The Villain's Melody

by Lola Malone

He's the mafia prince everyone fears. I'm the scholarship musician who should've stayed invisible.

Everyone at Caervast Academy worships Ciaran Virel.

Tattoos disappearing beneath his sleeves. Fast bikes. Expensive watches. A smile that should come with a warning label.

I know better.

Because ever since I arrived at Caervast, strange things have been happening. Someone is watching me through academy corridors. Shadows keep appearing where they shouldn't. And every clue surrounding my missing sister seems to lead back to the one person I can't afford to trust.

I came to Caervast searching for answers.

I definitely didn't expect Ciaran Virel.

But he's made one thing very clear.

Once he wants something, he doesn't let it go.

The Villain's Melody is a dark academia M/M romance featuring an obsessed mafia prince, a scholarship musician with dangerous secrets, gothic mystery, possessive devotion, and a guaranteed HEA.

Genres: M M Romance, Dark, College, Dark Romance, Science Fiction, Dark Academia, Queer

536 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 30, 2026

About the author

Lola Malone writes dark, morally grey MM romance for readers who love obsession, mystery, and morally questionable men.

Her stories are filled with possessive heroes, dangerous secrets, and emotionally intense romances where loyalty is tested and no one leaves unchanged.

From elite academies and secret societies to distant worlds on the edge of collapse, every book explores the thin line between love and obsession.

If you love obsessive heroes, dark secrets, and romance that burns a little darker, welcome to Lola's world.

Reviews

[Meadow]

Almost all of the positive reviews are from arc readers, but this truly reads like AI slop.

[Erica]

DNF 34%

The world building was nonexistent. We were literally dropped in this place with zero explanation.
Also, intimate scenes mad zero sense. Hand placement changed without action, I felt like some instances the same sentence was written twice and other times it felt like a sentence was missing?

I don’t know this read like AI TBH.

[Sarah]

DNF at 29%

Going into this, I didn't know it's going to be sci-fi. I tried to get into it but I wasn't in the mood. I also felt like I'm missing something, like there is a prequel book or something that I should have read beforehand to understand what's going on and the world/ planet they live in. For example, people using multi-slate. Is that a phone, an iPad, a smartwatch? Another thing is the Noctis. I guess it's a music instrument but what exactly is it?!
Maybe things are more explained later in the book but I was not able to engage and connect with the story so I decided to put it aside by 29%. Maybe I will come back to it at some point in the future.

[ChapterObscura · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really forced myself to finish this because I wanted to give it a fair chance, but it just wasn't for me.

There were so many scenes I had to reread because I got confused. The writing kept throwing me off. It felt like someone was telling me a story, then suddenly remembered something else and changed the subject halfway through. That's how the flow felt to me.

The story also got repetitive, and I kept waiting for more explanation or world building, but it never really came. There were a lot of moments where I just went, "Wait... what? How did he do that?" LOL

Maybe it's just me, but I really don't get the hype. This is almost a DNF read.

[Jen (thatgirlchapsreads) · Rating 1 out of 5]

First off, I want to say thank you to Lola for the opportunity for the ARC.

I unfortunately have to DNF this one at 81% and I’m really bummed out about that.

I really enjoyed the concept but the execution wasn’t there. The first half of the book started off ok. I wish there was a touch more world building to help with some areas I was confused with but I was able to carry on and enjoy the story. I liked the initial tension between Rowan and Ciaran and thought that was well written.

Things started to fall apart for me after they first got together. The intimate scenes didn’t make sense and one of the scenes it’s written as if Ciaran has 3 hands. The writing felt too messy towards the second half and it was enough of a deterrent for me to keep reading.

Lola did send out a final edition after I had gotten through a good chunk with some edits made so I’m hoping that some of these issues are addressed in the final manuscript.

[Daniela Tavares · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/6.
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5.

Ciaran & Rowan got my attention from the very beginning!
There’s a mystery surrounding Rowan since he was a kid and when he lands in the academy, Ciaran is tasked with spying on him but that task quickly becomes an obsession and no longer something he needs to do for his family.

Ciaran is very sure of himself and he knows the power he holds and he ain’t afraid of showing it.
What I loved the most about him is that through his actions, it was very clear to the reader that he would never leave Rowan be. His obsession with him also showed his devotion and that reassured me that towards the end of the book there would not be a separation. I never doubted Ciaran‘s intentions or his words for that matter. I just love those types of characters who are so sure of themselves and what they want without coming across as arrogant or annoying. It makes me as a reader feel sure of what’s to come regardless of the 3rd act.
Ciaran pushed Rowan out of his comfort zone time and time again, was in fact relentless sometimes but if he saw Rowan was not into it, he would stop and ask.
I like a man who can see process his emotions and name them and Ciaran was very aware of what he was feeling at all times which I absolutely loved.

