Hannah Nicole Maehrer’s “Assistant to the Villain” was born from “booktok” discussion on tropes but turned into something much more. We follow Evie Sage, who crosses paths one day with the kingdom’s most wanted villain, Trystan Maverine, and now works for him and his whole criminal organization. It takes a bit before Evie warms up to the organization, but when she does, she loves it and everyone in it. However, after Evie starts to love the place, things start happening that make it seem like someone on the inside is a rat.
Maehrer does a great job of playing into the classic tropes of a romcom but still makes them new and exciting to read. Plus, with the shifting points of view between Evie and Trystan, it made for an exciting read as we watch them work together to find the rat but also fall in love.
This book is setting up what is likely to be a strong trilogy. While it leans on some tropes, it is a good book and hopefully a good series, with another book set to come out in August. However, be prepared for a cliffhanger at the end of “Assistant to the Villain” that will make you wish it was August already.
This is a great book and I strongly recommend it.
Rating: 9/10
