I adored this book so much. I went in expecting something quirky and lighthearted, and I got that. I was not prepared, however, for how clever, character-driven, and utterly charming it would be. The writing is so strong and so effortlessly entertaining that I was hooked from the very first chapter.

The dynamic between the two main characters is pitch perfect. Their banter, chemistry, and emotional connection are irresistible. I fell for both of them immediately and genuinely never wanted to leave their world. The setting has a cozy fantasy feel, almost like a smutty fairy tale, with just enough mystery to keep things moving without ever tipping into high-stress territory. In a week when I needed to unwind, this was exactly the immersive escape I craved.

Though the book is inspired by Critical Role, I’ve never watched a single minute of it, and that never once got in the way. Everything stands on its own beautifully. If anything, it made me appreciate the kind of creative energy that comes from a smart, collaborative D&D table, because it feels like it was born from a place of shared joy and brilliant character work.

Highly recommended for anyone who loves character-driven fantasy romance, laugh-out-loud dialogue, satisfying spice, and low-stakes worldbuilding with high emotional payoff.

I desperately hope there’s more to come. I would happily spend another entire book with these two. Tusk Love was exactly what I didn’t know I needed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Critical Role team for an early copy to review! All opinions are my own. 🫶

This is exactly what I want in a Romantasy novel.
It has action, heart, wit, and an incredible world surrounding all of those things! I’m not the most familiar with Critical Role, but towards the end of this novel I wanted nothing more than to immerse myself in the world and characters that brought this about. Our main characters, Oskar and Genevieve, cannot appear more different at first. The former is a half-orc and quite grumpy all things considered- while Genevieve is seemingly your typical merchants daughter. The way Guanzon plays on these tropes is phenomenal, and while both evaluations of them are technically true, there is so much more to them. While reading, you discover the truth about both of them through the perspectives of both of them- and the total immersion led me to completely losing track of time while fully immersing myself in reading.
Following Oskar and Genevieve is an absolute treat, and both of them flow so well together. Their individual history is incredibly interesting, but seeing how it influences both their thoughts and choices leads to one of the most rewarding slow(ish) burns I’ve read.
From Oskar and his humble background filled with grief to Genevieve and her own griefs despite the glamour she was raised with, they both are incredibly sympathetic. Once I hit the final pages I was simultaneously excited and worried for them. There is so much substance packed into each and every page (and a fair amount of spice too), the care put into writing this is obvious. This is truly an adorable D&D campaign turned into a bite-sized novel- and one of THE “it” novels for the summer. If you’re looking for a good romantasy stand-alone with a sweet fmc, an equally sweet (but far more grumpy) mmc, and plenty of tension and slow burn- this is an AMAZING novel to pick up.

Tusk Love provides readers with a steamy adventure featuring opposites attract. This was so entertaining with a colourful cast of quirky characters. The dynamic is grumpy x sunshine, providing plenty of funny moments and banter. I found the chemistry between them believable and ultimately fun to read. The forbidden element definitely added to the tension. I loved how the FMC grew throughout the novel and found herself. Previously she was duty bound, on the journey she starts to break free, thinking of her own needs. The ending is great with action, fall out and some pretty romantic moments. Tusk Love has all those cozy fantasy elements, cool world building, some peril, magic and mercenaries. The horse’s even had stand out personalities and were well considered during the adventure. My only slight criticism would be the lack of tusks, being in the title I felt these would have had far more attention. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

This was such a fun read!!

As a person who is not a fan of Critical Role but I know of them, I had no problems reading this – it's a cozy romance full of tropes that work really really well. And the cover is perfect, just perfect!
Fantasy wise it was a fun world to be in, the action was written well, as was frankly the entire world. I could say you might miss on things if you don't know the D'n'D world and/or Critical Role, but it isn't so – you can definitely read this without prior knowledge. This is also a first for me by Thea Guanzon but I found myself liking the way she writes. The emotion and the humor was there for sure, I even laughed out loud several times.

Romance wise – listen, EVERYTHING worked. The slow-burn? The tension? All the tropes? One bed, one horse?! I ate that up, all of it. I loved both of our main characters, Oskar and Guinevere. He's a total grump but he loves her so much, like be still my heart! And she is a bit naive, specially at the start but she's such a good heroine, I truly loved her. Their opposites work so well with each other and it made this romance so soft and lovely, like I seriously want to spend more time with them because it made my heart soar.

Thank you to Random House, Thea Guanzon and NetGalley for this eARC.

Tusk Love is a short read (under 300 pages) but it doesn’t take away from the adventure Thea Guanzon seems to write so well, it was giving Princess Bride adventure vibes and the humor was well on point. I have no knowledge at all with Critical Role and thoroughly enjoyed the pacing, dual POV and tropes that didn’t feel forced.

The ending was well done and wrapped up really well. I do wish we could have more adventures with Clan Bonecrusher, Vindicator and Pudding. I am a Thea fan forever. I have ordered my Waterstones copy and I can’t wait to have a physical copy on my shelf.
Sad to be putting this book away for now!

A brooding half-orc. A sheltered merchant’s daughter. One chaotic road trip full of danger, longing, and romance? YES PLEASE.

Reading Tusk Love felt like being swept away into an adventure, fun, fast-paced, and full of heart. I genuinely had such a good time with this book. As expected, Thea Guanzon delivered.

We follow Guinevere, a merchant’s daughter who’s always dreamed of a life beyond what society expects of her, beyond marriage and status. When her caravan is attacked and she’s left stranded, her only hope is to travel with the aloof, grumpy half-orc Oskar, who saves her life.

But Oskar has his own path to follow, one filled with loneliness, grief, and a journey to find the family he’s never met. He doesn’t have time for a spoiled, sheltered girl… even if the spark between them is impossible to ignore.

This is the kind of fantasy romance that feels alive, rich with character, banter, and heart. I adored Oskar and Guinevere’s dynamic, and watching their bond grow page by page was such a treat.

If you love a well-written grumpy x sunshine pairing, high-stakes travel, and emotional depth behind the tropes, this one’s for you.

Thank you a million times over to Random House Worlds for the eARC, physical ARC, and the upcoming PR box! I am seriously so grateful for the opportunities that I receive from my bookish account and this is one of those times where it just feels unreal!

I had a really wonderful and fun time with this one! Tusk Love is an ICON in the Critical Role community and I love that this spicy story was brought to life. This story is funny, heartfelt, cozy, and spicy. I know that the stakes were high, but they never felt overwhelming because the main storyline was on the relationship development so if you are looking for a sexy romp of a story, you will really enjoy this one. I think having background in Critical Role is helpful but it is not required. It allowed me to pick up on Easter eggs and the names of places more.

I loved Oskar and Guinevere, I feel like we got to know them both well (more so Oskar) because it is dual POV, which I really appreciated! I do wish we could have learned more about Guinevere’s magic because that did feel a bit underdeveloped, but the story was pretty short so we didn’t get as in depth on some aspects.

Overall, I do think this will be a big hit with Romantasy fans and I highly recommend checking it out on July 1! Thank you again to Random House Worlds and Thea Guanzon for absolutely spoiling me with this release.

For those unfamiliar with Dungeons & Dragons or Critical Role, one of the characters—Jester—is obsessed with this book. I’m thrilled it now exists in the real world for everyone else to enjoy! Gwen and Oskar are absolutely adorable, and while the plot lovingly embraces all the tropes Jester would swoon over, it also delivers a sweet and spicy romance that stands strong on its own.

Gwen has been raised to be the perfect lady, and her awful parents expect her to save the family from financial ruin by making a "suitable" marriage. But Gwen dreams of more. When she’s attacked by bandits, it seems all hope is lost—until Oskar steps in to save her.

Oskar, meanwhile, is adrift. He’s grieving the recent loss of his beloved mother, whose final wish was for him to journey to her clan and find his purpose. Instead, he finds himself entangled with this prim, proper girl he has no business falling for—especially since she’s destined to marry someone else. But Gwen is looking at him too, and Oskar knows she’s hiding a secret.

Both Gwen and Oskar carry deep emotional wounds, and I loved how they helped each other heal. Their chemistry is heartfelt and compelling. While I initially picked up this book because of its Critical Role connection, I ended up truly enjoying it for its own merits. It’s a charming, romantic adventure with genuine emotional depth.

It was so wonderful to finally get to know the story of Oskar and Guinevere! I've been excited to read about them since I listened to Critical Role campaign 2 years ago and this was well worth the wait. I think Guanzon did an amazing job with the characters and did such a great job with the world of Exandria. This story was spicy and sweet and hit all of the beats of a great romance within the confines of the world. I loved the dynamic between Oskar and Guin so much - the fish out of water aspects for both of them made this story so well rounded and full of joy and humor and tragedy. This is a great story for Critical Role fans and will be just as exciting and enthralling for folks that have never even heard of the wonderful D&D actual play show. I think this is such a hit and I hope for more stories in Exandria soon, from this author or other authors trusted by the Critical Role team!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was SO MUCH FUN!!! I didn't like the FMC at first, but grew fond of her as she developed. I loooooove Oskar and how grumpy and gruff he is at first before turning into an absolute cinnamon roll. The worldbuilding was pretty solid, and the plot was easy to follow and not boring at all. I was very invested in this book from beginning to end. There were some cheesy parts in the book, and I didn't like the miscommunication at the end and found it unnecessary. The smut was pretty good, but could do with less cheesiness there as well. (Ya lost me when it was called a pearl bc WHY??) Other than those issues, this book was cozy, and fun, and had some really heartwarming moments. The banter and humor at different points were cleverly executed and made me giggle hehe. Overall a very solid read!

This book was fun to read. The last Critical Role book I tried to read was the book about Vax and Vex and lets say I did not finish it. This book was fun and I loved both Oskar and Guinevere and their steamy adventure. Lets just say there is a lot of spicy content (at least 3 peppers full).

Tusk Love is a sweet and, in my opinion, overly spicy fantasy romance that is cute and at times funny.

I'm extraordinarily picky about Romance, and this is one of the better ones I’ve read. Romance, I would argue, is one of the most highly subjective genres, in that any number of small things can make you dislike the whole book. For me, it’s alpha male posessiveness dubious consent crap. I hate that. This book has none of that! It has a protective male lead, but he isn’t conflating protective with damseling/controlling a woman, despite Guin being quite the damsel. So that means I actually could read it without wanting to punch out the male MC.

In terms of the plot, the tension in the novel revolves around a looming arranged marriage and whether Guin will turn it down. There’s also a running plot of mercenaries chasing them, though we see them far less than if it were a romance second and a fantasy first. I actually really liked the mercenaries and kind of wanted to see more of them. There are some other subplots brought in to expand the characterizations, though sometimes they fall a bit flat as they aren’t given enough attention.

But you’re not really reading this for the plot. As Romance with a capital R, though, the plot was quite good. The worldbuilding is typical Western fantasy with a variety of species. It’s set in the Vox Machina world, essentially, though it’s mainly forests and a few towns you see.

The characters are fun. Oskar is great and very well-balanced. He’s protective and caring but hides it all under a gruff exterior. I liked him. I wasn’t in love with himself, but I liked him.

Guin though … if Oskar wasn’t there to soften her, I probably would have found her very annoying. While she’s exaggeratedly sheltered and hoity-toity, she isn’t insufferable; it just went too far with her naivety, which made her seem stupid at times. Like the gang member situation. That seems intended just for laughs. It was funny, but it was a bit over the top.

Unfortunately, while I enjoyed the story overall, my interest waned around the 50% mark. I continued, as I had enough interest in seeing the fiance plotline wrap up, but for me, when it comes to romance, once they have sex the first time, I’m usually out. I don’t need five long sex scenes in a book. I’m more of a one sex scene at the end romance person (or even long smooch, or closed door is fine too).

And there was something in this book I found sort of annoying. It seemed like a continuity issue at first, as after the couple engage in a pretty intense sex act, they talk about her still being a virgin. Eventually, I clued in that the book was referring to “loss of virginity” as tied to penetrative sex within the patriarchal, religious notions of “purity,” which I consider outdated and also incongruous to the queernormative worldbuilding in the story. Likewise, the “ease a woman into first-time sex” trope isn't one I find sexy, nor the idea that a dude is too girthy for a woman. Subjective stuff. I told you I'm very picky!

Anyway, overall, it is fun, it’s cute, it’s relatively cozy, it’s spicy. If you want all of those things, and/or you love Critical Role/Vox Machine + a grumpy-sunshine romance, you should check it out.

Tusk Love by Thea Guanzon is a romantic romp that will have you laughing and smiling the whole way. Perfect for lovers of fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons, romance, or even just someone looking for a sweet escape. A woman who has lived her whole life pampered finds herself alone on a long road with a trunk she’s sworn not to open. After a bit of a stick situation Guinevere, a merchant’s daughter, finds herself traveling with Fjord a half-orc who takes her into his protection. Guinevere is too kind for her own good and finds trouble wherever it may be and Fjord finds himself rescuing her from bandits, bogs, and herself. This heartwarming swashbuckling romantasy is a perfect summer read to relax outside with. It will make you laugh, and it might make you cry as you are whisked away by the wonderful and playful writing of Thea Guanzon.

