REVIEW: Assistant to the Villain (book) by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Assistant to the Villain is fantasy romance. I bought my copy new.

Review:

Evie Sage's family depends upon the money she brings in, so now that she's no longer employed at the blacksmith's, she's desperate to get some sort of paying job. When she literally runs into the infamous Villain while he's attempting to evade pursuers, he, for some reason, offers her a job, and she accepts. 

She's nervous about working for him, at first. After all, the Villain is supposed to be evil. While he does indeed torture people (who maybe deserve it?) and do nefarious things (which seem kind of justified?), she soon finds that she enjoys working as his assistant, making sure that the various parts of his organization all function smoothly together. And it doesn't hurt that she's got a bit of a crush on her brooding, somewhat terrifying, and ridiculously hot boss.

Unfortunately, various people's secrets, the Villain's past, and a potential traitor in the Villain's organization threaten Evie's employment, the new life she's building for herself, and whatever might be brewing between her and the Villain. 

Apparently this started off as BookTok skits? Which, if I had known that, might have made me even less likely to try it. As it was, I'd seen this book a few times but always passed it by, only deciding to read it after it was enthusiastically recommended to me by a coworker. For some reason, I assumed it was a superhero/supervillain book. If I'd paid a little more attention to the cover details, I'd maybe have figured out that I was wrong about that, but all I ever seemed to notice was the purple background and giant title text.

Anyway, this turned out to be a lot of fun. I loved the way Evie managed to make herself a vital part of the Villain's organization without realizing it. Evie and the Villain's interactions were great - perfect for anyone who gets a kick out of grumpy-sunshine character dynamics. 

This is one of those books where the characters and vibe tend to be more important than the plot. There's definitely stuff going on, though, and it was frustrating to reach the end and realize it wasn't all resolved. Be prepared for a cliffhanger. Even the romantic aspects end on a frustrating note. But hey, the next book is out and I have it on-hand now, so there's that.