Hannah Nicole MaehrerCritiques

I finally picked this book up due to quite a lot of recommendations, I will say this book's targeted audience of adults is quite misleading. This book read more for an audience of ages of 12 to maybe 14, although I did overall enjoy and found myself chuckling at quite a few parts I felt that it still fell a bit short on plot wise.
The whole while this Villain is supposed to be some big bad he is depicted more as a brooding kind of emotionless man, who was deprived of love and therefore was not really sure how to express his feelings this does not equal Villain to me at all, with that being said it was also contradicting of his supposed nature because he seemed to care more than what he should, like deep down he was just a big softy. In hindsight he reminded me a lot of the Beast of Beauty and the beast but at the same time the Beast had more meanness to him than this villain.
The story also read more like a kid's fairy tale than anything and it really felt like something was missing. Now all with all that said and done I did find myself entertained reading this, I did overall enjoy Trystan and Evie and the slow romance building between the two. Once I stopped expecting this book to be for a mature audience I got into it and liked it.
Towards the end we find out some things that I will not spoil that but it really took me by surprise and had me mad as hell, but a good mad that made me give this book a 4 star, honestly i would give it a 3.5 but good reads doesn't allow that anymore so I gave it a 4 to round off :) .

So all in all the book is a cute story, with some humor in it and a messed up twist and I'd recommend to friends.½

This fantasy/romance (which is not a genre I read often) was sometimes silly and immature but it was a fun read and I can't believe I'm saying this but I am actually looking forward to the sequel. Well....you see, there was a cliff hanger and I need to find out what happened to one of the key figures in the story. What can I say?!
Perhaps, adults need a little fantasy on their bookshelves to get through life in the 21st century.½

SE BUSCA ASISTENTE: Célebre villano de alta categoría busca asistente leal y sensata para llevar a cabo tareas administrativas no especificadas y ofrecer asistencia al resto del personal en las situaciones caóticas y terroríficas que puedan surgir, entre otros Asuntos Siniestros En General. Se requiere discreción. Excelentes condiciones.

Dado que Evie Sage es quien debe encargarse de mantener a su hermana y a su padre enfermo, su situación laboral no es meramente importante; es vital. Así que, cuando un percance con el Villano más infame de Rennedawn acaba en una oferta de empleo, no tiene más remedio que aceptar. Ningún trabajo es perfecto, claro, pero menos aún cuando te enamoras de tu terrorífico, temperamental e innegablemente atractivo jefe. No encuentres al mal tan atractivo, Evie.

Justo cuando se está acostumbrando a ver cabezas cortadas colgando del techo y a la extraña sensación de pisar un globo ocular extraviado mientras anda, Evie empieza a sospechar que entre esas mazmorras se esconde una enorme rata... y no solo en sentido literal. Algo podrido está emergiendo en el reino de Rennedawn, y alguien quiere acabar con El Villano y con todo su perverso imperio. Ahora Evie no solo va a tener que evitar babear por su jefe, sino también que averiguar quién es exactamente la persona que lo está saboteando para que él pueda hacérselo pagar.

Pero es que, claro, cuesta mucho encontrar un buen trabajo.

DNF @ 28%

I made it 28% into the audiobook before I called it quits. There is just something missing. I am not invested in the characters and it seems like nothing has happened in the plot so far. Maybe I should have given it a little longer, but I have a lot of books on my TBR so it is time to move on.

Content: a couple uses of strong language per chapter

Representation: N/A
Trigger warnings: War themes, blood depiction, physical assault and injury, sword violence, death and murder of people in the past
Score: Six out of ten.
Find this review on The StoryGraph.

Well that was a unique reading experience. I wanted to read Assistant to the Villain for a while to try romantasy again after other books like Fourth Wing and Iron Flame disappointed me. No library had it so I had to request one to get it for me. I glanced at the blurb, but I wasn't that intrigued, and when I closed the final page, it was okay.

It starts with Evie Sage looking for a job until she finds an opportunity to work for The Villain, which happens in the opening pages. The concept, the theme and message of unexpected romances were okay but there were flaws in the execution that forced me to lower the rating to three stars. The worldbuilding was lacklustre since the narrative focused more on the romance than the world itself, and the characters are hard to connect or relate with. The plot is average and didn't engage me enough due to the filler pages hampering the pacing. Removing those could've increased my engagement, as well as writing the characters with more depth and expanding on the world. Conflicts arise as Evie quits her job (what for?) and the kingdom of Rennedawn starts an uprising against the Villain (he's a false antagonist, mind you) but there are more filler pages afterward, until the conclusion, which has more action and a cliffhanger.

