How to Be a Good Villain

How To Villain On RomCom #2

by Jamie Dalton

Lillith Shadowend is the most powerful villain in three kingdoms, but corrupting the insufferably pure-hearted Prince Asher is a tall order, even for her.

Disguised as a castle maid, Lillith attempts every devilish scheme and seductive trick to unravel Asher's shining reputation, yet the pampered prince manages to evade her efforts with infuriating optimism.

Worse still, the more time Lillith spends scrubbing the manor floors, the more she finds herself falling for Asher's spirit, empathy, and hidden quirks beneath the princely facade.

With her icy heart melting fast, Lillith must decide whether to abandon her wicked ways for a chance at an epic, star-crossed love or to deliver Asher to darkness. Because even the noblest heroes hide secrets that could ruin everything.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Ebooks, Fantasy Romance, Romantasy

424 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 16, 2024

Reviews

[Vicki (MayhemBoundBookshelf) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this ARC from the author for an honest review.

I consider myself to be quite a fast reader and I really fly through books when they capture me. And once I was in it with this book, that’s what happened. It was a slow start for me, and I struggled with some of the plot moving super slow and other parts flying through - I felt the actual romance was a little underwhelming in that it felt sort of rushed without much build but the characters and plot were interesting.

In truth, this book probably could have been 2x the length to build the world and characters up more and I would have enjoyed that - I did really like the story, it just felt lacking a little for me.

Still a good read and I enjoyed it well enough, but not likely to be a favorite for me.

[storytime.withb · Rating 5 out of 5]

She’s the strongest, most cunning villain in town. And he’s the epitome of everything that’s good. 🤌🏼

Lillith’a character was just so much fun! It was like I was watching a movie. And you will fall for everything Prince Ashen is! And can I say, I love the “villain gets the guy” trope was just so fun to read! My first time and I loved it!! ❤️

A special thank you to the author for ARC ❤️

[Ali Alley EscapeThroughABook · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great option for a person who doesn’t want the complex romantasy book, but still enjoys the genre. Or if you need a pallet cleanser after a bunch of intense romantasy books.

This Fantasy Romance is an easy, and enjoyable read.
The romance is a slow burn, with an instant attraction.
The spice is mild. There is a spicy scene, although it’s not overly descriptive.
The book moves at a quick pace following the FMC on her journey to corrupt the MMC. All her plans go awry, with a shocking turn of events.
The characters are interesting, without being super emotional. We get a clear look at their personalities, while the over all feel still remains light.
The world building is original, and full of fantasy elements without being highly complex.

[Aramorthe · Rating 2 out of 5]

27 % - so far I’m annoyed I spent money on this.

- the skidmarked underwear?! Really? Put me right off of the story and the romance.

- Lilith is overpowered super villain extraordinaire, right? Why is she constantly so scared? She’s only there cause she was bored, the stakes are so low they’re on the ground.

- repetitive, the same sentences are repeated for no reason with a couple of lines in between.

- why does the villain who has a whole list of rules CONSTANTLY WHISPER HER REAL NAME TO HERSELF when creeping around trying to be as quiet as possible. Why are these not just thoughts?!

[Emily | EMVZ.woodandbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

*My review contains a quote, a small list of tropes, and my overall thoughts. I do give one example that may also be considered a spoiler. Please continue reading if you are okay with that!

...

“No matter how attractive a hero may be, there is always someone just as attractive who doesn’t want to kill you.”

✨️ Light on the enemies to lovers
✨️ Slow burn
✨️ Dual POV, but mainly FMC
✨️ You can choose with spice or no spice - which is kind of fun!

I loved the idea of this story, and it was an overall enjoyable read!

However, the start of her being a maid was an ick, which turned me off with the Prince as a love interest, who wants details about smelly poop stained underwear that's someone else's - not me that's for sure...

Additionally, (call me greedy because) I wanted more from the characters and world building! It felt like it had just touched the surface of everything, which makes this definitely a fun, light, fantasy romcom, so if that's what you are looking for, then I recommend this book! But for me, I wished there was more!

Note: I had the spicy version, but I chose to skip those scenes. I can't attest to the spice level of this book or conclude any thoughts on those scenes.

