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

I absolutely devoured this audiobook! The narration pacing, sound quality, and narrators were all excellent, As far as the audiobook’s production is concerned, I have no notes, and honestly can’t say enough good things. There were a few bits of the story that could have been developed a bit more, such as the backstory of the FMC and MMC (it wasn’t mentioned much in the beginning, but was something that was a huge plot point that was almost overdone later in the story), but overall I was pleasantly surprised with the heat that was built up throughout. I wasn’t expecting much spice, but this story was hot! I enjoyed the story and would definitely recommend to fantasy lovers.

Thank you NetGalley for the audiobook arc. The narrator did a great job bringing this super cute monster romcom. She’s owns an inn and he is trying to run his own brewery, but when he fibs to a supplier saying he has a human fiancé and as he’s panicking his high school nemesis over hears she uses it as an opportunity to save her inn. A fake engagement of connivence turns into he falls first and admits that he liked her in high school and that their fake relationship has brought up old feelings.

Surprisingly Fun!

I was so intrigued by the cover, I had to give it a try. I did not expect to like it as much as I did but it was a fun and spicy book. I think this is my gateway book to creature romances! The orc lead was so lovable, and their struggles related back to the real world. Overall worth the read!

I finished this book in one sitting. It was super cute and really enjoyable! Very fluffy and a perfect palette cleanser!

cozy fantasy romance in a small town where a variety of species live together. the fmc is a human who owns the inn while the mmc owns his own craft brewery. they pretended to be engaged to help the mmc seal a deal for his business. of course they catch feelings for each other.
the downside is that it is a former bully romance. while both suffered from prejudice and intergenerational drama from their species history. overall the romance was good and the mmc pov saved the book bc he spent the whole time grovelling for her. the third act breakup and miscommunication were not my favorite. I felt the book was ok. the dual narration saved the book and kept me going. both the narrators did a good job. I received an audiobook arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.