I went into this as a fan a Thea and fantasy romance with zero context of Cristal Role. I was worried this might hinder my understanding and enjoyment of the book but luckily did not and I had such a fun time reading it. I know I have many critical role fans as friends that will love this but I think it’ll be a hit for non-fans like me as well.

3⭐️

༉‧₊˚. pre-read - taking a break from Caraval and starting this Arc🧡
thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this eArc in exchange for a review :,)

I really wanted to love Tusk Love, but I found myself struggling to get through the first 60% of it. The pacing felt slow, and I had little motivation to pick it up most days. My mind kept wandering as I read, which made it extremely difficult to stay engaged with the story.

One thing I wish had been talked about more was Guinevere’s magic. It felt like such an important part of her character and the world, yet it didn’t get the attention it deserved. Also, since I’m not familiar with Critical Role by Thea Guanzon, the universe this book is based in(?), I may have enjoyed it more if I had read that first.

That being said, the last 15% of the book really pulled through for me. It FINALLY picked up momentum, the emotional stakes felt higher, and I was actually invested. The ending helped redeem a really slow start, and I got the happy ending I wanted

Thank you Random House - Del Rey & NetGalley for the eARC of this book.

Oh. My. Freaking. God. Can the romantasy genre please take note? This was ADORABLE. I was in love with both MCs from the start. At about 35% in, I could already tell this was going to be a fun ride.

It’s just hilarious, and simple, and cozy. It’s the type of book you can get lost in. Like a good old school fairytale. The world and characters are rich. It’s just an overall good damn time.

I’m gonna need more though, I’m not sure I can be content with a standalone this time 😂

As a big fan of Critical Role, I was very excited about this book! It was a fun romp through the “fictional” book that shows up in one of their campaigns and really a fun time in general. It’s a little short so it’s not the most in depth character and plot situation, but it was a damn good time and I love Gwen & Oskar! (And especially loved their horses)

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book!

2.5 stars

Oh, Oskar.

If you are at all familiar with the second campaign of Critical Role you know the origin of Tusk Love. In the D&D campaign, naive and romantic Jester finds a romance book that she ends up loving. It starts as a silly throwaway joke, but then the book is referenced throughout the entire campaign by multiple characters as the best love story ever told and quite smutty too. The fact that the Critical Role team actually reached out to Thea Guanzon to write this story is both hilarious and a perfect gift for fans.

The episode where it's first mentioned, Matt, the DM, gives a quick summary. It's a love story about a half-orc and the daughter of a wealthy merchant. They meet and travel the Amber Road. In future episodes other details are mentioned, like how a ship ends up sinking. All of these details are in this book. The team made a great job making Tusk Love follow the canon and also feeling like a book in Exandria. But I also do feel like it restrained a lot of it too.

But what about the book itself? Well, at first I liked it. I knew what I was getting into, so I found the characters charming and the story well paced.
Guinevere's caravan is attacked and the five guards hired to escort her to her parents are killed. Gwen has a secret, she's bonded to an ancient being, a fire elemental. This entity takes control over and kill most of these mercenaries, yet leaves Gwen weakened at the end. Oskar, a former blacksmith, goes out of his way to protect Guinevere and ends up becoming her guard.

At first, it's a charming relationship. Gwen is a proper lady, naive and trusting. Oskar, though grumpy, is a very noble man. They are attracted to each other immediately, and the set up is cute until like a quarter of the way through where the characters were already kissing, I think it was the third day they were travelling together? It's a short book so I understand the romance has to start soonish rather than later, but it was so rushed, that I feel like it messed a little with Gwen's development. Same with Oskar, though he is very closed off, his character only evolves to one of being grumpy, jealous and possessive by the end. Sure there are moments where you can see how sunshine Guinevere would bright Oskar's life, but to be honest I don't see how this couple would work in the end. Which, well, I guess I just didn't buy much of the chemistry.

My biggest complain however was the pacing. These two lovebirds have to travel for days to Nikodranas, where Gwen's parents live and his fiance awaits for her. However, Gwen is being hunted by a band of mercenaries that want to steal her dowry. Thus, the book is just a long journey with a lot of repetitive scenes. Being ambushed, entering a town to spend the night, kisses and smut, being ambushed, spending the night, kisses and repeat. Like I said, it's a relative short book and yet I was over it so fast. There was nothing engaging to me, I didn't enjoy the romance because I didn't see any spark. I didn't like the plot because it was too repetitive and the ending the most predictable thing. There weren't stakes, and some plot points that seem very interesting for developing the characters were pretty much ignored in the end. Gwen's relationship with the elemental, and Oskar's visit to his mother's clan.

