Hi friends! So today I'm going to be doing a review on "Tusk Love" by Thea Guanzon. This review is going to be short and sweet (like the title suggests) and spoiler free (however there will be the Goodreads synopsis in this and sometimes it can contain spoilers so please keep that in mind!)
"As the daughter of an ambitious merchant, Guinevere's path has been marry into a noble house of the Dwendalin Empire, raise her family's station, and live quietly as a lordling's obedient wife. But Guinevere longs for a life unbounded by expectations, for freedom and passion and adventure.
Those distant dreams become a sudden reality when her caravan is beset by bandits, leaving her guards slain and Guinevere stranded alone on the dangerous Amber Road. Her only chance of survival is to travel alongside Oskar, the aloof half - orc who saved her during the attack.
Unlike Guinevere, Oskar's path is not so set in stone. With his mother dead and his apprenticeship abandoned, all that's left is a long, lonely walk to a land he's never seen to find family he's never met. The last thing he needs is a spoiled waif like Guinevere slowing him down - even if the spark between them sizzles with promise.
Despite his cold exterior, Oskar is brave and thoughtful and unlike anyone else Guinevere has ever met. And while Guinevere may be sheltered, she brings out a softness in him that he has never dared to feel before. As the flamed of passion grow, they realize that soon they'll need to choose between their expected destinations or their blossoming romance."
So the reason I wanted to read this is because I have slowly been getting into the Critical Role universe due to my partner, and I know how badly they wanted this book so I bought it. Friends, I'm not gonna lie, I didn't love this one. The adventure was fun, the romance was cute and I genuinely was rooting for our main characters. However, Guinevere was the most ridiculously naive character I have ever read in my entire life. Unfortunately for me, I am a character reader, and as much as I wanted to love her, I couldn't get behind how downright idiotic she was at times. I understand she's supposed to be sheltered but honestly, I just really disliked her. Did she have quite a bit of character development? Sure. Did that absolve her from the way she acted at the start. Absolutely not. Also if I have to read "secret pearl" in a smutty scene ever again I think I might retch. Has this put me off continuing with the Critical Role universe? Absolutely not I'm so excited to keep listening. Did I hate this book? No. The general story behind it all was truly fun and interesting. Would I recommend this to anyone though? Probably not.
I gave this book a 3/5 star rating on Goodreads
What did you think of this book? Who were your favourite or least favourite characters? Do you have any books you'd recommend for me to read and do a review on? Please let me know down in the comments below!
Have a wonderful day!
