I LOVED THIS!!! It's so cute and funny and sexy - absolutely fantastic fantasy romance. Also I went in with no context from Critical Role and still thoroughly enjoyed it.

A merchants daughter with a secret power is attacked on her way to an arranged marriage. A handsome half-orc saves her and they travel together and fall in love. This was absolutely delightful, entertaining, and had a lot of heart. Highly recommend it! This is one of my favorite romances I've read this year. I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

As a fan of all things Critical Role, this was everything I hoped it would be and more. So glad this got to be published so everyone gets to know this story.

Tusk Love is everything that I wanted from a book that has been so long in my imagination.

I am a fan of Critical Role and I was watching the show live many years ago when a very dusty wizard and a blue companion wandered into a bookshop that was not what they had intended to find. As a DM I absolutely love the idea that a book that was discovered by sheer chance in a random imaginary bookshop would one day get a real hardbound release. That said Tusk Love manages to also be a pretty fun and spicy Fantasy that I just couldn't put down. I'm not a typical reader for Romantasy in general, but I really enjoyed this story and I'm sure there are plenty that would agree with me.

It's a tale as old as time. A Wealthy young woman is travelling through the dark and dangerous woods when she is set upon by bandits. Although she manages to turn the tides on them by summoning elemental fire the broody half orc warrior still comes to her defense. Oskar has lived his whole life with his single mother in the slums of a mining town. His life has been a hard one, but not lacking in love. Guinevere has lived a mostly lavish lifestyle and yet her parents have always disapproved of her natural talents. Guinevere is on the road to meet the man that her parents have arranged for her to marry and she is carrying her dowry with her. Oskar comes to her aid and eventually is persuaded to help her get to her destination, but their attempts to follow the road are thwarted by mercenaries who seem to have taken an interest in Guinevere.

The duo eventually take to the wilds which slows their progress, but provides a much safer route. During their time in the wilds their growing tension gets the better of them and Guinevere finds herself drawn in by the wholesome simplicity and rugged charm of Oskar. Guinevere also finds the freedom to dig into her natural powers and finds she isn't as at odds with her wilder self as she once believed.

If you enjoy some spicy swords and sorcery then you're in the right place with this book, but if you're here I'm sure you already know a little bit about the author or Critical Role and know what to expect. I can't think of anyone better to write this story than Thea Guanzon. This is an extremely fun and diverting book and exactly what I was hoping for. I recommend picking up this book if you're a fan of Romance Fantasy or LitRPG and don't mind a decent amount of spice. I hope you grab a copy from your local indie bookstore or library. Happy Reading!

If you're a fan of cozy fantasy romance books with adventure, read this one when it's out (aka tomorrow!) ♡

I'm so happy I read this. I ABSOLUTELY adored it oh my god the story was perfect, the characters were very much so endearing, and the romance was perfect. You have a sheltered rich girl who is on route to this place where her parents are waiting for her in order to marry her off to some Lord. While traveling there, she comes face to face with some bandits and the one who saves her is none other than a half-orc named Oskar. So their journey begins! ⊹ ࣪ ˖

This book reminded of Rapunzel because of the sheltered girl who knows nothing about the outside world character but also because Guinevere is sunshine, cuteness, and she believes everyone is nice and not evil at first glance. Oh a couple of assassins get near her? She tells them to help her buy some things for the journey lmao. She gets into this hilarious situations and it's the best! I loved her dearly and I'm gonna miss her now that I finished the book <3

She also reminded me of Elle Woods in a way because of "What? Like it's hard?" I mean Guinevere is embarking on a journey, she has never gone outside her home, doesn't know how to survive in the wilderness, but you know what? She's ready to try and learn. She doesn't shy away from a different type of setting or situation even though she gets scared or afraid because obviously it's something she has never experienced before! But Guinevere is such a great character you can't help to root for.

On the other hand we have Oskar who is just the ideal hero. He feels too much, has too many things on his shoulders, falls in love with someone he shouldn't, helps her out either way, is a grump but with everyone but her... like he is seriously my type of hero in books. I LOVED HIM WITH MY WHOLE HEART 🤍

This book went by so fast! The chapters were short, the story flew so easily, the plot was entertaining and exciting to follow along. It even made me cry જ⁀➴ Also if you want to know, yup it does feature steamy moments which I did not expect lol! I thought if it did it would be fade to black or closed door type of thing but nope, very explicit and spicy.

This was such a cute read! I’ve been on a cult-thriller binge lately so a problem-free romance with a hint of spice was just what my little reader heart wanted.

The relationship between MCs Oskar and Guinevere hit all the best elements of an enemies to lovers relationship, including loads of banter and sizzling chemistry. There was a slow build to their more intimate scenes but I didn’t mind because it made sense for the story.

I had no idea of the connection between Tusk Love and DND and it didn’t impact the story at all.

This is a great standalone monster romance with a great combination of cozy, adventure and heart.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thea Guanzon, Critical Role and Random House Publishing for an early review copy. These are my honest thoughts.

I'm going to be honest I applied for this because Thea Guanzon, I had no idea what Critical Role was, my friend had to explain it to me. Once I understood Tusk Love seems to fit the series so well. I love how they wove in Jester, it was all so cute. Guinevere and Oskar are opposites but make travel companions. A wonderful cozy read.

Thank you Random House Worlds and Netgalley for the eARC.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

I love Thea sooo much and this book didnt dissapoint! I loved how funny and cosy it was, and sexy!!

A great plot that I felt was written really well, really good pacing and I zoomed through.

If you've been following me for a while, you'll know that I'm not a big fan of romantasy. However, my love for Critical Role tempted me, and ultimately, the time I spent with the story of Oskar and Guinevere was very enjoyable!

Tusk Love is a short book that isn't packed with action, and the plot is really simple, but it has its charm and humor. The characters meet after bandits attack Guinevere's carriage, and then they set off on a journey together. Their relationship develops quite quickly, but it's perfectly suited to the length of the book and the pace of the action. During their journey, they take care of each other and learn how to live better.

The book is perfect for overstimulated fantasy fans who need something calm but set in an interesting world with mysterious magic. Honestly, it would be great if everything were a little more developed and if we got more information about Guinevere's magic. Despite this, I had a great time and literally sailed through this story. Besides, I'm quite glad that the book wasn't as spicy as Jester described it - although I'm not surprised that she called Fjord “Oskar” after all that...

I wasn't interested in Hurricane Wars before, but Thea Guanzon has such an engaging writing style that I think I should give it a try after all!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest review!

I wish I could rate this book higher. It was an absolute delight to follow Oskar and Gwen on their journey to falling for one another. If there’s anything else in this vein, I want to read it!

Perfect for fans of Travis Baldree whether the reader is familiar with critical roll or not. I loved the author's note and how we get to see more of Exandria

This is the perfect romance book to start off cozy Autumn season. Give me a romance book that isn’t just steam but will actually make me swoon.

I think that’s particularly why I like “non-modern” romances set with ladies, lord, ruffians, outcasts and the like. It adds that aspect of being wooed rather than merrily entering a flirting contest.

Both characters were so adorably complex, complimenting each other’s temperaments and personality so well.

I loved the dual POV, and thought the author did a great with it. I will say that due to Oskar not having the same education upbringing as Guinevere, I expected his chapters to be less flowery in vocabulary.

I loved the fantasy element and wished there was some sort of glossary or map.

I found a new author to include in my auto-buy list!

Tusk Love by Thea Guanzon
Surely one of the hottest titles of the summer, this romantasy—originally an in-story joke from a Critical Role campaign and now a full-blown novel on its own—is exactly the kind of brain candy that makes for a perfect beach read.

Set in the world of Exandria, the story features Guinevere, a dutiful merchant’s daughter living under a magical curse, who is on her way to meet her betrothed. Set upon by bandits, she allows the powerful fire spirit that lives within her to save them, but is in turn saved by Oskar, a half-orc blacksmith’s apprentice, en route to visit his mother’s people after her death. Oskar is deeply mourning his mother, and he feels a strong responsibility to keep Guinevere safe, especially when she proves to be a support during his grief. Guinevere has never allowed herself to pursue anything she wants; her whole life is about duty.

As the pair travel together (unchaperoned!), their chemistry is a powder keg just waiting to explode—and while a happy ending seems hard to come by, Guanzon follows through on the promise of both spicy encounters and an eventual HEA. Fans of both Critical Role and Guanzon’s Hurricane Wars are sure to love this stand-alone novel, but even if you’ve never encountered either, the story is fantastic on its own and a worthy addition to romantasy bookshelves.

An entertaining and funny romance fantasy story

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

“Tusk Love” by Thea Guanzon is a light, funny and cozy fantasy story in a standalone format.

I know the author from her book “Hurricane Wars” and was really looking forward to this new and different fantasy novel from her and I definitely enjoyed the story, but it doesn't come close to her previous duet.

If you enjoyed Kimberly Lemming's “Mead Mishaps” series, you'll have a blast with Guineveveve and Oskar's story.

Oskar is a half-orc who is determined to protect Guinevere and accompanies her on her journey, even though he was on his way to pay his last respects to his mother. He is an absolute cinnamon-roll hero who also takes my heart by storm.

Guinevere was a little too naive for me at times and I just felt sorry for Oskar in so many situations. She is very likeable, but she goes blindly through the world, even though danger is hot on her heels.
I thought it was a bit of a shame that the magic aspect of the protagonist came up a little short.

“Tusk Love” is a fast-paced, funny and lighthearted romance novel that I am happy to recommend.

Loved the cozy and cute vibes of this book.it was heartwarming and I couldn’t put it down. Need to read something else by the author because I loved the writing style of this book.

I began reading this book not knowing the reasoning Thea Guanzon wanted to write this book. Also I do not play D&D so I was going into this book blind and I am glad that I did because this book is for everyone. This book is not only for people that play D&D but for fantasy and romance readers as well. I absolutely fell in love with this book and the characters. The steamy romance was great and I would definitely read it again. The pacing was great and the book never had a dull moment. To be honest I look forward to reading more by Thea Guanzon.

I've been getting into a lot of books lately that have orcs. Maybe it is because I spend a lot of time playing World of Warcraft, haha. The cover and knowing it had an orc in it was definitely enough reason to read this one!

Overall, I liked this book. The MC has grown up very sheltered and she makes a lot of mistakes when it comes to needing to be street smart. The MMC helps her along the way even though he didn't want to at first, but he does like her figure and that gets them into all sorts of situations. It is very much lust not love which was okay. I am one who wants more development between the two and I get that it is a journey they are on so there isn't all the time in the world for that. So, I liked it for what it is. It is light hearted for the rest of the book, but does have action as well!

I have heard from many friends and avid lovers of the video game Baldur's Gate 3 that this book is for anyone who loves D&D as well as a good romance. After reading this book, I can whole-heartedly agree! The author does such a phenomenal job in creating this critical role-playing world that is not only very easy to follow along with, but also allows the reader to fully immerse themselves in the characters. The romance sprinkled throughout the storyline was very sweet too and had me kicking my feet in the air, swooning nonstop. I understand this read may not be for everyone, but, if you are a fan of fantasy, romance, or video games, then I would highly recommend this read!

Have you ever wanted to read a Contemporary Romance because you (the reader) lives within a fantasy world? Well, this fully scratched that itch I didn't know I had.

Thea could write a grocery list and it would be a 5 🌟 read and somehow contain my favorite romance ever. She just writes romance so spectacularly, and it always leaves me entirely obsessed. I could not put this book down, and I truly loved every interaction between Oskar and Guinevere. They were phenomenally written and have cemented as some of my favorite bookish characters.

This is written in the world created by Critical Role, but I have to say that you really don't need any knowledge of their world to thoroughly enjoy this book!

Thank you to Delrey and NetGalley for allowing me early access to read this book!

i loved how quick this was without feeling insta love! Such a great romance that came from Crit role!