I wanted to love this, because I love Critical Role, especially the second campaign and I'm always rooting for Thea. However, this did not work for me. I didn't like the romance, I feel like the characters were shallow to fit romance tropes, and the pacing was slow and repetitive.

If Thea Guanzon writes it, I will read it. Tusk Love is a sweet and steamy fantasy romance, and as someone who is completely unfamiliar with Critical Role, and TTRPG in general, I appreciated how accessible Oskar and Guinevere's love story was!

First, I must say that I love that this book was created from Critical Role and I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I definitely heard Jester’s voice reading parts.
This book wasn’t nearly as spicy as I thought it would be going into it but I loved it anyway. I thought the Guinevere and Oskar were such a good pair throughout the book. I love how you could clearly tell that how they were raised impacted how they viewed the world and themselves. I loved how Guinevere wanted to embrace the world with eyes wide open before she was stuck into her new life. I also loved the way that she learned to embrace who she was in the end.

3.5 stars. As a huge fan of Thea Guanzon's fan fiction I wanted to give this book a higher rating than I ultimately did. The story absolutely does the job and is a lot of fun, with tropes galore. However, given the hype and the name of the book, the smut in it was surprisingly...vanilla? The tusks did not get enough love. I still recommend the book for fans of Critical Role or Guanzon, who want something cozy and lighthearted. But it lacks the re-readability of some of her other works.

Tusk Love is tender, thrilling, and utterly spellbinding—a romantasy that blends aching vulnerability with sizzling tension, wrapped in the rich lore of a world you won’t want to leave.

New York Times bestselling author Thea Guanzon delivers a sweeping, emotionally-charged tale of survival, softness, and soul-deep devotion. When a sheltered merchant’s daughter with trembling courage crosses paths with a brooding half-orc on the dangerous Amber Road, what begins as an unexpected alliance becomes a transformative journey of trust, passion, and love.

Guinevere is sweet, sheltered, and stronger than she knows. Oskar carries quiet grief and calloused hands, raised by a mother who taught him tenderness in a world that gave them none. He calls Guinevere Princess like it’s sacred. She teaches him how to sew. And somewhere between cave-bound confessions, fireside longing, and moonlit kisses, they discover that the fiercest kind of love is born not from power—but from care.

From a mysterious trunk bound in secrets to glowing moonstone talismans and elemental wildfire magic, Guanzon builds a world teeming with wonder, peril, and unforgettable side characters (I’d follow the Bonecrusher Clan anywhere). But it’s the romance—equal parts smolder and soul—that makes this story sing.

For readers who crave slow burn with scorching spice, emotional payoff, and heroes who protect with their whole heart—this is your next obsession.

Grateful to Thea Guanzon and Del Rey for the eARC—what an unforgettable read!

So cute, I ate this up. It’s giving cozy romance, it’s giving humour. Also these two are horny so it’s giving spice, what’s not to enjoy

4 ⭐️

Last year I read my first cozy fantasy and I absolutely adore this genre. And I do like Critical Role too, so when I saw on tiktok that this book is coming out soon, I immediately knew I had to read this book.

This book was so much fun! The story follows Guinevere, a girl who grew up in a nice stone house in the Shimmer Ward district, she never really went outside the district, so when she, plus the two Oxes (Bart and Wart: love the names!), some guards and the – very special – trunk, are on her way to meet her parents and her fiancé, she experiences many new things. She runs into bandits and Oskar. Oskar is a grumpy half Orc and he saves her from the bandit attack. Oskar decides to travel with her to her destination and on their way they run into many bad guys who try to steal the trunk.

Guinevere is easy to like, however kinda spoiled and naive. She meets new people and instantly trusts them. Oskar is grieving over his mother’s death, he abandoned his apprenticeship at the blacksmith to go visit his mother’s clan because he promised her he would.

