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Villains of Vanguard #1-3
Villains of Vanguard Boxed Set: Dark Steamy MM Supervillain Romance
This Dark M/M Romance Contains 800+ pages of Burly Bad Guys
This time, villains will save the day. Released from prison, this trio of huskular bad guys are ready to get their hands bloody. Whether it means partnering with a beefy cop, going undercover at a couples’ retreat for villains, or falling for Vanguard’s first hero, they’ll do whatever it takes to protect their freedom.
This boxed set follows a group of villains who should have never been released from jail. Worse yet, they never expected to fall in love while protecting the city. Discover the crooks with Diesel, the fire-wielding killer who wants to be left alone flipping burgers; Clint, the impulsive shapeshifter blowing up ice cream trucks; and Vex, a billionaire obsessed with killing the man who put him behind bars.
The Villains of Vanguard Boxed Set is a M/M, dark, snarky romance with an HEA and no cliffhangers. It features brooding heroes and sex, but not always in that order.
The Villains of Vanguard Boxed Set Contains
Indecent Storm (Prequel)
Corrupted Desire (Book 1)
Reckless Impulse (Book 2)
Sinister Passion (Book 3)
This time, villains will save the day. Released from prison, this trio of huskular bad guys are ready to get their hands bloody. Whether it means partnering with a beefy cop, going undercover at a couples’ retreat for villains, or falling for Vanguard’s first hero, they’ll do whatever it takes to protect their freedom.
This boxed set follows a group of villains who should have never been released from jail. Worse yet, they never expected to fall in love while protecting the city. Discover the crooks with Diesel, the fire-wielding killer who wants to be left alone flipping burgers; Clint, the impulsive shapeshifter blowing up ice cream trucks; and Vex, a billionaire obsessed with killing the man who put him behind bars.
The Villains of Vanguard Boxed Set is a M/M, dark, snarky romance with an HEA and no cliffhangers. It features brooding heroes and sex, but not always in that order.
The Villains of Vanguard Boxed Set Contains
Indecent Storm (Prequel)
Corrupted Desire (Book 1)
Reckless Impulse (Book 2)
Sinister Passion (Book 3)
828 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 14, 2024
36 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
Ryder O'Malley
97 books90 followersRyder acts as if he doesn’t watch sappy movies. He won’t admit to daydreaming about ex-boyfriends and asking “What if…” He’s a closet romantic who gets anxious about first dates. In a world filled with turmoil, he’s wants to drown in warm, fuzzy moments that make his heart swell. He loves bringing his chaotic dating life to the forefront. While he calls himself a romance writer, he likes to think of it as fanfic about his life. Someday… it’ll become a reality. Until then, he’ll invent dreamy men that make him tear up at their insistence that love always wins.
Ryder lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, living his happily ever-after. When he’s not writing, he can be found working on book covers (which means he’s admiring huskular bears with more than a little chest hair.)
Ryder lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, living his happily ever-after. When he’s not writing, he can be found working on book covers (which means he’s admiring huskular bears with more than a little chest hair.)
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 12, 2025
First up, 3.75/5. Why? Because mechanics are important, and I don’t care who says they fucking aren’t. Readability matters. I didn’t/don’t make the rules.
Now, we review.
Prequel? Fuck me, I loved it. I love them so much it’s stupid. Havres would be my best friend. He is my new book best friend.
Book #1? I will never love a hero the way I love a good Punisher-adjacent, morally (dark) grey bb. Diesel and Calum fucked me all the way up. I almost took back my immense love for the good baes in the OG series. And Havres is still my new book bestie.
The mechanics were leaps and bounds better in this book than the previous ones, even if they still weren’t great. Seriously, the editing needs some generous lovin’, preferably for more than a fleeting bathroom moment or a ONS.
We lookin’ for that longtime editorial commitment here, babes.
Book #2… Why is Clint SUCH a phenomenal character though???🫠 Jesus. So good. There was a depth to him that made me think heavily on ND characters and how they always get tagged a Himbo or a Bimbo or just a walking dunce hat, whatever you wanna call it. They’re not. WE are not, and all you have to do is put a little faith back on our name.
And he reeks of ND-ness.
The mechanics, however, took a sharp nosedive. I spoke too soon. Doesn’t make me love the stories and characters and world any less, but it does make me want to reacquaint my head with my desk. I know you know they need some love. I know you do. You can read, same as me. It’s hard to ignore when things go sideways and switch up on you. It’s hard to read around the things you KNOW you read before that were different.
I DID NOT MAKE THE RULES, GODDAMMIT. I just pointed them out. Stop being mean to me. I want what’s best for the precious murder bbs and their tales. I love them enough to want to see them fucking GLOW. That’s not a bad thing. Two things can be true at the same time. I’ve said that so many times before that it really should’ve processed by now.
Sit with it for a minute or five. It’s okay, I’ll wait. With Havres, as we sit in the back and pass judgement.
Book #3, you fucking beautiful bastard. Damien and Won-Ho are my favourites. You can pry my obsession with them from me NEVER. A good comeback/redemption/rebrand is ALWAYS the vibe. If you don’t agree, that’s fine. I’ll hoard them all to myself, along with my demon bff.
