Assistant to the Villain

Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer (Entangled Publishing, 2023) is an adult fantasy and a workplace romantic comedy that subverts fairy-tale tropes in an exploration of heroes, villains, and the definition of good and evil. The book was an instant New York Times number one bestseller and a finalist in the 2023 Goodreads Choice Awards for the romantasy category. The sequel, Apprentice to the Villain, is due for publication in 2024. Prior to penning Assistant to the Villain, her debut novel, Hannah Nicole Maehrer earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Pennsylvania State University. The novel is based on her viral TikTok Assistant to the Villain series, which launched her authorial career.

This guide refers to the 2023 first edition trade paperback edition of Assistant to the Villain.

Plot Summary

Assistant to the Villain is told through the alternating perspectives of Evangelina (Evie) Sage, an optimistic and perky young woman, and Trystan Maverine, the dark and brooding Villain of the kingdom. Having lost her previous job with the town blacksmith when she shunned his advances, Evie is now desperate for employment to support her younger sister and ailing father. One day, she accidentally finds herself running for her life alongside the Villain, who is, contrary to the portraits hung in the town square, gorgeous. Impressed with her tenacity and drawn to her for reasons he can’t explain, Trystan hires Evie as his assistant, and it turns out to be the best job that Evie has ever had.

Several months into the job, Trystan and Evie learn that there is a spy in the office who is passing information to Trystan’s archenemy, the king. Together, they begin an investigation that brings them closer together, as there are few other trustworthy people in the office. The search brings them to the homes of Trystan’s estranged siblings, and the encounter gives Evie new insight into the man she is supposed to fear above all else. Despite his forbidding reputation, Trystan is clearly loved, and Evie finds herself growing attracted to him, even if he does hang severed heads in the office entryway.

In addition to Trystan, Evie also forges relationships with her officemates—particularly the dragon tamer, Blade, who came to the castle after he stole the dragon from the king to protect it. After finding an employment letter from the king in the trainer’s room, Evie urges him to tell Trystan the truth about the dragon so that she doesn’t have to be the one to reveal his secret. Blade never follows through, and when Trystan discovers the letter among Evie’s things, he accuses her of double-crossing him. Feeling betrayed by the one person she truly trusted, Evie quits her job.

In her absence, the office becomes a mess of disorganization, and Trystan feels guilty for the first time in years. At home, Evie despairs over the loss of her job until she realizes that she has the power and self-worth to confront Trystan about his behavior. She returns to the office, where Trystan apologizes and offers her the job back. Evie takes it and Trystan’s tentatively offered trust, which leaves Trystan reeling because it has been years since he has wanted someone to trust him.

After removing the dragon’s chains, the tamer finds a warning for Trystan inscribed on the inside of them, as well as the mark of Evie’s town blacksmith. When Evie fled the blacksmith’s employ, he stabbed her with an enchanted dagger that left a wound that won’t heal. Now, when Evie accompanies Trystan to question the man, the wound spikes with pain in the dagger’s presence. Furious at the blacksmith’s poor treatment of Evie, Trystan arranges an accident for him, and Evie is taken aback by Trystan’s protectiveness.

The king seeks a pair of guvres—deadly creatures with toxic breath—so Trystan captures them first. One night, Evie and her officemates receive invitations to a party. They are sure it’s a trap, but they attend anyway, finding it hosted by Trystan’s father, Arthur. Trystan reluctantly attends, and when he and Evie dance, Trystan decides to let himself have this one moment of happiness with her before he lets her go for good in order to protect her. Midway through the dance, the guvres attack; the office spy released them and set them on the party. Working together, Trystan, Evie, and the others subdue the creatures, but Trystan’s father is captured under suspicion of being the Villain.

Back at the office, the group plans to rescue Trystan’s father, and Evie works with the enchanted dagger so that it won’t cause her so much pain. As she does, a discussion with Trystan’s sister reveals that one of her customers has a name that matches an alias that Evie’s father uses. Combined with the special ink her father gave her when she started working for Trystan and the lack of other suspects, Evie realizes that her father has been spying on her and undermining Trystan’s operation. She returns home, where she tricks her father into revealing everything and drinking a sedative that knocks him unconscious.

Evie moves into the office, and just as she begins to hope that everything will be fine, the king captures Trystan, leaving Evie with his guards, one of whom is the blacksmith. Using the dagger, Evie kills the blacksmith, ending the pain that the weapon has been causing her. After hanging his head in the entryway, Evie begins to plan a rescue mission for Trystan, determined to save him even if it means becoming a villain herself.