Thank you to the author for an eARC of this book. This is my honest opinion and thoughts.

[TaniaRina Valdespino · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘A good maid is hard to find’
Lillith, er I mean Lilly, knows to maintain a low profile and to do things well in order to keep her position close to her target. Always keep your eye on the prize!

I really enjoyed the whimsical naming convention and also the newsletter interjections.

To be a good villain, the author sagely suggests:
Have various pre-prepared lies handy
Gather intel (eavesdropping & gossip)
Ensure your lair has plenty of security
Don’t get tangled up in your own web

Fave line:
‘Sometimes a little chaos is what one needs to shake up the monotony’

Villainy doesn’t come from nowhere. Traumatic circumstances adversely affect how we react to triggering events as well as which decisions we make regarding other people. “What doesn’t kill, you, makes you stronger” is such a falsehood – it makes one harder, bitter, distrustful, cynical, vengeful, and even mentally ill. Rather than burning the witches, let us hunt down the witchmakers. May we see an end to vilifying the victims and the beginning of a new world brought about by assisting them on their path to healing.


In the meantime, Imma gonna rustle me up some dragon egg omelets, maple pecan latte, mushroom stew, raspberry tarts, and Grandmother’s special blend tea (flavored with blackberry, chicory, chocolate, cocoa, cream, & raspberry) while enjoying a well-earned foot rub.

[B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so fun, funny and cute I absolutely adored it!
The characters were fantastic and the story all around was just so entertaining!

Something I love about this is there's two versions of the same book;  a spicy and a non spicy /closed door ( for those who don't like to read spice)

* the spicy is sweet & I absolutely loved it

This is definitely going to be my fave comfort read and I can't wait to read how to dump a vampire

[Crim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was great. I really felt anime vibes here and I am all for it! Only thing I had wished was the maid portion had lasted longer. I really enjoyed it. This was supee cute but can be rushed at times. I read the no spice version and it was everything I hoped.

I thank the author for this lovely gift and an early chance to read it.

[MellissaMae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny, cute, and adventurous. I do wish the undercover portion lasted a little more because I loved the secrecy and villainous acts. The evolution of the relationship felt rush and lacking, but otherwise I liked the quest feeling vibes of the story.

[Reading_with_AAron · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the dual pov this new fantasy following our lovely villainess Lilith and our dashing hero Prince Asher. I liked the glimpses into the past and the feel-good cutesy stolen glances moments. I didn't feel like the end was fully fleshed out it felt rushed, we go from the big buildup scene to meh suddenly all is good in the world and now we are all content again. It was cute and a quick read!

[Squishy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its was a super fun read and super cute. And most of all the bad guy got her HEA

[Adena Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poignantly funny - I found this cozy fantasy to be a hilarious yet emotionally deep tale of a villain's schemes being throughly turned topsy turvy. This is a multicultural diversity-positive take on an epic fantasy enemies-to-lovers romance that feels a lot like (though much less spicy) than AJ Sherwood's tale of corruption of white knights. What more can I say? I like!!!

I received an ARC from the author and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Casey Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was provided an ARC of this title for free and am leaving this review voluntarily. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

I have followed & been a fan of the author’s cozy fantasies for a while so I jumped at the chance to read this title & was not disappointed in the least. Jamie has a way of weaving a magical world that you want to immerse yourself within every time without fail & characters that are so realistically and genuinely flawed that it’s impossible not to feel for them.

Lilith Shadowend is widely renowned for her villainy. Here, we see her answer a want-ad for a job among the kitchen staff of the palace as a way to get her foot in the door. Her agenda? Mischief, mayhem, and ultimately corruption. Her target? None other than the too-good to be true prince Asher, himself.

But along the way, Lily discovers much more about heroes and villains than expected, discovering and tiptoeing the very fine line between the two with increasing difficulty, and fighting her growing affection for the prince besides.

When secrets long hidden come to light, Lilith must ultimately decide whether to continue the path she long ago began upon & continue her life of villainy, or give it all up for a chance at love & the light that comes alongside it.

Thank you to the author, as always, & to Book Of Matches Media for my e-ARC!

