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Villages, Vestige, and Vexes
Luca St. Mendax is the King’s Knight— and he wants nothing more than to get as far away as possible from the kingdom he’s sworn to protect. It’s nothing personal. In fact, it’s nothing more than a childish fantasy. From what he’s read in his late mother’s scribblings, there’s just so much more world to see beyond Teris, and it would be a shame to miss a second of it.
But Luca, like the rest of Teris, is locked behind borders that protect the kingdom from a rampant disease. Even worse, Luca is tethered to the hunt for a notorious criminal, a masked terror known as The Traveler. If only this ‘Traveler’ would live up to his title and journey elsewhere. However, The Traveler’s puzzling actions threaten the kingdom’s imports, and Luca can’t pursue his dream of leaving the kingdom until his sworn enemy is brought to justice.
When Luca is invited to the neighboring village of Hollowaye for a weekend, he sees the opportunity for his childhood fantasy to become a reality, if even for just a moment. As he steps into the cozy village, he’s confronted with a shocking The Traveler has been hiding here, just a breath away from him the entire time.
The discovery turns Luca’s world upside down. Now, Luca is at the mercy of The Traveler, a well-loved figure in Hollawaye, and their comfortable game of cat and mouse has flipped on its head. When Luca is forced to face The Traveler’s perspective, it draws into question the Majesty of the kingdom he’s given up everything to protect.
But Luca, like the rest of Teris, is locked behind borders that protect the kingdom from a rampant disease. Even worse, Luca is tethered to the hunt for a notorious criminal, a masked terror known as The Traveler. If only this ‘Traveler’ would live up to his title and journey elsewhere. However, The Traveler’s puzzling actions threaten the kingdom’s imports, and Luca can’t pursue his dream of leaving the kingdom until his sworn enemy is brought to justice.
When Luca is invited to the neighboring village of Hollowaye for a weekend, he sees the opportunity for his childhood fantasy to become a reality, if even for just a moment. As he steps into the cozy village, he’s confronted with a shocking The Traveler has been hiding here, just a breath away from him the entire time.
The discovery turns Luca’s world upside down. Now, Luca is at the mercy of The Traveler, a well-loved figure in Hollawaye, and their comfortable game of cat and mouse has flipped on its head. When Luca is forced to face The Traveler’s perspective, it draws into question the Majesty of the kingdom he’s given up everything to protect.
489 pages, Paperback
Published September 7, 2024
302 people are currently reading
1338 people want to read
About the author
Taylor Vaughan
5 books24 followersTaylor Vaughan is the author of Fantasy and Horror books from Oklahoma. She loves all thing drama, thrill, and magic. Explore her bookshelf, and go on a walk (or run) through themes and stories she wished she'd had to read as she entered adulthood.
To follow her on social media and learn more about her books
Instagram: @Author_TaylorVaughan
TikTok: @the.taylore
To follow her on social media and learn more about her books
Instagram: @Author_TaylorVaughan
TikTok: @the.taylore
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
November 18, 2024
DNF
This book is very poorly wrote. A great example is the last sentence of the first chapter missing punctuation. There are countless grammar and spelling mistakes throughout and times where the wrong word is used (one off the top of my head is where the author put the towns name where the main characters name should have been).
The amount of commas used is actually shocking, they are placed where they are not needed and not placed where they are. Sentences can still feel like a run-on when there are 6 commas used within it! (I’m being serious, multiple times SIX commas are used within one sentence - and not for the use of listing)
Paragraphs are confusing, going between past and current moments with no warning. Sentences are incredibly long, with no reason other than adding length with unnecessary words and phrases.
I truly cannot tell if I somehow got sent a misprinted copy or if all the versions are wrote this same way. I also do not know of the author used any editor, whether that be a real one or just ANYONE in their life.
This is a hard read, and yes I read it all and wrote edits throughout. The entire time felt as though I was assigned this in as a peer review for a 100 level college class.
The concept is great, but the execution is really not good. The dialogue is actually great, and some pages are wrote well and are enjoyable. But the. you flip the page.
With many, many more edits this book could be incredibly.
