REVIEW: The Dark Lord's Guide to Honeymooning by Tiffany Hunt

The Dark Lord's Guide to Honeymooning (and Other Acts of Tyranny) by Tiffany Hunt is the 2nd book in the Guides to Villainy and Love series.

I was only through the first chapter and I was ALREADY cackling on every single page. Yes, chapter ONE — and I knew immediately that this second book of the series was going to be just as hilarious as the first. (Spoiler: it absolutely is.)

Arabella does not let Kazimir get away with a single ounce of his BS, and that's exactly what makes their dynamic so much fun. When these two go toe to toe, she gives just as good as she gets, every single time. No simpering, no eye-rolling-while-secretly-swooning heroine here — she matches him blow for blow (figuratively speaking, of course), and honestly? It's glorious.

And the pacing! Tiffany Hunt is an absolute master at this. Tension, light comedic beats, intimacy, rapid-fire banter, and pure desperation are all measured out with absolute precision — and just when you think you've caught your breath, she punctuates it all with another moment that has you laughing out loud (that would be me, repeatedly, embarrassing myself in public).

Some of my favorite chaos highlights so far are the "inappropriately chatty" set of black roses that had me almost choking on my tea.

Then there was this absolute gem of a line, which might be the most dire sentence ever: "We're going on our honeymoon. Prepare accordingly."

The names for things again are a delight, and we have more cool place names! The Shattered Sea, Godspire, the Lawless Expanse, Azroth's Claw, and more.

But nothing prepared me for the pickled (both literally and figuratively) cornhole game. I'm not exaggerating when I say this might be the single funniest thing I have ever read in my entire life. I stopped reading, went back, and read that scene three times before I let myself continue the book. THREE TIMES. It was just. That. Funny.

"The real question… is whether we're aiming for the holes, or if the holes are aiming for us."

I rest my case.

Now, yes, some genuinely dire, dangerous, and heartbreaking stuff happens in this book too (because Tiffany Hunt is just as skilled at the dark and desperate moments as she is at the comedy), but I can't say more than that because SPOILERS.

So if you'll excuse me, I have to go find that pickled cornhole scene and read it all over again.

Note: This is an ARC review.