The Midwife and the Orc (Orc Sworn, #5) (2024)

Like a warm, squishy, spooge-covered hug. I love this series.

4.5 These Orcs freaking kill me Stars!!

What is it about these sneaky, conniving Orcs that I know what's coming, I know the BS they're gonna pull and yet I fall for it, eagerly I might add, every single time. I willingly go into their trap, just like the women under their thrall. I know I shouldn't. I know I will get hurt and there will be tears and yet I run straight into it, like a child to a kidnapper's candy van.

With that being said, man, can Finley Fenn weave a tale. The world she has built is so wondrous and striking, with her Orc mountain and Joarr's garden. Underground rooms with glowing mushrooms, heated natural baths, sleeping in a hammock in the trees with platforms and climbing ropes. So much of this one reminded me of the mix between The Swiss Family Robinson and Tarzan. Yet with such a realistic cruel side, with the hateful human men who use and abuse women, only seeing them as property or a means to an end.

Joarr, the Seer and head Orc spy, definitely is reminiscent of Tarzan. He is curious, sneaky, and a blight on the horrible men who threaten Orc mountain and the women mates to the orcs, as he climbs and flies through the trees, right under their noses. Joarr spied on them, looking for weaknesses and a way to gain the upper hand and found Gwyn. He was bewitched and entranced from the beginning, wanting her desperately for his own yet crushed under his obligations to his clan and honor pledge.

Gwyn, Lord Anton's daughter, is being suffocated under the indifferent yet restrictive care of her father and betrothed. She has worked hard to become a skilled midwife, with the heart to help woman, to give them choices they wouldn't normally be given in such a male dominated society. Even to help the woman pregnant with Orc babies, because they have it hardest of all. Yet Gwyn's father and Roy, her betrothed, think it is stupid and a passing fantasy and try to thwart her at every turn, causing her to decide to move into a house her great aunt left her at the base of Orc mountain to start her midwife practice.

Joarr and Gwyn become embroiled together in this intrigue. They both want the same end, the law going after and hurting women pregnant with Orc babies to be stopped. Gwyn sees through Joarr's motives and plans to use her, but wants to help and is still drawn inextricably to him. He makes Gwyn feel seen, appreciated, and supported for the first time ever. Joarr tries to keep things light and give Gwyn all the choices while at the same time knowing she is everything he's ever wanted even though from what he "sees" they don't get to have the happy ending. Though he prays that his quick smart mate will find a new way.

I really liked this one. I cried many tears with this one. There is crazy, dirty, raw, raunchy steamy antics, half the time with an Orc audience, which is a part of the Orc society. But most importantly of all, I loved how Joarr, supported Gwyn and loved her and did everything in his power to give her what she needed, even when she didn't know it was happening. How Gwyn supported and honored Joarr to his clan because he was a good 'man' and deserved it, and how she loved him even knowing she may never get to be with him or have that love returned.

There was sneaking, scheming, and lies which led to trust issues, which seems to be a theme with these Orcs that keep everything so close to the vest. Joarr and Gwyn though refused to give up or give in, they fought until the end with cunning and wits to find a new way. It paid off with a well won HEA, and a more secure future for all the Orcs.

Even though this is an ARC review, I will always shoot you straight. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I adore this series so much it manages to incorporate all the erotic filth you could ever wish for but with a solid imaginative story at its centre as well. Very few authors can pull this off successfully and take away all the erotic stuff and you are still left with a fantastic deep tale that manages to include some series subjects as well It’s also well researched and has fabulous world-building.

So even though each book features a different Orc and human coupling I would suggest reading them in order there’s a lot of recurring characters and backstory and this will just add more to the whole experience.
This is sole POV it’s Gwyn and Joarr’s story we were introduced to Joarr previously he’s the chief Scout for the Orcs he’s also a Seer and it’s his job to watch from the shadows collecting information. He’s also had a big upheaval recently and is struggling to adjust to his new circ*mstances Gwyn is part of the solution to this particular problem but she also manages to turn everything on its head and beats him at his own game forcing him to reassess everything.

Gwyn is the daughter of a powerful lord one that has assisted in passing an awful law that is affecting the orcs woman. This ruling humiliates and targets them unfairly and despite the apparent peace treaty still, in place, the humans are still hunting orcs. This goes against everything Gwyn believes in and stands for she is a midwife something she has fought hard to accomplish and she hates what her father is currently a part of.

Gwyn was such a contradiction, on the one hand, she’s brave stubborn and intelligent but then she also struggles so much with doubts and feelings of inadequacy thinking she doesn’t quite measure up. I think some of this was In part due to her betrothed and his casual treatment of the bond they should share but on his part didn’t he has callously paraded other women in front of her for years but then always reels her back in which Gwyn usually succumbs too but no more she’s now had enough and moving Into the shadow or orc mountain will help to accomplish the severing of her past from her future.

Joarr well I did like him but at times his distance and lack of disclosure did annoy me and I was a bit put out when I realised just how Gwyn had originally pinged on his radar and his original interest In her then for him to swiftly change tack when his circ*mstances changed well I wanted to give him a bloody smack for his sheer callousness. Still when Gwyn and Joaar are on the same page together and when they are having fun they make a great pair and he is very attentive and considerate when he’s not shutting her down. I’m also glad he did eventually grovel and apologise to Gwyn it needed to be done.

Overall this is a brilliant addition to the series be aware this is very erotic with lots of exhibitionist behaviours though there is no sharing. It’s also very imaginative and creative and is such a vivid fantasy romance that isn’t just your usual piece of smutty fiction but is also very deep as well so here your getting the best of both worlds. I definitely recommend this series it is a firm favourite of mine and this author can sure spin a yarn always keeping me entertained with my eyes glued till the very last page.
I voluntary reviewed a copy of The midwife and the Orc.

Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com

Edit June 2022 to bump this up to 5 stars because DAMN I LOVE THIS BOOK. This book is so clever. So fun. This is where Finley really started to break the mold on her orc heroes, who up until this point have been almost unforgivably sneaky. It helps that Joarr is so likable and Gwen so competent and smart, though a little insecure.

All the mushrooms. All the fun. All the orc lovin.

Original review below

+

If the other heroes in the Orc Sworn series have been a little… mean… to you, you’re going to love Joarr and Gwyn. My biggest issue with previous books is that the heroes always keep things from the heroine (which still happens in this book) but also that they’re pretty cruel to them! I still enjoyed previous books but this one really has the fun element I think was missing from the others, especially book 1.

Gwyn is a lord’s daughter rebelling against the expectations set of her - to marry a handsome man who doesn’t care for her and cheats on her constantly. She’s a trained midwife who inherits her great aunts home, right next to Orc Mountain. On her first night there, she gets a visitor - Joarr.

We met Joarr in the previous book - he’s Skai and basically Simon’s brother. When we meet him again here, though, he’s a bit different. He’s learned he’s NOT Skai, he’s Bautal - a complete different orc group he wasn’t raised with. I thought this provided such an interesting dynamic to the story. Not only was Gwyn off-kilter as a midwife, human, and lord’s daughter in Orc Mountain, but Joarr wasn’t comfortable among his people, either.

I loved that we got to see more of Silfast and Stella, who we met in book 1.5 Offered by the Orc (a bonus story you get when you subscribe to Finley’s newsletter).

This book had all the erotica you come to expect from the series but such great drama and relationship building, not only with the main character but with Joarr and Gwyn as they assimilate to the Bautal clan.

This is definitely my favorite in the series although my favorite couple is still Simon/Maria (I’m a size queen, sorry!).

CW: multiple detailed cases of self harm, pretty graphic

Giving this book 2 stars is being extremely generous. This is the most repetitive series ever. Each book is the same story over and over again. The same major plot points. At this point, someone should make a bingo card.

⭐️ Good message and representation of abortion in the book. Gwyn had an abortion as a teenager because she knew she didn't want to commit to Roy, her betrothed. I always support books that are pro-choice and show abortion is healthcare. In these times, we need more representation of abortion as healthcare in the media.
⭐️ There were some attempts to differentiate this book from others in the series.

The below points are long because this book was the final straw for me for this series.

⛔️ The awful silent staring is back 👁👄👁 Unlike Simon, Joarr has a "mask" (not literal) that falls over his face to hide his emotions. It got better when Joarr actually started talking and communicating with Gwyn.

⛔️ This book could be retitled "Gwyn's poor life choices after she meets Joarr." That is literally it. I know this is a thing in dark romances but Gwyn was willfully ignoring her brain and all the signs while knowing Joarr was continually deceiving her. She could not have been dumber in her decisions after meeting Joarr.
⛔️ One of the worst choices Gwyn made? Why did Gwyn offer her house for Stella to take a vacation when the horrid law targeting pregnancy with orc babies was about to become law? Like this is peak idiocy. Stella (obviously the smarter one here for this) initially passed on the idea but I knew this was going to become a plot point later. Gwyn knew Roy, her ex-bethrothed, threatened to visit there in a week. Gwyn is out here just making all the poor life choices after meeting Joarr.
��️ Another horrible choice Gwyn made (where is this girl's brain?): Offering her room so that Stella and Silfast can have sex while she knows that Roy will appear soon because Joarr literally told her moments earlier that Roy would be coming to her house. This girl does not use her brain. Things could have gone south fast for the peace treaty if Roy and his group of soldiers found Stella and Silfast.
⛔️ Each time before Gwyn made a poor choice, she mentally reminded herself how Joarr had deceived her and hurt her but then she ignored her rational side and did whatever. This girl...

⛔️ This wasn't angsty. This book is marketed as an angsty monster romance. There was no good angst here. Good angst requires deep emotions. This was just Gwyn being an idiot after meeting Joarr and Joarr never revealing the whole truth to her. It was like watching a dysfunctional couple squabble but not in an interesting or entertaining way. It just got tiring to read about.
⛔️ The deception plot usually creates juicy angst because it surprises the reader and shows a lack of trust in the relationship. There were no surprises here. Every time Joarr deceived Gwyn and Gwyn found out and got all sad, I knew he was going to do it again. And he did. Over and over. It just got repetitive and boring and each subsequent deception lost all emotional impact.
⛔️ The whole betrayal Gwyn felt over Joarr not telling her he can predict (feel) the future was just overdramatic. Like, Gwyn, he originally planned and vowed to his clan on knocking you up and using your son as a political tool? Did you forget that? He was always manipulating Gwyn. So he can predict the future? He chose to manipulate you. The choosing is a worse betrayal than using his ability to his advantage. And then the twist about how he can't see the future with her? Really now? We're going to do the you're-so-unique-my-special-power-doesn't-work-on-you trope too? This book could not be more predictable if I read the outline before reading the book.

⛔️ Every book is the same plot. The human protagonist finds out the orc love interest used her for his own selfish interests blah blah blah. This is becoming mindlessly repetitive. I'm reading these out of order so this only applies to The Heiress and the Orc (#2), The duch*ess and the Orc (#4), and this book The Midwife and the Orc (#5). But three books in the series having the same plot? This is pure laziness or a lack of creativity.
⛔️ The whole sacrificing the human protagonist who is also pregnant with the orc baby plot is repeated several times in this series. The first book with Jule and Grimmar (I didn't read this book, this is from the reviews), Ella and Nat, (somewhat with) Maria and Simon, and now with Gwyn and Joarr.
⛔️ The sad scene in the forest around the 80% mark where they cry and Joarr says something like if the goddess was not so cruel... This is a total repeat of the same scene in The Heiress and the Orc where Nat says a similar thing. This is copy and paste at this point. The scene lost any sense of sadness from reading it before in a previous book.
⛔️ Don't read multiple books from this series at once. Don't do what I did 🤡🤡 Space them out between other books. They are extremely repetitive and share the same plot points so they start to blur together. And you get so bored because you are essentially reading the same book over and over.

⛔️ Stella and Silfast's marriage problems were the worst and dullest parts of this book. I'm biased because I didn't read their short story so I'm not connected to these characters at all. The whole marriage issues because they got bad advice for their sex life was also really predictable (Fenn isn't creative with plots... This is an often used scenario for most marriage in trouble plots dealing with pregnancy) and not interesting at all with this pairing. They're both uninteresting characters so I didn't care for this side plot. At this point, I don't feel any draw to read Stella and Silfast's short story. Points for them getting marriage counselling because they really need it.

⛔️ Why do books in this series always start off good but then quickly lose steam towards the end? The long length may be a detriment because there is a lot of filler content and the structure is sloppy. A shorter length and tighter structure may somewhat help.

⛔️ So many of the same phrases are repeated over and over to pad the page count. It actually got a little annoying. With a good editor helping, this could be like 20-30% shorter without these repeated phrases.

⛔️ The prose is still... awful. Slightly improved since The Heiress and the Orc but still horrendous to read. A unique writing voice for sure but not one I honestly enjoy reading. I feel an urge to go read a book by a writer with good prose after reading books in this series to refresh my eyes.

⛔️ Would be nice to read about a protagonist who is not married/engaged to someone else when they meet their orc love interest. This is getting real repetitive. (I've not read Jule's or Rosa's or Stella's book yet.) This should be added to the bingo card for this series.

⛔️ Not liking this trend in this series (of the books I read) of the love interests from previous books becoming the antagonists/villains in future books. First, it was Grimmar (though I didn't read his book so he may just always be horrid like that) and in this it was Silfast. But it is a dark romance series so...
⛔️ Grimmar and the other orcs are again totally okay with manipulating some innocent person's life (Ella, Maria, and now Gwyn) to gain something for the orcs.
⛔️ Fenn tried to make Jule seem innocent with her whole "I tried but I got overruled by the orcs" statement but that's a poor attempt to retro-fix her character from the previous books (where she just idly sat by and watched other people's lives being toyed about for the benefit of the orcs). One of the central themes of this series is about the humans bringing change for the orcs. Jule just sitting around and letting people be emotionally abused is not it. I'm never reading the first book. Grimmar and Jule are truly despicable characters. But this is a dark romance so the rules are different...

⛔️ At around the 80% mark, I was done with this book. I knew I was done when I felt nothing emotionally for the big climatic sad scene. I didn't care about the characters and I didn't care about their ending. I should have DNF'd it but there was only 20% left so I continued on to see if all of my predictions were right.

⛔️ Ending was extremely anti-climatic. It was so neat and uneventful how they dealt with Roy and Gwyn's father. For such an angsty and overdramatic book, it didn't fit. It was also the same solution as the other books where they manipulate the antagonist/villain to get their way.

This book genuinely had good moments (not enough but there were some) but all the other issues overpowered my enjoyment. Thinking back on it, for the most part, I don't think I had a good time reading this book.

Obviously I need to take my own advice and take a break. Maybe read more from this series after some considerable time has passed because I still want to read Rosa and John's book. Rosa sounds adorable. And here is hoping to the next upcoming book in the series (whenever it is published next year) not being a total repeat of the previous books.

Listen I'm coming off a pretty difficult study period and saw that Ruby Dixon recommended this book.
This was literal trash. I'm shocked and damn Ruby, you let me DOWNNNN.

The heroine is so utterly stupid and, to her credit, she seems to understand that she is the dumbest human ever to exist. But. God. Why do women write other women being so stupid that it is mind numbing?? I don't understand. I will never understand.

I male hero orc, whose name I don't remember, was emotionally abusive and manipulative. He just casually betrayed her, didn't tell her things, would take advantage of her over and over. Like after the first couple times I thought we'd have some YOU KNOW character growth and he'd grow a brain and become better?? But no. Man orc is just horrible over and over again to Gwynn and Gwynn is like "oh I'm so stupid he's taking advantage of me I should leave" and then she proceeds to have sex with him. And stays. And then he treats her like sh*t. Rinse. Repeat.

Ok angst?? Like I'll admit I'm not a huge fan of the tropey angst in romance, especially recently. Recently, I hate it. But I would get it if it was written intelligently. But this is the absolutely the most unintelligently written angst I've ever read MY GOD.

Now I am unsatisfied bc this was supposed to be my fun, slightly smutty/mindless, but good read while studying. But now I'm unfulfilled bc this wasn't fun mindless smut, this was actual literal garbage.

Ruby Dixon, I feel betrayed my girl (still not as bad as this orc man betrayed Gwynn though). Why'd you recommend this? Ironically, I'm going to go read some angst-free, well-written, adorable, sweet Ruby Dixon romance now THANK YOU VERY MUCH. That should satisfy my mindless romance need and then, after this being satisfied and giving me a fun time, I can continue with The Shadow of the Gods which I'm excited for.

But wow. What a disappointing book.

Orc mountain has to be sticky all the time. Like movie theater floor, your shoes make that gross sticky peel noise. This entire mountain is just bathed in buckets of orc seed

This book was provided free 1. in exchange for an honest review and 2. because I would have died if I had to wait 7 more days to get my hands on it. More reviews by me can be found at Romantically Inclined Reviews.

I have been waiting and waiting for Joarr's book. I could tell from the moment we were introduced to him that he needed a woman in his life and could Fenn have picked a better mate for him than the brilliant, independent, plant-obsessed Gwyn? No. Absolutely not. These two are, in my opinion, the best suited pair of all Fenn's couples.

I loved this book (and especially loved that it is her longest book yet). It's hard to explain exactly what made this book stand out so much in an entire series of amazing books, but I think The Midwife and the Orc may be my favorite book yet. All her books are sexy, romantic, angsty, and captivating, but this book struck a different sort of chord. It was just so... beautiful. So emotional, even heart-wrenching at times. The focus on Gwyn's mental health, the lack of focus on copious amounts of cum and rough sex (there's still lots of sex but it's less kinky and more romantic) made it next-level spectacular.

Joarr and Gwyn are both such troubled characters and their individual journeys (as well as the consistent plot of the fight against the humans) created a whirlwind of emotions in me. Typical of a Finley Fenn book, there is a lot of arguing, betrayal, and mistrust between the hero and heroine. Joarr is struggling to find his place in Orc Mountain at the moment, having lost his place among the Skai but not being welcomed into the Bautul clan yet. Gwyn struggles with self-harm (on page) and the difficulties associated with her work and the culture differences between humans. Her mental health also suffers as a result of a lifetime of being used by the men in her life and seeing the horrors that can result when women's right to reproductive health isn't respected. But watching them work through these individuals issues together and separately was so emotional and beautiful.

I also love that Fenn's books always give us glimpses of characters from previous books and this one was no different. We do see many of the previous couples, but I especially enjoyed that much of the secondary focus was on Stella and Silfast from the novella. They are such an interesting duo and getting a glimpse into their life post-novella was really fabulous. And is it weird that I'm glad that these characters aren't living "happily ever after in perfect harmony"? Fenn brings real-life troubles to the characters even after their HEAs that make them that much more real in my eyes. In this book Stella and Silfast struggle with the difficulty of her pregnancy and how it wears on her body, mind, and soul which, though saddening at times, ended up bringing them closer together.

I think this book holds a special place in my heart because I'm 8 months pregnant at the moment and reading about a heroine so passionate about women, their bodily autonomy, their mental health, and their reproductive health just touched a chord in me. Note: This book also touches on the subject of abortions pretty hard (no abortions on page, but as the heroine is a midwife they are talked about frequently in regard to her work and in regard to the humans forcing them on women who have relations with orcs).

The way feminism literally left her body the moment she saw that hot piece of orc ass was completely insane.

Unhinged behavior ensured afterwards.

I have no words.

This series just keeps getting better.
Throw out everything you thought you knew from the previous books. I thought I knew Joarr - I didn't. I thought I knew how the war between the men and Orcs would go - I didn't. I thought I understood how Joarr and Gwyn got together - I didn't. There are wonderful, unexpected twists and turns in this book, and they're all perfectly plotted. It never felt rushed. The pace never flagged. Perfect execution.
There's a sense of lightness and fun in this book that hasn't been prominent in previous books. It fits perfectly with Joarr's character - the flip side to his spy sneakiness is his sense of fun. The clan twist is absolutely brilliant and well done for somehow making me care about the Bautul clan when I never have before.
Huge kudos to the author for making the heroine a composed, competent character. There were never TSTL moments with Gwyn. She makes hard choices; she takes risks, but she always knows what she's getting herself into and she's never self-pitying. She's also a woman who has been profoundly disempowered by her father and her fiancée, and all that rage and despair has turned inward, as it does. Her self-harming is understandable and delicately handled. The bonding moments in which Joarr teaches her to redirect her rage and despair wrung tears out of me.
My favorite characters make appearances, and I particularly loved seeing a different side to Silfast and Stella's relationship. I'll admit I flinch every time Jule makes an appearance now because she can play the heavy, but her role here isn't too heavy and it was nice to see her being maternal.
Although I'm not sure how the author could top this book, I'm desperate for Baldr and Drafli's story. Please, please give us Baldr's story next!
I can't recommend this book highly enough. It's absolutely going on my favorites shelf to be re-read and savored when life gets a little too heavy.