The story is easy to follow and it really brought back memories of when I was walking around in Durotar (World of Warcraft Classic). Going from place to place, riding a horse, fighting some bad guys, meeting new people, doing people a favor.
This book could easily have been five stars if it had first point of view (it always make me feel connected to the characters more!) and if the book didn’t had insta love, that trope really isn’t for me. I also wished there was more about Guinevere's magic.

The book has the following:
- Funny names for all the animals in the book
- Only one bed and horse
- Opposites attract
- Spicy scenes
- Forbidden love
- The FMC and the MMC had an age difference of only three years

Thanks Netgalley for letting me read this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Did I just read my first monster smut? Giggles in disbelief.

This one’s based on Critical Role, but don’t let that scare you off, I’ve never played Dungeons and Dragons or watch an episode, and I still had such a good time with it! We follow Guinevere, who gets rescued by a half-orc named Oskar after bandits attack her. She’s on her way to meet her betrothed m,and Oskar agrees to escort her. Cue the journey, banter, hair washing, and yes…only one bed.

This book is basically a delicious little trope buffet, and I was eating it up:
✨ Grumpy x Sunshine
✨ Forbidden Romance
✨ Forced Proximity
✨ Opposites Attract

Guinevere totally gave me Rapunzel-from-Tangled energy, while Oskar? Full Shrek vibes in the best possible way, the whole picks her up throws her over his shoulder, damsel vibe. (Don’t ask, just go with it.)

The writing is solid, the vibe is cozy with a touch of spice, and the whole thing feels like a warm romantasy hug. It’s charming and funny, but it didn’t completely sweep me off my feet, which is why I’m landing on a 3.5-star rating.

Still, if you’re in the mood for something cute, quirky, and a little monstrous, this one’s a fun little adventure.

**3/5 Stars – A Cozy, Steamy Adventure with a Dash of D\&D Flair**

I’ll be honest—I don’t know much about *Dungeons & Dragons* or *Critical Role*, so I went into this book pretty blind when it comes to the worldbuilding roots. For the first couple of chapters, I wasn’t even overly conscious of the influence *Critical Role* had on the story. But curiosity got the better of me, and after pausing to do a little research, I realized the connection—especially when I learned that *Tusk Love* made a cameo in *Vox Machina*. That context definitely helped me see the world through a clearer lens and made it easier to immerse myself in the story.

The book has a very cozy, almost nostalgic adventure vibe, which made it a comforting read—especially perfect for a rainy Saturday afternoon. It features some of my all-time favorite tropes, like *grumpy x sunshine* and *only one bed*, and those familiar dynamics were executed with charm. The character development was another highlight—both main characters had satisfying arcs, and it was genuinely enjoyable to see them come into their own by the end.

And yes… the smut? Absolutely smutting. No complaints there. Also, I will *always* be a sucker for a fierce “over my fucking corpse!” moment of protective rage.

That said, while I liked the journey, something about it didn’t quite click for me. It’s hard to put my finger on exactly what was missing, but it didn’t leave a lasting impression. I’m not sure it’s a story I’d revisit, but I’m still glad I read it. Sometimes, a cozy, trope-filled adventure with a little spice is exactly what you need—and this one delivered on that front.

This cover caught my attention. I really enjoyed this grumpy/ sunshine romance. Oskar was a mmc that showed his vulnerability and emotions and Gwen's sweet naivete wasn't annoying like a lot of naive characters can be. They had cute banter and great chemistry. I really felt their emotions. The journey was fun theough the forests and meeting other magical creatures. I loved seeing Gwen's fire power come into play. My only complaint is that the story did drag in some areas. Overall almost a five star read. I give it 4.5 stars

Trying to convey just how much this book captivated me is difficult. I absolutely loved it! Definitely one of the best I've read this year and it made me feel all the feels!

Watching these two characters fall in love was a work of art. This was full of adventure, romance, emotion and also laughs! It's cozy and just beautiful. I had a tear or two I can't lie!

Oskar is such a pure soul and matches Guinevere so well. I loved how her character develops in confidence and she starts to stand on her own two feet. I enjoyed the build up and the pay off in this relationship. The spice is well written and adds to the depth of feelings in this book.

The humour took me by surprise. The musician had me giggling away with his songs "She smiled at me as she went down on her pretty knees and swallowed me whole-" Oskar threw a turnip at him"

Thea has written some of my favourite books this year and it's clear that when it comes to fantasy romance she is one of the very best at the moment. An auto buy author for sure!