And we’re gonna HAVE to circle back around to our buddy Geoff—er, J-O-N-A-T-H-A-N. I need all of the follow-up and all of the deets, and it’s crucial. I almost love him as much as I love Havres, and that’s entirely too much. I didn’t even get enough of him to make me love him this deeply, but here we are, doing the loving too much.
But first we gonna lovingly correct the inconsistency and the lack of continuity, and polish them there mechanics, okay? Because they were awful again. Wonky across the board.
(I haven’t read the bonus epilogues yet, but they’re downloaded and ready for me to inhale. I just needed to get all of my inside thoughts put on the outside because they would be stuck in Cold Iron for the rest of forever if I didn’t.)
All in all, I still feel like it’s assumed I—along with everyone else—have terrible reading comprehension or absolutely ZERO fucks, and that STILL hurts my feelings. I put a lot of love into the stories I choose to commit my time and focus to. I take notes, I remember little details, and I get so caught up that they become almost real, walk-out-of-the-pages, tangible people to me. I live and breathe for the stories and worlds between the covers, and I want to see them at the height of their glory.
It’s okay, you can say it, I need to get another hobby. Joke’s on you, because I have another one and I’m good at it, too.
BUT!
I love them. Full stop. And I’ll love them forever, because they’ve become some of my very favourites. If these books were redone, but with swapped POVs, I’d reread them immediately. Instant download. I wouldn’t even have to think about it. I’d read the (almost) exact same books all over just to get the other side of the story and hang out in their world with them again.
I bitch because I want the best for the books I love, not because I’m just looking to be an asshole. They deserve to have their moments—untarnished—because THEY ARE a whole-ass MOMENT themselves. And nobody is doing anybody ANY favours by pretending the issues don’t exist. This isn’t the mathematical limit scene from Mean Girls.
Please read and love them, too.🫶🥲
Now, we review.
Prequel? Fuck me, I loved it. I love them so much it’s stupid. Havres would be my best friend. He is my new book best friend.
Book #1? I will never love a hero the way I love a good Punisher-adjacent, morally (dark) grey bb. Diesel and Calum fucked me all the way up. I almost took back my immense love for the good baes in the OG series. And Havres is still my new book bestie.
The mechanics were leaps and bounds better in this book than the previous ones, even if they still weren’t great. Seriously, the editing needs some generous lovin’, preferably for more than a fleeting bathroom moment or a ONS.
We lookin’ for that longtime editorial commitment here, babes.
Book #2… Why is Clint SUCH a phenomenal character though???🫠 Jesus. So good. There was a depth to him that made me think heavily on ND characters and how they always get tagged a Himbo or a Bimbo or just a walking dunce hat, whatever you wanna call it. They’re not. WE are not, and all you have to do is put a little faith back on our name.
And he reeks of ND-ness.
The mechanics, however, took a sharp nosedive. I spoke too soon. Doesn’t make me love the stories and characters and world any less, but it does make me want to reacquaint my head with my desk. I know you know they need some love. I know you do. You can read, same as me. It’s hard to ignore when things go sideways and switch up on you. It’s hard to read around the things you KNOW you read before that were different.
I DID NOT MAKE THE RULES, GODDAMMIT. I just pointed them out. Stop being mean to me. I want what’s best for the precious murder bbs and their tales. I love them enough to want to see them fucking GLOW. That’s not a bad thing. Two things can be true at the same time. I’ve said that so many times before that it really should’ve processed by now.
Sit with it for a minute or five. It’s okay, I’ll wait. With Havres, as we sit in the back and pass judgement.
Book #3, you fucking beautiful bastard. Damien and Won-Ho are my favourites. You can pry my obsession with them from me NEVER. A good comeback/redemption/rebrand is ALWAYS the vibe. If you don’t agree, that’s fine. I’ll hoard them all to myself, along with my demon bff.
And we’re gonna HAVE to circle back around to our buddy Geoff—er, J-O-N-A-T-H-A-N. I need all of the follow-up and all of the deets, and it’s crucial. I almost love him as much as I love Havres, and that’s entirely too much. I didn’t even get enough of him to make me love him this deeply, but here we are, doing the loving too much.
But first we gonna lovingly correct the inconsistency and the lack of continuity, and polish them there mechanics, okay? Because they were awful again. Wonky across the board.
(I haven’t read the bonus epilogues yet, but they’re downloaded and ready for me to inhale. I just needed to get all of my inside thoughts put on the outside because they would be stuck in Cold Iron for the rest of forever if I didn’t.)
All in all, I still feel like it’s assumed I—along with everyone else—have terrible reading comprehension or absolutely ZERO fucks, and that STILL hurts my feelings. I put a lot of love into the stories I choose to commit my time and focus to. I take notes, I remember little details, and I get so caught up that they become almost real, walk-out-of-the-pages, tangible people to me. I live and breathe for the stories and worlds between the covers, and I want to see them at the height of their glory.
It’s okay, you can say it, I need to get another hobby. Joke’s on you, because I have another one and I’m good at it, too.
BUT!
