Thank you NetGalley, Publisher and Cora Crane for giving me this opportunity to review this e-audiobook arc. I’ve originally read this story on KU/ebook late 2024. I didn’t realise I had until I started listening to the audiobook and noticed that. The very first time I read the story I did not love the romance. While I have and do occasionally read bully romance. It’s not my favourite trope out there. However, the audiobook performance elevated the story.

I took my time listening and letting Mariah and Thorak relationship marinate. I personally preferred if the story could’ve taken more time to address the bullying issues from the past. I didn’t think the grovelling was enough. I don’t know if the audiobook was slightly different or if the book has been updated but it does feel different? Overall, I’m glad there was some character development on Thorak‘s end. Even though I wanted to throw a wrench at his head at times.

Side note I think Mariah got ripped off in the very beginning. How expensive could Pixie dust mites removal actually be? Why didn’t she ask around for a different quote or negotiate with a different dwarf?! Yes, this has been bugging me since the first time I read this book. Second time around really gnawed at my sanity lol (this is a me problem)

I enjoyed the girl narration but the guys was hard to follow and listen to. I also had a hard time following the story but maybe that is cause I am not use to audiobooks vs physically reading the book. It was a good story and plot overall. I will definitely give it a try again when I get back into audiobooks to see if I can connect with the story and characters better.

This one was a DNF around 60% for me. The spice was certainly there, but that’s pretty much it. I didn’t like or care about any of the characters or character development. I had such high hopes and I really tried. But this one wasn’t for me. The high spice girlies may love it!

(Advance Listening Copy (ALC) courtesy of NetGalley and Tantor Audio.)

I really enjoyed this fantasy romance read! It was a nice addition to the small, yet growing, collection of orcmances I've read.

The Orc and the Innkeeper sits in that cozy-adjacent space—spicy, but not spice for spice’s sake. The heat was paced well and didn’t overshadow the heart of the story.

The fake relationship trope can be hit or miss for me. Sometimes authors let the deception drag on or lean too hard into the cliché, but the author handled this one well. Even though we had one of those ‘outside-force misunderstandings’ (something that usually makes me cringe), it resolved quickly and actually served the story. It brought the focus back to the characters’ history and the real emotional stuff they still needed to work through. The fake relationship didn’t magically fix everything, and I appreciated that.

I really enjoyed the setting, and I’m looking forward to continuing the series! Fingers crossed that Robert, in all his awkward glory, gets his own love story at some point.

🎧 AUDIO-SPECIFIC:
The narration is solid, with dual voice actors. Mariah’s narrator is perfect for the role. Thorak’s voice felt like a bit of a mismatch, but it never pulled me out of the story. The pacing is good, the characters are distinct, and the overall performance fits the mood of the book.

TL;DR: Cozy-adjacent, spicy romance with satisfying tropes, solid emotion, and a world worth returning to.

📖 Bookish Thoughts
This was such a sweet and cozy orc monster romance. Honestly, it was the light-hearted book I needed today. I listened to the audiobook while following along on my Kindle and the experience was perfect.
I’m not usually a fan of bully romances, but this one really worked for me. Thorak was Mariah’s high school bully, and now they’ve ended up in a fake dating/engagement scheme. This forces him to not only face his feelings for her but also take accountability for how he treated her in the past.

Even though the story is light and fun, it touches on some heavier topics and handles them with care. I do wish Thorak had stood up to his parents a little earlier, but I was happy with where things ended. The whole vibe was very low angst, and now I absolutely want to visit Elderberry Falls.

🍂 What You Can Expect
• Former bully
• Enemies-to-lovers
• Fake fiancée
• Forced proximity
• He falls first
• Redemption arc
• Low angst
• Small town magical charm
• Orc brewmaster

✨ Favorite Quote
It’s a strange kind of magic, this: the power of sincere words spoken by someone you never thought capable of them.
____

📖 Final Score: 4.5 stars
🎧 Audio Score: 5 stars
🎧 Pub Date: June 24, 2025
Thank you to RBmedia and NetGalley for the advanced listening copy. All thoughts are my own.

