It was a cute story, and the duel narrators were really good in creating a love story I was invested in. The plot itself wasn't anything new or super exciting. It had fake dating for those who like that trope, but I didn't feel super connected to the characters. I'd recommend listening to this story over physically reading, because I fear I would have potentially DNF'd due to nothing too exciting. Overall not a bad book, but wouldn't say that everyone NEEDS to read this.

I adored this book so much, the character development was really nicely paced and I really liked the characters.
The narrators were wonderful very clearly spoken and kept me engaged and enjoying my time with the characters the whole way through

Oooh yes this was just the right amount of cozy, magical and a lil bit saucy.

Mariah and Thorak were the best kind of reluctant partnership. Mariah wanted to save her inn and Thorak needed to impress his potential brewing investor but their past really cast a shadow over everything in the beginning.

The fake engagement started out as a means to an end but for Thorak he wanted to prove to Mariah that he had changed and his behaviour towards her in high school was a product of his upbringing and trying to suppress his feelings for her. He was always enamoured. Mariah felt conflicted about Thorak, on the one hand he was one of her high school tormentors but on the other hand she was always drawn to him & felt there was more beneath the surface. I'm so glad they got another chance, they learnt more about each other after all those years apart and it just goes to show that growth is possible after years of separation. I'm so glad his parents came around in the end as well. Breaking down prejudices people!

Loved the setting and all the magical side characters of Elderberry Falls, would be glad to read more books in this series.

Narration by Rose Dioro and Jack Calihan was delightful and of course hats off to the production team as well.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author, this ALC was truly charming!

Such a cute and cozy book!

Are you looking for a short, sweet and steamy monster romance?

I loved our main characters, the romance was very sweet. The book had the perfect blend of plot and spice. I actually enjoyed the conflict in the book, it made sense for the plot and it was well handled/written! It didn't drag on like some books do. Excited to see more of the Elderberry Falls series!

The audiobook was well done I loved both the narrators. The pacing was great!

3.5 Stars

I received the ALC for The Orc and the Innkeeper through NetGalley, and honestly, the dual narration was what caught my attention the most—and it did not disappoint. The narrators truly brought Thorak and Mariah to life, adding a delightful richness to a story that felt like a whimsical blend of romantic fantasy and cozy small-town drama.

This book is what you’d get if a Hallmark movie got magically teleported into a Dungeons & Dragons tavern. There’s a fake engagement, a broody orc-turned-brewmaster, a fiercely determined human innkeeper, a third-act miscommunication, overbearing parents, glittery pixie dust mites wrecking the guest rooms, and yes, even the hot ex who suddenly wants you back after ghosting you (ugh, the nerve). It’s a bit predictable, yes—but that’s part of its charm. If you're craving a low-stakes fantasy romance with a nostalgic feel, this book fits the bill.

This cozy fantasy follows Mariah, a hardworking innkeeper drowning in pixie dust mites and financial stress. Enter Thorak Ironfist—her former high school bully turned successful brewmaster—who needs a human fiancée to help close a big deal in the human realm. So when she overhears his fake engagement lie, Mariah makes him a deal: she'll play the part of the doting bride-to-be if he helps save her inn.

That said, one element didn’t quite work for me: the bullying backstory. Thorak made Mariah’s high school life miserable—and the excuse? That he bullied her because he liked her and didn’t want a vampire to use her?? Sorry, but that doesn't justify years of emotional distress. This wasn’t grade school, and I wish that dynamic had been handled with more nuance. Still, their growth and chemistry as adults helped balance it out, and it made for a decent redemption arc—even if I wasn’t fully sold.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review. This books gives off so much warm and cozy vibes! I truly wish I would have read this around Fall as it is the perfect blend of cozy, spicy romance, and different types of mythical creatures! Mariah is running the inn and runs into some financial trouble leading her to make a deal with her hunky enemy, Thornak. The deal involves fake dating in exchange for money to fix her inn infestation. Feelings from loathe quickly turn into steamy passion!

A cozy orc/ human romance set in the enchanting town of Elderberry falls.
A fake engagement with the fmc's high-school bully keeps the pair guessing whether their blooming feelings could be real.

Enter grovelling orc and a human struggling to trust the man who once tormented her.

The story looks at racial discrimination and prejudice several times within the plot, the world being a mixture of different magical races, all with backstories to their historical suffering and reason behind their feelings. This genrally light-hearted read also tugs at themes of bullying and the expections of children from their parents.

The setting for this tale is full of potential for further books in the series, i hope we get to see more of Thorak and Mariah.

For a monster romance, this was a sweet romance with some open door scenes and a 2/ 5 chilli rating.

I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy from netgalley of the Duel narrated Audiobook.
Both audio narrators were fantastic and brought the characters to life, their narration keeping with the style of the book.

Fav bit- Thorak's relationship with his sister and how he distanced himself from his parents to start his own business. We are proud of a self-made orc.

