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Assistant to the Villain #1
Assistant to the Villain
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Romantasy (2023)Once Upon a Time meets The Office in Hannah Maehrer’s laugh-out-loud viral TikTok series turned novel, about the sunshine assistant to an Evil Villain…and their unexpected romance.
ASSISTANT WANTED: Notorious, high-ranking villain seeks loyal, levelheaded assistant for unspecified office duties, supporting staff for random mayhem, terror, and other Dark Things In General. Discretion a must. Excellent benefits.
With ailing family to support, Evie Sage's employment status isn't just important, it's vital. So when a mishap with Rennedawn’s most infamous Villain results in a job offer—naturally, she says yes. No job is perfect, of course, but even less so when you develop a teeny crush on your terrifying, temperamental, and undeniably hot boss. Don’t find evil so attractive, Evie.
But just when she’s getting used to severed heads suspended from the ceiling and the odd squish of an errant eyeball beneath her heel, Evie suspects this dungeon has a huge rat…and not just the literal kind. Because something rotten is growing in the kingdom of Rennedawn, and someone wants to take the Villain—and his entire nefarious empire—out.
Now Evie must not only resist drooling over her boss but also figure out exactly who is sabotaging his work…and ensure he makes them pay.
After all, a good job is hard to find.
ASSISTANT WANTED: Notorious, high-ranking villain seeks loyal, levelheaded assistant for unspecified office duties, supporting staff for random mayhem, terror, and other Dark Things In General. Discretion a must. Excellent benefits.
With ailing family to support, Evie Sage's employment status isn't just important, it's vital. So when a mishap with Rennedawn’s most infamous Villain results in a job offer—naturally, she says yes. No job is perfect, of course, but even less so when you develop a teeny crush on your terrifying, temperamental, and undeniably hot boss. Don’t find evil so attractive, Evie.
But just when she’s getting used to severed heads suspended from the ceiling and the odd squish of an errant eyeball beneath her heel, Evie suspects this dungeon has a huge rat…and not just the literal kind. Because something rotten is growing in the kingdom of Rennedawn, and someone wants to take the Villain—and his entire nefarious empire—out.
Now Evie must not only resist drooling over her boss but also figure out exactly who is sabotaging his work…and ensure he makes them pay.
After all, a good job is hard to find.
342 pages, Paperback
First published August 29, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 18,791 reviews
December 9, 2023
UPDATE- IT'S GOING TO BE A TV SERIES Y'ALL. AHHH I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THE VILLAIN COME ALIVE ON SCREEN 🤭🤭
~•~•~
A binge-worthy entertaining read 🤩
✔️ Cozy fantasy vibes
✔️ Workplace romance
✔️ Dual pov
✔️ Slow burn
✔️ Grumpy x sunshine
✔️ Magic + mystery
To support her ailing family, Evie Sage is desperately looking for employment and when chaos happens she is offered an assistant job to the town's most infamous man- The Villain. As she is getting used to the job, she develops a crush on him. Turns out it's not all that easy when someone's trying to sabotage your boss.
The world building could have been better. It's quite forgettable. Am not sure where things were or what kind of town it was or the kingdoms involved? It lacked clarity and I hope the next book does it better.
The characters- Evie and the Villain. Evie is so selfless and fun, her sunshine personality is not over the top and is just perfectly balanced. I liked her a lot, except when she started to crack jokes or whatever she thought qualifies as a joke. Her sense of humor wasn't that great. But I loved seeing her drool over the Villain (who wouldn't), it was adorable.
The Villain (whose name I won't reveal cause of spoilers) is definitely the type of guy who hates everyone but her. He is so charismatic. He's definitely a brooding guy and I adored seeing him open up to Evie. Loved how into her he was already, despite her bad jokes. One thing that could have been better about him was if he was even more villainous but I kinda get it- it's just lighthearted stuff and YA.
I enjoyed the cozy mystery vibes. Trying to find out who is trying to sabotage the Villain was fun and totally wasn't the person I was expecting. Loved the plot twist at the end.
The romance was cute tho it didn't really develop into something more, am expecting that to happen in the next book. I loved the pining, from both of them and how the two were always open for communication. This is a clean romance, so no spice. And it works out quite well. The way the two were always so protective of each other was everything!!
The ending was hard to put down. Loved the plot twist at the end. As it ends on a cliffhanger, am really looking forward to the next one.
Overall, a fun lighthearted read. I recommend it if you're in the mood for cozy mystery fantasy and if you want entertainment.
~•~•~
Fantasy rom com? When Once Upon a Time meets The Office? Am so into that... That's what she said LET'S GOO
~•~•~
A binge-worthy entertaining read 🤩
✔️ Cozy fantasy vibes
✔️ Workplace romance
✔️ Dual pov
✔️ Slow burn
✔️ Grumpy x sunshine
✔️ Magic + mystery
To support her ailing family, Evie Sage is desperately looking for employment and when chaos happens she is offered an assistant job to the town's most infamous man- The Villain. As she is getting used to the job, she develops a crush on him. Turns out it's not all that easy when someone's trying to sabotage your boss.
The world building could have been better. It's quite forgettable. Am not sure where things were or what kind of town it was or the kingdoms involved? It lacked clarity and I hope the next book does it better.
The characters- Evie and the Villain. Evie is so selfless and fun, her sunshine personality is not over the top and is just perfectly balanced. I liked her a lot, except when she started to crack jokes or whatever she thought qualifies as a joke. Her sense of humor wasn't that great. But I loved seeing her drool over the Villain (who wouldn't), it was adorable.
The Villain (whose name I won't reveal cause of spoilers) is definitely the type of guy who hates everyone but her. He is so charismatic. He's definitely a brooding guy and I adored seeing him open up to Evie. Loved how into her he was already, despite her bad jokes. One thing that could have been better about him was if he was even more villainous but I kinda get it- it's just lighthearted stuff and YA.
I enjoyed the cozy mystery vibes. Trying to find out who is trying to sabotage the Villain was fun and totally wasn't the person I was expecting. Loved the plot twist at the end.
The romance was cute tho it didn't really develop into something more, am expecting that to happen in the next book. I loved the pining, from both of them and how the two were always open for communication. This is a clean romance, so no spice. And it works out quite well. The way the two were always so protective of each other was everything!!
The ending was hard to put down. Loved the plot twist at the end. As it ends on a cliffhanger, am really looking forward to the next one.
Overall, a fun lighthearted read. I recommend it if you're in the mood for cozy mystery fantasy and if you want entertainment.
~•~•~
Fantasy rom com? When Once Upon a Time meets The Office? Am so into that... That's what she said LET'S GOO
August 13, 2023
DNF at 30%
Before we go any further, I need to remind you that every book I read receives the same degree of harsh scrutiny. I don't know Hannah, nor have I ever been mutuals with her. And honestly, I'm relieved for that last fact because I don't know how the hell I'd manage that conflict of interest. I promised to be 100% honest with all of you—always. No matter what. No matter how nervous it makes me that I'll receive backlash. Because at the end of the day: THIS ISN'T A PERSONAL ATTACK. It's a review of a particular piece of literature.
I'm sorry I don't have anything nice to say about this book. If it makes you feel any better, I'm mutuals with Ali Hazelwood and I said her latest novel was "seriously mediocre."
Here's why I bailed on Assistant to the Villain:
1. This book gave me the same cringe, uncomfy feeling as watching anything ChristianTok, much like the first half of this (decidedly hilarious) TikTok made by my friend Shaye.
2. It reads like Middle Grade, so much so that I almost gaslit myself into thinking that maybe it was YA. Nope. It's adult. Or at least, it's supposed to be.
3. Painfully unfunny. I never saw the original TikToks that inspired this book, and I believe the marketing when it says the series was "hilarious." Why then, did not an ounce of humour translate? Moreover, why instead of finding it even a little bit funny, did I make this face after every joke line was delivered: 🥴😵💫
4. Characters as flat as French crêpes. Do you really need me to explain this one? Fine. How's this: If the main character were an instrument, she'd be a cowbell.
5. Either the narrator's performance did the book zero favours, or vice versa. Either way, the narration was grating.
I hope I am in the tiny minority of people who don't like this book 😬 And for the love of god, do not send this to the author. In fact, do not send ANY negative reviews to ANY authors. That just makes you a c-nt. It's not a good look.
Many thanks to Tantor for providing me with the ALC and for Penguin UK for sending me an ARC
Before we go any further, I need to remind you that every book I read receives the same degree of harsh scrutiny. I don't know Hannah, nor have I ever been mutuals with her. And honestly, I'm relieved for that last fact because I don't know how the hell I'd manage that conflict of interest. I promised to be 100% honest with all of you—always. No matter what. No matter how nervous it makes me that I'll receive backlash. Because at the end of the day: THIS ISN'T A PERSONAL ATTACK. It's a review of a particular piece of literature.
I'm sorry I don't have anything nice to say about this book. If it makes you feel any better, I'm mutuals with Ali Hazelwood and I said her latest novel was "seriously mediocre."
Here's why I bailed on Assistant to the Villain:
1. This book gave me the same cringe, uncomfy feeling as watching anything ChristianTok, much like the first half of this (decidedly hilarious) TikTok made by my friend Shaye.
2. It reads like Middle Grade, so much so that I almost gaslit myself into thinking that maybe it was YA. Nope. It's adult. Or at least, it's supposed to be.
3. Painfully unfunny. I never saw the original TikToks that inspired this book, and I believe the marketing when it says the series was "hilarious." Why then, did not an ounce of humour translate? Moreover, why instead of finding it even a little bit funny, did I make this face after every joke line was delivered: 🥴😵💫
4. Characters as flat as French crêpes. Do you really need me to explain this one? Fine. How's this: If the main character were an instrument, she'd be a cowbell.
5. Either the narrator's performance did the book zero favours, or vice versa. Either way, the narration was grating.
I hope I am in the tiny minority of people who don't like this book 😬 And for the love of god, do not send this to the author. In fact, do not send ANY negative reviews to ANY authors. That just makes you a c-nt. It's not a good look.
Many thanks to Tantor for providing me with the ALC and for Penguin UK for sending me an ARC
August 24, 2023
Like a Christian youth pastor this book is uncomfortably unfunny.
August 31, 2023
Tik tok has gotta stop convincing people they need to write a book bc then we end up with a mess like this 🤦♀️
September 20, 2023
me: complains daily about booktok
also me: experiences FOMO over a 'booktok sensation' 🤡
also me: experiences FOMO over a 'booktok sensation' 🤡
September 4, 2023
3.5 ⭐️ this was such a fun lil’ fantasy read! although i do wish there was more romance, i still genuinely enjoyed the storyline + characters 🫶🏻 v excited for book 2 & to continue evie & the villain’s story!!