This book is very poorly wrote. A great example is the last sentence of the first chapter missing punctuation. There are countless grammar and spelling mistakes throughout and times where the wrong word is used (one off the top of my head is where the author put the towns name where the main characters name should have been).
The amount of commas used is actually shocking, they are placed where they are not needed and not placed where they are. Sentences can still feel like a run-on when there are 6 commas used within it! (I’m being serious, multiple times SIX commas are used within one sentence - and not for the use of listing)
Paragraphs are confusing, going between past and current moments with no warning. Sentences are incredibly long, with no reason other than adding length with unnecessary words and phrases.
I truly cannot tell if I somehow got sent a misprinted copy or if all the versions are wrote this same way. I also do not know of the author used any editor, whether that be a real one or just ANYONE in their life.
This is a hard read, and yes I read it all and wrote edits throughout. The entire time felt as though I was assigned this in as a peer review for a 100 level college class.
The concept is great, but the execution is really not good. The dialogue is actually great, and some pages are wrote well and are enjoyable. But the. you flip the page.
With many, many more edits this book could be incredibly.
December 21, 2024
This book has a really interesting and compelling concept, but the execution is unfortunately lacking. I think that with a lot of work and a good editor, I would have really loved this book, but as it is, it was a slog to get through. The saving grace, and the only reason I finally finished, was that the plot was interesting enough, but nothing felt fully fleshed out. I was confused about what was happening for the majority of the book and I didn’t feel like I really cared about what was happening to the characters until nearly the end.
February 9, 2025
Well written, and the kind of book that kept me up past my bedtime because I had to know how it ended. It broke my heart to see it was a stand alone. I have questions especially after that ending.
January 13, 2025
I think it’s very important to support self published authors, and I was intrigued by the premise, so I had to get this book. Unfortunately, it was not as fleshed out as I would have hoped. I think it needed more time and editing before pursuing publication.
Also, everyone consistently treated Oliver as the bane of humanity when 1) what he did in the first place wasn’t even all that terrible and 2) what happened after was not his fault. Ella’s death was not on him. It was on Hazel. When bad people do bad things to others, you blame the bad person. Oliver was as much a victim of the system as anyone, yet the author made it out to be like he would need to spend the rest of his life paying for his sins. It’s absurd that no one in Hollowaye would forgive him. I understand Aura because she lost her sister and she’s bitter, but the rest of them loved Oliver. They should have been able to see the situation for what it was.
His relationship with Luca was also disappointing. I felt like Oliver cared a lot more about him than he did about Oliver. It didn’t help that Luca was unconscious for most of the book.
All in all, it wasn’t a bad book. I just think it needed a little more polishing.
Also, everyone consistently treated Oliver as the bane of humanity when 1) what he did in the first place wasn’t even all that terrible and 2) what happened after was not his fault. Ella’s death was not on him. It was on Hazel. When bad people do bad things to others, you blame the bad person. Oliver was as much a victim of the system as anyone, yet the author made it out to be like he would need to spend the rest of his life paying for his sins. It’s absurd that no one in Hollowaye would forgive him. I understand Aura because she lost her sister and she’s bitter, but the rest of them loved Oliver. They should have been able to see the situation for what it was.
His relationship with Luca was also disappointing. I felt like Oliver cared a lot more about him than he did about Oliver. It didn’t help that Luca was unconscious for most of the book.
All in all, it wasn’t a bad book. I just think it needed a little more polishing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2024
In Villages, Vestige, and Vexes, Taylor takes the classic, cozy feel of a fairytale and twists it into a nature we should expect from the tales of olde—but she pulls it off with such a phenomenal spark of magic and vibrant color, I’m left speechless and excited for more. Vaughan books are a MUST read and I’ll never stop raving about them.
November 14, 2024
This was such a good pallette cleanser between series. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
April 10, 2025
DNF 20% wasn’t holding my interest.
December 24, 2024
3.5 stars
I will give a spoiler free analysis on my opinions on this book.
I would like to start out by pointing out in general, my standards on brand new authors are never the same for seasoned one. I think this book could have been a 5/5 given enough time and effort with an editor and some beta readers. I also know that this book wasn’t given either of those. That being said, let me point out some pros and cons to let you decide whether this book is worth reading for you.
Pros:
-the characters are pretty likable and for the most part consistent enough.
