This was cute.

Was a very passable and short moster romance. I enjoyed their romance and the way that things developed. For the first book in the series it was very good foundational start.

I think it suffered from being a little more simplistic, but it overall was good time.

The narrators did a really good job, and I recognized them from other projects that I've enjoyed, so I knew I was in good times.

Thank you to Tantor Audio, Cora Crane and Netgally for an audiocopy.

Book:
⭐⭐⭐½
Audio:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Characters:
⭐⭐⭐

tropes:
- fake dating
- fmc's high school bully
- misunderstanding/miscommunication


first off, i just want to say, the audiobook? AMAZING. i loved the two readers, their voices felt natural yet enjoyable to listen to. if you're looking to read this book, i would highly recommend doing it via audiobook!

that being said, this book is a solid 3.5/5 stars for me. it was fun, but i really could've done without the 3rd act break-up/misunderstanding trope - but that's just a personal preference.
the characters weren't exactly standout for me, but i didn't hate them either.
if you're just looking for a quick read as a pick-me-up between series, something overall lighthearted, i would definitely recommend this. while i don't think i'll be continuing on with the rest of the books in the "elderberry falls" interconnected standalones, i definitely still enjoyed my time listening to this one.

thank you netgalley for the audiobook arc!

Cora Crane's The Orc and the Innkeeper is a richly imagined fantasy that blends grit, heart, and unexpected tenderness in a world where enemies are not always what they seem. With evocative prose and a steady hand on pacing, Crane invites readers into a tale of unlikely alliances, personal redemption, and the quiet bravery found in everyday choices.

The novel centers on a hardened orc warrior and a weary but resilient innkeeper whose lives intersect under extraordinary circumstances. What begins as a tense, cautious relationship slowly unfolds into something more profound, challenging both characters' assumptions about the world—and about each other. Crane’s character development shines, offering readers a nuanced portrayal of strength, vulnerability, and the healing power of companionship. The fantasy setting is vivid yet grounded, with just enough world-building to enrich the narrative without overwhelming it.

Whether you're a fan of romantic fantasy, character-driven storytelling, or tales that explore the softer sides of monstrous beings, The Orc and the Innkeeper delivers a satisfying and heartfelt experience. It’s a quiet but powerful story that lingers long after the final page.

If you're interested in romantasy or monster romance and don’t know where to start THIS is a great book to begin with!
This book reads like a cozy hallmark romance- human innkeeper makes a deal with the orc brewer to save his brewery. The fantasy elements are not too much and there isn’t a massive world you need to understand.
Considering I am NOT a big fan of bully romances I was okay with this one. It resolved itself quickly and the fake dating made up for it.

RECOMMENDED FOR:
Readers wanting to try romantasty/monster romance
Fans of CM Nascosta’s Morning Glory Milking Farm. Similar setting and vibes.

AUDIOBOOK:
Great duel narration and point of views changing every few chapters. Narrators Jack Calihan and Rose Dioro. Their voices were exactly what I’d pick for the characters! They really brought them to life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for providing this advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was one of my first monster romance book and I really enjoyed it. I liked the cozy vibes and the low stakes nature of the story. The world wasn’t going to end and we weren’t information dumped a bunch of lore that we’ll need to hoard away for later. With that said the world was so cool I wanted to know more of it.

I liked that this audiobook was dual narrated. I felt the narrator’s voices were a good fit for the characters and the pacing was good. No complaints there.

Loved this story. Can’t wait to read more of the series.

Thank you to Netgalley, Cora Crane, and Tantor Audio for the ALC of the audiobook!

"Being a human in a magical town is never boring, that's for sure. Sometimes I get treated like a sideshow attraction by my date... But there are upsides: Monsters and magical beings are built differently from huma men. Usually, in good ways. Very good ways."

Well, I did not expect to fall into the hole of monster/magical being romances (I asked for this), but I reaaaally enjoyed this. (Of course I did.) It may be that Jack Calihan's Thorak has the voice of an absolute god and Rose Dioro made me imagine myself as a dainty, beautiful angel but we may never know the true answer for this.

If you need a deliciously, delightful and lighthearted palette cleanser, this book is for you.

"In my dreams, there's a chance this fake engagement can bloom into something real between us. That Mariah may be able to forgive me for how I treated her, and see the orc I've grown into. The one that wants nothing more than to worship her."
(I mean, come on... so yummy)

This was a fun and spicy romantic fantasy novel.