This is a story featuring an enemies to lovers trope between a human female and the orc male who used to bully her in school due to his misplaced ideas of racial purity. Now he needs her help posing as his fake human fiance to seal an important business deal, which she agrees to for her own very valid financial reasons. Things then unfold as you would expect...

I had tgmtggt this would be something along the lines of Penner's charming bookish romantasy stories of orcs and other creatures, but it turned out to be a pretty standard tale. It is best suited to those who like romance stories with minimal other storytelling elements, as the world building is fairly basic.

What a cute cozy orc romance! If you are able to forgive a bully trope then you can enjoy the fake dating side of this fun and enchanting book. There were times when the problems felt a little zoomed over but when I think about what I want from a cozy fantasy it would be closer to what is written in this story. I don’t want the problems to be drawn out. I want to hear about the magic, the willingness for people to change the way they think and be more inclusive and hello, the romance! This left me wanting more. I wasn’t ready for the story to be over and that to me is a sign that I liked the world building and the characters.

This was a cute and cozy fantasy romance. If you’re just in the mood for a low stakes d&d type story with tavern vibes, magical creatures, and a fake dating setup between a human innkeeper and an orc brewmaster, this is it. It’s not a book you want to go into with a critical lens, just enjoy it for what it is..fun, light, and a little spicy.

This was my first cozy fantasy with spice, and I didn’t hate it. I don’t know if I want a ton of spice in my cozy reads going forward, but it didn’t ruin it for me.

The narration was really well done. Jack Calihan and Rose Dioro brought both characters to life. Calihan especially stood out to me because he just used a regular voice for narration. So many male narrators overdo it with the husky bedroom voice for literally everything and it gets annoying, but he didn’t fall into that trap. It made the audio much more enjoyable.

Is it predictable? For sure, but that’s part of the charm. It’s D&D meets Hallmark and I enjoyed it. Quick read, good vibes. I’m inclined to read future books in this series.

Thank you NetGalley and Tantor Audio for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Story: 2.5 ⭐️
Steam: 3 🔥
Audio: 5 🎧

This but was cute but left a lot to be desired. It had amazing potential. The romance felt rushed and underdeveloped. Same with the world building. I think with some longing and tension this could have been amazing but sadly it fell short. There were parts I liked but unfortunately the execution just didn’t work for me.


Both audio narrators did a great job!

I have to be honest, I'm not a huge fan of the "I bullied her in school because I secretly loved her" part of this one, but in general I did enjoy The Orc and the Innkeeper. The setting was fun and whimsical and the story was generally low stakes.

Most importantly, I thought the audiobook narration was so cute! I would be thrilled for this narrator to read all the cozy fantasy books I read!

So! This book is about a human innkeeper and an orc brewer in a town called Elderberry Falls, which straddles the human realm and a fantasy realm. Think: small-town charm meets D&D crossover episode. Sounds fun, right? And it is, kind of, if you don’t stop to think too hard.

The orc brewer (our MMC) used to bully the human innkeeper (our FMC) back in high school he’s done a lot of growing since then. Entirely off-page. He’s decided racism is bad now (great!) and proves this by giving FMC deeply apologetic gazes and, eventually, deeply apologetic extremely detailed sex. And listen… I like a grovel. But having him whisper “I’m sooo sorry” mid-thrust? That’s a level of cringe I was not spiritually prepared for. And I listened to this as an audiobook AT WORK.

The setup here is classic romance bullshit: she agrees to pretend to be his fiancée in exchange for money (gross, but okay), and they proceed to spend two full weeks hanging out to see if his potential investor will approve of their “love.” I may not be a CEO, but I don’t think shadowing your potential business partner to a bunch of fairs and parties is standard due diligence. Also, Kingsley — the client — is described as “inquisitive” so many times I started to assume it was a medical condition.

On a character level, I wanted to root for Mr MMC. He’s likeable, introspective, kind of hot… but his arc lacks depth. He feels bad about the bullying, sure, but doesn’t think to mention it to her until his friend goes “Bro. Apologize.” Also wild coincidence that he’s just been holding onto her magical family heirloom this whole time. The bullying she “hates him for” evaporates basically overnight once she sees his muscles. Girl, be for real.

There’s a lot of “this could’ve been cool” in this book. Elderberry Falls is supposed to be this magical modern human-fantasy crossover hub, but we barely get more than a few throwaway lines about it. The inn is… an inn, not a BnB or boutique hotel or something that would actually mesh with the modern world it seems to exist in. So when she whips out fantasy tinder on her phone or hops in her car like twice ever in the whole book, I got worldbuilding whiplash.

Oh, and the book deals with race. Which is fine — fantasy racism as a metaphor for real-world racism is basically a genre tradition. But here it’s handled with a kind of “he just learned racism is bad last Tuesday” energy that makes it feel weirdly simplistic for a story trying to say something important. It doesn’t help that the resolution is basically “he’s sorry and hot now.”

