Wed to the Orc Captive
Orc Wed, #2
Penny McMara
Publisher: Self-published
Publication date: Sept. 7 2026
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Rating:
My village was desperate to stop the orc raids, and moved to force the only kind of treaty orcs one sealed with passion. They captured an orc and told the monster that he’d take a human bride, or he’d die.
I’m avoiding a slightly worse fate.
We’ve both made the choice to survive. Now, we’re saying our vows through prison bars, neither of us fully able to trust the other. Everything about him screams danger, from his chiselled body to his too-intelligent eyes. He’s called us barbarians; he’s mocked at our faith. He’s wary of me, as a magic user, as a human, as a weakling…though that doesn’t seem to have dampened his interest in taking me to his bed.
I want to hate him. I want to see him as a monster. I want him to be someone whose blood won’t weigh on my conscience, if I have to kill him.
If only he didn’t show me more tenderness than any man I’ve ever known.
My thoughts…
Another great story by Penny McMara. I fell in love with her world when I read Wed to the Orc Warrior, and this story continues to deliver.
In this one, we have a similar premise: a human female who doesn’t necessarily want to marry an orc but does so to save someone else from having to do it. However, unlike Khal, who was actively seeking a human bride, Vrathgar is imprisoned and on the chopping block. The humans seem to think that marrying him off to one of their village’s humans will secure their safety with the orcs. Who is he to correct them of their stupidity when it means he gets to go free?
These two have a mutual understanding. They know they were put in a difficult position in order to survive. As they travel toward safety, you start to see them work together while still navigating this new situation. I liked that Annora never really fought against being an orc bride. She volunteered for it, and therefore settles into her fate. However, it’s clear that the abusive upbringing she suffered is not the future she has with Vrathgar. I think having him be gentle and go slow with Annora really helps her let her guard down. She was expecting a brute, but instead, he is probably more civilized and kind than the humans from her village.
Just like the first book, we follow the couple getting married, traversing to the Orc lands, and navigating the fact that an orc brought in an outsider. Unlike the first book, Vrathgar is not a high-ranking orc; in fact, a lot of people do not trust or care for him since his father is from a tribe known to be rather brutal and aggressive. So, not only does Annora need to navigate being an outsider, but her husband’s low standing doesn’t earn her any respect either. It was really interesting to see the tribe’s reaction to both of them showing up.
I have thoroughly enjoyed both books in the series thus far, and I am curious to see who the next orc/human couple will be!
Previous reviews from Orc Wed
Wed to the Orc Warrior
