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A review by dogoodwithbooks
Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
adventurous
emotional
funny
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? Yes
5.0
After encountering Rennedawn's most infamous Villain, Evie Sage winds up being hired as his new personal assistant. While she gets used to the office culture and working for a Villain, Evie and the Villain have to work together to find out who is betraying the Villain to the king while fighting growing feelings for each other.
If there's a fantasy rom-com that you need to read this year, Hannah Nicole Maehrer's Assistant to the Villain is the one I would wholeheartedly recommend.
Maehrer is able to grab your attention from the very first page as you get sucked into the world of Rennedawn and form an immediate connection with the characters. I loved how Maehrer is able to create such vivid imagery to describe the story as it plays out as well as the deep metaphors about what it means to be a villain and the multi-faceted aspects of the morally gray. Obviously, this book touches on some darker topics and themes and I would encourage you to check out my content warnings before deciding if this is a book that you would want to read.
I also loved how Maehrer fully develops each character to give them not only their own moment to shine but also to explore their backgrounds and how that interacts with the plot, especially for the side characters (Blade, Becky & Tatianna). Of course, the Villain and Evie are great MCs and I can only say that Evie is one of my most favorite MCs that I have had the pleasure of reading.
Now, can we talk about the romance between Evie and the Villain? Talk about a slow burn fan's delight! You get all the pining, you get all the banter, and the swoon moments when the Villain describes his feelings for Evie. I can't wait for the sequel to come out next year so we can get more of those dynamics between Evie and the Villain.
Overall, I absolutely love this book and I cannot recommend this enough! Assistant to the Villain will make you feel so many things and I look forward to experience it again in Maehrer's future works. If you are looking for an ultimate slow burn romance with so many tropes (grumpy x sunshine, opposites attract, etc.), you need to read Assistant to the Villain.
If there's a fantasy rom-com that you need to read this year, Hannah Nicole Maehrer's Assistant to the Villain is the one I would wholeheartedly recommend.
Maehrer is able to grab your attention from the very first page as you get sucked into the world of Rennedawn and form an immediate connection with the characters. I loved how Maehrer is able to create such vivid imagery to describe the story as it plays out as well as the deep metaphors about what it means to be a villain and the multi-faceted aspects of the morally gray. Obviously, this book touches on some darker topics and themes and I would encourage you to check out my content warnings before deciding if this is a book that you would want to read.
I also loved how Maehrer fully develops each character to give them not only their own moment to shine but also to explore their backgrounds and how that interacts with the plot, especially for the side characters (Blade, Becky & Tatianna). Of course, the Villain and Evie are great MCs and I can only say that Evie is one of my most favorite MCs that I have had the pleasure of reading.
Now, can we talk about the romance between Evie and the Villain? Talk about a slow burn fan's delight! You get all the pining, you get all the banter, and the swoon moments when the Villain describes his feelings for Evie. I can't wait for the sequel to come out next year so we can get more of those dynamics between Evie and the Villain.
Overall, I absolutely love this book and I cannot recommend this enough! Assistant to the Villain will make you feel so many things and I look forward to experience it again in Maehrer's future works. If you are looking for an ultimate slow burn romance with so many tropes (grumpy x sunshine, opposites attract, etc.), you need to read Assistant to the Villain.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Murder, Violence, Blood, Gore, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Torture, Sexual harassment, Confinement, and Sexual assault
Minor: Abandonment