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Villainy #1
How I Stole the Princess's White Knight and Turned Him to Villainy: Miracle 1
What’s a white knight to do when his princess wants to sacrifice a town to barbarians? Go to the famous Black Sorcerer of Grimslock for help, apparently.
What’s a black sorcerer to do when the white knight comes to him for help? Keep him, naturally.
Devan does not approve of this payment plan. Tan does.
What’s a black sorcerer to do when the white knight comes to him for help? Keep him, naturally.
Devan does not approve of this payment plan. Tan does.
103 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 16, 2022
407 people are currently reading
2004 people want to read
About the author
A.J. Sherwood
81 books2,060 followersAJ Sherwood believes in happily ever afters, magic, dragons, good men, and dark chocolate. She often dreams at night of delectable men doing sexy things with each other. In between writing multiple books (often at the same time) she pets her cats, plays with her dogs, and attempts insane things like aerial yoga.
She currently resides in Tennessee with aforementioned cats, dogs, and her editor/best friend/sister/partner in crime.
She currently resides in Tennessee with aforementioned cats, dogs, and her editor/best friend/sister/partner in crime.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 481 reviews
January 18, 2023
SO. MUCH. FUN!!! 😁
This story was extremely quirky and cute, which was right up my alley.
The princess' white knight, Devan, was fairly serious, but had a good heart and was always looking out for the well-being of his people.
[My take on Devan...]
And Tan, the Black Sorcerer of Grimslock, was flirty AF and adorable, but also deadly, if crossed. He was your classic "Murder Twink".
[My take on Tan...]
What I liked most about this first 100+ page novella was that the humor could get outlandish and a little silly, but never really ventured into too silly or too OTT, which can be a very fine line to walk for a lot of authors.
Also, Tan's persistence to have Devan stay with him was admirable, but also played the long game, working its way toward Devan seeing that he belonged at Tan's side and away from the selfish, bitch-ass princess.
I'm immediately diving straight into the next short book and would rate this one at around 4.25 stars.
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December 10, 2024
I will pre-empt this by saying, I'm a lover of fantasy and all its subgenres (romantasy is a romance subgenre, argue with your grandmother if you think otherwise). The best thing about fantasy, especially high fantasy is how many of them are set in a world that's not Earth even if it closely resembles it. That's usually what makes it so easy to immerse yourself. My favourite series--Dark Star Trilogy, Gentleman Bastards Sequence, Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn etc. are all set off-world. And while there are ties that bind, because the authors are human after all, they do create a whole new system of things. Regardless of how inexpansive a plot is, there is a whole new world, a new fantastic (or gruesome) point of view. This book wants to be high fantasy. This book wants to use the eccentric mage trope. This book wants to have a corruption arc. All it does is shit on all those elements and then sorely abused my IQ with its stupidity.
I have read this author before. The first book was a wacky mystery with a paranormal detective. It was genuinely entertaining. The second book tackled femicide in the most objectionable way since the Government of Kenya told women to just be more careful. The characters also felt juvenile and silly. I gave up on her.
This book popped up as a freebie and the title was intriguing enough. I actually thought it would be a satirical short fantasy story that makes a white knight defy duty for the sake of self-interest. When I started it, however, it was clear my expectations were misaligned. And not only were they off-base, they would have improved the book entirely.
The book starts, We've all heard the story of the country of Goodwine. We? Bitch, where? The prologue seeks to show us that the kingdom of "Goodwine", snorts, has a princess masquerading as benevolent. In reality, she's spiteful, vindictive, and willing to sacrifice a village to barbarians for... reasons. At no point does this book even try to show you how the princess is a bad person, it tells you. It also calls her a bitch in a way that feels like a pejorative. The bad woman was bad because the knight is a good man who goes against her orders by going to a sorcerer. This book had a great chance to show us a princess who was making sound tactical decisions but the knight thought it would cost too much. It could have shown us a proper disagreement with a war council where they realised not rescuing the people of that remote village that was in the barbarians' warpath would have been better strategically. Potentially because it's positioned in a place where the barbarian soldiers would be trapped and the princess' armies would lay waste to them. We could have also learnt why the barbarians were pillaging. Is it their culture? Are they fighting over land? Revenge? Conquest? We don't know. But the bad barbarians are bad because the knight is a good man.
The title also implies that the sorcerer is a horrid man who uses dark magic and sacrifices people or something. But in actuality, he's a goof who doesn't understand boundaries and coerces the knight to sleep with him, actually sleeping. It's all a plot to make the knight fall in love with him. Lord. When the knight is let into the sorcerer's fortress, a black castle that's black because the sorcerer went through an emo, goth phase, I honestly believed the author probably saw a black castle on Pinterest and liked the aesthetics then used them just because they're aesthetic. The sorcerer is powerful, sure, and he agrees to portal out the villagers so that they can be out of the way by the time they barbarians attacked. The princess refused to such a plan because she's vindictive. Why? She just is. And I'm not saying that such people can't exist but usually they're a lot more fleshed out. It's hard to believe that the citizens of Goodwine don't know this about her but the knight just explains this away with a good PR department. Are these people larpers? Why are they using post modern jargon in a world that's designed to be medieval?
