This book was a solid 3.5-star read for me. Both of the main characters are cute and likable and as the book tags suggest; it's a very cozy fantasy romance that on more than one occasion made me giggle.
For anyone looking for a very green flag MMC (who is coincidentally also green) with the ability to introspect and grow, then look no further.

The writing itself is easy to get swept up in, and it took me practically no time at all to finish the story (granted it was an audiobook so the option to walk around and do other tasks simultaneously does generally make the process faster but even if this had been a physical copy I doubt I'd have any trouble reading this in a day).

I did find some things rather repetitive throughout the story, one of these being the mention of prejudice between magical races and humans which might not have been much of an issue had the author not used the exact same words to describe the bias multiple times from different POVs throughout the story, but as it stands that is exactly what happened, and it does come across as the author not trusting the audience to get the point.
There is also a lack of "show, don't tell" when these issues come up, which in my opinion takes away from the severity of it.

Overall, I found that this book was a really nice, feel-good romance in a cozy, fantasy setting. If you're in the mood for something light with a happy ending and no toxic main characters, this just might hit the spot.

In this cozy romantasy, an orc and a human innkeeper must overcome past differences and present prejudices if they hope to ever find future happiness together.
First off, this title is magnificent. It drew me to the book without needing to know anything else. I didn't read the synopsis or any reviews before starting the book. When a title hooks you like that, it's a wonderful thing.

I have to say though, that for me, this one wasn't the greatest. However, having said that, I think many readers will enjoy it. So, let's break it down.

What worked:
I loved the idea of this magical town outside the human lands where magical beings of all kinds live in relative harmony. I think, if there are more books coming from this author, it will be great fun to learn more about all the magical business that this town could potentially have. There's definitely room for expansion here. Also, our main characters are great. The orc is kind and caring, loves his family, worries about others, and is a respected businessman. The innkeeper is gentle and quiet, values her friendships, and fights hard for the sake of the inn that's been passed down through her family. Together, they make a good match. I also loved the messages here about prejudice and bullying and people's ability to change.

What didn't work for me but might work for you:
First and foremost, the spice. This book is filled with spicy scenes, far more than were necessary and in much more detail than I cared to read. Second, the romance itself felt very rushed and not all that believable at times. There were also aspects of it that I found disturbing that had to do with some of the dialogue especially during the romantic scenes.

Final thoughts:
If you don't mind a lot of spice and you're looking for a quick cozy romantasy, give this a try. If you like you're stories a little more flushed out or you're looking for a deeper read, give it a pass.

This was a delightful listen! It was a perfect story for a chill, relaxing afternoon. The narrators are well cast, and are ones I'm familiar with from other productions.

The world the story takes place in is similar to our modern world, but with a little town nestled away that has a more diverse population with some humans and many kinds of fantasy species. I liked how this was a mix of a fantasy and contemporary romance.

I will definitely keep my eye out for when the rest of the Elderberry Falls series have audiobooks released.

Thank you to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for giving me access to an advanced listening copy!

Sigh

Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher for giving me a chance to review this book. All thoughts are my own!

Overall Rating: 2/5

This book started out really well. I was vibing with the narration, the world-building was pretty simple, and the characters seemed to well written. But then when we got to it, the story just went down hill.

The story starts off as like a "fake dating" type of troupe which benefits Mariah as she has to deal with a "Pixie Mite" infestation and her "partner" Thorak needs her in order to convince a prejudice investor. I was sat for this plot but idk I felt like the author gave this story almost no substance. All the "fake dating" elements like being seen together in public and meeting the parents just seemed very minimal and forced....

Not to mention this is a bully romance as Thorak bullied Mariah in high school. And while I don't like bully romances the characters are pushing 30 YEARS OLD and Mariah is still bitter? I guess it makes sense but at your big age it's either time to move df on or get revenge like idk... her grudge seemed annoying to me.... especially when Thorak seems to have changed and was actually doing things to let her know he was remorseful...

Like bro why is this author making me type on my keyboard to defend a man?????? WHYYYYYYYY??????

And then we have a 3rd act break up... for what? Heck if I know. Like for that very reason I don't believe that they would make a good couple tbh....

Overall this book was forgettable, didn't have good chemistry between the characters, and the worldbuilding didn't even have enough decency to be consistent.

A surprisingly delightful listen! The narration was chef’s kiss and full of personality. This orc has a filthy mouth and a heart underneath all that muscle. The romance was steamy, emotional, and had just enough conflict to make it compelling.

If you enjoy cosy fantasy with spice and a side of emotional growth, you’ll want this one in your library. Very excited for more instalments in this series, especially in audio.

I love a good cozy fake dating romance and this was definitely it. I really enjoyed following Mariah and Thorak’s love story.

The story is set in a small town and a beautiful magical inn. Mariah has problems with her inn and Thorak is trying to expand his company. In an effort to make sure that they both get what they need Mariah and Thorak strikes a deal and becomes fake engaged.

The dual narration was great and I felt like the narrators fit their characters very well.

I really enjoyed this first installment in the Elderberry Falls series and will most definitely be picking up the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for this advanced listener copy.

This book evoked a wide range of emotions. I greatly appreciated the opportunity to explore the depth of these characters as they overcame their past struggles, differences, prejudices, and misconceptions. The journey was thoroughly engaging, and it inspires a hope that we might achieve similar growth in our own lives.

The pacing was excellent, and the narration was captivating. I wholeheartedly recommend this book.

This was my first ALC and I really enjoyed it. We follow a human innkeeper and an ORC, Who used to bully her in school.

Super easy listen with great narrators! Definitely, an audiobook you can listen to while cleaning or cooking. Easy to follow and don't have to think to much.

Fake engagement trop isn't my favorite however I did enjoy it since The FMC and MMC relationship felt very natural, their story overall was cute and entertaining.

**Thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia for this ALC**

This was such a cute cozy fantasy romance! It was exactly what I was looking for after some heavy romance and fantasy reads. It provided an easy cute and cozy story to listen to. The dual narration worked very well and both characters were great.

Chapter 8 had a muffled sounding audio.

The narration was great, despite the different speeds I listened in.

However, I found the story itself unfortunately underwhelming. I liked the magical premise and the characters were not badly written, but the story felt a bit cliche and I was pretty bored after perhaps the 20th percent. It was predictable and I finished it mostly out of duty to leave a review.

3 stars

~

The Orc and the Innkeeper is a cozy monster romance book by Cora Crane and is the first installment of Elderberry Falls. After finding out about Thorak’s problem, Mariah short on cash strikes up a fake engagement that will solve both of their problems.

The only problem?

Thorak is Mariah’s high school bully.

The overall concept is really good and makes for a very interesting read. One thing I absolutely loved was Robert’s character development. At the beginning of the book we can read about his distrust towards the magical community of Elderberry Falls, but as the story progresses we can see how he overcomes his prejudices begins to enjoy his stay in this magical and cozy town. The description the town overall really made me feel immersed into the story and the relationship that built between the main characters. However, I was not a fan of the instalove. The book was somewhat on the shorter side, but I think the romance could have been fleshed out a bit more. Considering the time they were “engaged” and the time they actually dated, it was too soon to be saying they loved each other based on their past. Adding to this, I felt that Thorak’s apology was not serene and only came about when he wanted something more from Mariah and when his best friend had pointed out Thorak’s lack of apology. I think an apology at the beginning of the book before they needed something from each other would have made me root more for the characters.

Thanks to RBmedia and NetGalley for the advance listener copy!

This was a fun and cozy monster romance set in a charming magical town where humans are the minority among supernatural beings. The story follows a fake dating setup between an orc and a human innkeeper. While the premise had a lot of potential, it could have used a bit more build-up to really sell the fake relationship and emotional stakes.

The narrators did a great job and made the audiobook enjoyable to listen to. However, I felt the character development was a little thin, especially when it came to the orc’s backstory as the heroine’s former high school bully. That dynamic had potential for more depth, but the heroine seemed to forgive him too quickly without much effort or growth shown on his part.

Overall, this was a sweet, light-hearted listen with a fun concept, but it could have benefited from deeper emotional exploration and stronger character arcs.

Since the book itself has been out for a bit, I want to focus on the narration. The female narrator was great. Zero complaints there. I did not like the male narrator’s voice. I think they were going for a deeper voice for an orc, but it honestly came across as someone far older than the character is.

Now the story- an human innkeeper makes a deal with her high school bully to fake an engagement. She gets money to rid her inn of pixie dust mites. He gets a human face to his brewery in hopes of expanding into the human world. It sounds cute and cozy with maybe some enemies to lovers thrown in.

I started off loving the book. I was interested in the world and the characters. Unfortunately there is no world building. There is a human space and an integrated space. I have no clue if they’re neighboring cities or different lands entirely. Is this a medieval village vibe or modern day? Zero clue. Clothes aren’t mentioned unless they’re being taken off, so there’s not much hope of establishing a time period off of those.

The characters are problematic. Mariah has no depth to her whatsoever. She runs an inn. She’s human. That’s about it. Thorak was her most brutal bully through all of school. She was the only human and he lead the entire school into making her an outcast. He never apologizes until his friend asks if he has. When he does apologize it’s all smut. I have no idea what the main characters see in each other except for their attraction. The smut appears to be the point of the story as there isn’t much of a storyline. But the smut itself is repetitive and bland. If you didn’t know he has ridges and they both moan a lot, you’ll definitely be told enough times.

Overall this would be a good vibes read.

A small town romance of an innkeeper who is struggling to keep afloat and a business owner looking to expand their product’s market. He was her former bully when they were in high school, ashamed of his action he has avoided her. He meets a new racist supplier and she overhears. They agree to a fake engagement to help each other out. Add a dash of fantasy and viola you have The Orc and The Innkeeper. Prejudice and racism is a reoccurring theme.

The story is a bit predictable but enjoyable! The world building was good and can see other stories taking place in this world. It is told by dual point of views of the two main characters and the audiobook matches with two different narrators. Both of the narrators were clear and enjoyable to listen to. I greatly enjoyed how they both altered their voices for different characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Tantor Audio for this advanced listener copy for review.

2.5 ⭐️

🎧 ALC - Narrators were fantastic.

I love fantasy, cozy fantasy, dark romance, you name it. I was curious how the bully romance + cozy fantasy would merge (I really wanted to like it) ... but this book unfortunately missed the mark.

The FMC's (Mariah) former high school bully (MMC, Thorak) is back in the picture about 10 years after VERY racially tormenting her, but because he's now hot she trusts him enough to enter into a relationship of convenience after no apologies or amends made.

I can suspend belief and buy into just about any situation for a story but this felt very tone-deaf.

When your greatest bully (note, it was not a casual dislike but get the whole school in on it) pops back into your life, you don't jump into a close relationship, that kind of torment stays with you. Plus, there was no deconstructing the racism the MMC grew up with, he just seemed to want to put it aside because he had a crush on her so he decided to stop.

During the spicy scenes, the FMC uses the need for forgiveness as an enticement - it got kinda cringy.

While I applaud the attempt to bring bully romance into another genre, it does NOT seem to work with the cozy fantasy vibes. The mix just wasn't hitting right.

This was a quick read. It was easy to listen to, the narration was nicely done.
I really liked the monster / human aspect of this. The characters are likable, but I do wish they had more to them. They have a history but we don't really know it. So while they are likable, maybe not entirely relatable.
I am hoping there is more world building in the future. They have this world, but we spend most of our time either at an inn or a tavern. I'd just love to see even more of this world and how the different types of monsters coexist.
One thing that I didn't really enjoy was the constant reminder, in what almost felt like every other chapter, that the MMC was a bully to the FMC.
Depending on how you feel about bullies, may be the defining factor on if this is one you should read.

~Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to listen to the audio arc~

Readers who enjoy lighthearted yet heartfelt romances with playful schemes and unlikely alliances in cozy fantasy settings.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the advanced listener copy of this book.

The Orc and the Innkeeper is a low stakes small town, cozy fantasy, monster romance with dual pov, fake dating, he falls first, and GROVELING! It’s a quick read and a great palette cleanser.
The characters are absolutely lovable! The story is touching and heartwarming.
This audio was perfect! The dual narration really brought out the story and the narrators did a wonderful job.
If you’re into creature features, this book needs to be added to your TBR immediately

This was both cuter and spicier than I anticipated it being. I have not jumped on the cozy fantasy romance bandwagon yet, but this might do it for me.

This was fun! If you are looking for a cozy cottage read, with low steaks and minimal anguish this book might be for you. There is fake engagement, cute fairytale setting and I big marshmallow of an orc who falls first. I would definitely recommend this for an easy read that will make you smile.

Thank you to Cora Crane and Netgalley for this ARC