Villainy and Vigilance

by Elizabeth A. Reeves

Amelia comes from a long line of powerful Villains. Her parents, her brother, and even her entire extended family are all part of a great Family of villains. In the entire history of the Family, Amelia is the only one to ever be born without powers. She is a dud and all the knowledge and lessons in the world can't replace the abilities she should have had.

Vincent is her only friend. As a regular human, he has no concerns about her lack of abilities. As the son of an overworked single father, the two bond over their familial neglect and find kinship in their respective solitude.

Then a magical attack against Amelia sets off an unexpected burst of power-- from Vincent. Thanks to his gifts with magic, he becomes a highly valuable commodity for Amelia's Family. They absorb Vincent into the place that should have been Amelia's by birth, leaving her on the outside. This time truly alone.

Villainy and Vigilance is a Paranormal Romantic Comedy with a Body Count. From friends to enemies to something new-- Amelia and Vincent are forced to face the realities of what it means to be a Villain. And the true cost of keeping friends.

Genres: Romance, Fantasy

253 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 28, 2024

Reviews

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a book I got from a “Stuff Your Kindle Day”. Reminded me of a wattpad story. Not bad, just not what I was hoping for. A character died for no reason and the ending was anticlimactic. Barely any romance and didn’t utilize the fact that people could use magic enough. Also, I understood that they were a family of villains, but we never really saw any of the work the family did.

[Matilda · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ sparkling stars.


This was everything I have ever wanted in a villainous book. The main character, Amelia, is a powerhouse, striving to complete her dreams despite the challenges she has met in her life. Those challenges, in fact, are the exact ones that she meets head on and pushes against with all her might, drive and stubbornness. Amelia refused to let anyone or anything stop her, she would not let the fact that she was born without magic stop her, nor would she let the tragic accident that ruined her gymnastics career stop her from reaching for the stars and using them to crush the evilness that surrounded her, that filled her very blood. She would not let her cruel brother, calculating mother or careless father ruin everything she worked towards. She would not let them stop her.

Amelia had one person she entirely trusted in the world, and that one person was Solange. When Solange died, it set off a chain reaction of events that eventually led to her families demise by her hand. She was overlooked because of her lack of magic, but thanks to Solange, she was able to manipulate magic, and gift those spells, potions and lotions to others who needed it too. She helped those that she couldn’t previously protect, and took down The Family for them.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Villainy and Vigilance is a paranormal mystery. Amelia grew up in a family of magic-user villains. But as the only member of her family without power, she is kept on the outskirts. Her best friend Vincent one day shows magical talent. And suddenly they've gone from best friends to enemies as he becomes the family favorite.

This story is far more spy thriller than romance, although there is a sprinkling of that. But the author made an interesting world where magic and technology both exist. There is class warfare. A tiny bit of best friends to enemies to lovers. It's an interesting read.

[Martha · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book suffers from a bad case of telling instead of showing. The plot is interesting, but most of the interesting stuff happens offscreen. We never learn details about how the main character achieves her goals, why she believes what she does, etc.

Her brother's issues are talked about but only seen onscreen once (barely) when she does something stupid for unknown reasons. There's a major accident in her backstory but we only hear someone talking about what happened. We're told that she built a network but we don't see it happen.

If these things were shown, the plot would be a lot more interesting.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A New Voice

Ms. Reeves is known for her magical and Fae female lead characters. Here, the main character is decidedly non-magical, although the rest of her family are magical villains. What a breath of fresh air! I think this is my second favorite of all of her works that I've read, just behind "Cutthroat Chicken!"

[Tabitha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light on the romance; the FMC spends most of the book mistrusting the MMC and dealing with her own things. At its core it’s a wish fulfillment fantasy about a woman who is not as “naturally gifted” as the rest of her family but manages to prove herself not just worthy of their approval, but actually better than all of them, making the world a better place in the process.

[Berry Beresford · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is amazing

Not only is this book a totally new and refreshing take on some very old and tired tropes, but it is also very well written and almost perfectly edited - which makes it a delight to read.

Thanks to Elizabeth A. Reeves, for brightening my day, and for making this such a wonderful and memorable read

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delight

This was a Stuff Your Kindle pick and it was marvelous. I am so glad I read it. The story is so original and I want to read more from this world. There’s so much emotion invested in parts of this story and the characters are fantastic. There were a number of typographical errors in the manuscript, but otherwise, I’ve found a new author to embrace.

[J White · Rating 4 out of 5]

A satisfying and magical read. Reeves weaves a story of the underdog. Although some plot points aren't surprising, the story is enjoyable.

[Justine]

this gave me the ick
🥴 few chapters in and i still don’t know what is happening apart from home girl is in a family of villains