Tusk Love (Critical Role)

Being a fan of Critical Role for the last few years (and a romance book reader for the majority of my life) I was beyond excited when “Tusk Love” was announced. The cover art preview only heighten my excitement about the book and I bought it on release day. I had tempered my expectations, to enjoy the book for what it was and be happy it was printed in the first place.This book went beyond any of my most lofty expectations. I absolutely adored it!The characters are easy to adore, the romance is beautiful, sweet, funny, and the spice! No fade to black scenes, or waiting 3/4 of the book with will they/won’t they and getting a single scene. There are multiple romantic and spicy scenes that are thoroughly satisfying to read (and re-read).It is easy to become endeared to both Gwen and Oskar, their interactions are dynamic, sweet, dramatic, funny, and so very romantic. I fell in love with them both so quickly! Even the side characters are very memorable and beloved. Ms. Guanzon does a wonderful job of painting the colorful world of Exandria with her words, and I literally could not put this book down - I devoured it in one day.I highly recommend this book. Fans of Critical Role will enjoy the familiar story and setting (along with a few Easter eggs), and fantasy romance lovers will find a sweet, spicy, and very romantic read. I look forward to reading it again!

Amazingly written. Very natural progression in Guinevere and Oskar's relationship (both emotionally and physically). Great pacing. A good mix of fun, silly, heartfelt, and natural chemistry. Only 4 really "Spicy" moments but there's a lot of good hearted 'heat' between them. Nothing seemed out of place or unnecessarily written. As a fan of CR I appreciated the accurate descriptions of Exandria as they explored through its vast, ever-changing landscape. The story has a good mystery, and a good heroic ending that we all look forward to - without "reaching".I haven't been able to finish a book in years; finished this in less than a week.1000000/10 💚

Guinevere is the daughter of down-on-their-luck merchants. She yearns for freedom and adventure, not the future her parents planned out. When her caravan is attacked, Guinevere is rescued by a grumpy half-orc. Her journey is fraught with obstacles and enemies. Guinevere never anticipated falling for her sullen travel companion. What path would she choose? A vagabond life with Oskar? Or the privileged life Guinevere’s parents arranged?Oskar is a blacksmith’s apprentice. He intends to visit his deceased mother’s clan in the north. However, Oskar encounters Guinevere when her caravan is set upon by bandits. The woman is sheltered, helpless, and annoying, yet Oskar agrees to escort her to her destination. Something about Guinevere awakens his soft and protective side. Oskar knows he has nothing to offer her. Can he walk away once they reach their journey’s end?Guinevere is not the usual heroine type that I enjoy. In the beginning, she comes across as the typical, cliché damsel-in-distress – one who feels the need to please her parents. However, Guin starts to change as the story progresses. Her demeanor and personality remind me of an old role-playing character that I used to play years ago. Perhaps that is why I clicked with her so easily. And I also liked how her naivete and kindness charmed even the most hardened souls.Orcs are not my favorite fantasy creatures. I have noticed a rise in their popularity in both anime and books (there is even an author who writes orc romances). Oskar grew on me. He behaves sullen and grumpy, but that is all an act to hide his cinnamon roll-y insides. What I adore the most about Oskar is his persistence in protecting Guinevere. He even put his vow of visiting his mother’s people on hold to help Guin on her journey. Oskar even got angry for her sake, especially after learning how her parents treat her.TUSK LOVE is a standalone, romance fantasy set in the Critical Role world. Fans of Dungeons & Dragon type stories will enjoy this book. I am a fan of Vox Machina – thanks to the animation on Prime. When I noticed TUSK LOVE’s title matched the one Pike read in the show, I just HAD to read it too. It did not disappoint.Tropes in the story: grumpy/sunshine, opposites attract, forced proximity.I would be interested to read more stories set in the Critical Role world. High fantasy (like D&D’s Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance) is one of my favorite genres. Romance is another. I have a difficult time finding fantasy-romance stories with this level of fantasy. Most of the ones I find center around The Fey or the commonly, overly used fantasy creatures.

This reminded me a lot of Halfling (by SE Wendel) so of COURSE I loved every minute of it. Love a road trip romance. Love a friends-to-lovers story. I appreciated that the main character was out of touch and uppity rather than the cut & paste sassy main characters I see so much of. Oskar was perfect, their dialogue and chemistry was perfect, I’ve read almost 100 books Galway through the year and this is one of the easiest five stars I’ve doled out yet. (Roughly 10 of those reads have been 5-stars, fwiw). Anyway. Wonderful read, great prose, no notes.

Are you a fan of Critical Role?Do you love romantasy?Do you sometimes think to yourself, "What would Jester Levore say?"If you answered yes to any of those, this book is for you.Action, romance, spice, a touch of magic, and a lot of heart. Tusk Love is more than just a joke from campaign two of CR come to life, it's a heartwarming grumpy/sunshine story that you'll likely finish in one sitting.

I adored this book. The characters were so funny and sweet and quirky. The storyline was so much fun. I was always wondering what was going to happen next. It had me giggling and kicking my feet at time, I was emotional at time, and it really kept me sucked it. I adore anything Thea writes and this is no different. Thanks Del Rey for the arc! Will definitely be recommending this to everyone I know.

The book is written beautifully, both sides of the reversible cover are great and it’s so cool to finally hold this piece of gold in my hands!I haven’t been able to put the book down since I got it and I can’t wait to see how the story ends!Very minimal shipping/handling damage