Orc Rebel’s Secret Baby by Celeste King

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

He died trying to protect me.
Or so I thought.

On a hellish Earth I created my own slice of Heaven with Agrish…until it was burned to the ground.
Along with my safety.
For the last year, I’ve done nothing but run.

Alone. Afraid. And with a broken heart.

The Burning Sun orc clan was supposed to be my refuge.
But then I see him.
My giant orc. Rescued and living among them.

And now it’s my purgatory.

Each day he goes out in search of me – the woman that caused him to nearly die.
But finding me will only trade one suffering for another.
And I love him too much to put his life at risk again.

But this last year holds more secrets than his survival.
See, if Agrish succeeds in his search, he won’t just find me.

He’ll find a daughter as well.

Orc Rebel’s Secret Baby

Turns Out He Wasn’t Just There for the Romps.

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙💜💚
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕📗📙
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏
Character development: 😋😀😍
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Dual Narration

🫦 The Heroine – Remi

For three years, Remi has been secretly meeting Agrish, hiding their relationship from her disapproving parents. As if Agrish being an Orc wasn’t taboo enough, he’s also a rebel—part of a faction that rejects the authority and codes of the other Orc clans. Even Agrish’s fellow rebels are unaware of Remi’s existence. What started as casual woodland rendezvous grows deeper than Remi anticipated; she’s catching feelings and craves the connection. Years ago, when her village was attacked by hostile Orcs, it was Agrish who saved her. Now, her village has allied with a “good” Orc clan for protection—yet Agrish remains branded a traitor.

💔 The Hero – Agrish

Raised in rebellion by his father, Agrish has never known another way of life. But with Remi, everything shifts. She’s the only person who makes him feel truly seen—truly himself. His love for her clashes with his loyalty to his clan, especially under the shadow of his uncle, who now leads the rebels. Agrish fears that even if he could leave, Remi’s family would never accept him. Haunted by his mother’s suicide after his birth, he’s tormented by self-worth: how can he ask Remi to love him when even his mother couldn’t?

🔥 Plot Snapshot

When Agrish leaves for a short mission, their meeting spot is suddenly empty. What he discovers is chilling—Remi’s base has been razed; bodies burned beyond recognition. His clan’s markings stain the wreckage, and he realizes his uncle orchestrated the attack while he was away. On the anniversary of the massacre, Agrish kills his uncle, consumed by guilt over Remi’s supposed death.

He’s approached by the Burning Sun Clan, who know of his defection and offer him a bounty for eliminating his uncle. They need warriors to help purge the rebel faction.

Unknown to Agrish, Remi survives—and has given birth to a daughter, Tara. Her parents were killed in the assault before she even discovered her pregnancy. Now sheltered by the Burning Sun Clan, she’s moved multiple times, deliberately avoiding any ties to Agrish’s clan. Though she knows Agrish wasn’t directly involved, she can’t risk letting someone connected to that violence near her child.

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😘 What I Loved

• The secret baby setup felt fresh, with emotional stakes grounded in complex loyalties and trauma.
• Agrish was a standout—his internal conflict and raw vulnerability made him compelling.


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🤔 What Fell Flat for Me

• I’m just not a fan of second chance romances. They’re often inevitable with secret baby tropes, but I tend to prefer the one-night-stand setups—less baggage, more tension.
• Remi’s moral double standard grated on me. Agrish was apparently fine for some passionate escapades, yet not worthy of fatherhood? Especially when she knew he hadn’t participated in the attack.
• When the heroine deliberately hides the child from the father, it’s hard for me to stay empathetic. It feels manipulative, and it soured my view of Remi.


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🎧 Audiobook Performance

Narrated in dual POV by Midnight Michael and Mia Madison. Mia’s deeper vocal range worked better than most female narrators when voicing male characters, though her delivery sometimes felt flat. Midnight Michael was a great fit—his rich, low voice suited Agrish’s brooding intensity. Both narrators spoke a little too slowly for my taste, but at 1.2x speed, the pacing felt much smoother.

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