Before I give you my thoughts, I must preface this: I am a HUGE Critical Role fan. I have been for the last 8 years. My sister asked me to start catching up with the episodes of Campaign 1. By the time I had caught up, Campaign 2 was in full swing. Jester is my favourite CR2 character, and the first mention of 'Tusk Love' had me in stitches. Of course, the lore of Tusk Love grew arms and legs, but so did that tiny voice in the back of my head saying, "God, I would love to read this book!"

But now it's real, and it was a joy to read. I struggled to put it down. Every single thing that Laura, Matt, or the rest of the table improvised about the book's plot has been taken by Guanzon and woven into the real thing. I think you would read the book at face value if you didn't know much about Critical Role. But for the fans, there are so many references to the world of Exandria as created by Matthew Mercer that you can tell that Guanzon is a real fan, making the book an exceptional experience for Critters.

As for the plot itself - it's a light-hearted and fun book that, whilst being easier to understand if you are a Critter, would be enjoyable for anyone. It's undoubtedly more romance than fantasy, so if you go into the experience of reading this book with that in mind, it will deliver that romance that leans into some of my personal favourite tropes - grumpy x sunshine, forced proximity, slow-burn romance, one-bed-at-the-inn, and forbidden love. But that doesn't mean romance is the only plot point! The characters each have their struggles in this story, which allows for clear character development.

I'm so grateful to have read this book, and 2017 me would be so jealous!!

I wish this site would let me put more than 5 stars. You know an author is great at what they do when they can write completely different stories and knock it oit of the park every. single. time. Thea has such a great way of bringing life to her characters. She also has the best banter!

The slow burn pining back and forth was just spectacular. I love Guin and Oskar so much and need another book about them ASAP!

One of my guilty secrets is that I really enjoy Orc’s as main character, don’t know why, but that is it. The MMC is a half Orc on a quest to go visit his mother’s family, but stumbles on a “damsel in distress”, although she didn’t need that much help in the end. He ends up helping her complete her trip to meet her parents and her new betrothed, because trouble just seems to be following her.

I really enjoyed this read. The banter was fun, and the slow burn romance from tolerating one another to realising that they’ve fallen in love was good as well.

Thank you for this eARC!

I love Critical Role, and all things Vox, and Thea's other novels.

Unfortunately this kind of felt all over the place, I wasn't super invested until the very end, and even then I'm not sure I would have kept going if I didn't feel a sense of obligation.

There wasn't one particular reason, it just felt kind of all over the place.

The FMC was very flat, I LOVED Oskar, but he frankly deserved better and more of a story redemption or I'm not sure just more. With that said, I recognize that this world isn't meant to give all, and most if not all CR and Vox characters have tragic backstories.

The FMC had this outstanding power, but I feel like we barely got to see it, and when we did it was brief and never truly explained.

I did love the world and travel aspect, and I LOVED that all animals stayed whole and healthy because Pudding and Vindicator were my favorite characters, so thank you Thea.
Overall, this WAS a cozy, sexy, comfy read, and I'd definitely recommend it for fans of cozy, low stakes and especially for fans of things like Vox - with the exception of knowing this is low stakes and cozy.

Tush Love (Critical Role) is a fantastic cozy fantasy romance novel! The world-building, plot, and characters are all very well written and developed.

I absolutely loved Gwen and Oskar’s relationship. It was fun to see the rescuer/rescuee change into something more sweet. And to see a sweetheart like Gwen picking away at Oskar’s gloomy and hard exterior had me laughing until the end. The mystery and magic at the end of their story was the perfect cherry on top because I was dying to know what was in the trunk throughout the journey.

Overall, Tusk Love is the perfect blend of action and romance with a HEA ending and characters you will love!

Thank you to both NetGalley and Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore for providing the eARC.

What started as a cheeky in-world joke from Critical Role turned out to be one of the most unexpectedly tender and fun reads I’ve had in a while. Yes, it’s absolutely ridiculous in the best way. We’re talking orc-elf forbidden romance, passionate rendezvous, and enough drama to make a bard blush. But there’s also something incredibly sweet about it.

I found myself genuinely rooting for the characters. Their love story, wild as it is, touches on themes of acceptance, vulnerability, and breaking down walls, emotional and otherwise. The writing may be playful and a little over-the-top, but it never loses its heart.

