Vane, one of Peter Pan's Lost Boys, has finally given in to Winnie Darling and she's enjoying every minute of it.
This bonus scene takes place before Chapter 30 opens in The Dark One: Book 2 of the Vicious Lost Boy Series. If you haven't read The Dark One, be aware there will be spoilers.
Nikki St. Crowe is a USA Today and No. 1 Amazon Bestselling Author specializing in dark, spicy romantasy where the villain gets the girl and the girl gets the power.
Nikki considers the start of her professional career to be in the 4th grade when she placed 2nd in a Young Author’s Competition. Back then she crafted stories about magical mansions and lost treasure. She’s since ditched the treasure hunts, but she'll never give up on the magical mansions (or the morally grey men who inhabit them).
These days, when Nikki isn’t writing or daydreaming about villains, she can either be found in the woods or at home with her husband and daughter.
I maintain that in most why-choose novels it's always the mmc that holds out the longest that gets the most character development and therefore the best relationship with the fmc. Vane always brings the spicy darkness, and this (plus the spitting scene) was no exception.
Vane & Winnie by Nikki St. Crowe is a short audio bonus chapter set between books two and three of the Vicious Lost Boys series.
It’s a quick, steamy little addition that gives a bit more insight into their relationship and dynamic. Nothing too deep plot-wise, but a fun extra for fans of the series who just want a little more of Vane and Winnie.
Rated: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5) Review date: April 22, 2026 Read: April 22, 2026
I was literally about to start Vicious Darling when I saw this novella and went, oh right, I should read this first. And thank God I did, because it was exactly what I needed. It had been a couple months since The Dark One, so this was the exact kind of quick reset I needed before book 3. Perfect timing, honestly.
This is not some huge, plot-heavy, game-changing installment, and that is completely fine. It knows exactly what it is: a short bonus novella, a quick check-in, a little extra hit before the next main book. Not every entry has to blow the doors off the series. Sometimes you do not need a giant plot dump. Sometimes you just need a little smut and your favorite pair. That is exactly what this is.
And for me, Vane and Winnie are my favorite pair so far. Out of everyone in this series up to this point, they are the pair I’m most locked into. Their dynamic just works for me every single time. Vane has that obsessive energy, but with Winnie it actually lands instead of feeling like a gimmick, and Winnie keeps enough edge in the dynamic that it never feels flat or one-note. Together they are messy, addictive, and just more fun for me than a lot of the broader ensemble stuff.
That is also why little moments here hit so well. Even something as simple as “God, I love it when he calls me Win… Rarely do the others use my name, and even then, it’s usually Winnie, not Win” says so much about why they work for me. No one else really calls her Win, and that tiny detail makes their connection feel even more intimate and specific. It is little stuff like that that keeps them from feeling interchangeable and makes this pairing hit harder for me than the others so far.
That is exactly why this works so well as a reintroduction. It dropped me right back into the tone, the chemistry, and the general insanity of this series without making me work for it. Dark, quick, hot, a little chaotic, and ridiculously easy to inhale. This did exactly what it needed to do.
I also completely get why people describe this as a sweet little bonus for Vane and Winnie fans, because that is exactly the vibe. This is absolutely fan service, but in the best way. Not lazy filler, not some pointless side stop, just a compact little extra for people who already care about this pair and wanted more time with them. And I did, so obviously this worked on me.
The short length did not bother me either, which honestly says a lot, because usually I would complain. Here, I didn’t. That is because this feels like a bridge instead of a detour. It is not pretending to be a full, massive installment. It is just giving you one more hit of this pairing before the next book, and in that job, it absolutely delivers.
No, this is not the novella that changes the whole series, and it doesn’t need to be. It is not here to add some giant missing piece to the mythology. It is here to give readers a fun, spicy, Vane-and-Winnie-centered check-in, and it does that really well.
If Vane and Winnie are your thing, this is absolutely worth reading. If they are not, this probably will not convert you. But for me? Easy 5 stars. Perfect little reset, perfect Vane-and-Winnie check-in, and exactly what I needed before Vicious Darling.
This is a short audiobook you can find on the B&N site—basically just an extra smut scene.
For me, it wasn’t worth it. It doesn’t add anything to the overall story and feels pretty unnecessary.
What really didn’t land was the buildup versus delivery. Vane was built up to be the most dangerous and aggressive, especially in the bedroom, so there was this expectation that their dynamic would push that line in a meaningful way. But honestly… it didn’t. If anything, her time with the twins felt more intense, which kind of undercuts everything that was set up around him. Lmao.
The scene itself was underwhelming compared to what we’ve already seen in previous books, and given how much hype there was around Vane and the darkness, it just didn’t deliver in the way it should have. (If this 2.1 Vane & Winnie scene had actually delivered on the intensity and danger it kept building—really towing that line and finding that balance—it would have pulled everything back in and made it worth it.)
Overall, this felt overhyped and underdeveloped—both here and in how their dynamic has been handled so far.
If you’re really invested and just want more content, you might still enjoy it—but otherwise, you’re not missing anything by skipping it.
Vaaaannnneeeeeeeee ay Vane forever my heart es tuyo… Vane is written beautifully and lord mío. He had a big character development man was scaried of himself, because of what he is and what he has- not wanting to hurt Winnie, but he can’t denied what he feels the self control is admirable. But bro break her back when she ask for it lol. She was an inch away from screaming it at you lol.
Honestly, don’t recommend reading this Novella. It’s basically just a spicy scene. I only read it because I accidentally borrowed it from Hoopla and didn’t want to waste to borrow.
You can find my rating for the whole series on the first book if you’re really interested. But just brief summary I find this series very neutral. I didn’t love and I didn’t hate it.
Spice quality: 4/5 🌶 Narration: Single - Stella Hunter
Bonus Spicy scene between Vane and Winnie.18min long. You can go on with the story (book 3) without listening to thos. It doesn't contain critical info. BUT if you want the spice, it's all here hehehe.