Shelved as 'did-not-finish'
September 14, 2023DNFed after prologue💀
April 5, 2024
➳ 4.5 ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚
╰┈➤ “he was ruined. but he loved her anyway”
I’M NOT OK 😭😭 that ending was cruel hannah, i thought we were friends. because I definitely know her. totally. (hi hannah if you’re out there I’d love to be friends btw)
BUT THIS WAS SO GOOD!!!! as someone who had high expectations because i loved her tiktok series (yes i’m already a fan. take this review with a grain of salt. warnings: extreme bias) i was not disappointed! chapter 46–heck page 273 alone—was enough to make this a 5 star book honestly 🫢
i just had so much fun like this book had me giggling and kicking my feet and laughing and I just had such a good time!!! the second half was wildly better than the first half too like the first half was good but i loved the end. also there were some really good quotes in this!! for example…
╰┈➤ ”she wasn’t light; she was color. every single one, dancing otherworldly and bright over his unworthy eyes. she was the explosion of the vivid gleams and glows of the world around him, like a constant rainbow, shining not after the rain but during.”
like ahhh I loved them so much and i loved evie so much and trystan— 😭🫶 (he already proposed to me, you can ask him. i just declined because i like him and evie too much. who I haven’t seen a ship name for by the way? im dubbing it “trevie” or wait “evsten”…anyways you’re welcome to come up with something better but as the president of their ship im gonna need you to run it by me) and kingsley!! honestly my favorite character ngl 🐸🪧
the romance was just so cute!! i actually really appreciated that there was no spice and loved the ya feel…like this book embodies something that my inner fangirl self loved !! it was just such an enjoyable, lighthearted, hilarious, and fast paced romp and im so glad i read it. it sometimes came off as episodic which like that was the og format so obviously it makes sense and i really liked it because it kept me interested and the chapters were shortafter the prologue but we don’t talk about that. it was tropey for sure but i could feel the author having fun and i loved that. why shouldn’t we write books with tropes we know we all love? 💗
point is i have been waiting for this since november 2022 and it didn’t disappoint for sure. it was a bit different from the tiktok series but like that’s to be expected and I think she executed it really well. im so happy for hannah and i wish her book all the success i can’t wait for book two…i need it now 🫶🩷✨😭
ok now hannah? bestie? (because we’re friends now remember? she said so remember? i promise she’s not tied up in my basement) if you’re reading this, kindly leave. i just got a couple things that i gotta be honest about. ok gone? Here we go…
alright the writing was a little bit fanfictiony and it felt like ya which like i said im fine with but keep that in mind. now ✨The Villain©✨… was a bit bland at the beginning and felt like a stereotype. i just felt like he was kinda vanilla until about halfway through and we got a backstory. i also would’ve liked this to be more slow-burny maybe? like they’re already thirsting for each other from page 1 (or more accurately like page 17 but you get it). the last thing…there was not a lot of world building which like i get that it was meant to be an office villain romance with some fantasy so i get it but just some lil things didn’t make sense and i was confused.
but overall these are minor things and just why i gave this 4.5 instead of 5. it didn’t take away from the reading experience like I still really enjoyed it!! 💕
ALRIGHT ANYWAYS (I promise im done nowand i let hannah out of my basement) i loved this and i highly recommend!! ✨💗🫶
💋🎀🍒🩰🍓💌🌷
₊˚ ✧ ‿︵‿୨୧‿︵‿ ✧ ₊˚
➳ edit 12 • 28 • 23 ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚
omg this is going to be a tv series and the sequel has a title *incoming scream* AHHHSKFSLLFSKS ok it’s out of my system now
₊˚ ✧ ‿︵‿୨୧‿︵‿ ✧ ₊˚
➳ edit a little later on 8 • 29 • 23 ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚
my copy came and I’m already in love, all I’ve read is the dedication and—😭😭 but I guess I’ll be reasonable and finish the book I’m currently reading…send help
₊˚ ✧ ‿︵‿୨୧‿︵‿ ✧ ₊˚
➳ edit 8 • 29 • 23 ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚
release day let’s gooo!!! eagerly awaiting the arrival of my copy and you better believe i’m going to start this right away
₊˚ ✧ ‿︵‿୨୧‿︵‿ ✧ ₊˚
➳ pre review ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚
omg when i tell you I’ve been waiting FOREVER for this ✋😭 already preordered and actually going to die waiting for it’s release im so so excited for hannah, i love her villain’s assistant series so much and she deserves all the success 🤍✨🫶
୧ ‧₊˚ 🍓 ⋅ ☆
╰┈➤ “he was ruined. but he loved her anyway”
I’M NOT OK 😭😭 that ending was cruel hannah, i thought we were friends. because I definitely know her. totally. (
BUT THIS WAS SO GOOD!!!! as someone who had high expectations because i loved her tiktok series (yes i’m already a fan. take this review with a grain of salt. warnings: extreme bias) i was not disappointed! chapter 46–heck page 273 alone—was enough to make this a 5 star book honestly 🫢
i just had so much fun like this book had me giggling and kicking my feet and laughing and I just had such a good time!!! the second half was wildly better than the first half too like the first half was good but i loved the end. also there were some really good quotes in this!! for example…
╰┈➤ ”she wasn’t light; she was color. every single one, dancing otherworldly and bright over his unworthy eyes. she was the explosion of the vivid gleams and glows of the world around him, like a constant rainbow, shining not after the rain but during.”
like ahhh I loved them so much and i loved evie so much and trystan— 😭🫶 (he already proposed to me, you can ask him. i just declined because i like him and evie too much. who I haven’t seen a ship name for by the way? im dubbing it “trevie” or wait “evsten”…anyways you’re welcome to come up with something better but as the president of their ship im gonna need you to run it by me) and kingsley!! honestly my favorite character ngl 🐸🪧
the romance was just so cute!! i actually really appreciated that there was no spice and loved the ya feel…like this book embodies something that my inner fangirl self loved !! it was just such an enjoyable, lighthearted, hilarious, and fast paced romp and im so glad i read it. it sometimes came off as episodic which like that was the og format so obviously it makes sense and i really liked it because it kept me interested and the chapters were short
point is i have been waiting for this since november 2022 and it didn’t disappoint for sure. it was a bit different from the tiktok series but like that’s to be expected and I think she executed it really well. im so happy for hannah and i wish her book all the success i can’t wait for book two…i need it now 🫶🩷✨😭
ok now hannah? bestie? (
alright the writing was a little bit fanfictiony and it felt like ya which like i said im fine with but keep that in mind. now ✨The Villain©✨… was a bit bland at the beginning and felt like a stereotype. i just felt like he was kinda vanilla until about halfway through and we got a backstory. i also would’ve liked this to be more slow-burny maybe? like they’re already thirsting for each other from page 1 (or more accurately like page 17 but you get it). the last thing…there was not a lot of world building which like i get that it was meant to be an office villain romance with some fantasy so i get it but just some lil things didn’t make sense and i was confused.
but overall these are minor things and just why i gave this 4.5 instead of 5. it didn’t take away from the reading experience like I still really enjoyed it!! 💕
ALRIGHT ANYWAYS (I promise im done now
💋🎀🍒🩰🍓💌🌷
₊˚ ✧ ‿︵‿୨୧‿︵‿ ✧ ₊˚
➳ edit 12 • 28 • 23 ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚
omg this is going to be a tv series and the sequel has a title *incoming scream* AHHHSKFSLLFSKS ok it’s out of my system now
₊˚ ✧ ‿︵‿୨୧‿︵‿ ✧ ₊˚
➳ edit a little later on 8 • 29 • 23 ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚
my copy came and I’m already in love, all I’ve read is the dedication and—😭😭 but I guess I’ll be reasonable and finish the book I’m currently reading…send help
₊˚ ✧ ‿︵‿୨୧‿︵‿ ✧ ₊˚
➳ edit 8 • 29 • 23 ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚
release day let’s gooo!!! eagerly awaiting the arrival of my copy and you better believe i’m going to start this right away
₊˚ ✧ ‿︵‿୨୧‿︵‿ ✧ ₊˚
➳ pre review ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚
omg when i tell you I’ve been waiting FOREVER for this ✋😭 already preordered and actually going to die waiting for it’s release im so so excited for hannah, i love her villain’s assistant series so much and she deserves all the success 🤍✨🫶
୧ ‧₊˚ 🍓 ⋅ ☆
November 7, 2023
"I certainly hope you are not about to apologize for someone hurting you."
She smiled, sheepish and a little flattered that he cared. "You're not all bad, are you?"
He looked offended. "How dare you?"
EXCUSE ME BUT THAT ENDING WAS SO RUDE.
🐸𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗧 𝗧𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗩𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗔𝗜𝗡 - 𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗔𝗛 𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗢𝗟𝗘 𝗠𝗘𝗛𝗥𝗘𝗥🐸
★𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
★𝗬𝗔/𝗡𝗔/𝗔: 🅽🅰
★𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗦: 𝙰𝚂𝚂𝙸𝚂𝚃𝙰𝙽𝚃 𝚃𝙾 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚅𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙰𝙸𝙽 #𝟷
★𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗥𝗘 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗧𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦: 𝚁𝙾𝙼𝙰𝙽𝚃𝙰𝚂𝚈 - 𝙼𝙰𝙶𝙸𝙲 - 𝙼𝚈𝚂𝚃𝙴𝚁𝚈
★𝗣𝗢𝗩: 𝙳𝚄𝙰𝙻 𝙿𝙾𝚅 - 𝚃𝙷𝙸𝚁𝙳 𝙿𝙴𝚁𝚂𝙾𝙽 - 𝙿𝙰𝚂𝚃 𝚃𝙴𝙽𝚂𝙴
★𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗦: 𝚁𝙴𝚅𝙴𝙽𝙶𝙴 𝙿𝙻𝙾𝚃 - 𝙱𝙾𝚂𝚂/𝙴𝙼𝙿𝙻𝙾𝚈𝙴𝙴 𝙳𝚈𝙽𝙰𝙼𝙸𝙲𝚂 - 𝙶𝚁𝚄𝙼𝙿𝚈/𝚂𝚄𝙽𝚂𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙴 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙶𝙾𝙻𝙳𝙴𝚁 𝚁𝙴𝚃𝚁𝙸𝙴𝚅𝙴𝚁/𝙱𝙻𝙰𝙲𝙺 𝙲𝙰𝚃 𝙴𝙽𝙴𝚁𝙶𝚈- 𝙳𝙴𝙽𝚈 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙰𝚃𝚃𝚁𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽 - 𝙼𝙾𝚁𝙰𝙻𝙻𝚈 𝙶𝚁𝙰𝚈 𝙿𝚁𝙾𝚃𝙴𝙲𝚃𝙸𝚅𝙴 𝙼𝙰𝙸𝙽 𝙼𝙼𝙲 - 𝙷𝙰𝚃𝙴𝚂 𝙰𝙽𝚈𝙾𝙽𝙴 𝙱𝚄𝚃 𝙷𝙴𝚁 - 𝙼𝚄𝚃𝚄𝙰𝙻 𝙿𝙸𝙽𝙸𝙽𝙶
★𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦: 👥👥👥👥/𝟱
★𝗪𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ✍🏼✍🏼✍🏼✍🏼/𝟱
★𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗧: 📜📜📜½/𝟱
★𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗞 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗦 & 𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗥 𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦: 💀½/𝟱 (𝙿𝙷𝚈𝚂𝙸𝙲𝙰𝙻 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙿𝚂𝚈𝙲𝙷𝙾𝙻𝙾𝙶𝙸𝙲𝙰𝙻 𝙰𝙱𝚄𝚂𝙴 - 𝙻𝙾𝚂𝚂 𝙾𝙵 𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴𝙳 𝙾𝙽𝙴𝚂/𝙵𝙰𝙼𝙸𝙻𝚈 𝙼𝙴𝙼𝙱𝙴𝚁𝚂 - 𝙳𝙴𝙰𝚃𝙷 - 𝚅𝙸𝙾𝙻𝙴𝙽𝙲𝙴)
★𝗦𝗠𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗘𝗖𝗛𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗧/𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗬: -/𝟱 (𝙾𝙽𝙻𝚈 𝙾𝙽𝙴 𝚂𝙼𝙰𝙻𝙻 𝙺𝙸𝚂𝚂 𝙳𝙰𝙼𝙼𝙸𝚃)
★𝗦𝗠𝗨𝗧 𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬: -/𝟱
★𝗦𝗠𝗨𝗧 𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗬: -/𝟱
★𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗧𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦: 🤐🤐/5 (𝙼𝙰𝚃𝚄𝚁𝙴 𝙻𝙰𝙽𝙶𝚄𝙰𝙶𝙴 - 𝚂𝙴𝙼𝙸 𝙶𝚁𝙰𝙿𝙷𝙸𝙲 𝙳𝙴𝚂𝙲𝚁𝙸𝙿𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂 𝙾𝙵 𝚅𝙸𝙾𝙻𝙴𝙽𝙲𝙴)
★𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗬: 🌻/𝟱
★𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬: 🌹🌹/𝟱 (𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙿𝙸𝙽𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙻𝙾𝚈𝙰𝙻𝚃𝚈 𝚆𝙴𝚁𝙴 𝙲𝙷𝙴𝙵'𝚂 𝙺𝙸𝚂𝚂)
★𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗟 𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗦𝗧 𝗟𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗟: 💔/𝟱
★𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘 𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗟𝗘: ❌
★𝗠𝗔𝗜𝗡 𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘: 𝙵/𝙼
★𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗠𝗜𝗘𝗦-𝗧𝗢-𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦: -/𝟱
★𝗧𝗬𝗣𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚:
★𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗠𝗘 𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗚: 🎶𝙳𝙰𝚈𝙳𝚁𝙴𝙰𝙼𝙸𝙽𝙶 - 𝙷𝙰𝚁𝚁𝚈 𝚂𝚃𝚈𝙻𝙴𝚂🎶
▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰
***I always try to be as objective as I can with my ratings for DARK THEMES & TRIGGER WARNINGS, SMUT TECHNICAL CONTENT/INTENSITY, SMUT QUANTITY, ROMANCE QUANTITY, ANGST LEVEL, ENEMIES-TO-LOVERSNESS; the ratings for CHARACTERS, WRITING, PLOT, SMUT QUALITY, ROMANCE QUALITY, are instead tied to my own subjective reading experience and final opinion of the book.
From the moment I started this, I knew I'd end up having the best time with it, and I did.
I really really did.
On a technical level, this has little flaws and moments that could have used more work, but if I ahd to rate this based on how it made me feel while I was reading it, I'd give it all the stars and then some.
I was pleasantly surprised to find out this is Hannah Nicole Maehrer's debut because her writing's got a perfect flow and it doesn't have the stiffness debut novels are usually characterized by.
Also, doubling the thumbs up for the narration.
I couldn't help but love the dual pov. Mommy is always a sucker for mmc's inner thoughts.
And the humor is so good, too!
Assistant to the Villain is a book you can devour in a single sitting and have all the fun while doing it.
It reminded me a little of The Paper Magician, especially the relationship between Evie and The Villain.
I've got to admit, though, I loved the latter more. Their chemistry and reciprocal respect gave me all the feels, which is huge, considering they barely kiss once.
Evie is an adorable little clumsy cinnamon roll, but the kind that would kill you, and I love her for it. I saw a lot of myself in her, especially her work ethic and efficiency.
Trystan, our Villain, is an exquisite example of broody mmc, and it's always a pleasure reading about him lighting up because of Evie.
The list of secondary characters is abundant and varied, and each of them left an impression.
And did I mention there's a pet dragon named Fluffy, and Kingsleythe toad who speaks via communication signs??
The workplace interactions between Evie, Trystan and co, were definitely my favorite part.
Plotwise speaking, there's some sort of mystery element you get to unravel along with the main characters, but it didn't always keep me entertained.
Some moments were unfortunately a little boring, not to mention confusing. I also had a bit of trouble fully understanding the Villain's motives for vengeance and his feud with the King.
They both seemed to lack vigor, if you get what I mean.
I also wished the author spent a few more paragraphs explaining the world's magic system. The fact that, in this universe, people possess magic, sort of popped out of nowhere and I wasn't expecting it.
Not that it wasn't appreciated, but it hadn't been mentioned till that moment and nothing let me believe they did before that, so I had to pause for a minute and think back to what I'd already read while keeping this notion in mind.
Despite these little bumps on the road, I can without a doubt claim this as one of my favorite reads of the year.
Can't wait to find out what's going to happen in the sequel.
Bravo, Hannah Nicole Maehrer! I'll definitely keep an eye out for her works, now and in the future.
August 26, 2023
Good god I don't even know where to start. I would first like to say that as an avid lover of any book with "villain" in the title I have good authority to speak on this and say that Trystan (idk if thats even how you spell his name) was the worst "villain" I've ever read about. When I heard that this book was marketed as a mix between the office and Ella enchanted, I was expecting this villain to be giving Megamind or Gru, but instead for most of the book all I got was just some guy who had a vendetta against the king... like okay and??? The fact that she didn't give us his backstory and the reason he was the notorious villain before page 323, aka 10 pages before the end of the book, was a huge mistake. I fully believe that I would've been more invested in the downfall of the King had I known the reason Trystan was so against him. I also would've liked to see more actual "evil" actions because there was only the mention of torture, some heads hanging from the ceiling, and a scene where he broke a dudes arm, but my guy breaking the arm gave more "feyre fell down a hole and broke her arm :/" and not "rhysand in the court of nightmares breaking a man's arm for calling feyre a whore". essentially, and I hate that I'm saying this, I needed more Rhysand energy in here, and I know what y'all read so I know y'all know what energy I'm talking about. Going back to the "he's just some guy" statement, I wanted him grumpier, there was essentially no grump except when he was hosting a one man pity party for himself because he had feelings :( and like yea dude, you're literally just some guy. where's your persona? literally, because I don't understand where the civilians would've heard about him and called him a villain. give me civilian lore from the eyes of a teenage girl about why he's the villain and maybe then I'll agree that he's a morally grey villain.
Now that I wrote an essay on the villain alone, I will continue on to Evie. I hated her as a character, I'm going to say it. She was just there and she wasn't smart, she wasn't dumb, she just existed. All I knew about her was that her dad was ill, she left school to take care of her family, and she was a personality hire. She was portrayed as this somewhat innocent person who had first believed that The Villain was a bad guy, that she had morals of what was right and what was wrong, but Trystan promising her to not torture anyone and one look at his fucking thighs and she was hanging heads in the entry way for him??? not only was I confused, but where's the angst of fighting with the morality of having to work for the villain to help your family? and I know that y'all are gonna say "but meredith this was a cozy fantasy :/" yea I know, I'm not saying this angst had to go on for a long time but Evie and the Villain joking together after this fight of morality and her finding that understanding of why Trystan was the Villain after all would've hit so much harder. also Evie, girl, why the fuck are you wearing stilettos?? you walk in a forest everyday to go to work and everyone keeps saying how clumsy you are??? wear a chunky heel for gods sakes.
now that I think I'm done ripping apart the main characters, let me get into ripping apart the story. I also hated that. for this part I will use bullet points.
- Why the hell did it jump from the prologue into being five months later? I feel like we missed a few crucial moments of Evie building relationships amongst the other people in the office. Like why the fuck do you not like Rebecka? I get why she doesn't like you, she wants your job, but what did she do to you??
- What the fuck was up with the magic system? it was never explained, I'm literally still confused. there are three things that I have gathered about the system:
1. It may be genetic???
2. There are gods that threw down power???
3. It just randomly awakens one day and only sometimes a magic person can sense it before???
there were no clear answers to any of these and I still don't know how Trystan's magic worked which I think would've been a helpful explanation.
- The romance was not it for me. There was just like nothing there. When I have a romance I like seeing WHY the two people like each other for other reasons than just being pretty, or having a great laugh/the ability to make you laugh. this is where the building of the relationship wouldve been great to see from those five missing months.
- this isn't that serious but the line "I'm. His. Fucking. Assistant." really just pissed me off because you're telling me that you have a last line before you cut some man's throat, the throat of a man who literally assaulted you and tried to BUY you, and the last thing you say to him is that youre an assistant? was that supposed to make me cheer? I just.. maybe it's because I have Aelin in my head telling Maeve that she was a god before she "unleashed herself" but girlie, Evie, you could do better.
- The last thing that really ground my gears was the author on TikTok alluding to there being any semblance of smut in this book in multiple videos and there was genuinely zero. the closest thing to smut was alluding to Trystan having a boner whenever Evie hugged him or something. Like listen, I get that you're trying to attract the TikTok girlie pops, and that the majority read smut or fantasy that has smut in it, but if you know that you're book doesn't have any smut in it, don't try a market to them, it's okay, there are other people who will enjoy this book! It's just not for them! But it weird when you try and gain this audience through deception... it's not like you can allude to this and magically edit the book after its been mass printed.
I would like to end this scathing review off with that I genuinely believe that this book had so much potential in it and the idea for it was fantastic. It needed help with the characters mostly and their relationship. I also believe that had this book been YA I personally would have found it so good. I just think this book was trying to hard to be a TikTok star when not every book written know has to be catered to Booktok.
Now that I wrote an essay on the villain alone, I will continue on to Evie. I hated her as a character, I'm going to say it. She was just there and she wasn't smart, she wasn't dumb, she just existed. All I knew about her was that her dad was ill, she left school to take care of her family, and she was a personality hire. She was portrayed as this somewhat innocent person who had first believed that The Villain was a bad guy, that she had morals of what was right and what was wrong, but Trystan promising her to not torture anyone and one look at his fucking thighs and she was hanging heads in the entry way for him??? not only was I confused, but where's the angst of fighting with the morality of having to work for the villain to help your family? and I know that y'all are gonna say "but meredith this was a cozy fantasy :/" yea I know, I'm not saying this angst had to go on for a long time but Evie and the Villain joking together after this fight of morality and her finding that understanding of why Trystan was the Villain after all would've hit so much harder. also Evie, girl, why the fuck are you wearing stilettos?? you walk in a forest everyday to go to work and everyone keeps saying how clumsy you are??? wear a chunky heel for gods sakes.
now that I think I'm done ripping apart the main characters, let me get into ripping apart the story. I also hated that. for this part I will use bullet points.
- Why the hell did it jump from the prologue into being five months later? I feel like we missed a few crucial moments of Evie building relationships amongst the other people in the office. Like why the fuck do you not like Rebecka? I get why she doesn't like you, she wants your job, but what did she do to you??
- What the fuck was up with the magic system? it was never explained, I'm literally still confused. there are three things that I have gathered about the system:
1. It may be genetic???
2. There are gods that threw down power???
3. It just randomly awakens one day and only sometimes a magic person can sense it before???
there were no clear answers to any of these and I still don't know how Trystan's magic worked which I think would've been a helpful explanation.
- The romance was not it for me. There was just like nothing there. When I have a romance I like seeing WHY the two people like each other for other reasons than just being pretty, or having a great laugh/the ability to make you laugh. this is where the building of the relationship wouldve been great to see from those five missing months.
- this isn't that serious but the line "I'm. His. Fucking. Assistant." really just pissed me off because you're telling me that you have a last line before you cut some man's throat, the throat of a man who literally assaulted you and tried to BUY you, and the last thing you say to him is that youre an assistant? was that supposed to make me cheer? I just.. maybe it's because I have Aelin in my head telling Maeve that she was a god before she "unleashed herself" but girlie, Evie, you could do better.
- The last thing that really ground my gears was the author on TikTok alluding to there being any semblance of smut in this book in multiple videos and there was genuinely zero. the closest thing to smut was alluding to Trystan having a boner whenever Evie hugged him or something. Like listen, I get that you're trying to attract the TikTok girlie pops, and that the majority read smut or fantasy that has smut in it, but if you know that you're book doesn't have any smut in it, don't try a market to them, it's okay, there are other people who will enjoy this book! It's just not for them! But it weird when you try and gain this audience through deception... it's not like you can allude to this and magically edit the book after its been mass printed.
I would like to end this scathing review off with that I genuinely believe that this book had so much potential in it and the idea for it was fantastic. It needed help with the characters mostly and their relationship. I also believe that had this book been YA I personally would have found it so good. I just think this book was trying to hard to be a TikTok star when not every book written know has to be catered to Booktok.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 1, 2023
2.5 ⭐ A low-stakes, cozy fantasy with a sprinkle of romance and a dollop of mystery but sadly it wasn’t my cup of tea
She was everything he never deserved but longed for anyways.
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ cozy fantasy
✨ office romance
✨ grumpy boss x sunshine assistant
✨ instant chemistry
✨ loads of tension
✨ 'I hate everyone but her'
✨ idiots to not quite lovers (yet)
✨ NO SPICE
✨ magic and mayhem
✨ mystery plot
✨ low stakes
✨ shocking plot twist
✨ cliffhanger ending
✨ dual POV
✨ TW: past attempted SA, death of family member, blood, gore, torture
My Thoughts:
I've watched a lot of Hannah's Assistant to the Villain TikTok videos since the beginning, and was really excited about this book. Overall, it was pretty good for a debut novel. While it had its moments, I thought it was quite forgettable. So let's dive into the things I liked and didn't like:
What I liked:
The romance premise was cute. I'm a huge fan of the grumpy x sunshine trope and thought it was a fun, fresh idea to portray this in a fantasy world with a boss x assistant dynamic.
The Villain was the most interesting character. And I like that we slowly learn about his background and motive throughout the story. I'm glad some of the chapters were from his POV but honestly wish there had been more. Also, he calls Evie 'little tornado' and that was super cute.
What really surprised me in the best way possible was the mystery plot that ended with an insane twist and cliffhanger ending! I truly did not see any of that coming, and honestly, it was the most interesting thing about the book. The ending alone might have made me pick up the next book, if it weren't for some of my points below.
What I didn't liked:
It was alluded to that this story would be adult. However, it reads more YA. I guess if you think gore and cursing automatically puts a book in the adult genre, then yeah, this is adult. But since it's marketed as a romantasy, I was expecting spice, when in fact, there is none. It was just incredibly frustrating and boring reading about adult characters who like each other from the beginning of the story but refuse to admit they like each other. There were so many moments when the tension was high and I thought something would happen but then . . . nothing. I mean, there is a kiss, but even that wasn't done with a romantic purpose. It sometimes felt forced not having anything physical happen between Evie and the Villain.
So is this a romantasy? No, it's really a fantasy with elements of romance. I think there should have been a quicker progression of the romance and a little bit of spice (like at least a hardcore make-out session or some heavy petting after putting us through 340 pages of them fighting their attraction), and since that didn't happen, there should have been more suspense and drama with the mystery plot.
Okay, let's talk about the world building. What we were given was adequate, but it was kind of generic and there wasn't a lot of depth. Honestly, the entire world is forgettable. I honestly can't tell you which kingdom or the town this takes place in or the name of the Villain's home (which is mentioned a bunch). I was reading for the romance but the romance was boring, and the world building wasn't interesting enough, so unfortunately it all just sort of fell flat.
This book was also supposed to be 'laugh out loud' funny, when in reality, I didn't laugh once. I might have awkwardly cringe out of embarrassment for some of the characters but sadly, the humor wasn't my cup of tea. If anything, I found the Villain to be a bit funny - with his unpleasant, gruff replies and standoffish demeanor - whenever he interacted with Evie. But again, it was never lol kind of funny.
I get that Evie is meant to be this sunshine assistant, but did she have to come across so ditsy and annoying? She was just very child-like in her interactions with people, and was sort of in her own little bubble. And then whenever she thought, "He should scare me but doesn't. . . huh I wonder what that means" (and she thinks this A LOT), I couldn't help but roll my eyes. First off, this makes her seem like an idiot. And second, at this point the author is just holding the readers hand here, which is super irritating.
This book sometimes felt disjointed with the office shenanigans or Evie and the Villains random interactions. I don't know if I can quite explain this, but there were just a few instances I thought, "Hmmm this seems unnecessary but maybe this was done to create a small, comical or awkward situation the MCs will have the deal navigate through." Like when we find out the Villain sleeps with a nightlight because he's afraid of the dark? First off, ew, that's unattractive. And second, this is just another situation where the story felt more like YA versus adult.
Look, regardless of the things I didn't like, the book was fine. I read it in one sitting and survived. There wasn't a lot of substance and it was definitely too long, but I didn't want to throw the book across the room or set it on fire. So it is at least entertaining enough and readable. But do I want to read it again? No. Do I want to continue the series? Unfortunately, no. But I do want to read a summary of what happens next. Would I recommend this to you? Maybe, if you want to read a low-stakes fantasy where nothing important happens for 80% of the book. It's not bad, but there's definitely better books out there I would prefer to spend time on.
Thank you Red Tower Books for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! As always, all opinions are my own.
My Favorite Quotes:
"I would never make the mistake of underestimating a woman like you. It would be a fatal one."
_______
It was ironic that the man who dealt with so much death seemed to have brought her back to life...
_______
"No, no, sir, we meant you no harm. Please, please let us go."
"You meant her harm. . . And that is enough for me."
And then he shoved the blade into the man's chest, piercing is heart and killing him instantly.
_______
She wasn't light; she was color. Every single one, dancing otherworldly and bright over his unworthy eyes. She was the explosion of the vivid gleams and glows of the world around him, like a constant rainbow, shining not after the rain but during.
_______
"We're all monsters in the end. At least mine lives in the light."
_______
She was everything he never deserved but longed for anyways.
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ cozy fantasy
✨ office romance
✨ grumpy boss x sunshine assistant
✨ instant chemistry
✨ loads of tension
✨ 'I hate everyone but her'
✨ idiots to not quite lovers (yet)
✨ NO SPICE
✨ magic and mayhem
✨ mystery plot
✨ low stakes
✨ shocking plot twist
✨ cliffhanger ending
✨ dual POV
✨ TW: past attempted SA, death of family member, blood, gore, torture
My Thoughts:
I've watched a lot of Hannah's Assistant to the Villain TikTok videos since the beginning, and was really excited about this book. Overall, it was pretty good for a debut novel. While it had its moments, I thought it was quite forgettable. So let's dive into the things I liked and didn't like:
What I liked:
The romance premise was cute. I'm a huge fan of the grumpy x sunshine trope and thought it was a fun, fresh idea to portray this in a fantasy world with a boss x assistant dynamic.
The Villain was the most interesting character. And I like that we slowly learn about his background and motive throughout the story. I'm glad some of the chapters were from his POV but honestly wish there had been more. Also, he calls Evie 'little tornado' and that was super cute.
What really surprised me in the best way possible was the mystery plot that ended with an insane twist and cliffhanger ending! I truly did not see any of that coming, and honestly, it was the most interesting thing about the book. The ending alone might have made me pick up the next book, if it weren't for some of my points below.
What I didn't liked:
It was alluded to that this story would be adult. However, it reads more YA. I guess if you think gore and cursing automatically puts a book in the adult genre, then yeah, this is adult. But since it's marketed as a romantasy, I was expecting spice, when in fact, there is none. It was just incredibly frustrating and boring reading about adult characters who like each other from the beginning of the story but refuse to admit they like each other. There were so many moments when the tension was high and I thought something would happen but then . . . nothing. I mean, there is a kiss, but even that wasn't done with a romantic purpose. It sometimes felt forced not having anything physical happen between Evie and the Villain.
So is this a romantasy? No, it's really a fantasy with elements of romance. I think there should have been a quicker progression of the romance and a little bit of spice (like at least a hardcore make-out session or some heavy petting after putting us through 340 pages of them fighting their attraction), and since that didn't happen, there should have been more suspense and drama with the mystery plot.
Okay, let's talk about the world building. What we were given was adequate, but it was kind of generic and there wasn't a lot of depth. Honestly, the entire world is forgettable. I honestly can't tell you which kingdom or the town this takes place in or the name of the Villain's home (which is mentioned a bunch). I was reading for the romance but the romance was boring, and the world building wasn't interesting enough, so unfortunately it all just sort of fell flat.
This book was also supposed to be 'laugh out loud' funny, when in reality, I didn't laugh once. I might have awkwardly cringe out of embarrassment for some of the characters but sadly, the humor wasn't my cup of tea. If anything, I found the Villain to be a bit funny - with his unpleasant, gruff replies and standoffish demeanor - whenever he interacted with Evie. But again, it was never lol kind of funny.
I get that Evie is meant to be this sunshine assistant, but did she have to come across so ditsy and annoying? She was just very child-like in her interactions with people, and was sort of in her own little bubble. And then whenever she thought, "He should scare me but doesn't. . . huh I wonder what that means" (and she thinks this A LOT), I couldn't help but roll my eyes. First off, this makes her seem like an idiot. And second, at this point the author is just holding the readers hand here, which is super irritating.
This book sometimes felt disjointed with the office shenanigans or Evie and the Villains random interactions. I don't know if I can quite explain this, but there were just a few instances I thought, "Hmmm this seems unnecessary but maybe this was done to create a small, comical or awkward situation the MCs will have the deal navigate through." Like when we find out the Villain sleeps with a nightlight because he's afraid of the dark? First off, ew, that's unattractive. And second, this is just another situation where the story felt more like YA versus adult.
Look, regardless of the things I didn't like, the book was fine. I read it in one sitting and survived. There wasn't a lot of substance and it was definitely too long, but I didn't want to throw the book across the room or set it on fire. So it is at least entertaining enough and readable. But do I want to read it again? No. Do I want to continue the series? Unfortunately, no. But I do want to read a summary of what happens next. Would I recommend this to you? Maybe, if you want to read a low-stakes fantasy where nothing important happens for 80% of the book. It's not bad, but there's definitely better books out there I would prefer to spend time on.
Thank you Red Tower Books for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! As always, all opinions are my own.
My Favorite Quotes:
"I would never make the mistake of underestimating a woman like you. It would be a fatal one."
_______
It was ironic that the man who dealt with so much death seemed to have brought her back to life...
_______
"No, no, sir, we meant you no harm. Please, please let us go."
"You meant her harm. . . And that is enough for me."
And then he shoved the blade into the man's chest, piercing is heart and killing him instantly.
_______
She wasn't light; she was color. Every single one, dancing otherworldly and bright over his unworthy eyes. She was the explosion of the vivid gleams and glows of the world around him, like a constant rainbow, shining not after the rain but during.
_______
"We're all monsters in the end. At least mine lives in the light."
_______
April 30, 2024
Dear god, this seems so controversial!
I had no idea this was such a love-it-or-hate-it book when I downloaded it. I had just kind of seen the cover about the place and it was one of the few audiobooks I could snag without a wait.
So.
It was cute in that Hallmark movie/Lifetime romance kind of way.
You know what I mean?
Like, the dialogue isn't all that good but the couple is cute and you want to see if the lady who bakes Christmas cookies for a living will be able to free the spirit of the hot ghost who's trapped in the inn she's staying in for the duration of her time in her hometown as she visits her overbearing but well-meaning mother?
I KNOW I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE SITTING ON MY COUCH WITH A GLASS OF WINE AND A BAG OF FUNYUNS WATCHING THIS SHIT.
Also, when I saw villain in the title, I just assumed it was like a superhero villain.
Not so!
What we have here is more of a fairytale villain. Except he's less like that Skeltor-looking guy from The Black Cauldron and more like Hiddelson's Loki.
So even though he's evil, he's the hot version of evil, and I think we can all pull out our bag of Funyuns, pop the cork on that $8 bottle of Members Mark wine, and settle into our seats for that one.
The short version?
Our heroine needs a job to support her sick father and little sister, and due to plot, she runs into the terrifying villain known as THE VILLAIN whilst rambling in the woods.
Naturally, he offers her a job. <--why else are we here, people?
Her special brand of optimism, humor, and inability to fear him turns his crusty heart to mush, and away we go on our journey into an adorable little romance.
And honestly, the plot is cute, too. There's a whole evil castle filled with interesting minions, while the good guys in this are pretty sketchy and suspect.
But make no mistake, this is pretty B-movie when it comes to the writing.
I just happen to like cheesy romance movies.
As for the audiobook, the narration is terrible. It. is. bad.
I will say that the narrator does the voices well, especially the male voices (not all female narrators can do that) but all the descriptive dialogue is stilted as hell. This is the second narrator that I've noticed doing this exact. same. thing. and I'm now wondering if this is something they're being told to do? It sounds like an especially bad version of AI is reading all the non-speaking parts. I DNF'd the (the other book) because it was so off-putting, so it says something about the cuteness of the story that I hung in there for this.
I stole this audio link from Robin (Bridge Four)'s Review because I think you should take a listen before you decide whether or not you can handle it.
Recommended for those of us who inhale corny romance.
I had no idea this was such a love-it-or-hate-it book when I downloaded it. I had just kind of seen the cover about the place and it was one of the few audiobooks I could snag without a wait.
So.
It was cute in that Hallmark movie/Lifetime romance kind of way.
You know what I mean?
Like, the dialogue isn't all that good but the couple is cute and you want to see if the lady who bakes Christmas cookies for a living will be able to free the spirit of the hot ghost who's trapped in the inn she's staying in for the duration of her time in her hometown as she visits her overbearing but well-meaning mother?
I KNOW I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE SITTING ON MY COUCH WITH A GLASS OF WINE AND A BAG OF FUNYUNS WATCHING THIS SHIT.
Also, when I saw villain in the title, I just assumed it was like a superhero villain.
Not so!
What we have here is more of a fairytale villain. Except he's less like that Skeltor-looking guy from The Black Cauldron and more like Hiddelson's Loki.
So even though he's evil, he's the hot version of evil, and I think we can all pull out our bag of Funyuns, pop the cork on that $8 bottle of Members Mark wine, and settle into our seats for that one.
The short version?
Our heroine needs a job to support her sick father and little sister, and due to plot, she runs into the terrifying villain known as THE VILLAIN whilst rambling in the woods.
Naturally, he offers her a job. <--why else are we here, people?
Her special brand of optimism, humor, and inability to fear him turns his crusty heart to mush, and away we go on our journey into an adorable little romance.
And honestly, the plot is cute, too. There's a whole evil castle filled with interesting minions, while the good guys in this are pretty sketchy and suspect.
But make no mistake, this is pretty B-movie when it comes to the writing.
I just happen to like cheesy romance movies.
As for the audiobook, the narration is terrible. It. is. bad.
I will say that the narrator does the voices well, especially the male voices (not all female narrators can do that) but all the descriptive dialogue is stilted as hell. This is the second narrator that I've noticed doing this exact. same. thing. and I'm now wondering if this is something they're being told to do? It sounds like an especially bad version of AI is reading all the non-speaking parts. I DNF'd the (the other book) because it was so off-putting, so it says something about the cuteness of the story that I hung in there for this.
I stole this audio link from Robin (Bridge Four)'s Review because I think you should take a listen before you decide whether or not you can handle it.
Recommended for those of us who inhale corny romance.
September 13, 2023
It’s weird and I dig it
August 31, 2023
Read this if you want an honest review by someone who didn’t even know this author was on TikTok or whatever even though I checked and I guess I follow her? I had no idea….anyway, here it is:
I was having fun, and then I was just annoyed.
I even rec’d this book to friends before the halfway mark which I don’t normally do but it was such an interesting beginning and it was kind of refreshing in its oddball weirdness.
But that schtick is really old by the 70 percent mark and that’s where I’m stopping.
This reads like Howl’s Moving Castle fanfiction in the style of a Korean romantic comedy series if that series was 300 episodes long with 265 of those being filler episodes about making coffee.
The dramatic slipping on a piece of paper and landing in the MMC’s arms? The looooooooong moon eyed stares and the barely touching hands before jerking away in embarrassment? Yeah it’s all in there.
I thought this book was for adults and I was fine with the slow burn until I realized I’d gotten pretty close to the end and they hadn’t grown any closer than two awkward kids at their first middle school dance.
The plot (if it exists) is not strong enough to support this book without a little bolstering from a decent romance and, though this had ton of potential, the romance in this book is starting to wilt before it has bloomed. I don’t need spice, but I do need grown adults to stop acting like hormonal teenagers. It’s giving second hand embarrassment at this point.
And let’s get into the weird dialogue and the erratic pacing. Some of the jokes were so weird and awkward I didn’t even realize they were jokes until one of the characters laughed uproariously…it was like this book had a laugh track.
And then something mundane would be said and a character would weirdly overreact in offense or confusion or awe…whatever it was it would be too over the top for whatever was said.
It was cringy and confusing and kept taking me out of the story. There were even times when only half a sentence would be said and the rest of the characters in the scene would all dramatically look at each other and “nod knowingly” or something and I would not know what the fuck was happening. It felt like being on the outside of a thousand inside jokes.
And THEN…why is this Villain basically running an office? I don’t get it. And I’ve seen reviews saying you need to watch the TikTok series and that’s just annoying. What’s the point of a book if you have to watch a video to truly understand it? That is asinine.
And with such a huge staff on board how the hell doesn’t everyone in the whole realm know where this guy runs his operation? Everyone just clocks out and leaves at night? They have weekends off? What the hell? The more that was written about this situation the worse it got. What kind of villain is this?
Ugh. I could literally go on and on as this long review is just the tip of the iceberg. I am at 70 percent and I can already see some “amazing plot twist” is about to happen and I care so little that I am shutting the book forever. 🤷🏼♀️
And I have learned my lesson and will not be telling my friends to read a book before I myself have finished it from now on.
I was having fun, and then I was just annoyed.
I even rec’d this book to friends before the halfway mark which I don’t normally do but it was such an interesting beginning and it was kind of refreshing in its oddball weirdness.
But that schtick is really old by the 70 percent mark and that’s where I’m stopping.
This reads like Howl’s Moving Castle fanfiction in the style of a Korean romantic comedy series if that series was 300 episodes long with 265 of those being filler episodes about making coffee.
The dramatic slipping on a piece of paper and landing in the MMC’s arms? The looooooooong moon eyed stares and the barely touching hands before jerking away in embarrassment? Yeah it’s all in there.
I thought this book was for adults and I was fine with the slow burn until I realized I’d gotten pretty close to the end and they hadn’t grown any closer than two awkward kids at their first middle school dance.
The plot (if it exists) is not strong enough to support this book without a little bolstering from a decent romance and, though this had ton of potential, the romance in this book is starting to wilt before it has bloomed. I don’t need spice, but I do need grown adults to stop acting like hormonal teenagers. It’s giving second hand embarrassment at this point.
And let’s get into the weird dialogue and the erratic pacing. Some of the jokes were so weird and awkward I didn’t even realize they were jokes until one of the characters laughed uproariously…it was like this book had a laugh track.
And then something mundane would be said and a character would weirdly overreact in offense or confusion or awe…whatever it was it would be too over the top for whatever was said.
It was cringy and confusing and kept taking me out of the story. There were even times when only half a sentence would be said and the rest of the characters in the scene would all dramatically look at each other and “nod knowingly” or something and I would not know what the fuck was happening. It felt like being on the outside of a thousand inside jokes.
And THEN…why is this Villain basically running an office? I don’t get it. And I’ve seen reviews saying you need to watch the TikTok series and that’s just annoying. What’s the point of a book if you have to watch a video to truly understand it? That is asinine.
And with such a huge staff on board how the hell doesn’t everyone in the whole realm know where this guy runs his operation? Everyone just clocks out and leaves at night? They have weekends off? What the hell? The more that was written about this situation the worse it got. What kind of villain is this?
Ugh. I could literally go on and on as this long review is just the tip of the iceberg. I am at 70 percent and I can already see some “amazing plot twist” is about to happen and I care so little that I am shutting the book forever. 🤷🏼♀️
And I have learned my lesson and will not be telling my friends to read a book before I myself have finished it from now on.
December 7, 2023
“She wasn’t light; she was color. Every single one…”
First of all Hannah laced this book with something because I could not put it down. I also highlighted and marked up pretty much every page. SO. GOOD. On top of the grumpy/sunshine trope and fantasy aspects being well executed, the writing itself hit me right in the gut several times. Impeccable characters, and I can’t believe that ending. Wtf Hannah. I need book two asap.
“I feel like my life keeps happening to me, rather than me living it.”
Things to know:
- Grumpy/Sunshine
- Cozy fantasy (I think??)
- Workplace romance
- BANTER FOR DAYSSSS
- This world gave me Ella Enchanted (the movie) vibes and I ate it alllll up
- Cliffie ending, but it is soooooo good
No spice but the tension is everything
First of all Hannah laced this book with something because I could not put it down. I also highlighted and marked up pretty much every page. SO. GOOD. On top of the grumpy/sunshine trope and fantasy aspects being well executed, the writing itself hit me right in the gut several times. Impeccable characters, and I can’t believe that ending. Wtf Hannah. I need book two asap.
“I feel like my life keeps happening to me, rather than me living it.”
Things to know:
- Grumpy/Sunshine
- Cozy fantasy (I think??)
- Workplace romance
- BANTER FOR DAYSSSS
- This world gave me Ella Enchanted (the movie) vibes and I ate it alllll up
- Cliffie ending, but it is soooooo good
No spice but the tension is everything
September 20, 2023
this book was made by booktok for booktok and it shows
October 22, 2023
ohhhhh this was BAD
Fire the editor. Stop publishing books based on influence and not talent. Someone get this women a grammar tutor.
What a waste of three days.
Fire the editor. Stop publishing books based on influence and not talent. Someone get this women a grammar tutor.
What a waste of three days.
December 8, 2023
4.4 ⭐
I'll be honest and say that I was kind of sceptical when starting this because I'd seen some mixed opinions about this book, but turns out that reading was so much fun!
➥ world
for some reason, I'd thought this was only romance, so I was positively surprised when I saw that it's set in a fantasy world. there isn't any detailed world building, but it absolutely didn't matter because it's definitely a "casual" fantasy book - there is simply no need for an explanation of the world. it all makes sense just by following the story.
still, there were some fantasy creatures and magic, which were fun to discover, especially because I've never read any other book where there is a magical ink lol! they definitely add to the overall experience of the book.
➥ plot
because this was a relatively short book, i liked that there was only one big plot twist. since it was at the almost ending of the book, the whole story was being lead to this outcome, which might sound a bit risky because the reveal could've been unsurprising. however, firstly it was kept interesting by making me suspect different people to be the traitor (they were looking for a traitor amongst their own), always having me question if the people were telling the truth. secondly, I did not expect the outcome at all! it came out of nowhere but still made so much sense, which I really love. it gave the story a kind of "refreshing kick" and had me sitting on the edge of my seet for the last few chapters - i couldn't stop reading!
the final two chapters are making me so excited for the next book. I needed it like yesterday.
➥ writing
this book was written in such a funny and light way, making me laugh so many times! while there were some minor things I sometimes didn't reallyyyy like (like a repetitive word), it was still very easy tobinge read and I especially loved the descriptions of how the magic looked.
in addition, I loved that there were two point of views!
➥ characters
how is it that i already love so many of these characters when I've only just met them?!! thank you, HNM, for creating such amazing people.
I can't get enough of evie. she's so so sweet, clumsy and bubbly and made me smile often. her optimism paired with her humour and sarcastic remarks made meand the villain love her instantly!
sadly, she's often burdened by her traumatic past, yet she's still able to smile. she has to be a parent for her little sister while she herself never really had one, which shows what a strong woman she is.
additionally, she's also got a "dark" side to her. she doesn't fear the evil things the villain does and does some k1ll1ng herself(only those who deserve it, she's not weird!!), especially at the end. I really hope I'll see more if this side in the next book since it's exciting to see her "evil". she was a great embodiment of "female rage" at the ending!
same as evie, I've fallen for the villain. firstly, if anyone is worried about him being called the villain in the whole book (I was) : don't worry, he's got ahot normal name as well!!
when I tell y'all this man is amazing, I'm telling the truth. he's the perfect morally grey, hot character, who has a soft spot for the female main character. he's so stubborn but then slowly melts, which was adorable to read about.
he too has a traumatic past, which I feel like I don't know that much about yet, so I'm looking forward to getting to know him on a deeper level, especially because I'm excited for some explanations about why he became the villain.
Kingsley, Blade and other side characters were such a great addition to the book. i really like them all. also - am i seeing a potential for a side character relationship (or maybe even a spin-off?) between blade and Becky? I hope so hihi they'd be so cute.
➥ evie and the villain
they are everything and more and exactly what i mean when I say sunshine X grumpy. I can't get enough of them. I didn't even get more than only one kiss, which can't really be counted as one- y'all read that right, NOT EVEN MORE THAN ONE (1) KISS. and i love it because there's sooo much potential for an amazing slow (not super slow but like they have to become a bit more friends yet and then there could really happen something) burn.
their chemistry is so good. the lingering looks, the "accidental" touches, the touching each other a second longer than necessary, the trusting each other with their traumas, the bickering and sarcastic comments, the touch her and you die - i got it all.
moreover, the way they think about each other???!!? people died. they are SO cute and SO in love with each other. especially the way the villain thinks about her - he describes her with such beautiful words and compares her to the sunlight and to colours, calling her adorable nicknames.
➥ conclusion
I'm so glad I picked this up! it's such a feel-good, comforting book that's super addictive.
I can't wait for the next book!
I'll be honest and say that I was kind of sceptical when starting this because I'd seen some mixed opinions about this book, but turns out that reading was so much fun!
➥ world
for some reason, I'd thought this was only romance, so I was positively surprised when I saw that it's set in a fantasy world. there isn't any detailed world building, but it absolutely didn't matter because it's definitely a "casual" fantasy book - there is simply no need for an explanation of the world. it all makes sense just by following the story.
still, there were some fantasy creatures and magic, which were fun to discover, especially because I've never read any other book where there is a magical ink lol! they definitely add to the overall experience of the book.
➥ plot
because this was a relatively short book, i liked that there was only one big plot twist. since it was at the almost ending of the book, the whole story was being lead to this outcome, which might sound a bit risky because the reveal could've been unsurprising. however, firstly it was kept interesting by making me suspect different people to be the traitor (they were looking for a traitor amongst their own), always having me question if the people were telling the truth. secondly, I did not expect the outcome at all! it came out of nowhere but still made so much sense, which I really love. it gave the story a kind of "refreshing kick" and had me sitting on the edge of my seet for the last few chapters - i couldn't stop reading!
the final two chapters are making me so excited for the next book. I needed it like yesterday.
➥ writing
this book was written in such a funny and light way, making me laugh so many times! while there were some minor things I sometimes didn't reallyyyy like (like a repetitive word), it was still very easy to
in addition, I loved that there were two point of views!
➥ characters
how is it that i already love so many of these characters when I've only just met them?!! thank you, HNM, for creating such amazing people.