I was giggling and kicking my feet through the entire book. Whether you’re a longtime Critter (iykyk) or just someone looking for a fantasy romance that’s equal parts spicy and sweet, I can’t recommend it enough. Honestly, I didn’t expect to love Tusk Love... but I tusk-loved it.

Thank you to DelreyUK and NetGalley for the e-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by Thea Guanzon and it certainly won’t be the last! Thea is a phenomenal writer and did a wonderful job bringing the story of Oskar and Guinevere to life. For context, Tusk Love is a fictional romance novel within the world of Critical Role, the popular Dungeons & Dragons actual play series. The story follows Guinevere, a sheltered merchant’s daughter, and Oskar, a brooding half-orc, as they navigate danger and desire on the Amber Road.

Tusk Love is the classic grumpy meets sunshine tale, jam packed with swoon-worthy romance, action, witty banter and those heartwarming “awwwww” moments. I lost count of how many times I squeaked in excitement as Guinevere and Oskar (mostly unwillingly) stumble into unexpected, unconventional friendships. It’s through these connections that one of my favourite tropes, found family, begins to blossom to life. I love the dynamic between Oskar and Guinevere, their personalities complement each other so well. It’s very much giving Beauty and the Beast vibes!

All in all, a wonderful read. For my D&D and gamer girlies who enjoy cozy reads, spice (and orcs 😉), this one will be right up your alley!

Public review:

4.5 stars

Stages of reading this book:

1) Low key judge the book by its cover.

2) Hmm.. I do love the author… and now that I actually look at the cover, it seems cute and…cozy?

3) Gets approved for an ARC from NetGalley so I ~have~ to read it.

4) This book is….. delightful! So funny and definitely cozy — but adventurous at the same time.

5) Is this monster smut? Am I a monster smut girlie now?

6) I would die for Oskar.

7) Absolutely converted. I apologize for my ignorance. I will read everything Thea Guanzon writes— she knows me better than I know myself.

8) Next step is to convince my friend to read it and live text me their giddy reactions.


Private feedback:

-I thought the dialogue was the perfect amount of cheesy until it got too much. I had some cringe reactions to the dialogue.

-I feel like Oskar’s longing was better written than Guenivwre. I wanted to see more of Guenivwre’s POV on her developing/realizing feelings.

-I didn’t like how quickly lord W turned villain. I do love the idea but I feel like the execution needs more foreshadowing or peeks into W’s character.

A light hearted, sweet and super fun romance peppered with lots of swoonworthy moments!, this was everything I wanted and more, loved the critical role aspect and how Thea expanded upon it, I'm sad I've finished it I might reread it I loved it that much!

This was perfect! As a big fan of Critical Role it was nice to see the lore accurate descriptions of characters, places, etc. Every part of this story was gripping and exciting, the little moments were swoon-worthy, the side characters added to the story, and the plot had a fun twist. I wish we had gotten to see more of Teinidh because she was a fiery little thing!

Thank you Del Rey & NetGalley for the ARC!

PERFECT. Thea Guanzon understood the assignment and nailed it. Sweet, fun, adventurous, a book that doesn’t take itself too seriously but somehow still drives its point about love, social class, greed, and freedom, home.

SO GOOD. This book is giving all of the Snow White and the Huntsman vibes that I could ever want. The pace was perfect, the characters were loveable and I enjoyed it all! I wish the ending wasn't so abrupt. I'd love to have heard more about their HEA but I know it's based off a game that I have not played, so I may be missing some context there. Such a good read over all!

I adore cozy romance books. I adore cozy fantasy books with a lovely and strong romance plot line too. Thea is one of my favourite authors of all time. Both as a fanfic writer and a published author. When I saw she was writing a book called Tusk love, I jumped at the opportunity to read it. This fulfilled my need for both a fantasy with all the elements I love and a romance. The story itself is wonderful, but the characters, Guinevere and Oskar were absolutely fantastic and a brilliant set of joyous characters to follow along. I hope everyone who picks this up loves it just as much as I did. 5 stars!

