This was an easy read with a cinnamon roll hero and an apprehensive heroine. An Orc and a human are considered taboo but Mariah and Thorak end up going against everything they were taught to believe. Mariah starts off holding a grudge against Thorak for the way he treated her in high school. Thorak is remorseful and wants to make amends in hopes of getting the girl he's always pined for. I found these two so cute as they navigate their way to the relationship they've both always wanted.

The narration was perfect for this fun fantasy. Now off to explore more by this author.

I received an ALC from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Enimie to Lovers! Well a cosy fantasy just got better! I adored this and I was thrilled to listen to it as well. This was such a fun read and I adored the story. I am looking forward to reading more from Crane!

3.5 stars rounded up.. A new to me author and a cute low stakes orc romance. I adore these narrators and they do such a good job with this book, I hope more people will pick it up because of them. Totally worth the listen.

Thanks to Tantor and Netgalley for my ALC.

A cozy fantasy but also enemies to lovers which is my favorite romance trope. I loved the narration and the story alike. I will look for more from this author.

First and foremost I’d like thank to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the amazing gift of an Audio Edition of this book. I am forever thankful and my review is a honest reflection of my feelings towards this book.
This book was a super sweet and spicy treat that was for sure a pleasant surprise that I enjoyed.
The narrator was able to give this story an extra layer of depth that I didn’t know I needed.
Mariah and Thorak were such a sweet couple that worked through their past dramas and had a beautifully spicy happily ever after.
100% would recommend this book to anyone looking for a spicy cozy fantasy that will pull on your heart strings and make you sweat with its spicyness.

Okay yes, cozy fantasy, BUT also enemies to lovers! The FMC is an Inn keeper at an inn that serves humans and magical beings alike in a magical setting. Due to unforeseen circumstances she is ends up fake dating her high school bully, and she starts to catch feelings.

I really liked this book! The story was light hearted while maintaining enough depth and internal turmoil to keep it realistic. The spice was zesty and the monster love was relatively vanilla—perhaps a good intro to monster romance!

This is a dual narration audio book, with a female and male narrator. They work well together, their character voices are similar enough that I was totally emerald. They speak a little faster than some audio books, which I actually prefer. I usually listen at 1.75x speed but I slowed down to 1.5x speed for this one.

Very cheery happily ever after cozy fantasy romance. I recommend the audio book!

I have never been a fan of people saying "oh, the boy bullies you because he likes you, no worries" because you don't hate on someone you like/love. And allegedly the mmc always loved the fmc and bullied her back in school to protect her from a vampire.... you think that's far fetched? He kept every piece of her necklace a bully destroyed at school and restored it but never planned on giving it back only when it was convinced for him.. Also the fact that he didn't think he needed to apologize before for his behavior only when he wanted to get in her pants is insane to me, truly.
What also is insane to me is, is how the fmc sees the mmc, her bully and BOOOOM her sexy knight in shining armor. The man from whom she takes 20k for her Inn without a care after causing a scene publicly because she refused to listen for five seconds to him. Something that actually needed no explanation because it was obvious to everyone but her. She truly hold grudges for decades with pride...

I generally felt little to no chemistry between the fmc and mmc.

For the world building, I don't know? Like there was a war why Orcs hate humans recently but also there are cars and phones and 20k dollars bills... For being a first book in a series, the world building was none existent.
Tho I have to say, the vibe overall was cozy and sweet and I liked it a lot. Just not the rest so much

The story was fast-paced, the world-building was great, and weaving reality with magic was done with class. The spicy scenes were perfect, and the storyline was smooth. Addressing the topic of racism in a setting in which orcs didn't want to mix with humans due to their history was a good way to bring to light prejudice that we currently face. All in all, I love the novel.

I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley!!
I adored this book I didn't know what to expect going in but it gripped me from start to finish
I have a full review on Amazon, Goodreads and Fable

I received a gifted audiobook. All thoughts are my own and voluntary.

This wasn't for me. I really debated rating it lower but settled on a 2.

Great start in new series. Can't wait to try more!

Thanks to NetGalley for the free audiobook!!

DNF @50%

This one just really didn't work for me. I decided to DNF at 50% when I realized I had no attachment to either of the characters- I just didn't care about them at all or the plot. Let's be honest, there was absolutely no chemistry between the two of them either.

Thank you, NetGalley for an advanced ALC of this book

I got this because it sounded good and I was not disappointed, I enjoyed the characters and the pace of the book even though I would have liked the romance between the two main characters stretched out a bit more. The story had a nice flow and the spice level is minor because we concentrate more on the times spent seeing them become close even though we do get told they liked each other way before now, for a quick read this is a good story and we do see some themes like family to stubborn to change, the divide between magical creatures/people the pain of previous pain & how to deal to move forward as well as love has no discrimination.

3,5 ⭐️

This was a lovely, adorable read .. i had so much fun listening to this cozy supernatural story. I would recommend it for anyone interested in a relaxing listen

4⭐
A quick, cute & cozy romantasy between a human - an innkeeper dealing with magical pests causing costly havoc at her inn - and an Orc - a brew master attempting to make a trade deal with a human who detest magical creatures.

What could go wrong? Lol.

If you like:
*Romantasy
*Fake Engagement
*He Falls First
*Enemies to Lovers (technically a "former bully")
*Magical Town/Creatures
This is for you.

Thank you NetGalley and Tantor Audio for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was such a good palate cleanser. I've slowly been dipping my feet into monster romance, trying to read a little bit of everything and this one was so spot on for me. I will say - I wasn't a fan of the past bullying, especially given the reasoning. I dislike the trope and whole idea of young boys being mean to the girls they actually like. It's tiring and not exactly something we want to promote. But regardless, I did enjoy the groveling and genuine ask of forgiveness because, of course, people change and evolve from where they were as young ones. I overall enjoyed this one and will probably read the author's backlist and read more about this world where monsters and humans co-exist!

A cocktail that mixes Legends & Lattes vibes, a Shrek-like character, and a magical world. The story is a low-stakes romantasy with medium spice levels, following the classic grumpy-meets-sunshine trope.

The protagonist is striving hard to keep her aunt's legacy alive and ends up being helped by an orc brewmaster. They can each solve the other’s problems through a mutually beneficial ruse—but of course, it turns into much more!

The one thing that will carry you through the story is the charm of the characters and the low-lying tension between them. There isn’t much going on plot-wise, but it’s an easygoing, fun partnership that’s enjoyable for a one-time read. I’m not sure it left a lasting impression, but it’s a good pick if you're in the mood for something light and different.

This was SO CUTE. If you're looking for an easy, fake dating, second chance, cozy fantasy romance, this is what you need. In my opinion, this makes the perfect fall read! I love a good redemption story, and the groveling was 🤌. Thank you, netgalley, for this audio! I so enjoyed it!

Ugh I loooove a fake relationship trope! This was such a fun read! I enjoyed how we got bits and pieces of the past from both mc’s. I will be continuing this series! I can’t wait to get more from Elderberry Falls!

So cozy and cute! The cover is adorable and I think it accurately depicts Mariah and Thorak so well. This is a feel good paranormal monster romance with the perfect amount of spice and relationship building with a side of plot. SNUFFLES 😍 ugh. I cant say enough.
The narrators did a great job! I felt every single emotion and already want to listen again.