Orcs of Oksha

Fionnuala "Fiona" Kerridan was raised to be the perfect High Fae princess, graceful, obedient, and willing to sacrifice everything for her kingdom. Her future is clear: a strategic marriage to secure peace and prosperity. And she is ready to accept it. Until her wedding day shatters everything. Before the vows can be spoken, a vengeful sorceress crashes the ceremony and unleashes a devastating curse, one meant not just to punish Fiona, but to humiliate her father. In a single, irreversible moment, the beloved princess is transformed into the very creature her people fear most: an orc. Cast out of the life she once knew, Fiona must venture into forbidden lands in search of a way to break the curse. Her only hope lies with the Oksha, the most feared orc tribe in all of Lyraen. But survival among enemies is not her greatest challenge. Malek Strong-Axe, the powerful and enigmatic Ruk'hai of the Oksha, is everything Fiona was raised to despise and the one man she cannot seem to resist. As truths unravel and loyalties are tested, Fiona begins to question everything she once believed about her people, her enemies, and herself. Because monsters are not always what they seem. And love may be the most dangerous force of all. Now, torn between duty and desire, Fiona must decide: reclaim the life she lost or fight for a future she never imagined. Tropes and themes: enemies to lovers; slow burn; monster romance; forbidden love; forced proximity; found family; powerful heroine; touch her and die; secrets and betrayal; Beauty becomes the Beast; standalone. For mature listeners.