Enthralling the Orc Audiobook By Tracy Lauren cover art

Enthralling the Orc

The Perished Woods, Book 2

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Enthralling the Orc

By: Tracy Lauren
Narrated by: Allison River, John Masterson
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Desperate to find answers to the whereabouts of her niece, Ellyn does the unthinkable and releases a criminal brought in from the Perished Woods. Believing him to be nothing more than a man caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, she enlists his aid as a tracker. But the dark night can only shield his true form from her view for so long and when Ellyn finally looks into Ash's ghostly eyes, she knows exactly what type of monster she's released. An orc . . . the same fearsome beast responsible for the burning of her niece’s village. Forced into the cursed woods with a traveling companion he never meant to keep, Ash wants nothing more than to lose the girl, but the longer he walks with Ellyn at his side, he realizes he's more apt to lose himself.

©2019 Tracy Lauren (P)2025 Tantor Media Fantasy
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I am so happy I started this series. Tracy Lauren is a top favorite scifi author of mine and I loved this!

The Perished Woods book 2 is about a half orc/half human who has no place in the world and just wants to fit in. He is currently living in the perished woods as a tracker. One day he see’s our FMC running from attackers through the woods and rescues her. She doesn’t quiet trust him as most people have a hard time trusting the orcs with the army running rampant from village to village decimating them.

This is a GREAT series for adults with adult characters.

This is not an instalove type of story, these characters really had to work for it and I find that extremely refreshing. I loved the writing, story flow, slow burn and the HEA. There are some dark elements in this book, please check the TW’s. I also enjoyed the narration, I feel it fit the characters very well.

Enthralling the Orc

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I adored the first book in the series and so am so thrilled that I enjoyed this one even more. I can’t wait to listen to the next one. TL writer such amazing books with the perfect balance of everything I love. I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone interested in another version of Orcs and an amazing forest.

Even better than book 1

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Well, this was an excellent entertaining story. At times, it seemed to slow a bit, but it was all well done to prepare for the next part of the adventures that overflowed in the story. While I enjoyed book one, book 2 was twice as good in my opinion.

Enthralling The Orc by Tracy Lauren (book 2 of the Perished Woods Series)

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A really excellent fun listen! I listened to the entire book start to finish in one go…. Oh man.. yep that’s the sun coming up…🙄🤦🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️😂
Well written, interesting world build, dual POV, good narration , interesting likable characters with depth and growth and flaws. The MMC was particularly entertaining and likable.
It’s a standalone story but ties in to a greater storyline for the series. Was longer than books like this normally are and that was awesome. Plenty of action, unique places and characters and even some humor. While not the steamiest, there are a few respectably entertaining😉 sex scenes. The development of the relationship is really where it’s at rather than the smut. The story is to long with to much violence and drama to call it an lite or easy read. Having said that, it does have that more lite entertaining HEA romantasy feel. No dull moments or super dense Tolkien style world building,details, or backstory. This is a must if you’re a fan of fantasy monster romance with a touch of violence,drama, humor, a bit of steam, a good amount of action, and a very sweet HEA.
All together it’s a wonderful story and more than worth a credit.

Wonderfully Sweet Story

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The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 🖤💙❤️💚🩶
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕📗📙📘📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏🌍
Character development: 🙃🙁😀😋
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Dual Narration

In this captivating fantasy romance, the author takes a familiar concept—beauty meets beast—and filters it through a more emotionally grounded lens. Ellyn and Ash, our unlikely pair, are not just star-crossed; they’re caught in a tangle of trauma, political unrest, and personal redemption.

🌿 The Heroine: Ellyn

Ellyn, a city-dwelling inn manager with a mind for numbers and a heart heavy with familial guilt, finds her orderly world shattered when refugees from the Perished Woods arrive with harrowing stories—one of which hits disturbingly close to home. Her sense of duty, tinged with a longing to atone for past choices, drives her into unknown territory both literally and emotionally.

The narrative paints Ellyn with a balanced mix of competence and vulnerability. While she’s initially sympathetic, her decision-making takes a sharp dive into “too naïve to survive” territory midway through. It’s a frustrating lapse that undercuts her earlier credibility and shifts the tension from “will she survive?” to “will she learn anything?”

🌲 The Hero: Ash

Ash is a half-Orc tracker—a figure of contradiction. Neither accepted by human society nor aligned with the brutal Orc horde, he lives on the fringes, both socially and geographically. His moral compass leans toward protection over violence, yet the world sees his appearance and assumes the worst.

Physically, Ash breaks the mold. Readers expecting a traditional green-skinned brute may be surprised by his gray complexion and fang-bearing, tuskless face. This detail adds plausibility to his early concealment from Ellyn, and hints at a more nuanced take on orcish identity within the genre.

🗺️ Plot and Political Intrigue

What begins as a personal search-and-rescue quickly scales into a broader political drama. The realm of Pontheugh simmers with unrest: a passive king, a manipulative Mage, and an ambitious Witch-Queen allied with the Orc King. These elements heighten the stakes beyond mere romance or survival, giving the narrative an added layer of depth.

Ellyn’s emotional tether to her missing niece—intertwined with her complex relationship with her cruel sister Celia—grounds the narrative in grief and longing. Meanwhile, Ash’s sense of otherness parallels Ellyn’s growing distrust in the institutions she once believed in, making their alliance more layered than your typical fated-pair trope.

That said, one major turning point hinges on Ellyn’s questionable judgment, which creates a jarring tonal shift. Readers invested in strong, competent heroines might find this moment difficult to reconcile.

❤️ Romance and Pacing

The romance simmers before igniting. Ash’s initial reluctance to take Ellyn with him—followed by his fierce protectiveness—feels earned rather than rushed. Their chemistry builds through survival scenarios and mutual vulnerability, culminating in steamy but emotionally resonant scenes. The story doesn’t rely on spice alone to move the plot forward, which is refreshing in a genre sometimes heavy on heat, light on substance.

🎧 Audiobook Performance

The dual narration—Allison River for Ellyn, John Masterson for Ash—adds a welcome texture to the listening experience. River’s delivery is gentle, though it occasionally misses the emotional intensity of high-stakes scenes. Masterson, on the other hand, embodies Ash’s calm strength with gravitas, lending the Orc hero a powerful sense of presence.

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Final Thoughts

This story delivers a compelling blend of romantic tension, high fantasy world-building, and socio-political intrigue. While Ellyn’s lapse in judgment may leave some readers shaking their heads, the overall arc—especially Ash’s quiet strength and the textured exploration of prejudice and trust—makes this an engrossing read.

For fans of Tamed by the Troll, this installment expands the universe while maintaining the emotional core that made the earlier book resonate. If you’re drawn to morally gray landscapes, misunderstood monsters, and slow-burning redemption, this one’s worth the trek into the Perished Woods.

A Journey Through Guilt and Monsters

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