Tusk Love: The Spicy Fantasy Romance That Will Leave You Yearning for More!

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If you’re familiar with Critical Role, it might bring to mind dice rolling, Dungeons & Dragons, or Prime Video’s The Legend of Vox Machina animated series. However, their latest offering transports the thrill from screen to book. The novel Tusk Love, written by best-selling author Thea Guanzon, delves into a steamy romance story about a young woman named Guinevere and her half-orc companion, Oskar.

The book is set in the familiar world of Exandria, often explored by Critical Role enthusiasts. Yet, it’s important to note that readers aren’t required to have extensive knowledge about years of Critical Role lore to appreciate this story. Instead, both fantasy aficionados and newcomers can find intrigue: while the former might ponder over the complications of orc tusks in intimate situations, the latter may focus on the drama that unfolds when there’s only one bed available.

For someone like myself, who possesses a moderate level of familiarity with Critical Role lore, here is my take on the “Tusk Love” experience and my anticipation for the Mighty Nein animated adventure from the company.

As an individual moderately versed in Critical Role’s world, I found the Tusk Love story engaging, and it has left me eager for the upcoming animated adventure featuring the Mighty Nein group.

Tusk Love by Thea Guanzon

In the story named “Tusk Love”, we meet Guinevere, a young woman raised in the comforts of a merchant family. Her life is meticulously planned until bandits disrupt her peaceful existence. Meanwhile, Oskar, a solitary half-orc with personal business following his mother’s demise, enters the scene. Initially, these two characters seem worlds apart, but as their lives intertwine, they discover that their shared journey offers more than just a destination. If you are a fan of romance novels that deliver excitement and passion, rest assured, “Tusk Love” will not disappoint on that count, offering an unconventional twist with its unique characters!

Overall, “Tusk Love” doesn’t aim to be like “Outlander,” a long-running romantic fantasy saga. Instead, it offers an enjoyable journey for readers following Guinevere and Oskar. The characters’ interactions are the standout elements of the story, so engaging that even those who aren’t invested in the main plot find themselves drawn to them. This is understandable, although I won’t reveal why here to avoid spoilers.

Among the many delightful aspects of “Tusk Love”, what truly won me over is that it offers a lighthearted romantic adventure that can be savored irrespective of familiarity with Critical Role’s gameplay or The Legend of Vox Machina on Prime Video. It maintains an engaging, humorous tone without being overly serious and cleverly employs popular tropes. I devoured every page in a single sitting, and I can honestly say there’s not a moment I wish I had spent differently.

Tusk Love isn’t just any novel from Critical Role; it’s not the first one they’ve published. Instead, you might know titles like Marieke Nijkamp’s Kith & Kin, Cassandra Khaw’s What Doesn’t Break, and the compilation of short stories called Vox Machina––Stories Untold. However, what makes Tusk Love special is that it’s the first in-universe romance novel. The real charm of its hardcover edition lies in the cover itself. On the outside, it looks quite ordinary, but flip it over, and you’ll find a treasure trove of Easter eggs for fans of the Dungeons & Dragons campaign that sparked the series. The author Matilda Merceria is even a nod to DM Matt Mercer!

The Origin Story

One reason I’m drawn to the novel “Tusk Love” is that it’s connected to the events of the second campaign, “The Mighty Nein“, rather than relying on a deep understanding of ten years of Critical Role lore from the first campaign, “Vox Machina“. Since I’m more acquainted with “Vox Machina“, this makes it easier for me to appreciate “Tusk Love” without needing extensive background knowledge.

The story behind “Tusk Love” in Campaign 2 traces back to an impromptu title of a romance novel by DM Matt Mercer, which the character Jester (voiced by Laura Bailey from “The Last of Us Part II“) enthusiastically adopted. This amused but also annoyed the half-orc Fjord (voiced by Travis Willingham from “Avengers Assemble“). The humor lay in the fact that Bailey and Willingham are married in real life, and Matilda Merceria’s romance novel ended up being more significant than Mercer had anticipated.

During the campaign, there was a recurring humor that “Tusk Love” wasn’t a great book, even though Jester seemed to enjoy it. Thankfully, Thea Guanzon didn’t emphasize this aspect from the original source.

Why I’m Now More Excited For The Mighty Nein

How does the upcoming Amazon Prime animated series of Mighty Nein relate to this discussion? My exploration of the backstory of Tusk Love led me to characters I hadn’t encountered during my coverage of The Legend of Vox Machina, and some of its most intense moments, which feature Laura Bailey as well. (You can currently stream LOVM with a Prime Video subscription.)

In simpler terms, I may not be deeply familiar with every aspect of Mighty Nein, but seeing the first look of Critical Role’s animation alongside Vox Machina’s Season 3 reveal in July 2024 has given me a better understanding as to why so many fans were excited. If you haven’t seen it yet, I recommend checking it out.

I’m now eager to find out if “Tusk Love” is featured in the animated series, and whether it will be based on Thea Guanzon’s real-life novel or the version Jester admired during the campaign. The initial synopsis for “Mighty Nein”, released with the first glimpse, hinted at:

As a cinephile, I’d describe Mighty Nein as a story about a band of outcasts and renegades, who find themselves in a race against time to save their kingdom from impending doom. An ancient artifact with the power to rewrite existence has fallen into the clutches of the wrong people, and it’s up to this eclectic group to prevent chaos from taking over.

It appears that the adventurers in this new story have issues quite distinct from the vampirism, necromancy, and dragon attacks that were commonplace for Vox Machina during their first three seasons! The cast of The Mighty Nein, which includes Laura Bailey and Travis Willingham, will also feature fellow Critical Role pioneers Taliesin Jaffe, Ashley Johnson, Liam O’Brien, Marisha Ray, Sam Riegel, and likely Matt Mercer voicing various side characters, continuing the epic tradition set by The Legend of Vox Machina.

At this point in time, a release date for The Might Nein hasn’t been announced yet. However, Thea Guanzon’s book, Tusk Love, is set to hit shelves and digital platforms on July 1 in hardback, audio, and digital versions. If you’re a fan of the campaign, I’d suggest going for the hardback edition as it features some intriguing art from Jester on the back cover of the dust jacket, which is worth taking a look at, even if you’re not fully versed in its lore yet.

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2025-07-01 01:11