Assistant to the Villain is delightful. Fun and cozy, Hannah Nicole Maehrer's debut is a worthy extension of her TikTok series, and is the perfect one-sitting binge read for any fantasy or rom-com lover.

I loved this book!

To start with, Evie was a great protagonist and narrator for the story. She's a bit of a klutz but has a heart of gold. Her grumpy x sunshine dynamic with The Villain was well-executed and one of my favourite aspects of the book. Some of their scenes together had me laughing out loud (a rare occurrence!).

I don't want to say too much about The Villain as I personally enjoyed learning about him as the book went on, but I will say that the enemies to lovers girlies are going to scream at some of his lines to Evie... that's all ;).

The workplace romance element of the book was also another favourite for me... perhaps this is a sign I need to read more of those!

Though I would have liked a little more development for them, I really enjoyed the side characters in this book (especially Blade the dragon trainer and Becky from HR). I may or may not need a Becky spinoff immediately. I know I probably wasn't meant to like her as much as I did, but I have a bit of a soft spot for the prickly characters! There’s also a crown-wearing frog, Kingsley, who stole every scene he was in with his signs and funny commentary.

The worldbuilding walks a fine line between ‘basic’ and ‘classic’, in that you get all the familiar elements you might expect of a fantasy book and… not much more. Though, please don’t take that as a true complaint - I would hope no one is going into this book expecting a high, epic fantasy and all the worldbuilding that goes with that. This is a cozy romantasy, after all.

I’ve heard Assistant to the Villain is going to be a trilogy, and I couldn’t be more excited. The ending of the book certainly sets up a sequel, and I can’t wait to read more about Evie and The Villain’s (mis)adventures.

Overall, I’d highly recommend Assistant to the Villain to any Romantasy lover, especially those looking a lighter, fun read.

Thank you to Emma at Penguin Random House UK for sending me a proof copy!

↠ 4.75 stars

Okay I ADORED this book! It's so funny, down to earth in the most ridiculous way possible, and I was swooning over the Villain as much as our main character was! It's such a silly goofy romantasy book that I just feel my soul needed! I highly recommend this one

TikTok really hyped this one up for me, and I've gotta say, for a debut authors, Maehrer has done really well. The characters were likeable, and the book was an overall enjoyable read. I think I would have preferred if the villain had a supervillain name other than "The Villain" as it was a bit difficult to get used to, but the book was overall enjoyable. There were so many moments that made me laugh out loud such as "He wondered if it would scar her for life if he threw himself from the window" if you enjoy this kinda humour definitely check it out.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an ebook copy via NetGalley. As usual all thoughts are my own.

“She wasn’t light, she was colour”
💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀
So I have seen Hannah’s TikTok’s and I was so interested in the concept for this book from the first one I saw. I expected something completely different from what we got and honestly it was so much better then what I expected !

The writing blew me away Hannah truly has a gift! The fantasy aspect of this book was done really well I would say it’s very low stake fantasy but nonetheless it was a really good read!
I loved the character development of Evie in the end she was strong enough face her fears and it was wonderful to see - go get your man girlie !

The tension was delicious and I was waiting for things to reach their peak and for boss and assistant to come together but I guess that’s what book 2 is for.

Also the “villain” may I come and work for you cos 🥵

If you’re looking for spice or only read spice then I’m afraid this book is not for you however if you’re into low stakes fantasy books that have the following tropes:
💀grumpy/ sunshine
💀workplace romance
💀boss / assistant dynamic
💀humour and banter
💀cozy fantasy vibes
💀a cliffhanger that has you clawing for the next one !
Then this book is for you just like it’s for me !
Thank you @netgalley for the arc !
It was a thoroughly good read !
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#arc #netgalley #assistanttothevillain #workromance #lowstakesfantasy #villain

I absolutely adored this book! It was such a light-hearted, fun and entertaining read. The slow burn romance was done so well - all the tension and build up with the characters' relationship had me grinning like crazy. I instantly wanted to read it again and I can't wait for the sequel. An absolute must-read I'll be recommending to all my friends!