There is no urgency for the villagers because this book just wants to make the knight and the sorcerer bump uglies. And not only is the sorcerer not a bad person, he's just misunderstood. His reputation as a knight killer? That's because he killed knights who were sent to kill him by the princess. Why did the princess do that? Bad princess bad. The sorcerer is actually a kindly young man who just wants to be loved.
After portalling out the villagers, they face off with the barbarians. The sorcerer ends up sick because he used too much power and has to recover. Eventually he sneaks into the knight's bed and they cuddle. The sorcerer even claims he was suffering from cuddle deficiency and only the knight could help with that. Without any establishment of consent, he calls the knight his lover which the knight reacts with a head shake and an exasperated smile.
Once the sorcerer is fully recovered, the knight goes back to Goodwine, because the people neeeeed him. If it's not for him protecting the realm from her malevolent whims, then they would all die. Big strong man must save the people. It's infuriating. A more realistic plot would have been the knight gathering allies to kill the princess if she's so bad. A Song of Ice and Fire did this with the kingslayer and I'm sure there are plenty of other stories with well-done kingslayer arcs.
This book feels like a patchworked mess of popular tropes roughly sewn together to resemble a story. The high fantasy setting is treated like a gag prop. It has a deficiency of internal logic that is insulting. The sorcerer isn't actually a self-serving villain. At the end of the book, the princess sends the knight off to kill a monster in the forest where he's sure he'll have to call on the sorcerer for his assistance again because all this book wants you to care about is the sorcerer and the knight. Well, bad luck book. I care about everything. The prose is mediocre at best, the plot is shallower than a dry river bed. The side characters are so one-dimensional they couldn't be accounted for in quantum physics. The knight had been "serving" her for ten years just putting out fires she started. You'd think he'd try to get her deposed, killed, removed, exiled... something. The only agency he ever displays is to prolong a pointless flirtation between him and the sorcerer, a complete waste of time. This book also thinks worldbuilding is something you only do on Wordle.
I blame myself for reading this book. I should have stopped reading it when I realised who the author is but by then I realised I haven't had a satisfying hate read in a minute. This book is an insult to fantasy and it may very well become the catalyst for my villain arc. I understand that there are more books in the series. It's safe to assume they're all lame comedic attempts to make the OTP happen. This book should have just been set in the contemporary world with a hagridden executive assistant who reduces the impact of the out-of-touch CEO. But when that story is written as a fantasy, it just comes off as a joke. I can't even point and laugh, however, because all I want to do is weep that I ever knew of this book's existence. If you're looking for hilarious fantasy, read literally anything else.
Pre-review thoughts 26/8/2024
This was a Kindle freebie. And quite possibly the worst thing I've read this year. Rant to come
I have read this author before. The first book was a wacky mystery with a paranormal detective. It was genuinely entertaining. The second book tackled femicide in the most objectionable way since the Government of Kenya told women to just be more careful. The characters also felt juvenile and silly. I gave up on her.
This book popped up as a freebie and the title was intriguing enough. I actually thought it would be a satirical short fantasy story that makes a white knight defy duty for the sake of self-interest. When I started it, however, it was clear my expectations were misaligned. And not only were they off-base, they would have improved the book entirely.
The book starts, We've all heard the story of the country of Goodwine. We? Bitch, where? The prologue seeks to show us that the kingdom of "Goodwine", snorts, has a princess masquerading as benevolent. In reality, she's spiteful, vindictive, and willing to sacrifice a village to barbarians for... reasons. At no point does this book even try to show you how the princess is a bad person, it tells you. It also calls her a bitch in a way that feels like a pejorative. The bad woman was bad because the knight is a good man who goes against her orders by going to a sorcerer. This book had a great chance to show us a princess who was making sound tactical decisions but the knight thought it would cost too much. It could have shown us a proper disagreement with a war council where they realised not rescuing the people of that remote village that was in the barbarians' warpath would have been better strategically. Potentially because it's positioned in a place where the barbarian soldiers would be trapped and the princess' armies would lay waste to them. We could have also learnt why the barbarians were pillaging. Is it their culture? Are they fighting over land? Revenge? Conquest? We don't know. But the bad barbarians are bad because the knight is a good man.
The title also implies that the sorcerer is a horrid man who uses dark magic and sacrifices people or something. But in actuality, he's a goof who doesn't understand boundaries and coerces the knight to sleep with him, actually sleeping. It's all a plot to make the knight fall in love with him. Lord. When the knight is let into the sorcerer's fortress, a black castle that's black because the sorcerer went through an emo, goth phase, I honestly believed the author probably saw a black castle on Pinterest and liked the aesthetics then used them just because they're aesthetic. The sorcerer is powerful, sure, and he agrees to portal out the villagers so that they can be out of the way by the time they barbarians attacked. The princess refused to such a plan because she's vindictive. Why? She just is. And I'm not saying that such people can't exist but usually they're a lot more fleshed out. It's hard to believe that the citizens of Goodwine don't know this about her but the knight just explains this away with a good PR department. Are these people larpers? Why are they using post modern jargon in a world that's designed to be medieval?