DNF which makes me mad, as the sample had me hoping.

Cozy = juvenile. Seriously juvenile approach to sexuality. It’s one thing to not have adult things on the page, it’s another for the heroines inner voice to be very, very young. She reads as young enough it felt really wrong for her to be liking looking at an adult male in leather pants. (BC she doesn’t read as adult). I agree with the reviews who thought this was YA.

Skipped to the end to see where it was going and discovered it’s not an ending, it’s a cliffhanger. (And not a “wrapped up a lot but more to come” kind, there’s new mysteries in the last pages).

I thought that this being on the GoodReads best of voting would mean something. No, what it apparently means is that the authors fans followed her from TT.

This book gave me all the good feels

Silly and so much fun, this world with dragons and brooding villains comes to life through the eyes of Evie. She brash and funny and doesn't seem to mind the evil deeds her boss does each day. Don't overthink the plot and it's completely entertaining and similar in tone to Legends & Lattes. The supporting characters are a treat. There's a sequel in the works and I can't wait to read it.½

This book was definitely not what I expected. That being said - it did take me about a third of the way in to really get sucked in. Then the last third had me on the edge of my seat. The characters all feel like familiar friends. The romance was a bit predictable but still adorable. Looking forward to the next one!

One word: adorable. cozy and adorable. I thought I didn't like cozy fantasies after not liking Legends and Lattes, but this is the type I like.½

Morally-grey character, she fell first but he fell harder, slow burn

Just brilliant! I like the humorous sparks throughout the whole story and the tension between the villain and Evie nearly tore me apart. Its kinda giving me Beauty and the Beast vibes. Also, I liked all of the characters, especially Kingsley ;-)

The only thing that I didnt liked was that the tension curve fell in the middle of the book making it a bit hard to keep reading. But that is the only little downgrade.½

I'll be honest, hearing that this book was based on a series of videos on Tik Tok, I went in with somewhat low expectations (despite the fact that the book description sounded like everything I've ever wanted in a book). I'm happy to say that this book far exceeded my expectations! My only cons are:
* The pacing jumps from a bit slow in the beginning to a bit too fast towards the end
* The magic system is never fully fleshed out
That being said, I didn't find that either of these things really affected my reading experience. I found the characters to be loveable in their own ways. Yes, Evie is a bit ditzy but I found that made her POV entertaining to read! One thing that caught me off guard is that this book ends on a cliffhanger. I didn't realize until I was 90% through the book with no plot resolution in sight that there is no way that this is a standalone book. While I'm glad that I'll (hopefully) be able to read more of Evie and The Villains story, I really wasn't ready to not have everything wrapped up in the end! Overall, I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who likes a good cozy fantasy romance!

I'm over half way through this book and I don't care about the characters. The writing is juvenile and the theme the MCs unadmitted love is repetitive and inane. My main issue though is not knowing the villain's motivation for his vendetta and Evie's absolute lack of curiosity or examining of her own complicity in apparent horrific violence (stepping over severed heads).

This is a super cozy romance! I loved everything about this story. Evie Sage needs a job to support her retired and ailing father, and her younger sister. One day, when running in the woods, she runs into a handsome man with a seemingly pet frog. Well, he turns out to be the Villain, and the frog is a cursed prince who holds up little signs (adorable!). Sage gets hired on the spot, and becomes the assistant. This cozy romantasy mystery has it all — action, adventure, slow burn, and grumpy/sunshine. I really enjoyed this story. It does end on a cliffhanger, and I really hope there’s a book 2!

Chills. Literal chills at this ending!

I've been following Hannah's Assistant to the Villain TikTok series since her first installment, and it's so amazing to finally see it put to paper! The dual POV is tantalizing, the world gives Ella Enchanted vibes, Tati reminds me of Taryn Delanie and I love it, and Evie should be a new shade of red lipstick. I only found one little hiccup with a character's name, and that is the only flaw in this book.

If you are looking for *secret smut*—this is not it. Hannah gave us a safe-for-work (HA!), cozy adult fantasy with a slow-burn romance. And slow-burn it is. I've never mentally screamed "NOW KISS!" so much in my life, but who knew how intimate a hug could be! I loved this book and so should you.

OMG! From TikTok stories to an amazingly crafted fantasy tale that is packed full of hilarious lines sure to keep you giggling in-between dangers. While I saw the humor coming a mile away, I didn't see the expertly plotted twists nor the ending that kept me on my toes and makes me wish really hard for the next book in this series. 100000/10 very much recommend reading it.... you'll absolutely love it, just like I did

“Must be well organized. Must enjoy working late nights and relish writing long documents. Must be comfortable and even supportive of arson, torture and murder. And must not scream when there is an occasional dead body lying across your desk.”
In the boss’s defense, he’d only done that last one once since she’d begun working here.

