A review by marci_travels
Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

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

3.0

 Based on the age of the characters I thought I was dealing with a new adult fantasy romance. I thought the premise was a sunshiny assistant working for a grumpy villain and how she reconciled her need for a job with her horrible working conditions. (although this could be so much like real life I would hesitate to call it fantasy.) I thought the romance would be a nice long slow burn as the main characters would have to overcome some pretty hard stereotypes/values reassessment to make the relationship viable. I thought the secondary characters would add intrigue to the plot, clever banter to make the working environment even bearable, and a little magic because you know, it's marketed as a fantasy.

This just came across as one more ditsy beauty falling for the local bad boy with all kinds of cringey workplace harassment, "let's not talk about our feelings" emotional miscommunication, and world building so vague it had modern language in a medieval setting.

It's a fun little piece of fluff. The concept is fantastic and I really wish the author would have had a good developmental editor, "let's wait until it's ready" publisher, and beta readers who would have said the hard truths early to make this a better book. Because I believe it is in there. It's just not there yet.

This is a "read it in an afternoon" brain candy. An occasional treat that never hurt anyone. 
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