“You did not give your maidenhead to this piddling foul man,” he said, his voice harder, as if stating an incontrovertible truth. “Or to any other. You kept it for me.”
Gods. There was a clenching shudder up Ella’s spine, and low in her belly, but she still hadn’t moved — and that single orc finger was sliding deeper, deeper into her mouth. Tasting inexplicably sweet, reminiscent of the scent that was swarming the air still further, settling in her lungs.
“And thus,” Natt said, his voice full of danger, of heat, of promise. “It shall be mine.”

The Heiress and the Orc by Finley Fenn, the second book in the Orc Sworn series, features Nattfarr of Clan Grisk as the hero and Ella Riddell as the heroine, and is a book that can be read as a standalone.

The story begins with Ella becoming engaged to Alfred, Lord Tovey, the heir to Lord Culthen of Tlaxca. While the engagement party is lavish in its opulence, Ella’s discomfort is palpable, the grand celebration which turns nightmarish for Ella when she witnesses her betrothed in a compromising position with another. This betrayal acts as the catalyst for Ella’s flight from the party and her life as she knows it.

Ella flees into the arms of Nattfarr, an orc and her childhood friend from nine years back, sparking a reunion that is the farthest thing from easy. Nattfarr, now a formidable warrior, carries the weight of a violent and tragic past. Life on the run has left its scars and mark on Nattfarr, and despite his strength, when it comes to Ella, Nattfarr’s vulnerability and protectiveness shines through.

While Ella is conflicted in having to choose between her duty to her father and her familial lands with the intense physical and emotional connection that she finds in Nattfarr, against all her misgivings, Nattfarr proves to be far too much temptation for Ella. While Nattfarr exerts his dominance on Ella with brief interplays that shows the power dynamics between the two, Nattfarr is intensely emotionally vulnerable when it comes to Ella, and seeing her so uncertain about him and being with him, makes his heart ache.

As Ella makes surprising discoveries about the enigmatic figure that Nattfarr has turned into since their separation almost a decade ago, it forces her to reevaluate her life as she knows, the choices that she has to make, and her loyalty to what does not serve her, ultimately being driven to accept the truth of her emotions when it comes to her orc.

While I enjoyed some of the aspects to the story, I found myself piqued by the tediousness of the story from a certain point forward. The repetitive nature of the sexual encounters and the graphic descriptions of bodily fluids was quite unappetizing. While I am fully cognizant of the fact that this is an erotic romance at its core, I certainly did not find myself overwhelmed or rather moved by the sex scenes.

Instead, I found some of the scenes to be grotesque and unnecessary, which did not really add any value to the overall story, and detracted from the overall emotional depth of the story. The narrative also follows a similar trend to the first book, where the hero’s betrayal and subsequent rescue of the heroine feels somewhat predictable.

I also found myself quite annoyed with Ella from time to time. Her character was such that, she was always running away from one thing or the other. I wanted her to fight for what she wanted and stand up for the orc that deserves her unflinching loyalty. I wanted her to stop being so naive and spoiled, when all the richness in the world had not served to make her happy.

I do not think I will be continuing the series from this point forward – I find that the kind of sexual exploration in these books are not my cup of tea. I just cannot imagine going without a shower, wearing your mate’s ejaculated matter coating your skin, not to mention dripping down your womb like a waterfall.

Recommended for fans of Finley Fenn and romantic fantasy novels featuring monster heroes.

Final Verdict: While The Heiress and the Orc offers a compelling read to a point, the overly explicit scenes of passion left me unmoved, & the world building & Nattfarr’s backstory while intriguing, failed to make up for the rest!

Favorite Quotes

“Good gods, Natt,” she breathed, trailing her thumb against his warm, wet mouth. “Where have you been these past nine years.”
His face leaned into her touch, black eyelashes fluttering, but at the last she could see a trace of wariness, flicking across his eyes. “I have been missing you, lass,” he said, soft. “I have been dreaming of how you tasted.”

“You shall come,” that mouth hissed, soft, cruel, vicious, against her throat. “And you shall either walk hale and upright beside me, or I shall carry your limp body, once I have drunk my fill from you. Which shall it be, woman.”

“It is yours,” he whispered, in an oddly apt summary of his silent words from before. “Kiss it. Taste it. Drink.”
The relief felt like a palpable thing, like a long-awaited deliverance — and Ella desperately, gratefully obeyed. Moving down over him, closer and closer, until her lips had met that smooth head, and lightly, carefully kissed it.
The pleasure surged in a torrent, in a flood. In the impossible, inexplicable feeling of his deep, filthy cleft actually kissing back, clenching slightly on her delving tongue — and then swarming her with that delectable rich sweetness. While Natt’s entire body kicked and flailed beneath her, the moan a rising howl in his throat.

Natt’s eyes were still watching her, flat, unreadable. “If you wish,” he said, “I shall go and bring you more food, and mayhap a lamp. Or a warm fur, if you wish to climb a tree, and sleep until sunrise.”
And here, vivid and almost entirely forgotten, were Ella’s memories of doing that, with him. Sneaking out of her bedroom, under cover of darkness, and flitting through the trees with Natt in the moonlight. And then the joy of finding a good tree to climb, the struggle of finding a comfortable spot, while Natt would watch, amused, from the branches above. And then the peace of falling asleep, easy and pure and safe, hung between the moon and the earth.
“I should have a few more days,” her voice said, too quickly. “Before I really need to go back. And we’ve come all this way, and I’m here now, and I’d really rather make sure you’re fully healed before I return. And I’m tired, and cold, and I don’t want to sleep in a tree, without you.” There was a bitter twist on Natt’s mouth, and those glinting eyes stared, demanded, spoke. “Truth, lass,” he hissed. “You shall speak truth, to me.” Ella was gulping, nodding, fighting for breath, trapped. “I want to stay,” she heard her voice whisper. “And — and visit. For a while. With you.”

“Speak truth, lass,” Natt hissed, as that huge heft at his groin pressed hard and demanding against her bare, exposed crease. “You long for me, as you shall never long for him. You shall think of my prick inside you, each time he fucks you. Even now, you long for me to take you, and fill you, and thrust even the thought of him away from you. Ach?”
Ella’s head was violently nodding, yes, please, do that, please — and behind her Natt laughed again, and shoved her forward. So that she was bent over something — something soft, at least — but then Natt’s fingers yanked out of her, and suddenly it was — him. That huge, tapered cock. Strong, commanding, unyielding.

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