Evie is a random clumsy girl in a vaguely historical fantasy world. One day, she meets The Villain, someone who is apparently evil and feared and gets a job as his assistant.
She goes to work every day between the screams from The Villain’s torture chambers and blood.
The ridiculousness of this concept really worked. The Villain apparently steals from the king, drinks his coffee (?) with extra sugar in secret and keeps a dragon plus its tamer around even though the dragon is afraid of everything and bites.
As a silly fantasy comedy, this book was nice. As a villain romance it felt disappointing.

Firstly, for someone feared as The Villain, he felt pretty average to me. His workplace felt more like an office with him as comical boss than a villainous operation with a terrifying overlord.

Secondly, the romance was not for me.
I swear the very first meeting had me rolling my eyes. The first thing she notices is that The Villain looks good, how predictable. Then she mentions how evil is not supposed to be pretty, how stereotypically basic.
They get along well enough later on, but the difference between their friendship and the romance seemed solely attraction.

I was really excited for the release of this book I followed the author on Tiktok and often saw posts about it. I have to admit though that it wasn't exactly what I was expecting. I guess I should have though because the writing style very much reflects the author on Tiktok. It's very lighthearted and whimsical and fluffy. I would say this is pretty much the vibe of the whole book. At times it read very YA even though it's not necessarily one. I found moments when I was excited because I thought yes, and then something would happen that would be like, meh. Basically I spent the entire time reading this one in a constant state of turmoil. I couldn't decide if I liked it or not. I think it had lots of potentional for sure. It's just the villain didn't feel very villain-y to me.
Don't get me wrong it's a cute and funny story. I mean humor is throughout the whole thing and I think it makes for a nice light fluffy read if that's what you are looking for. I just was under the impression the book was going to be a little bit darker. The romance element is also very light. I mean it is like a super slow burn that only ends in a kiss. The two main characters have some banter, but it's often awkward because the Villain is always trying to be aloof. I honestly felt like most of the characters were very sterotypical and I just wanted more from them. The best character of the whole book is hands down Kingsley the frog. The book picked up a little towards the end and seemed to be going in the direction I anticipated initially, but then it ends on a cliffhanger. I will most likely end up reading the next one now that my expectations have been adjusted. Overall, if you want light and fluffy this is the one.

DNFd at 3 hours into audio.

This was just too silly for me. It’s a romance book about a “bad” guy with luscious legs who sometimes kills people, mostly his own employees.

Not me squealing and kicking my feet through this whole book!
The pining and tension between Evie and The Villain is absolute perfection! I love their banter. And you add in this adorable crown-wearing frog that only speaks through the use of one-word signs…like, what more do you need?

Evil, hot Villain ✔️
Witty, sassy FMC ✔️
Boss/assistant trope ✔️
Silly frog sidekick ✔️
Dragons and other mythical creatures ✔️
Nefarious plots ✔️
Humor! Absolutely filled with hilarity ✔️
Jaw-dropping twists ✔️

I wholly loved this story and cannot wait for the next book!
Highly recommend!

This was just so much fun! I loved everything about the book from the Villain to the royal sign-holding frog named Kingsley. I think I had a big smile on my face the entire time I read this book which was a wonderful feeling. I am always on the lookout for something different so I loved the cozy fairytale setting that didn’t take itself too seriously. Honestly, there isn’t a single dull moment in this entertaining novel.

Evie quite literally runs into the Villain in the woods after losing her previous position. She needs a job so that she can take care of her family so she persuades the Villain to hire her as his assistant. I loved getting a peek at the office setting at Villain’s lair. There were some pretty fantastic characters including a dragon trainer, a healer, an office manager, not to mention the frog that communicates through signs.

I loved the humor woven throughout this story. There were some parts that left me laughing out loud which I rarely do while reading. It didn’t take me long to realize that the Villain wasn’t as bad as everyone seemed to think he was. In fact, he had a pretty big soft spot especially when it came to Evie. I loved seeing their relationship begin to form. On top of everything else, there was plenty of action and excitement to go around.

I would definitely recommend this book to others. I thought that this was a really fun story filled with characters that were easy to like. I almost felt like I was reading an animated movie but one geared towards adults due to some of the topics touched on. The book does end on a bit of a cliffhanger so I cannot wait for book 2!