Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Assistant to the Villain

Walking through the woods one day, Evie quite literally stumbles across the most notorious bad guy in the land, 'The Villain'. But instead of becoming another one of his victims, he offers her a job as his PA. It's pretty much what you'd expect out of a job really; fix the boss' coffee just the way he likes it, deal with snippy co-workers, contend with the admin tasks that cross your desk and try to ignore the screaming from downstairs. Except, when you're working for The Villain, you may just have to deal with someone trying to kill you...

This was a riot! The author has managed to balance so many different elements in one story to make it a perfect mix of macabre, funny, romantic, cosy and action-packed. The characters are brilliantly thought out and come to life in a blink, the story is simple yet satisfying, and absolutely leaves you wanting more. It's lighthearted, and yet there's a nice little undertone of seriousness about gender equality and other social issues which give it that little bit of depth. Basically, there's something for everyone within!

I adore Evie's character, particularly her smart mouth and sassy retorts when she's on a roll with The Villain. Their rapport is really enjoyable and natural, and the development of their relationship is fantastically paced. Likewise, The Villain is brilliantly pitched - on the face of it, he tortures and kills people for sport, but yup, beyond that he's 100% an eligible book boyfriend! Watching his softer side come out is a joy and a hoot - it's so easy to get sucked into Evie trying to bring out his dimple or make him smile, and when she manages it it's an immediate zing of happy for the reader.

The supporting cast of characters really help in bringing the world to life; from the Frog Prince communicating via sing word sign boards, to the dragon tamer with the padded out CV and the by-the-book HR manager, every character has their place in the overall narrative and yet stands out as an individual. Evie's little sister is so sweet too! I have to say, I TOTALLY relate to Tatianna, the healer, with her penchant for pink! And when she explains why, I felt seen because that's my excuse too!

It does help knowing this is the first in a series - if I was under the impression it was a standalone I don't think it would have come across quite so well. There is a lot of backstory to be filled in, and the pace is quite quick, but I'm content with it as I'm sure it's all coming soon.

This is absolutely a book I will read again and again, and I'm now very impatient for the next instalment at the end of the year!

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shebby1991's review

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I was in a little of a reading slump and this was perfect. A fast-paced cute little fantasy adventure that had me chuckling out loud multiple times. If you’re looking for smut or even romantasy, this isn’t really it. It’s a super slow burn, lustful kind of romance with an interesting plot. The main character, Evie, is relatable and adorable. Now book two may be more romantasy, no idea until it comes out, but I absolutely can’t wait for it to read it.

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mariareviews's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

honestly? it was quite nice, won’t lie.
a literary masterpiece? no, but nice.

HOWEVER IVE GOT A BONE TO PICK AND THAT BONE IS ENDING BOOKS IN A CLIFFHANGER !!!!

babes, I’m a med student that’s so close to finals I can feel them breathing down my neck WHEN IN THE LIVING HELL I AM WILL I GET TIME TO READ THE SECOND PART??

that said…

Dearest authors,
PLEASE don’t end your book in cliffhangers like this. I ASSURE you that if I like the book I’ll gladly read the whole saga even if it’s a nonsensical mess. PLEASE. IM BEGGING (like trystan lol)

Yours dearly,
Maria.

Edit:

WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE SECOND PART IS OUT AUGUST 8???! Honestly, f-ck every author that writes such cliffhangers. I’m tempted to rate it one star now.

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kierasreadingjournal's review

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

✨5 STARS!!!✨

“You are chaos.”

Okay, most of you probably know that I DON’T hand out 5 star reviews easily! 4 stars? Yes, all the time. But 5 stars are reserved for the books that really hit me. That struck a chord in me. That mean something to me!

And I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t actually expecting to pick up another 5 star read this year! I’ve already read one, and I thought that was going to be the end.

I WAS WRONG!!!

Obviously, or we wouldn’t have a huge 5 STARS!!! at the beginning of this. 😆

But Ms. Maehrer’s writing is GENIUS!!!

It’s SOOO QUIRKY!!!! And I absolutely adored the style! The plot twists struck me out of NOWHERE!!! Like, I could not have guessed them from a mile away! And yet, at the same time, I was hitting myself (figuratively) for not figuring it out sooner!

The characters!! Ugh. The CHARACTERS!!! 😍😍😍 I love them all SO MUCH!!! Evie and Trystan and Becky and Blade and Tatianna and EVERYBODY!!!

Not to mention the CHEMISTRY between characters!! The TENSION!! I was rocking giggles and butterflies and even stamping my feet a couple of times. It was just TOO GOOD!!!!

It’s family now! This book has become family to me. 🥹💖 And I cannot WAIT for book two!! 🎉🥳

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