The Assassin and the Sorceress: (A Sapphic Romance Fantasy Adventure)

by N.R.G. Selove

A ruthless assassin. A wisecracking sorceress. A perilous journey that will reshape the Kingdom.

Driven by money and hatred, Jessara is the greatest of the King’s royal assassins. An autistic elf born in the forests of Anwood, Jessara was trained from childhood to become the perfect weapon against the Compact of the elves. When it comes to a special capture or kill contract, she’s the obvious choice when the King needs a delicate touch.

Her target: a mysterious fugitive human sorceress named Asha Weaver. A specialist in fire magic, Asha narrowly manages to escape execution in the capital city of the Kingdom. Her impulsive and reckless nature prove to be a challenge when a series of misadventures forces the assassin and the sorceress to work together.

Loyalties will be questioned as the reluctant partners battle monsters, hide secrets, overcome betrayal, and face the inconvenient feelings growing between them.

Genres: Fantasy, Lesbian, Romance, Queer, Romantasy

371 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 14, 2025

About the author

N. R. G. Selove is a queer autistic writer, podcaster, disability advocate, political activist, and professor of communication studies. He lives in Virginia with his wife, daughter, and two dogs. His hobbies include video games, long walks, arguing, and long discussions about T.V. shows and movies with his wife. He's a hopeless romantic who loves love in all of its beautiful forms.

Reviews

[Sam’s Sapphic Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started off on a great start, I couldn’t put it down for almost the first half of it. But then I started to struggle a bit on getting myself to finish it.

I loved the representation that the author did with nonbinary and autistic characters, we don’t see it enough. There were some characters I loved more than others, and although I liked the main characters, I didn’t love them.

Having growth in your characters is important to the storyline, but it felt like Jessara and Asha changed very quickly once they started having feelings for one another. I think something like that should be more of a slow process.

Jessara was meant to be this unstoppable assassin who didn’t care what people thought and just did jobs for money. She didn’t like people and didn’t want to be involved with them. Suddenly, when she’s with Asha for a small period of time it completely flips, so I found this a bit off-putting and made it harder to read.

It started to get a bit repetitive with the fighting, I think the at this novel could’ve been a bit shorter and still got all of the important information to the readers to follow.

They were very lovey dovey, there’s nothing wrong with a book not being a slow burn, but this one was a bit fast for even my liking. The “I love you”’s came fast.

I enjoyed the storyline, and although it had some flaws it was a solid read.

Please note: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Luna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! Such a great read. 

Jessara is an autistic elf who was trained from a young age to become a royal assassin. Asha is a fire sorceress that flees the kingdom moments before she is to be executed. It’s then that Jessara accepts a contract from the King to capture Asha, and is promised a higher reward if brought back alive. 

I loved them both. The banter was great, and I very much enjoyed the sarcasm. Asha was an ‘act first and think later’ character that needed Jessara’s help to get her out of sticky situations. Asha could be fierce, impulsive, and reckless at times, but she had a soft spot for Jessara. The autism representation was written so well, and you could tell the author did their research or has personal knowledge. I loved it and I can’t wait to see what happens next. I’m so ready for book two! 


I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Emilie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 rounded up.

Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC. All opinions are my own and left voluntarily.

✨ Sapphic Fantasy
✨ Third Person
✨ Enemies to Lovers
✨ Assassin x Mark
✨ All the Rep

> content warnings after review

This debut novel has a lot going for it. The fantasy elements are very strong. There is magic (multiple kinds!), war, fantasy creatures, orcs, elves, various belief systems, and (of course) a king. Along with those elements there is a lot of action in this book (seriously, the main characters could hardly catch a break). I felt the fight scenes were a little drawn out. If you’re into more action-type fantasies, this would be right down your alley.

There is a lot of rep in this book including a lesbian human FMC, autistic bisexual elf FMC as well as a ton of rep in the side characters (asexual, polyam, demi, enby, etc.). The world building is very much queer normative and even built into the cultural norms of the various fantasy races.

The plot of this book kept my attention though I think the pacing could have been a bit more balanced. There was a good amount of dialogue, but a few parts seemed a bit awkward or like the conversations should have happened already/behind closed doors. Speaking of closed doors, there are two open door spicy scenes. They’re not bad. I think some of the dialogue and the heat/tension wasn’t quite there for me, but I appreciated that they weren’t male-gaze-y.