Rowan lived his life afraid of his shadow so when a mafia prince sets his sights on him, he wondered what would be better for him. The choice was between someone who is persistent and makes you feel something other than fear or shadows that track him everywhere he goes and he wonders if they are even real. So he figures better someone he can touch and see than shadows.
I loved him!
Despite fear being his best friend, he defied Ciaran in his own way even though he knew Ciaran was dangerous.

Rowan is a man of few words and his body shows what he is feeling. He could deny whatever he wanted but his body told a different story wether it was when he turned red or when he stopped fighting what was happening between him and Ciaran.

Them together felt like a sure thing and I felt confident in their hea. Nothing and no one could separate them because Ciaran would never leave his little mouse out of his sight ever again.

I loved how music was weaved into the plot effortlessly and that it connected Ciaran family, Rowan‘s sister, his ‚nightmares‘ and Noctis.

I loved Ciaran‘s cousins too! They are fun and unhinged and I simply want more of them. What I got was not nearly enough!

This is not a full 5 star just because I was confused and a bit thrown off in the beginning with different planets, holo bikes and the such but the romance more than made up for it.

I honestly cannot wait to continue this series.
This was my first book by this author and it will not be the last one. I’m sat for whatever comes next!

* I read an arc of this book. *

[matryoshkat.ᐟ · Rating 2 out of 5]

₊˚⊹ | 2 ★ read .ᐟ

I don't know if it was just me, I didn't check other reviews either, but I had high expectations for how this story started, just to end up realizing it kept repeating itself to fill pages. There was no real substance behind the plot or behind the chemistry between the MCs at all. What started as a half obsession, half stalking task, ended up being something plain and somehow boring.

The cover, though? Flawless.
The first few chapters? Made me think about a really good manhwa, I vibed with it.
But then it was a flop that kept flopping, I'm sorry.

[Angharad]

I'm sorry, but I have to dnf 25% in, and I have never dnfd a Lola Malone book but this reads heavily like AI and very repetitive. I'm extremely disappointed.

I might come back and try to read it but idk, the writing felt very off to me.

[Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt like this was a little slow for the first half or so, but when it took off it really took off! I can genuinely say I had no idea where the plot was heading, and I enjoyed the mysterious aspect. It gave very Echo by Chani Lynn Feener vibes in places.

I found some parts and phrases repetitive, but I eventually grew to LOVE Rowan and Ciaran. I love the side characters and would kill for their stories (especially Lucan and Demaris!!!! 🥵). I love Ciaran’s possessiveness!!!!! Also, for some reason, big bad mafia prince calling their partner “baby” or “princess” gets me EVERY TIME. I really like that even though Ciaran had one minute of questioning, he never really doubted Rowan even when it looked like he should. I really would have liked a little more world building and more background on what exactly it is that Ciaran does. There’s a lot of mention of “mafia” and “the families” but no details.

I’m definitely going to have to look into this author’s other books!

[kubra ᥫ᭡. · Rating 4 out of 5]

re-read.

First time in my reading life I have re-read a book. And glad I did. It wasn't scary at all, yay!!

This time around I felt more connected to the story and loved these two more. The book felt more at ease in my hands this time(my tablet but anyway, I don't have the book unfortunately).
I forgot so much about the story, it almost felt like a new read. I absolutely adore Ciaran and Rowan. Their pool meetings was my favorite!! I liked the ending more this time. And don't get me started about the spicy time before the epilogue. I'M SORRY LOLA?! It was so hot and so cute at the same time.

OH OH AND I DEMAND A BOOK OF ADRIAN AND MARUIS RIGHT NOW!!! I shipped them so bad, ugh😫.

I also thank you to Lola for her hard work and the way she cares about her readers' thoughts and really values them. Love her, mwah💋.



First read (3 stars) :

Thank you to author Lola for providing me with the ARC.

Let's begin with what I liked about this book :

This book felt like a lana del rey song(the parts I liked). Especially "star girl interlude" one by the weekend and lana del rey.

