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.

I LOVED THIS, and I was SO excited to get an eARC for it through Netgalley and Del Rey. It made my whole year to get approved, so I read it right away in pretty much one sitting.

We follow beautiful, sheltered Guinevere, who is on her way to be married off to a rich lord. Her caravan is attacked by bandits, and she is assisted by a grumpy half-orc named Oskar, who reluctantly agrees to help her reach her destination.

Guinevere is not like a lot of popular female characters right now. She is not super snarky or knowledgeable about the world--she is very sweet and trusting and some people may find her a weak character. But she has a lot of strengths that are in her kindness, and she grows A LOT through the story while retaining that kindness, and I think that was such a wonderful thing to see. She also is aware of her beauty and takes pride in Oskar's attraction to her, and I liked that confidence she had.

Oskar was just the PERFECT amount of grumpiness and it was so endearing to see how he began to fall for Guinevere and see her innocence and sweetness as strength and helps her get past her insecurities that came from her parents always putting her down. He really helps her grow as a character.

ALSO the spice scenes were so good and meaningful, and there were a few of them! Just a wonderful read, and I pre-ordered a physical copy.

This was such an adorable, delightful read!!!

This book had everything -- romance, fantasy, and a mystery that kept me hooked right from Page 1.

As a Critical Role fan, I was curious to see what they did with what is almost an in-game joke, and I was slightly worried it would end up being gimmicky or fan-service-y, but this book was so delightfully far from that! It did justice to its D&D origins, the world of Exandria, and still managed to be a charming romantasy that can be enjoyed on its own. Made me want to read more from this author straight away -- already put her previous book on hold at the library. Also makes me want to read more books set in a D&D world and more monster(?) romances. So, so happy with this reading experience!!!

Fun, cozy, and entertaining read. I think it'll sell well and be a fan favorite within the genre.

Found it a little tricky to get into at first and admittedly was shocked at how similar it is to another cozy monster book I read and loved that was published before this one. It was distracting that the two are so similar and I found myself comparing them often. Would've loved to have seen something more unique especially in the first 1/2 of the book, but also love the genre for its similarities and ease in that sense so my feelings are a little mixed.

This Critical Role cozy fantasy is a gem of a read! I’m a sucker for Grumpy/Sunshine and a road trip trope, and Guanzon delivered in spades. I fell in love with our two idiots in love as well as the friends they made along their way. Perfect if you like your fantasy on the spicier side!

Tusk Love follows Guinevere, a sheltered merchant’s daughter whose carefully planned future is upended when bandits attack her caravan. Stranded and alone on the treacherous Amber Road, she’s rescued by Oskar—a gruff, aloof half-orc with no patience for spoiled nobility. Forced to travel together, sparks fly as their tense partnership slowly transforms into something deeper.

The setup was intriguing and the road trip dynamic had its fun moments. While the characters weren’t quite for me overall, I have to admit: I do love a grumpy man, and Oskar definitely kept me engaged in the romance. I also don’t know anything about Critical Role, which may have affected how much I connected with the world. Still, this one had charm and will likely hit the mark for fans of fantasy romance with a dash of slow-burn tension.

Ok this book was not what I was expecting! It’s so cozy and the characters are so charming and lovable!

I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would and I truly believe it’s because I fell in love with the characters!
Just relax and enjoy this read!

Tusk Love was an absolute delight—cozy, sweet, and just the right amount of steamy. Thea Guanzon blends humor and heart so well that I found myself smiling through most of the story. The characters were lovable and full of personality, and the romance had that perfect mix of warmth and spice. It didn’t take itself too seriously, which made it all the more fun to read. If you’re looking for a feel-good romance with a little heat and a lot of heart, this is a great pick.

I am so obsessed with this! It was such a cute cosy fantasy set in the world of critical role which I didn’t know about before! I am now planning on learning more about critical role! But I hope more books like this are written!

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.