This was a well-planned and entertaining read, however the writing wasn’t particularly there. The description could be a little flowery. There was a good amount of exposition throughout the book.

I liked that it wasn’t predictable and I look forward to reading more.

Watching Hannah create Assistant To The Villain has been a journey I feel so privileged to have witnessed. From the very first TikTok, to the moment I could finally read this magical book, I have enjoyed every moment.

ATTV is a sparkling gem of a book filled with laughter and love, and it’s fair share of stabbing!
This book feels like a warm hug, and it is everything you could ever wish for in a fantasy rom com.
I enjoyed the cast of characters immensely, and I am already so eager to find out what happens next on Evie’s journey.

Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer was a delightful dark rom-com; following Evie Sage as she gains employment with the notorious Villain and how their relationship develops in the months after she stumbles into her job there. Full of wonderful and loveable characters, this book had me hooked from page one; utterly immersed in the story and rooting for both Evie and the Villain (they have such good chemistry).

There's no way I could've predicted the plot twist at the end of this book, and it written so well as to be completely out of the blue. This book isn't even out yet and I'm already so excited to read the sequel! I'm hoping I'll get an arc for that one too!

As someone who has followed this story from its origins as tiktok skits and pre-ordered the book months ago, I was so excited to receive an arc of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I had high hopes and was not disappointed! The humour from the original skits is present, along with the fantastic cast of characters. The story flows quickly and the chemistry between Evie and the Villain is just so good. I devoured this book and by the last page was left desperate for another book as I need to know what happens next! If you enjoy grumpy/sunshine, slow burn romance with a great and varied cast of characters than this is for you. There's magic, a dragon, mystery, friendships and found family and so much more. It's a fun, cosy fantasy that had me laughing, smiling, sighing and definitely left me wanting more. This is released 14/9/23 in the UK and the perfect book to curl up with as the weather gets cooler.

I deeply enjoyed this book as I have recently discovered my love of not just romance books but specifically ones where the male character falls head over heels for the female. It goes back and forth from hers and his perspectives which offers a perfect insight into their feeling for each other while being completely oblivious to it themselves. Despite the main setting of this book being the lair of The Villain which sees a large amount of violence and death this book has such a cheery vibe to it and still manages to be funny.
Throughout the book there is also a mystery which Evie and The Villain work together to try to solve and keeps the book interesting.

All of the characters in this book (the ones we are meant to like) are wonderful and are delightful to read about.
The romance is very love-at-first-sight, grumpy/sunshine but also a bit of a slow burn too.

There is at least one more book to my knowledge which I am looking forward to as this book ends in such a strong way!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'Assistant To the Villain' by Hannah Nicole Maehrer.

So 'Assistant to the Villain' started off quite slow but once it picked up, it was beautiful. Great concept, even greater writing with characters I adored so much. Evie has to be one of the greatest protagonists of recent times and The Villain? So fun. If you enjoyed Margaret Rogerson's 'Sorcery of Thorns' you would definitely love this novel. The only thing I was miffed about was the fact that it ends on a cliffhanger and we have no news if there's a sequel. I sure hope there is a sequel because I'm HOOKED.

4.5⭐️
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”

This was such a fun book! It was adventurous and funny but also had some great character growth and the ending 😱in so excited to see what’s next, I hope we get to see more of the romance as I love these characters. The grumpy-sunshine trope was done so well by Hannah, the way he protected her and the trust that built up between Trystan and Evie had me rooting for them so much. The dual pov also added so much to the story being able to feel each of their emotions and see what was going on in their minds.
The “little tornado” had me smiling 🥺

Thank you to @netgalley, @penguinrandomhouse and @hannahnicolemae for the arc of this book I had so much fun reading it, all opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book! After pre order won’t on Amazon, I got notified I was approved on NetGalley and I’m so glad I was!!

It’s a fantasy romance, including magic and scenes that will have you giggling and kicking your feet. I loved this book, and will definitely be getting the physical copy once it’s out!

The title of this book intrigued me and fantasy romance is a welcome break from the books I have been reading lately. However, when I started reading the book; which granted is an ARC (many thanks to NetGallery and Random House UK for allowing me to get a copy) I was distracted by the volume of spelling and punctuation errors, to the extent that it's all I could see - just in the Prologue by page 6 we have:

... grinded to a halt - pretty sure grinded is not a word - as far as I know, it's 'ground' to a halt.
Lots of instances of 'it's' without the correct punctuation, like 'its misery' and 'its disorder'.
'gray beard' and 'gray structure' - this is not the spelling of the colour grey.
Lots of names without the capital letter eg overlords, king ....

In fairness, after the first few chapters, any typos were less obvious, or I had ceased to look for them; but it gives the book an amateurish feel, so I hope these get ironed out before publication.