I liked the characters and the world building. The unique gadgets and the terminology. It was interesting enough to keep me turning the page. The two mmcs were intriguing enough for me to root for them. Their chemistry was so amazing. I was giggling and kicking my feet for their banter. Ciaran was one hell of a hot character and Rowan was the classic soft mmc. I loved their dynamic so much. I adored Rowan's moments with noctis. I just love musician characters. The spice was also hot and I'd say it was one of the things I liked about this book. The side characters were supportive and witty enough. I'm especially curious about Adrian. I can say I got a little crush on him.

What I didn't like :

The repetitive sentences. It really threw me off and made it difficult to fully connect with the story. From time to time the story felt flat which it started to feel like I was being unfair towards the book. The story and the romance had much more potential and I'd have loved to see more creative dialogues between the two male leads. It's safe to say I saw Hunt the villain at one scene. Yulian and Vaughn. The scene was so similar to the one specific chapter in that book. I'm not assuming anything here, it's just what I experienced while reading. And the book could've been shorter.

Overall it was a decent read and I had a good time reading it. It just didn't hit the way I was expecting. The story started so good I was almost sure it was going to be a solid 5 stars, but it is what it is.

[Alexa]

I’m a hater to my core and maybe some books don’t deserve it but this one does. Like idk how 4 years later (I first read them in 2022) you don’t have an editor, especially with the popularity of this author. And are making the same sloppy character mistakes and grammar mistake. And don’t even get me started on the nonexistent world building. I COULD GO ON FOR DAYS GUYS.

Dnf @ 23%. This was a flop. Beyond a flop. The floppiest of flops.

[Taylor Milligan-Csemez · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 6% // for a dark academic, sci fi there needs to be some world building and we were just thrown into this world without any knowledge and I felt so lost and confused. If anyone thinks I should give it another shot and push through let me know. The only good ratings are from arc readers so…

[Eva · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

4.25!!

This had so much potential, and in a way it delivered. I was intrigued and liked the characters; the writing wasn’t even the problem, just the way it was paced and structured.

Let’s start with the highlights. The mystery element was great. I had no clue where we were leading or how we’d get there; I was spooked at times, always wanted to know more, and the setting was perfect for the plot.

The characters. Both Rowan and Ciaran were special. Different but paired well together. Interesting on their own with their own problems, but their romance was strong, and while I didn’t fully get why Rowan was always deny deny deny Ciaran (there was no explanation for his rejection from what I find), the pursue element was good. Ciaran is my down bad queen, and I love him for it.


Issues I had? I reached out to Lola, and she looked over the kinks and issues I pointed out. After reviewing the final copy, I had no more complaints.

Pacing was a bit off. We start with a bang and then don’t move. The plot didn’t move at all in my opinion. We get moments of “following” and “leads,” but they lead to the same unanswered questions from the very beginning, without adding any new info to the story. The only thing moving it’s the romance, which valid; I loved it, but it’s a 500+ page book, you cannot rely on that alone to keep things interesting the whole time.

I want to stay in this world and see more couples and mysteries. The academic and sci-fi meshed well, and it was alluring and interesting.

Thank you, Lola, for this arc; I loved our boys!

[Ifelunwa Nzeh · Rating 2 out of 5]

AI use

[LauraSt · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 stars

The Villain’s Melody is an MM dark romance with a gothic mystery, a scholarship musician searching for answers about his missing sister, and a terrifying mafia prince who takes one look at him and essentially decides, mine.

Rowan comes to Caervast Academy looking for answers. His sister is missing, strange things keep happening around him, and everything seems to point toward people he absolutely should not trust. Enter Ciaran Virel: mafia prince, dangerous, possessive, completely obsessed with Rowan, and very quickly my favorite part of this entire book.

The mystery hooked me immediately. I genuinely wanted to know what the hell was happening, who Rowan could trust, and how everything connected. The atmosphere surrounding it was creepy and intriguing, and for a while I was completely invested in figuring it out alongside Rowan.

BUT CIARAN AND ROWAN????

Dear Jesus.

Their chemistry was OFF THE FREAKING CHARTS. From the moment they meet, the tension between them is insane, and watching Ciaran become progressively more down bad for Rowan was everything I wanted it to be. This man had absolutely no intention of being normal about Rowan, and I supported him wholeheartedly.

And every single time he called him little mouse???

Giggling. Kicking my feet. DONE.

“You’re my entire world, mouse,” Ciaran growls against my throat. “Every f*ng light out there might belong to someone else, but your soul belongs to me. You are mine.”

EXCUSE ME???

