Tusk Love (Critical Role)
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A merchant’s daughter who yearns for adventure gets more than she bargained for when she falls for a broodingly handsome stranger in this saucy romantasy from the author of The Hurricane Wars.
This gorgeous hardcover edition features beautiful designed endpapers and a reversible jacket with in-world fan art by Jester Lavorre.
“A true delight of a book! Spicy and heartfelt—this one is a winner all around.”—Katee Robert, author of Neon Gods
A COSMO AND BOOK RIOT BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
As the daughter of an ambitious merchant, Guinevere’s path has been predetermined: marry into a noble house of the Dwendalian 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 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 flames of their passion grow, they realize that soon they’ll need to choose between their expected destinations or their blossoming romance.
Written by New York Times bestselling author Thea Guanzon at the behest of Critical Role’s Jester Lavorre, Tusk Love brings the most romantic story on Exandrian bookshelves to life.
This gorgeous hardcover edition features beautiful designed endpapers and a reversible jacket with in-world fan art by Jester Lavorre.
“A true delight of a book! Spicy and heartfelt—this one is a winner all around.”—Katee Robert, author of Neon Gods
A COSMO AND BOOK RIOT BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
As the daughter of an ambitious merchant, Guinevere’s path has been predetermined: marry into a noble house of the Dwendalian 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 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 flames of their passion grow, they realize that soon they’ll need to choose between their expected destinations or their blossoming romance.
Written by New York Times bestselling author Thea Guanzon at the behest of Critical Role’s Jester Lavorre, Tusk Love brings the most romantic story on Exandrian bookshelves to life.
BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
This book was adorable and so much better than it had any right to be. I listened to the audiobook with my husband back and forth from vacation on a couple really long car rides. We both enjoyed it a lot. He listens to Critical Role and knew a bit about the setting going in. There's some good banter, good spice, and, of course, a HEA.
I went into Tusk Love expecting a cozy and sexy romantasy moment. Especially since this one gets a lot of hype. What I got instead was a cringy story in a super quick audiobook. Mostly because it was short and well-narrated, and not because I was emotionally invested.
The “fedora energy” characters felt cringy rather than engaging. Oskar gave me full “mi lady, tips hat” energy. Guinevere felt like the apologetic, magically gifted virgin whose entire arc depends on being rescued and validated by a man. Their dynamic never really evolved past that. Which made it hard to care about their romance. The plot itself stays very low-stakes, with conflicts that pop up and then resolve almost immediately. There was never much tension pulling me forward.
The story leans hard into tired and familiar fantasy romance tropes. Guinevere’s journey toward controlling her magic and distancing herself from her awful family had potential. I just never fully connected with it in execution.
Fair warning that this is creature romance. The smut is descriptive but very vanilla, cozy rather than daring, and definitely does not lean dark romance.
The audiobook narration absolutely carried this experience. Teddy and Brittany did a great job with inflection and emotional delivery. They clearly understood their characters.
This feels like a book made for readers who want a soft and low-angst fantasy romance, and with explicit and gentle spice. This might work better for you than it did for me if you love cozy fantasy and do not mind trope-heavy characters or creature romance.
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.