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Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer Series: Assistant to the Villain #1
Published by Entangled Publishing LLC on August 29, 2023
Genres: Fantasy Romance, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Romantasy
Pages: 349
Format: Paperback
Source: Library
Purchase Links: Amazon*Libro*Kobo*Chirp
Goodreads
Once Upon a Time meets The Office in Hannah Maehrer’s laugh-out-loud viral TikTok series turned novel, about the sunshine assistant to an Evil Villain…and their unexpected romance.
ASSISTANT WANTED: Notorious, high-ranking villain seeks loyal, levelheaded assistant for unspecified office duties, supporting staff for random mayhem, terror, and other Dark Things In General. Discretion a must. Excellent benefits.
With ailing family to support, Evie Sage's employment status isn't just important, it's vital. So when a mishap with Rennedawn’s most infamous Villain results in a job offer—naturally, she says yes. No job is perfect, of course, but even less so when you develop a teeny crush on your terrifying, temperamental, and undeniably hot boss. Don’t find evil so attractive, Evie.
But just when she’s getting used to severed heads suspended from the ceiling and the odd squish of an errant eyeball beneath her heel, Evie suspects this dungeon has a huge rat…and not just the literal kind. Because something rotten is growing in the kingdom of Rennedawn, and someone wants to take the Villain—and his entire nefarious empire—out.
Now Evie must not only resist drooling over her boss but also figure out exactly who is sabotaging his work…and ensure he makes them pay.
After all, a good job is hard to find.
Also in this series: Apprentice to the Villain
January Theme: New Year, Who Dis?
(suggestions: a debut, a new-to-you author, character looking for fresh start)
For January I picked a new to me author as well as her debut novel.
Assistant to the Villain is book one in the Assistant to the Villain series by Hannah Nicole Maehrer. It’s a delightfully witty and fun read from the sarcastic female lead to the flabbergasted villain.
Evie is a pleasantly silly character. Watching her bumble around all the while making herself completely entwined in The Villain’s life and everything he does was expertly done. Evie says what’s on her mind and I love that. Her thoughts are odd for people and to me I like this. It makes her unique and uniquely qualified to be the Villain’s assistant.
Our Villain isn’t as bad as the kingdom thinks, but isn’t that how it goes. Someone has to be the villain. The Villain comes off cold and unfeeling, but we see the cracks and Evie is perfect for him. Changing and grounding him in ways he needs.
The backstory for our Evie and The Villain is wonderful. We don’t learn it all at once. Bits and pieces come out as the story moves along. It’s a debut novel, so at times it’s slow going. We’re treated to many surprises along the way. I want to tell you, but then they wouldn’t be a surprise. The mystery of who was betraying The Villain and ruining his plans really surprised me. I never saw that bombshell. Well played!
As for the romance it’s a very very slow burn. Nothing happens in this first installment except a very hawt kiss close to the end. We do see the attraction and the author gives us both POVs on what they are thinking and feeling.
I enjoyed how the author changed perspectives. Most of the chapters are Evie’s POVs, but we do get some as The Villain. I enjoyed this change and perspective.
Now as for the side-characters. We meet a few and I like them. My favorite is Kingsley who is actually a frog with a crown. I would love to know his story. There is no shortage of interesting and unique characters that bring dynamic and skills to the Villain’s domain.
All and all I had fun with the Assistant to the Villain and with that ending I’m looking forward to picking up the next book and reading on.
Rated: 3.5 Stars
Was this review helpful? If so, please consider liking it on Goodreads (Angela)!
About Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Hannah Nicole Maehrer—or as TikTok Knows her, @hannahnicolemae—is a fantasy romance author and BookToker with a propensity for villains. When she’s not creating bookish comedy skits about Villains and Assistants, she’s writing to Taylor Swift songs. Her biggest passions in life include romance, magic, laughter, and finding ways to include them all in everything she creates. Most days you can find her with her head in the clouds and a pen in her hand.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
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Way to hit it on the nose with this month’s prompt. I love the way you describe the heroine. I’ll have to look this series up.
This was fun even if it took me a month to read. I had fun with the characters and now I just have to wait for book 2 to come available from my library. Thanks for visiting!
SOUND GOOD CANT WAIT TO READ IT
Hope you enjoy. Thank you for visiting and checking out my review.
I’ve heard great things about this one. I will have to see if I can find time to read it! Great review!
https://lisalovesliterature.bookblog.io/2025/01/15/arc-review-bingsu-for-two-by-sujin-witherspoon/
Thank you Lisa for checking out my review and visiting. It was fun and now I’m waiting on my library to get book 2. ^_^
I think I mentioned on Bluesky that I’m seeing this book (series) everywhere and it looks fun. But this is the first review I’ve really read and paid attention to (now that I’ve seen the book). I may pick it up next time I’m shopping for a new title. Thanks!
I saw this one around a lot too and read a few reviews. It sounded fun and so I picked it up. I took a month to read. Some people don’t care for Evie’s thought process, I can see why, but I enjoyed her thoughts and personality. It’s different to have a Villain be kind of portrayed in a different light. It’s like Wicked. They aren’t all bad. ^_^ Hope you enjoy. I’m waiting on book 2 from the library to be available.