-there’s some really great dialogue in here, and for the first part of the book I was throughly enjoying the commentary from the main characters perspective.
-there’s a lot of great foreshadowing that if you’re paying attention you can go back and say “ohhh, yeah. That’s why they said that.”
- the plot is really good! There’s about 2 or 3 major things going on at once that all get wrapped up relatively well.
Cons:
- I agree with the other users here. My biggest complaint is that the writing needed some serious work. It’s not that she’s a bad writer by any means! She’s written something wonderful. That being said, there’s a lot of run on sentences, hard to understand paragraphs, and it’s very easy to get lost in what’s happening. I’ve had to backtrack more than once.
- this is personal preference, but I didn’t like that the perspective changed a quarter way through the book. It made sense, sure. But I personally like being able to keep reading through a character I enjoyed in the beginning.
- and another personal complaint, I wish this wasn’t a stand alone. With the way it ended I felt kind of unsatisfied. I wish there was more opportunity to see the two mains together.
Overall, I enjoyed the story! I hope she gets a second edition done, gets with an editor to clean up the story a bit. It’s worth a read if you can get past grammatical errors.
I will give a spoiler free analysis on my opinions on this book.
I would like to start out by pointing out in general, my standards on brand new authors are never the same for seasoned one. I think this book could have been a 5/5 given enough time and effort with an editor and some beta readers. I also know that this book wasn’t given either of those. That being said, let me point out some pros and cons to let you decide whether this book is worth reading for you.
Pros:
-the characters are pretty likable and for the most part consistent enough.
-there’s some really great dialogue in here, and for the first part of the book I was throughly enjoying the commentary from the main characters perspective.
-there’s a lot of great foreshadowing that if you’re paying attention you can go back and say “ohhh, yeah. That’s why they said that.”
- the plot is really good! There’s about 2 or 3 major things going on at once that all get wrapped up relatively well.
Cons:
- I agree with the other users here. My biggest complaint is that the writing needed some serious work. It’s not that she’s a bad writer by any means! She’s written something wonderful. That being said, there’s a lot of run on sentences, hard to understand paragraphs, and it’s very easy to get lost in what’s happening. I’ve had to backtrack more than once.
- this is personal preference, but I didn’t like that the perspective changed a quarter way through the book. It made sense, sure. But I personally like being able to keep reading through a character I enjoyed in the beginning.
- and another personal complaint, I wish this wasn’t a stand alone. With the way it ended I felt kind of unsatisfied. I wish there was more opportunity to see the two mains together.
Overall, I enjoyed the story! I hope she gets a second edition done, gets with an editor to clean up the story a bit. It’s worth a read if you can get past grammatical errors.
August 13, 2025
I had seen this author’s TikToks about their book, about it being enemies to lovers where the hero goes to the villain’s hometown and he’s a hero. And that’s more or less the case, and the story was good, engaging even. It just felt unpolished, like one or two more passes with a good editor would’ve taken it from—not even good, ok at best, to really good.
The book fell into similar traps that I see Fanfic writers do, where there’s too many like jokey-jokes between characters that takes you out of the story. And this is fine in fanfiction because A) it’s free online, crafted with love and B) that’s what we’re here for, as fans—we, the readers, want more from this world and these characters and that’s why we’re reading fanfiction. I’m not trying to make assumptions about Vaughn’s writing history or even say this as a criticism of fanfiction. Instead, i want to compare that style of writing to that in an original story; we don’t know the characters or the world, this is our first time immersing ourselves. The reader needs to build up that familiarity otherwise it takes away from the overall story, such as in this book. I’m not even saying don’t joke around or give fan service, but this book doesn’t know when to let the story speak for itself. And that’s a shame because I really liked it, but I found myself skimming the last several chapters because of all the fluff packed in. As I said, a few more rounds with a good editor, and Taylor Vaughn if you’re reading this and you made it this far, gimme and we could make something *amazing.*
Strong 2 to a Light 3
The book fell into similar traps that I see Fanfic writers do, where there’s too many like jokey-jokes between characters that takes you out of the story. And this is fine in fanfiction because A) it’s free online, crafted with love and B) that’s what we’re here for, as fans—we, the readers, want more from this world and these characters and that’s why we’re reading fanfiction. I’m not trying to make assumptions about Vaughn’s writing history or even say this as a criticism of fanfiction. Instead, i want to compare that style of writing to that in an original story; we don’t know the characters or the world, this is our first time immersing ourselves. The reader needs to build up that familiarity otherwise it takes away from the overall story, such as in this book. I’m not even saying don’t joke around or give fan service, but this book doesn’t know when to let the story speak for itself. And that’s a shame because I really liked it, but I found myself skimming the last several chapters because of all the fluff packed in. As I said, a few more rounds with a good editor, and Taylor Vaughn if you’re reading this and you made it this far, gimme and we could make something *amazing.*
Strong 2 to a Light 3
December 25, 2024
I started this book once I saw that it was available on kindle. I kept seeing the author’s videos on tiktok and I’m really glad I decided to read. The story was enjoyable and I liked all the characters.