And then later:

“You are my answer, Rowan,” he rasps against my ear. “And I will burn every stage you ever stand on before I let anyone else look at you like this.”

CIARAN. SIR.

Unfortunately, the mystery that hooked me so hard in the beginning is also where the book lost some points for me. It went on for a little too long without enough progression, and after all that buildup, I expected the resolution to be bigger and more concrete. Instead, it felt surprisingly simple and a little underwhelming compared to everything leading up to it.

I also continue to struggle a little with Lola Malone’s pacing and story structure. There are moments where the transitions or progression feel disjointed to me, and when that happens, I start feeling disconnected from the story even when I really like the characters. At 500+ pages, I think this could have been tighter, especially when it came to developing the mystery.

And I have to say it: for something marketed as dark academia, there really wasn’t much academia. I got the dark, gothic atmosphere, but I wanted the actual academy setting to play a much bigger role.

Thankfully, the romance never had that problem. Rowan and Ciaran CARRIED for me. Their chemistry, possessiveness, tension, obsession and the eventual payoff were scorching. This was a very, VERY sexy book.

Also, once again Lola has me looking at the side characters like 👀 because WHY do I suddenly need books for absolutely everybody??? There are already multiple characters I need to know more about immediately.

So while the mystery and pacing kept this from being a five-star read for me, the romance absolutely delivered.

Ciaran Virel, you possessive psychopath. I understand you.

4 stars.

[tobifun.pp · Rating 5 out of 5]

rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
darkness: 🖤🖤🖤
feelings: 😱🥵☠️😍🫠😡🥹🤣😭

A missing sister, a mysterious stalker, a highly talented musician, an unexpected scholarship and a mafia prince.
Lola Malone cooks up a fantastic gothic sci-fi story from these ingredients.

Lola whisks us away to new planets thanks to her incredible world-building. Her characters are fascinating, right down to the secondary roles. I love Rowan and Chiaran! The two couldn’t be more different, but that’s exactly what makes their relationship so captivating.

The story put me on the edge of my seat! There are so many secrets, and I could hardly wait to find out how they’d be unravelled. The dual point of view lets us delve deep into our heroes’ inner worlds. Whilst Rowan’s thoughts and flashbacks are often very dark, Chiaran’s thoughts are entirely focused on Rowan. He’s absolutely obsessed with his “little mouse”.

The Villain’s Melody is definitely one of my top reads this year. An absolute must-read!

I can’t wait to read the next book in this series. Damaris, Rowan’s bestie, and Lucan, Chiaran’s cousin, were a real highlight of this book. They brought so much humour to this otherwise rather dark story. I hope they get their own book!


TROPES & THEMES
🖤 Mafia Prince × Scholarship Musician
🖤 Dark Academia
🖤 Obsessive Hero
🖤 Touch Him and Die
🖤 He Falls First
🖤 Elite Academy
🖤 Hidden Secrets
🖤 Secret Society
🖤 Missing Sister Mystery
🖤 Dangerous Attraction
🖤 Slow Burn
🖤 Gothic Mystery
🖤 Possessive Devotion
🖤 M/M Romance

[V]

DNF @ 23%. I’m just confused and bored.

[annas.bookcase · Rating 4 out of 5]

If there’s one thing this author does well, it’s writing dark obsessive and possessive men! This dark academia, mafia MM romance also had some mystery and intrigue with slow burn and plenty of spice.




annas.bookcase

[Courtney · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well that was garbage. This needed cut in half cause it’s super repetitive. The spicy scenes make no sense, from a physical possibility standpoint alone it’s just impossible. At one point they’re in the bathtub and the one character leans over the others should to suck on his nipple…how long is this dudes neck? I skimmed 50% of this book and didn’t miss a thing.

[Krista · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 47% in after finding too many exact similarities to another author. I understand there will always be creative 'overlaps' but when you can listen to the other book on audio and be reading this one and point out the similarities that's where I draw the line.