I love that the main characters come together as a response to prejudice and discover their own misunderstanding of each other. Thorak is such a softie and watching their relationship grow was aw inducing.

The ending was great and I can't wait to read the next book in the Elderberry Falls series; when it has been written and published.

Jack Calihan and Rose Dioro did a great job narrating this story. The alternating narrators made it easy to decipher whose point of view you were hearing.

A big thank you to Tantor Audio, Netgalley, and Cora Crane for giving me this audio ARC in return for my honest review!

If you're looking for a short and sweet monster romance, this might be the book for you! When Mariah finds her inn infested by magical pests, she isn't sure where she'll come up with the money to keep her business afloat. At the same time, her high school bully Thorak finds himself facing a business deal that could mean big things for his brewery. The only problem is that the human man he's doing business with is uncomfortable dealing with orcs. How does he solve this problem? Lie about a human fiancee, of course. Mariah overhears their exchange and comes up with a solution that will help them both. He covers the cost of repairs and she pretends to be his fiancee to help see the deal go through.

This book is dual POV and the male and female narrators really did a great job. They were both easy to listen to and put the right amount of emotion into the characters.

Pros:
* This book is very easy to listen to, follow along, and understand what's happening
* There's a big theme with discrimination and I think it's really interesting that the author shows it from both sides. Humans who do not like magical creatures and magical creatures that do not like humans. There's a lot of growth in this area, especially for some of the side characters.
* If you're new to monster romance this might be a good one since the “creative anatomy” is less creative than other books 😅

Cons:
* I'm not a big fan of bully romance and while there isn't really any on-page bullying between MCs, I have a hard time with “I know you caused me untold emotional trauma but now I love you”
* I felt like the emotional development, especially for the MMC could have been better. He's kind of just like “I've been in love with her for years” and there's really nowhere to go from there.
* The MMC claims he bullied the FMC because he was in love with her and he didn't want other people to bully her. I mean, I know high schoolers are young and dumb but that seems like a stretch to me.

Overall this book was cute, short, and sweet with some cozy vibes. I feel like it could have been better but it wasn't bad. I rated it 3 stars.

There are about three explicitly spicy scenes in this book which means I would rate it about 2 in terms of spice.

While it wasn't my favorite book, I think it could be a good read for others! If you read my review and didn't get turned off by anything, I would recommend you give it a listen.

The Orc and the Innkeeper was a cozy, easily digestible fantasy romance that hit the spot when I wanted something light and low-stakes. The story doesn’t have a ton of frills, but that worked in its favor—it’s straightforward, charming, and sweet in its simplicity.

I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed the dual narration. The male narrator had a nice, gravelly voice that suited the orc character perfectly and added depth to the listening experience. The chemistry between the characters felt warm and natural, and the pacing made it easy to sink into the story without feeling rushed or overwhelmed.

If you're in the mood for a soft fantasy with a touch of romance and comfort, this is a great pick.

Thank you to Cora Crane, Tantor Audio, and NetGalley for the ARC!

This book was such a pleasant surprise! I don’t usually reach for cozy reads - or monster romance, for that matter - but The Orc and the Innkeeper completely charmed me from start to finish. It’s a sweet, low-stakes enemies-to-lovers story - though really, he’s already completely into her from the beginning, which makes his gruff-yet-devoted personality so endearing.

The cozy inn setting, the gentle humour, and their growing connection gave me all the comforting vibes I didn’t know I needed… and then there’s just the right amount of spice mixed in. Nothing overly explicit, but definitely enough that I found myself glancing around to make sure no one else could hear what I was listening to! That perfect balance of cozy and steamy worked really well for me, and I think I’ve just discovered a whole new niche genre I enjoy.

The audiobook was excellent. The dual narration brought the story to life, with both narrators perfectly matching their characters and adding real warmth and personality. The pacing and tone fit the story beautifully, and I was genuinely sad when it was over.

I enjoyed this so much that I’ll definitely be picking up a physical copy for my shelves. If you’re curious about monster romance or looking for something light, charming, and just a little bit spicy, I can’t recommend this enough.

I hate to do it but I really did not enjoy this book. I was drawn in by the cover of the book since it reminded me of another series that I do enjoy but it did not live up to that at all. It had very little heart or magic to it at all. There was no world building or character development and the spicy scenes were almost painful to read. I really wanted to enjoy this book and hate leaving a negative review but it was really unenjoyable.

I received early access to an audio book copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

✨𝐀𝐋𝐂 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰✨

“𝘿𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚.”

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬: 15, 18, 19, 27 & 29
𝐒𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧: 48%
𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬: Bully romance, fake engagement, he falls first, small town romance
𝐏𝐎𝐕: 1st person, Dual POV
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Dual
𝐊𝐔: Yes

This one was just okay for me. Unfortunately, I never really felt connected to the characters or fully invested in the storyline. It felt like the book didn’t have quite enough length to flesh out the plot or develop the emotional stakes.

It’s definitely low-angst—think Hallmark movie vibes, but with orcs. If that sounds like your kind of escapist fantasy, it might work better for you than it did for me. I liked the cover, I think maybe cozy fantasy books aren’t my thing. I haven’t given up on monster romance though.

The Orc and the Innkeeper by Cora Crane
Fake relationship - Human and monster(orc)

Mariah inherited an inn which is now infested with glittering pixie dust mites. She agrees to a fake engagement with an orc named Thorak Ironfost to pay for cleaning it up, He was her high school bully..

I did not like it as much ad I thought I would. The world building and setup was not done thoroughly. I couldn’t connect with the characters at all. It just felt lacking in alot of aspects.
I realized that I don’t like a bully to lovers story; he was a tormentor, never really apologized to her and the reason he gave for bullying her was BS. So kind of threw me off !!

The audiobook is narrated by Jack Calihan and Rose Dioro. Both of them did a great job in bringing the characters to life.
There were no audio production or quality issues throughout even at a faster pace.

Fake dating
Monster romance
Enemies to lovers
He falls first
Small town

Audio narration - well done
Jack Calihan; Rose Dioro


Main characters
Thorak (orc)
Mariah (human)

This was a fun and cute story that also delved into deeper topics. Bullying and prejudice were two of the major issues but played an important part of the story. It was not written on sn offensive way and really handled well.

I applaud Mariah and her strength. She went through a lot when she was growing up and still was able to be a good person with a good heart.
Thorak had a lot to answer for. A lot of his growth was in the past but he had to show Mariah that he had changed for the better.

Entertaining and a quick read. This is the first in the series. The building was stellar. I will definitely visit the town of Elderberry Falls again

Thank you @NetGalley and @RBmedia for the AAC. This audio was so cute. I loved the human/monster romance. I want to live in Elderberry Falls. I can not wait to read the other book in the series.

Tropes:
╰⪼ Monster x Human
╰⪼ Fake engagement
╰⪼ Cozy fantasy

This book was such a delightful surprise! I usually don’t reach for cozy fantasy, but the monster x human romance hooked me — and thankfully, it wasn’t overly sweet or too cozy. There was just the right balance of whimsy, tension, and heart to keep it engaging, and the narrators did an excellent job bringing the characters to life. Some of the worldbuilding details were hilariously on-the-nose (ie., teacup boar and pixie dust mites), but it added to the charm. A great palette cleanser after heavier reads!

I’m squealing, this book was adorable, and it’s the first in a series so you know I can’t wait for more.
She’s a sassy human innkeeper. He’s the orc that made high school unbearable. The twist? He’s actually a cinnamon role and he needs her help to convince an investor to help him distribute his ale in the human lands. Can they move past their past?

I have been getting into monster romances, especially anything with an orc! The cover is super cute and I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to listen to this one. The narration was great and had me intrigued from the beginning.

I wasn't sure how the plot would be since I honestly didn't read the blurb for it. Oops! I loved that it involved a fake relationship and that both were secretly in love with each other. They were so cute together and I was happy that she saw past who he was in school to help him, even if she herself needed something out of it.

The only thing I wasn't a fan of was how lusty they were from the beginning. I felt like it took a bit away from the chemistry between them because it would feel more physical than anything.

Overall, this was good!

Thank you to the publisher for a complimentary audiobook to review!

The beginning of this book was fun and I was really excited for the story. It slowed down so much I couldn't stay interested in it.
The characters were fun but the story got really repetitive and I felt like I was not getting anywhere with it.

Such a cozy monster romance one of second chances that will pull on youre heart strings so much where a monster grew up being told to hate humans grows up to realize they aren’t as bad as he was told from old history and finds himself in a predicament with a human and his conflicted feelings and a human girl who finds herself in a tough situation and cleverly finds a way to fix her problems but it leads to way more than she thought it would in that moment, I definitely will be reading the next book in this series and I highly recommend this one!
Such amazing narration and voice actor selection for the audiobook!