[RBN · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would like to start by saying, this is the first time I’m reading this author’s work and I was underwhelmed. There isn’t any world-building and the relationship between the two main characters seemed lackluster. As the reader, I didn’t believe the evolution of their relationship from enemies to lovers. I went into this book thinking we would get a bad-a$$ female villain and I was left wanting her to be more of well...a villain. This fantasy rom-com didn’t live up to my expectations overall. The lack of the world-building and backstory made it hard for me to emotionally connect with the characters at all.

The agenda of the villain, Lillith, is to corrupt the prince, Asher, throughout the whole story. She disguises herself as a maid and plays small meaningless pranks on him. Until she is tasked to help him find a different villain and then all of a sudden she cares for him and he cares for her. It was very abrupt in the change of feelings with no meaningful build-up.

I love her idea of giving readers the choice of whether their version has spice in it but this author's style of writing just isn't for me.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book a while back, so my review will be a bit musty as I try to recall specific details, but that won't deter me from at least giving this book a short review as I received it as an ARC and would like to make sure I don't neglect putting out a review for it.

I'm going to skip going through the basics for now and might come back and update those later.

So let's dive in. I actually read these books out of order and will have to go back to the first book in the series How To Dump A Vampire and read that one to get a feel for how Dalton's writing is. This book was a fun and light-hearted jump into this world she's created, however, and I feel you probably don't need to read the first book unless you're going to be confused by the epilogue to this one, which I wasn't. The first book might provide more context for the characters you meet in the epilogue, but without that context, you're not missing much, so I'd say these two could stand alone.

Moving right along, I did read this several books back and am playing catch-up on my reviews, so my memories are a bit rusty. The premise of the world is fun. The characters live in a kingdom where there are heroes and villains, and the king has vowed to root out all villains and does this ruthlessly, sending heroes out to slay villains and send them into hiding as they struggle to stay alive against his decrees. In the midst of this backdrop, we meet Lilith Shadowend, our protagonist and the most infamous villain in the kingdom. She's been the most-wanted villain for a long time now, and while that would normally thrill her, she's bored.

Maybe it's her boredom that causes her to wander out of her hideaway and into a town where she's heard the second prince lives. The second prince who will not be taking the throne one day and for now spends his days as another hero and has recently been lauded for taking on a dragon--a dragon that used to live next door to Lilith. Our villainess decides to head into town and try to corrupt the seemingly entirely-too-good Prince Asher and turn him ever-so-slightly evil.

And that's the story.

Lilith disguises herself and gets hired on as a maid in Prince Asher's household where she works with a number of surprisingly unsavory fellow employees. As she navigates the prince's household, she comes into contact with some odd characters who have unknown motives for their work with the prince, and Lilith finds herself thrust into situations where she chooses to protect Prince Asher from villains rather than allow them to attack him.

Prince Asher, on the other hand, wants to find a compromise in his work as a hero. He's not happy with his father's all-or-nothing approach to weeding out villains and thus does his own work as a hero, saving some of his villain targets from death by offering them an out, specifically an out as employees in his household if they decide to turn over a new leaf. Unlike his father, Asher believes people are nuanced beings who can choose to change, and so he offers a number of people the opportunity to turn from their evil and join his little band of misfits in his home, far from the capital's castle. It's something we don't quite understand until a little later in the book when his own guilt and past are revealed, and while the reveal is a bit of a letdown for me, I can understand using it to motivate his current motivations.

The story felt a bit rushed in places and in others seemed to have scenes that were superfluous to the plot. I'll not mention the stained drawers scene as other reviewers have beat me to that one, but it's one that seemed a bit unnecessary to me. If it was a scene intended to introduce our two protagonists, I could see having several other variations of that scene and making it work just as well without being a bit TMI.

Some of the story felt juvenile in its twists and turns, and the relationships changed a bit too fast for my tastes. There's a point where Asher called Lilith by her actual name instead of her (very secretive) assumed name of Lilly, and I wondered if that was his way of subtly letting her know he'd figured out her identity. Unfortunately, it must have been a mistake because he still gets surprised when her identity is actually revealed.

This book is interesting because the author released two versions. There's a spicy version and a no-spice version. I kind of like this approach as it allows readers to choose their comfort level in the story.