The chemistry between Fjord and Guinevere is playful and at times very funny at times I was reminded very much of Flynn Rider and Rapunzel’s relationship. The damsel in distress that somehow ends up getting herself in and out of trouble in the funniest ways. It felt authentic to a DnD campaign but not so high fantasy that it would be hard for those not usually into fantasy to read.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Worlds for the ARC!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
As a long time fan of Critical Role I was in absolute pure delight when I saw that the famed and often mentioned in campaign book Tusk Love was actually getting a real story and book. And to my D&D loving heart this fulfilled all the spicy fantasy angst and adventure that I was dreaming it would.
Told thru dual POV we follow merchants daughter Guinevere as she finds herself in a precarious situation after her caravan gets robbed by bandits leaving her stranded and all alone. Luckily for Guinevere kind and lone traveler half orc Oskar not only saves her during the attack but agrees to help her get to her intended destination to met with her parents and future betrothal. However the farther the pair travel Guinevere wonders if living a life just for fulfilling a duty is truly what she wants.
This book really did have everything I had needed it to with a cozy and also adventurous story that had all the angst and yearning with its opposites attract forbidden love between the two MCS. The story itself was wonderfully written and easy to binge read as I was able to finish it in one sitting, smiling and laughing the entire time. The friendship, comrade, and then love that forms between Guinevere and Oskar was well paced sweet and spicy treat. I mean who can deny the appeal of a one bed troupe scene. Honestly I really hope that this books release means we will be getting more stories in this format from the Critical Role team and this world as just can’t get enough. Overall I loved every minute of this book and wholly recommend it.

If you are a lover of romantasy books, D&D, and of course Critical Role you will be enchanted and captivated by this delightful opposites attract fantasy read. Tusk Love comes out July 1st, 2025. Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. I always wondered what it was about when it was first mentioned in Campaign 2 and finally having the full story it was so reminiscent of Fjord and Jester. Oskar is an amazing character and so is Guinevere. I loved watching their relationship bloom throughout the book. The action was amazing, the humor made me chuckle. I cannot wait for the audiobook and I will absolutely be rereading and listening. #TuskLove #NetGalley

I had so much fun reading this one. Tusk Love is a soft, sweet fantasy romance that totally swept me up. Think cosy road trip vibes, a gentle Orc with a heart of gold, and a determined magical girlie trying to reconnect with her family.

After getting robbed, Guinevere finds herself stranded, until Oskar, heading the other way, offers to help her get back on track (along with her very important trunk of goods). Cue the two of them navigating forests, mishaps, and feelings they didn’t expect.

Their connection? Instant serotonin. I was grinning the entire time, and their spicy sends had me kicking my feet. I love Guineveres sass and also her consideration for being “proper” despite being nothing at all proper (haha)

Short, charming, and full of heart—this is a one-sitting kind of read under 300 pages that feels like comfort food in book form.

Big thanks to PRH, NetGalley & Critical Role for sending me an early copy

An adventurous and fun fantasy romance on it's own, but fans of Critical Role will be in love with this! This is everything you can want from a sweet and smutty love story, especially one that started with a wizard looking for some paper and led to laughs every time Jester sighed 'ohh Oskar'.

4 cozy twirly sparkly stars⭐️ !!!!!

This was seriously adorable and felt like a warm hug. The perfect cozy monster romantasy between an Orc & a magical human girl who is on a quest across the land to meet with her parents.

The orc, Oskar, finds Guinevere in a bad position, after thieves stole her carriage. Oskar decides that he has to help her get at least some of the way to travel with her trunk (carrying her dowry) and inventory (for her parent’s store), even though he needs to travel in the opposite direction.

The story unravels as this unlikely pair ventures across the land & OBVIOUSLYYYYY fall in love. It was so cute - I was giggling & kicking my feet, having the best time.

It’s a small little romantasy snack, less than 300 pages & standalone! Can easily be read in one sitting 💗

Thank you so much to PRH & Critical Role for the early copy :)

This is not a drill. THIS. IS. TUSK. LOVE. the hype is WORTH IT
The infamous in-universe romance from Critical Role finally made real? I wasn’t ready. Nobody was ready. But by the gods, we’ve been blessed.

It’s spicy. It’s swoony. It’s surprisingly full of heart. Orc x tiefling, enemies-to-lovers, fanfic-on-steroids—this book knows what it's about and leans into it with gleeful abandon.
Props to Thea Guanzon for writing something both steamy as hell and surprisingly tender. Like… it shouldn't work, and yet it's perfection.

What an incredible gem of a book. Thea Guanzon can truly do no wrong. I am not a Critical Role person, and I don't think you need to be to love this book. Tusk Love reminded me of the movie Tangled in all the best ways, and I could not put it down.

Guinevere is our FMC and just like Rapunzel, has been kind of locked away and forgotten. Her journey is centered around the goal of reaching the town where her new fiance is. Of course she has never met the fiance, and it has all been arranged by her parents with the goal of raising their station. What follows instead is her accidental run-in with Oskar who is the best kind of grumpy, and lowborn, and their love story.

I truly can't recommend this one enough, and I hope that anyone that loves a good romantasy picks it up