I love them. Full stop. And I’ll love them forever, because they’ve become some of my very favourites. If these books were redone, but with swapped POVs, I’d reread them immediately. Instant download. I wouldn’t even have to think about it. I’d read the (almost) exact same books all over just to get the other side of the story and hang out in their world with them again.
I bitch because I want the best for the books I love, not because I’m just looking to be an asshole. They deserve to have their moments—untarnished—because THEY ARE a whole-ass MOMENT themselves. And nobody is doing anybody ANY favours by pretending the issues don’t exist. This isn’t the mathematical limit scene from Mean Girls.
Please read and love them, too.🫶🥲
January 10, 2025
The box set is made of three anchor books: Corrupted Desire, Reckless Impulse, and Sinister Passion, all of which have been previously released. But the PREQUEL: Indecent Storm included (the first 10% of this over 800 page opus) has never been released separate was an unadvertised bonus.
As for what is inside this boxed set: "Dark Steamy MM Supervillain Romance" is a very good tagline. The superpowers are versatile, both for powered fights ... and other powered activities.
I have finished all four books of the MM superpowered romance and you can find the separate reviews elsewhere. As for the books as a unit: Wow, that was much, much better than expected.
First off, none of the books are the same. All the villain protagonists are unique individuals with unique powers from each other. Different motivations, different people they fall in love with (though all Male Bears), different ways they fall in love, and different ways they interact with the overarching plot for the series. The books work as romances and as superhero prose. Four threads for the overall narrative blend into a weave of romance, superpowers plot, emotional change, and the larger picture of the multi-story plotline.
What really impressed me was how each of the villain protagonists were different architype villains. Lance is an antihero; a person who tries to do good but slides into vigilantism when his self-control slips. He is an educated man who made one mistake, then another, then another, until he passes the crossroads of no return. Diesel is a thug; he grew up on the wrong side of town, the one where ACAB and you have to punch first, otherwise you will never get to throw a punch. His culture made a system, and he has to figure out how to grow beyond being the cog his upbringing crafted him to be. Clint is the crazy villain; the one whose brain is missing things. He is a mad dog. Damien is the narcissist, but is rich enough and successful enough in the game of life everything really can be about him. He is a CEO.
The big bad villain comes from the government end of things - the power of a CEO, the madness of too much power, the educated person who slides into evil, and a person who has watched the system fail. Only with the power of the government behind them.
It's a beautiful exploration of villain archetypes. As the body counts rise, so do the stakes.
Picked up while on sale at a superhero site. Buying at the normal price of about $10 saves - basically it is buy two and get one free (plus the sequel).
As for what is inside this boxed set: "Dark Steamy MM Supervillain Romance" is a very good tagline. The superpowers are versatile, both for powered fights ... and other powered activities.
I have finished all four books of the MM superpowered romance and you can find the separate reviews elsewhere. As for the books as a unit: Wow, that was much, much better than expected.
First off, none of the books are the same. All the villain protagonists are unique individuals with unique powers from each other. Different motivations, different people they fall in love with (though all Male Bears), different ways they fall in love, and different ways they interact with the overarching plot for the series. The books work as romances and as superhero prose. Four threads for the overall narrative blend into a weave of romance, superpowers plot, emotional change, and the larger picture of the multi-story plotline.
What really impressed me was how each of the villain protagonists were different architype villains. Lance is an antihero; a person who tries to do good but slides into vigilantism when his self-control slips. He is an educated man who made one mistake, then another, then another, until he passes the crossroads of no return. Diesel is a thug; he grew up on the wrong side of town, the one where ACAB and you have to punch first, otherwise you will never get to throw a punch. His culture made a system, and he has to figure out how to grow beyond being the cog his upbringing crafted him to be. Clint is the crazy villain; the one whose brain is missing things. He is a mad dog. Damien is the narcissist, but is rich enough and successful enough in the game of life everything really can be about him. He is a CEO.
The big bad villain comes from the government end of things - the power of a CEO, the madness of too much power, the educated person who slides into evil, and a person who has watched the system fail. Only with the power of the government behind them.
It's a beautiful exploration of villain archetypes. As the body counts rise, so do the stakes.
Picked up while on sale at a superhero site. Buying at the normal price of about $10 saves - basically it is buy two and get one free (plus the sequel).
November 14, 2024
Now it's the villains' turn
Having loved the heroes of Vanguard series, Ryder gave us the villains and they're all here in one handy box set, including the prequel.
I read and reviewed the books separately and loved them as much as I loved the heroes. Ryder even managed to convert me to a Damien Vex fan. Who'da thunk?
Over eight hundred pages of big, burly villains (who may not be so bad after all) and the big, burly men they fall in love with. Perfect.
Having loved the heroes of Vanguard series, Ryder gave us the villains and they're all here in one handy box set, including the prequel.
I read and reviewed the books separately and loved them as much as I loved the heroes. Ryder even managed to convert me to a Damien Vex fan. Who'da thunk?
Over eight hundred pages of big, burly villains (who may not be so bad after all) and the big, burly men they fall in love with. Perfect.
mm-ok-ab-r
November 29, 2024Rokp
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews