I would say that I preferred the second half of the book to the first. In total, I would give this book 3.6 stars.

I received an arc for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Wicked Fox ✨️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was drawn to The Orc and Her Bride just based on the cover alone. Something about it intrigued me to start Ruga and Elketh's story. I like how the main leads' personalities balances one another, with how gentle the orc princess is compared to the rakish elvish princess who tends to be pretty bratty and unlikeable in the beginning 💜 Really looking forward to the next book!

[Lorraine Rusnack · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this fantasy romance book. This is a new author for me and I'm glad I picked up this book. Ruga and Elketh are wonderful characters that are so different. The story held my interest from beginning to end. It had some angst and plenty of heat. I look forward to the next book in the series.

[Kat]

2 stars. I disliked this. The apparent conclusion of the plot is: if you just let someone treat you poorly for long enough, and never get mad at them or stand up for yourself or hold it against them, and just keep being super nice to them, eventually they will come around and just independently realize that they love you and were wrong to treat you that way! Yikes?

The book starts with a warning: "unlikable main character." I thought, I don't mind unlikable characters! But Elketh isn't unlikable in, like, a fun way to read about. She's abusive and childish, and does basically nothing to redeem herself or earn the forgiveness of the other character(s). I also have a particular pet peeve about characters whose motivations and train of thought don't make sense; Characters who behave in ways that literally no one would behave just because that's just the way the author wants the plot to go. And that was... the entire book. No one did a single thing that tracked logically the entire time. Add in some other, more minor frustrations (the weirdly modern timetable? "Sorry, your father has gone back to his kingdom, he said he has other things to get done tonight.") and this was just really not a fun reading experience for me.

[Averie]

Ruga is everything!!!

[nia ✿ · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5)

[Benji · Rating 2 out of 5]

Elf/orc arranged marriage fantasy romance. This is one of those books that prioritizes the romance to the extent that the fantasy aspect of the book is woefully underwhelming, it’s too low-stakes and almost slice of life for me. Elketh is hugely unlikeable, extremely immature, and selfish. She was never adequately redeemed and remained rude right up to the end. Ruga, on the other hand, was great: practical, steadfast, emotionally mature, skilled in a number of different crafts. She was the main redeeming factor of the book but I really question her judgement since she fell in love with Elketh

CWs: classism, emotional abuse, alcohol abuse, xenophobia, sexual harassment, brief mention of animal death

[Heather Hogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh dang, this book was so cute!

It really had me at the trigger warning on page one that was like “No really, there’s an unlikable main character in here.” And I would hope so! It’s being sold to me as: bratty elf princess + stoic orc princess. Elves and princesses are inherently bratty and throwing another “bratty” on top of that? I better see something get smashed in a fit of feminine pique!

So yes, Elketh is an asshole, but she turns it around way better than a lot of these f*ckboy human lesbians I’ve been reading in big publisher romances lately. It takes her a minute to figure it all out, but when she does, buddy, she’s all in.

No surprises that Ruga is one of my new favorite characters. Orcs are always so butch-coded (love you and your Legends and your Lattes, Viv!), but Ruga’s also really feminine and not a warrior! She wears dresses and jewelry and has beautiful long purple hair. She’s patient and she’s steady and she’s true.

I’d have super duper extra loved watching this story play out in a D&D campaign.

[Anne Hartley Pfohl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice story. Well done. I liked both MCs and the ARC of the elf princess was well written. Nice spice and some good romance, thanks to the orc princess being so sweet and kind with a heart of gold.

[Nymphomania · Rating 1 out of 5]

When the content warning says "unlikable main character", they mean it.

This book, even with as short as it was, was a painful read. As usual, elves are depicted as somewhat racist and the elf mc is no exception. She continuously makes remarks about the "stereotypical" orc attributes and is insufferable toward any orc that she doesn't see herself having sex with. The only character she is nice to is another elf, and even that doesn't last long. It shouldn't have been a surprise that she's rude and obnoxious the whole time, but she really has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Her only personality trait other than being insufferable seems to be archery??? And while the orc mc is extremely sweet and her patience with the elf mc is award-winning, her character is extremely flat as well. I was really excited to find an interesting wlw fantasy story, but instead I found a book I might rate 0.5 stars if I could.

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was everything I had hoped to (but didn’t) get from Legends and Lattes and more. Enough fantasy elements keep it interesting but very low stakes. I can see why people would find the MC unlikeable (and at times she was) but honestly I also would act like an utter menace if I’d been put in her situation, and I wish we got to see a convo between her and her father where she got to explain how hurt she was by being dumped there alone.

The romance was sweet and developed nicely and I loved that it was our MC who went out of her way to win back her lady orc (who was so precious).

Another fantastic KU book!

[Dr. Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this story. While Elketh is unlikable, I LOVED HER hahaha. She isn't afraid to say no to things she doesn't want. Also the pairing of Elketh being mad and not wanting the marriage, with Ruga who just basically wants to worship her given the chance, ugh chef's kiss!

Rep: BIPOC lesbian cis female MC, BIPOC pansexual cis female MC, various BIPOC side characters, various sapphic side characters.
CWs: mentions of possible war, sexual content, injury/injury detail, alcohol consumption (including to excess), near-drowning, prejudice against orcs (addressed).

[Jessica Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I saw the trigger warning for the "Bratty Princess"and kinda thought it weird to see. Yeah that is most princesses? But no the author really, really means it. I kept hoping 2/3rds of the book that Elketh would have something...anything redeemable about her character but she was very hard to like.

Ruga on the other hand? OMG give me more! Was she a bit soft and too lenient with our brat princess? Yes. However, she kinda reminded me of myself a bit. The peacekeeper, the soother, and yeah sometimes...the pushover.

I do agree with others. The orcs are not a "bad" race in this book as typically depicted by DnD type roleplay games. I saw someone say more like a viking, and I say they are a bit similar in culture albeit maybe even a little less violent. .I also didn't like how quickly the old romance was taken care of after hearing how long they'd been together. 20 years?.

However that being said, I think the Elketh's character arc was nice to see. I was at about 3 stars until the last part of the book when it started to show. There was a nice romance towards the end that made me oh and ah, and I felt the ending was cute. Overall, I'd recommend this book!

[Andrea Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Orc Bride
4 Stars

I chose this book because I love the cover art. A decision I don't regret.

The Orc Bride begins with Elketh, the elf princess finding out her father arranged her marriage to align their countries. Honestly, Elketh could challenge the patience of a saint. To say Elketh was pissed off at not having any say about her own mate is an understatement. She is upset with her father and family, who abandoned her in Orcland. Let the craziness begin!

Her betrothed is Ruga, a princess of the Orcs. She's kind, smart and has made sacrifices to assure this marriage works. Elketh tries Ruga's patience every step of the way. I loved their banter and Ruga's compassion and inter-strength. The Orc Bride is well written, humorous, with a good world building.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I found myself smiling throughout. It's so sweet, think young love. Very PG. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[christy - pr0bablyreadingsmut · Rating 5 out of 5]

sapphic fantasy romance with orcs and elves and a HEA???? I LOVED THISSSSS
ruga is mommy af
and i lowkey hate elketh but also lowkey love her

**edited review bc i said “orca” instead of “orcs” lmfao

[Kaesa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book for free as an ARC from Booksirens. It's a gentle fantasy romance which I mostly enjoyed; the titular orc is the dutiful younger sister of the queen, and has made great personal sacrifices in order to cement an alliance between her kingdom and an elven kingdom via arranged marriage, something the orcs don't generally practice. Instead, alas, the elf princess is bratty and irresponsible and doesn't want to give up being kind of a player; she has not been told much about this arranged marriage, so it's a huge shock to her when it turns out she's supposed to be marrying an orc. Of course, she goes into the betrothal determined to fuck it up, while the orc tries over and over to make it work, and things get messy.

I liked Ruga, the titular orc, immediately; she's a kind, extremely responsible person with lots of cool hobbies, and she's doing her best, although I did get a bit frustrated with how much she was bending over backward to accommodate Elketh. While I can't say I liked Elketh as a person at first, I certainly liked her as a character; she's so delightfully entitled and so oblivious to how her actions affect others and she's so appalled when Ruga is justifiably cranky with her. She's more obviously messy, but Ruga has her own extreme people-pleasing issues she has to deal with, too; if anyone could learn to be a little more entitled (to time and love and assistance from her friends and family, mostly) it's Ruga.

