Ruby Dixon

Lady Iolanthe of Rockmourn Keep expects to be a spinster all her days. She is very tall. She is very poor. And she is thirty. What lord could possibly want her?

But then her father returns with news that he has found a bridegroom for her—one that is impressively tall. One that is strong, and bold, and wealthy. And best of all? He wants Iolanthe. It seems too good to be true.

And when Iolanthe gets her first look at her husband-to-be, she realizes why.

No one mentioned the 'orc' part of things . . .

Contains mature themes.

Aspect and Anchor

The Half-Orc's Maiden Bride

graelihn

'Agakor makes a sound that might be laughter, might be a huff. Either way, he sounds both exasperated and amused at the same time.' aka me reading this book, in the most affectionate way.

Agakor and Iolanthe are very sweet together and very awkward lol. They could both desperately use some self esteem boosts but really that's the main reason they came together so well. The constant reassurance can be tiring but sweet and realistic no less.

One con - The pacing is kinda weird on this one. Everything's great to like exactly the 50% mark then a new plot majorly slows the story down till 80% where it picks up a break neck pace then evens out again more or less. I don't know, just felt weird to me. Still a very enjoyable story!

Hate to say this, but I didn’t really care much for this one. Love the rep for taller, full-bodied women, but the amount it was brought up felt less like a character’s insecurity and instead more like a kink. Things kinda go from 0-100, real quick without any buildup, unlike the first novella in this series. Still looking forward to Servant to the Spidae, but I genuinely hope it’s nothing like this. Maybe this one just wasn’t for me!

(Bre)anne✨

TW to be added later

Hate to say this, but I didn’t really care much for this one. Love the rep for taller, full-bodied women, but the amount it was brought up felt less like a character’s insecurity and instead more like a kink. Things kinda go from 0-100, real quick without any buildup, unlike the first novella in this series. Still looking forward to Servant to the Spidae, but I genuinely hope it’s nothing like this. Maybe this one just wasn’t for me!

short and spicy but also so cute and wholesome 🥹 

Megs

Lady Iolanthe of Rockmourn Keep expects to be a spinster all her days. She is very tall. She is very poor. And she is thirty. What lord could possibly want her?

But then her father returns with news that he has found a bridegroom for her - one that is impressively tall. One that is strong, and bold, and wealthy. And best of all? He wants Iolanthe. It seems too good to be true.

And when Iolanthe gets her first look at her husband-to-be, she realizes why.

No one mentioned the 'orc' part of things...

Lover of Romance 

This book was such a delectable read and one I never expected to read and ended up loving so deeply. I dearly loved this book and it was such a delight and technically this is my first “monster” romance if you call a half-orc a monster? I am not sure the exact criteria haha, However, this was a random pick, I was just browsing through my kindle and I had seen so many good things and I needed a palette cleanser because I have been reading LOTS of angst of late, and need something sweet and sexy and this book fit the bill and more. The story basically is where our heroine Iolanthe is being bartered in an arranged marriage by her father. She is the unlikeable daughter, she has always dreamed of being a wife and mother but is tall and toned and not attractive to human males. but when she is to be married to a half-orc Lord, she is intrigued because he is kind and gorgeous and more than tall enough for her. There are marriage rituals that they must go through together, but as they learn about each other bodies, they discover a sweet passionate love along the way….

This story was such a pure delight and charmed me all the way through. I adored both characters, they are such good souls who are looking for something positive in their marriage. They become so in tune with each other, and like to play with each other sexually and it’s so fun. Ruby Dixon is always a fun author to read, and I really needed this type of read. I definitely couldn’t get enough and my only complaint is that it wasn’t nearly long enough. Because quite frankly an epic fantasy with arranged marriage is my catnip!! If you are looking for something short, sweet, and unique, I highly recommend this delightful story! I guarantee you will be charmed all the way through!

Kelly Casey

I feel like this could have had a higher rating if it was a longer book. As it stands, it is a very interesting arranged marriage story between an innocent woman and a half-orc. I found Agakor to be a fantastic male character, he was strong yet so sweet and attentive. Iolanthe was an interesting character, I didn't love or hate her character, but Agakor was definitely the stand-out in the story. However, I did really like the ending scene where Iolanthe shows some wit and backbone against her A-hole father. Overall, the steamy scenes were inventive in plot, and I really enjoyed their romance. The plot was interesting, but it didn't have much of an ending so I was kind of disappointed. I feel like if there was some kind of action scene at some point, I would have been more satisfied. 

Highly recommend as a quick read though. 

The Half-Orc's Maiden Bride Aspect and Anchor

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