TUSK LOVE
High Fantasy, Fantasy-Romance,
Critical Role
AUTHOR:
Thea Guanzon
RELEASE DATE:
July 01, 2025
PUBLISHER:
Random House Worlds
ISBN/ ASIN NUMBER :
9780593874264
RATING:
4.5
AUTHOR LINK:
https://www.theaguanzon.com/
https://critrole.com/
Guinevere is the daughter of down-on-their-luck
merchants. She yearns for freedom and adventure, not the future her parents
planned out. When her caravan is
attacked, Guinevere is rescued by a grumpy half-orc. Her journey is fraught
with obstacles and enemies. Guinevere never anticipated falling for her sullen
travel companion. What path would she choose? A vagabond life with Oskar? Or
the privileged life Guinevere’s parents arranged?
Oskar is a blacksmith’s apprentice. He intends to visit
his deceased mother’s clan in the north. However, Oskar encounters Guinevere
when her caravan is set upon by bandits. The woman is sheltered, helpless, and
annoying, yet Oskar agrees to escort her to her destination. Something about
Guinevere awakens his soft and protective side. Oskar knows he has nothing to
offer her. Can he walk away once they reach their journey’s end?
Guinevere is not the usual heroine type that I enjoy. In
the beginning, she comes across as the typical, cliché damsel-in-distress – one
who feels the need to please her parents. However, Guin starts to change as the
story progresses. Her demeanor and personality remind me of an old role-playing
character that I used to play years ago. Perhaps that is why I clicked with her
so easily. And I also liked how her naivete and kindness charmed even the most
hardened souls.
Orcs are not my favorite fantasy creatures. I have
noticed a rise in their popularity in both anime and books (there is even an
author who writes orc romances). Oskar grew on me. He behaves sullen and
grumpy, but that is all an act to hide his cinnamon roll-y insides. What I
adore the most about Oskar is his persistence in protecting Guinevere. He even
put his vow of visiting his mother’s people on hold to help Guin on her
journey. Oskar even got angry for her sake, especially after learning how her
parents treat her.
TUSK LOVE is a standalone, romance fantasy set in the
Critical Role world. Fans of Dungeons & Dragon type stories will enjoy this
book. I am a fan of Vox Machina – thanks to the animation on Prime. When I
noticed TUSK LOVE’s title matched the one Pike read in the show, I just HAD to
read it too. It did not disappoint.
Tropes in the story: grumpy/sunshine, opposites attract, forced proximity.
I would be interested to read more stories set in the
Critical Role world. High fantasy (like D&D’s Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance)
is one of my favorite genres. Romance is another. I have a difficult time
finding fantasy-romance stories with this level of fantasy. Most of the ones I
find center around The Fey or the commonly, overly used fantasy creatures.
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