This was a funny, heartfelt and sometimes chaotic rollercoaster - it was fun to read, and the slow burn had a great payoff in the end!

I found myself giggling at this book from virtually the first page! There was plenty of angst and will they/won't they to make it more than a simple romance book and I loved that the villain wasn't as dark as you would first expect with his reputation.

If you want a really good fantasy romance then this is a great choice.

A really great and fun read. I loved the characters and the story. Will look out for more from this author.

I think this might be the easiest 5 stars i've ever given a book. Now i didn't know about the hype of this book before reading but I am a villain gets the girl lover so i was sold!

What I liked with this book was that every single chapter seemed to hit something romance tropey that I just adore and I found myself giggling and squealing a few times, is it the best book ever written? probably not. Is it a great time? you bet it is!

Give it a go if you love a bit of romance!

THIS BOOK, OH MY DOES IT DELIVER.

This book is perfection when it comes to the sunshine/grumpy trope and I adored every second. Not only that but the world building, medieval fantasy vibes and that sassy dialogue was just incredible. Assistant to the Villain will have you smiling from ear to ear and steal your heart. It’s just so joyful and heartwarming, whilst also being laugh out loud funny.

Our MC, is a new favourite of mine with her witty comments and sunshine vibes, she’s filled with heart. Her unintentional humour, had me smiling throughout and the way she slowly broke down The Villain’s walls was just brilliant. Despite his better judgement and will, he never really stood a chance against her whirlwind of a personality.

Absolutely loved this book! This is the first book that I have given 5 stars to on Goodreads this year. The blend of brilliant medieval fantasy world building, fab witty sassy dialogue and smoldering romance that will have you swooning is just the perfect combination! I cannot wait for this book to publish so I can put it in all my customers hands. The only problem is that I am desperate to read book 2 now!!

I watched the tiktoks and found the humour so good which meant I was nervous to read the book because not everyone who gets book deals because they're booktokers or booktubers delivers - the skill of writing is a lot different to being charismatic on screen and having a good idea - but this book DELIVERS.

I was instantly pulled into the narrative and loved the main character. Evie was the exact sort of sunshine heroine you want and her chemistry with The Villain from the very first scene was excellent.

I'd never read a story quite like this one before so I enjoyed not quite knowing what the plot was going to be like or where it was going to end- and I am not pleased with the cliffhanger simple because I NEED to know what happens next. (Though truthfully as cliffhangers go it was well done).

The humour throughout the book was well done, as well as all the grumpy-sunshine tropes... but I would have loved some more romance… it will certainly get me to read the second book.

As a long-term fan of Hannah Nicole Maehrer’s TikTok series I greatly anticipated this book. I am glad to say it did not disappoint. She has brilliantly assembled a series of disparate arcs into a wonderful read. Throughout she pokes fun at romantasy tropes whilst totally engaging you through her beautifully sincere affection for the genre. The romance was swoony, the characters lovable and the plot left me on tenterhooks. Book 2 please!

Assistant to the Villain was so much bloody fun to read. Quirky, sarcastic, hilarious in parts, whilst also filled with plenty of heat, heart and makes you wonder who the actual villain is. After just being fired from her previous job Evie Sage is desperate for work, so when a job literally falls into her lap how can she refuse? The only issue, the job is for the Villain, the man who has been terrifying and torturing the people of Rennedawn. But Evie can't be picky, and really, how hard can being an assistant be? She eventually gets used to the severed heads hanging from the ceiling and the wailing noises coming from the dungeons, but she has one teeny tiny thing she can't seen to get past, and that's her crush on her boss. He many be undeniably hot, but he's also the Villain, so Evie attempts to keep her distance, but the more time she spends with him, the more she starts to see the man underneath the villainy and when another dark force starts building in Rennedawn, one with their eye on the Villain himself, Evie will have to ask herself whether this job, and the man she works for are worth risking herself for.