Plant knowledge, a sneaky orc, an intuitive midwife, and a law made to destroy what the orcs hold most dear

Marvelous.
Finely Fenn has done it again. This book brings the heat, the pain, and the heart melt all at once and I don't know what to do with myself now.

Read this book if you love:
-A woman finding her own way
-Learning about plant lore
-COPIOUS FLUIDS
-The 'They don't actually care about me. They only care how they can use me' type of pain that happens to be my catnip.

Gwyn and Joarr are just as emotion-wrecking as the rest of Finely's orc couples but these two are also fun. A lot of their relationship is Joarr making sure Gwyn has a good time and it's downright wholesome.

Loved this couple. Both were trying to achieve their goals, while keeping important secrets. The h was not valued by the men in her life, and blamed herself for meekly accepting their bad treatment. The H was juggling so many elements and with the h's help they achieved so much.

honestly? worth reading the first few books that i didn't love to force myself to read this one which i did love. i loved joarr and gywn. say less. i'll be taking no further questions on my reading of this series.

all these books have the same freaking plot I can't

I swear all these men do is LIE

There’s a buoyancy to The Midwife and the Orc, a sense of lightness like the sunny gardens that Joarr and Gwyn both love. This fifth entry in Fenn’s Orc Sworn series is my favorite to date because of Joarr’s lighthearted nature, Gwyn strength and versatility, and the way it shares more about the orc clan skirted around in previous books, the Bautul.

Joarr is a jokester, with a wry, understated sense of humor that is decidedly in contrast to other orc heroes in this series. His devotion to and interest in Gwyn is marvelous. I really loved how he listened to every request that Gwyn made and worked to respect them. (Of course, he meets only the letter of her requests because he has his secrets, as the orcs do in this series.)

And Gwyn was marvelous! She’s bright and talented, yet a woman who doesn’t realize her full worth, particularly when it comes to her looks and her personal appeal. She takes refuge in skills as a midwife and herbwoman. Joarr is her counterpart in this, with a love of plants and mushrooms that matches Gwyn perfectly. And how Joarr and Gwyn each adapt to the unexpected things thrown their way is one of the delights of The Midwife and the Orc.

Then there is the continued danger to the orcs, in part brought about the brute-force mentality of Joarr’s new clan, the Bautul. Seeing Joarr’s struggle with a fundamental shift in his identity was fascinating. There’s also a welcome revisit to Silfast and Stella (the focus of a novella by Fenn), who need to adjust not only their relationship but his management of the Bautul clan.

The world of Orc Sworn is one where the orcs strategize for the long term, working against the machinations of humans who would love them to be gone from the world. The humans in this book are on the periphery, and I loved the focus on the orc world, only bringing in humans for those moments the plot required it. The Midwife and the Orc worked on all levels for me, flourishing just like Gwyn and Joarr’s gardens.

DNF @ 19%

Sorry but I couldn’t stand heroine at all. She was weak and stupid and she knew it too, but she wouldn’t do jack sh*t about it. I’m done.

I really enjoyed this book. I’ve read several of this author's books. I’m a fan. This book's target audience can be readers who like a different kind of hero. Don’t read this book if you’re a prude. This book is part of a series book 5. You should start with book one to enjoy the story best.This book took us deeper in the mountain where we learned more about the different clans' lifestyles and culture. It was very interesting and memorable. This author is very good at describing this world. The writing made me feel as if I was there in the story. The flow was smooth and had no lags or inconsistencies. Joarr’s story was very well done. He hunted himself a heroine that had grit and is no nonsense. She is smart too. Joaar is bold, smart and fearless. He is also a sneaky little weasel. Who knew?! This couple had exquisite chemistry from the get go. It was scorching hot! I didn’t expect all the drama from the clan Bautul. It added a complex layer to the book. If you want a not so perfect kind of hero with no inhibitions, a heroine who likes a little extra something than you gotta hurry up and start reading this series. There are no typos/misspellings, grammatical errors or other editing failures. My biggest pleasure was exploring more of the clans’ differences. There are multiple different clans under Orc Mountain. I’m eagerly awaiting Baldr and Drafli’s story. I plan to read more from this author. I highly recommend this book.