There is no urgency for the villagers because this book just wants to make the knight and the sorcerer bump uglies. And not only is the sorcerer not a bad person, he's just misunderstood. His reputation as a knight killer? That's because he killed knights who were sent to kill him by the princess. Why did the princess do that? Bad princess bad. The sorcerer is actually a kindly young man who just wants to be loved.
After portalling out the villagers, they face off with the barbarians. The sorcerer ends up sick because he used too much power and has to recover. Eventually he sneaks into the knight's bed and they cuddle. The sorcerer even claims he was suffering from cuddle deficiency and only the knight could help with that. Without any establishment of consent, he calls the knight his lover which the knight reacts with a head shake and an exasperated smile.
Once the sorcerer is fully recovered, the knight goes back to Goodwine, because the people neeeeed him. If it's not for him protecting the realm from her malevolent whims, then they would all die. Big strong man must save the people. It's infuriating. A more realistic plot would have been the knight gathering allies to kill the princess if she's so bad. A Song of Ice and Fire did this with the kingslayer and I'm sure there are plenty of other stories with well-done kingslayer arcs.
This book feels like a patchworked mess of popular tropes roughly sewn together to resemble a story. The high fantasy setting is treated like a gag prop. It has a deficiency of internal logic that is insulting. The sorcerer isn't actually a self-serving villain. At the end of the book, the princess sends the knight off to kill a monster in the forest where he's sure he'll have to call on the sorcerer for his assistance again because all this book wants you to care about is the sorcerer and the knight. Well, bad luck book. I care about everything. The prose is mediocre at best, the plot is shallower than a dry river bed. The side characters are so one-dimensional they couldn't be accounted for in quantum physics. The knight had been "serving" her for ten years just putting out fires she started. You'd think he'd try to get her deposed, killed, removed, exiled... something. The only agency he ever displays is to prolong a pointless flirtation between him and the sorcerer, a complete waste of time. This book also thinks worldbuilding is something you only do on Wordle.
I blame myself for reading this book. I should have stopped reading it when I realised who the author is but by then I realised I haven't had a satisfying hate read in a minute. This book is an insult to fantasy and it may very well become the catalyst for my villain arc. I understand that there are more books in the series. It's safe to assume they're all lame comedic attempts to make the OTP happen. This book should have just been set in the contemporary world with a hagridden executive assistant who reduces the impact of the out-of-touch CEO. But when that story is written as a fantasy, it just comes off as a joke. I can't even point and laugh, however, because all I want to do is weep that I ever knew of this book's existence. If you're looking for hilarious fantasy, read literally anything else.
Pre-review thoughts 26/8/2024
This was a Kindle freebie. And quite possibly the worst thing I've read this year. Rant to come
October 3, 2022
Lately I’ve been thinking about reading The Lord of the Rings, but I decided to read this instead and it was the perfect substitution in my opinion. Does LOTR have a dark sorcerer trying to seduce a knight into bed? I don’t THINK so.
Sorcerer Tan is Sebastian “Bash” Vogel but with magic (iykyk)
The story gets deeper as it unfolds so patience is good here.
Looking forward to continuing!
Sorcerer Tan is Sebastian “Bash” Vogel but with magic (iykyk)
The story gets deeper as it unfolds so patience is good here.
Looking forward to continuing!
June 28, 2023
This was so delightful!
It had me laughing several times, the humor was just too good. Tan was adorable and funny, I couldn't get enough of him. Devan was the more serious, grounded character but he was so kind and gentle, truly a gentle giant as Tan thinks of him.
He works as the knight to the princess, but the princess is actually secretly horrible, and he stays her knight not to protect her, but to protect her people from her.
There are barbarians set to attack a small town in the North in a few days, and Devan defies orders, as the princess wants to just let the barbarians attack and ransack the small town, and then burn it down with the barbarians and all the innocent civilians in the town with them.
Devan can't in good conscience allow that to happen.
So he goes to Tan, who is known as a black sorcerer, and has a reputation for being scary and evil. Most of it is just Tan having defended himself from others trying to hurt him. He tuns out to actually be a fairly good guy overall, who only kills when he has to. Only if you're trying to hurt him or someone he cares about will he hurt and/or kill you and have no remorse.
Otherwise he's actually pretty kind, and only demands cuddles from Devan in return for helping teleport the whole town of 1100 people out of there to save their lives.
Tan is immediately smitten with the ruggedly handsome, big, muscly knight, and wouldn't mind a romp in the sheets, but Devan is resistant.
He has some attraction, but he doesn't allow himself to go there as he has to keep being a knight for the princess and it wouldn't work, him being the the black sorcerer who has a reputation for more evil things.
But Tan twirls into rooms, he asks for kittens to get an audience with him - and doesn't eat them as the rumor suggests. He just keeps them - and he only asks for cuddles in return for helping Devan save 1100 people.