As a Critical Role fan, I've been hoping to get the chance to read this book for a while and I'm so glad that Thea Guanzon was the one to write it and make this little in-campaign joke a reality. I absolutely adore Guinevere and Oskar, the grumpy/sunshine dynamic was so well written and I was kicking my feet and screaming inside every time she made him smile. Whilst the 'conflict' of the story was a little rushed near the end, if you're a sucker for a cosy fantasy romance like me, then this will not affect your enjoyment whatsoever as the romance is the real shining star in this book (also with the spice in this book, you can see why it's a favourite of Jester's). If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would, easily my favourite book of the year

Guinevere's traveling to the city to meet her parents and her future husband when she is set upon by bandits. A wandering Oskar rescues her and decides to accompany her to town. As the two travel the roads of Exandria, they face many challenges as they try to deny their attraction to one another. What will happen when Guinevere reunites with her family?

Inspired by the world of Critical Role, this book represents a fictional title from a fictional world. Although it was interesting to see all the names of places in print, I did not really enjoy the plot of the novel. Your mileage may vary.

3.5⭐️
🌶🌶🌶

This was delightful!

The book follows Oskar, a half Ork and Guinevere, a spoilt and wealthy merchants daughter. Oskar begrudgingly agrees to deliver Guinevere to safety after mercenaries slaughter her guards and attempt to kidnap her. Guinevere years for adventure but gets more than she bargained for when she starts falling for Oskar.

This book made me smile so much. Absolutely loved Oskar and Guinevere! The story is very easy to read, fast-paced, super sweet, heartwarming, cosy, funny, and SPICY! The spice really surprised me - but in a good way! Still blushing after the waterfall scene 😂

However, I'm not a big fan of insta love and this was very insta lovey and lusty, not much build up to the romance, and the story was maybe a tad bit too fast paced for me.

It's still a fun read though, definitely recommend if you're after a cute, easy, cosy, spicy romantasy.

✨️cosy romantasy
✨️grumpy vs. sunshine
✨️one bed & one horse
✨️monster romance
✨️rich vs. poor
✨️adventurous

Publication date: 1st July 2025.

Thank you, Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group, for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, very interesting and fun. It had a fun and interesting slew of characters and banter! Worth the read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I'd like to request five thousand more of these please. This was so cute, so fun, so adventurous - just the right amount of everything to have me giggling and kicking my feet while also excited in anticipation. I absolutely cannot get enough of Guinevere and Oskar - they are the perfect two slivers of yin and yang which balance one another. Oskar brings out the adventurous in Guinevere, and she the soft and vulnerable in him. The side characters, the world they traveled through, it was just such a solid cozy romantasy.

Wow what was this an enjoyable and heart warming read that I would totally recommend! My bar was super high (I absolutely love Thea’s other books (hurricane wars and monsoon rising) and I gasped from utter delight when I received this arc. But I was absolutely not disappointed.

Like other reviewers I am not familiar with critical role, but honestly I don’t feel that this really blocked my enjoyment of the book. So that’s something I feel Thea did super well.

For me personally, the romance and devotion between Oskar (MMC) and Guinevere happened a little to quick even for me, you only just met, maybe it is a little to early to burn the world for the other (😉😆). But let’s be honest, I did not mind that to much, nor is it a very big complaint, as I do love these kind of things in my romantasy books haha.

And Oskar, oh my! No one writes grovelling, solitary (but still (severely of course) hungry for attention of their significant other), slightly morally grey, cinnamon buns as well as Thea. And honestly I need way more of them, they rule!

I did absolutely hate Guinevere’s parent and I hope Oskar and/or Guinevere did thump them in the face! The other side-characters luckily were better and I like they varied between people who we like/love and people we would throw under a bus, this made the story stronger in my opinion as well.

Lastly, the humour in this book is really good. I LOLed multiple times.


Thank you netgalley and delreybooks for entrusting me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is ok. Its nothing special and pretty clishe in many parts. I really liked the beginning and liked the characters and their romance. But some of the spicy scenes were really just like everything else these days :"Fuck "insert FMC name", youre so tight. Good girl. Youre taking me so well. Come on my c*ck" Its really boring to always read the same kind of dirty talk. If this stuff is your jam, you might enjoy it more.
The story itself isnt really special either and predictable but still a nice read. Some lovely side characters and some really heartfelt moments.
I would have wished for a bit more originality.

Thank you to netgalley and Random House Publishing for providing me with an ARC for this book.