When her gaze finally reached his face, she had to swallow a sigh and bury it where nobody would ever find it. But how could she help it? His jaw was sharp and angled enough that it could be a weapon itself, strong enough to make her insides quiver.
Don’t let him quiver your insides, Evie.
― Hannah Nicole Maehrer, Assistant to the Villain
When she cannot find a job, Evie stumbles into the new role of the assistant to The Villain. Not “a” villain but The Villain. No one knows what the villain looks like, but most residents of the kingdom of Rennedown believe he is old, ugly, horrible, and murderous. It turns out that only one of these is true. Evie is not exactly excited about working in secret for The Villain, but she needs money to take care of her sick father and her ten-year-old sister.
In a matter of weeks, Evie learns that The Villain is not as evil as he seems. Everyone who works for him knows this, with the exception of the interns whom he employs to help him with dead body removal and The Villain’s “self-defense” training exercises.
Evie becomes his right hand man, or woman, and discovers that she is an excellent assistant. The Villain’s main purpose in life is to take down the king, and no task is too small if it causes the king any inconvenience. Since joining The Villain’s crew at Malevolent Manor, three shipments as well as other targeted attacks have been intercepted. The Villain tasks Evie with helping him find the leak within his organization. Evie goes undercover with The Villain and shenanigans ensue.
I liked this book. It was harmless, fluffy fun. The stakes were low and the tone was light. The characters and humor remind me of Shrek. Or at least the first Shrek. I’ve never seen the sequels (Shrequels?). If you like a slow burn romance with two of the most clueless characters you’ve ever read, you will like this. I got a bit tired of reading about how clumsy, babbling, and self-deprecating Evie was. I wish she were less-stereotypical and, therefore, a bit less predictable. She was not a bad protagonist, just a frustrating one. The Villain is great despite being even more clueless than Evie.
Content warning for a description of attempted sexual assault off-page.
Also, I played a board game recently and this was on one of the cards. And it is what I imagined the “guvre” looked like in the book.