[Rozary · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m sorry in advance because this is going to be a big disappointment of a review, especially because I know you all love this book. I honestly don’t even know where to start, so let’s talk about the positive things first.
But let me tell you, I’m not a hater. I love Lola’s books, but this one was just a huge disappointment for me.
Let’s talk about the world she created. I don’t know, it just didn’t connect with me. And the mystery she tried to build throughout the book? It felt kind of made up to me because I never really felt like there was an actual mystery or anything that kept me intrigued.
Then we have the MMCs. I honestly didn’t feel any chemistry between them. It felt like they were just talking to each other without that spark or connection. One MMC is running away from the other because he’s scared of him and his obsession, and I actually love when one MMC tries to run away from the other because he feels like he shouldn’t give in. I thought I would really enjoy that part, but unfortunately, I didn’t.
I also thought I would love the side characters, but again, I just couldn’t connect with them. And the whole mystery/sci-fi aspect felt like everything was being made up as the story went along. I didn’t feel the chemistry, the mystery, or the connection I was looking for.
If you want to read a sci-fi romance with this kind of concept, you might enjoy it, but unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me.
I guess there were a few things I liked here and there, but let me tell you, I LOVE Lola’s books. This one just didn’t work for me, and that’s okay. 🥲

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though it took me nearly a week to read this, I had a fun time with this! It is a slow book overall, with both the plot and the romance, but I didn't mind it that much. Not when I can read about how smitten Ciaran was with Rowan, he was so boy-obsessed that he became quite funny to read about 🤣

I really liked Rowan's character too, I do like a character that can bite back 😉 Unfortunately for him, that didn't stop Ciaran one bit 😅 I loved how their romance progressed to the end, I loved them so much. The side characters were great as well, Damarius and Lucan? Stunning, wouldn't mind to read more about them.

I did wish the mystery could have been longer and solved much more longer, it did felt a little bit anticlimactic at the end. But oh well.

[Nasreen Maszidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book but it could have been done better. I would have liked a proper introduction to the world because this is scifi or even a glossary for words used in this world as well because my brain short-circuited when certain words appeared.

The world building to me was good not too hard to follow but the plot for me... the way I can sum it up is I am like at the precipice of the most epic plunge ever and when I finally take that one step...

It's just a short step down.

Now, the character dialogue... I believe for that more proof-reading and reedits could have been done to make it flow better and smoother.

I can't wait for book 2!

[Janaya Warren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a good book! It’s been on my tbr for awhile and I finally got to it and I’m glad I did! Rowan and Ciaran were so cute together. Rowan was such a well written character, he has so much weight on but still holds up strong while being fragile at the same time. Ciaran the mafia prince was a fun character who becomes Rowan’s protector was just the perfect match for him and I adored him. Love the world building too! Sci-Fi MM romance? Yes please! 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ spice rating.

[Natasha Hoffert Groesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the main characters. The chemistry and the spice between them was fabulous! The storyline was a mystery that kept you wondering what’s going on up until about 80% and I didn’t really buy into the “mystery” of the plot. It fell flat for me. It also felt repetitive in places and much longer than it needed to be. But the spice 🌶️ made up for that!

[Thebookaddict · Rating 1 out of 5]

No world building, you are directly drop somewhere without explanation. Like, there is others planets or countries ? I don’t know.
And don’t start with the sex scenes, no sens at all : at one moment he is on top and the next he is standing. No sens at all.

Would not read other books from this author

[Rach]

Dnf @ 44%. I’m so confused

[VR]

Early DNF. Perhaps it's because I'm having a streak of DNFs and I'm losing patience? But it didn't grab me.

[kixha09]

Dnf at 17% iT was so boring nothing was happening like literally nothing

[Kristy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a high heat mystery/syfy academy MM read with the poor scholarship student Rowan with his bestfriend going to and exclusive Academy whitch has raised some people's curiosity at Solar because everthing was shut down do to the waring Mafia Familys so how did Rowane get into Caervast Academy. Ciaran Virel watch the new student that's all his father want but Ciran becomes obsessed quickly were is he why dose he keep disappearing and why is he the one Rowane turns to when things become dangerous he doesn't care because no Rowane is write were he always wanted him in his home under his watch and in his bed. Rowan has only one reason for excepting a scholarship to find his missing sister but at every turn his watched and threatened and the one person he's tried to avoid becomes his protector if he can only trust him with all his secrets. Okay so it's been awhile since I have read any syfy romance it was interesting and the Author was good at telling about the environment and the tech stuff so it was easy to visualize if there were any issues it was manly with the pace of the book and some things seemed to repeat places dialogue that kingdom of stuff so I only gave 4.5 stars but I loved the progression of Cirean and Rowans relationship the other characters and how his friend found love too and I hope this author comes back to this world again because Cirean has 2 cousins left maybe there's a future book for them. So to recap i loved the details of this book there were some small issues that I was able to look over because it may just be the authors writing style and new to me but I would still recommend this book to anyone who reads this genre off book. I was allowed to read and advance copy of this book and this is my honest review I also purchased a copy.