This was such a delightfully cozy romantasy! It had just the right touch of spice, and Oskar and Guinevere were absolutely adorable together. Normally, I'm not a fan of misunderstanding tropes, but their cuteness made it entirely forgivable. The world-building in each location was wonderful, and I truly felt Guinevere's struggles during her journey. When I'm looking for a relaxing escape from intense fantasy or crime novels, cozy fantasy is my go-to, and this book was absolutely perfect for that.

Cool concept - wasn’t initially aware that it was connected to a game. Stunning cover. Second book I’ve tried by this author and I think they just aren’t for me. I felt no chemistry between our two main characters and didn’t connect to the FMC at all. Lovers of the game may connect with and enjoy this more!

This was a wonderful mix of cozy romantasy and monster romance. My first Thea Guanzon book but definitely not my last.

I"m not a romantasy girlie,or at least I didn't think I was. But I ate this shit UP. I picked this book up because I had started getting into Critical Role, and after a T. Kingfisher romance/fantasy sweep, I felt like I might be in the perfect mood for it. And I WAS. This book is great because it is heavy on the romance and the plot, and it is the perfect mixture of spicy and sweet. One of the spicy scenes was just so incredibly sensual. This book absolutely surpassed my expectations, and I am obsessed.

Thank you to Random House Worlds and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I. LOVE. THEM. YOUR HONOUR, I LOVE THEM. FIVE HUGE STARS!!

Thea just never disappoints. I adore her writing so much, and this book was no different. Guinevere and Oskar were so cute, I wanted to reach through the screen and squeeze them all the time, haha.

Gwen is just so funny and kindhearted, in her most silly and oblivious way. I giggled so hard at her antics, and love how she is just magnetic to everyone around her (including rival crime bosses that are coincidentally very good at holding shopping bags). Oskar also makes me laugh so hard, but in the complete opposite way. His sassy grumpiness just gets me every time. But he is so soft for her while also challenging everything she hasn't had to face until she started the journey. The whole book just feels like they fit together like puzzle pieces.

I also adored every single one of the side characters, the horses?? Every single person they met along the way. I need a reread right now just to be able to appreciate them all again haha. And I LOVED Oskar's internal commentary. He is absolutely hilarious.

I genuinely enjoyed every single minute of this book, it was quite lighthearted and fluffy, which was exactly what I was expecting and what I wanted. If you're in the mood for comfy and hilarious, Tusk Love is absolutely perfect for you!

This book is definitely in competition for favorite romance of 2025. Thank you NetGalley, Del Ray, Inklore, and Random House for the eARC!

Thea Guanzon’s attention to detail and flowery language really make this book stand out. Tusk Love originally started as a bit in the live TTRPG “Critical Role”. It’s easy to think this book could be played off as a joke or considered “just smut”. ITS NOT! While it can get a little spicy, this book has a clear love for the source material as well as world building that will make any fan of critical role happy!

What I will say new readers will enjoy is that you do not need to have seen any of Critical Role to enjoy this book. Honestly if I hadn’t already watched campaign 2 and know Jesters obsession with the book, I wouldn’t have connected it much to Critical Role. Guanzon’s ability to paint a beautiful word picture really allows new readers to follow the hundreds of hour is critical role lore in a short capacity. It was a pleasant surprise.

The romance between Guinevere and Oskar was truly beautiful. I loved how played up the “troupes” of romance novels were in this book. Poor Oskar seemed trapped in his own romance nightmare, which really mirrored Jester and Fjord in real life. You could definitely tell Guanzon’s attention to detail with the parallels between Jester and Fjord and Gwen and Oskar. I found Oskar’s chapters to be my favorite. I can’t help but find his grumpiness charming.

The Spice was the right amount of heat to help show a woman coming into her own without being cringy. This is definitely not the book for you if you like a fade to black 🫣

Overall this was a very easy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me. I only wish the book was longer and that I got to spend more time with these characters.

This sort of genre is new to me… is it a mix of a monster romance meets cosy woodland fantasy…? I don’t know. But what I do know is I wish there were a thousand more of these books. I absolutely loved every second. We follow Gwen a girl from an unloving family who is trying to meet her future husband, and is attacked by bandits. She is rescued by a half orc with tusks. They travel the Forrest and have lots of well written smutty moments. I loved the magic and the treehuggers. I loved the grumpy meets sunshine and I think it was done so well in this story. The writing was so easy to follow and I’m not normally a fan of third person POV but I didn’t even notice. 10/10 please write more.

Absolute perfection. As a longtime fan of Dungeons & Dragons, Critical Role, romantasy, and spice—Tusk Love truly delivers on all fronts. From the very first chapter, I was completely immersed. Every moment felt like stepping into a chaotic, magical, heart-pounding D&D campaign. I’ve been playing since my teens, and now I love watching my husband and his friends run their own adventures—this book captures that energy flawlessly.

Thea Guanzon’s storytelling is enchanting, fast-paced, and full of wild twists—exactly what you’d expect from a real campaign. I especially loved the dual POV between Oscar and Guinevere; both characters were vivid and compelling, and their chemistry? Off the charts. I’m already hoping we get to see more from this universe in future installments.

Huge thanks to Del Rey Romance for the opportunity to ARC read this gem. I will definitely be grabbing a physical copy when it releases in July!

Tusk Love is exactly what you expect it to be. A fantastical romp through Exandria following two lovable characters as they, themselves, fall in love with each other. It’s fun and funny, feeling exactly like a dnd side quest, while also being adorable and passionate, a pretty darn good romance. Perfect for fans of critical role, or anyone who just enjoys a fantasy rom com now and then.

I ate this up in 3 hours, all 273 pages and I'm debating starting a re-read.
It's a fun and cute but still has some spice to it read!

Ｅｂｏｏｋ Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ
🌟🌟🌟🌟 | (4.2/5)
Tusk Love by Thea Guanzon is so good. This is a new-to-me author, and this will not be the last I read by her. This gave me cozy, magical, grumpy-vs-sunshine vibes, with a good plot. The world-building was so good. I enjoyed the swoon-worthy romance between Oskar and Guinevere! Highly recommend if you want adventure with cozy vibes and some spicy scenes.

Thank you, NetGalley, Thea Guanzon, and Random House Publishing Group for the ebook in exchange for my honest review.

This was fun, but took me a bit to get through. The pacing isn't the best, but overall, a fun read. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t expect to fall this hard for Tusk Love, especially since I don't follow or know much about Critical Role, but wow — this book is such a gem. It’s one of those rare reads that feels like a warm hug from start to finish. The writing is incredibly smooth and easy to get into, and I flew through it in just a couple of sittings.

The writing is so easy to get lost in. Thea Guanzon has such a charming voice, and the story struck this perfect balance between cozy, cute, and genuinely heartfelt (will still having splashes of ✨️spice✨️). The romance was sweet without being over the top, and the world had just enough magic to make it feel whimsical while still staying grounded in emotion.

I also loved how effortlessly everything flowed — nothing ever felt forced or clunky. It was just easy to read in the best way, like slipping into a story you didn’t realize you’d been craving.

If you’re looking for something soft, swoony, sometimes steamy, and delightfully written, this is it. I'm honestly kind of obsessed, which tracks because its Thea Guanzon.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Worlds for the ARC!

The sweetest monster romance!

Tusk Love is quite possibly the most charming and endearing romantasy book I have ever read! Featuring a grumpy half-orc, an adventure hungry heroine, a perilous quest and swoon worthy romance – Tusk Love hits all the highs of a wonderfully, well rounded romantasy novel. The chemistry between the main characters is off the charts – it’s a perfect balance of spice to actual relationship building. Genuinely such a fun and light-hearted read and is perfect for those craving a cosy and comforting monster romance.

