Single Orc Dad: A Sweet Monster Treats Standalone by Ava Ross
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Will my roller coaster romance with my hunky orc neighbor fly off the rails or ignite our hearts forever?
Single Orc Dad
After inheriting my estranged dad’s defunct kiddie amusement park, I turn in my corporate badge and return to my old hometown. Despite the issues I had with my dad, I rediscover the fun I missed out on while I lived ten years in the city. I’m determined to turn Quirky Kingdom into the showpiece it used to be. Problem is—more than just the rides need fixing. It’s way more than I can handle on my own.
I tap my new neighbor to help—Rexin, a hunky orc handyman who’s also a single dad extraordinaire. Since it’s summer, he brings his twelve-year-old son to the job with him.
As we grease wheels on the purple turtle ride and get the elephant carriages running again, sparks ignite between us. I begin to believe moving home was the right idea. But my past makes me gun-shy, and I’m not sure if what we’ve started will make me want to live in this town forever. His son playing matchmaker is cute, but it sure isn’t helping.
Only time can tell if our rollercoaster relationship will clickety-click its way to something special or veer off track forever.
Rexin Stole My Heart, but Brear Stole the Show
The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙💛💚
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏
Character development: 😋🙂😁😘
Narrator(s): 🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration type: Dual Narration
Character Backgrounds and Plot Summary
Single Orc Dad is exactly the kind of sweet, steamy monster romance I enjoy when I want something that doesn’t take itself too seriously but still gives its characters some emotional baggage to work through. Adeline returns to her hometown after her estranged father’s death and inherits Quirky Kingdom, the run-down children’s amusement park that was once part of her childhood. She leaves her corporate job behind and throws herself into restoring the park, even though returning home forces her to confront some painful memories involving her father and the loss of her mother.
That’s where Rexin comes in. He’s an enormous orc, a skilled handyman, a single father, and surprisingly tender beneath his intimidating appearance. His twelve-year-old half-orc, half-human son Brear was easily my favorite character. He takes an immediate liking to Adeline and decides, in his own wonderfully sneaky way, that she would make a great addition to their family. Watching Brear play matchmaker while Rexin and Adeline work together on the amusement park gave the story some genuinely funny and adorable moments.
I especially enjoyed the way the park becomes more than just a renovation project for Adeline. Fixing the purple turtle ride and getting the elephant carriages running again gives her a reason to reconnect with something she once loved, while her growing relationship with Rexin and Brear helps her reconsider what she actually wants from her future. Rexin also has his own reservations because of his past relationship with a human and the fact that he has already experienced being left to raise his son alone. Their relationship may develop quickly, but there is an emotional reason behind both of them being cautious.
Highlights and Limitations
Brear absolutely stole the show for me. His attempts to maneuver his father and Adeline toward each other were incredibly cute without making him feel like a completely unrealistic child. I also loved Rexin as a father. Seeing this huge, intimidating orc being attentive to his son and worrying about preserving Brear’s innocence gave him a much softer dimension.
The amusement park setting was another big win. I wasn’t expecting the restoration of Quirky Kingdom to become such an important part of Adeline’s emotional journey, but I really liked that the physical work of repairing the park mirrored her process of rebuilding her own life. The combination of small-town romance, found family, an orc handyman, and an amusement park made this feel distinct from a standard monster romance.
The story also handles Adeline’s painful history with some restraint. Her complicated relationship with her father and the losses she has experienced explain why returning home isn’t simply a nostalgic experience for her. I appreciated that her healing wasn’t treated as something Rexin could magically fix.
If I had one wish, it would be for some of the emotional conflicts to have been explored a little more deeply. The novella length means certain developments, particularly the romance, happen quickly. I personally would have enjoyed more time watching Rexin and Adeline move from attraction to genuine trust before everything fell into place.
Narration
Heather Firth and Aiden Snow worked well as a pairing for this story. I particularly liked Aiden Snow’s performance as Rexin because he gave the character the deeper, masculine presence I expected from an enormous orc without making him sound one-dimensional. That was especially effective during Rexin’s scenes with Brear, where his protective side came through.
Heather Firth brought Adeline’s vulnerability to the story, particularly in the moments where her complicated feelings about returning home and her father surfaced. I wasn’t too fond of Heather’s voice for Brear, since she made him sound like a toddler not a pre-teen who is taller than Adeline. Though having the audiobook performed as a dual narration worked nicely for the different perspectives and made the conversations between the characters easy to follow. The audiobook runs just over four and a half hours, which makes it a very manageable listen, and I listened at regular speed to make it last.
Final Opinion
I had a genuinely good time with Single Orc Dad. What surprised me most was how much I cared about the family aspect. I expected to be primarily invested in the romance between Rexin and Adeline, but Brear’s matchmaking antics and his desire for a mother figure made the developing relationship feel like it was about more than just two people finding their fated mate.
Rexin and Adeline have plenty of chemistry, but it was their quieter moments with Brear and the process of bringing Quirky Kingdom back to life that made the story work for me. I also appreciated that the book delivers the cozy, low-angst feel many monster-romance readers are looking for while still giving both leads genuine reasons to be wary of love.
If you enjoy single-dad romances, fated mates, size differences, or sweet monster romances with some spice, this was an easy recommendation for me. And honestly, I wouldn’t have minded spending considerably more time with Rexin, Adeline, and Brear before reaching the end.
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