Overall, I'd say the pacing was a bit wonky and the premise was fun. I will read the other book as mentioned above and write a review once I'm done for that one, too. I would say this is a decent story and worth a read if you need a little comic relief in your TBR.

[Maxine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am giving this a 3.5. I think the concept of this book was really interesting and I was super excited for it. I love when things are reversed like with this book of a female villain and the hero goodie two shoes MMC. Love that and I think the idea of it being a romantic comedy was a really fun idea. I enjoyed the message author was trying to convey with their characters and storyline as it pertains to stuffing people in roles from birth based on who their parents were pushing them into a role they may not have chosen if given a real choice and the giving of redemption of those who truly want to change. Loved all that.

But as to the book itself I didn't fully enjoy the book; in fact, I was a little underwhelmed. I think some of the writing had some plot holes and sometimes the sentences were a little repetitive. I also found that at times the writing moved a little slow but then would speed up and in fact skipped little nuances that would have added to the storyline such as developing the romance which I felt was a little rushed. An example was the foot rub. They go from them talking about her getting a foot rub and having clean feet but then she is exclaiming the fact it is the best foot rub ever. But we don't actually read about him rubbing the foot and this would have been a great way to build up the chemistry, tension and romance between the two.

As to the characters themselves at least the MCs Lillith is supposed to be the most powerful villain but all her attempts to corrupt the prince or do harm were really harmless pranks that weren't even really funny. She also seemed to have a lot of self-doubt. Even though this is a rom com I was expecting a bad-a$$ female villain and was just wanting more.

With the MMC Prince Asher while I like the idea of him, I was immediately turned off once I learned he doesn't know how to properly wipe. I get the author was trying to make this a funny moment in the book but all I could think was a what "surprises" are left in his drawers when it comes times for a spicy moment.

Now I did enjoy the beginning of the book when she is hiding out as a maid in his castle and the balls and her trying to hide her identity at times in the book from the heroes and villains because those were really interesting moments to read. Overall, I get what the author was trying to accomplish with this being a lighthearted funny rom com and maybe I was just not the targeted reader of this book but I overall I was just a little underwhelmed.

This book is about Lillith who is the most powerful villain in 3 kingdoms who has decided her next move will be to take Prince Asher the most noble of heroes and corrupt him away from the path of good. The best way to do this is by hiding out in his castle disguised as a maid so she can be close to him as she carries out her schemes. But the more time she spends around him with his shinning spirit, empathy and at times annoying optimism she starts to feel the coldness around her heart starts to melt and makes her wonder if a life of wickedness is all that she wants from life or if there could be more.

I received an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Beba Andric · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how this author starts her books, with such an intriguing intro, one can't help but want to read on! And the more I was reading, the more I was losing myself into the world she created. Littered with humourous content, wound in a tight ball of intrigue and subterfuge, a delightful read!

Lillith is villain numero uno, or so she thinks, and has crafted a very detailed notebook on how to be a villain, citing those rules she wrote at every turn. She infiltrates Prince Asher's palace, as his maid, she's privy to every aspect of his abode and uses all her wiles to take the edge of his "niceness" because, well, that's what villains do, right? Stir up, cause mayhem, lie, thief, etc .. however.... nothing went to plan for Lilith, no siree, SHE was the only left, ummmm.. well read it to find out 😁. I love her character, she tries so hard to be a villain but she's just so likeable! Ok, she does concoct schemes, she does enjoy wrecking havoc, she doesn't allow anyone to distract her from her "task" but goodness me, she is a delight! I really enjoyed watching her suspicions for Mrs Umberknuckle unfold, and, as Lilith herself said, "chaos and destruction can be fun, but they're also quite messy". The insight into why, into how she was moulded just wanted to make me cry!

Asher is just Mr Perfect! Genuine, dashing, caring, considerate of others, an all round goody. When I discovered WHAT he actually did, I was floored, I literally was like a gaping fish who couldn't catch her breath! So so awesome that he did what he did! Yep, Mr Perfect! Incorruptible no matter how hard Lilith tried which lead to the most interesting events and banter. I loved loved LOVED the exchanges between them, ALL of them! The author really took me on a ride, through so much turmoil, through so much insight into the characters. The entire "villains" and "heros" tale was unique and a theme twist on itself.

EVERYONE and their maid had secrets, had hidden agendas and that's another awesome aspect to this authors writing, not knowing how she's going to turn up the heat, which path she's going to lead me on, but rest assured, EVERY path I do venture on is one of great pleasure, unexpected and utterly captivating. The newspaper clippings are genius, what really occured is vastly taken out of proportion by the "media", like go figure... The HEA spread warmth throughout me, redemption IS a thing! An easy, adorable, excellent read, with, to me, a profound message, which is that everyone has dark and light within them, everyone has a choice, nothing is cast in stone.

[Monserrat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was honestly such a refreshing change from what I usually read! I loved the story being from the villain’s perspective because it was so different from other FMC’s I’ve read! I absolutely loved the story being from Lilith’s perspective because she is just so lovable from the start with her sass and Witt!! I loved being able to see her character growth throughout and the way in which her and Asher’s relationship developed I just absolutely loved all their scenes together as they are just so perfect for each other! I honestly felt that their relationship wasn’t rushed at all but instead built up slowly to where I wanted them to be together but also saw the way in which the pacing was necessary. I loved the whole aspect of them having to learn to trust each other and accept each other because it just made the relationship so much more realistic than if it had all been rushed into.

Not only did I love Asher and Lilith but I also really loved all the other characters who happen to be villains as well! I honestly just think this was such a good read not only for the plot and characters but also for how it was written with a list of villain rules and the news columns and even the ending pages with the recipes and everything else that was included made it such a fun and interactive read!

I’d definitely recommend this for anyone who loves a good villain story with lots of drama, scheming and just the right amount of romance!

[Megan » Hello Book Bird! · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise of this book had such PROMISE. I loved the rules, I loved the excerpts from the zine, I loved the idea that a villain is so bored with being top dog that she goes undercover to corrupt the golden prince just for giggles. The execution, however, was severely lacking.

First there's the telling-not-showing where she's at first a damsel in distress from ruffians, burns them to a crisp, and then cries on the guard to "divert suspicion." I'm sorry, if there were three people burned to a crisp in an alley and only a lonely maid with nary a scratch I don't care they be SUS.

Then once she gets the maid position, she has to clean the prince's underwear...underwear that HE POOED IN. Excuse me??? How is that a good set up for the romance? Or for convincing me that mr golden boy is above reproach in all things? Those should have been burned. Instead, it's a plot device (not a good one) for the prince to meet the maid and find her "refreshingly different."

And throughout the novel she's constantly creeping around but talking to herself and not being stealthy at all and just overall very full of herself.

AND SHE ISN'T EVEN A VILLAIN AT THE END. I WANT MY VILLAIN. I WANT MR GOLDEN PRINCE TO BE CORRUPTED.

I'm throwing hands. THROWING. HANDS.

I'm so upset I wasted money on the ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS Kickstarter box. I guess it's just going to be table candy now. Sigh.

[Aly Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an eARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
How to be a good villain is such a fun and joyful read!
Lillith’s character is very entertaining to read about. She begins as this powerful villain who is set on corrupting Prince Asher simply because she is bored! Her character arc is well done and kept me engaged through the story.
Asher is very intriguing. I found myself wondering about his true intentions throughout the book.
The copy I read was the spicy version, and the spice was well done. There wasn’t too much of it, and it wasn’t overly spicy. I would give this book a 1 chilli rating - 🌶
There were a few moments where I was a little confused as to what was going on, but the humour and intrigue made up for it and kept me invested.
This world reminded me of the TV show Merlin mixed with the Disney movie(s) Descendants. Meaning that it was really fun!
Also, I loooove that there are recipes at the end of the book! I will be making them on tiktok at some point in the future.
Overall, I would rate this book 4 stars. It is really enjoyable for anyone who likes Heros and Villains!

[Ellie Red · Rating 5 out of 5]

📚How to Be a Good Villain
🖋️Author: Jamie Dalton
📆Publication date: July 16
🗂️Genre: Contemporary Fantasy

•ARC REVIEW•

5/⭐️

📌Summary:
“How to Be a Good Villain” by Jamie Dalton follows the story of Lillith, the most powerful villain in three kingdoms and Prince Asher who is a pure- hearted Prince.