I love this book so much ! It gave such cute cottage, whimsical vide with a healthy splash of romance and spice, and tusks lol 😂

I had such a great time reading this , definitely going to be more inclined to read more like this x

I would like to thank the publisher for giving me an audio-arc in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley.

Mariah -- a human -- runs the local inn, but she's been having a pixie problem. Thorak is an orc who runs a very successful brewery, but when he tries to bĺranch out to selling in different markets, the investor mistakes him as the braun versus the brains behind the operation, expecting a human to be involved. Mariah, overhearing Thorak lie about having a human fiancé, makes a deal with him: she'll play the part of the fiancé if he pays for her pest problem to go away. Aside from that, she wants nothing to do with Thorak, considering the fact that he was her High School bully. But as the two of them work together to get this deal, and feelings get involved, Thorak will have to own up to the fact that he had feelings for Mariah for a very long time. Can she ever forgive him?

This is a really cute fake engagement, former bully romance. What I really liked about this is the characters: Mariah, who is a human, is spoken down to by most people in town because she's not a monster, and while she faces that prejudice everyday she still stands tall and does her best with her inn. And then you have Thorak who is very sweet, but because he's been put down for wanting to open a brewery, which is very much outside of the normal things an orc would do, he's become a lot more humble as he's gotten older, and seeing the two of them reconcile and get together was cute. The ex-fiance was annoying and, honestly, I'm glad that was settled quickly. One of the big issues tackled in this (besides bullying and how victims of bullying act later on in life) was the prejudice towards humans. And as much as I like the way it ended, I do feel like things with his parents were resolved just a little too quickly, though I do like that there's still some tension there but they love their son enough to try which is great to see. The plot was simple but entertaining. And the spice was nice. This was a cute, cozy little romance.

This was cozy and spicy! Mariah and Thorak’s story is ultimately a bit flawed but they make it to their HEA in the end! There were some cute moments and I really enjoyed the cozy fantasy town of Elderberry Falls.

Thorak was Mariah’s high school bully, but his justification is even more juvenile. It plays into that garbage cliche of “he’s being mean to you because he likes you!” I do think he turned his act around sufficiently but come on.. The theme of being accepting of those that are different than you is certainly important but felt a little heavy handed, with both Robert and Thorak’s parents having strong prejudices that they work to overcome.

I listened to the audio version of this and it was well done! I always enjoy multiple narrators for multiple POVs and both narrators did a great job of infusing emotion into the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the audio ARC!

I enjoyed the magic and sparkle at the beginning/ middle of the book, but some where in the story you kind of forget that there in a magical land. Without that magical aspect of it, it just a story about an innkeepers doubts and trust issues. For the most part the story was cute, but overall something was off.
2.5 stars

This was such a cute story! I feel like it a bit short and the characters didn’t develop as much but it was cute for a short read. I give it a 3.5.

Overall I enjoyed this book and the premise, but it did fall a little flat for me. There were times I wanted to yell at them for how silly they were being. I enjoyed the cozy aspects of the book, but felt like there could have been more world building, like how is the monster world connected to the human world and how does someone travel back and forth? Also I felt like some of the issues didn't really get resolved in a completely healthy way.

The narrators did an OK job reading the book, for the most part I enjoyed them reading the book and I definitely think their reading of the book is what helped me actually finish the book, there were just some scenes where their voices did go a bit high when speaking in other side character voices that I didn't really like.

enjoyed this story, this was my first orc/human romance story and I think it was well done for a cosy romantasy.

I don’t necessarily enjoy bully stories, however, knowing the MMC’s thoughts and pov was really good in having more of an understanding of why he behaved that way towards the FMC as adolescents. To me that was redeeming enough to keep the character likeable.

I liked the characters, I enjoy a good fake engagement trope and I think it was well done in this story. It’s set in a world that is magical but has strong human ties.