It was a bit of a shock when who I thought the story would be shown from the perspective of suddenly disappeared. Luca was fun to see the world through and I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t enjoy reading from The Traveler’s pov as much. I was wrong, still good. Oliver’s relationships with the villagers is def something I wish was expanded upon. I really liked the relationship Oliver shares with Thalia. She was a great addition and it would have been nice to see more of her interacting with Luca. Baby, the cat, also a treat.
The ending left me wanting more, but I feel like there will not be any continuation, unfortunately.
The book could have used a few more rounds of editing, but it didn’t make the book unenjoyable. Just a small annoyance for me, but I understand some people find that hard to get through. Also there were a few moments where I had to reread a part just to try to understand what was happening. The author is still really talented and I do not think any of this takes away from that.
It was a bit of a shock when who I thought the story would be shown from the perspective of suddenly disappeared. Luca was fun to see the world through and I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t enjoy reading from The Traveler’s pov as much. I was wrong, still good. Oliver’s relationships with the villagers is def something I wish was expanded upon. I really liked the relationship Oliver shares with Thalia. She was a great addition and it would have been nice to see more of her interacting with Luca. Baby, the cat, also a treat.
The ending left me wanting more, but I feel like there will not be any continuation, unfortunately.
The book could have used a few more rounds of editing, but it didn’t make the book unenjoyable. Just a small annoyance for me, but I understand some people find that hard to get through. Also there were a few moments where I had to reread a part just to try to understand what was happening. The author is still really talented and I do not think any of this takes away from that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 4, 2025
Rating: 3.75 Stars
POV(s): Third Person
Relationship: MM
Genre(s): Fantasy
❥
Even though this wasn’t the romance book I thought it was going to be, I’m not disappointed. I adored the many platonic relationships explored throughout this book.
However, I do believe the book could benefit from another round of editing, as the story often got lost in the writing. Additionally, there were more than a few grammar/editing mistakes.
The ending was sad, as
❥
Title: “Villages, Vestige, and Villains” by Taylor Vaughan
Interconnected Series: N/A
Standalone: Yes
Cliffhanger: No
HEA:
Triggers:
Tags/Tropes:
➢ Friendship
➢ Hero x Villain
➢ Misunderstood MMC
➢
POV(s): Third Person
Relationship: MM
Genre(s): Fantasy
❥
Even though this wasn’t the romance book I thought it was going to be, I’m not disappointed. I adored the many platonic relationships explored throughout this book.
However, I do believe the book could benefit from another round of editing, as the story often got lost in the writing. Additionally, there were more than a few grammar/editing mistakes.
The ending was sad, as
❥
Title: “Villages, Vestige, and Villains” by Taylor Vaughan
Interconnected Series: N/A
Standalone: Yes
Cliffhanger: No
HEA:
Triggers:
Tags/Tropes:
➢ Friendship
➢ Hero x Villain
➢ Misunderstood MMC
➢
March 6, 2025
This was not what I expected. Based off an idea the author had and posted on social media, which was, 'what of the hero visited the villain's village, only to find out that the villain is their golden boy?'. Don't get me wrong, it was a good story, I just felt like it lacked something. Maybe some more world building? I feel like there could have been more touched on the socio-political climate leading to the way the world is at the time the story takes place.
