Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for the ARC!

Tusk Love is a cozy monster romance inspired by DnD. I haven't played the game, but still had a good time with the book. I liked how grumpy but protective the MMC was and how naive the FMC was. She saw the goodness in everyone and he tried to protect her from the world. Their romance was quite insta-love, but I didn't mind. They had several adorable moments together and they fit. The traveling element and the quest was fun.

Unfortunately I couldn't finish the book because I felt underrated as a reader. I couldn't get past the enticement of the main character by his love interest using his mother's scented toiletries.

This was an adventurous and fun fantasy romance! Certainly enough spice to keep you entertained as well which is always a plus! Perfect amount of emotional heart as well, and I really liked the dynamic between Guinevere and Oskar!

This is very whimsical and I can definitely see the D&D inspiration which is fun but it really didn’t hold my attention and the pace was very slow. It moved a bit like a lazy river which is great if you want something cosy and sweet but wasn’t what I was expecting which could be my own fault. I think this book made me realise I’m just not a huge fan of cosy romance.

It was quite funny and got a few laughs out of me so I’ll give it that but it took me longer to read than any book in the last three years which isn’t the greatest sign. The last 5% was better than the entire book and I wished that the other 95% had had that same vibe.

I will say, I think this is my own fault because I didn’t realise going into it that it was D&D and I don’t know a lot about Critical Role which definitely affected my enjoyment.

I had loved the Hurricane Wars so as soon as I had seen this, had to request.

This was a completely different direction from the hurricane wars but I enjoyed every minute of it.

This was a cosy fantasy romance that was written beautifully and would definitely read again.

Omg. I cannot believe I didn't read this one sooner. It wss so much fun! And spicy and super cute. I absolutely loved it

The problem with being a fan of Critical Role, especially Campaign 2, is that I hyped this book up so much in my head. Then I dropped off from Campaign 3 and felt absolutely no desire to read this - which did a complete disservice to it, and was completely unrelated!

Guinevere and Oskar have a delightful, *fun* and adorable love story, in a book completely playing into everyone's favourite tropes (only one bed, at two separate inns?!), and with only one very short instance of miscommunication which is forgivable in my eyes. We need a dark night of the soul, an' all that.

This book is very predictable but of course it is - it's a romance novel. It also gets very spicy at times. The characters aren't particularly three-dimensional, and their internal monologues do get a little repetitive (especially as relates to Guinevere's betrothal), but at the end of the day intricately crafted characters aren't what I look for in a fun and silly romance.

Very readable, and extra amusing to see what names and terms were replaced due to being too close to D&D legal trademarks/copyrights...! 3.5 but I'll round up to 4 because I'm feeling generous, and it's a very easy read.

oskar is going straight in my top 3 fictional bfs. Period. I don’t even need anything else in life—just me, him, and his half-orc grumpy self

The book’s greatest strength lies in its lovable characters, particularly Guinevere—a kind, well-mannered, and self-sacrificing merchant’s daughter who always prioritizes others’ needs while hiding a powerful secret—and Oskar, a gentle, cinnamon-roll half-orc who masks his kindness behind a gruff, intimidating facade. Their fates intertwine when bandits ambush Guinevere’s caravan, triggering her hidden fire-wielding abilities just as Oskar steps in to save her.

DNF @ around the 70% mark. The FMC is so annoying and the MMC is insufferable. They also had 0 chemistry. This is such a disappointment considering I'm a fan of Thea Guanzon's past works.

I enjoyed this book a lot, but it was not what I thought it was going to be.

I was sold on this book because I love DnD. I play it a lot and have recently gotten into DMing. I was sold on the fact that this book was a novel found inside a Critical Role campaign. Unlike what some people believe, the book is not based off of their players or their campaign, its just brought to life a novel found by their characters.


while I really enjoyed this for what it is, I just thought the pacing was off.

I loved this story, it was so cute, cozy and fun!

Guinevere is on the road to meet her betrothed but gets set upon by bandits....and saved by half-orc, Oskar.

'It is my duty to marry well. Father writes that Lord Wensleydale is not too old and has all his teeth.'

From there, Oskar takes Guin to deliver her safely to her new man........

Guinivere is just so sweet. She's caught between duty to her family and the fact that her eyes have been opened to what could be.

Oskar is The Man. I love him and his dirty talk!

As I said, I loved this, it was full of action, was saucy and ONE BEEEEEEEED!!!!!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone | Del Rey for providing me with this e-book in exchange for an honest review*

DAMN! That's how you write a fantasy! This book was amazing. It got me tinkling, all over in place. Oskar was so well crafted that he quickly dethroned most of my book boyfriends. And, my God, I loved Guanzon's prose in Hurricane Wars but the writing on this one was elevated by 100%. Definitely recommend it!

