The Lady and the Orc
Orc Sworn #1
Finley Fenn
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication date: Oct. 28, 2019
Genre: Erotic Fantasy Romance
Rating:
He’s the most feared monster in the realm. And she’s what he needs to win his war…
In a world of warring orcs and men, Lady Norr is condemned to a childless marriage, a cruel lord husband, and a life of genteel poverty — until the day her home is ransacked by a horde. And leading the charge is their hulking, deadly orc captain: the infamous Grimarr.
And Grimarr has a wicked plan for Lady Norr, and for ending this war once and for all. She’s going to become his captive — and the perfect snare for Lord Norr.
There’s no possible escape, and soon Lady Norr is dragged off toward Orc Mountain in the powerful arms of her greatest enemy. A ruthless, commanding warlord, with a velvet voice and mouthwatering scent, who awakens every forbidden hunger she never knew she had…
But Grimarr refuses to accept half measures — in war, or in pleasure. And before he’ll conquer Lady Norr’s deepest, darkest desires, she needs to surrender everything.
Her allegiance.
Her wedding-ring.
Her future…And with her husband’s forces giving chase, Lady Norr can’t afford to play such a dangerous game — or can she? Even if this deadly orc’s plans might be the only way to save them all?
My thoughts…
This book was recommended to me and I was excited to read it. I love a good alternate romance that involves humanoids that are not quite human. There’s so much you can do with that and create, and I’m always interested to see where the author takes it. However, this book missed the mark… terribly!
Jule is kidnapped by Grimmar (captain of the orcs)… which sounds terrible except that her current life is a prison filled with both emotional and physical abuse by the hands of her husband. Grimmar’s men storm the keep where she lives, and she’s taken into the mountains to be Grimmar’s new mate. She’s meant to be someone to give him an heir. Only, oblivious to human customs, he tends to be a bit cruel and short, like chaining her up, or showcasing their “union” after it’s consummated by parading her around and gloating about his victory. All terrible things… but still not AS bad as her abusive human husband was to her.
One thing that drove me bat sh*t crazy was Jule’s back and forth. She would plot her revenge on Grimmar and all the orcs, by escaping and going back to her ABUSIVE husband, which fine, better the enemy you know then the one you don’t. However, she would go on and on about his “ugly grotesque face”, but then would become a horny teenager for him. Then the moment after the dead is done, she would sling slurs and insults at him Now, the author tries to explain her horniness as this allure that orcs have over human women, but it’s not fleshed out and it leaves you feeling like it’s just a cheap excuse for the back and forth.
This could have been a very unique fantasy romance story. So much lore could have been brought to the table, but instead we got some really cheap, sleazy, orc porn with a lackluster story that left me so uninterested that I could NEVER remember their names, because there was zero character development to make me feel invested.