I loved the two MC's. Both the hero Luca and the villain The Traveler are well fleshed out. Their goals and missions are very clear, and the way they are written make both of them seem charming. I also adored Thalia. She was pretty bad ass.
For things I didn't like, as I said, it felt like the motives of both the hero and villain lacked a source. There was no real clear sense of why they were adversaries until the end, where it still felt like there were missing reasons behind why things were that way in the world.
All in all, quite a good read. I do so adore a decent pg-13 fantasy novel. Not everything needs to be spicy. 7/10 would read again, and will be recommending to friends.
I loved the two MC's. Both the hero Luca and the villain The Traveler are well fleshed out. Their goals and missions are very clear, and the way they are written make both of them seem charming. I also adored Thalia. She was pretty bad ass.
For things I didn't like, as I said, it felt like the motives of both the hero and villain lacked a source. There was no real clear sense of why they were adversaries until the end, where it still felt like there were missing reasons behind why things were that way in the world.
All in all, quite a good read. I do so adore a decent pg-13 fantasy novel. Not everything needs to be spicy. 7/10 would read again, and will be recommending to friends.
May 29, 2025
It’s a fun plot and the romance aspect is cute but there are so many grammar mistakes, typos, etc. A lot of the writing is also just hard to read because of run-on sentences and such. The book felt as though it could’ve been a bit shorter in some places as well. The epilogue kind of just left me feeling sad (poor Auggie:( )and seemed like a set up for a follow up book but I know this is a stand alone. I’m aware this is a self-published book though and I believe it’s only been self-edited so I’ll leave some slack. Personally I would have liked to see a little more development with the romance seeing as they really only knew each other for about a week before they were head over heels for each other. Also, I’m not sure how good of a plot choice having one of your main characters in a coma for over half the book is but who am I to judge. Overall I did enjoy this book. It wasn’t tooth rotting fluff but it also wasn’t extremely heavy even if a few of the characters definitely had unresolved trauma including survivor’s guilt.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 1, 2024
This is such an adorable novel that leaves readers wanting more. The author’s description of the landscape and characters helps readers to really feel the magic and charm in the environment. The humble town of Hollowaye being so full of love is refreshing and cozy. I felt like I couldn’t tear my eyes or heart away from Ollie and his boyish, bandit charm. This is definitely going to need a follow up novel starring Auggie. I just adored the simplicity, the playfulness and the way the author describes the setting.
My ONE complaint is that the novel threw me off track a few times. There were several moments I wasn’t expecting a shift in conversation or movement and I found myself having to page back to find the line that brought me from one place, conversation, etc to the next. (This could’ve also been because I was reading at 2:00am, but I normally do that anyway.) Regardless, it was enjoyable and fun.
My ONE complaint is that the novel threw me off track a few times. There were several moments I wasn’t expecting a shift in conversation or movement and I found myself having to page back to find the line that brought me from one place, conversation, etc to the next. (This could’ve also been because I was reading at 2:00am, but I normally do that anyway.) Regardless, it was enjoyable and fun.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 12, 2025
1.5 ⭐️ rounded up
i so badly wanted to love this. the plot and the characters were intriguing and i was excited to support a self-published author. however, this book badly needs an editor, not only to actually connect the story together but to grammatically make it make sense. the amount of commas in this book………. bro it was bonkers. like half the sentences didn’t make sense because they were run on dependent clauses stacked in a trench coat
also, the progression of luca and oliver’s relationship made zero sense, especially given luca spends half the book unconscious. and it really GRINDS MY GEARS when books say “enemies to lovers” and they were mild inconveniences to each other at best
also x2, WHY WAS THIS ALMOST FIVE HUNDRED PAGES. by the time i hit the halfway mark i was skimming every page, esp since i only finished this out of spite
i so badly wanted to love this. the plot and the characters were intriguing and i was excited to support a self-published author. however, this book badly needs an editor, not only to actually connect the story together but to grammatically make it make sense. the amount of commas in this book………. bro it was bonkers. like half the sentences didn’t make sense because they were run on dependent clauses stacked in a trench coat
also, the progression of luca and oliver’s relationship made zero sense, especially given luca spends half the book unconscious. and it really GRINDS MY GEARS when books say “enemies to lovers” and they were mild inconveniences to each other at best
also x2, WHY WAS THIS ALMOST FIVE HUNDRED PAGES. by the time i hit the halfway mark i was skimming every page, esp since i only finished this out of spite
June 10, 2025
Real rating of ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
Loved the storyline of this book!! It definitely needed a little more editing (the amount of typos/misspellings in a published book was wild) but as long as you can over look those it was good!