Overall, an enjoyable and engaging read. I’m curious to see where this story goes in the next book.

(beware potential spoilers below)

Content Warnings
(this list may not be all inclusive)
de*th, violence (including against children), racism (fantasy race), genoc*de

[Kaiidth · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you liked can't spell treason without tea, this is your next must-read!!
I am blown away by this debut novel. The world just sucks you in, and to find such heartwarming sarcastic queer characters is just the icing on the cake. Jessara and Asha are a delightful duo who work their their issues and find out they are stronger together. Honestly can not wait for the next book, and see how the author goes from here !!

[Richelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Asha! I love me some Asha.
I need part 2

The world building and factions of this book along with the author’s way of driving the story with mission and side missions like a RPG without making it terribly obvious makes this book so fun to read and to be immersed in this world.

This love between these two made me feel all the feels. I love their dynamic and the way they had each other’s backs from the get go. I can’t wait for the next book.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done sapphic fantasy romance! The world building was interesting and the plot was well paced, but the best part of the story was the main characters. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Jessara is our assassin that was trained from a young age. Asha is a human fire sorceress with a leap now think later attitude. They balance each other and I loved their banter and chemistry.

This is book 1 and I am very much looking forward to the next installment! Recommend!

[Taryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book!

I loved the representation in terms of sexuality and neurodiversity! This is the most representation I have seen in a long time and I was super grateful for that. The banter and spiciness between the main characters was my favorite part and I loved learning more about Jessara and Asha through the many fight scenes, their past, and watching them grow throughout the book.


I can't wait for the next book!

[Emily G · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Assassin and the Sorceress is the story of a ruthless assassin and her mark, a wisecracking sorceress, who embark on a journey that turns out to be what neither of them expected.

This is my first book by this author, and I was pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed the story. The plot is interesting and packed with twists and adventure. The whole cast of characters is interesting. I particularly liked Asha right from the start.

I'm excited at the prospect of more books in this series and look forward to being immersed into this universe all over again.

[Kyle Chaska · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll start with a disclosure that I know the author and was an alpha and beta reader. Bias aside though I read a lot of books particularly fantasy and sci fi rarely romantasy and I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The action is fun, the characters engaging, and the romance while present and forward didn’t detract from them being badasses. Also if you’re worried about falling in love with these characters and not seeing the end of their journey, rest assured the author is no GRRM or Rothfuss. Great plans are ahead so dive on in for the ride and enjoy!

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review coming

[Serina’s Stories wolfganghollows · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this and will probably read sequels in the series, the representation is off the charts, gay, lesbian, ace, non binary, autism. I felt it was sometimes a little forced unfortunately like it was all being crammed in for the sake of it. The storyline although entertaining followed closely to some other bigger series and was heavily inspired by the likes of LOTR, Wheel of Time and more recently Priory Of the Orange tree. All stories I loved, you could tell the author was a fan.
The relationship between our main two characters, although cute, happened way too fast and they were suddenly in love in a few weeks, I would have preferred to have seen the characters being more fleshed out first. The book was spicier than I was expecting which is never a problem, although lesbian sex was well researched by the author, it appeared to be thrown in more for the sake of it rather than the actual context requiring it. And some parts were enjoyable especially the first sex scene more so, the ones that followed were less so and the dialogue was more immature to an extent, and less enjoyable.

Saying that, I still enjoyed the book and would recommend it to a more young adult audience, maybe under 30’s, good for a debut novel and you feel the love for fantasy throughout.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Monroe Easton-Braddock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing world that you can fall into. The author’s ability to pull you in as if you were there with Jessara and Asha is unmatched. I can’t wait to see what Selove writes next!
If you love a good queer romance novel this is it.

[MiskaCZ · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ARC copy was given to me for a honest review.

It was a good story, but sometimes I couldn´t quite follow. The story line got sometimes very complicated. The relationship between Jessara (Assassins) and Asha (sorcerss) was typical enemies to lovers type.