It wasn't bad, it just wasn't for me.

I just couldn't connect as fully because of the deception since minute 1? Even tho in previous books I saw the lies from miles away? And don't get me wrong I loved Joarr and Gwyn, they were both really understanding of each other but I couldn't connect with them. But I still enjoyed every second of their hot story.

Love this series and this latest book doesn't disappoint. She's strong and intelligent and he's hiding something.

Favorite of the series so far. Loved how these characters really brought the tribes closer to understanding each other.

Per the recommendation of @thenmaddieread, I started the series here.

This was a really weird reading experience for me in that I don't think I ever got a good lock on the characters, despite the middle being repetitious ad nauseam. Like, it's totally on me for going in without reading the blurb and knowing nothing about the series besides orcs, lots of sem*n, and Joarr purportedly being the least mean of the MLs, but the initial descriptions still had me starting out expecting Joarr to be a himbo. By 30% he was very clearly more of a mischievous, scheming Loki. Which, ok, cool dynamic, especially because Gwyn was calling him on it.

Theeeeen we entered this interminable middle where Gwyn discovers something Joarr didn't disclose, gets upset, and then... nothing. No character development, no changes in their interpersonal dynamic, just another sex scene after which she discovers something Joarr didn't disclose... You get my drift. Despite all this, I was rooting for Gwyn because she also has a devious brain that saw through layers of deception, and yet... she's also so naive in a too-stupid-to-live way. The juxtaposition was disorienting, honestly.

There's something here. Despite the ending being way too neatly resolved, if 100 pages were cut and there were more of an ongoing emotional arc instead of this repetition for L I T E R A L L Y hundreds of pages and then a blinding realization (given by the FRIEND, not even under her own merit) that oh, ok, maybe we should look at his actions in addition to what he's not saying... it could have been compelling. Or, better yet, dual POV! I would have LOVED to get inside that sneaky little brain of Joarr's, and it would have done wonders for building the tension throughout. Or, best yet... JUST TALK YOU DUMMIES!

Major props for how everything related to her midwifery profession was handled. That was a true joy to read.

The worst thing about this book is that it’s over. I inhaled it. It was gone in seconds. I’m so sad.

I loved this book. I loved the light hearted aspect of it. Joarr promises Gwyn ‘fun’. An adventure. A test of her spirit. All the way through they goad each other like they are in one big game. Will Gwyn throw caution to the wind and throw the pinecone or will she accept her place in society and do the right thing?

”You show me your mettle and your wits and your hunger for me, as you walk amongst my kin — then I show you more of this fun. I give you fine frolic at my mountain you never forget.”

I just loved the both of them. It was fun. It was serious. It had all the feels.

I
LOVED
IT

ORCS FOREVER

Much better. Chick can write, this book is what makes the series. Joarr is a fun character throughout the series, so I was thrilled to see his romance. The world building continues to be choice, really top tier, and the characters make sense to the story. All of the details and choices make sense and the story weave is expert.

Talented installment. She's definitely figured it out by now.

Gwyn and Joarr’s story is my favorite. I already knew I’d love Joarr but to see his struggles and even tears made me fall in love with him. Gwyn was pretty awesome herself. I absolutely detested her betrothed. I was so glad she left him, even if he didn’t believe her. The end of their relationship was so satisfying.

This is a really well done, dark fantasy romance.. It is erotic and often very intense.. but the author has a way of gentling these orcs. You can see and feel Joarr's deep love, admiration and worship of Gwyn, even in their most difficult times.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I cannot get into this one at all. DNF at 40%.

4.5⭐️
RTC

4.25 ⭐️