I always love a good little enemies to lovers book, & while this is marketed as one, I wouldn’t necessarily count it as that. Yes the enemies get together but they share one single (not very detailed) kiss towards the very very end of the book and that’s it.
I managed to guess most of the plot twist about half way through the book but I wasn’t too upset about that. The characters & the story were super cute & fun. Overall I enjoyed this book immensely for a fun little beach read.
Loved the storyline of this book!! It definitely needed a little more editing (the amount of typos/misspellings in a published book was wild) but as long as you can over look those it was good!
I always love a good little enemies to lovers book, & while this is marketed as one, I wouldn’t necessarily count it as that. Yes the enemies get together but they share one single (not very detailed) kiss towards the very very end of the book and that’s it.
I managed to guess most of the plot twist about half way through the book but I wasn’t too upset about that. The characters & the story were super cute & fun. Overall I enjoyed this book immensely for a fun little beach read.
January 21, 2025
This book needs a good editor. It felt at times like watching a scratched DVD, however the actual plot was amazing. The characters are lovable. Despite feeling lost at times I had to finish to see what happened. This author is very good at detailing to the point I could picture the characters and places easily. I still love the book even with the difficulty of keeping up with who said or did what that seems to be the biggest struggle with the book. With good editing this book could easily be a 4.5-5 star read!
May 1, 2025
Rating: 2.5
DNF, stopped at chapter 6
I really wanted to enjoy this book, and hopefully I'll pick it back up and trudge my way through it one day. The plot was something I really loved and I immediately took a chance and asked my girlfriend to get it for me for Christmas.
The plot still intrigues me and that's why I want to pick it back up, but this book is in serious need for a good editor. Sometimes I found myself rereading sentences over and over again because I couldn't figure out how we got from point A to point B at some points in this book.
DNF, stopped at chapter 6
I really wanted to enjoy this book, and hopefully I'll pick it back up and trudge my way through it one day. The plot was something I really loved and I immediately took a chance and asked my girlfriend to get it for me for Christmas.
The plot still intrigues me and that's why I want to pick it back up, but this book is in serious need for a good editor. Sometimes I found myself rereading sentences over and over again because I couldn't figure out how we got from point A to point B at some points in this book.
December 23, 2024
This book was amazing but I certainly did not expect it to rip my heart out the way it did. The ending is bittersweet but the epilogue is what really gets you 😭🥰
March 21, 2025
i wanna wipe my memory and reread it for the first time again. ending ripped my heart out and stomped on it, but it was worth it
May 16, 2025
Dnf’ed it. It just wasn’t my vibe anymore and just wasn’t as good as I thought it would be
May 17, 2025
Kept me turning the page. the characters are vibrant, and the conflict is well crafted.
July 9, 2025
2.5* really liked the characters but wasn’t a big fan of the execution
August 13, 2025
Needed a better editor but a fun read
dnf
December 3, 2025such an interesting concept but rife with spelling and grammar errors
November 28, 2024
I haven’t read a book at least since I was in high school (like 3 years ago), but I saw this on Tiktok and was interested. I bought it and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I read the whole thing in about 3 days, and really enjoyed the story and the characters! There are minor punctuation and spelling errors, but with how invested in the plot I was, I didn’t even really care. I recommend if you need a good story to read.
September 29, 2025
really wanted to enjoy it, but it was poorly executed and definitely needed more editing :(
February 11, 2025
A Fun Quick Read
I made rather quick time of this book. It was fun to read, fast paced, and had a lot of interesting twists in the story. I hope that the author’s use of “standalone” in the author’s note is not true because I would love to see a next installment!
I made rather quick time of this book. It was fun to read, fast paced, and had a lot of interesting twists in the story. I hope that the author’s use of “standalone” in the author’s note is not true because I would love to see a next installment!
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews