Member Reviews
Loved the vibes and yearning but it did feel a little long. I can see how it will make a fun series but I think it also could have been a great standalone.
Please accept my apologies for my feedback being so late.
Unfortunately I struggled with this book, I'm not sure whether it was the way it was written or the story itself but it took me a long time to get through it or immerse myself into the world. I had to keep rereading pages because it just didn't go in.
I don't feel like enough happened to keep my attention, it was quite slow and I found it tough to connect with the characters. There were a lot of scenes which I thought were unnecessary but I understand it's a way to get to know the characters and set the tone for the story. But I'm an impatient reader! I would have preferred the story hook to start a little sooner.
I also felt that the Villain didn't intrigue me as much as I'd hoped. While the protagonist was charming, she felt a little unrealistic and overly clumsy that I was bored of her antics quite quickly.
I think a lot of my negatives are likely based on taste and I don't think the book is bad at all. It just isn't for me and I know that many people will love this!
On the plus side, I loved the idea of this book a lot. Being a huge fan of Once Upon a Time and the Office, I think the concept was practically written for me, and I can see where the overlaps were. It wasn't mis-sold at all. It's a very unique story and I do love quirky, fun fantasy books so I liked that aspect of it!
I like books that are just a good time and don't take themselves too seriously.
But unfortunately this just wasn't for me.
Thank you for letting me read this and I wish the author all the luck with her debut (rounding up my 2 stars to 3 to support!) and the rest of the series!
Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for sending me a copy in exchange for a review.
This book took me by surprise - I wasn't expecting it to be so funny, nor so wonderfully fleshed out! Evie was a fantastic MC with a wonderful personality that I found so charming and the added bonus of Kingsley our little frog in the crown?! Adorable!
The romance was such delicious slow burn - we only got a kiss in this first instalment of the series, but having the POV of both Evie and our grumpy 'villain' more than made up for it. I can't wait for book two, I need it immediately!
4*
"Once upon a Time meets the Office" was a bold claim and one that had me extremely intrigued. Thankfully, Maehrer delivered.
Assistant to the Villain was a fun fantasy read that has me eager for the next instalment. I enjoyed how well balanced the characters were, each with their own defining flaws. The low stakes make it a very quick and easy read, which was exactly what I was looking for.
This book was FANTASTIC!! I was excited after reading the blurb but when i started it, i could not put it down! The perfect mix of grumpy meets sunshine. Complex characters with contrasting relationships. The duel POV was brilliant and gave insight into the Villain, who’s character can be mysterious and difficult to read. I will be recommending this book to everyone and anyone. I cannot wait for the 2nd instalment to come out. The charater development and THE PLOT TWIST?! I was shocked. I am so excited to see what is next for The Villain, Evie, Becky, Blade, Kingsley and Tati!
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!!
Assistant to the Villain, marketed as having grumpy/sunshine, office romance and lots of humour, was an absolute delight to read. With a good mix of humour, mystery and a dash of romance, this book is the perfect cozy fantasy and a must-read for this fall!
The book starts off as we meet Evie who is looking for a job so she can provide for her father and little sister. On her way home from a job fair she inadvertently stumbles upon a man more commonly known as the Villain, who just so happens to be in need of an assistant. And from there the story begins. Not long after her employment Evie runs into som problems, as she suspects there might be a rat among them trying to take down her boss and his evil empire! She must now find out who is sabotaging her boss' work, and being distracted by her very handsome boss doesn't help matters.
After having followed Maehrer's Assistant to the Villain TikToks, I was extremely hyped for this book. The TikTok series promised a grumpy/sunshine workplace romance with lough-out-loud scenes and lots of banter, and that's exactly what we got. I was immediately enamoured with Evie and her optimistic view of the world. As for the Villain we were purposely kept in the dark about his past and his motivation through most of the story, which made me keep coming back for more, hoping to learn something new about this mysterious Villain.
Assistant to the Villain is a book a book I definitely will be recommending to friends and customers alike, and I'm planning on ordering some copies for the bookstore I work at ASAP. I'll also be ordering a physical copy for myself as this will be a new comfort book, that I will come back to time and time again.
Assistant to the Villain is one of the most entertaining, immersive, and intriguing novels I have read this year. I had so much fun reading it and I already can’t wait for its sequel to come out. It features a wonderful heroine, a morally grey hero, grumpy vs sunshine romance, witty banter, magic powers and animals, including an adorable king frog who communicates with signs.
The heroine is Evangelina “Evie” Sage who has been taking care of her family since her father’s illness. She is looking for a new job when she stumbles into the man that everyone calls The Villain who, according to rumours, is a dark unknown figure who steals victims to torture in his manor hidden in the forest. While he’s being chased from the king’s guards, The Villain offers Evie a job as his personal assistant and, desperate for money, she accepts. Of course, this is not a normal job, and while Evie is trying to figure out who is the spy betraying her new boss, she also starts to have romantic feelings for him. And The Villain, who’s always kept his distance from emotions of any kind, certainly didn’t expect to return those feelings.
I adored Evie and The Villain. She is loyal, honest, fun, loud, bold and brave, and she’s always happy to help others. On the other hand, The Villain is broody and temperamental. He likes to hang the heads of his enemies from the ceiling and he’s holding a ten-year-long revenge against the king that includes stealing from each other, secret houses, and spies. He’s always kept everyone at a distance, his family included, but Evie seems to get through his wall. Their slow-burn romance kept me completely addicted, but, like all romances, there are challenges to face.
I highly recommend Assistant to the Vilain: a swoony romance, a cast of lovable and engaging characters, an intriguing, refreshing, and riveting story with a terrific final cliff-hanger that left me wanting for more!
Assistant to the Villain was one of my favourite holiday reads this summer. Maehrer managed to make a book containing mentions of torture, killing and gruesome heads on pikes an absolute joy to read. It reads like a mix between cosy fantasy and office romance, with its unusual setting inside the lair of the villain.
The mix of characters was entertaining - I loved Evie going head to head with Becky, the office manager, and the slow-burn romance between Evie and her boss. The cast of secondary characters was a definite strength of this novel - Tatianna the healer and cocky dragon trainer Blade certainly deserve a mention. And obviously Kingsley the frog, who was a bit limited in his dialogue as he relied on signs he held up, but who made every word count.
If you enjoy a good laugh, love a slow-burn, and enjoy a cozy romance without spice, then you should pick this up! I can't wait to read where it goes next! 4.5 stars from me!
Assistant to the Villain from Hannah Nicole Maehrer was an utter delight; I loved every minute of reading it. My only complaint, how on earth am I going to be able to wait for book 2!
Assistant to the Villain is a perfect romantasy, with a grumpy sunshine slow burn (and I mean slow, we get a kiss and a hug only and they’re PERFECT in the story’s context) and duel POV. In it we have a rag tag gang of characters that you can’t help but adore, and at its centre
is Evie and her boss, the Villain.
With a sick father and younger sister Evie to support Evie desperately needs to find a job. After a run in with the infamous Villain results in a job offer, Evie naturally says yes, after all no job is perfect right? But just as Evie gets used to the general villainy of Massacre Manor, two things complicate matters. First Evie might be developing somewhat of a crush on the boss and second there is a rat amongst them who is seeking to take the Villain down!
This book was a total joy to read! It’s absolutely the perfect balance of low stakes fantasy, humour, seriously funny banter, budding romance and heads stuck on poles. Oh there’s also a charming little frog, who wears a crown and holds up single word signs to communicate - I feel like that alone should be reason enough for you to want to read this book!
I loved everything about this one and cannot wait to see where Maehrer takes the story next after that cliffhanger!I have my theories about what might happen and I’m desperate to see what becomes of Evie and our new favourite Villain! Don’t miss out on this one.
I nearly overlooked this book because the cover reminded me of the series "Strangers Time" and thought it was a sequel. But after seeing it on Bookstagram recommended by a few people who have read the arc I was intrigued. So I picked up the book and started reading it. Soon after I fell in love with this story!
I'm a huge fan of Evie and The Villain. I'm so glad I picked this book up because although it is a slow-burn love story it was full of hilarious and fun bantering. I loved the workplace atmosphere and how Evie tries to make the best outcome of it.
I can't wait until the sequel gets out so I can read on. The ending was so unfair.
To open this review I have to say: I LOVED this book! I loved Hannah Nicole Maehrer’s writing and this wasn’t long enough.
Evie is down on her luck. After leaving her job due to an awful boss she’s wandering around the forest trying to pass the time. She stumbles upon an injured man who turns out to be The Villain, the bad guy in the kingdom who is just plain evil. Evie is taken aback by his handsome face and grumpy personality but she helps him nonetheless. After a five-month time jump we see Evie succeeding in her new position as Assistant to the Villain. I love the way Maehrer writes and describes the most grotesque things which still come across all unicorns and rainbows. Mention of heads hanging from the rafters and screams from behind closed doors utterly unfazed me which is so bizarre. The Villain remains nameless for a while which adds to the mystery even more.
The King is determined to find the Villain and there is a traitor among his employees jeopardising his plans. During this disruption of planted bombs, leaked info and being hunted by the Valant guards from the palace, Evie is thriving at her new position and her cheerful and bubbly personality brings a new energy to the group and affects the Villain more than he imagined.
The Villain, or Trystan as he reveals, is the grumpy boss who’s secretly a good person. The more his past is revealed the richer his character becomes, and you cannot help but root for his success even if he’s supposed to be evil.
Evie’s character development was amazing. She was justifiably traumatised after her previous boss tried to sexually assault her, something that isn’t explicitly described on the page, and she appeared apprehensive about having another male boss. Seeing other female employees succeed and thrive seems to comfort her which was great to read. She grew stronger and more comfortable and by the end being a good person isn’t limited to being meek and submissive. Sometimes you have to do bad things to be a good person.
I just loved these characters and plot points. The closest, most trusted people could have been traitors, but I would have loved them still. Evie was so passionate about her newfound family, getting to know each of them individually rather than being dismissive like the others were.
The romance is incredibly slow-burn. Longing looks, accidental touches and fake kisses to save their lives are just some examples of the snail’s paced love story. By about 60% in I realised this wasn’t a standalone and was actually a trilogy. Normally I would have been infuriated but I loved it so much that I was comfortable overlooking the cliffhanger! I hope you enjoy this debut as much as I did. It was funny and sweet and Kingsley the prisoner frog was the best extra you could ask for! The plot twists were unexpected, the friendships were great and the romance even better!
Thank you for the eARC!
This was an utter joy to read! I personally hadn't seen this on TikTok but was grabbed by the premise. This is an absolute romp of a fantasy adventure that I highly recommend!
This book was amazing! This book gave me all the cosy feels and had me kicking my feet and giggling pretty much from page one.
You can see how this book translates from Hannah's TikTok series and it was fun seeing all her characters come to life and learning more about their pasts in greater detail.
If you want a good time, a few laughs and a bit of swooning, then this book is definitely for you!
This book was so much fun. It had humor, morally grey characters, a magical toad and a surprising amount of depth.
This book is about Evangeline Sage, who is very acident prone and an optimist. She becomes the assistant to the villain, after running into him in the woods and the story goes from there. I could say more but I think this book is one if those go in blind ones so I won’t.
What I liked:
The characters:
The characters in this book were great. I think Evangeline is my favorite simply for how hilarious she is.
The Dynamics:
Everyone in this book had such fun dynamics between them. My favorite was Evangeline and the Villains because they are opposites but somehow also similar.
The toad prince:
It’s a magical Toad that has a crown and uses one word signs to communicate. Enough said.
The plot:
I’m not going to say what the plot was but I enjoyed it.
What I disliked:
Nothing at all. I seriously did not dislike a single thing about this one, exept maybe the fact that I have to wait for book 2.
Assistant to the Villain was my most anticipated read this year, for the title alone. Having no expectations made this book so much more fun.
I like Evie, she is a wholesome, slightly violent character, which makes her utterly relatable.
I like Trystan, he is as much of a villain as Gru plus the beheadings.
I love Becky, she is my favourite grumpy character ever.
The plot is also good, I did not see that ending coming and I admire how the writer keeps us wanting for more with that. The build-up was evenly paced. The one thing I don't like about this, and most other slow-burn romances, is how clueless Evie is about Trystan's feelings for her. How can a clever character not notice this? Anyway, if you want a good laugh, a bit of violence, a swoonworthy villain and a lot of dry humour, this is your book.
Thank you Netgally for this e-arc, naturally, all opinions are my own.
This was pure delight. Funny, clever. A very strong female character. I look forward to what comes next.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. Mixed feeling on this one. I liked the rather unique premise, a mixture of a cozy fantasy and an office romance, and I did like the cast of characters along with the many amusing moments in the plot. What I think was underdeveloped was the backstory, worldbuilding and romance aspects. This read more on the YA side to me and I did find some elements unbelievable particularly regarding the twist at the end. The main characters in my opinion took the sunshine/grumpy thing a bit too far, and I disliked the Villains internal dialogue as it was very repetitive). I would recommend this for fans of low stakes cozy fantasy with minimal spice.
— 4.75 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
"She'd been called many disparaging things in her life. Alarmingly all beginning with the letter F. Flighty, foolish, forgetful, and, by a strange turn of events, she was finally able to add the final F. Fucked."
