50 Shades of Orc – L.A. Monteiro

Title: 50 Shades of Orc
Author: L.A. Monteriro
Published by: Chaos Elf Publishing; 2nd edition 
Publication date: 2nd Oct 2023
Genre: Orc Smut
Pages: 130
Format: eBook
Source: Book Sirens

Blurb/Synopsis

An arrogant billionaire orc shifter is the leader of a race stranded on earth. He’s desperate to find a woman to breed with to ensure the future of his people. But when he finds a woman who smells so good he can barely resist her, he discovers she has secrets dangerous to them both.

This spicy orc romance explores an uncontrollable, animal attraction.

The first in the Seasonal Spice series, this short and delicious romantica can be read as a standalone that’s easy to devour and sure to satisfy.

Review

⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3 out of 5.

When you call a book ’50 Shade of X’ you’re setting up certain expectations.

Sadly, this book didn’t meet those expectations – there was no BDSM, the spice was a little lacklustre and there wasn’t a Dom/sub relationship in sight!

50 Shades of Orc fell flat on various levels and, unfortunately, it wasn’t as good a read as I was hoping for.

The concept is that Tom, and billionaire is keeping his true identity a secret from the world and doing his best to philanthropically help the outcast orcs using his vast wealth. Why he can’t just use his money to set up a business and give the orcs jobs is a bit beyond me, but there we go.

Summer, is an intern infiltrator journalist looking to blow the whistle and get the scoop on everything that’s going on with Tom.

It feels to me like 50 Shades of Orc couldn’t decide which camp it wanted to fall into. Being sold as a spicy novella, things between Summer and Tom should have kicked off a heck of a lot sooner; a bit less plot to pad out the book would have helped smooth things along.

OR the plot should have been fully realised and explored, with threads weaved a little more intricately. More detail on the Orcs coming to Earth and the struggles they face beyond racism. If you’re looking for a book that compares the struggles of fictional races with minorities, then the film Bright would be a great comp for this book, but there would need to be more of it in 50 Shades of Orc. Some of the stereotyping in here felt a little off, you’re trying to build a sympathetic approach to the orc ‘invaders’ and yet some of the things they do counteract that. It’s a bit of a head-scratcher at times.

There was a lot in this book in terms of plot, that fell short because of the shorter word count, there are many things left unexplored. The whole ritual/fae elements with Summer could have been explored further alongside the development of business with Tom. However, it seemed as though the ideas were smushed together quickly for the sake of smut – which, smuts perfectly fine, it’s why I picked up the book, but it all seemed to be a bit confused.

The smut itself wasn’t all that exciting, I am afraid to say. There was some mild scent fetishization, some brief primal play which often ended with the phrase ‘and then I crashed’ (Or words to that effect) It was all very underwhelming.

I didn’t get into the whole ‘mystic’ plot. I mean, I understood what it was all about, but it just lacked substance; but then again, most of the stuff that happened in the book was over the span of a weekend.

I’d have loved for the book to decide a direction and stick with its guns. Give us smut or give us a plot, but don’t muddy the waters and try to do both at once.