Lillith whose main purpose is to unveil peoples’ weakness and make them villains, undertakes the task to corrupt Prince Asher by disguising herself as his maid. Through various schemes she tries to do that but she always hits a wall with him. What she didn’t know initially was that she would fall for him.

📌Review:
Let’s talk about the fact that here the main hero is the Villain and let’s talk about the fact that the FMC is both the lead and the villain and we get to see her point of view. That was so refreshing. Give me a good female villain who is also a lead in the story.

I absolutely adored the concept and her relationship with Asher.

📌Thoughts:
If you want to read a different kind of Fantasy, this book screams your name.

I would like thank the author @magnetras_book_nook for the free copy.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a super cute rom-com fantasy book that went by super fast. The plot is pretty predictable where you know that the villain (who is the FMC which I’m a big fan of) slowly becomes less villainous and uses their evil powers for good as they fall in love with the golden-boy prince. An element I loved is that the FMC grew up as a victim of circumstances and her entire backstory was built on the premise of becoming so powerful that no one else could control her fate. It was cute seeing Lillian fight her attraction and act only slightly evil (aka luring cockroaches into the prince’s room and him being clueless about her small acts of evilness) before realizing that the prince was it for her.

I was a big fan of this as a cozy fantasy and wish there was a bit more relationship development/world-building because this world has so much potential in it and the romance felt like there could be more depth to it. Although, getting too caught up in the nitty-gritty details opposes the light and happy vibe of a cozy fantasy. I found this book to be a perfect palate cleanser between more heavy-duty fantasy books and it leaves you in a good mood when you are done reading it!

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC from the author.
I found this book to be an enjoyable and easy read. The story started a bit slow for me, but once it picked up, I was hooked. The romance is a slow burn, which I appreciated, though the initial attraction between the characters was palpable. The world-building was intriguing, though I wished there was more depth to it and the characters' backgrounds.

The plot moved steadily, but there were moments when it felt rushed, particularly the romance, which could have benefited from more development. Despite these minor issues, I found the characters to be interesting and the overall storyline engaging. The book has a light-hearted feel, making it a great read if you're looking for something not too intense.

This book is perfect for someone who enjoys fantasy romance without the complexities of more intense novels. It's a great palate cleanser if you've been reading a lot of heavy fantasy. While it might not become a favorite of mine, it was still a good read and I appreciated the unique elements the author brought to the genre. Thank you for the ARC.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️ 1/2
This book fell flat for me. There were times that it wasn’t clear what was going on (when Umbernuckle was punishing the thief it seemed like the patch guy was the thief, the long eared creature doesn’t get a proper description until the third time we see him, arriving at the training facility, her rules on magic seemed super inconsistent i.e. I can enchant a necklace to hide my stuff as we travel but not to save my life against his butler, how Nargle is suddenly Bumble at the end, etc). Their travel to the villain city was also confusing. They were on a mission to find their villain but I have no idea what this person did to warrant the undercover act.

There was a serious lack of sexual tension between main characters. She thought about interacting with him more than she actually did. She would frequently say “teasing” things to him but they weren’t even remotely true and usually pointed out a flaw of hers instead. The scenes where it was his POV didn’t add anything for me. And don’t get me started on the underwear. It would not be that hard to switch it to blood on the thigh area and give him some kind of wound. You could still accomplish his unmentionables and her need to clean them that way without poop being in a romance.

Overall, it was okay. I made it through and I think the storyline had potential, but it didn’t quite get there.

[Superquark · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

I like Lily quite a bit! Started off strong but it still felt more like the author was just telling us that things were happening (descriptions were given and not a ton of dialogue between characters to show story progression). About halfway through the writing started to feel disjointed, like the pacing was off, and some of the characters speech patterns didn't feel like their own. I think Nargle got renamed to Brumble?

