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After reading Broken Chains, I needed something I could count on to keep me from getting slumpy. I went back through my FaRoFeb tbr and decided to pick up Tracy Lauren again! I went with the second book in her Perished Wood series, Enthralling the Orc. I used this to cover the prompt epic fantasy for FaRoFeb. I was also able to use it for the prompt forbidden romance for Winter's Kiss board 2.
Ellyn is desperate to find her niece Adelaide (from Tamed by the Troll) after learning about the Orc attack on her village. She teams up with tracker and half-orc Ash to escort her into the Perished Woods. At first mistaken as human, when Ellyn learns of Ash's true genetics, she turns against him. As they travel together they both learn more about the other and can't deny the attraction between them. When they run into the Orc army, things quickly change and it's everything Ellyn and Ash can do to escape alive and together.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the first one as well, but I was more invested a little bit here. I do want to do a little warning though, it gets darker towards the end. Now I can handle the dark, but it was just unexpected. I just wanted to warn those that might be more sensitive about kidnapping and emotional manipulation. Outside of that, I really, really loved this book. I connected a lot easier with Ellyn in the beginning and loved how the progression of her and Ash's relationship progressed. She thinks he's human and they have such good banter. When she finds out he's actually part Orc, her mannerisms completely shift towards him. I loved that Ash made a point to call her out and point out her prejudice. While Ellyn fights against it since he's the monster, I love the way that when they get back to friendly terms it quickly becomes more.
I loved also getting to see a lot more of the perished woods and seeing different creatures and situations that you can find yourself in. There's a portion where Ash and Ellyn run into a grandfather and his two children trying to escape the Orc raids and I love how Ash becomes a short-term mentor to the young girl with tracking and hunting. I would love to see a book featuring her set in the future. I also loved how while Ash identified more with his human side, Ellyn brought out the Orc in him. I was also really intrigued to learn more about his brother. I don't really want to spoil it too much, but we do meet him in this book.
It seems like the third book in the series is going to be about Ash's brother, and I'm nervously anticipating. I've love what I've read so far from Tracy Lauren and am totally looking forward to digging into her backlist. It seems like it's mostly sci-fi romance, which is right up my alley! I definitely want to read more from her by the end of the year!
Have you read Enthralling the Orc?
Bookishly Yours,
Stasi🍎
STATISTICS: Enthralling the Orc, Tracy Lauren, 5-stars, 1 day, eBook, 343 pages, published in 2019, indie published
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