I loved how the author dealt with prejudices with race (human vs orc) and the ending was soooo satisfying. This is an easy read that gives feel good vibes at the end.

The narrators were both great and I felt they did fit the characters well enough. The pacing was well done and easy to listen to.

I received this book as an ALC from NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Overall Thoughts:
The Orc and the Innkeeper is definitely worth the read if you are a fan of cozy romantasy books. Cora Crne does a phenomenal job balancing fantasy and romance elements without putting too much emphasis on one genre over the other. If you love a grumpy/sunshine trope, this book is for you. The book is very much character-driven as Mariah and Thorak come to terms with their past and the impact it has on their future.

Narration Review:
Jack Calihan and Rose Dioro's duel narration enhanced the listening experience greatly. Jack played very well into the gruff tone of an Orc. Rose brings life to Mariah's character through her narration by capturing her kindness and spark. Jack and Rose worked so well together and made the story feel very authentic.

This book is perfect for fans of Legend and Lattes and The Spellshop, or anyone who likes fantasy without hundreds of pages of worldbuilding and romance that is tender but grown-up.

I really wanted to love this book, as it was described as a cozy romantic fantasy and monster romance, and I love all of those elements, but I could not get into the story. It may have been the narrator, but I just did not care for this. I may try reading this as a physical book instead. But unfortunately I had to DNF the audiobook.

I'm not a fan of a former bully romance, I'm learning. Maybe it comes from my hatred of Anne of Green Gables. But I'm excited to see more from this little town and the characters and setting were all great

It wasn't really as cozy as I thought it would be and not as funny either. It wasn't as emotionally mature as the characters pretended to be either. But it was an easy enough read and a good (if forgettable) romance. The narrators were great though, they breathed more chemistry into this book than I think it originally had.

Advertisement: I thank Tantor Audio for the ARC through NetGalley.

Although I see potential in this author's work, "The Orc and the Innkeeper" just didn't work for me. Which is sad, because I was just in the mood for a cozy yet smutty fantasy romance with a fake engagement trope. But this book was cheesy — sometimes even unintentionally funny —, had weak world building, no character development and couldn't make me emotionally invested in the relationship between the main character and her high school bully. The best part of this experience were the audiobook narrators. Kudos to them!

Thank you NetGalley and Cora Crane for the ARC.

A fast-paced, cozy romance with low stakes. A nice, short book for in-between longer reads.
I loved the female narrator; the male narrator, though, wasn’t really my cup of tea.
I wish it had been a bit slower, especially regarding the romance. I like a good build-up, and that wasn’t the case with this book.

Book wise I think I’d give this more of a 3.75 if I could. It was cute. And I do love I nice love story but it felt rushed in spine areas. However, the narrators did really well. I do love Jack Calihan as a narrator. This is my first book listening to Rose Dioro. Her voice was very pleasant. They both gave life to the characters well. Back to the book. It was an interesting insight to a bully falling for his victim later on. I tried very hard to separate my own thoughts from it to the reading. Being able to do that, I do still feel some parts were rushed. But I did enjoy the book.

Thank you to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for this ALC!
3.5 stars
This was a cozy and relatively lighthearted romance. There are a few fantasy elements that gave a fun setting for the story (and of course the MMC is an orc). I love a fake dating arc and this one was super cute! Mariah and Thorak decide to stage a fake engagement so he can make a business deal and she can pay for expenses at her inn.
The build up to their relationship was pretty minimal. He also bullied her in high school and the resolution for that never went beyond his explanation that was mean to her because he had a crush and his family didn't like humans. Stop telling girls that boys are mean because they like them.
The third act conflict also felt pretty silly. The FMC just believed the MMC got back with his ex without talking to anyone. Once everything resolved their relationship was cute and all the side characters had good development and came around to their relationship.
I really enjoyed the audiobook. The narration from Rose Dioro and Jack Calihan was excellent! I would definitely pick the audiobooks for the rest od the series.