I can't get enough of evie. she's so so sweet, clumsy and bubbly and made me smile often. her optimism paired with her humour and sarcastic remarks made me
sadly, she's often burdened by her traumatic past, yet she's still able to smile. she has to be a parent for her little sister while she herself never really had one, which shows what a strong woman she is.
additionally, she's also got a "dark" side to her. she doesn't fear the evil things the villain does and does some k1ll1ng herself(only those who deserve it, she's not weird!!), especially at the end. I really hope I'll see more if this side in the next book since it's exciting to see her "evil". she was a great embodiment of "female rage" at the ending!
same as evie, I've fallen for the villain. firstly, if anyone is worried about him being called the villain in the whole book (I was) : don't worry, he's got a
when I tell y'all this man is amazing, I'm telling the truth. he's the perfect morally grey, hot character, who has a soft spot for the female main character. he's so stubborn but then slowly melts, which was adorable to read about.
he too has a traumatic past, which I feel like I don't know that much about yet, so I'm looking forward to getting to know him on a deeper level, especially because I'm excited for some explanations about why he became the villain.
Kingsley, Blade and other side characters were such a great addition to the book. i really like them all. also - am i seeing a potential for a side character relationship (or maybe even a spin-off?) between blade and Becky? I hope so hihi they'd be so cute.
➥ evie and the villain
they are everything and more and exactly what i mean when I say sunshine X grumpy. I can't get enough of them. I didn't even get more than only one kiss, which can't really be counted as one- y'all read that right, NOT EVEN MORE THAN ONE (1) KISS. and i love it because there's sooo much potential for an amazing slow (not super slow but like they have to become a bit more friends yet and then there could really happen something) burn.
their chemistry is so good. the lingering looks, the "accidental" touches, the touching each other a second longer than necessary, the trusting each other with their traumas, the bickering and sarcastic comments, the touch her and you die - i got it all.
moreover, the way they think about each other???!!? people died. they are SO cute and SO in love with each other. especially the way the villain thinks about her - he describes her with such beautiful words and compares her to the sunlight and to colours, calling her adorable nicknames.
➥ conclusion
I'm so glad I picked this up! it's such a feel-good, comforting book that's super addictive.
I can't wait for the next book!
March 17, 2023
Have I read it? No. But does it deserve a 5 star already? Yess
November 16, 2023
4.25 ⭐️
Ahhhh this book was literally sm fun!! 🤭🤭 Bingeable, a romance with tensionn, villain love interest + a fun mystery- i ate this uppp 💜💜🫶🫶
“Granted, she didn't want to become evil, but when you spend most of your life trying to see the sun, you begin to wish for rain.”
Assistant to the Villain follows our mc, Evie Sage, who is the sole supporter of her family after her father falls ill. After losing her last job, she is desperately searching for another one. And then a chance encounter in the woods leads her to meeting the notorious mastermind feared across the kingdom- known simply as 'the Villain'. He ends up offering her a job as his assistant- but turns out being assistant to the hottest villain in the whole kingdom is a little trickier than it looks...
“She wasn’t light; she was color. Every single one, dancing otherworldly and bright over his unworthy eyes. She was the explosion of the vivid gleams and glows of the world around him, like a constant rainbow, shining not after the rain but during.” ~ 🥹🤭
This book was genuinely so unserious for the majority- but all for the more fun for it. it definitely gets more serious & high stakes at the end but for the majority it reads like a romcom but make it fantasy 🫶🫶
Because of that, it's definitely not for everyone- but it was for me 🤭🤭
Ahhh this was sm i enjoyed about this!! ✨️ Bc the story was more fun and entertaining than high stakes, it was such an easy read & so bingeable. I was always excited to pick it and i was genuinely never bored! 💜💜 There was always something to keep me entertained 🫶🫶
As for the characters, i really enjoyed them!! 🥰🥰 I really connected to our two mcs especially and i LOVED the dual pov omg 🤭😩
➡️ Evie:
i really liked her!! 🥰🥰 She's a super bubbly and fun character, and her personality always kept me entertained! some of her jokes were cringey, but sometimes her inner monologues were so unpurposely funny lmao 🤣
I also feel like we got a lot of development of her character and her villain arc at the end?! 🤭 SLAY QUEEN 👑👑 we stan a morally grey fmc 🫡
➡️ The Villain:
yeppp i really liked him 🤭😏 He just checked all my boxes- I mean, he's literally called the Villain and he's hot??! yes pls 🔥🔥 I loved learning more about him and his pov chapters?! 🤭🤭 i was giggling an embarrassing amount. Ahhh i love him smm 😍😍
The romance tho?! 😏 I was eating it UP 😩🍴 The tension and chemistry was actually so good and the way they both thought about each other?? 🤭🤭🤭 they were so obsessed. and the villain being so protective of evie>>>>>> 🔥🔥 i need more content bc they had me giggling and kicking my feet 🦋🦋
“Of all the foolish, horrific things he'd ever accomplished, falling in love with a woman he so completely didn't deserve made the top of the list.”
There was also a fun little mystery going on in the end and the reveal at the end?? JAW ON THE FLOOR. That was actually so so crazy 🤯🤯🤯 and then if that wasn't enough, then the cliffhanger came and SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE 🫢🫢 genuinely in sm pain rn 😃💔 plus the second one doesn't even have a release date next?! why do i do this to myself 😭😭
“You just can't kill people and be pretty. It's confusing.”
There were definitely issues tho. The writing was pretty basic and the worldbuilding? nonexistent. But i think if those things are improved in the sequel, I would be genuinely obsessed.
“Attractive murderers were always good kissers; she was pretty sure she’d heard that expression before.”
“You're not all bad, are you?"
He looked offended. "How dare you.”
Overall, this was smm better than expected!! 🤭🤭💜💜 Definitely pick this up if you're looking for:
✔ Bingeable
✔ Fun mystery subplot
✔ Great romance hehehehe
✔ Villain love interest
I will now be suffering until the sequel comes out 🥲🥲
《 2023 Challenge: Book 139 of 110 》
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Okayy I ate this book UPPP 🤭🤭 literally such a fun read + I lovedd the romance 😩😩💜💜
THAT ENDING THO?! 😃🔫 i am unwell
RTC!
Ahhhh this book was literally sm fun!! 🤭🤭 Bingeable, a romance with tensionn, villain love interest + a fun mystery- i ate this uppp 💜💜🫶🫶
“Granted, she didn't want to become evil, but when you spend most of your life trying to see the sun, you begin to wish for rain.”
Assistant to the Villain follows our mc, Evie Sage, who is the sole supporter of her family after her father falls ill. After losing her last job, she is desperately searching for another one. And then a chance encounter in the woods leads her to meeting the notorious mastermind feared across the kingdom- known simply as 'the Villain'. He ends up offering her a job as his assistant- but turns out being assistant to the hottest villain in the whole kingdom is a little trickier than it looks...
“She wasn’t light; she was color. Every single one, dancing otherworldly and bright over his unworthy eyes. She was the explosion of the vivid gleams and glows of the world around him, like a constant rainbow, shining not after the rain but during.” ~ 🥹🤭
This book was genuinely so unserious for the majority- but all for the more fun for it. it definitely gets more serious & high stakes at the end but for the majority it reads like a romcom but make it fantasy 🫶🫶
Because of that, it's definitely not for everyone- but it was for me 🤭🤭
Ahhh this was sm i enjoyed about this!! ✨️ Bc the story was more fun and entertaining than high stakes, it was such an easy read & so bingeable. I was always excited to pick it and i was genuinely never bored! 💜💜 There was always something to keep me entertained 🫶🫶
As for the characters, i really enjoyed them!! 🥰🥰 I really connected to our two mcs especially and i LOVED the dual pov omg 🤭😩
➡️ Evie:
i really liked her!! 🥰🥰 She's a super bubbly and fun character, and her personality always kept me entertained! some of her jokes were cringey, but sometimes her inner monologues were so unpurposely funny lmao 🤣
I also feel like we got a lot of development of her character and her villain arc at the end?! 🤭 SLAY QUEEN 👑👑 we stan a morally grey fmc 🫡
➡️ The Villain:
yeppp i really liked him 🤭😏 He just checked all my boxes- I mean, he's literally called the Villain and he's hot??! yes pls 🔥🔥 I loved learning more about him and his pov chapters?! 🤭🤭 i was giggling an embarrassing amount. Ahhh i love him smm 😍😍
The romance tho?! 😏 I was eating it UP 😩🍴 The tension and chemistry was actually so good and the way they both thought about each other?? 🤭🤭🤭 they were so obsessed. and the villain being so protective of evie>>>>>> 🔥🔥 i need more content bc they had me giggling and kicking my feet 🦋🦋
“Of all the foolish, horrific things he'd ever accomplished, falling in love with a woman he so completely didn't deserve made the top of the list.”
There was also a fun little mystery going on in the end and the reveal at the end?? JAW ON THE FLOOR. That was actually so so crazy 🤯🤯🤯 and then if that wasn't enough, then the cliffhanger came and SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE 🫢🫢 genuinely in sm pain rn 😃💔 plus the second one doesn't even have a release date next?! why do i do this to myself 😭😭
“You just can't kill people and be pretty. It's confusing.”
There were definitely issues tho. The writing was pretty basic and the worldbuilding? nonexistent. But i think if those things are improved in the sequel, I would be genuinely obsessed.
“Attractive murderers were always good kissers; she was pretty sure she’d heard that expression before.”
“You're not all bad, are you?"
He looked offended. "How dare you.”
Overall, this was smm better than expected!! 🤭🤭💜💜 Definitely pick this up if you're looking for:
✔ Bingeable
✔ Fun mystery subplot
✔ Great romance hehehehe
✔ Villain love interest
I will now be suffering until the sequel comes out 🥲🥲
《 2023 Challenge: Book 139 of 110 》
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Okayy I ate this book UPPP 🤭🤭 literally such a fun read + I lovedd the romance 😩😩💜💜
THAT ENDING THO?! 😃🔫 i am unwell
RTC!
January 9, 2024
la putisima madre pensé que este libro era un standalone ahora tengo que aguantar medio año para el otro libro DESPUES DE ESE FINAL... chicas YO SOY LA QUE SE VA A CONVERTIR EN UNA VILLANA THIS IS MY THIRTEEN REASON
December 13, 2023
"Congratulations, Sage, from this day forward, you are my new personal assistant. And if you must call me anything, 'sir' will do just fine."
Villain Seeking Assistant.
That's what he advertised. That's what he told Evie that day in the forest.
5 months later and Evie is the personal assistant to The Villain.
The most notorious "Villain" anyone had ever known.
So what harm is a little, teeny weeny, itsy bitsy crush?
No harm no foul right?
But when Evie finds out there might be a traitor in their midst and wants to take The Villain down?
Well, evil is starting to look a little better…
"He belonged to this, the night, the darkness. It was his. And Evie… was still not afraid."
The Villain needed a personal assistant.
And along strolled Evangelina Sage into the forest.
Five months later and he passes her daily walking into his office.
Every single day. He never misses her.
He doesn't want to. But he doesn't allow himself to indulge in those feelings.
He is "The Villain" after all.
But maybe Evie isn’t as innocent as he might have though.
Maybe Evie has more bad than he might have thought…
"No matter how hard you resist, that path, it will find you. Evangelina Sage had found him."
I have waited for this book for legit so long! I have followed this author ever since she put up short TikTok videos with this concept and now a full book!! And OMG it was sooooo good. While I did want spiciness and all (hopefully in the next books 🤞🤞🤞) the chemistry and relationship between Evie and The Villain was so good!!
"He truly hated being wrong, but he supposed if he'd defer being right to anyone, it was to Sage"
I mean The Villain and Evie definitely gave me Fran and Max from "The Nanny" vibes and that is EVERYTHING!! Every interaction they had I ate it up and asked for seconds people!!
"As if anyone would ever want to watch you and me argue."
Evie is a scatterbrain and clumsy but she is adorable. The Villain is dark and mysterious. But Evie isn't afraid if anything it's something she might even be falling for…
"No matter how hard you resist, that path, it will find you. Evangelina Sage had found him."
This is my longest playlist to date!! It includes some of the author's songs from her playlist but most are mine (Spotify Link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/02m...
🎼 "Falling for the Villain" - PEGGY - Legit my new favorite bop!!
🎼 "Don't Ever Stop Running" - Maggie Jean Martin
🎼 "Fairytale" - Annapantsu
🎼 "Killer" - Valerie Broussard
🎼 "Scatterbrain" - Emei
🎼 "Evermore" - Josh Groban
🎼 "Red Flags" - Mimi Webb
🎼 "Cruel Summer" - Taylor Swift
🎼 "ever fallen?" - Kate Peytavin
🎼 "traitor" - Olivia Rodrigo
🎼 "W.I.T.C.H." - Devon Cole
🎼 "MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT" - Elley Duhe
🎼 "Leave My Heart Out Of This" - Fifth Harmony
🎼 "Enchanted (Taylor's Version)" - Taylor Swift
🎼 "I'm a Wanted Man" - Royal Deluxe
🎼 "Castle" - Halsey
🎼 "Bigger Person" - Lauren Spencer Smith
🎼 "Stupid Cupid" - Jenna Raine
🎼 "Hurricane" - Bridgit Mendler
🎼 "Eyes Wide Open" - Sabrina Carpenter
🎼 "Real Friends" - Camilla Cabello
🎼 "Ever Ever After" - Carrie Underwood
🎼 "A Year Without Rain" - Selena Gomez & The Scene
🎼 "Dandelions" - Ruth B.
🎼 "Reflection (2020)" - Christina Aguilera
🎼 "Wonder" - Shawn Mendes
🎼 "Lonely" - Noah Cyrus
🎼 "Lonely (with benny blanco)" - Justin Bieber, Benny Blanco
🎼 "As the World Caves In" - Sarah Cothran
🎼 "Fictional" - Khloe Rose
🎼 "Heaven" - Julia Michaels
🎼 "Other Boys" - Marshmello, Dove Cameron
🎼 "Villain" - Kitty Rae
🎼 "you broke me first" - Tate McRae
🎼 "Dark Horse" - Katy Perry, Juicy J
🎼 "Control" - Halsey
🎼 "Die For You" - Rain Paris
🎼 "Out of The Woods" - Taylor Swift
🎼 "doomsday" - Lizzy McAlpine
🎼 "Love Me or Leave Me" - Little Mix
🎼 "Without Me" - Halsey
🎼 "You Found Me" - The Fray
🎼 "Colors" - Halsey
🎼 "The Red Means I Love You" - Madds Buckley
🎼 "Bring Me To Life" - Evanescence
🎼 "Angry Too" - Lola Blanc
🎼 "Oh My" - Gin Wigmore
🎼 "Devil Doesn't Bargain" - Alec Benjamin
🎼 "Achilles Heel" - J. Maya
🎼 "Agony" - Chris Pine, Billy Magnussen
🎼 "I See The Light" - Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi
🎼 "Can I Have This Dance?" - Joshua Bassett, Sofia Wylie
🎼 "Kiss The Girl" - Brent Morgan
🎼 "I Did Something Bad" - Taylor Swift
🎼 "Doin' Time" - Lana Del Ray
🎼 "that's how you make a villain" - emlyn
And while there was not a lot of spice, you can definitely see a side coming out that I have no problems with 😏😏
"You meant her harm. And that is enough for me."
"I would never make the mistake of underestimating a woman like you. It would be a fatal one."
"She was everything he never deserved but longed for anyway."
☕ Tropes ☕
🐸 Fantasy Romance
🐸 Office Romance
🐸 Slow Burn
🐸 Grumpy Boss x Sunshine Assistant
🐸 Oblivious to Lovers (not yet)
🐸 Touch her and die
🐸 I hate everyone but her
🐸 Banter
🐸 TENSION
Villain Seeking Assistant.
That's what he advertised. That's what he told Evie that day in the forest.
5 months later and Evie is the personal assistant to The Villain.
The most notorious "Villain" anyone had ever known.
So what harm is a little, teeny weeny, itsy bitsy crush?
No harm no foul right?
But when Evie finds out there might be a traitor in their midst and wants to take The Villain down?
Well, evil is starting to look a little better…
"He belonged to this, the night, the darkness. It was his. And Evie… was still not afraid."
The Villain needed a personal assistant.
And along strolled Evangelina Sage into the forest.
Five months later and he passes her daily walking into his office.
Every single day. He never misses her.
He doesn't want to. But he doesn't allow himself to indulge in those feelings.
He is "The Villain" after all.
But maybe Evie isn’t as innocent as he might have though.
Maybe Evie has more bad than he might have thought…
"No matter how hard you resist, that path, it will find you. Evangelina Sage had found him."
I have waited for this book for legit so long! I have followed this author ever since she put up short TikTok videos with this concept and now a full book!! And OMG it was sooooo good. While I did want spiciness and all (hopefully in the next books 🤞🤞🤞) the chemistry and relationship between Evie and The Villain was so good!!
"He truly hated being wrong, but he supposed if he'd defer being right to anyone, it was to Sage"
I mean The Villain and Evie definitely gave me Fran and Max from "The Nanny" vibes and that is EVERYTHING!! Every interaction they had I ate it up and asked for seconds people!!
"As if anyone would ever want to watch you and me argue."
Evie is a scatterbrain and clumsy but she is adorable. The Villain is dark and mysterious. But Evie isn't afraid if anything it's something she might even be falling for…
"No matter how hard you resist, that path, it will find you. Evangelina Sage had found him."
This is my longest playlist to date!! It includes some of the author's songs from her playlist but most are mine (Spotify Link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/02m...
🎼 "Falling for the Villain" - PEGGY - Legit my new favorite bop!!
🎼 "Don't Ever Stop Running" - Maggie Jean Martin
🎼 "Fairytale" - Annapantsu
🎼 "Killer" - Valerie Broussard
🎼 "Scatterbrain" - Emei
🎼 "Evermore" - Josh Groban
🎼 "Red Flags" - Mimi Webb
🎼 "Cruel Summer" - Taylor Swift
🎼 "ever fallen?" - Kate Peytavin
🎼 "traitor" - Olivia Rodrigo
🎼 "W.I.T.C.H." - Devon Cole
🎼 "MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT" - Elley Duhe
🎼 "Leave My Heart Out Of This" - Fifth Harmony
🎼 "Enchanted (Taylor's Version)" - Taylor Swift
🎼 "I'm a Wanted Man" - Royal Deluxe
🎼 "Castle" - Halsey
🎼 "Bigger Person" - Lauren Spencer Smith
🎼 "Stupid Cupid" - Jenna Raine
🎼 "Hurricane" - Bridgit Mendler
🎼 "Eyes Wide Open" - Sabrina Carpenter
🎼 "Real Friends" - Camilla Cabello
🎼 "Ever Ever After" - Carrie Underwood
🎼 "A Year Without Rain" - Selena Gomez & The Scene
🎼 "Dandelions" - Ruth B.
🎼 "Reflection (2020)" - Christina Aguilera
🎼 "Wonder" - Shawn Mendes
🎼 "Lonely" - Noah Cyrus
🎼 "Lonely (with benny blanco)" - Justin Bieber, Benny Blanco
🎼 "As the World Caves In" - Sarah Cothran
🎼 "Fictional" - Khloe Rose
🎼 "Heaven" - Julia Michaels
🎼 "Other Boys" - Marshmello, Dove Cameron
🎼 "Villain" - Kitty Rae
🎼 "you broke me first" - Tate McRae
🎼 "Dark Horse" - Katy Perry, Juicy J
🎼 "Control" - Halsey
🎼 "Die For You" - Rain Paris
🎼 "Out of The Woods" - Taylor Swift
🎼 "doomsday" - Lizzy McAlpine
🎼 "Love Me or Leave Me" - Little Mix
🎼 "Without Me" - Halsey
🎼 "You Found Me" - The Fray
🎼 "Colors" - Halsey
🎼 "The Red Means I Love You" - Madds Buckley
🎼 "Bring Me To Life" - Evanescence
🎼 "Angry Too" - Lola Blanc
🎼 "Oh My" - Gin Wigmore
🎼 "Devil Doesn't Bargain" - Alec Benjamin
🎼 "Achilles Heel" - J. Maya
🎼 "Agony" - Chris Pine, Billy Magnussen
🎼 "I See The Light" - Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi
🎼 "Can I Have This Dance?" - Joshua Bassett, Sofia Wylie
🎼 "Kiss The Girl" - Brent Morgan
🎼 "I Did Something Bad" - Taylor Swift
🎼 "Doin' Time" - Lana Del Ray
🎼 "that's how you make a villain" - emlyn
And while there was not a lot of spice, you can definitely see a side coming out that I have no problems with 😏😏
"You meant her harm. And that is enough for me."
"I would never make the mistake of underestimating a woman like you. It would be a fatal one."
"She was everything he never deserved but longed for anyway."
☕ Tropes ☕
🐸 Fantasy Romance
🐸 Office Romance
🐸 Slow Burn
🐸 Grumpy Boss x Sunshine Assistant
🐸 Oblivious to Lovers (not yet)
🐸 Touch her and die
🐸 I hate everyone but her
🐸 Banter
🐸 TENSION
August 14, 2023
⭐️- 5 ( for what this book is it hits all its marks)
🌶️- no
Duel pov
if the princess bride and the Adams family had a love child, it would be this book.
I was laughing from page one to basically the last page except… Hannah Bestie, We need to have a chat when is book two?
It’s just feet kicking, giggling all-around good time.
This is high fantasy and yet it’s cozy high fantasy. It’s a warm hug. It’s a good laugh. And yet I thought that the twist was so well plotted.
This book is very unique to me. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything quite like it, and as somebody who follows Hannah on TikTok with her mini series, It was so fun to see these characters in such a natural light, and I didn’t feel like because I follow her series that it was boring or that I could predict the book.
if you’re looking for a pallet cleanser, if you’re looking for a good time, if you want to giggle a little bit & swoon, I highly suggest this book.
I will say, as someone who’s followed the TikTok series I was a little bit bummed when the villains name was revealed instantly and without any lead up given that on TikTok, it was like such a big deal that it was kept a secret, and then the book it really wasn’t.
🌶️- no
Duel pov
if the princess bride and the Adams family had a love child, it would be this book.
I was laughing from page one to basically the last page except… Hannah Bestie, We need to have a chat when is book two?
It’s just feet kicking, giggling all-around good time.
This is high fantasy and yet it’s cozy high fantasy. It’s a warm hug. It’s a good laugh. And yet I thought that the twist was so well plotted.
This book is very unique to me. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything quite like it, and as somebody who follows Hannah on TikTok with her mini series, It was so fun to see these characters in such a natural light, and I didn’t feel like because I follow her series that it was boring or that I could predict the book.
if you’re looking for a pallet cleanser, if you’re looking for a good time, if you want to giggle a little bit & swoon, I highly suggest this book.
I will say, as someone who’s followed the TikTok series I was a little bit bummed when the villains name was revealed instantly and without any lead up given that on TikTok, it was like such a big deal that it was kept a secret, and then the book it really wasn’t.
October 31, 2023
“He was ruined. But he loved her anyway.”
This book was so good! This was a entertaining and and interesting cozy fantasy about family, finding your true love, revenge and discovering your purpose in life. Assistant to the Villain follows Evie who recently left her previous job and then the Villain offers her a job after they meet during a mishap. Evie discovers someone is sabotaging the Villain and trying to kill him. Evie and will do anything to find out who is trying to kill the Villain. At the same time Evie is falling for her boss. Will they discover the mole before it’s to late?
“She wasn’t light; she was color. Every single one, dancing otherworldly and bright over his unworthy eyes. She was the explosion of the vivid gleams and glows of the world around him, like a constant rainbow l, shinning not after the rain but during.”
I became invested in this fun and cozy fantasy from the very first page. The pacing was perfect and I was engaged with the plot through the whole book. The world building was very interesting, although the world building was a bit underdeveloped. I hope the next book will explain the world in detail. I really enjoyed the magic and the unique creatures especially the guvre (similar to a dragon) and the magical frog. I loved the cozy and fall vibes in this book. There were so many moments that made me smile and laugh. I really enjoyed the plot twist at the end and the cliffhanger makes me so excited for the next book!
The characters are entertaining and complex. I love Evie so much, she’s selfless, bubbly, sweet, helpful and brave. Evie is very resilient and I’m inspired by how brave she is. I can relate to Evie, family is very important to me too and. Evie’s character development was excellent, I enjoyed seeing her become more confident in herself and discover how far she will go to protect those she loves. I’m in love with The Villain, he is charming, funny, protective, handsome and only sweet to Evie. I loved that he took his walls around his heart down for Evie. I enjoyed that he was vulnerable around Evie and was able to open up about his past to her. I loved that Evie and The Villain were honest with each other and communicated effectively. The tension and banter between Evie and the Villain was great! I also really liked the side characters especially Blade, Tatianna and Kingsley.
