Rating: 4 Stars

Publisher: Self Published 

Genre:  Romantasy

Tags: Alt-Historical, Fantasy/Romance, Half Orc and Human

Length: 465 Pages

Reviewer: Kazza

Purchase At: amazon

Blurb:

A half-orc, half-human belongs nowhere…

Orek has spent his life trying to prove himself to a clan that despises him. The son of a deposed orc chief and human captive, he must try twice as hard to prove himself a worthy male, a strong hunter, a potential mate…

Resigned to a thankless place in the shadows, Orek ekes out a living on the fringes of the clan, just waiting for an opportunity. But what he finds instead one cold autumn night could ruin everything he’s worked so hard to gain—a human woman, captured just as his mother was so many years ago. The choice to protect her from the clan isn’t a choice at all, but what will protect him and his lonely heart from her?

A life about to begin, usurped by fate…

Sorcha has spent her life helping raise her many siblings, but now finally has the chance to seek her own adventures. At least, she did, before she was snatched from her horse and peddled by slavers. Taken far from home, she’s brought to the worst place imaginable—the craggy western mountains infested with brutal, brutish orcs. All humans know to fear them and stay away, and now she’s been sold to the cruelest clan-chief of them all. But the first orc she meets is nothing like the stories. He’s gentle. He frees her.

Nothing is what it seems as they lose themselves in the forest, hunted by trackers and slavers. Out of her depth, Sorcha has no choice but to rely on the mysterious halfling who saved her—but she’s been betrayed already and cannot afford to trust him. Even if, little by little, the quiet male reveals himself to be everything she could ever want.

A human and a halfling, lives ripped apart, brought together by coincidence or fate. Running for their lives, they may find the most dangerous place is together…

Fans of Finnley Fenn, SJM, Grace Draven, and Ruby Dixon will love this fluffy, steamy monster romance fantasy road trip story! Check sewendelauthor.com for content and trigger warnings. Mature content intended for readers 18+

Review: 

I don’t typically read romantasy about orcs and humans, well, half orc and human, but this sounded interesting. I’m also a sucker for that cover. I think it’s really lovely and quite apropos of the story. Halfling was a genuinely nice tale about two endearing characters.

The beginning of this book nearly broke my heart. Orek’s mum leaving when he was young because she was slave-traded to the then clan’s chieftain. Okay, she took a chance to leave, but in doing so, she left her little half orcling behind.  OMG. It was so sad. I cannot imagine leaving one of my children behind. Nope.   

But the tears kept coming, and he sobbed, “Mama…mama…” again and again, as if that would summon her back, as if he could make her change her mind and take him, too.

Just adding the above sentence hits me right in the feels again 🙁

You then skip twenty years ahead and Orek is considered the runt of the Stone-Skin clan. He’s not treated well so he lives on the periphery of the orc clan without complaint, being bullied, and pulling more than his weight. All without any appreciation or reward. One night he’s left to guard a tent when there’s a party going on for the current chieftain. He discovers that what he’s actually guarding is a human woman who’s bound and gagged and is going to be given over to Krul. Orcs think nothing of trading in flesh. Cue a big trigger for Orek because he’s known for a while that his mother was traded, given to the then clan chieftain against her will. This feels like terrible déjà vu. 

Cold dread washed over Orek as if he’d jumped headlong into a rushing river. A human woman for Krul. Just as his mother had been for his father, all those years ago. His beast, already incensed, howled at the sight of her.

He isn’t going to stand by and let it happen to another human female. He organises supplies, both food and medical, some clothes, furs, gold, etc, to take with them. It’s a huge decision on Orek’s part. He will effectively be leaving the clan. No matter how basic and lonely his life has been, it’s the only place he’s ever known.

He’d spent the last twenty years making the best of it, proving himself to them—for what else could he do? What else was out there for a halfling like him?

Sorcha is the daughter of a knight father and a mother who owns horse stables. They have a large family of which she is the oldest of seven siblings. It’s s very comfortable life. Sorcha was kidnapped near her home in the north and traded to the south, to the orcs. She was coming back from a friend, Lady Aislinn’s, when they grabbed her, put a bag over her head and man-handled her to where she was waiting in the tent that Orek rescued her from. Orcs don’t travel that far north so there was a little arc about why that happened. 

Sorcha was a good FMC. Easy to like. She’s a tall woman who is solid and curvy, with a full bust, and solid thighs. She’s used to doing physical work. Much different to a lot of romantasy, general het romance, where the woman is tiny in stature. As someone who is tall with broad shoulders, I appreciated that. She isn’t sure whether to trust this half orc. Understandable. What’s in it for him? The answer we know is nothing, other than doing the right thing, but she doesn’t know that. I liked Sorcha. She’s pragmatic. Kind. Resilient. She’s no shrinking violet but she knows her limitations as well. All of which means she isn’t TSTL.     

Gratitude filled her chest, uncomfortable and large. Sorcha rarely needed help and never asked for it. In a handful of days, this halfling had helped her more than she could ever repay.
“Thank you,” she said. It was all there was she could say.

There is a bit of action in Halfling as the Stone-Skin clan doesn’t give up on what they bought for the clan chieftain. There could also be more from where she came. This means Orek and Sorcha are followed. Which means fighting ensues on occasion. There are also other slavers about but Orek will have none of it. When they know they have to travel a fair way back to the north, Sorcha buys a map at a trading store, but travelling into human towns brings its own fear and prejudice with it. It also helps forge their relationship connection.

Along their journey, no surprises, the two MCs fall for one another but it is a genuinely slow build. Orek has never been with a female before and he doesn’t understand his feelings at first. While his orc side’s attachment – mate bond – is pretty swift, he doesn’t actually realise what that is. Just simple kindness or a smile from Sorcha fills his cup up to bursting. He desires her. When he does understand, he doesn’t want to scare Sorcha with the intensity of being a mate. Besides, what could come of their relationship?  She’s human and he’s a green half orc. She has a loving family, he has a clan who pretty much despise him, and humans don’t seem to take kindly to orcs either. That point is made clear, but Sorcha will have none of that.   

This would have been 5 stars but there’s too much sex for my tastes, once they got going they made up for lost time.  

Overall this is a lovely story with a lot of warmth and depth. A good world that is built among the forests, the towns, Sorcha’s home, and family. The addition of Darragh, the raccoon kit, is adorable. Complete with him munching dried carrots and enjoying being carried on Orek’s shoulders. Speaking of that just reminds me again what a gem Orek is. He truly did find his mate and I couldn’t have been happier.  

I was pleased with the whole mine, she’s my mate don’t touch her PNR, fantasy thing. Love that. There are declarations of love and attachment, also love that. And Orek purrs for his woman, especially loved that. Nothing like a good orc purr it would appear. The ending was a complete HEA. Nice to end a fantasy/romantasy book lately where I’m not hanging off a cliff with the MCs. The next book in the Monstrous World series features Sorcha’s bestie, Lady Aislinn. I might read that as well. Delightful. 4 Stars!