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.

3.5 stars

I love a fake dating story! Plus monster human romance 😍 this was a fun short read with good spice 🥵

I did feel like overall the plot fell short. I don’t mind a miscommunication trope but the third act break up + miscommunication was dragged on a bit longer than needed. I did like the way everything was resolved though.

For being 10 years out of high school they sure do think about things that happened in high school a lot more than I think is normal 😅 it also sounds like the Elderberry Falls is small so I find it hard to believe Mariah and Thorak haven’t had any interaction prior to him going to the Inn.

Aside from those things it was a fun quick read - I see this is a series I will check the others ones out!

Thank you NetGalley, Tantor Audio, author Cora Crane and narrators Jack Calihan and Rose Dioro.

Honestly, this for me was a good audiobook listen while I was working, didn't require much brainpower to follow the story line and gave some entertainment, as well as several sexy scenes that made me pause and listen for a moment.

Was the story line without fault, no. Was the story terrible, also no. Would I go back and physically read it, probably not. But as an audiobook for entertainment I felt it did it's job.

The HS bullying I felt was an odd choice and could have been done differently, but wasn't wholly offputting.

The human monster dynamic is one I always enjoy and I think stayed well in the normal tracks.

What I did really enjoy from the book was the commentary on speciesism and how this town is a safe haven for all. But I do feel like that felt a little disjointed when part of the plot was how humans are treated poorly. Had a lot of potential, but needed perhaps a little more buffing to get it right.

If you loved Legends and Lattes but were missing a more romantic aspect and some spice then this book is going to be for you!

Mariah is the innkeeper at the Moonflower Inn which she inherited from her Aunt. Thorak is the owner of Orc's Anvil a local brewery. Both characters know each other from high school where Thorak was Mariah's bully, singling her out because she was the only human in a school for magical beings. It wasn't spite that caused Thorak to bully Mariah, it was the fear of becoming a social pariah because Throak was actually enamored with Mariah. After years of not seeing each other Thorak ends up visiting Moonflower Inn to speak to a potential business investor staying there. Both Mariah and Thorak find themselves in sticky situations leading them to come together and put on a fake engagement to help one another achieve their goals. Through spending time together per their agreement Mariah finds herself falling in love with Thorak ( Who was already therte and always had been) . Together these two face prejudice, work through past traumas and choose love above all things.

This book was a great read from start to finish! There were some swoon worthy moments, I laughed out loud, and may have shed a few happy tears. I loved the world building and the banter between characters. This book started off as a cozy fantasy but became a sappy and slightly steamy romance! It does sound like the next book in this series is going to be about Mariah's best friend Ecco and although I am super interested to see how that goes, I hope that i get to see a little more from these characters because I don't think their story is done yet!
I recieved an ARC of The Orc and the Innkeeper, in exchange for my honest review. This book is now available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited!

I strongly think the cover was made with AI, after searching through the author's account looking for the cover artist and I couldn't find it. I don't want to support any AI usage.

This was a huge miss. I thought it would be the cute and cozy sweeping tale. But in reality it was a bully romance with okay smut scenes. I hate enemies to lovers romances, or even worse bully romances. Bully romances to a point do work when trying to make us hate the guy. (It succeeds.) But that wouldn't be super hard because he such a jack ass. The relationship is half-baked at best. The FMC can't even properly take care of her Inn. So double failure. Just wish more time was spent making this book better.

This cozy fantasy romance has a lot of charm and some delightful banter, but it didn't quite sweep me off my feet. The setup is promising—an overworked innkeeper facing magical chaos and an orc brewmaster with a reputation problem teaming up in a fake engagement? That's classic rom-com gold with a fantasy twist.
Rose Dioro gives the innkeeper a spunky, endearing voice, and Jack Calihan brings a nice gruffness to Thorak that fits his broody, reluctant-hero vibe. Their narration works well together, and there's definite chemistry in the audio performance.
Where the story falters slightly is in its pacing and development. The emotional tension between the leads sometimes gets overshadowed by repetitive inner monologues and predictable misunderstandings. The conflict surrounding prejudice between species is touched on but not thoroughly explored satisfactorily. And while the pest infestation is a fun and quirky problem, it often feels more like a plot device than a real threat.
Still, there's plenty to enjoy—humour, heartfelt moments, and the unique spin of fantasy tavern life. It just doesn't quite dig deep enough into the romance or the world-building to leave a lasting impression. If you're looking for a light, low-stakes escape with orcs, ale, and a sprinkle of magical chaos, this might still be worth a listen.