Only One for the Orc by Isabelle Taylor

A burnt-out bookseller.

A lovesick orc.

Is fate enough to keep them together?

In Claw Haven, Alaska, monsters are real – but what about fated mates?

Vi Harper is good at many things and great at pretending she’s got her life figured out. Truth is, she’s a hot mess – especially when cocky, gorgeous orc Nick Wicker goads her in his infuriating way.

Nick has found his mate. That’s the good news. The bad: he’s already blown it. Every time Nick speaks to soft-spoken, overworked bookseller Vi, she seems to hate him even more. What’s a lovestruck orc to do but stress-bake and look for ways to redeem himself?

Then a batch of apology brownies sparks one passionate night together and suddenly, sensible Vi is offering her one-time enemy a friends-with-benefits arrangement. It’s more than Nick dreamed – but it's not enough.

Now he has to find a way to show her that sometimes, fate gets it exactly right…

Tropes:

• Fated mates
  
  
• He falls first (and harder)
  
  
• Black cat/golden retriever
  
  
• Small town
  
  
• Magical beings