He certainly starts to grow on the more serious Devan by the end of this, but Devan resists. For how long, I guess we'll see.
They don't even kiss int his first installment *pouts* but I'm sure it is coming and it will be glorious. This was, after all, only 103 pages.
I'm definitely continuing with this series. Whether right away or not, I don't know. I'm going to see if anything else catches my interest. If not, definitely diving into book two.
This was just so delightful and funny. I can't wait for more! 😍
It had me laughing several times, the humor was just too good. Tan was adorable and funny, I couldn't get enough of him. Devan was the more serious, grounded character but he was so kind and gentle, truly a gentle giant as Tan thinks of him.
He works as the knight to the princess, but the princess is actually secretly horrible, and he stays her knight not to protect her, but to protect her people from her.
There are barbarians set to attack a small town in the North in a few days, and Devan defies orders, as the princess wants to just let the barbarians attack and ransack the small town, and then burn it down with the barbarians and all the innocent civilians in the town with them.
Devan can't in good conscience allow that to happen.
So he goes to Tan, who is known as a black sorcerer, and has a reputation for being scary and evil. Most of it is just Tan having defended himself from others trying to hurt him. He tuns out to actually be a fairly good guy overall, who only kills when he has to. Only if you're trying to hurt him or someone he cares about will he hurt and/or kill you and have no remorse.
Otherwise he's actually pretty kind, and only demands cuddles from Devan in return for helping teleport the whole town of 1100 people out of there to save their lives.
Tan is immediately smitten with the ruggedly handsome, big, muscly knight, and wouldn't mind a romp in the sheets, but Devan is resistant.
He has some attraction, but he doesn't allow himself to go there as he has to keep being a knight for the princess and it wouldn't work, him being the the black sorcerer who has a reputation for more evil things.
But Tan twirls into rooms, he asks for kittens to get an audience with him - and doesn't eat them as the rumor suggests. He just keeps them - and he only asks for cuddles in return for helping Devan save 1100 people.
He certainly starts to grow on the more serious Devan by the end of this, but Devan resists. For how long, I guess we'll see.
They don't even kiss int his first installment *pouts* but I'm sure it is coming and it will be glorious. This was, after all, only 103 pages.
I'm definitely continuing with this series. Whether right away or not, I don't know. I'm going to see if anything else catches my interest. If not, definitely diving into book two.
This was just so delightful and funny. I can't wait for more! 😍
October 3, 2022
Oh my god this is so adorable and hilarious!
“Be bad and don’t get caught, alright?”
Oh, to take advice from Tan who suffers from SCD, Severe Cuddles Deficiency 🤭🤭 So, Devan wants to take over a town with the need of help from Tan and well, the payment he wanted was reading bedtime story, cuddles, morning kisses and sleeping together 😂😂 from there, I already know I was going to love this.
This review probably mostly include me ranting about the MCS because I was still trying to adjust myself to the world building and understand what was going on - unique, I would say and I have high hopes for this series!
Tan is sooo enthusiastic, clingy and straightforward it’s soo hilarious! 😂😭 His POV is everything and how Devan always had to put up with him 😂😂 I adore both of them together so much!
Enough of Tan 😂, both of them reminds me of another favourite duo of mine, Havoc and Miles so much because of the goofiness and the straightforwards jokes, flirts and teases hahah I love characters like this. Also the whole journey at the same time reminds me of Jack and Roux too. The cliffhanger—continuous journey and uniqueness, oh my god! 😭💗😭💗 I hope it’ll give the same comfort and satisfaction reading this series <3
“Be bad and don’t get caught, alright?”
Oh, to take advice from Tan who suffers from SCD, Severe Cuddles Deficiency 🤭🤭 So, Devan wants to take over a town with the need of help from Tan and well, the payment he wanted was reading bedtime story, cuddles, morning kisses and sleeping together 😂😂 from there, I already know I was going to love this.
This review probably mostly include me ranting about the MCS because I was still trying to adjust myself to the world building and understand what was going on - unique, I would say and I have high hopes for this series!
“You don’t like all the black after all? Then why decorate this way?” Tan shook a finger at him again.
“You are absolutely not allowed to use my goth emo phase against me. I thought it was all the rage when I was a teenager. I just haven’t decided what to do instead.” BAHHAHSHA 😭😭😭 GOTH EMO PHASE PLEASE 💀
Tan is sooo enthusiastic, clingy and straightforward it’s soo hilarious! 😂😭 His POV is everything and how Devan always had to put up with him 😂😂 I adore both of them together so much!
“Tan was giddy with his success. Not only had he successfully infiltrated Devan’s bed—go, him!—but he’d been sincerely thanked. Devan had thanked him without prompting and even agreed to be allies with him. Would the wonders of the world never cease? He even got cuddles!”
“Devan! You darling man, you not only brought me coffee but a snack?” He blew kisses with a hand. “Come here, let me have your babies.”
“You stand in front of me. My lover stands behind me. Challenge me if you dare.”
Enough of Tan 😂, both of them reminds me of another favourite duo of mine, Havoc and Miles so much because of the goofiness and the straightforwards jokes, flirts and teases hahah I love characters like this. Also the whole journey at the same time reminds me of Jack and Roux too. The cliffhanger—continuous journey and uniqueness, oh my god! 😭💗😭💗 I hope it’ll give the same comfort and satisfaction reading this series <3
“Can you work without flirting with me?”
“Well, you’d have to be less lovely first. Work on that, will you? My fragile willpower can only take so much.”
December 28, 2023
Silly, delightful and funny!
I loved how sure Tan is he's going to "keep" Devan, and how Devan slowly is falling for Tan.
I'm going to immediately read the next installment, obviously.
I loved how sure Tan is he's going to "keep" Devan, and how Devan slowly is falling for Tan.
I'm going to immediately read the next installment, obviously.
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September 28, 2022
MM Romance
Magic/Sorcerers/Knights
Part 1 of 6
4.25 Stars ⭐️
OMG This was so adorable 🥰😭 This is the most innocent thing I’ve read in years and I smiled, laughed and swooned the entire time I read it. I loved it so so much and now I’m dying having to wait for the next books! I usually wait for all books to be released but I could not stop myself from reading it now. This is part 1 of a 6 book series and I cannot wait for them all to be released.
This takes place in the country of Goodwine, ruled by Princess Serenity and her protective white knight Devan. While the townspeople think Serenity is the perfect heir to the throne, she’s actually awful and only cares about herself. The only reason the townspeople don’t know any better is because her white knight always steps in to save the day and protects her image. This time the princess has gone too far and is sacrificing the townspeople’s lives therefore Devan has to ask for help and goes to the Black Sorcerer of Grimslock. This black sorcerer is rumored to be the worst of the worst, killing royal knights on sight and dining on kittens but Devan has showed up at his castle anyway to plead for his help. Boy is he in for a surprise!!!
I absolutely LOVED the Black Sorcerer, Tan, and him and Devan were so adorable that I couldn’t stop smiling. I felt so swoony reading this book because it was so cutesy, whimsical and funny. Everyone in this was so wacky from the imps that guarded the palace to the barbarians trying to tear down the town. I just could not get enough of this story and was surprised how much I loved a story that had absolutely no smut. I assume smut is to come in further books because they talk about sex but in this book, Tan becomes smitten by Devan and decides to keep him even though Devan is not aware of this plan. Tan was so not the character I thought he’d be and I loved how he was evil but also a secret cuddler. So, this may not have had smut but it had forehead kisses and cuddle sessions. It was just different and adorable and I might die waiting for future books to release even though they are coming out every two weeks.
I highly recommend this if you are looking for something different. As of now I am content with not having smut but I do hope that changes as they get to know each other more as the books go on.
Magic/Sorcerers/Knights
Part 1 of 6
4.25 Stars ⭐️
OMG This was so adorable 🥰😭 This is the most innocent thing I’ve read in years and I smiled, laughed and swooned the entire time I read it. I loved it so so much and now I’m dying having to wait for the next books! I usually wait for all books to be released but I could not stop myself from reading it now. This is part 1 of a 6 book series and I cannot wait for them all to be released.
This takes place in the country of Goodwine, ruled by Princess Serenity and her protective white knight Devan. While the townspeople think Serenity is the perfect heir to the throne, she’s actually awful and only cares about herself. The only reason the townspeople don’t know any better is because her white knight always steps in to save the day and protects her image. This time the princess has gone too far and is sacrificing the townspeople’s lives therefore Devan has to ask for help and goes to the Black Sorcerer of Grimslock. This black sorcerer is rumored to be the worst of the worst, killing royal knights on sight and dining on kittens but Devan has showed up at his castle anyway to plead for his help. Boy is he in for a surprise!!!
I absolutely LOVED the Black Sorcerer, Tan, and him and Devan were so adorable that I couldn’t stop smiling. I felt so swoony reading this book because it was so cutesy, whimsical and funny. Everyone in this was so wacky from the imps that guarded the palace to the barbarians trying to tear down the town. I just could not get enough of this story and was surprised how much I loved a story that had absolutely no smut. I assume smut is to come in further books because they talk about sex but in this book, Tan becomes smitten by Devan and decides to keep him even though Devan is not aware of this plan. Tan was so not the character I thought he’d be and I loved how he was evil but also a secret cuddler. So, this may not have had smut but it had forehead kisses and cuddle sessions. It was just different and adorable and I might die waiting for future books to release even though they are coming out every two weeks.
I highly recommend this if you are looking for something different. As of now I am content with not having smut but I do hope that changes as they get to know each other more as the books go on.
Want to read
March 25, 2025This book is free on Amazon (Canada) today (03/25/2025). 🙂
May 18, 2023
Re-read May 2023
I’m in a bit of a reading slump. So I figured I’d give this a re-read.
Original review.
This book was an absolute delight.
Devan is desperate. He’s a white knight working for a nightmare of a princess. Bravely he travels to ask the feared Black Sorcerer of Grimslock for help.
Said sorcerer Tan is not quite what Devan expected.
“There’s a handsome man drinking tea in my parlor. Hans, I have no idea how you managed this, but I require it from now on. Daily.”
It’s entertaining and fun and I’m moving straight onto the next one now.
“I’m suffering from SCD. Only you can help me.”
“What the hell is SCD?”
“Severe Cuddle Deficiency.”
I’m in a bit of a reading slump. So I figured I’d give this a re-read.
Original review.
This book was an absolute delight.
Devan is desperate. He’s a white knight working for a nightmare of a princess. Bravely he travels to ask the feared Black Sorcerer of Grimslock for help.
Said sorcerer Tan is not quite what Devan expected.
“There’s a handsome man drinking tea in my parlor. Hans, I have no idea how you managed this, but I require it from now on. Daily.”
It’s entertaining and fun and I’m moving straight onto the next one now.
“I’m suffering from SCD. Only you can help me.”
“What the hell is SCD?”
“Severe Cuddle Deficiency.”
February 6, 2023
"I'm suffering from SCD. Only you can help me."
"What the hell is SCD?"
"Severe Cuddle Deficiency."
This was a fun and ridiculous read. It gave off slight Tales from Verania by T.J. Klune, which is always a good thing.
October 16, 2022
Insanely funny and super cute. The plot is funny, but the characters are even funnier, but at the same time so incredibly adorable. AJ Sherwood sucks you in, digs in, and never lets you go once you fall for this author's charm. It's perfectly crazy and so light and dreamy. 😳😳😳
My, I'm running out of adjectives if I keep this up, and that being only the first few pages in this series.
Devan, the problem-ridden but confident first knight meets Tan, the hyper-eager, cuddle-hungry and super smart sorcerer 😍😍😍
“I’m suffering from SCD. Only you can help me.”
“What the hell is SCD?”
“Severe Cuddle Deficiency.”
“Really. Cuddles are a necessary part of life.”
Tan added a beat later, “Sex would be even better?”
Well and for the rest, you need to read it. Read it! 💗💗💗
My, I'm running out of adjectives if I keep this up, and that being only the first few pages in this series.
Devan, the problem-ridden but confident first knight meets Tan, the hyper-eager, cuddle-hungry and super smart sorcerer 😍😍😍
“I’m suffering from SCD. Only you can help me.”
“What the hell is SCD?”
“Severe Cuddle Deficiency.”
“Really. Cuddles are a necessary part of life.”
Tan added a beat later, “Sex would be even better?”
Well and for the rest, you need to read it. Read it! 💗💗💗
November 28, 2022
Not sure if I'm just not the audience for this. I love me a good crack-fic and the premise sounded fun, but there is not even a paper-thin veneer of pretense that the characters are not completely one-dimensional. Seriously, Devan is as dull as dishwater, and I say this is as a fan of boring, lawful-good knights!
Doesn't help that the jokes didn't land for me at all, and Tan's behavior came across as creepy rather than quirky.
Combined with the characters flatter than flattened flatbread, this series is a pass for me. I'm sensing a trend towards the OTT quirkiness (à la Alice Winters) in AJ Sherwood's recent works, and imo, she doesn't pull it off. But hey, other reviewers seem to disagree, so YMMV.
Doesn't help that the jokes didn't land for me at all, and Tan's behavior came across as creepy rather than quirky.
Combined with the characters flatter than flattened flatbread, this series is a pass for me. I'm sensing a trend towards the OTT quirkiness (à la Alice Winters) in AJ Sherwood's recent works, and imo, she doesn't pull it off. But hey, other reviewers seem to disagree, so YMMV.
February 21, 2025
Fun and supercute short story. Loved the Black Sorcerer of Grimslock and his loveinterest the White Knight Devan. This was exactelly the right amount of humor without going OTT. I didn't notice when I started listen to this audio but it's a bundle with the whole series so I'm on to the next 😅
November 17, 2024
That was a laugh riot
December 2, 2022
Cute, funny, and just the right amount of ridiculous!
A short little novella (Part 1 of 6, I believe). This is the perfect amount of silly and the kind of banter I like in a lighthearted story. It’s funny and adorable, but never too much. I’m excited to read the rest of these.
A short little novella (Part 1 of 6, I believe). This is the perfect amount of silly and the kind of banter I like in a lighthearted story. It’s funny and adorable, but never too much. I’m excited to read the rest of these.
November 3, 2022
4.25 stars
This was so much fun!
Tan and Devan reminded me a bit of Sam and Ryan from The Lightning-Struck Heart with the whole sorcerer and knight thing. Also with the lack of filter Tan had going on. 🥰
Tan is this adorable, bouncy, but super powerful sorcerer and Devan is this proud knight who wants nothing more than to protect the people from the evil princess. In this Tan tries his best to show Devan that they are destined to be together, but Devan can't abandon his people. So Tan needs to up his wooing..
It's a lovely first installment and I can't wait to read the rest.
This was so much fun!
Tan and Devan reminded me a bit of Sam and Ryan from The Lightning-Struck Heart with the whole sorcerer and knight thing. Also with the lack of filter Tan had going on. 🥰
Tan is this adorable, bouncy, but super powerful sorcerer and Devan is this proud knight who wants nothing more than to protect the people from the evil princess. In this Tan tries his best to show Devan that they are destined to be together, but Devan can't abandon his people. So Tan needs to up his wooing..
It's a lovely first installment and I can't wait to read the rest.
April 6, 2023
Well-written, very interesting premise, but not as funny as I thought it would be. And this book is, give or take, 25% of the whole story, but there isn't a good enough chemistry between the MCs for me to believe that the romance is gonna go where I'd like it to. Might still try reading the next book though. I might get surprised.
October 29, 2022
A knight and a scorcerer. 2 cute, sassy MCs.
The scorcerer likes cuddles and takes that as payment for helping the knight.
I can't wait to see whats in store in the next adventure.
The scorcerer likes cuddles and takes that as payment for helping the knight.
I can't wait to see whats in store in the next adventure.
July 19, 2025
Curioso y gracioso 🤣 ( dentro de lo que cabe)
![Profile Image for Chloë [at the cottage].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1641608177i%2F5779557._UY200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
November 22, 2022
What a delightful little serial!
Part 1 of 6, Miracle 1 does exactly what it needed to in 100ish pages - got me invested in the leads and their growing relationship. While it’s a bit (ok, a lot) OTT quirky, I found it endearing rather than grating. I want to know more about Tan, his SCD (severe cuddle deficiency), all the kittens he supposedly has from bribery, and long-term pining for Devan, the gallant, grumpy knight with a mysterious background. More please!
Part 1 of 6, Miracle 1 does exactly what it needed to in 100ish pages - got me invested in the leads and their growing relationship. While it’s a bit (ok, a lot) OTT quirky, I found it endearing rather than grating. I want to know more about Tan, his SCD (severe cuddle deficiency), all the kittens he supposedly has from bribery, and long-term pining for Devan, the gallant, grumpy knight with a mysterious background. More please!
December 17, 2022
Honestly, it was the book before this one that pushed me into a reading slump. "How I stole the Princess's white Knight" was supposed to be the cure. Alas that didn't quite work.
The book was a lot less dark than I expected and still also a lot less witty than I expected. It was plenty cute and I am not that big a fan of cute, but it was a cute that didn't bug me too much. Almost bearable. Also it ended very much without an ending. I suppose the next book will pick up right at this point. Am I going to read that? I don't know. Maybe. But I am not exactly dying to do so right away.
The book was a lot less dark than I expected and still also a lot less witty than I expected. It was plenty cute and I am not that big a fan of cute, but it was a cute that didn't bug me too much. Almost bearable. Also it ended very much without an ending. I suppose the next book will pick up right at this point. Am I going to read that? I don't know. Maybe. But I am not exactly dying to do so right away.
October 4, 2023
Tan is so sweet, badass, and all in a small package! Devan is just along for the ride and fed up with one evil princess. It won't be long till he gives in to Tan. This book is funny, entertaining, and a pure delight to read. I always love this author's serialisation, and this one is no different. Bring on the next one.
November 18, 2025
A.J. Sherwood has the best sense of humor, and How I Stole the Princess's White Knight and Turned Him to Villainy is very funny. An excellent start to the Villainy series.
October 19, 2022
I love silly quirky things:D
December 15, 2022
great start!
Funny and charming! Not so evil sorcerer and a white knight that has shades of grey made a perfect pair. I’m on to the next book right now!
Funny and charming! Not so evil sorcerer and a white knight that has shades of grey made a perfect pair. I’m on to the next book right now!
December 24, 2023
Ironically, I went from trying to find a short horror story, to this. xDD
But no regrets. Been meaning to read this for a very long time and couldn't find anything else short that caught my attention. Who knew I was in the mood for either horror or crack.
Anyway, I really did end up enjoying this quite a bit. It skirted the line of too much without actually crossing it. Was very close a few times, though, especially towards the end when Devan's leaving (or trying).
Particularly, liked the scenes where they're admiring the other without the other knowing, even more so when Devan's watching Tan when setting up the portation sigils. Even though this is short, it feels like a set up for them, while they're (well, Devan) is growing feelings for Tan. I also liked getting some of the background info on Devan and am looking forward to Tan's, especially after the hinted meeting with Devan years prior.
By the ending, I can guess where the rest of these are going to lead and am very much looking forward to it (with the style but I'm sure it'll change towards the end and I'll find out if I'm right, lol). Not sure I really agree with the title for this book but I can see later on and maybe it can be spun towards it... The princess... Ugh.
Anyway, a few quotes that I found amusing:
Tan swung both legs over the banister and reached down. "Catch me!"