If you have no prior knowledge of Critical Role, this is still very much a fun and understandable read – no background knowledge is required so don’t let this scare you from reading what is in my opinion, one of the best romantasy books of the year!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I love that the Critical Role people decided to actually have someone write this book. It was hilarious when it was mentioned in the show. But the story itself is adorable and heartwarming. I love how innocent the FMC is and how protective and just done with her s*** the MMC is. I loved this story so much. It has a 3/5 spice level. <3

This book was absolutely amazing to read, the world building was stunning and the characters and their developments throughout the book was incredible.

Thank you NetGalley & Penguin Random House for the E-ARC!

Now, I love Critical Role. So much. So maybe I was a little biased going into this … but this is genuinely so good. It’s so trope-y in the absolute best way. Thea Guanzon, I was not familiar with your game … incredible.

Oskar and Gwen’s dynamic is just delicious. Their characterisation throughout the novel and how it progresses was gorgeous. At times it felt a little bit infodump-y but at the end of the day it’s a cozy fun romantasy! Do you want chapter upon chapter of lore? No! You want vibes and to see em bang! And that you do! And it’s really well written!

This novel feels like such a perfect intersection of so many things I love. Reading slump officially over.

Many thanks to Del Rey and NetGalley for the preview. All opinions are my own.

Absolutely DELIGHTFUL! Just heel-kicking giddy perfection. This was cozy, light-hearted, SCORCHING, with the perfect amount of action and level of stakes.

The grumpy-sunshine combo of Oskar and Guinevere had me grinning like a fool for most of the book. Their banter and chemistry was fantastic, and the tender moments tugged at my heartstrings. I loved them so much, and both of them had great character growth.

Honestly I can’t get over what a delight this was to read, and I highly recommend!

I'M OBSESSED.

Okay so imagine you’re a merchant’s daughter with a killer dress collection, a heavy dose of wanderlust, and exactly zero survival skills, and then BAM. Bandits. Mayhem. Tragedy. And then out of the chaos appears a grumpy, sword-wielding half-orc who literally saves your life but also looks like he hasn’t smiled since birth.

This book gave me all the feels. Guinevere is the ultimate sheltered girlie ready to break free from her boring noble path and just live a little. And Oskar? He is every emotionally-repressed fantasy heartthrob I’ve ever fallen for. He’s got trauma. He’s got mystery. He probably has great shoulders under that cloak. I’m obsessed. Their road trip romance setup was an adorable chaos. You just know they’re going to bicker, protect each other from monsters, accidentally fall asleep under the stars, and deny their feelings with dramatic sighs. I live for it. Also the stakes, not just "they will they survive” but “will they give up the futures they’ve always been told they have to chase what they actually want” and I was internally screaming YES FOLLOW YOUR HEARTS!!!!!! like some kind of fairy godmother on espresso shot lmfao

calm down damn, anyway I loved it. Give me danger, banter, emotional growth, and soft little moments of unexpected tenderness on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. This book already feels like a hug and a swordfight at the same time. 10/10 would trust Oskar to scowl his way through my enemies.

Thank you Thea Guanzon for the ARC & Random House Publishing Group! ❤️ this was so fun.

This was a cute cozy romance.
I was hoping for more “monster” romance but the MMC seems like a typical human in most aspects.
I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m not a huge cozy romance fan. I need more angst, thrills, etc. The cozy easy love is just not for me; but this is a decent read as a cozy.

Guinevere is traveling to her betrothed home with her dowry when she’s attacked by bandits. Along comes an half-orc names Oskar who saves her. She’s naive and knows nothing about the world and Oskar just wants to go to his mother’s homeland to grieve her. But Oskar can’t leave the defenseless girl all alone so he decides to travel with her. During the journey they are chased by mercenaries that want her dowry. Along the way they both realize that they have feelings for each other.

It has some cute spots, I really liked the goblin troop they traveled with. I did think the author made Guinevere a little too naive and literal bad guys were sweet on her. It dragged a little with no conflict. The spice was good.

But all in all if you are looking for a cute cozy read this is ideal for you.

Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for the arc.