"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."

Evie Sage is now ranked as one of my top female MC's ever. She is so, most of the time unintentionally, hilarious. Most people, when offered employment by someone who calls themselves The Villain, would turn and run but not Evie, she jumps at the chance, and if she notices how pretty he is before she says yes, whose going to notice. Her ability to be unflappable in the face of severed heads hanging from the ceiling, dead bodies on her desk and Dragons makes her invaluable to the Villain, even if he doesn't quite know what to do with her. Evie knows how her family would feel if their knew who she was working for, but as the sole breadwinner she feels that a little white lie can't hurt anyone right? Alongside Evie we get some chapters from the POV of the Villain himself and these chapters not only added more levity and humour to the story, but made me fall that little bit more in love with Evie. This woman who should have run from him the first chance she had, but now he can't live without, doesn't even want to imagine it. His chapters allow us to see Evie slowly breaking down his walls, against his better judgement and will, and it's truly hilarious seeing him try and fight a loosing battle against the whirlwind that is Evie Sage.

Assistant to the Villain is a hard story to try and sum up, not only because it's part twisted fairytale part office romance, but also because it takes nearly the entire book before we start to see the underlying plot that will follow through the series. Despite that being something that would usually annoy me, I think it made me enjoy this one even more. We spend a good portion of the book just following our characters on their day to day job's as Villain and assistant to, showing the danger that follows as well as the boring office politics that even Villains have to deal with. This added to the humour of the story, as well as allowing us a brilliant insight to the characters, and not just the MC's, but the side characters that you end up loving just as much. I enjoyed how Maehrer puts doubt into our head as to who the actual villain of the story is, and thanks to the humorous and quirky writing style made it a story that I polished off in one sitting.

Now for the romance, despite the lack of smut the tension in this book was to die for. It is soooo slow burn, and despite Evie noticing the Villain's looks at their first meeting, steers well clear of insta love, instead allowing the amount of time we see them together to show their deepening relationship and feelings, even if neither is willing to admit it to themselves or the other. I'm obviously hoping for some smut in book two, but it definitely wasn't missed in this one because Maehrer did a fantastic job of keeping the tension at a heightened level, every interaction leading to some kind of spark, whilst allowing her characters to slowly realise their feelings for the other. It's the epitome of the grump/sunshine trope, and features plenty of 'I would burn the world down for this person,' as well as 'I'm only nice to this one person because I love them but I won't admit it to myself or anyone else.' So if that's your jam I would definitely give this one a go.

This author certainly knows how to torture her readers. I can't tell you how desperate I am for book two. The last quarter or so of the book really picks up the pace with the main plot and there are so many reveals, but it's the ending that had me gasping. It's emotional and shocking and a true cliff hanger! I can't recommend this book enough. If you're looking for something fun and whimsical,I would say this definitely veers into the cosy fantasy genre, whilst still packing plenty of emotions and danger, and filled with characters that will steal your heart.

the prologue was a little messy and i am not a time skip fan so the five months later in chapter one was a little annoying, but i understand why it was done

it took so so long for anything to happen it just felt like most of this book was just scenes the author wanted to write with little actual reason for them to be there, the plot in general was contrived at best

i also did not care for a single one of the characters, like not one but not at all

also the point of view was a little messy at times, e.g. despite moments clearly being from evie’s pov there are times when she leaves the scene and the rest of the characters’ dialogue continues - this is confusing and interrupts the flow and pacing

Synopsis:

Evangeline Sage needs a job. She has an ailing father and a younger sister relying on her, so when she has a run in with The Villain - an infamous, dangerous criminal who has spent the last decade undermining the crown - and he offers her a job as his assistant, of course she accepts.

Despite the severed heads hanging in the hallway, a scared dragon and an office manager who is a real stickler for the rules, Evie begins to really love it. The brooding, ridiculously attractive boss - even if he does torture people - happens to be a definite bonus…

However, not all is right at ‘Massacre Manor’. An unknown, unseen force is trying to kill The Villain and Evie is determined to uncover the traitor in their midst before they can get too close to their goal.

My thoughts:

There has been a lot of excitement and hype about Assistant to the Villain, but let me tell you - all of it is deserved. I tore through this book in a day (thank goodness for the summer holidays and plenty of reading time!) and am already desperate for book two!

I loved the dual narrative of The Villain and Evie and seeing their blossoming feelings develop, but each background character is similarly well utilised and fleshed out; I particularly loved frog prince Kingsley (I too want to hold up a little sign saying ‘Halp’ sometimes - 100% relate.)

Assistant to the Villain is a brilliant grumpy x sunshine that will have you laughing out loud and smiling from ear to ear. It is one of my favourite reads of the year so far and is out on September 14th - a huge thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Books for the e-arc.

Once upon a time...this book stole my heart. This book was so cozy and heartwarming I was giggling and cheesing the whole time. There is so much more to this book than just the work place trope which I was so so excited about. The tension! The scheming! The creatures!
All brought together this world for Evie and her Villain to spend their chaotic and funny lives together. I'll now be forever waiting for someone to call my clumsy ass their
"little tornado" I think I would fold immediately if that ever became real S
Read this is you liked Legends and Lattes! And if you haven't read Legends and Lattes but loved this book then sprint to that book asap. The lighthearted and subtle fantasy vibes reminded me so much of one another though I will say, I am anticipating the second book to this more than I am for L&L. The next book to this has quickly made its way to my most anticipated books for the future
*whenever that may be*. Also if you've watched Once Upon a Time and loved Rumple and Belle (enchanted forest edition) then the vibes are heavy hitting for that imo tOO!
Thank you Edelweiss for approving me for this arc
Also all hail Kingsley may his crown forever live on his head.

Meh, I enjoyed it but not as much as I thought I would.

The premise is really interesting. Evie becomes the assistant to the kingdoms villain and spends he’r days organising his life, getting rid of bodies and keeping her day job a secret. She has a sick father and a feral 10 year old sister to support. But do the ends justify the means when the people you are apprehending are just as bad, if not worse than you are? And who is it that is double crossing the whole operation?

It was strangely cosy and I did find myself enjoying the meandering along. However, not enough suspense was built up for me to care about the main storyline, which really only kicked in two thirds of the way through. And the writing in some places was not it, words were used that were not really grammatically correct and some of the prose was a bit sparse and clunky. You can tell it is a debut novel, probably borne from skits on TikTok because although it was fun, it was not developed enough to hold its own with other books in the genre. It was grumpy x sunshine as a trope, but Evie was just a little bit too much sunshine for me to really relate to her and the villain was not enough on the page to make me really feel a connection to their romance. It was genuinely funny in places, but I don’t think I will be continuing the series or rereading.

3 stars

4.5
So much fun! I raced through this, it was exactly what the Dr ordered.
A perfectly balanced grumpy sunshine, office romance that’s heavy on the “will they, won’t they” which is enhanced by the fact that their office is actually a villain’s lair and he’s the villain!
The humour is perfectly entwined with the dark backstory, the unusual work place (which has slightly more severed heads than your average office). The characters are great, especially Kingsley (please let someone kiss him in the sequel). I loved Evie, she was the perfect heroine; kind, loyal, endearingly clumsy and willing to embrace chaos.
I can’t wait for part two, this deserves the hype.

5 stars!

I’ve been very eagerly anticipating this release and now that I’ve been lucky enough to get an arc, I can honestly say it’s absolutely worth it.

This was funny, swoony, and utterly entertaining.

I read this all in one day because I simply couldn’t put it down. Once you start, you need to know what will happen next.

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.

Evie and the Villain are wonderful characters and the story took a turn I absolutely did not expect.

Highly highly recommend adding this to your tbr and picking it up as soon as it comes out.

I already can’t wait for the sequel!