Great writing. Phenomenal Narration. Seriously, the narrator was so good that I could pretty much forgive what I didn’t like about this book.
blurb:
A not-so-evil villain strikes a deal with a not-quite-perfect hero to fake a feud, boost their reputations . . . and try not to fall in love in the process—in this hilarious, tender, sexy, and outrageously fun romp that blends the humor of Assistant to the Villain with the unforgettable romance of Heated Rivalry and the cozy fantasy vibes of Legends & Lattes.
Fake nemeses. It’s a dastardly plan that can’t go wrong… until love crashes the act.
Nobody is more surprised than Cyrus to learn that he’s no longer considered the greatest villain in the land of Athaca. Sure, he’s lying about the fact that his magical power is making flowers grow. And maybe lately he’s spent more time embroidering pillowcases than tormenting the locals. But that doesn’t mean he’s ready to be yesterday’s evil news.
Enter the hero Maximillian: the realm’s golden boy, complete with a blinding smile, chiseled abs, and an infuriating habit of spreading hope and joy. (Gross.) If Cyrus wants to be taken seriously, he’ll have to take this guy down.
But Maximillian isn’t quite as perfect as he seems. When he proposes a scheme to fake an epic rivalry and increase their fame, Cyrus can’t resist. Stage the battles, soak up the spotlight, share the spoils—it’s a villainously good marketing plan.
There’s just one hitch. Pretending to hate your nemesis becomes a lot harder when you start falling for them instead.
We start the book with our resident wrong doer harassing the poor people, aka all the peasants. Which ok… I mean I guess that’s what bad people do lol. The prose is great! The narrator is amazing! The story is satirical and it was quite funny at times.
However, after the great writing and even better narration wears off, it stalls. It becomes repetitive and a bit boring. Thankfully, it does pick back up but that beginning chunk makes this book hard to get into.
cozy?
“…and the cozy fantasy vibes of Legends & Lattes.”
I personally don’t think this is a ‘cozy’ read. Now granted I’ve only read the graphic novel of Legends & Lattes (review coming closer to realease date), but I think labeling this as ‘cozy’ does somewhat of a disservice to the book.
Towards the end we get some pretty high-stakes action that was genuinely fun to listen to and knowing the label ‘cozy’ diminished those stakes. GIVE ME MORE PLOT.
This would’ve been a five star read for me with better pacing, drama that wasn’t easily resolved, and maybe a juicy chasing arc.
Cyrus & Max: The Rub
hard to love & hard to hate
What can I say… I love a silly book and for the most part, I enjoyed our two main characters and they were overall fun to read about.
This was a light campy read albeit a bit boring and when we get to some drama it’s resolved with them….
spoiler (kinda)
kissing.
I was really looking forward to the payoff and them getting together but it ended up just pissing me off.
That said, I still had a good time with this book and maybe my review is a bit too whiny BUT this was sooo close to being an AMAZING read for me. I’d absolutely pick up another book by this author.
Would I Rec?
Yes. I’d definitely recommend the audiobook it makes the slog in the beginning a lot easier to get through and the narrator adds so much to this book.
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