Title: Her Orc Protector
Author: Zoe Ashwood
Series: Bellhaven Clan #4
Pages: 236
When Ivy finds herself tied to a tree and left for dead she never expects to be rescued by an orc or for that orc to declare her his mate. Now she has to decide if she wants to accept being his mate and if she takes his offer for a new life with the orcs.
From the beginning of this story I was hooked. Ivy was a healer/herbalist who has lived in the same village her whole life. But because she no longer had a husband or family to protect her she ends up being the scapegoat for the town’s fears and the drag her off to kill her for being a witch. I really liked Ivy. She was an independent woman who didn’t like relying on others. She pushes to find her place in the orc’s home and stands up to those who are being stupid.
Korr was a sweet but traumatized orc who preferred being out in the wilderness to staying in the cave. Due to a childhood trauma, he has extreme claustrophobia but hasn’t told anyone that, including his brother who he has a strained relationship with. I really liked Korr. He was sweet and kind, and totally accepting of Ivy and her witch blood. Also, I liked that we actually see Korr struggling with his phobia in this and not just briefly, but throughout the book, because this has been an issue for me with some books in the past.
Korr and Ivy are fated mates but they don’t instantly fall for each other. Korr is ecstatic that he has a mate, but also a bit leary of it because he doesn’t believe he will be a good mate since he can’t stay in the orc caverns with her. I loved the pacing of their relationship and how Korr gave Ivy time to come to terms with her feelings. I also really loved how these two leaned on each other to overcome their issues, especially Korr and his struggle with claustrophobia.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one and look forward to reading more of this series. I will be interested in seeing who ends up Marut’s mate since he was a bit of an ass in this one and I wonder what he is really like.
TW: attempted murder; claustrophobia; cheating husband mentioned; physical violence between siblings;
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Previous books and reviews for the series:
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