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The Single Mom and the Orc: Sweet Monster Treats
Her grumpy orc is going to hammer his way into her heart! When Pippa finds herself in Fairhaven Falls with empty pockets and a brand new baby, she’s thrilled when a sweet - and slightly scary - old lady offers…
- Release Date
- 2023
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Our Review
About the book
Pippa arrives in the small town of Fairhaven Falls with no money and a newborn daughter, and finds work and lodging thanks to a kindly but formidable older woman. Her grumpy orc neighbor, Trogar, would rather be left alone, but he is soon drawn into Pippa’s life, and when her past catches up with her, he means to keep mother and baby safe.
Our review
Monster romance at its coziest: a grumpy orc, a frazzled new mom and a small town that refuses to leave them alone.
Honey Phillips knows exactly what her readers come for, and this Fairhaven Falls entry delivers it efficiently. Pippa is a sympathetic heroine, exhausted and wary but resilient, and Trogar’s gruff exterior softens in charming ways once a baby enters his life. The small-town backdrop, populated with monsters living ordinary lives, is cozy and good-humored, and the formidable older woman who takes Pippa in is a highlight.
Because the book is so short, though, the romance moves very fast, and the danger from Pippa’s past is resolved with little suspense. The heat level is high for a book with such a soft, domestic tone, which some readers will love and others may find jarring. It works best as a quick comfort read rather than a story with surprises.
What we loved
- A tender found-family dynamic with the baby
- Trogar’s grumpy-to-devoted transformation
- A playful small town full of monsters
Keep in mind
- The relationship develops at breakneck speed
- The external threat is thin and quickly dispatched
Read it if you like
Readers who like Ruby Dixon’s Ice Planet Barbarians or other cozy, small-town monster romances.
The verdict
A sweet, steamy, quick monster romance that offers comfort more than complexity.
