Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Synopsis

Once Upon a Time meets The Office in Hannah Maehrer’s laugh-out-loud viral TikTok series turned novel, about the sunshine assistant to an Evil Villain…and their unexpected romance.

ASSISTANT WANTED: Notorious, high-ranking villain seeks loyal, levelheaded assistant for unspecified office duties, supporting staff for random mayhem, terror, and other Dark Things In General. Discretion a must. Excellent benefits.

With ailing family to support, Evie Sage’s employment status isn’t just important, it’s vital. So when a mishap with Rennedawn’s most infamous Villain results in a job offer—naturally, she says yes. No job is perfect, of course, but even less so when you develop a teeny crush on your terrifying, temperamental, and undeniably hot boss. Don’t find evil so attractive, Evie.

But just when she’s getting used to severed heads suspended from the ceiling and the odd squish of an errant eyeball beneath her heel, Evie suspects this dungeon has a huge rat…and not just the literal kind. Because something rotten is growing in the kingdom of Rennedawn, and someone wants to take the Villain—and his entire nefarious empire—out.

Now Evie must not only resist drooling over her boss but also figure out exactly who is sabotaging his work…and ensure he makes them pay.

After all, a good job is hard to find.

Audiobook Review

4,5 stars

Well this was fun but I feel robbed as I thought this would be a standalone! Now I have to wait for the sequel because of that huge cliffhanger!

You have the “grumpy (the Villain): “sunshine” (Evie) trope and literally “the villain gets the girl trope”! And let’s not forget that this is a villain’s origin story and not in the way you would think of but, no spoiler!

Evie is trying to have a positive attitude in life. If life has given her an unfair share of lemons she is still trying to make lemonade! Her mother left home in dramatic circumstances and her father is gravely ill, leaving Evie with no other option than find employment to support her father and her little sister.

Finding employment or rather decent employment is not easy and her last experience left a very bad taste!

But when she literally stumbles (in Evie’s fashion) on someone hiding in the forest, menacing him with a knife, she does not expect to end up with a job offer!

And yet, the greatest enemy of the kingdom, the Villain, is looking for an assistant and he thinks Evie is the perfect candidate.

That’s how Evie ends up in his castle, managing a pool of interns, secretly sweetening her boss’s brew, trying to mellow the boss when he is in a mood and avoid walking on rolling eyeballs on the floor.

All would be well in her world if someone didn’t try to sabotage her boss’s work!

This is more of a tale’s satire than anything else. It’s funny and kind of dark but with a weird levity. I listened to it in record time, truly enjoying Evie’s adventure in the Villain’s world.

Evil is hiring indeed!

Cherry on top: Evie is an extremely loveable female character.

She is clumsy, naïve but smart and she has a heart of gold. She also is mischievous and loves laughing. Extremely witty, she won’t hesitate to banter with the formidable Villain. Giving the reader a real comedic show in the process.

I’ll be reading the sequel that’s a certainty!

Thanks for reading.