Overall this was a great and fun cozy fantasy that I recommend to anyone who enjoys fantasy, romance and great characters.
This book was so good! This was a entertaining and and interesting cozy fantasy about family, finding your true love, revenge and discovering your purpose in life. Assistant to the Villain follows Evie who recently left her previous job and then the Villain offers her a job after they meet during a mishap. Evie discovers someone is sabotaging the Villain and trying to kill him. Evie and will do anything to find out who is trying to kill the Villain. At the same time Evie is falling for her boss. Will they discover the mole before it’s to late?
“She wasn’t light; she was color. Every single one, dancing otherworldly and bright over his unworthy eyes. She was the explosion of the vivid gleams and glows of the world around him, like a constant rainbow l, shinning not after the rain but during.”
I became invested in this fun and cozy fantasy from the very first page. The pacing was perfect and I was engaged with the plot through the whole book. The world building was very interesting, although the world building was a bit underdeveloped. I hope the next book will explain the world in detail. I really enjoyed the magic and the unique creatures especially the guvre (similar to a dragon) and the magical frog. I loved the cozy and fall vibes in this book. There were so many moments that made me smile and laugh. I really enjoyed the plot twist at the end and the cliffhanger makes me so excited for the next book!
The characters are entertaining and complex. I love Evie so much, she’s selfless, bubbly, sweet, helpful and brave. Evie is very resilient and I’m inspired by how brave she is. I can relate to Evie, family is very important to me too and. Evie’s character development was excellent, I enjoyed seeing her become more confident in herself and discover how far she will go to protect those she loves. I’m in love with The Villain, he is charming, funny, protective, handsome and only sweet to Evie. I loved that he took his walls around his heart down for Evie. I enjoyed that he was vulnerable around Evie and was able to open up about his past to her. I loved that Evie and The Villain were honest with each other and communicated effectively. The tension and banter between Evie and the Villain was great! I also really liked the side characters especially Blade, Tatianna and Kingsley.
Overall this was a great and fun cozy fantasy that I recommend to anyone who enjoys fantasy, romance and great characters.
March 20, 2024
**3.5-stars rounded up**
I had zero expectations going into Assistant to the Villain. Luckily, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I ended up enjoying it. Vibes: cute and cozy!
The ending was a wee bit of a cliffhanger, so I will definitely be reading the sequel. I can't wait for it actually. There's something about this type of Cozy Romantic Fantasy that screams Winter Read to me.
In this story we meet Evie Stage, who due to an ill family member is in desperate need of steady employment. So when a mishap, or perhaps we should call it a Meet Cute, with a local Villain leads to a job offer, she can't turn it down.
Keep in mind, this Villain is a Fantasy World Villain, so there's torture, killing, mayhem and chaos involved in Evie's new work environment. But that's okay. No job is perfect.
When Evie starts feeling attracted to the Villain though, she realizes she may really in trouble. It's not just that he is her boss, there are other things to consider.
I mean, who finds sexy, darkly brooding, powerful, quietly sensual and possibly evil men attractive?
There is more to the story than that though. Someone seems to have it out for the Villain and the sabotage attempts seem to be coming from the inside.
Evie is determined to get to the bottom of it and save her crush before it's too late.
As mentioned before, this is super cute. The pace is energetic and you want more. The synopsis comps this to Once Upon A Time meeting The Office and I think that is quite apt.
There was something so delightful about that mix. The fantastical office setting was completely unique and I can't wait for more of it. Additionally, there was a great sense of humor to it and I enjoyed watching the chemistry build.
I also appreciated the romance that Maehrer created within this story. It was more about pining, getting to know one another and mutual respect, versus steam, steam, steam. I gotta say, compared to a lot of the things I've been picking up lately, it was a nice change of pace.
I think leaving the steam out allowed me to really focus on getting to know these characters. I feel attached to them after a very short time.
I was delighted that we ended up getting the perspective of the Villain, Tristan, as well. Oh my goodness, did I enjoy my time with him.
We definitely spend more time with Evie, but learning about the Villain through his own thoughts and feelings was really sweet. I liked reading what he was thinking about Evie's presence in his world and watching that change over time.
I did enjoy the mystery, although admittedly, that did play second fiddle to the romance element, but I feel like Maehrer intended it to be that way.
Overall, I thought this was adorable. I'm definitely looking forward to getting my hands on the next book. I am wondering if it will go more in depth with some of the side characters, who I enjoyed, but I didn't really feel like I got to know that well in this installment.
Counting down the days until Apprentice to the Villain!!!
I had zero expectations going into Assistant to the Villain. Luckily, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I ended up enjoying it. Vibes: cute and cozy!
The ending was a wee bit of a cliffhanger, so I will definitely be reading the sequel. I can't wait for it actually. There's something about this type of Cozy Romantic Fantasy that screams Winter Read to me.
In this story we meet Evie Stage, who due to an ill family member is in desperate need of steady employment. So when a mishap, or perhaps we should call it a Meet Cute, with a local Villain leads to a job offer, she can't turn it down.
Keep in mind, this Villain is a Fantasy World Villain, so there's torture, killing, mayhem and chaos involved in Evie's new work environment. But that's okay. No job is perfect.
When Evie starts feeling attracted to the Villain though, she realizes she may really in trouble. It's not just that he is her boss, there are other things to consider.
I mean, who finds sexy, darkly brooding, powerful, quietly sensual and possibly evil men attractive?
There is more to the story than that though. Someone seems to have it out for the Villain and the sabotage attempts seem to be coming from the inside.
Evie is determined to get to the bottom of it and save her crush before it's too late.
As mentioned before, this is super cute. The pace is energetic and you want more. The synopsis comps this to Once Upon A Time meeting The Office and I think that is quite apt.
There was something so delightful about that mix. The fantastical office setting was completely unique and I can't wait for more of it. Additionally, there was a great sense of humor to it and I enjoyed watching the chemistry build.
I also appreciated the romance that Maehrer created within this story. It was more about pining, getting to know one another and mutual respect, versus steam, steam, steam. I gotta say, compared to a lot of the things I've been picking up lately, it was a nice change of pace.
I think leaving the steam out allowed me to really focus on getting to know these characters. I feel attached to them after a very short time.
I was delighted that we ended up getting the perspective of the Villain, Tristan, as well. Oh my goodness, did I enjoy my time with him.
We definitely spend more time with Evie, but learning about the Villain through his own thoughts and feelings was really sweet. I liked reading what he was thinking about Evie's presence in his world and watching that change over time.
I did enjoy the mystery, although admittedly, that did play second fiddle to the romance element, but I feel like Maehrer intended it to be that way.
Overall, I thought this was adorable. I'm definitely looking forward to getting my hands on the next book. I am wondering if it will go more in depth with some of the side characters, who I enjoyed, but I didn't really feel like I got to know that well in this installment.
Counting down the days until Apprentice to the Villain!!!
Want to read
September 2, 2023Narrator reads this like it’s a freaking middle grade novel.
Will try as regular book sometime.
Will try as regular book sometime.
October 7, 2023
I fell in love with a villain today.
Connect With Me:
BLOG ⟫ INSTAGRAM ⟫ PODCAST ⟫ TIKTOK ⟫
Well actually, when I read this book. But still, this villain is amazing. He is super evil in this one. Not an act like evil but isn’t really evil. He is a true evil but a heart of gold that only the love interest can touch in the deep depths of his soul. My heart.
Evie is down on her luck, she just got let go from her current job and hasn't told her family. Until one day, she comes across a notorious villain and hires her on the spot. A job at Massacre Manor to be the Villain's personal assistant with good benefits.
“It struck Evie then. How her predicament had escalated unemployed butcher's daughter to aiding and abetting this king's greatest enemy in an alarmingly short amount of time.”
Evie quickly acclimated to her position even with dangling severed heads and constant torture victims coming through the villain's office.
“I'll remind you that, at your bequest, I haven't actually killed an intern in several months."
Evie shook her head hopelessly. "Sir, I hate to belittle your success, but there are people who go their entire lives without killing anyone' His face remained serious. "How dull."
Of course, there is office drama. There is an office manager named Becky who wanted Evie’s job but didn’t get it. So there is an office rivalry that plays out between the two employees.
You do see the POV of the Villain from time to time. Learning his background and his nefarious plots against the king's valiant guards. He was surprised that with all his torture and killing Evie had run in the other direction. Almost embracing in fact. In turn, the Villain slowly reveals that he may have feelings for his assistant. Which he finds very gross.
“Disgusting, distracting, and he hated it.”
“That familiar, annoying buoyancy whirled through him, making him feel vile things like joy and the unmistakable need to laugh.”
The Villain does have a name and an evil power that goes along with it. Which I thought was a cool power to have for an evil villain.
“Trystan has a magical power that can sense your physical weaknesses and where the death blow is. Can use his magic to kill”
Some lines of Evie's POV that I thought were a fun addition to the story as she realizes that she has feelings for her boss.
“She straddled her boss and then quit her job, all in one day.”
“Problem number one: She was growing emotionally attached to her boss.
Problem number two: Her boss was also the most hated man in the kingdom.
Problem number three: Someone wanted her boss dead-who would severely affect problem number one.”
I thought this story was super creative and different from what I normally pick up. The plot had me guessing quite a bit and didn’t see the end coming. Was certainly left on a cliffhanger that was exhilarating and painful at the same time. I love how this is a fantasy with a relatable office setting with that office romance included. I can’t wait for the second book.
Connect With Me:
BLOG ⟫ INSTAGRAM ⟫ PODCAST ⟫ TIKTOK ⟫
Well actually, when I read this book. But still, this villain is amazing. He is super evil in this one. Not an act like evil but isn’t really evil. He is a true evil but a heart of gold that only the love interest can touch in the deep depths of his soul. My heart.
Evie is down on her luck, she just got let go from her current job and hasn't told her family. Until one day, she comes across a notorious villain and hires her on the spot. A job at Massacre Manor to be the Villain's personal assistant with good benefits.
“It struck Evie then. How her predicament had escalated unemployed butcher's daughter to aiding and abetting this king's greatest enemy in an alarmingly short amount of time.”
Evie quickly acclimated to her position even with dangling severed heads and constant torture victims coming through the villain's office.
“I'll remind you that, at your bequest, I haven't actually killed an intern in several months."
Evie shook her head hopelessly. "Sir, I hate to belittle your success, but there are people who go their entire lives without killing anyone' His face remained serious. "How dull."
Of course, there is office drama. There is an office manager named Becky who wanted Evie’s job but didn’t get it. So there is an office rivalry that plays out between the two employees.
You do see the POV of the Villain from time to time. Learning his background and his nefarious plots against the king's valiant guards. He was surprised that with all his torture and killing Evie had run in the other direction. Almost embracing in fact. In turn, the Villain slowly reveals that he may have feelings for his assistant. Which he finds very gross.
“Disgusting, distracting, and he hated it.”
“That familiar, annoying buoyancy whirled through him, making him feel vile things like joy and the unmistakable need to laugh.”
The Villain does have a name and an evil power that goes along with it. Which I thought was a cool power to have for an evil villain.
“Trystan has a magical power that can sense your physical weaknesses and where the death blow is. Can use his magic to kill”
Some lines of Evie's POV that I thought were a fun addition to the story as she realizes that she has feelings for her boss.
“She straddled her boss and then quit her job, all in one day.”
“Problem number one: She was growing emotionally attached to her boss.
Problem number two: Her boss was also the most hated man in the kingdom.
Problem number three: Someone wanted her boss dead-who would severely affect problem number one.”
I thought this story was super creative and different from what I normally pick up. The plot had me guessing quite a bit and didn’t see the end coming. Was certainly left on a cliffhanger that was exhilarating and painful at the same time. I love how this is a fantasy with a relatable office setting with that office romance included. I can’t wait for the second book.
August 31, 2023
DNF @20%
Omg, I don’t leave ratings for books I DNF usually, but this one needed to be brought down a peg, honestly have no clue how it is so highly rated…
For me … I love humor and cozy fantasies and this book tries so hard to do both but fails miserably in my opinion…
Omg, I don’t leave ratings for books I DNF usually, but this one needed to be brought down a peg, honestly have no clue how it is so highly rated…
For me … I love humor and cozy fantasies and this book tries so hard to do both but fails miserably in my opinion…
October 30, 2023
spoiler alert: he’s a simp
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