[Marina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. What a journey! This is the sapphic romantic, fantasy that I have been waiting for. Awkward neurodivergent bisexual meets disaster lesbian in a heart warming story about overcoming trauma, learned behaviours, and personal prejudice. There are so many different characters and creatures that your mind is full of stunning imagery. I am absolutely in love with the two main characters, both of whom are portrayed in such depth with utter respect. The way the author takes you on the journey with these women is just encapsulating. The relationships between characters felt genuine, and the dialogue was funny and flowed well. My heart swelled and broke multiple times through this book and I cannot wait to see what else lies ahead for them in the next books.
I don’t tend to enjoy a sapphic story told my a male author, but this man has delivered a beautiful and respectful love story about two women. The nuance with which he handles their relationship is admirable. His descriptions are always nice and affirming, never from the typical “male gaze”. Specifically, he never refers to these characters are “girls”. There’s even a point where one of the characters is goaded into a fight by being referred to as a “girl”. What an amazing job creating a bold, beautiful and terrifying world with multiple races and political conflict. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Amileigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Assassin and the Sorceress by nRG Selove is a captivating read that had me hooked from the start. Selove weaves a compelling tale of two contrasting characters, Jessara and Asha, whose unexpected alliance is fraught with both peril and undeniable chemistry.

The drama in this book is palpable. Jessara, the skilled and somewhat stoic assassin, is tasked with capturing Asha, a fiery and impulsive sorceress. This premise alone sets the stage for a dramatic cat-and-mouse chase, but Selove elevates it with intricate plot twists and high-stakes situations. The world-building is rich, and the dangers the pair face feel real and immediate.

However, the heart of the story lies in the evolving relationship between Jessara and Asha. Selove masterfully crafts their dynamic, starting with initial distrust and animosity, and gradually developing it into something much deeper. The banter between them is sharp and witty, often providing much-needed levity amidst the intense plot. What I particularly enjoyed was how their differences became their strengths. Jessara's pragmatism balances Asha's impulsiveness, and Asha's fiery spirit challenges Jessara's reserved nature.

The sapphic romance is a central element, and it's handled with nuance and care. The feelings between Jessara and Asha develop organically, growing from reluctant partnership to mutual respect, and finally blossoming into a tender and passionate connection. Their journey is filled with obstacles, both external and internal, making their eventual bond all the more satisfying.

In conclusion, The Assassin and the Sorceress is a thrilling fantasy adventure that delivers on multiple fronts. It's a story of drama, action, and a beautifully developed relationship between two compelling women. Selove's writing is engaging, and the characters are memorable. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy with a strong romantic subplot and plenty of excitement.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is only the second time I have said this. From the quality of this book, content, storyline, delivery… I find it so hard to believe that this is a first published book. By the third book, I just do not know where any improvement will be found.

The MC's - Jessara and Asha, so brilliantly portrayed. Their story lines are nicely complex, but easy to follow. I do not know if I had a favourite as they both played off each other so well, and at various stages I was shouting out for both of them.

The world and the societies/species in this story were very well built and very believable. There are many twists and turns, secrets held back and then delivered as we progress. I must admit, characters like the King, there was a lot to come out that I did not see coming, and then the perceived image of Orcs and Elves will be challenged.

There was clever positioning of characters along the way that came into their own later on in the book. Very cleverly done.

This book is a great good v evil love story that I never wanted to end. For one, I am champing at the bit for the next book in the series. In many points of this story I was choked up and in tears from how the story took me. That is so good!

My only niggle, and this is a personal thing and no way detracts from this book, is the romance scenes between Jessara and Asha. After such skilful wordcraft for the rest of the story, the romance fell a little flat for me - sorry. It lacked some female to female emotional and electric love making. It was descriptive and enjoyable to read, it was fulfilling to read, but somehow some of the chemistry and lustful heat was missing. My only niggle. It would not stop me from reading this book a second time and eagerly getting a copy of the next book in the series.

Would I recommend this book? Absolutely. You are in for a treat and a truly great story line.