I'm not really familiar with Critical Role or D&D, but I still thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I loved the characters and how we're thrown into the action. The story was fun and easy to follow with plenty of my favourite tropes - grumpy x sunshine for the win!

I thought this was a great introduction to monster romance with the right amount of fantasy and romance genre balance.

This was a perfect cozy romantasy with the best grumpy x sunshine trope I’ve read in a while. I was hooked from the very beginning, I loved the fact that the story progressed quickly and that it was not high-stakes. It was fun and cute, full of DnD references but those were just a bonus in my opinion, because this story stands really well on its own.
As far as the romance is concerned, I felt the connection between Oskar and Guinevere right away, which was everything I wanted from this book. Oskar is the ultimate bookboyfriend, green flags all around. And it was just spicy enough, it was so well-done!

I alternated between the ebook and the audiobook and I have to say that the audiobook was absolutely fantastic. The fact that Teddy Hamilton in one of my favorite narrators ever was a lovely bonus.

I would definitely recommend this to any romantasy lover looking for a short and sweet read.

This was such a fun read!, perfect for fan of cozy wholesome low stakes fantasies. I absolutely loved our two characters, the grumpy x sunshine vibes (which is a personal favourite of mine) the orc who normally wouldn't even give you a friendly smile but would move mountains for his girl and our innocent yet fiery (pun intended) FMC who you can't help but love, oh and the one bed trope too (a second personal favourite). The writing was also beautiful, the way the surroundings were described and the way characters were written it managed to give you enough world building and character description in such a short book in a way that it didn't feel neither overwhelming or infodumpy nor lacking in information.

I have no idea what Critical Role is so I am definitely part of the wider audience who will pick this book up because it looks cute, not because of the fandom.

The FMC was naive and insufferable and acted about 14 - but she was meant to at the start because by the end her growth was very clear to see and very endearing. MMC was written with sympathy and plenty background to provide depth.

Lots of exactly the sorts of tropes that are crowd pleasers:
-only one bed
-unwashed two weeks on the road but being intimate anyway
-riches to rags (ish)
-grumpy sunshine

Overall, a quick and fun read!

Tusk Love by Thea Guanzon is a charming and cozy romantasy that perfectly blends humor, heart, and adventure without wasting a single page. The story moves briskly, pulling you into a world filled with magic, quirky characters, and undeniable chemistry.

The heroine, Guinevere, is refreshingly grounded—sheltered yet earnest in her attempts to be brave and kind beyond her sheltered upbringing. Opposite her is Oskar, the half-orc blacksmith with a gruff exterior but a genuinely sweet heart, making for an irresistible and tender dynamic.

Their journey together is filled with witty banter, moments of self-discovery, and that delightful push-and-pull of forbidden attraction. The story captures the spirit of classic fantasy romance with a modern, cozy twist, complete with memorable sidekicks (including some delightfully spirited horses) and a sense of whimsical magic reminiscent of a lively D&D session.

Whether you’re a fan of romantic adventures or just looking for a sweet, spicy, and utterly binge-worthy read, Tusk Love is an enchanting tale that hits all the right notes—heartfelt, funny, and deeply satisfying. Gwen and Oskar’s story stays with you long after the last page, proving that sometimes the best love stories come with a little chaos and a lot of charm.

I think this book could've been something I enjoyed because I found the premise fun, and the worldbuilding and the characters in and of themselves were interesting. Every place in the book and every character is described with so much detail, which allowed me to really picture them and yet it was never overwhelming. I also somewhat liked Guinevere's character development even if I often felt like it was fading a little too much in the background of the romance.

Which leads me to talking about what didn't work for me: the dynamic between Oskar and Guinevere. Right off the bat, there's insistence on certain things that I personally don't enjoy when I'm reading romance, like the fact that there are so many unnecessary reminders of size differences between them, Oskar's occasionally patronizing attitude towards Guinevere or the overemphasizing of Guinevere's naivete. While they kind of make sense within this story, it still felt too hammered in for me to feel comfortable with. I also really didn't like that third act drama because, putting myself in Guinevere's shoes, that felt really hurtful and it was hard for me to go from that to fully rooting for the couple again in such a short span of time.

In the end, it's all personal preference so I think that given to the right audience, this book could still have its enjoyers because it's also fun and well-written!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC.

d and d and romantasy? I was in from the start! This was a fun romp of a book and I absolutely liked the characters.

its just such a cute and cosy book. Its both sweet but spicy, has grumpy sunshine aspects, a touch of forced proximity and I loved it. Huge fan of thea guanzon since hurricane wars and just really enjoyed this one too. The world building, character development and pacing just hit the spot for me and I really loved both Guinevere and Oskar. Was rooting for them so much ♡ perfect if youre after a really cosy romantasy.