THE INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING SERIES

Once Upon a Time meets The Office in Hannah Nicole Maehrer’s laugh-out-loud viral TikTok series turned novel, about the sunshine assistant to an Evil Villain…and their unexpected romance.

REWARD OFFERED: Apprentice to The Villain wanted for treason (light), magical property damage (alleged), and one incident involving a weaponized scone (accurate). Frequently seen with a grumpy frog (crowned, judgmental). Answers to “Evie” or “Stop that.”

Evie Sage didn’t mean to become the right-hand woman to the kingdom’s most terrifying villain. One minute, she was applying for an entry-level position that promised “light paperwork and occasional beheadings,” and the next, she was knee-deep in magical mayhem, murder plots, and an entirely inappropriate crush on her brooding, sharp-jawed, walking disaster of a boss.

Now, with a magical prophecy unraveling, assassins showing up in the break room, and a suspicious amount of frogs wearing crowns, Evie has to figure out how to survive her job without setting the kingdom on fire—or her dignity, which is hanging by a very sarcastic thread.

Being evil-adjacent was never part of the five-year plan. But then again…neither was falling for The Villain.

A magical office comedy with grumpy bosses, snarky frogs, and definitely-not-feelings.

The Assistant and the Villain series is best enjoyed in order.
Reading Order:
Book #1 Assistant to the Villain
Book #2 Apprentice to the Villain
Book #3 Accomplice to the Villain

PW Annex Reviews

Love and villainy continue to intertwine in bestseller Maehrer's bewitching third Assistant and the Villain romantasy (after Apprentice to the Villain). Evie Sage continues to up her game in winning the love of her boss, Trystan, the eponymous villain, by proving her capacity for evil—albeit in her own sunshiny way. Meanwhile, Trystan desperately tries to stop loving Evie after hearing a prediction of doom about their future together. Still, he can't help feeling proud as Evie comes into her own as a confident leader—exactly what they need as they race the good King Bennedict to fulfill a prophecy about returning the waning magic to their lands. Evie has more to lose than ever in this installment, with her family and friends by her side as the waning magic becomes increasingly erratic. Maehrer delivers exactly what her legion of fans will be looking for: plenty of shocking twists and, of course, her signature humor. This keeps the series going strong. Agent: Brent Taylor, Triada US. (Aug.)