Like This Will Be Fun, Assistant to the Villain is a romance/fantasy with a good amount of humor and thrilling adventure thrown in. Assistant is the first book in a series, and I found this one entertaining enough that I will definitely be reading the next installment Apprentice to the Villain (the third book, Accomplice to the Villain, just came out this year). I’ve sort of accidentally found myself reading romantasy lately, and frankly, it’s kind of a nice break from reality. I liked Assistant to the Villain for its engaging main and supporting characters, and for the slow burn romance. It also has a good plot with intrigue, danger and a fair amount of violence, all quite thrilling, too.
The main characters are Evie Sage and “the Villain,” Trystan Maverine. The story’s narration pivots back and forth between the two. Evie is the pretty, chatty daughter of an ill, down-on-his-luck knight. Her mother possessed some kind of magic, but she and Evie’s older brother disappeared many years ago. Evie became the sole source of income for her household, which includes a much younger sister. When the story opens, we learn that Evie has been trying to find a job after leaving her former employer — a blacksmith who got handsy and actually hurt Evie. Evie’s father does not know she lost her job, and she is despairing of finding work when she happens upon The Villain in the forest. Everyone knows the Villain is an ugly old man who is King Benedict’s sworn enemy and capable of unbelievable violence. What Evie discovers is that the Villain is actually very handsome and in his 20s, but the rest is true. The Villain ends up offering Evie a job as his assistant, which she takes but hides from everyone in the village, including her father and sister. As far as they know, Evie is working at a manor in a neighboring village.
Trystan, aka The Villain, can be an angry and cruel man. He and his henchmen steal from the king and have control of the forest and its hiding places. Trystan’s manor is well hidden there. It is not unusual for Trystan’s dungeons to hold members of the king’s Valiant Guard, where they are tortured and sometimes beheaded. Evie doesn’t really mind any of that. One of the reasons the Villain likes her is that she is not squeamish about such things. His magical power is that he can see where anyone’s weakness is, making it very easy for him to subdue his enemies, which he does violently and with no little enjoyment. But Trystan does find that Evie has an unexpected calming influence on him. He doesn’t want to admit to himself that he is falling for her, and he has no idea that the feeling is mutual. Evie spends a lot of time noticing how hot Trystan is. But Evie is also a very efficient and organized assistant. She soon is on friendly terms with a number of staff, although Becky— who is sort of a personnel manager — and Evie don’t like each other much.
The troubles begin when some of the Villain’s hiding places are discovered by the King’s guard, and some of their heists start going wrong. Trystan believes there is a traitor in their midst and he relies on Evie to help him figure out who it is. And of course, we learn some back story for Trystan and discover that maybe he is not as evil as everyone thinks, and maybe the good guys aren’t as good as everyone thinks. This part of the story is well told and engaging. I liked the way it was resolved. But the best part is that in the course of the investigation, sparks start to fly between Evie and Trystan. As they get closer to the truth, the danger increases. Magical beasts play a role in the plot, as do members of both Trystan’s and Evie’s families. This book ends with a startling revelation and a cliff hanger.
In addition to stabbing, beheadings and poison-spewing magical creatures, there are some fun scenes between Trystan and Evie where things steam up but never quite boil over. The slow build up of their relationship is entertaining, as is the growing friendship among Evie, Trystan and some of the other folks working at the Villain’s manor. More than one romance is on the horizon.
I’m not sure how Assistant to the Villain compares to other romantasy novels, but I enjoyed it very much. I’m invested not just in Evie and Trystan’s relationship but also the overarching story involving the King, magic/power and family secrets.