Halfling: A Fantasy Monster Romance

Monstrous World, Book 1

By: S. E. Wendel

Narrated by: Sophie Daniels, William Macleod

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! Intended for mature listeners.

©2023 Sarah Wendel (P)2024 Podium Audio

such a good read

absolutely worth your time, beautiful story with 🔥 amazing quick read. perfect "in-between" book. overall enjoyed it alot.

A stand out

This is not the typical spicy orc book (of which I've read tons), this was sweet, tender, beautiful world building and gorgeous prose

Fantastic book

This book really surprised me. It was so well written and had great main characters. Strong female character that wasn’t bitchy and didn’t make me want to pull my hair out .The MMC was sweet and devoted. I will definitely be listening to this book again .

MUCH MORE THEN A HEA

The depth of the storytelling, the way it delved into the aftermath of the character's journey, it was unlike anything read before. I've been yearning for a book that doesn't just rush through the plot but lingers on the consequences, and this book delivered that beautifully. The narrators, oh, the narrators! Both the female and male voices brought the story to life in ways that still give me goosebumps. The female narrator's Irish accent added a layer of enchantment that I can't forget. I am eagerly anticipating what this author has prepared for us next, especially in this series. The way the story was told, the emotions it stirred within me, it was truly exceptional. This book captured my heart and soul, leaving me in awe of the power of storytelling. Truly well done

So Much Better Than Expected!

It looked like a cute, sweet romance but was a lot more. Great world building and wonderful characterization. Sure, there's smut and an adorable half-orc, but there's also a pet raccoon and a strong woman character that actually has personality! I'm so bad at getting around to reviewing stuff, but I had to share how much I loved this story so others are given the opportunity to enjoy, as well. So glad I spent the credit! Don't know if I'll be able to wait for the next one to come here, so I may need to find the time to read the next one.

5 Stars!

5 Stars!

I loved the storytelling and was immediately sucked into the story! The characters are all so unique and the main characters definitely had you rooting for them throughout the book. The narration was impeccable! I loved the Scottish accents!!

Loved it

I'm not a big fan of standalones because I feel that one book isn't enough to tell a story specially a love story but I really enjoyed this one. The pace was perfect, having the opportunity of seeing both POV'S made it even better and I appreciate that the author doesn't leave you with questions about the story, you can see she filled every possiblity of Sorcha's and Orek's story. And lastly the voice actors performance was amazing, I could write a whole paragraph just describing how much I liked how they did this work. I highly recommend this book, the spice level was perfect too 5/5 🌶️

Love!

I saw this recommended a million times on Reddit so I knew it was going to be good, but it was even better than I expected. I adored the story. Only complaint is I think the narrators pronounced a name differently so I was really confused for a while.

Top-Tier Story and Voice Actors

What an incredible story!! The voice actors truly brought it all to life and I’m already considering listening to it again. This is a slow burn with a headstrong human FMC and dejected but morally true halfling MMC along with an adorable animal sidekick. I loved everything about this and wish I could give it more stars.

Best of 2024

This is my top listen of 2024 so far. This is so well written with characters I genuinely cared about. The pacing was perfect. Enought suspense to drive things but enough coziness to make this cozy reader happy.

The narration was fantastic and fit each character well. I am also someone that listens on 2.5 speed and the recording did not become distorted like it does with some.