Tusk Love by Thea Guanzon – Reading Diary Part 2

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Last time we spoke, I was about 50% through Tusk Love. My thoughts were pretty neutral at that point as the story was following a fairly typical arc for fantasy.

I enjoyed that aspect and had few complaints. But I have since finished the book and now have far more thoughts about it!

It is still a fairly light-hearted story, that no prior knowledge of Critical Role is needed to dive right into. 

So let’s chat about the second half of Tusk Love. 

Continuing the Journey

Funnily enough, until I hit pause about halfway through, there was some flirtation but no definitive spice. Going into this book, I wasn’t sure if it was going to be spicy, but boy. I unprepared for what came next. 

From about 50% to about 80% was where the spice completely overpowered the plot. 

The romantic aspects of the story were turned all the way up. While the previously stated plot had to take a seat on the sidelines. 

We meet a few more likable characters on the Amber Road who help Guinevere and Oskar. The mercenaries are still a thorn in both Guinevere and Oskar’s sides, but alas, they prevail.

We also find out a ton more about the mercenaries, and it makes me want to punch Guinevere’s parents even more. 

The tone is still adventurous and romantic but does begin to take a bit of a darker/more serious tone the closer we get to the main climax. 

The second half of the book feels pretty balanced with the first half, with the main difference being how spicy it gets. 

Favorite Moments

I wish we had gotten more of Guinevere’s character development and gotten to know a bit more about Oskar. 

Guinevere is the definition of sheltered cottage-core sunshine, but not in an over the top annoying way. I very much enjoyed how much personal development she had gone through by the end of the book. 

I also loved the karma her parents got. Like, where do some people get the audacity? 

I particularly enjoyed the dynamic between Guinevere and Oskar, and this book was full of tropes I personally enjoy: 

• One bed
• One horse
• Grumpy x Sunshine (but done well)
• Forbidden romance
• Mini adventure
• She comforts him

I also liked that the stakes were not crazy high. There were some moments when I worried about my favorite duo but felt confident everything would resolve in the end. 

How It Surprised Me

If it wasn’t obvious, I was shocked by how spicy this book ended up being! 

I thought it would be heavy on the flirting and light on the actual smut.

I did find myself comparing it to Swordheart by T. Kingfisher quite a bit but they are only really similar on the surface. 

The ending did feel a little scattered, and I was kind of surprised by the ship scene, but for the most part the ending went kind of how I expected it would.

Especially after everything we learn between Guinevere on the road with Oskar and then everything we learn from her parents once they finally arrive. 

Connection to Critical Role

I did do some research, and Tusk Love is an in-game novel/novella! 

So its being brought to life was probably something Critical Role fans were excited about. 

Do you need to know anything about Critical Role to enjoy Tusk Love? 

Definitely not. Tusk Love can be enjoyed as a standalone fantasy romance with no need to know anything else. 

It is also considered a monster romance, and as someone very new to monster romance, I would say Tusk Love is a great place to start if you’re looking to read more monster romance. 

Closing Thoughts 

Overall, Tusk Love is a fun, low-stakes and light-hearted fantasy romance about a sheltered merchant’s daughter who enters an unlikely alliance with a grumpy half-orc. 

It is full of fun, adventure, mature themes (like arranged marriages and spice) and was a standalone if you don’t want to commit to a new series. 

I will say it definitely helped with my reading slump. The first half of the book I read and the second half of the book as an audiobook.

The audiobook is narrated by Brittany Pressley and Teddy Hamilton and is about 9 hours. 

I am personally not a fan of Brittany Pressley’s narration, but because I was invested I decided to just listen. 

Brittany and Teddy do a pretty good job of bringing the characters to life and narrating in a way that flows nicely with the other’s voice, vs competing. 

I definitely recommend Tusk Love, and if you haven’t read Swordheart by T. Kingfisher, read that too! 

Tusk Love gets a solid 3.75 stars out of 5 stars from me. 

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