In a world of orcs and powerful men, Lydia is a shy, widowed washerwoman, forgotten and alone - until the day the orc drops in, with a full sack of laundry on his back. He's tall, rangy, and utterly confounding, with his silver hair, his deep jolly laugh, and his twinkling, coal-black eyes. And when he offers to bring Lydia great joy, it's a gift that just keeps giving, drawing her ever deeper into his wicked, wondrous charms... At least, until he invites her to spend Yule at his cozy, candlelit cabin. And when Lydia arrives, he offers her a brand-new gift, wrapped in a pretty red bow...Another orc. A stranger.For her... merriment. And he's the biggest, most terrifying monster she's ever seen in her life.Will Lydia refuse her hideous gift, and run alone into the cold winter's night? Or can she find joy with a monster... or maybe even a home?