Title: The Orc from the Office
Author: Kate Prior
Published by: Independently published
Publication date: 1st Oct 2022
Genre: Orc Smut
Pages: 143
Format: eBook
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Series: Claws & Cubicles
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Blurb/Synopsis
Mate-bonding with a co-worker is against company policy, accidentally or not.
Janice knows better than anyone that entanglements with co-workers are risky business. But when Janice accidentally breaks a co-workers nose, she finds herself unexpectedly mated to an orc, and under Monster Resources’ scrutiny.
Khent from the IT Department is quiet and nerdy, despite the tusks. His emails are overly wordy. He won’t stop apologizing even though she’s the one who broke his glasses.
Clearly, fate got this one wrong.
All Janice has to do is stay away from Khent until the bond dissipates. Easy enough, right? Except…
…Her company laptop chooses this week to need the orc from the IT Department, repeatedly.
…She accidentally clicks on orc porn at work and has to take remedial phishing training with Khent.
…Their bond will keep pulling them back together until it is completed.
Review
This is the Orc Smut I’d been waiting for! Helpfully pointed out to me by my smut co-conspirator, Gwen, I bumped it up on the reading list!
Janice is the Human Resources officer at Evil Inc, an office of dubious morality. Khent, is the Orc IT guy from downstairs. When Janice accidentally breaks Khent’s nose it sparks off the Orcish tradition of the ‘Blood Fever’ whereby the pair are accidentally mated and unreasonably horny for one another – it’s against work policy and in order to make it go away they simply have to keep away from one another. Only, it’s not that simple and they seem to be running into each other now more than they’ve ever seen each other at work before.
The Orc from the Office is by far the best Orc-Smut book I’ve had the pleasure of reading. The main characters are enjoyable and relatable in their struggles. The way they come together is actually rather sweet if a nose-breaking can ever be described as such, and the scenes they share together are steamy.
As a lead character, Janice and her inane ramblings about wanting to be professional yet doing all the things that are not due to the Blood Fever; looking at Orc Porn while at work, for example, made her relatable. She has very human qualities and her predicament, while inconvenient, doesn’t have as much impact on her as it does her mate. Khent, is just adorable. He’s a complete nerd in Orc form! I’d have very much loved to read more from his point of view, as the impact of their fated-mating had much more of a cultural impact on his life than it did for Janice. It would have been great to see the events unfolding from his perspective, too. Especially as the two main characters cultures differ greatly from one another; a bit more in terms of world-building and seeing things from Khent’s perspective would really lift the story and make it that little bit more believable.
Instead, we’re given a lot of pages from Janice’s point of view and her struggles with going through the Monster Resources department and how to get the mating bond annulled. These’s parts were entertaining and rather dry in the humour department. At times I had to stop myself from laughing out loud because, really, the last thing you want your parents to know is that you’re reading monster smut in the same room as them.
Khent himself isn’t what you expect from an Orc. Sure, he has the bulk and the tusks, but that’s about it! Because this is an office-romance genre book, he’s a shirt-wearing, IT nerd. He is endearing, sensitive and socially awkward. Honestly, he’s all sorts of adorable and a totally unexpected male lead. His a Mama’s boy to boot! So, really not the rage-headed, brute I am used to in Orc Smut. Which, makes for a refreshing change.
The smutty scenes were well-written and emotional. They didn’t drag on and there wasn’t the plethora of over-wrought orgasms that seem to spill over and over in these books. There’s one particular scene that was endearing when the couple were starting to realise that their feelings weren’t just due to the Blood Fever, involving a hot spring, it was a rather sweet scene, but I could really have done without the under-average art-piece that accompanied it. I’d much rather use my own imagination that rely on someone else’s dodgy illustration. I am not a child, I do not need pictures in my books!
This is one of those sorts of books that makes you giggle as you’re reading. It’s humorous as it is smutty and it’s really a lot of fun. I like books in this genre that don’t take themselves too seriously, because, how can you? The Orc from the Office hit the nail on the head for me and, for anyone looking into getting into the genre, looking at you Salty; this one comes highly recommended – might not be the best starting point though as things are pretty detailed in the erotica department; let’s not forget what we’re reading here!
I did have some issues with the final smut scene between them. The location confused me and the circumstances were less than ideal (vague to avoid spoilers)
I don’t know if Katy Prior has written any other Orc Smut books; The Orc from the Office is the second part in a series, but there wasn’t any link from this book to the previous other than the offices of Evil, Inc. I’ll be keeping an eye out if there is, but I am not holding my breath and I do not yet feel ready to branch out to other monsters.
A wonderful Orc Smut book – the best I’ve read yet – even if the orc wasn’t like other, traditional orcs. Janice is an interesting female lead and her running commentary is entertaining. Khent is adorable. Together they make for strange bed-fellows but their fated-mating story is endearing and steamy. I think in my enthusiasm I gave this book 5/5 stars on goodreads, but in reflection it gets 4.
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