I also didn't like Asher at all tbh, Lily can do so much better. My main issue with their relationship is she's supposed to be the most powerful villain in three kingdoms but suddenly she's deferring to Asher in a time of crisis? Girl no. The relationship felt so imbalanced, like she was always trying to prove to him that she was worth it but I never got the same impression from him and that was kind of icky. Her big explosion of power was because she thought he was dying which on its own isn't so bad but it's unfortunate the only time she uses a lot of magic is for him. That said my favorite part is still her just getting irritated and taking out a guy and destroying his whole stronghold lol

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded down. This was a fun premise. I liked the newspaper stories in between chapters - it really helped things flow.

At first Lilith frustrated me. She read as really young and some of her evil acts just seemed childish. Her tone and thoughts do age up through the story, which helps, and I liked her a lot more during the more adventurous part of the book.

I got the spicy version of the book and the open door scenes were fine. I don't think those with the closed door copies will be missing anything by them being left out.

There are several things I'd want more of like the school at the end. The time skip was a bit jarring and I wish we had seen more on page representation of what happened during the skip even if it was a set of newspaper clippings. Everything just felt magically tied up with no further conflict even though that couldn' have been the case with the death of the king. Ending the book with a completely different POV also felt a little off.

Overall I think it's worth a read and I will continue on with the sequel.

[Tonna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me absolutely captivated! Lilith is the most powerful Villain in 3 Kingdoms. She was born a Villain, and raised as a Villain by her parents. It's how things just were. Whether you were born a Common, Villain, or Hero... that is the life that you would lead. Lillith was bored. She was the most powerful Villain... yet she was missing something. Was she craving change, love, mischief? She decides to do the unthinkable.. try to ruin Prince Asher's golden boy, hero reputation. She glamors herself and poses as his new maid, "Lily". What she doesn't realize is that adventure awaits her, and Prince Asher just may not be what she expected. Will she find a different way of life, love, redemption? I highly recommend this romantasy. Bonus feature.. at the end of book there are not only recipes but fun help wanted ads, for sale ads, etc. I also loved the newspaper articles throughout the story. 5 🌟

[Tiffany (areyoutellingstories) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed How to Dump a Vampire and therefore, very excited to read this next book in the series but, it didn't hit me the same. Trying to determine how to rate this, I realized it was because I don't think I really liked Prince Asher and I couldn't quite figure out why. Maybe we didn't get enough of his POV for me to really develop a connection to him. I read another review that mentioned the maid role gave them the ick, maybe that's what it was. The underwear was one thing. There is also a scene where they are walking through a village and her arms are getting tired from carrying packages and all I could think was "why isn't he carrying packages? Is he really such a noble prick that he makes some lowly peasant maid carry all his belongings without lending a hand?" One that he may or may not be falling for no less? Be a gentleman. We do learn of his good deeds later on but, those acts stayed with me. 3.5 stars.

[Cassie Brant · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was picked to read this amazing book “How to Be a Good Villain” by Jamie Dalton as an arc. It did not disappoint. Enemies to lovers, funny banter between mmc and mfc. The villain becomes the hero to save the leading love interest and ironically one of the named hero’s. Undercover as a maid named Lilly to a prince named Asher , Lillith Shadowend a notorious villain has plans to destroy/kill the Hero Prince. A long the way she is asked to go on a grand adventure as his assistant in finding more about the villains and who has been trying to kill him. Lily stops him from being poisoned at one of his events. Slow burn and wonderful banter. Do not forget to add the spicy scenes in also. You will absolutely love this brilliantly fun book. If you loved Assistant to the Villain you will love How to Be a Good Villain. I can not wait to read what Jamie Dalton writes next.

[roselovestoread · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Do not fly into a rage and kill messengers of bad news. Good messengers are hard to come by.”

I’ve received this arc book in return for a honest review. As a person slowly getting back to reading, this was an easy read. I was flying through the book. It started off with Lillith the villain becoming a maid to serve Prince Asher. Her aim was to corrupt Prince Asher who seems to be too good in every way. However, I would actually love to see how Lillith actually attempts to corrupt Prince Asher more. It was more of a prank? I was also abit confused when they suddenly got together and had to reread the previous chapter to see how it happened. (A little spice happen here)

Overall, I did enjoy reading the book! It was a light and easy read. Thank you Author Jamie for giving me this opportunity to be part of the arc readers!