I thought about this book so much after I finished it. The characters and the story had such an impact on me that I've preordered the book already!

Thank you to Random House, Thea Guanzon and NetGalley for the arc. This is my honest review of the book.

As a romance reader DnD fan who hasn’t seen Critical Role, I still loved every moment of this book. Yes, there was a deeper lore that I was missing, but it felt the same way as when I’m playing a campaign. Not every avenue needs to be explored, but it’s real, and it’s there. This relationship made me giggle and kick my feet. It was soooo fun!

Three and a half
This book has such loveable characters that it’s impossible not to enjoy it .If you quite enjoy the idea of what I believe is called a grumpy sunshine romance then this certainly delivers. I found our hero Oskar to be sweetly adorable and he definitely fell very hard for our heroine. Guinevere is just so sweetly clueless at times and her journey was one that I could cheer for .Whilst perhaps more of a sweet and cosy story so not my preferred read I did find this easy to read and it definitely made me smile.
This voluntary take is of an advanced copy and my thoughts are honest and I believe fair

SHUT UP! This is just AGHHH, a feet kicking, chuckle giving, joyful read. Its the perfect mixture of wholesome romance, incredible banter and character development with just a little bit of spice.

First things first you don't have to have read anything relating to Critical Role or watched a single moment of any of the shows to enjoy this. (Though they are enjoyable) SO PLEASE don't let it's connection to that world put you off. Thea Guanzon has again created a fantasy filled with incredible character development, emotion and more!!

Mostly I adored our two love interests, its classic grumpy vs sunshine and will have you grinning ear to ear the entire time, their banter is top class as is their chemistry. Together as their relationship develops from first encounter they also grow as individuals separately. Its wholesome as hell. They are a DELIGHT and I would fight for them everytime.

3.5 stars

As a big Critical Role fan, I had to check this out and I was so excited to be approved for the ARC! This was charming. It reminded me a lot of T Kingfisher's paladin books, and fans of those will probably enjoy this as well: lovable characters, good chemistry, snappy dialogue, big strong man with a heart of gold, and enough plot and worldbuilding to keep the fantasy element interesting.

The sex scenes are good overall, but this book still does the thing I hate where PIV sex is treated as some kind of definitive event (never mind all the other sex the characters have been having up to that point!) and so being "a virgin" is enough of a big deal to be worth mentioning. This book isn't especially weird about it, but I could always do without bringing that into it.

There were also some moments where the language took me out of the story - words that felt anachronistic, or at least out of place in a fantasy setting. The version I read is an uncorrected proof, so it's possible some of those will change in the final published version, but it happened often enough that it seemed worth mentioning.

I'm not a huge romance/romantasy fan, so in some ways I'm not the exact target audience, but this was a lot of fun to read and I really enjoyed it.

"A merchant's daughter who yearns for adventure gets more than she bargained for when she falls for a broodingly handsome stranger in this saucy romantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of The Hurricane Wars.

As the daughter of an ambitious merchant, Guinevere's path has been predetermined: marry into a noble house of the Dwendalian Empire, raise her family's station, and live quietly as a lordling's obedient wife. But Guinevere longs for a life unbounded by expectations, for freedom and passion and adventure.

Those distant dreams become a sudden reality when her caravan is beset by bandits, leaving her guards slain and Guinevere stranded alone on the dangerous Amber Road. Her only chance of survival is to travel alongside Oskar, the aloof half-orc who saved her during the attack.

Unlike Guinevere, Oskar's path is not so set in stone. With his mother dead and his apprenticeship abandoned, all that's left is a long, lonely walk to a land he's never seen to find family he's never met. The last thing he needs is a spoiled waif like Guinevere slowing him down - even if the spark between them sizzles with promise.

Despite his cold exterior, Oskar is brave and thoughtful and unlike anyone Guinevere has ever met. And while Guinevere may be sheltered, she brings out a softness in him that he has never dared to feel before. As the flames of their passion grow, they realize that soon they'll need to choose between their expected destinations or their blossoming romance.

Written by New York Times bestselling author Thea Guanzon at the behest of Critical Role's Jester Lavorre, Tusk Love brings the most romantic story on Exandrian bookshelves to life."

I mean, beside being a Critical Role fan, I'm a huge romantasy fan and that cover is just a breath of fresh air. I want to live in it.