[Ivory Shrike · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's a lot to bring up with this one. Let's start off with the good! Selove has a very detailed world for the reader straight off the bat. The compact of the elves, all the human settlements the main characters travel through, and the tribes in the mountains feel like real scenery changes. Too often in travels through fantasy lands towns and cities can feel like a copy pasted template, but it actually felt like the author made an effort have each place feel new and interesting. I also really liked the way the author wrote Jessara as an autistic elf. Like all the best authors, Jessara's struggles as an extremely dangerous assassin with autism is neither here nor there, the most important part of her is that she's a dangerous assassin, and the author treats her as such. That alone got this to two stars.

Let's carry on to what confused me. The author tips into one of the biggest issues for a fantasy book, but Selove doesn't do it accidentally. The characters have knowledge of some very scientific terms (I had to google it, and then I regretted it), but still reside in a very medieval themed world. This clash in education and environment is never explained or magicked away. There are some very heavy themes (I wouldn't say they're glossed over, but it's a matte of some kind) that the author handles poorly. Jessara's been through some trauma inducing events, which are used solely for an excuse to read more of Asha's pokemon index cards of a personality. This is unfortunately true, before Jessara takes on the dangerous bounty, she stops at her local professor's house gets what is essentially a pamphlet to explain away Asha's every emotion and intention in the series. There is one moment where they review Asha's fire sorceress index to determine she is highly resistant to disease. There's a ton of unanswered questions this book left me with, and some uncomfortable plotlines left me feeling the book was never reviewed. All in all, the book needs some content warnings and to maybe keep the only ace pair alive next time. It was a little disappointing, because I had high hopes with the autistic representation.

[Ruby Ridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given this book complimentary from Book Sirens in e-book form in return for my honest review. Everything stated in this review is of my own opinion and I was not compensated monetarily for providing this review.
I have at times bemoaned the modern trend of authors taking a good story, bloating it and making three books where one would do nicely. Well, folks, here is how it is done! The story and the action do not let up for a minute, not a paragraph is wasted. No bloat here, no sir. To illustrate how exciting the story is and how it draws you in. I had a person stand almost in front of me waving arms and trying to get my attention for almost 15 minutes while my eyes were rivetted to the screen following our two m/c epic journey.
Character development does not suffer either, the author choses to show not tell so we learn Jessara and Asha's characters and even their physical form by what they say and do. Also I love the author's Orcs so different from the cannon fodder they usually are, plus their vulgar British (?) accents provide a rare bit of light relief in an intense book.
Five stars and of course I recommend you buy this excellent work. With new authors like this coming through the future looks good for the reading public.

[evie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who finds herself dipping into the fantasy genre from time to time, The Assassin and the Sorceress was an enjoyable read! I appreciated how many elements of diversity were centered. Characters highlight and celebrate the multiplicity of their identities, which is often lacking in this genre. Further, it makes a poignant comment on power dynamics and political discourse by weaving these identities as a driving factor of the plot.

My favorite aspect of this novel was the world building. One can feel the tension brewing amongst neighboring factions. In the midst, we meet side characters independent of the wider forces at play. Additionally, an original magic system leaves one with excitement of its intricacies and poses curiosity for further developments. While reading, I found myself interested in how our protagonists will further figure out the situation before them and shape the brewing wider conflict.

If you like high fantasy, political intrigue, or a building romance, these elements contribute to the lovely story found within this book's pages.

*Note: I had received an advance review copy for free and have written this review on my own terms.

[TasmanianQueen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am giving this book a 3.5 star rating. I enjoyed the book and will definitely read the next one. The story has plenty of action among humans, elves, orcs, etc... and includes the use of magic. Although I do wish some of the fighting scenes had been written differently, I loved that two women from totally different backgrounds came together to help one another in some very dangerous situations. I do feel like Jessara and Asha's relationship escalated a bit too quickly especially for how long the book was. Their relationship could've been developed more throughout the story, but you could definitely tell how much they cared for one another. The thing that really bugged me was the spicy scenes. While there was a small amount of spice, it wasn't written very well. Almost like there was no chemistry or heat between Jessara and Asha. I did really enjoy the banter and use of sarcasm and it was written into the storyline well.

I received this book as an ARC from BookSirens and this is my honest, voluntary review.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personally I really loved this book. Honestly while I did find myself enthralled by the plot and politics, it was the two main characters who really did it for me.

Jessara is an autistic elf trained to deal out death and Asha is a fire sorceress that flees moments before her day of death. A classic enemies to lovers dynamic that really sucks you in as the two characters entwined with each other. Asha is all fire and trouble and Jessara was always pulling her out of her own mess, with no small amount of glorious banter, flirting, fighting, and of course secret gay longing.

I will say my personal enjoyment was how well represented Jessara's autism was. As an autistic person myself I'm often giddy when I feel seen in a character I love.

Will totally read again right away and can't wait for book two.

I received an advance review copy for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Aaron Kapner · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful, engrossing fantasy story for fans of George R. R. Martin, Joe Abercrombie or any other "dark fantasy" writers with a COMPLETELY UNIQUE type of character for this genre. In the way that Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy or Julia in Sesame Street is a hero for autistic viewers; Jessara, the deadly and dead serious elf assassin will be for fantasy readers. Coupled with the charming, fiery (in every sense) mage Asha, Nathan Selove has given fantasy readers like myself a pair of characters to root for as they wind their way through a vividly detailed world with intrigue and danger (both man/elf-made and otherwise.)

How will our heroines fare when the entire world is set on pitting them against each other or simply killing them? Will they find their way safely through… and perhaps even to each other?

Read and find out!

[K.V. Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This had everything I look for in a book: magic, action, funny banter, a queer-normative world, romance/friendships, and found family. There were also plenty of surprises that kept me on the edge of my seat.

The relationship between the two protagonists was believable and evolved naturally over time. Asha was headstrong and hilarious. Jessara was a skilled archer and swordswoman and was also portrayed as autistic. That representation was handled exceptionally well and it was so inspiring to see Asha treat her with the compassion and respect she deserved so she could learn to accept her mannerisms and not tolerate people trying to "fix" her any longer.

The villain was portrayed in such a realistic way--fighting for the greater good but turning more and more evil over time.

Can't wait for book 2!

[Danielle Watts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this sapphic romantasy. It was giving slight The Halfling Saga vibes which I loved. It had great mental health/neuro divergent representation. I really enjoyed the contrast in characters. Especially Asha who over thinks everything and anything. Jessara was a great representation of how not everyone thinks and processes things the same. The journey was fun and full of action but also plenty of tension. I don't want to share too many details and spoil things so I'll leave it at that. But I enjoyed this and will definitely be keeping an eye out for the next one!

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Diverting Fantasy Romp That We All Needed

I'm a picky person when it comes to fantasy and as such, I've been bereft at the lack of new queer fantasy out there that fits my taste for well written, entertaining books.

This book was that and more. As a consumer and critic of queer media, I used to read for the purpose of reporting about media on a podcast and I wish I still had that platform to share this book on.

Seriously, if you're a fan of fantasy, queer rep, and an enchanting reading experience, pick this up. I can't wait for the next installment.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Assassin & the Sorceress was a wonderful romance fantasy with an autistic lead character, which was awesome to see! The romance between Jessara and Asha was very well done and I loved how differently the characters reacted and dealt with obstacles. The autistic and asexual representation was very well done and really fleshed out the characters. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

*I received a copy of this book from BookSirens, and this is my honest review!*

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! It was an exciting read that kept me glued to the page. I found it to be a really fun combination of fantasy and modernity, as characters use contemporary slang and idioms while facing sociological and political challenges that transcend fiction. The love story is compelling, nuanced and real. Plus the spicy scenes bring the whole book to a new temperature. Definitely give this a read!

[Darcy Bea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh man I love this book!

Jessara and Asha have my heart, I love their relationship and as individuals. My AuDHD ass particularly felt seen by Jessara and it was great to see some common autistic experiences represented.

I loved the world building and learning more about the divide between the various groups. I loved seeing glimpses into the side characters lives, loving some and loving to hate others.

I am so eager to read more of Jessara and Asha's story and see where this world ends up!

[Gerard DeViller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an AMAZING story by a brand new author! I found that I was putting myself in the story with Jessara and Asha! This book had me laughing, crying and wondering what was going to happen next! I could not put this book down! A fantastic read! I cannot wait to see more from this amazing author!