That said… it’s kind of cute. The vibes are sweet in moments, the banter is decent, and despite everything, I kept reading. The inevitable romance misunderstanding didn’t make me want to throw the my headphones across the room, which is rare, so that’s a bonus. The resolution felt earned-ish.

In the end, it’s a low 3 for me. I enjoyed it in the moment, but the longer I sit with it, the more annoyed I get. Would I recommend it? Depends on what percentage of your brain you want to use whilst reading it.

Cute and goofy romance. I enjoyed it. Audio was fantastic and really enjoyed the narrator! Definitely recommend for a quick and easy good time.

I thoroughly enjoyed Thorak & Mariah's story in the sweet, cozy, monster romance. Prior to this book I had not ever read an Orc romance. This will definitely NOT be my last. I will be diving straight into the Elderberry Falls world and reading the next books already out in this series.

I was offered an ARC of this audiobook by the author, RBmedia, & Netgalley for an honest review.

In a magical world and even more magical creatures there's a little town called Elderberry Falls. Mariah, a human girl, has made her home there since she was in school. Throughout her school years she was the center focus for her classmates bullying. Leading the pack was an Orc known as Thorak. He grew up with the teaching that monsters were superior to humans in everyway and made sure Mariah was aware of his feelings on the matter.
Years later Mariah is the proud owner of an Inn and Thorak the proud owner of a brewery. Both are facing their own hardships and in a twist of fate become the answer to each other's problems.
~Forced Proximity
~fake dating/engagement
~banter/groveling
~he falls 1st
~Spicey time
~cute teacup boar named Snuffles
~magical coffee shop where your coffee automatically refills

Need I say more? I could go on...
If any of this is enticing to you go to your nearest bookstore or ebook/audiobook supplier and get yourself a copy of the book. Thank me later;)

amazon & barnes & noble reviews submitted but not showing up immediately.

This book transports you into Elberberry Falls with a magical flourish! The story is so good as to make you feel like you’ve been transported directly into Elderberry Falls with human Mariah and orc monster Thorak Ironfist as they navigate the tricky path of keeping their fake engagement a secret for their mutual benefit. The audiobook is fantastic at helping you immerse into the story. I especially loved that it was a dual POV narration, and the gruffness of the male narrator helped make Thorak feel like a real monster. Full of redemption, love, and intrigue, this is definitely a book to put on your radar.

This book was so cute and fun to read. I truly enjoyed it and knocked it out in a weekend. Can't wait to read more in the series.

Something I didn't know I needed? A Hallmark-esque romance but with spice and orcs.

What you'll find in this read:
- brewmaster x innkeeper
- forced proximity
- he falls first
- ex-high school bully
- fake engagement
- lower angst

This was such a sweet, cozy paranormal/fantasy read. The setting is immaculate. I want to revisit Elderberry Falls asap. The world and characters are whimsical, though the world itself isn't super built up in terms of in depth explaining the magic, creatures, etc, but that fits the coziness of this story.

Sometimes I don't particularly care for "other woman" drama, but it honestly made sense for this story and fit the Hallmark vibes, in my opinion. I also enjoyed the past of our MCs, with him being her high school bully. It ended a bit of depth to their romance and overall story.

I did the audiobook for this, and I thoroughly enjoyed the narration. I loved the female narrator so much (my first time listening to her) and found her voice and narration style to really compliment the story setting and FMCs personality.

If you want a quick, easy, cozy read - this is definitely the one to pick up!

Thank you Tantor Audio and NetGalley for this early listening copy!

First off, this book is so stinking cute, I was swooning and laughing from start to finish! I’ve never read an orc story, but I absolutely adored this one and will be seeking out the author’s other stories.
This story is about a human who lives in a magical realm full of supernatural creatures. Our heroine was bullied by the hero in high school., so she LOATHES him. And now as adults they have to navigate a fake engagement relationship.for the sake of his business. Will they sink or swim? Well..you gotta read to find out.
I loved the hero. He was charmingly sweet and broody. It goes to show that people can change from high school and forgiveness is key.
This story is a second chance, enemies to lovers romance that focuses on differences (as they are two different species), prejudice, forgiveness, communication, and second chances.
If you like a good cozy story that is so sweet it will make your teeth hurt, this one is for you.

Perfect narratives for this story. Production and narration style fit the story

Thank you to Tantor Audio for the ALC.

This was a short read, so it was pretty cute based on what we had time for.

Thorak was a bully to Mariah in high school and they’ve not interacted much since, until Mariah overhears him needing a human fiancé for a business deal. The fake dating is a fun aspect, although Mariah forgives his past transgressions much quicker than I would have preferred.

The feel of this listen (also shout out to some great narrators!) is very cozy and light, which feels kind of ironic as there’s such a big element of bullying and interspecies racism.

Overall, this was a satisfying listen and I enjoyed the magical world created.