As to the story itself, it has the feel of a traditional fairytale, with a classic plot and told in a traditional way. The romance is very slow-burn and the story didn't hold my attention completely - at times when not much was happening, it felt a little tedious to get through. Then just when you have hope that it might get going, you realise it's not going to be tied up nicely at 'The End', because it's clearly the start of a series. It would have been good to disclose this up front.... just saying ....

I loved Assistant to the Villain as it was so good!
It was fast paced and a lot of fun to read and I couldn't put it down.

I really loved that the romance was slow burn as well as grumpy x sunshine, both of which are my favourite kind of romance!

I definitely highly recommend you check out this book!
Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had so much fun with this book, and as a big fan of the TikTok account that set the whole thing in motion it fully lived up to my expectations. Would have I enjoyed it as much if I didn’t go in knowing exactly what to expect? I don’t know. I was already completely charmed by Evie before getting started so it’s hard to say.

I like to to think I would, it had so many tropes that I love, it was whimsical, and Maehrer really understands the beats that go into to a good romance. Plus it had dual POV! (weighted towards Evie)

There were a couple of instances where I felt slightly lost in the world, the world building was minimal so I just had to go with the flow. It actually reminded me a lot of the second (?) season of Miracle Workers, where you had dark ages characters with modern day problems — in this case fantasy characters with real world sensibilities, and I really did enjoy that.

I didn’t realise that it was going to be a series and the cliffhanger took me fully by surprise. I’m itching to read the next one but I have a long wait!!

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

OMG!!!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS! This was so much fun!!Honestly,I don't even know where to start. i loved every single thing about this book.the character .oh my .this was absolute perfection. the characters were amazing .the main characters and the side characters. loved the plot.the slowburn. the opposites attract trope.the grumpy sunshine. the character growth.And omg the cliffhanger. I actually didn't see that coming.but I welcome it. I cannot express how much I am looking forward to the next book. This was so much more than what I expected. However, I do wish a tiny bit there was a little bit more of Evie and Villain interactions and scenes with them.Hope it happens in the next book.thank you again for an opportunity to read this early. Can't wait for my special edition to arrive. 10/10 would recommend.

Evie has a sick father and younger sister to support, having left her previous employment due to untenable working conditions she desperately needs to find a job. After a stumbling upon a dastardly figure in the woods being pursued by vengeful Knights Evie finds herself being offered a position as Assistant to the notorious Villain who is as awful as he is good looking. Or is he? This wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be. First off it was too long. There’s not much plot and a lot of scene setting. I didn’t realise this was going to be a series and there’s not enough meat in this first book for me. Also grumpy/ sunshine is not my favourite, I tend toward grump so more often than not find sunshines annoying. Evie is annoying. It’s annoying that everyone likes her. Mostly everyone. There wasn’t enough Villain.
It was good but it could have been better.

Assistant to the Villain follows Evie, desperately in need of a job to support her ailing father and younger sister, she takes a job with the notorious man known only as The Villain.

After settling into her new role Evie finds herself at home amongst The Villain's manor house full of odd workers and The Villain finds himself equally comfortable in her presence. After some of The Villain's schemes are thwarted by an unknown spy, he sets out with Evie to uncover the traitor and keep their plans on track.

I don’t want to give much away as the mystery is a central part of the story. Of course, there is a lot of tension between Evie and The Villain and their relationship slowly becomes one of necessity to one of mutual trust and respect. The ending had me screaming and do be warned there is a cliffhanger. If were to describe this book it’s a workplace slow-burn, fairytale mystery with the introduction of a hint of romance, and it does not disappoint!

Ratings
Spice: 🌶
Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐
Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me with an ARC!

I was so thrilled to receive an ARC for this book and it absolutely did not disappoint! I sped through this book while simultaneously grinning the whole time, not only is the female main character, Evie, hilarious, but she is also badass — I am absolutely in love with her.

Assistant to the Villain is fun, fast-paced, and a joy to read with a brilliant host of characters! Each character was incredibly likeable (lovable in Evie’s case) and I really enjoyed the two POVs. I loved the duality of both Evie and The Villain, they had such a great dynamic and I was rooting for them from the very beginning. I especially loved how their relationship developed over the course of the book, and cannot wait to see how it develops further! They really are the perfect Grumpy x Sunshine duo.

The plot twists were all brilliant and I did not expect any of them, they really had me gasping especially at the end — I am in desperate need for the sequel! This book is the perfect mix of comedy and shock factor.

I would definitely recommend this book if you love Fantasy, scheming, and Grumpy x Sunshine romance!

I received an arc of this wonderful book and absolutely flew through it, all the while grinning, giggling and at times on the edge of my seat!

I first found Hannah through her skits on TikTok and this book has been one of my most anticipated ever since she announced it. And let me tell you, it does not disappoint! It's fun, fast paced, absolutely hilarious and with a fMC that is both badass and entirely relatable.

Is this the best piece of literature? No. Does it try to be? Also, no. It is exactly what it was meant to be and that is hilarious, unique and a fun take on the behind the scenes of a villain's life. The best part is that it doesn't take itself seriously, it just has fun, and as a result, you as the reader also have so much fun reading it!

There are plot twists that have you gasping, backstories that have you emotional, and so much banter that you won't stop grinning! This is definitely a book to watch out for and one that I think a lot of people are going to devour very quickly upon it's release. I highly recommend this book! And when you finish and inevitably want more (because you will!), I also highly recommend you check out Hannah's skits on TikTok if you haven't already!

I'm absolutely in love with this book and can't wait to discuss it with people when it's released!

[ARC provided by NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Penguin. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review Assistant to the Villain.]

Rating: 4/5

Assistant to the Villain is an excellent story that has managed to take something as mundane as the corporate work environment and turn it into a perilous, fantastical setting for a high stakes plot and simmering romantic tension. Hannah Nicole Maehrer has done something special with this book. As a self-proclaimed corporate drone and lover of all things fantasy, seeing a perfect combination of my work-life and my favourite genre was a pure joy to read, and I think a lot of people in similar positions are really going to love this one.

This story follows Evie Sage, a young woman who is in desperate need of a new job so that she can support her struggling family. We begin with what is now one of my favourite prologues of all time where we learn just how relatable Evie actually is. How many times have you adored an incredibly morally grey character and asked yourself, ‘what on earth is wrong with me?’ Well, Evie Sage is living that life and her complete lack of self-preservation has to be my favourite part of her personality. When she stumbles across the infamous and very nefarious ‘Villain’, a man that is the living embodiment of an evil, fairytale antagonist, she genuinely laughs in his face. It’s pure comedy from the first page and watching the many instances of Evie either rolling her eyes or giggling in the face of evil will have you kicking your feet in glee.

Following on from a job offer from The Villain, often affectionately referred to as ‘The Boss’, we jump a little into the future where Evie has settled into her new role as his assistant. I’m not sure what I was expecting her key responsibilities to feature, but I’m not at all surprised at some of the more gruesome points within her remit. And let it be known that despite what she lacks in personal safety, she more than makes up for in being a genuinely fantastic colleague. She reminds me of my old Operations Manager who basically ran the show, and without her we were pretty useless. Evie is that essential cog that keeps the machine running, and I’m sure many of us know someone like that, and if you don’t, you’re probably that person holding it all together.

The working environment side of this story is so spot on and I could see myself, as well as past and present colleagues I’ve had, in the characters we meet. For example, we’ve all known a Becky who we do but also don’t hate, and ultimately just put up with because we have to. All of the worker characters felt so familiar and the relationships they share are straight out of an office that I feel certain I’ve worked in before.

But this is so much more than a fantasy workplace dealing with HR nightmares. There’s also mythical creatures, dangerous scheming, and a very sweet romance that’s brewing between Evie and her evil boss. I loved the simmering tension that was always present between The Villain and his ‘little tornado’ and watching them both try to maintain some semblance of professionalism (if there’s such a thing when beheadings can be a daily occurrence) was hilarious. The character development is also fantastic, and seeing Evie discover more about herself was a very fun and chaotic journey.

I just really loved this book. It spoke to the tired worker within me and honestly made me appreciate my co-workers a tiny bit more because, at the end of the day, we’re all just there for a pay check, and you might be working for the evillest man in the realm but also, you’ve just gotta do what you gotta do to put food on the table.

4.5 stars
I've been watching Hannah's Tiktoks for so long about this and so I was thrilled to receive an ARC
This book is all about the feels, It's the perfect mix of comedy and fluff with little shock factors.
I'm so glad this was a dual pov and we had insight to how he feels! The way he calls her little tornado had me feeling like a school girl 🥹
I did not expect that plot twist but it's made me even more excited for book 2!
Thank you so much for the ARC Hannah Nicole Maehrer and Transworld Publishers

I loved this book! I had to force myself to put it down at times! (Early hours times)
I will also be forcing everyone I know to read this book!
The grumpy sunshine vibes are immaculate and it’s everything you want all in one!
Thank you to Netgalley for my early copy in exchange for my honest review!

I was really looking forward to this but unfortunately I couldn't finish the book. I stopped reading at around 35%. I love funny books, but the writing was inconsistent and the author seemed to have decided to make being clumsy a personality trait (I thought we'd left that behind with Bella Swan?). Honestly, I found this very grating. There are so many funny fantasy books out there (and there's even a great comedian who does a tiktok series about being the assistant to the villain in his lava mountain hideout that I love) but this just didn't work for me.

I don't like to give debut authors a low rating so I've rounded this up to three stars.