"There are stairs-- Fuck!" Devan had to drop his crossbow in a hurry to catch the sorcerer, like a parent scrambling to catch a child before they hit the ground at all the wrong angles. He blinked at the careless man in his arms and then growled in vexation. "I could have dropped you."
"Trust fall," Tan countered brightly.
"That is not how you do a trust fall."
"My method. And you caught me, see?" Tan bussed Devan's cheek before hopping lightly down. "I'm off to scare people in line. Do stay put."
Devan growled again but let him go. The man was determined to give him a heart attack, it seemed.
"I'm suffering from SCD. Only you can help me."
"What the hell is SCD?"
"Severe Cuddle Deficiency."
"Think of it like being adopted by a particularly lethal cat," Devan advised him. "You've no choice in the matter but at least you'll be well protected."
But no regrets. Been meaning to read this for a very long time and couldn't find anything else short that caught my attention. Who knew I was in the mood for either horror or crack.
Anyway, I really did end up enjoying this quite a bit. It skirted the line of too much without actually crossing it. Was very close a few times, though, especially towards the end when Devan's leaving (or trying).
Particularly, liked the scenes where they're admiring the other without the other knowing, even more so when Devan's watching Tan when setting up the portation sigils. Even though this is short, it feels like a set up for them, while they're (well, Devan) is growing feelings for Tan. I also liked getting some of the background info on Devan and am looking forward to Tan's, especially after the hinted meeting with Devan years prior.
By the ending, I can guess where the rest of these are going to lead and am very much looking forward to it (with the style but I'm sure it'll change towards the end and I'll find out if I'm right, lol). Not sure I really agree with the title for this book but I can see later on and maybe it can be spun towards it... The princess... Ugh.
Anyway, a few quotes that I found amusing:
Tan swung both legs over the banister and reached down. "Catch me!"
"There are stairs-- Fuck!" Devan had to drop his crossbow in a hurry to catch the sorcerer, like a parent scrambling to catch a child before they hit the ground at all the wrong angles. He blinked at the careless man in his arms and then growled in vexation. "I could have dropped you."
"Trust fall," Tan countered brightly.
"That is not how you do a trust fall."
"My method. And you caught me, see?" Tan bussed Devan's cheek before hopping lightly down. "I'm off to scare people in line. Do stay put."
Devan growled again but let him go. The man was determined to give him a heart attack, it seemed.
"I'm suffering from SCD. Only you can help me."
"What the hell is SCD?"
"Severe Cuddle Deficiency."
"Think of it like being adopted by a particularly lethal cat," Devan advised him. "You've no choice in the matter but at least you'll be well protected."
September 7, 2023
LOL. if you're looking for nothing serious to read and have a little laugh, this book can have a space in your TBR list.
☆ the first good thing about this series, is that, it's really short. as you can see it's 100 pags and it's nothing serious. i read this while i was on a road trip, haha Tan was extremely funny and flirty it was just what i was looking for in a book lol, he always joked around drop comments and sincd Devan was more of a serious person it made this so much funnier.
(summary)
this book isn't about a sorcerer stealing princess’s knight. this book is about the princess’s knight named Devan asking for help from a sorcerer named Tan and well... i won't tell you why he went for help, it's better for you to read and find out why Devan went to get help from someone with bad reputation instead of asking help from the princess 🥳 !!!!
☆ the first good thing about this series, is that, it's really short. as you can see it's 100 pags and it's nothing serious. i read this while i was on a road trip, haha Tan was extremely funny and flirty it was just what i was looking for in a book lol, he always joked around drop comments and sincd Devan was more of a serious person it made this so much funnier.
(summary)
this book isn't about a sorcerer stealing princess’s knight. this book is about the princess’s knight named Devan asking for help from a sorcerer named Tan and well... i won't tell you why he went for help, it's better for you to read and find out why Devan went to get help from someone with bad reputation instead of asking help from the princess 🥳 !!!!
June 17, 2025
This is an quick and easy read. There is banter and some lol moments. I liked the humor and all those fun little moments between the white knight and the mighty (hehe) sorcerer.
Sadly this story is over too fast. There isn't really much depth and I would have preferred if all the obstacles wouldn't have resolved too quickly.
I'm not a fan of stories told in episodes (there 6 or more books in this series).
Don't think I'll continue.
Sadly this story is over too fast. There isn't really much depth and I would have preferred if all the obstacles wouldn't have resolved too quickly.
I'm not a fan of stories told in episodes (there 6 or more books in this series).
Don't think I'll continue.
November 25, 2022
5 stars
This was so much fun. The fact that Tan is so over the top is what makes this story come to life and Devan's deadpan delivery provides the perfect foil for him. The fact that we get to see what he truly thinks makes it so much more. Now that the town is saved, I can't wait to see how these two will handle what is in the wood.
This was so much fun. The fact that Tan is so over the top is what makes this story come to life and Devan's deadpan delivery provides the perfect foil for him. The fact that we get to see what he truly thinks makes it so much more. Now that the town is saved, I can't wait to see how these two will handle what is in the wood.
October 26, 2022
Short, funny, and refreshing
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