10 Orc Romances for Your Orc-tober Reading List

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This post is written by Becky Feldman from Too Stupid to Live Podcast.

When I first discovered Orc romance, I was content to stick with Finley Fenn and the gothic world she created with her Orc Sworn series. But this past year, I felt like I owed it to myself to broaden my horizons, and I’m so happy I did. There is so much orc romance out there, and I had a blast discovering authors and the fantastic orcish worlds they’ve created.

What I love about orc romances is the extra layer of taboo in the concept itself. In traditional narratives, orcs felt like nameless underlings of a more powerful evil. Frankly, I always thought of them as elves who came out of the magical, elf-making oven wrong, like an overburnt cookie. Narratives made it seem like the only purpose of an orc was to do the more menial tasks of villainy, the “busy work,” if you will, because the real villain didn’t have time in their schedule.

The idea of making an orc the romantic hero in monster romances is so intriguing and powerful to me as a monster romance reader. I could go into more detail about why, but you came here for recommendations, not an unwarranted dissertation by a podcaster with no master’s degree!

So, if you’re looking to celebrate Octoberfest as Orc-toberfest, here’s a well-rounded list of books that prove orcs can do and be anything.

Orcs Can Rule Kingdoms

Her Orc King by Zoe Ashwood

This book is available on Kindle Unlimited. Don’t have KU? Check your Best KU Subscription Offer.

If you’re curious about arranged marriage orc romances, the Black Bear Clan series is an excellent starting point. Like the main character, this book eases you in to the world of orc culture, showing you just how accepting and pragmatic humanoid monsters can be. Gorvor is a pleasure-positive orc who empowers Dawn while also having enormous amounts of empathy. Dawn isn’t just Gorvor’s human queen. Dawn is THE Queen, and King Gorvor knows when to respect his peers whether it’s a monarchy or a marriage.

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Orcs Can be Conscientious Objectors.:

Healing the Orc’s Heart by Lyonne Riley

A common plot point in orc romances is that humans and orcs are constantly at war or, at the very least, ideological odds. Obviously, this exposition helps raise the stakes, but sometimes I forget about that larger backdrop when I’m immersed in a chapter about an elf doing reverse cowgirl on an orc at a sex party thrown by two rich werewolves. That said, Healing the Orc’s Heart does an excellent job of taking the extrinsic strife of the orc-human conflict and having it affect the internal struggles of the actual orc and human we’re following. Even for such a short novella, the worldbuilding is so subtle and comprehensive, which makes the bond between Blizzek and Nera feel so grounded.

Oh, and if you need another reason to read it: the orc can still get an erection even when mortally wounded. What a trooper!