Reviews with content warning for Murder - Assistant to the Villain

Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

178 reviews

roadesntoades's review

adventurous dark emotional funny medium-paced

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

4.25

It be easy to say this is enemies to lovers or sunshine/moody or call it a coworker romance but it really isn’t. The romance is there sure but reading this(while I SO wanted to see them together) I also wanted to see how they interacted with everyone else and see how they realize their feelings. It was more like a romcom where the main characters are more afraid of their feelings than they are oblivious. Over the story was great, awesome fantasy elements, cute humor and all and all a solid read. Sometimes it felt like big reveals weren’t explained enough but that is also a bit of a personal preference. I am also now truly a victim of the book as I torturously wait for the sequel in August.

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bookedandbusy's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious 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? No

5.0

I loved this book so much. I’m pretty sure I felt every possible emotion while reading and I had such a fantastic time reading this. I can’t wait to read the second book!!

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myranda_the_bookwyrm's review

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-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? No

4.0

I really enjoyed the characters and found the premise fun. The story did drag a little in places but not terribly. I was disappointed that the end left of the type of cliffhanger that makes it feel unfinished rather than arcing into the next book (that is, I do think it should have ended in a way that felt more like it could stand on its own), but I'd already liked it enough to buy the second book anyway and do look forward to the next arc.

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astronomicall's review

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adventurous dark funny lighthearted tense slow-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? No

3.75

I found the first 3/4 of the book to be a little slow, and it really could have profited from more in-depth world building. The author’s writing style is nice, but the book lacked depth…. At times, it felt like I was missing a whole backstory. The saving grace in my opinion is the cast of characters and the last 1/4 of the book. The twist was good, and the ending has me looking forward to the next book in the series. I enjoyed the romance as well.

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rhi_'s review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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gracerice's review

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adventurous dark funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

1.5

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angelofthetardis's review against another edition

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dark funny lighthearted mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

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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thereadinghammock's review

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

The banter, A+. The sarcasm, exquisite. The pining, chef's kiss. I loved the sleuthing mystery of trying to find the mole in The Villain's operation. As you may know, I'm terrible at predictions, so I was throwing out theories left and right to my book club group and I gasped at all the big reveals, like a picture perfect audience. I was literally sputtering on the couch power reading the last 100 pages!

I can't believe that CLIFFHANGER! That's a lie, I 100% can believe that's the cliffhanger and it's perfect for the pacing of the overall book and goes to show just how perfect Evie and Trystan are for each other.

Now I need to get on the hold list for the the sequel ASAP at my library before it's 6 months long!!

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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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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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