I also enjoyed a lot of the depictions of day-to-day life in the orc kingdom, which felt very cozy even when they were being described by beginning-of-the-book Elketh, horrified by the orcish barbarism of... uhhh... bench seating and lots of food. And of course I am always here for "there was only one bed!" even if the bed doesn't get used for anything but only one sleeper for a while; it's the buildup that counts, too.

I think the thing that didn't work for me was just... there's an awful lot of fuckery the two of them go through for the sake of the arranged marriage, and it wasn't really dealt with in a way I found satisfying -- both had serious interpersonal issues with family members that were brought up and came to a head, but then were never really resolved or addressed by the Happily Ever After. Ruga's chat with her ex when she was missing Elketh was a believable kind of messy, but her issues with her distance from and her duties towards her sister never really got much of a resolution, and I don't know what to make of Elketh's father hiding Ruga's sweetly earnest letter of introduction from Elketh and springing the surprise of the orc betrothal on her -- what did he think would happen, exactly?

I also think the necessity of the allegiance between the two kingdoms could've been played up a bit more earlier on in the book -- I wasn't clear on what the stakes were if the betrothal didn't work out until after the betrothal had definitely, obviously not worked out, at which point I understood a bit better all the shit Ruga was willing to go through to keep that from happening. I wasn't super clear on what the elven kingdom was supposed to be getting out of this; I suppose Elketh needs a spouse, and it sounds a bit like Elketh's dad was hoping she'd shape up and become more responsible once she was married, but that wasn't very clear.

[Annika Unterberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find Ruga to be a good soul and I really appreciate her for it. Elketh, on the other hand, needs some getting used to but she does grow on you as she becomes less of a brat and more considerate over the course of the story.

I enjoyed that the characters are passionate about things apart from the romance and we get to see them in their safe havens.

The romance itself is a slow burn which makes it believable as one party didn’t exactly agree to the engagement. Anyhow, the sexual tension practically springs off the page and as a couple they are really cute together. Especially when Elketh makes a big declaration and grovels after messing up.

My only critique is that the problems just seem to disappear in the end. But this small thing doesn’t smaller my enjoyment in the least.

—> 4 stars

[Pantaruja]

I just don't like romances in which one of them just hurts the other and the other always forgives them. One thing is to have an unlikeable character, I can stand that, and the other is to have a character be actively horrible and to not have consequences for those actions. The way the elf princess disregarded the culture and traditions of the orcs was disgusting and she never got to experience any kind of discomfort. I know people like the orc princess, but she made me mad with how she also disrespected her peoples traditions and culture by forgiving the elf EVERY SINGLE TIME. Si I didn't like her either. I think that her disrepect made me more angry than anything the elf did. I also think that the characters weren't well crafted. How is it that we're supposed to believe that the orc was so selfless and loved her people so much that she would stop a 20-year long relationship to marry a stranger, but then be so forgiving to the acts of disrespect towards the orcs? I just don't believe it. I just see that she was supposed to be forgiving to every single thing that the awful elf princess did.

I am kind of interested in the second book because we will not follow these two, but I'm scared that I will not like it and so I'll have to give the book a 1-star rating. I don't want to be so negative with queer books and this is why I wont rate this one, but I trully think that this was not good to me and that a lot of pleople will also be disgusted with these characters.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book didn't have too much depth, so I should probably be rating this a 3. But I'm upping it up to 4 out of sheer principle, because lesbian arranged marriage! Lesbian arranged marriage between a wholesome, rose-loving orc and a bratty elf princess! Elketh in particular is quite a character, but her development is worth it. It's short, sweet, and I had a lot of fun with it! I'm definitely looking forward to the second, since it seems like that's going to star the orc queen and her spymaster. A solid start to a sapphic orc fantasy romance series!

[Hillary · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5 ⭐️s

First time reading Lila Gwynn, and I thoroughly enjoyed her writing!

Her content warning about an unlikeable heroine wasn’t over stating it, but I thought she did such a great job balancing Elketh’s bratty attitude with Ruga’s calm demeanor without making Ruga a doormat.

The pacing was a little off at times, and I wish we’d gotten more on-page resolution between our heroines and their respective families. Overall though, a really fun and fast read!

Spice: 2/5 🌶️