The First Assistant

Charmed Away Temp Agency #0.5

by Amy Padilla

Ari never should have agreed to this. All he wanted was to help his friend. But when he’s volunteered to act as a temp in her stead, he realized he should have been more specific about what he was willing to do for her. Especially when he got several warnings about the grumpy demon he’d be working with. Surely he could get out of this. Right?

Xander didn’t need a temporary assistant. He could handle things on his own while his regular assistant was away on maternity leave. Tell that to his boss, who hired someone behind his back. A beautiful someone who was criminally shy and made Xander want to hold him close and protect him from the world. Those kinds of thoughts wouldn’t do. He was a professional and Ari was only here temporarily. He could control himself around the sweet man. Hopefully.

Tags: prequel, Xander doesn’t need help, his boss says otherwise, Ari is a shy boi, being a temp is hard, there’s nothing wrong with having a crush on your boss, family meddling, demon weddings, fake wedding date, demons are kind, werewolves are not, guaranteed HEA

Genres: M M Romance, Demons, LGBT, Urban Fantasy, Romance, Shapeshifters

102 pages, ebook

Published January 1, 2024

Reviews

[Madam Ra · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cutest! This is short and super sweet. Bunny shifter and a demon falling in love 🥰 the spice is low and I would have read 100 pages more. Since I’ve read all of the other books in this series I wonder why they don’t mention Ary and Xander, they were such a cute couple. I am glad I’ve read their story, I absolutely adore this world Amy Padilla has created.

[eesha]

let's all address the elephant in the room. this cover was so ridiculously bad i know BUT like it was SO bad i just HADDDD to read the book i would be more defensive but i just had my sweet treat for the night (an orange dreamsicle monster. honestly would recommend it does actually taste just like an orange creamsicle. but caffeine has zero effect on me i ran an experiment on myself about it. so if ur not me maybe dont drink 160mg of caffeine at 10 pm. im going to sleep like a babyy but that's just me)

anyway giving the rabbit shifter intense anxiety is honestly really funny i can't lie and then having evil werewolves chase him to the point of a panic attack? worldbuilding on top i didnt gaf abt anything else like how i wanted to explore the nuances of this world like that. the rest of this was just whatever but like it was sweet the mates plotline lowk came out of nowhere but i get it. a fun half hour romance romp!

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this novella after reading all the books currently in the series but I absolutely loved it. I thought Ari was adorable and I wanted to give him all the hugs, treats, and soft things. He's such a great friend doing something that made him extremely stressed and I was so happy he ended up finding his fated mate. A shy bunny shifter and a grumpy protective demon is the perfect opposites attracts story. Xander finding Ari adorable in his tiny shifted form and also protecting him by cuddling him was so cute it made me smile big. I love a good size difference and the idea of a tiny bunny in the arms of a giant demon just melted my heart. I was also very giddy reading about Xander being protective of Ari because I'm a sucker for a protective grumpy MC. Overall this story may have been short but it was perfectly adorable and I can't wait to read more from this universe!

[Lois · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aw, I loved this book funnel freebie. The Charmed Away Temp Agency is one my all time favourite series, I just love these guys. Ari is a total sweetheart of a Moon Rabbit who is so shy and skittish it's a wonder he can get out of bed in the morning. Xander is as stressed as a demon can be. His assistant is away on leave and his family are giving him grief over his lack of a date for his cousin's wedding. These guys were just so cute together.

[Kirstine Hansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Free prequel from the author's website, 105 pages.

Short and sweet story about the first time the Charmed Away temp agency worked with Spellbound Corps, feat. Ari the shy bunny shifter and Xander the big, red demon with resting bitchface.




the first ever contract with company brand new

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I didn't find this prequel to the Charmed Away Temp Agency series until I was finished with book 6, but this adorable novella really doesn't have much world building in it, so the fact that I didn't read it first didn't make any difference in my enjoyment of the series.

[Sarah Baines · Rating 5 out of 5]

The First Assistant was such a sweet read. Ari was just the cutest😍😍😍

[Lisbeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

sweet, and great intro to the series, I liked it

[Bengisu · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was kind of disappointing.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
.5/5
Spoilers ahead.

I was really excited to start this series since I loved the barbarian one but this first one wasn't very good for me.

[Rockin Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

very cute

[Kristel (hungryandhappy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The super shy temp assistant and the grumpy over protective boss who falls in love with him. What's not to love!

[Ela · Rating 4 out of 5]

❤️✨ Justo lo que necesitaba para desestresarme.

[Wrinkle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this after the first four books, and that was the right choice because, even though it's a prequel, it's better to already have the knowledge from the other parts. But otherwise, it was cute and short, and the thing with the bunny 🐰 was quite charming. I would have even loved it more if he had been a completely normal bunny and not such a special one, because no, you don't always have to be unique—you already are just the way you are. But otherwise, cute!