📖 | 352 pages
👤 | author Hannah Nicole Maehrer
🏢 | publisher Transworld Publishers, Penguin
📅 | release date 14 September 2023
What you can expect:
• Book one in a trilogy
• 3rd person POV
• Dual POV
• Low-stakes, cosy high fantasy romance
• Endearing nicknames (including and not limited to Little Tornado, Little Urchin, Evil Overlord)
• An amphibian companion who wears a crown and communicates via message signs (we stan Kingsley in this household)
• Grumpy employer | Sunshine assistant
• No spice
• "Touch her and you die"
• Instant chemistry
• Pining and tension
• Witty one-liners and plenty of sarcasm
Trigger warnings include: blood, death, battle scenes, torture, serious injury, extreme pain, familial estrangement, family sickness, death of a sibling, child abandonment and sexual assault.
Assistant to the Villain by author Hannah Nicole Maehrer is the hilarious and swoon-worthy beginning to a much anticipated trilogy. Assistant to the Villain follows the narration of Evie Sage as she finds herself desperately in need of new employment. With a father plagued with an unknown sickness with no cure in sight and a much-younger sister, Evie stepped up as the provider of her family until a traumatic event leaves her without work. What begins as a leisurely stroll through Hickory Forest whilst mentally weighing what little options she has left, turns into assisting and abetting the most notorious and feared figure of all. The Villain. After a mutual rescue leads to Evie's uncomfortable babbling about her need for employment, The Villain all but demands Evie work for him at his hidden manor in the forest. And thus we follow Evie on her journey filled with crime and mystery as she finds herself thrust into a chaotic world with severed heads hanging from the office ceiling and employees betting on which interns will be fed to the dragon. When life gives you lemons... you become the assistant to The Villain?
"They were screwed. Or rather, she was screwed. The Villain would probably take her wool scarf and ride his evil countenance into the sunset."
This book was everything I was hoping it would be and more. It was a delightfully funny read that had me laughing out loud, kicking my feet and squealing into my pillow. Evie was such a fun and loving protagonist to follow. There's nothing I love more than a witty, clumsy FMC who would still pick up a weapon and chase an intruder. Evie just exudes loving and maternal energy. Everybody around her immediately feels at ease, our Villain included, and despite facing many difficult events Evie refuses to let it diminish her light and spirit. Her quick wit and ruthless one-liners towards The Villain had me constantly cackling and grinning in delight. The Villain just does not know how to cope with a personality like Evie's. He operates in a constant state of confusion and longing, and it's utterly addictive to read. The dynamic between Evie and The Villain was honestly everything. This big, bad Villain could not figure out how Evie was utterly unafraid of him like everybody else. However his backstory really had me rooting for the relationship progression between the pair even more. As individuals Evie and The Villain are both battling with feelings of loneliness, and the chemistry between them both is undeniable from their first scene together. I cannot wait to see further relationship development and character growth from them both in future books.
"He was happy... How positively vile. And the lightness in his chest only grew when she began to speak."
I'm a firm believer that a book is only as good as its supporting characters, and considering how highly I rated The Assistant to the Villain, you can presume the supporting characters are strong indeed. Rookie dragon trainer and office flirt Blade had me falling in love with his quirky fashion choices and his unwavering, stubborn spirit. Tatianna, the loyal and calm-natured healer with a hot-headed streak towards a certain side character (wink wink nudge nudge). Evie's younger sister Lyssa, with her quiet strength and spirit as a child that her endured too much so young. Evie's office nemesis Stacy who is a stickler for the rules, who has more to her story than meets the eye. And of course the most honourable mention goes to Prince Kingsley himself. A frog of few words, as you would being limited to message signs to communicate, and yet has much to say and a strong page presence. Hannah Nicole Maehrer has really outdone herself with the characters that have been so vividly brought to life. Every character in this story serves their own purpose, and I cannot wait to continue this story of vengeance, mystery and second-chances.
Thank you to NetGalley and Transworld Publishers, Penguin for the DRC (digital review copy) in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free ARC in exchange for a review.
If you open your heart to the sheer ridiculousness, complete unlikeliness, and fusion of a fantasy fairytale and an office romancce, this is a great time. It's literally a corporate fantasy fairytale. I loved it.
There is a frog. Who used to be a prince. Who wears a tiny crown. And has communication signs. I love him. Kingsley is an icon.
Evie actually has criticial thinking skills and has a pretty interesting characterization, as well as a lovely level of self-confidence and belief. Trystan's family dynamics really amuse me, and his hilarious rejection of his love for Evie is pretty amusing.
I liked the dad reveal but I do think it comes a bit out of nowhere, but I guess that could be the point! I also do wish I knew more about the politics and functions of the country because that was all a bit blurry.
But I loved that I couldn't totally predict the characters' actions, especially Evie and <spoiler> her moment with her father at the end. I really believed she killed him for a second </spoiler>.
This is a very weird story and I highly enjoyed it. Definitely picking up the next one. 4 stars!