Accomplice to the Villain is the third installment in Hannah Nicole Maehrer’s Villain Romance/Fantasy series. Since Accomplice just came out in August, I’m probably going to have to wait a while for Adversary to the Villain, which is the projected title for the fourth and final book in the series. Part of me is annoyed at having to wait and part of me looks forward to re-reading everything when the final novel is released. As with the previous books, Maehrer delivers thrilling adventure, bloody action, steamy romances and a good amount of humor. I thought I knew what was going to happen, and to a certain extent I did, but Accomplice ends with some very interesting surprises. A lot happens in Accomplice and I think the book is organized well so that the multiple story lines don’t trip over each other. I shall attempt to review without spoiling too much for those who might want to start the series.
Accomplice to the Villain explores the backgrounds of several characters who have been present from the start. In addition to getting the narrative points of view of Evie and Trystan, we also see events from the perspectives of these characters. Book three opens with a new narrator — Kingsley the frog. Kingsley has been in all three stories, and the reader knows that this is a frog who understands human speech and can communicate by holding up signs. Kingsley is the Villain Trystan’s childhood friend and a prince in his kingdom. The circumstances under which Kingsley was turned into a frog are explained in this book, as is the growing urgency amongst his friends — Trystan, Clare, Tatianna and Evie — to undo the curse. As has been happening throughout the series, magic is dying out in the world; Kingsley is starting to have episodes where he forgets he is human and becomes more frog-like. There is the real danger that that condition could become permanent.
Another new narrator is the Villain’s HR officer Becky, who has her own messed up childhood and family drama plus a growing romance with the dragon tamer Blade. She comes from an affluent and powerful family, and the story of how she ends up working for the Villain is explained here. Gideon, Evie’s long lost brother, also gets a turn at telling his story. He has wound up at Massacre Manor feeling guilty about having been absent from his family for so long, desiring to prove his worth to his sister and family, and falling in love with one of Trystan’s Malevolent Guards (who has a tragic backstory of her own). The Clare/Tatianna romance is progressing slowly, but we learn from Clare why it fell apart in the first place. There is still the danger that that trust has been permanently lost. Truly horrible families are all over the place in the Villain series. The last book revealed how terrible Evie’s parents were (with more revelations to come in this book), and this one highlights how completely shitty Becky’s and Trystan’s mothers are. Childhood trauma is pervasive throughout the series.
There are several plot lines in Accomplice that serve the overall story of the fate of Rennedawn/loss of magic/fulfillment of the prophecy (about how magic and Rennedawn can be saved). First, there is the need to find the “cure” for Kingsley, which sends Trystan, Evie, Clare and Tatianna on a quest to find the items and people who can help. Naturally, there is high adventure and plenty of compromising situations for the potential lovers. Along the way, a destiny monster tells Trystan a prophecy about his future which makes him feel that he is a danger to Evie, so he is constantly struggling with his lust and his fear. Second there is the problem of a traitor somewhere in Massacre Manor. Given that Evie’s little sister and her mother — a woman in possession of powerful magic — are both living there along with the magical creatures known as guvres, the King and his guard are unrelentingly trying to get into the castle, and while Trystan is away, they are in more danger than anyone realizes.
But of course, it’s the romance between Evie and Trystan that is the most fun. Evie is a funny character who can be clumsy and has a penchant for saying exactly what she is thinking, no matter how awkward. She loves fiercely but also hides her feelings behind a smile and puts up with a lot because she feels like she should. Trystan is wild about her but is struggling with his feelings of being unworthy and his fear of hurting her. His attempts to protect her are a source of contention between them. Readers are treated to several scenes of sexy hijinks plus some difficult conversations.
This book ends with a surprising (to me, anyway) twist and cliff hangers galore. I find myself really enjoying it and I can’t wait to see how this ends. It’s a big ol’ soap opera of a story that touches on some serious topics (especially abusive family relationships) but delivers action, sex and intrigue. It’s just the kind of diversion I want these days.