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Hero #1.5
Villain
The sexy and emotional companion novella to the New York Times bestselling romance Hero.
Nadia Ray is not just a broadcast meteorologist. She’s Boston’s morning television It Girl. Successful and independent, she’s put a past she’s ashamed of behind her and is forging a future she can be proud of. However, when her new boss discovers her secret he blackmails her, intent on using Nadia’s popularity to make them the number one morning show in Massachusetts. He wants her to be part of uncovering the city’s biggest scandal - a secret billionaire Caine Carraway is hiding.
Soon Nadia is thrown into the path of Caine’s best friend: sexy, wealthy bachelor Henry Lexington. But she doesn’t encounter the dashing high society gentleman Henry is purported to be. Instead she’s faced with an insulting and defensive villain who misjudges her at every turn.
When Henry finally realizes the truth, and decides to make amends, Nadia wants nothing to do with him. But she underestimates his determination and charm and soon they find themselves embroiled in an intense, passionate affair.
An affair Nadia knows must come to an end before their feelings grow any deeper and he discovers her secrets.
After all, Henry Lexington isn’t the only one who played the part of a villain once…
Nadia Ray is not just a broadcast meteorologist. She’s Boston’s morning television It Girl. Successful and independent, she’s put a past she’s ashamed of behind her and is forging a future she can be proud of. However, when her new boss discovers her secret he blackmails her, intent on using Nadia’s popularity to make them the number one morning show in Massachusetts. He wants her to be part of uncovering the city’s biggest scandal - a secret billionaire Caine Carraway is hiding.
Soon Nadia is thrown into the path of Caine’s best friend: sexy, wealthy bachelor Henry Lexington. But she doesn’t encounter the dashing high society gentleman Henry is purported to be. Instead she’s faced with an insulting and defensive villain who misjudges her at every turn.
When Henry finally realizes the truth, and decides to make amends, Nadia wants nothing to do with him. But she underestimates his determination and charm and soon they find themselves embroiled in an intense, passionate affair.
An affair Nadia knows must come to an end before their feelings grow any deeper and he discovers her secrets.
After all, Henry Lexington isn’t the only one who played the part of a villain once…
200 pages, Unknown Binding
First published December 5, 2017
253 people are currently reading
3198 people want to read
About the author
Samantha Young
108 books28.3k followersSamantha is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author and a Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee. Samantha has written over 60 books and is published in 31 countries. She writes emotional and angsty romance, often set where she resides—in her beloved home country Scotland. Samantha splits her time between her family, writing and chasing after two very mischievous cavapoos.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 361 reviews
November 27, 2017
4 stars!!
“I acted like my story deserved a hero. But only a heroine deserves a hero. And I wasn’t a heroine. I couldn’t be. The truth was in someone else’s story… I was a villain.”
Villain is the story of Nadia, a broadcast meteorologist. When her boss blackmail’s her into doing some deep digging into a wealthy man, his best friend Henry decides to fight back. Sparks fly, and hatred of each other evolves when Nadia and Henry realize they are both not what they seem.
But Nadia has a past that can threaten any relationship before it starts. That combined with severe trust issues promises an emotional and bumpy ride for these two.
“Grand gestures and fireworks are part of our lives; they’re not extraordinary to us. But when we get home and we close the door behind us and it’s just you and me…. that’s our extraordinary, right?”
I love romances where the guy chases the girl. There’s just something so amazing about a man who knows what he wants and goes after it. Nadia was so unsure things would work and he never wavered. There were moment when this story seemed as if it would be cliché and predictable, but it had just enough angst and humor to push it over the edge and make it something a little bit more than the usual.
I read Samantha Young because she never fails to deliver me a satisfying story, and I will read her books as long as she keeps writing them because of this. A truly talented writer, I hope she never stops.
“I was born into a life of privilege… but I never knew true wealth until I met you.”
ARC provided by the author. All/any quotes in this review came from an advance unedited copy and may be subject to change in the final product.
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“I acted like my story deserved a hero. But only a heroine deserves a hero. And I wasn’t a heroine. I couldn’t be. The truth was in someone else’s story… I was a villain.”
Villain is the story of Nadia, a broadcast meteorologist. When her boss blackmail’s her into doing some deep digging into a wealthy man, his best friend Henry decides to fight back. Sparks fly, and hatred of each other evolves when Nadia and Henry realize they are both not what they seem.
But Nadia has a past that can threaten any relationship before it starts. That combined with severe trust issues promises an emotional and bumpy ride for these two.
“Grand gestures and fireworks are part of our lives; they’re not extraordinary to us. But when we get home and we close the door behind us and it’s just you and me…. that’s our extraordinary, right?”
I love romances where the guy chases the girl. There’s just something so amazing about a man who knows what he wants and goes after it. Nadia was so unsure things would work and he never wavered. There were moment when this story seemed as if it would be cliché and predictable, but it had just enough angst and humor to push it over the edge and make it something a little bit more than the usual.
I read Samantha Young because she never fails to deliver me a satisfying story, and I will read her books as long as she keeps writing them because of this. A truly talented writer, I hope she never stops.
“I was born into a life of privilege… but I never knew true wealth until I met you.”
ARC provided by the author. All/any quotes in this review came from an advance unedited copy and may be subject to change in the final product.
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March 7, 2019
4.5 stars
AMAZING HEROINE!!!
My kind of a woman!
Strong, intelligent woman with a good poker face; sassy, confident, not without flaws, a bit vulnerable, but still ‘whole’.
I had my doubts about her at the beginning (drama lama with her chef), but then she showed her claws and Iimmediately climaxed fell in love with her.
This woman had some incredible come-backs, how she ‘handled’ the hero, how she put his mother in her place!!!
FLOVED this heroine, freaking loved her!!!
My perfect scenario – she pushed away and he chased, she pushed away and he chased, she opened herself and he was a goner *lol*
The hero was ok. Not as bad as I got from the blurb. I even liked him. He was a big player in the past, but celibate after he met the h. Light OW drama – with one of his exes and some women his mother introduced him to. Nothing sexual. He was a big flirt and I floved that the h called him out on it.
Safe.
Drama-lama toward the end, the secret from her past didn’t make me dislike her – what happened wasn’t her fault. The hero’s reaction and support were excellent.
Sweet romantic epilogue. Amazing.
That’s Samantha Young I love and enjoy!!!
AMAZING HEROINE!!!
My kind of a woman!
Strong, intelligent woman with a good poker face; sassy, confident, not without flaws, a bit vulnerable, but still ‘whole’.
I had my doubts about her at the beginning (drama lama with her chef), but then she showed her claws and I
"I'm sure you're used to women with gender manners but I'm a straight talker. I don't believe in flowering up a situation so as not to offend delicate sensibilities."
This woman had some incredible come-backs, how she ‘handled’ the hero, how she put his mother in her place!!!
FLOVED this heroine, freaking loved her!!!
My perfect scenario – she pushed away and he chased, she pushed away and he chased, she opened herself and he was a goner *lol*
The hero was ok. Not as bad as I got from the blurb. I even liked him. He was a big player in the past, but celibate after he met the h. Light OW drama – with one of his exes and some women his mother introduced him to. Nothing sexual. He was a big flirt and I floved that the h called him out on it.
Safe.
Drama-lama toward the end, the secret from her past didn’t make me dislike her – what happened wasn’t her fault. The hero’s reaction and support were excellent.
Sweet romantic epilogue. Amazing.
That’s Samantha Young I love and enjoy!!!
November 29, 2017
4 STARS
Now it's been a hot minute since I read Hero, but it took me no time at all to dive right back into this world. As the fun-loving, easy going, and quick with a smile best friend and business partner to the growly and grumpy Caine, I wasn't sure how Henry would follow. I live for the enemies to lovers trope, and it was hard to imagine someone that smiley pulling off the a-hole vibe. But I shouldn't have worried, because Samantha Young really gave me the best of both worlds with him; the a-hole at first and then the endearing. I absolutely adored the man.
Nadia is not a stranger to unwanted male attention. As Boston's morning television It Girl and broadcast meteorologist, it wasn't her smarts that got the viewership. She's tried to make peace with the fact that her curvy figure will always make men undermine and misjudge her. Or perhaps its just her recent history with them. So when an assignment from her smarmy boss lands her in the cross hairs of a very pissed off Henry Lexington, she doesn't back down from putting him in his place. What she doesn't anticipate is Henry's interest as soon as he realizes his colossal screw up with her.
I loved the way that Henry pursued Nadia and wouldn't take no for an answer. She was determined to keep him in the sex only box and he was having none of it. Nadia was such an incredibly endearing heroine as well. For all that she's been through, this is a chick with balls of steel and a spine that's even stronger. She's not about to back down or bow down to anyone, and I respected that so much in her.
Villain was this perfect combination of a delicious slow burn, with a splash of enemies to lovers, all wrapped up in a story that kept me glued to the pages until the end. It was entertaining, quick paced, and entirely satisfying. I absolutely loved these two together.
There was a bit of drama that was thrown in at the end, but it wrapped things up quite nicely. If you're looking for a sexy, short, but totally satisfying novella, Villain will do the trick quite nicely. The perfect read to spend the afternoon with.
ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review
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I acted like my story deserved a hero. But only a heroine deserves a hero. And I wasn’t a heroine.
I couldn’t be.
The truth was in someone else’s story …
I was a villain.
Now it's been a hot minute since I read Hero, but it took me no time at all to dive right back into this world. As the fun-loving, easy going, and quick with a smile best friend and business partner to the growly and grumpy Caine, I wasn't sure how Henry would follow. I live for the enemies to lovers trope, and it was hard to imagine someone that smiley pulling off the a-hole vibe. But I shouldn't have worried, because Samantha Young really gave me the best of both worlds with him; the a-hole at first and then the endearing. I absolutely adored the man.
“No lunch dates, no date to the ball, no penis for you. And you don’t want miss out on my penis. It’s a good one.”
Nadia is not a stranger to unwanted male attention. As Boston's morning television It Girl and broadcast meteorologist, it wasn't her smarts that got the viewership. She's tried to make peace with the fact that her curvy figure will always make men undermine and misjudge her. Or perhaps its just her recent history with them. So when an assignment from her smarmy boss lands her in the cross hairs of a very pissed off Henry Lexington, she doesn't back down from putting him in his place. What she doesn't anticipate is Henry's interest as soon as he realizes his colossal screw up with her.
I loved the way that Henry pursued Nadia and wouldn't take no for an answer. She was determined to keep him in the sex only box and he was having none of it. Nadia was such an incredibly endearing heroine as well. For all that she's been through, this is a chick with balls of steel and a spine that's even stronger. She's not about to back down or bow down to anyone, and I respected that so much in her.
Villain was this perfect combination of a delicious slow burn, with a splash of enemies to lovers, all wrapped up in a story that kept me glued to the pages until the end. It was entertaining, quick paced, and entirely satisfying. I absolutely loved these two together.
There was a bit of drama that was thrown in at the end, but it wrapped things up quite nicely. If you're looking for a sexy, short, but totally satisfying novella, Villain will do the trick quite nicely. The perfect read to spend the afternoon with.
ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review
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November 29, 2017
❤️4.5 lovely stars ❤️
Such a beautiful, emotional , fun and fast paced story.I enjoyed Villain so much.I adored Nadia and Henry, they were perfect for each other!Intense,passionate and raw.
The character development was perfect even though it was a short story, but Samantha managed to make me love it so much and make me have feelings throughout the story.
I devoured it and even though I knew it was a novella I wish we had more.If you are a fan of Samantha Young you are going to love it!!
Such a beautiful, emotional , fun and fast paced story.I enjoyed Villain so much.I adored Nadia and Henry, they were perfect for each other!Intense,passionate and raw.
The character development was perfect even though it was a short story, but Samantha managed to make me love it so much and make me have feelings throughout the story.
I devoured it and even though I knew it was a novella I wish we had more.If you are a fan of Samantha Young you are going to love it!!
December 8, 2017
First of all, Samantha Young won me over with her On Dublin Street series...and ever since that first book and then the rest in the series kinda set the stone path of 'angsty romance' drama...
Stories that are full of heart-warming feels, with full blooded humanly vulnerable characters you can relate with, even if their stories and background pasts go beyond your own experiences...you can always relate and feel empathy...amongst other things, as well (insert the angsty drama thrill)
Now, this little gem was just that, a gem...a fast paced romance drama with a moderate atempt of an angst but all in all, lovable characters pull it through with not much effort, it flows effortlessly and it's somewhat lingering on a sweeter side of a fence but not overly chessy.
Just like I said...a gem! *wink*
Stories that are full of heart-warming feels, with full blooded humanly vulnerable characters you can relate with, even if their stories and background pasts go beyond your own experiences...you can always relate and feel empathy...amongst other things, as well (insert the angsty drama thrill)
Now, this little gem was just that, a gem...a fast paced romance drama with a moderate atempt of an angst but all in all, lovable characters pull it through with not much effort, it flows effortlessly and it's somewhat lingering on a sweeter side of a fence but not overly chessy.
Just like I said...a gem! *wink*
December 6, 2017
★4 STARS★
Proving herself comes as second nature to meteorologist Nadia Ray. Used to being discounted as being no more than a pretty weather girl, she’s worked hard using her brains and charisma and is now well on her way to becoming Boston’s morning television It Girl. She’s earned her place at the station, but with her new found popularity comes the opportunity for her greasy boss to exploit it.
Convinced of a scandal involving billionaire Caine Carraway, her boss has given her the task of digging up any dirt that will get the station the exclusive. It’s well out of her remit professionally and personally but when he threatens to disclose some information from her past, Nadia feels she has no choice but too.
Her investigation of Caine puts her in the path of his best friend Henry Lexington. His ladies’ man reputation precedes him, but when it comes to his loved ones he is loyal to a fault. With Nadia’s sudden vested interest in his best friend, he makes it a point to introduce himself.
In a confrontation that can only be described as explosive, sparks fly and what began with one agenda ends in another. Henry realises his error is judging Nadia as just another pretty face. The more time he spends with her the more he wants her for her own merits. For Nadia it’s a case of too little too late. She tries to tell herself the attraction she feels for Henry is animosity, but the more time she spends with him, the harder it becomes to convince even herself.
There’s nothing more attractive than a man who knows what he wants and isn’t afraid to put himself on the line to get it. Henry was completely endearing in his honesty of wanting to pursue a relationship with Nadia.
I drooled over the sexual tension that built with Nadia and Henry. Combined with element of secrecy, the only villainous thing about this story was that it had to end.
Proving herself comes as second nature to meteorologist Nadia Ray. Used to being discounted as being no more than a pretty weather girl, she’s worked hard using her brains and charisma and is now well on her way to becoming Boston’s morning television It Girl. She’s earned her place at the station, but with her new found popularity comes the opportunity for her greasy boss to exploit it.
Convinced of a scandal involving billionaire Caine Carraway, her boss has given her the task of digging up any dirt that will get the station the exclusive. It’s well out of her remit professionally and personally but when he threatens to disclose some information from her past, Nadia feels she has no choice but too.
Her investigation of Caine puts her in the path of his best friend Henry Lexington. His ladies’ man reputation precedes him, but when it comes to his loved ones he is loyal to a fault. With Nadia’s sudden vested interest in his best friend, he makes it a point to introduce himself.
In a confrontation that can only be described as explosive, sparks fly and what began with one agenda ends in another. Henry realises his error is judging Nadia as just another pretty face. The more time he spends with her the more he wants her for her own merits. For Nadia it’s a case of too little too late. She tries to tell herself the attraction she feels for Henry is animosity, but the more time she spends with him, the harder it becomes to convince even herself.
There’s nothing more attractive than a man who knows what he wants and isn’t afraid to put himself on the line to get it. Henry was completely endearing in his honesty of wanting to pursue a relationship with Nadia.
I drooled over the sexual tension that built with Nadia and Henry. Combined with element of secrecy, the only villainous thing about this story was that it had to end.
December 11, 2017
2.5 star
I'm convinced that I read a different book than my GR friends either that or I'm a impossible b*tch to please.
The heroine annoyed the crap out of me with her insecurities about her body.. I know many of us women are insecure about our bodies but I wanted to yell at her "Own your curves girl" needless to say this got old real fast.
I hated the hero, hate is a sweet word compared what I feel for this asshole, one moment he's telling her that he wants more than one night with her the next he's flirting with another woman, how the hell does he want the heroine to take him seriously when his flirting in front of her? That was just disrespectful. Btw this woman was someone he slept with and of course it didn't mean anything to him. 🙄
They have sex for the first time and he leaves the country, he doesn't contact her at all, she feels insecure again.. And it seems like all she ever felt was insecurity, she goes on dates and then out of nowhere the piece of crap appeared getting upset that she's on a date but he didn't even bothered contacting her? Get the heck out of here. It just made me think he was after one thing from her and she fell for it, he gave her some sweet words how he wanted more from her, had sex with her and then he just disappeared.
"My stomach was in knots, hating that he was angry at me, hating that I hated that he was angry at me. Why did it feel like I’d betrayed him”
She hates that he's angry at her? This doesn't tell me she's a strong woman.
He also takes a woman's number IN FRONT of the heroine. I would have scratched his eyes out. Who the f*ck does that? He calls women beautiful and smart in front of the heroine too. Why is she bothering with this piece of shit? Is she that much insecure that thinks she can't get another man? Nope she doesn't say a peep after this, she fakes a headache or something like that so she wouldn't say anything to him at this point I didn't care if she was dying or something else. I didn't care anymore. After this I started skimming I didn't cared how it end it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 15, 2017
Villain was a delicious, fast pace and sexy story between Henry Lexington & Nadia Ray. I enjoyed their banter, the way they act when they are together was genuine and the attraction is very much present.
I always need to be in a certain state of mind when I read a novella. I know that the story and thus the love story will be more insta-love than detailed.
Here, as this story is very much linked to Hero and what's happening, I failed to remember some important information throughout my read. I don't know if it would be useful to read or re-read Hero before Villain but it might help to be fully on board with everything taking place.
Nonetheless, Henry charmed me with his flirtatious ways. He mastered the way he talks to women and knows the effect he has without being cocky about it.
Nadia was blunt and knew what she wanted. Resisting to a man like Henry was futile and even if it took her long to see it, at the end she let her guard down.
Villain can be read in a matter of hours and it will be a pity to not consider reading it, especially when you have glimpse of Caine & Alexa as a cherry on top.
~I voluntarty read a copy of this book provided by the author ~
I always need to be in a certain state of mind when I read a novella. I know that the story and thus the love story will be more insta-love than detailed.
Here, as this story is very much linked to Hero and what's happening, I failed to remember some important information throughout my read. I don't know if it would be useful to read or re-read Hero before Villain but it might help to be fully on board with everything taking place.
Nonetheless, Henry charmed me with his flirtatious ways. He mastered the way he talks to women and knows the effect he has without being cocky about it.
Nadia was blunt and knew what she wanted. Resisting to a man like Henry was futile and even if it took her long to see it, at the end she let her guard down.
Villain can be read in a matter of hours and it will be a pity to not consider reading it, especially when you have glimpse of Caine & Alexa as a cherry on top.
~I voluntarty read a copy of this book provided by the author ~
December 31, 2017
4.5 'Our extraordinary' Stars!
It has been a while since my last book by Samantha Young. Actually it was the novel where we meet the main couple of this novella: Hero. Since some time has past since then, I decided to re-read Hero first (which I really enjoyed!) and then start reading this. After that, I remembered Henry and Nadia (and how they “meet”) much better and I can now say their love story was really good!
So, as I said, Villain is a spin-off short story of Smantha’s standone Hero and it tells the love story between Henry Lexington and Nadia Ray. It starts with a premise of an enemies to lovers but these two instantly feel the connection between them. Yes, I do have to say their firsts meetings are not the best in terms of building a romance between them but after they get past it (especially Nadia), the chemistry between these two is unstoppable and that means feelings get involved in the mix and everything changes.
“No. We don’t need to have lunch or go to a ball together.”
“No lunch dates, no date to the ball, no penis for you. And you don’t want miss out on my penis. It’s a good one.”
He could be the hero and the villain. Which one of those was the permanent resident and the other the visitor, I didn’t know.
I love a good novella. I love seeing how an author manages to bring everything in such a short format and Samantha Young did not disappoint with Villain. I really enjoyed seeing all these characters again. I loved seeing this couple first as enemies and how it all develops to a beautiful love story. The chemistry between Henry and Nadia is extremely hot and pretty emotional towards the end. Henry seems like an a-hole at the start but he will melt your insides when he declares what he feels and how much he needs Nadia in his life. Nadia is also one hell of a strong heroine and I loved it. These two together were amazing and I am so glad they found their happy ending!
“I can’t imagine feeling like this with anyone else.”
Therefore, I am rating Villain with 4.5 STARS because it was a sexy, romantic and emotional novella that had outstanding characters and a couple with lots of chemistry! I love Samantha’s writing and since it’s been a while since my last book by hers, I am now really excited to read more! Highly recommend reading this quick but fantastic novella!
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It has been a while since my last book by Samantha Young. Actually it was the novel where we meet the main couple of this novella: Hero. Since some time has past since then, I decided to re-read Hero first (which I really enjoyed!) and then start reading this. After that, I remembered Henry and Nadia (and how they “meet”) much better and I can now say their love story was really good!
So, as I said, Villain is a spin-off short story of Smantha’s standone Hero and it tells the love story between Henry Lexington and Nadia Ray. It starts with a premise of an enemies to lovers but these two instantly feel the connection between them. Yes, I do have to say their firsts meetings are not the best in terms of building a romance between them but after they get past it (especially Nadia), the chemistry between these two is unstoppable and that means feelings get involved in the mix and everything changes.
“No. We don’t need to have lunch or go to a ball together.”
“No lunch dates, no date to the ball, no penis for you. And you don’t want miss out on my penis. It’s a good one.”
He could be the hero and the villain. Which one of those was the permanent resident and the other the visitor, I didn’t know.
I love a good novella. I love seeing how an author manages to bring everything in such a short format and Samantha Young did not disappoint with Villain. I really enjoyed seeing all these characters again. I loved seeing this couple first as enemies and how it all develops to a beautiful love story. The chemistry between Henry and Nadia is extremely hot and pretty emotional towards the end. Henry seems like an a-hole at the start but he will melt your insides when he declares what he feels and how much he needs Nadia in his life. Nadia is also one hell of a strong heroine and I loved it. These two together were amazing and I am so glad they found their happy ending!
“I can’t imagine feeling like this with anyone else.”
Therefore, I am rating Villain with 4.5 STARS because it was a sexy, romantic and emotional novella that had outstanding characters and a couple with lots of chemistry! I love Samantha’s writing and since it’s been a while since my last book by hers, I am now really excited to read more! Highly recommend reading this quick but fantastic novella!
CHECK OUT MY BLOG HERE:
December 24, 2017
4 ★'s
This story is about Henry and Nadia and I was so happy to get it especially after reading Hero. Henry and Caine (from Hero) are best friends and when Henry overhears Nadia possibly outing some damaging information about Caine, he goes after her. Thankfully, he finds out where she really stands and comes to her rescue instead.
Henry is a player and Nadia has no interest in that, however, she has had a dry spell and decides to change that. Henry won't fall for that so easily and makes a deal with her for three dates first and she agrees.
I absolutely love when the male character wants the female character so badly...and he does ~ mostly ~ all the right things. Henry is definitely swoon worthy and Nadia has a hard time resisting him. Some big curve balls are his horrible mother and Nadia's secret past.
What happened in Nadia's past has clouded her perceptions and she's not as trusting as she could be. However, what she does causes Henry some turmoil of his own...even though I loved his reactions and I'm sure Nadia did too! ;)
We finally find out Nadia's big secret and it was wonderful how Henry handled it. It was also great how Nadia handled Henry's mom.
I really enjoyed getting Caine and Lexie in the story and how Lexie and Nadia's friendship grew.
And the epilogue was perfect! My main complaint is that I wish it was longer!
This story is about Henry and Nadia and I was so happy to get it especially after reading Hero. Henry and Caine (from Hero) are best friends and when Henry overhears Nadia possibly outing some damaging information about Caine, he goes after her. Thankfully, he finds out where she really stands and comes to her rescue instead.
Henry is a player and Nadia has no interest in that, however, she has had a dry spell and decides to change that. Henry won't fall for that so easily and makes a deal with her for three dates first and she agrees.
I absolutely love when the male character wants the female character so badly...and he does ~ mostly ~ all the right things. Henry is definitely swoon worthy and Nadia has a hard time resisting him. Some big curve balls are his horrible mother and Nadia's secret past.
What happened in Nadia's past has clouded her perceptions and she's not as trusting as she could be. However, what she does causes Henry some turmoil of his own...even though I loved his reactions and I'm sure Nadia did too! ;)
We finally find out Nadia's big secret and it was wonderful how Henry handled it. It was also great how Nadia handled Henry's mom.
I really enjoyed getting Caine and Lexie in the story and how Lexie and Nadia's friendship grew.
And the epilogue was perfect! My main complaint is that I wish it was longer!
December 7, 2017
I agree with some other reviewers Nadia was amazing! Nice to read about a woman who is strong and respects herself but can also admit her vulnerable sides too.
December 7, 2017
4.5 ‘Sexiest Banter’ Stars
Yaaaaaayyyy!!! Straight to the top of my Best Novellas of 2017!
I had a feeling Villain would tick all my romance boxes, well, it went filled my reader cravings to overflow! No exaggeration, Samantha Young was able to compact a clever, romantic and super sexy story in just one novella. Villain gave me EVERYTHING!
Nadia has just started to feel like she is conquering her place in the news scene, as Chicago’s sweetheart broadcast meteorologist. But all that is put to risk, and her past about to be revealed if she doesn’t uncover the secrets behind Caine Carraway success, and its origin.
Henry Lexington, Caine’s best friend, just can’t allow that, and will do anything to shut down the story, and protect his family, so he comes crushing down Nadia’s part in the most aggressive ways.
“How stupid was I to think this guy could help me?
How stupid was I to think any man could help me?
I was right before.
I needed to fix this myself. Like always.”
Be prepared, because even when they thought they were on opposite sides, the instant chemistry was off the charts, and you could cut the sexual tension with a knife! Oh boy, could we!
When Henry realizes the truth of Nadia’s situation, he immediately tries to make amends, but in Nadia’s eyes the damage was done, and you couldn’t just flip a switch and go from enemies, to friends.
“We’re just two cuties then, huh?”
The elevator doors opened and I strode out ahead of him. “I’m cute. You… I’m thinking undiagnosed multiple personality disorder.”
Henry’s laughter rang out behind me and I had to suppress a smile at the compelling sound. He hurried to my side. “I’m growing on you.”
“Like a wart.”
OMG, the BANTER! It was one of the most satisfying, innuendo filled, and sexy banter I’ve had the pleasure of reading! So, so incredibly good, and it just made me fall in love with these characters even more! I can’t resist a naughty banter!
“No. We don’t need to have lunch or go to a ball together.”
“No lunch dates, no date to the ball, no penis for you. And you don’t want miss out on my penis. It’s a good one.”
“I see we’re doing this the hard way.”
“I hope so.”
Henry sure did flip the tables on Nadia, and her idea of ‘scratching an itch’ and be done with him, where their sexual tension was concerned, surprising her – and me – with being the one wanting more of her, and fighting for her and to have all of her, every step of the way! I couldn’t have loved him more – and that is saying a lot considering his manwhoring past- and how he was a treated Nadia like the most precious thing in the world. Total swoon alert!
Nadia was SO amazing! So real, so smart, so strong, even if she doesn’t fully realize herself, it was such an incredible joy and happiness to see a strong independent woman stand up for herself in every situation, even with Henry. It’s so rare this days to see such a resilient and realist female main character, that I fell helplessly in love with her!
“The harm was in him. I wasn’t a naïve girl in a romance novel who thought she could seriously keep her emotions detached from a guy she was having sex with all the time.”
“He could charm me effortlessly and then rip my heart out the next day.”
See what I mean? SO REAL, so heart touching, I could feel her doubts, her emotions, her fears of her past. I hurt for her, but I also rejoiced in every moment she stood up for herself, and cheered them all the more for her resistance.
“I acted like my story deserved a hero.
But only a heroine deserves a hero.
And I wasn’t a heroine. I couldn’t be.
The truth was in someone else’s story…
I was a villain.”
And Henry, never gave up, and fought through all her walls and showed just I truly wanted her. More than anything!
All the sexual tension, the sexy banter, and their insane chemistry translated in the most sizzling hot sex scenes! Their teasing sure played just as beautifully in and out of the sheets! Scorching!
“I want you all the time,” he grumbled, putting his hand on my back to lead me out of the office. “My cock is going to fucking break off.”
“You?” I huffed. “What about my poor, abused vagina?”
“You weren’t complaining earlier,” he pulled open the door, “when my tongue was on it.”
“But we haven’t argued,” I teased.
“It doesn’t matter,” Henry said, his voice hoarse as he reached down and unzipped his pants slowly. A fizzle of pleasure tingled between my legs. “I’m going to fuck you like we have.”
Yep, with just a little bit more of these two on the epilogue, and on their ending would have made Villain the absolute perfect little story. As it is Ms. Young created the most amazing tale of enemies to lovers, and I’m sure I won’t soon forget Henry and Nadia and their delicious banter. I miss them already, and sincerely hope Samantha Young surprises us, once again, like she did with this one, and give us even more of these two in the future! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
“I was born into a life of privilege… but I never knew true wealth until I met you, Nadia Ray.”
“Henry… do I get you at the end of it?”
“Yes.” He smiled. “You get me now, during, and after.”
For full review with Review & Excerpt Tour, check out my Blog post,
http://gisspotreviews.com/index.php/2...
Yaaaaaayyyy!!! Straight to the top of my Best Novellas of 2017!
I had a feeling Villain would tick all my romance boxes, well, it went filled my reader cravings to overflow! No exaggeration, Samantha Young was able to compact a clever, romantic and super sexy story in just one novella. Villain gave me EVERYTHING!
Nadia has just started to feel like she is conquering her place in the news scene, as Chicago’s sweetheart broadcast meteorologist. But all that is put to risk, and her past about to be revealed if she doesn’t uncover the secrets behind Caine Carraway success, and its origin.
Henry Lexington, Caine’s best friend, just can’t allow that, and will do anything to shut down the story, and protect his family, so he comes crushing down Nadia’s part in the most aggressive ways.
“How stupid was I to think this guy could help me?
How stupid was I to think any man could help me?
I was right before.
I needed to fix this myself. Like always.”
Be prepared, because even when they thought they were on opposite sides, the instant chemistry was off the charts, and you could cut the sexual tension with a knife! Oh boy, could we!
When Henry realizes the truth of Nadia’s situation, he immediately tries to make amends, but in Nadia’s eyes the damage was done, and you couldn’t just flip a switch and go from enemies, to friends.
“We’re just two cuties then, huh?”
The elevator doors opened and I strode out ahead of him. “I’m cute. You… I’m thinking undiagnosed multiple personality disorder.”
Henry’s laughter rang out behind me and I had to suppress a smile at the compelling sound. He hurried to my side. “I’m growing on you.”
“Like a wart.”
OMG, the BANTER! It was one of the most satisfying, innuendo filled, and sexy banter I’ve had the pleasure of reading! So, so incredibly good, and it just made me fall in love with these characters even more! I can’t resist a naughty banter!
“No. We don’t need to have lunch or go to a ball together.”
“No lunch dates, no date to the ball, no penis for you. And you don’t want miss out on my penis. It’s a good one.”
“I see we’re doing this the hard way.”
“I hope so.”
Henry sure did flip the tables on Nadia, and her idea of ‘scratching an itch’ and be done with him, where their sexual tension was concerned, surprising her – and me – with being the one wanting more of her, and fighting for her and to have all of her, every step of the way! I couldn’t have loved him more – and that is saying a lot considering his manwhoring past- and how he was a treated Nadia like the most precious thing in the world. Total swoon alert!
Nadia was SO amazing! So real, so smart, so strong, even if she doesn’t fully realize herself, it was such an incredible joy and happiness to see a strong independent woman stand up for herself in every situation, even with Henry. It’s so rare this days to see such a resilient and realist female main character, that I fell helplessly in love with her!
“The harm was in him. I wasn’t a naïve girl in a romance novel who thought she could seriously keep her emotions detached from a guy she was having sex with all the time.”
“He could charm me effortlessly and then rip my heart out the next day.”
See what I mean? SO REAL, so heart touching, I could feel her doubts, her emotions, her fears of her past. I hurt for her, but I also rejoiced in every moment she stood up for herself, and cheered them all the more for her resistance.
“I acted like my story deserved a hero.
But only a heroine deserves a hero.
And I wasn’t a heroine. I couldn’t be.
The truth was in someone else’s story…
I was a villain.”
And Henry, never gave up, and fought through all her walls and showed just I truly wanted her. More than anything!
All the sexual tension, the sexy banter, and their insane chemistry translated in the most sizzling hot sex scenes! Their teasing sure played just as beautifully in and out of the sheets! Scorching!
“I want you all the time,” he grumbled, putting his hand on my back to lead me out of the office. “My cock is going to fucking break off.”
“You?” I huffed. “What about my poor, abused vagina?”
“You weren’t complaining earlier,” he pulled open the door, “when my tongue was on it.”
“But we haven’t argued,” I teased.
“It doesn’t matter,” Henry said, his voice hoarse as he reached down and unzipped his pants slowly. A fizzle of pleasure tingled between my legs. “I’m going to fuck you like we have.”
Yep, with just a little bit more of these two on the epilogue, and on their ending would have made Villain the absolute perfect little story. As it is Ms. Young created the most amazing tale of enemies to lovers, and I’m sure I won’t soon forget Henry and Nadia and their delicious banter. I miss them already, and sincerely hope Samantha Young surprises us, once again, like she did with this one, and give us even more of these two in the future! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
“I was born into a life of privilege… but I never knew true wealth until I met you, Nadia Ray.”
“Henry… do I get you at the end of it?”
“Yes.” He smiled. “You get me now, during, and after.”
For full review with Review & Excerpt Tour, check out my Blog post,
http://gisspotreviews.com/index.php/2...
December 12, 2017
I'm so happy that Nadia Ray and Henry Lexington have their own book/novella! I'm intrigued by them ever since I've read Hero (which is one of my favorite books). Their first encounter didn't turn out great and like Caine and Alexa (protagonists in Hero), they were enemies turned into lovers. I'm amused with their witty exchanged of banters which progressed into steamy romance.
There's a little drama ahead which I'm not going to mention to avoid spoilers. It's definitely one entertaining, popcorn-worthy drama. This novella is fast-paced, romantic and sexy. It's a happy ending for Nadia and Henry. I'm giving this 4 stars because the ending was abrupt. Also, It's really nice to see Caine and Alexa too! I truly miss those two lovebirds.
There's a little drama ahead which I'm not going to mention to avoid spoilers. It's definitely one entertaining, popcorn-worthy drama. This novella is fast-paced, romantic and sexy. It's a happy ending for Nadia and Henry. I'm giving this 4 stars because the ending was abrupt. Also, It's really nice to see Caine and Alexa too! I truly miss those two lovebirds.
August 14, 2018
4.5 stars...
LOOOOOVE 💚
A few of my favorite quotes:
LOOOOOVE 💚
A few of my favorite quotes:
"You know I'm a little tired of men telling me who I am, what I'm worth, and what to do. I really don't need them telling me how I feel."
"One moment of kindness can change everything."
"Kindness costs nothing and yet it's worth everything."And oh my God!! Henry was perfect...
"I don't want to never see you again."
"Nadia, I am so in love with you. Every moment we're not together, I miss you. I miss you like I haven't seen you in years."
"If this doesn't go my way, it could ruin everything. It could ruin what I've come to consider as everything. You," his grip on me tightened, "you are everything to me."
"I was born into a life of privilege… but I never knew true wealth until I met you, Nadia Ray. Will you make me the richest man on earth by doing me the honor of marrying me?"Samantha Young never disappoints! 😍😍😍
June 22, 2019
4.5 I Love Henry Stars!!
OMG, SA-Freaking-WOON!!!
From the moment we met Caine's BFF Henry in Hero, I was smitten. He's sweet, goofy, adorable, and doesn't take himself too seriously. He's also one of the wealthiest bachelors in Boston, so when he sets his sights on Nadia, she struggles to take him seriously. She's convinced that the only thing that can ever be between them is sex.
Nadia is a former chunky kid turned curvy Marilyn Monroe-type beauty. She's also Boston's weather girl and struggles with the newfound attention her physical appearance gets. She also struggles with some self-loathing issues due to some things in her past.
What MADE this book for me was the sweet and tender way Henry was with Nadia. He handled her with such care that it was endearing. They also had some seriously scorching hot passion together that damn jumped off the pages...
My Casting for Henry:
My Casting for Nadia:
This was a sweet read and a really enjoyable one. There was a tiny bit of OTT drama with Henry's mother that I think ended up being anti-climatic and I found the way it was executed to be completely unbelievable personally. That's really all that kept this from being a 5-star read for me.
Still, this was the best novella I've read in a long time and a beautiful compliment to the Hero series!
“No lunch dates, no date to the ball, no penis for you. And you don’t want miss out on my penis. It’s a good one.”
OMG, SA-Freaking-WOON!!!
From the moment we met Caine's BFF Henry in Hero, I was smitten. He's sweet, goofy, adorable, and doesn't take himself too seriously. He's also one of the wealthiest bachelors in Boston, so when he sets his sights on Nadia, she struggles to take him seriously. She's convinced that the only thing that can ever be between them is sex.
“Come on, Henry, we both know what this is.”
He raised his wine glass to his lips. “Do we?”
“You don’t date,” I argued, feeling my cheeks flush. What was happening here?
Henry’s expression turned tender. “For you, I want to.”
Nadia is a former chunky kid turned curvy Marilyn Monroe-type beauty. She's also Boston's weather girl and struggles with the newfound attention her physical appearance gets. She also struggles with some self-loathing issues due to some things in her past.
“Why do you keep trying to make this more than it is? You wanted to slum it with the local weather girl. I wanted to get laid because it’s been a while. You just happened to be there and I’ve heard you’re good. That’s all this ever was. And I’m not one of your uptight society princesses who needs to be assured you want more from me than a dirty fuck.”
What MADE this book for me was the sweet and tender way Henry was with Nadia. He handled her with such care that it was endearing. They also had some seriously scorching hot passion together that damn jumped off the pages...
"I could only stare up at him, panting, expecting, vulnerable and no longer caring because the calls of my body were louder than the calls of my fears."
“But my turn first. I’m going to kiss and suck and lick every inch of you.” His eyes dropped to my breasts and I gasped as he cupped them in his hands and squeezed none too gently. “Starting with these.” He kissed the tops, dipping his tongue into my cleavage and making me clench around his cock that was growing harder inside of me. “You have no idea how many masturbatory fantasies I have had about your gorgeous tits.”
My Casting for Henry:
My Casting for Nadia:
“You’re beautiful. I don’t want you to hide.”
“I’m not perfect,” I huffed. “I bet you’re used to perfect. I don’t have a flat belly and I have a jiggly ass… there is fat on this body.” I pointed to myself.
He grinned. “There are curves. And they’re sexy as hell.” He leaned up on an elbow and smoldered at me. “You’re perfect to me.”
"Henry leaned toward me and said quietly, “I like watching you. Whether you’re eating a burger or coming around my cock, I like watching you.”
This was a sweet read and a really enjoyable one. There was a tiny bit of OTT drama with Henry's mother that I think ended up being anti-climatic and I found the way it was executed to be completely unbelievable personally. That's really all that kept this from being a 5-star read for me.
Still, this was the best novella I've read in a long time and a beautiful compliment to the Hero series!
“Henry… do I get you at the end of it?”
“Yes.” He smiled. “You get me now, during, and after.”
December 5, 2017
I had to do a little re-read of HERO before I started VILLAIN. I couldn't remember much (#Booksalzheimers!) - but don't worry, you don't need to know HERO to understand this novella. BUT, Henry was already mucho adorable in HERO! So you might want to read it first ;) It's a really great love story. Caine and Alexa are soo adorable!
VILLAIN starts with our heroine Nadia at work. She's a broadcast meterologist and now finally happy in a good job at WCVB. But of course it was too good to be true - they just got a new boss, and he's horrible!! And he knows things about Nadia's past. Things she needs to keep hidden. That's why she starts looking into the 'Scandal of the Year' - just like her boss wants it.
But of course she can't look into famous billionaire Caine Carraway's life without his best buddy Henry finding out about it and wanting to stop her .... but of course what starts out as a STOP DOING THAT - I HATE YOU - I DON'T TRUST YOU thing, quickly turns into something different ... Mega Sparkage!
What will happen with Nadia & Henry??
Will we get a Happily Ever After??
READ THE BOOK TO FIND OUT! ☺
═════════════════════
FINALLY HENRY'S BOOK!
I loved him in HERO - well, I loved him again after my re-read - once I could remember him! ☺
He's this completely happy person. All mega-charming and sweet and kind and flirty and just happy in his job and life. But maybe not really happy with all his non-serious relationships. It might be time for The One!
And then he hears about that stupid gossip reporter slash weather girl who is snooping into his best friend's history! Not gonna happen.
But once Nadia and Henry meet ... he puts his über-charm and flirt-hat on.
He's mega attracted and intrigued by this beautiful curvy girl.
And she's equally attracted, but she tries to tell herself it's only sexual - but it's SO not!
But trusting someone isn't easy for Nadia ....
I really adored Nadia and Henry's story!
He's such a flirt! Too cute!
And of course I loved the little Caine and Alexa moments too!
Great sexy romance! Nothing more to say - READ IT!
If you've loved Caine and Alexa, you will SO love these two too!
VILLAIN was such an adorable & sexy Love Story! Run to your nearest amazon for your own Henry - this one is MINE!!!
♡
♡
♡
♡
December 5, 2017
I had to do a little re-read of HERO before I started VILLAIN. I couldn't remember much (#Booksalzheimers!) - but don't worry, you don't need to know HERO to understand this novella. BUT, Henry was already mucho adorable in HERO! So you might want to read it first ;) It's a really great love story. Caine and Alexa are soo adorable!
VILLAIN starts with our heroine Nadia at work. She's a broadcast meterologist and now finally happy in a good job at WCVB. But of course it was too good to be true - they just got a new boss, and he's horrible!! And he knows things about Nadia's past. Things she needs to keep hidden. That's why she starts looking into the 'Scandal of the Year' - just like her boss wants it.
But of course she can't look into famous billionaire Caine Carraway's life without his best buddy Henry finding out about it and wanting to stop her .... but of course what starts out as a STOP DOING THAT - I HATE YOU - I DON'T TRUST YOU thing, quickly turns into something different ... Mega Sparkage!
What will happen with Nadia & Henry??
Will we get a Happily Ever After??
READ THE BOOK TO FIND OUT! ☺
════════════════════
FINALLY HENRY'S BOOK!
I loved him in HERO - well, I loved him again after my re-read - once I could remember him! ☺
He's this completely happy person. All mega-charming and sweet and kind and flirty and just happy in his job and life. But maybe not really happy with all his non-serious relationships. It might be time for The One!
And then he hears about that stupid gossip reporter slash weather girl who is snooping into his best friend's history! Not gonna happen.
But once Nadia and Henry meet ... he puts his über-charm and flirt-hat on.
He's mega attracted and intrigued by this beautiful curvy girl.
And she's equally attracted, but she tries to tell herself it's only sexual - but it's SO not!
But trusting someone isn't easy for Nadia ....
I really adored Nadia and Henry's story!
He's such a flirt! Too cute!
And of course I loved the little Caine and Alexa moments too!
Great sexy romance! Nothing more to say - READ IT!
If you've loved Caine and Alexa, you will SO love these two too!
VILLAIN was such an adorable & sexy Love Story! Run to your nearest amazon for your own Henry - this one is MINE!!!
♡
♡
♡
♡
May 24, 2020
Spoilers ahead, from the positive reviews this was clearly a ME not the book situation
In their first encounter he was threatening and aggressive with the h( strike 1)
He was stated as charming I found him sleazy( strike 2)
At the ball he left her and went off with OW, it wasn't implied as sexual but nothing was even mentioned about where he was or why he left the h alone (strike 3)
He had OW touching him and was a flirt until the h spoke about it(strike 4)
He went on a business trip and never called her but got pissed that she was on a date( strike 5)
I didn't like her she was weak and insecure and just accepted his bs ( strikes 6-8)
Too much male privilege with not enough repercussions for me(strike 9)
Unprotected sex even though he's a known manwhore(strike 10!
No cheating
H was a manwhore before meeting the h(grrrrrrr)
h had relationships but she had problems trusting. She'd slept with her married( she thought he was separated) teacher and it caused quite a bit of drama so she reinvented herself
H was a big flirt even in front of her and didn't even realize the hurt he was causing until she mentioned it
Slight OW drama
h went on 2 dates but nothing happened
In their first encounter he was threatening and aggressive with the h( strike 1)
He was stated as charming I found him sleazy( strike 2)
At the ball he left her and went off with OW, it wasn't implied as sexual but nothing was even mentioned about where he was or why he left the h alone (strike 3)
He had OW touching him and was a flirt until the h spoke about it(strike 4)
He went on a business trip and never called her but got pissed that she was on a date( strike 5)
I didn't like her she was weak and insecure and just accepted his bs ( strikes 6-8)
Too much male privilege with not enough repercussions for me(strike 9)
Unprotected sex even though he's a known manwhore(strike 10!
No cheating
H was a manwhore before meeting the h(grrrrrrr)
h had relationships but she had problems trusting. She'd slept with her married( she thought he was separated) teacher and it caused quite a bit of drama so she reinvented herself
H was a big flirt even in front of her and didn't even realize the hurt he was causing until she mentioned it
Slight OW drama
h went on 2 dates but nothing happened
December 3, 2017
I love every minute of this novel.
December 11, 2017
I love my GR friends, and will always respect their disposition on a book, but I seriously hated this book to the point where I thought some wack ass black magic compelled the high ratings from you guys.
If you've read my reviews before, you should know I analyse the sh*t out of books and minute details will bother me. It's not necessarily exclusive, but it's more likely that it won't bother you, so you may very well enjoy it. I'm that kind of annoying reader.
Reasons why I hated it (this is a lengthy list):
1. I hated Henry. Hate, hate, hate, hate, hate.
2. I felt like the story was going to be about Caine and Nadia because that's the heavy impression given when she was researching him because of her weasel boss looking for a story to sell.
3. I found it impossible to forgive Henry. The way he threatened her so violently at the start and how she felt in return: demeaned, teary, scared, intimidated, daunted, bullied by his male privilege and wealth, and body size. If he did that to her, how many other women would he have mistreated in a similar manner thinking they've wronged him or had set out to harm Caine (his best friend.)
4. How he stated he thought he stumbled across a lovers quarrel when her boss was assaulting her and intervened only after he heard the information he wanted to that cleared her of his misconstrued misogynistic views. He was a misogynist too. Just a better disguised one than the men she works with. Evidence: their first meeting.
5. He's a "manwhore" in the typical elite fashion. And that pegs so many negative points for me. Why? Because Nadia knows and has seen all of these women he's bedded from online research; she is not only privy to his scandalous life but has read all about it on her quest of research in the beginning. This hero gave me the impression of one of those hero's that probably had sex one day ago before he met the heroine.
6. Apparently he's charming but I just didn't find him funny. Aforementioned points may have something to do with that.
7. I cringed when she offered her sex invitation to a man who thus far treated her like crap and hadn't even made up for the mistreatment yet. So soon when he just collected her in his car to make amends that it left a rancid taste in my mouth.
8. So he refuses and says he will wine and dine her before they screw over about a one weeks span. He takes her to a ball event and she meets a girl he slept with. He returned with the resurrected line of "it was one time, and it meant nothing."
9. He let a girl press herself against him in an event/ball he had a date to. The disrespect is astounding to me. He's a serial flirt and tames that character aspect after he realises it hurts her but NO. If you can't see it straight away then what the hell kind of business man are you. SHE IS YOUR MOST PRECIOUS ASSET. Wtf you doing with your life dude, taking numbers, flirting coyly, calling girls beautiful and letting women touch you with a free pass. Any self respecting woman wouldn't stand for that, so I was shocked that this girl who prides herself on not being his lackey stood by his side watching that. That's sacrilege imo.
“To my discomfort, I’d also underestimated Henry’s flirtatious nature. Old, young, somewhere in between, if it was female, Henry went out of his way to make her feel like she was special. I don’t think he even knew he did it—it was a natural part of who he was.
And as I watched him, I began to doubt every moment we’d spent together over the last week. Because the truth was, as much as I hated to admit it, Henry had made me feel special, interesting, intriguing, wanted. But he made every woman feel like that. It was a nice quality to have… but not exactly one that gave me much faith in his so-called feelings for me”
10. During the ball, he disappeared off for a while with a woman leaving Nadia alone. Um, are we going to even discuss what that was about because it was just swept under the rug like it didn't happen. Who was she? What did they do? Why? That was hurtful to Nadia that he disappeared with some rando woman after dragging her to this event. Everything about his character is insincere.
11. I'm not a fan of the whole privileged male. Regaling his business Wharton school stories and the women he banged. It's just that childish, blue blood aspect that makes me cringe.
12. In my pure opinion, his ugly side was so ugly. The falsity of his charm wasn't going to make up for it. When he switches and intimidates her, I felt genuine hate. It's so slimy. He did it again when he thought she did something to Caine.
13. His mother insulted the f***ckkkk out of Nadia. He's reaction is all "mother, please stop" kind of shit instead of actually defending his woman.
14. She goes bare back with him. What smart, sane woman WHO EXPLICITLY STATES NOT TRUSTING THIS MAN AND ONLY WANTING A ONE AND DONE FORGETS A CONDOM. It's contradictory. Even more so to continue so irresponsibly TRUSTING HIS WORD OF BEING "CLEAN". The first we can play down to a mistake but after that, I felt magnanimous disappointment.
15. I do not trust the man. Nor do I trust a single bottlenecked word that escapes his mouth because the irony is he says "What I say to other women… it’s merely years of cultivated charm. A veneer. A mask. And I’ve been doing it so long, it naturally happens.” So TRUST me when I say I didn't believe a single word of what he said to Nadia, especially not his declaration of love.
16. More and more to me it became obvious that she has a lot of false bravado. She never stuck to her guns. If she hypothetically stuck to the arrangement she so demanded at the beginning - the one time 'fuck'- and he THEN chased her I would have been more impressed than her just caving to his wishes.
17. She's insecure. And in a not attractive kind of way.
“I wanted to mark him. I wanted to ruin him for any other woman. If ever in the past he’d snuck off to have sex at one of these goddamn events, I wanted this encounter to be the one he’d remember above all others.
Henry broke the kiss, pulling back only to grab the hem of my dress in his hands and yank it upward. I lifted my arms, helping him out. It went flying behind him seconds before he unsnapped my bra.
18. Then somehow to validate her concerns and hesitancy about him, we get lumped with the story of her cheating father and cheating ex. Well FYI, all of her concerns had validity without that tragic backstory because being with a man like Henry ALONE gives cause to that concern.
19. One of the things that happens in the whole sob story of hers is that her family abandoned her because of a mistake she made. Um, Young only used that to advance the plot and make the hero feel sorry for the heroine. I wanted to know... does she make amends with her family? What happened to them... does homegirl even have any siblings? You can't just use that stuff for banter and leave it to lie.
BUT
... the epilogue was good.
And I actually liked that his mother hated her.
If you've read my reviews before, you should know I analyse the sh*t out of books and minute details will bother me. It's not necessarily exclusive, but it's more likely that it won't bother you, so you may very well enjoy it. I'm that kind of annoying reader.
Reasons why I hated it (this is a lengthy list):
1. I hated Henry. Hate, hate, hate, hate, hate.
2. I felt like the story was going to be about Caine and Nadia because that's the heavy impression given when she was researching him because of her weasel boss looking for a story to sell.
3. I found it impossible to forgive Henry. The way he threatened her so violently at the start and how she felt in return: demeaned, teary, scared, intimidated, daunted, bullied by his male privilege and wealth, and body size. If he did that to her, how many other women would he have mistreated in a similar manner thinking they've wronged him or had set out to harm Caine (his best friend.)
4. How he stated he thought he stumbled across a lovers quarrel when her boss was assaulting her and intervened only after he heard the information he wanted to that cleared her of his misconstrued misogynistic views. He was a misogynist too. Just a better disguised one than the men she works with. Evidence: their first meeting.
5. He's a "manwhore" in the typical elite fashion. And that pegs so many negative points for me. Why? Because Nadia knows and has seen all of these women he's bedded from online research; she is not only privy to his scandalous life but has read all about it on her quest of research in the beginning. This hero gave me the impression of one of those hero's that probably had sex one day ago before he met the heroine.
6. Apparently he's charming but I just didn't find him funny. Aforementioned points may have something to do with that.
7. I cringed when she offered her sex invitation to a man who thus far treated her like crap and hadn't even made up for the mistreatment yet. So soon when he just collected her in his car to make amends that it left a rancid taste in my mouth.
8. So he refuses and says he will wine and dine her before they screw over about a one weeks span. He takes her to a ball event and she meets a girl he slept with. He returned with the resurrected line of "it was one time, and it meant nothing."
9. He let a girl press herself against him in an event/ball he had a date to. The disrespect is astounding to me. He's a serial flirt and tames that character aspect after he realises it hurts her but NO. If you can't see it straight away then what the hell kind of business man are you. SHE IS YOUR MOST PRECIOUS ASSET. Wtf you doing with your life dude, taking numbers, flirting coyly, calling girls beautiful and letting women touch you with a free pass. Any self respecting woman wouldn't stand for that, so I was shocked that this girl who prides herself on not being his lackey stood by his side watching that. That's sacrilege imo.
“To my discomfort, I’d also underestimated Henry’s flirtatious nature. Old, young, somewhere in between, if it was female, Henry went out of his way to make her feel like she was special. I don’t think he even knew he did it—it was a natural part of who he was.
And as I watched him, I began to doubt every moment we’d spent together over the last week. Because the truth was, as much as I hated to admit it, Henry had made me feel special, interesting, intriguing, wanted. But he made every woman feel like that. It was a nice quality to have… but not exactly one that gave me much faith in his so-called feelings for me”
10. During the ball, he disappeared off for a while with a woman leaving Nadia alone. Um, are we going to even discuss what that was about because it was just swept under the rug like it didn't happen. Who was she? What did they do? Why? That was hurtful to Nadia that he disappeared with some rando woman after dragging her to this event. Everything about his character is insincere.
11. I'm not a fan of the whole privileged male. Regaling his business Wharton school stories and the women he banged. It's just that childish, blue blood aspect that makes me cringe.
12. In my pure opinion, his ugly side was so ugly. The falsity of his charm wasn't going to make up for it. When he switches and intimidates her, I felt genuine hate. It's so slimy. He did it again when he thought she did something to Caine.
13. His mother insulted the f***ckkkk out of Nadia. He's reaction is all "mother, please stop" kind of shit instead of actually defending his woman.
14. She goes bare back with him. What smart, sane woman WHO EXPLICITLY STATES NOT TRUSTING THIS MAN AND ONLY WANTING A ONE AND DONE FORGETS A CONDOM. It's contradictory. Even more so to continue so irresponsibly TRUSTING HIS WORD OF BEING "CLEAN". The first we can play down to a mistake but after that, I felt magnanimous disappointment.
15. I do not trust the man. Nor do I trust a single bottlenecked word that escapes his mouth because the irony is he says "What I say to other women… it’s merely years of cultivated charm. A veneer. A mask. And I’ve been doing it so long, it naturally happens.” So TRUST me when I say I didn't believe a single word of what he said to Nadia, especially not his declaration of love.
16. More and more to me it became obvious that she has a lot of false bravado. She never stuck to her guns. If she hypothetically stuck to the arrangement she so demanded at the beginning - the one time 'fuck'- and he THEN chased her I would have been more impressed than her just caving to his wishes.
17. She's insecure. And in a not attractive kind of way.
“I wanted to mark him. I wanted to ruin him for any other woman. If ever in the past he’d snuck off to have sex at one of these goddamn events, I wanted this encounter to be the one he’d remember above all others.
Henry broke the kiss, pulling back only to grab the hem of my dress in his hands and yank it upward. I lifted my arms, helping him out. It went flying behind him seconds before he unsnapped my bra.
18. Then somehow to validate her concerns and hesitancy about him, we get lumped with the story of her cheating father and cheating ex. Well FYI, all of her concerns had validity without that tragic backstory because being with a man like Henry ALONE gives cause to that concern.
19. One of the things that happens in the whole sob story of hers is that her family abandoned her because of a mistake she made. Um, Young only used that to advance the plot and make the hero feel sorry for the heroine. I wanted to know... does she make amends with her family? What happened to them... does homegirl even have any siblings? You can't just use that stuff for banter and leave it to lie.
BUT
... the epilogue was good.
And I actually liked that his mother hated her.
December 10, 2017
This was a solid 3.5 star read.
It has been quite a while since I read the first book and all I remember is that I wasn‘t too fond of it, but not much more.
That doesn‘t matter, since one could also read this little novella as a stand-alone. We get to meet Caine and Alexa from the previous book and a few things were mentioned that even rang a bell in my mind, what the other book was about.
I decided to read this one, after a few of my GR friends wrote what an impressive Heroine this novella had - I can only partly agree unfortunately. She was way too insecure for me to be comfortable with, although her past explained a lot of things. But the first 30% or 40% of the book I couldn‘t connect with her at all and I only powered through this, because my GR friend Alex already warned about that in her own review. After that her character indeed became more interesting and ballsy, her wit and straightforwardness very much entertained me.
But there were also quite a few things about her that didn‘t sit well with me. Her insecurity about herself and her body, the way how she immediately dated two men in such a short time (seriously if the H would have done such a thing, hell would break loose. I didn‘t think that was a cool move.)
Another thing was that I always got the feeling, her coworker Barbara pushed her into sex dates and she went along with it, without really wanting to do it. Her way of not talking, but brooding about a topic and then mentioning it in a talk with his friends instead of confronting - these are a few examples why I couldn‘t really connect with her.
The H was okay, but didn‘t leave me too impressed. I liked how he chased after her and wasn‘t really bothered by his flirty ways since he immediately decided to change that after he got that it hurt her. Should have been clear, I know, but sometimes people can be blockheads, that is in our nature.
Regarding the „plot“ I had the feeling Samantha Young tried to put a little bit too much topics in it, but none of them could have been handle satisfying in such a short time. But this is a problem I often have with these short books.
But all in all it was a short, entertaining and enjoyable novella that contained some witty banter, a good writing style and a little drama. A perfect change for in between.
It has been quite a while since I read the first book and all I remember is that I wasn‘t too fond of it, but not much more.
That doesn‘t matter, since one could also read this little novella as a stand-alone. We get to meet Caine and Alexa from the previous book and a few things were mentioned that even rang a bell in my mind, what the other book was about.
I decided to read this one, after a few of my GR friends wrote what an impressive Heroine this novella had - I can only partly agree unfortunately. She was way too insecure for me to be comfortable with, although her past explained a lot of things. But the first 30% or 40% of the book I couldn‘t connect with her at all and I only powered through this, because my GR friend Alex already warned about that in her own review. After that her character indeed became more interesting and ballsy, her wit and straightforwardness very much entertained me.
But there were also quite a few things about her that didn‘t sit well with me. Her insecurity about herself and her body, the way how she immediately dated two men in such a short time (seriously if the H would have done such a thing, hell would break loose. I didn‘t think that was a cool move.)
Another thing was that I always got the feeling, her coworker Barbara pushed her into sex dates and she went along with it, without really wanting to do it. Her way of not talking, but brooding about a topic and then mentioning it in a talk with his friends instead of confronting - these are a few examples why I couldn‘t really connect with her.
The H was okay, but didn‘t leave me too impressed. I liked how he chased after her and wasn‘t really bothered by his flirty ways since he immediately decided to change that after he got that it hurt her. Should have been clear, I know, but sometimes people can be blockheads, that is in our nature.
Regarding the „plot“ I had the feeling Samantha Young tried to put a little bit too much topics in it, but none of them could have been handle satisfying in such a short time. But this is a problem I often have with these short books.
But all in all it was a short, entertaining and enjoyable novella that contained some witty banter, a good writing style and a little drama. A perfect change for in between.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 13, 2017
I so adored this book!!
I love Samantha Young her writing style it's just so fabulous! She always manages to pull you in and keep you until the end. Even after the ending I keep thinking about the characters.
The cover of this one is just so beautiful as the first one, maybe even more! These characters are so love able!
This one is a favorite of mine of this year!
I love Samantha Young her writing style it's just so fabulous! She always manages to pull you in and keep you until the end. Even after the ending I keep thinking about the characters.
The cover of this one is just so beautiful as the first one, maybe even more! These characters are so love able!
This one is a favorite of mine of this year!
November 21, 2017
Samantha Young continues to blow me away! VILLAIN was an ADDICTIVE, SEXY, and EMOTIONAL romance that left me with a HUGE SMILE on my face! This enemies-to-lovers type romance gave me ALL THE FEELS and had me swooning, laughing, and blushing from head to toe! I absolutely LOVED this delicious and entertaining novella!
“What? No. We don’t need to have lunch or go to a ball together.”
“No lunch dates, no date to the ball, no penis for you. And you don’t want to miss out on my penis. It’s a good one.”
I almost forgot how freaking charming Henry Lexington really is! I freaking LOVE that man. And then Nadia Ray? She is such a firecracker! She’s sassy, strong, and independent. I absolutely adored her. Together, these two blow the roof off with their intense and heavy chemistry. These two go from REALLY antagonistic to smart-witted banter to flirtatious and sexy all in the span of this wonderful novella. This may be a shorter read, but there is so much going on that it reads like an actual novel. Ms. Young holds nothing back with this companion novella to her bestselling romance and ABSOLUTE FAVORITE of mine, HERO.
This delightful, emotional, and beautiful read has so much heart and soul, I wanted to read it all over again. A woman still battling with insecurities and a past that just won’t go away. A man whose flirtatious manner might just lose him the best thing that’s ever happen to him. They might not want the other to change for them, but in loving one another, change is imminent. They make each other better in every way, and when they finally discover this, it makes their hard-fought romance that much sweeter.
“What? No. We don’t need to have lunch or go to a ball together.”
“No lunch dates, no date to the ball, no penis for you. And you don’t want to miss out on my penis. It’s a good one.”
I almost forgot how freaking charming Henry Lexington really is! I freaking LOVE that man. And then Nadia Ray? She is such a firecracker! She’s sassy, strong, and independent. I absolutely adored her. Together, these two blow the roof off with their intense and heavy chemistry. These two go from REALLY antagonistic to smart-witted banter to flirtatious and sexy all in the span of this wonderful novella. This may be a shorter read, but there is so much going on that it reads like an actual novel. Ms. Young holds nothing back with this companion novella to her bestselling romance and ABSOLUTE FAVORITE of mine, HERO.
This delightful, emotional, and beautiful read has so much heart and soul, I wanted to read it all over again. A woman still battling with insecurities and a past that just won’t go away. A man whose flirtatious manner might just lose him the best thing that’s ever happen to him. They might not want the other to change for them, but in loving one another, change is imminent. They make each other better in every way, and when they finally discover this, it makes their hard-fought romance that much sweeter.
October 31, 2017
**ARC provided in exchange for an honest review**
"There was something deeply wrong with me that I could be attracted to a man I didn't even like."
I usually don't read a lot of novellas, because it's too short for me to really enjoy it. However Samantha Young did such a great job in telling a complete story in a limited amount of pages. I enjoyed Hero a lot, so I was pretty excited to get my hands on Villain. I think the title does great justice to the story. Because the two main characters don't start off on the right foot. I loved how everything progressed and how things developed between Nadia and Henry. I liked that Nadia has an unusual job in this book (broadcast meteorologist), and I also thought she had a great personality.
In the beginning, I didn't really like Henry because he was very rude, but he grew on me pretty quickly. What I loved the most was their banter and how fun their interactions were. I am glad that there were some mystery to the story as well, Nadia was keeping a secret that she didn't want revealed. The sex scenes were hot and just enough to satisfy me. The writing was great, I was able to connect to the characters and everything fit perfectly together. I think Villain was a great contemporary romance, and I wouldn't have minded it being a full-length novel.
"There was something deeply wrong with me that I could be attracted to a man I didn't even like."
I usually don't read a lot of novellas, because it's too short for me to really enjoy it. However Samantha Young did such a great job in telling a complete story in a limited amount of pages. I enjoyed Hero a lot, so I was pretty excited to get my hands on Villain. I think the title does great justice to the story. Because the two main characters don't start off on the right foot. I loved how everything progressed and how things developed between Nadia and Henry. I liked that Nadia has an unusual job in this book (broadcast meteorologist), and I also thought she had a great personality.
In the beginning, I didn't really like Henry because he was very rude, but he grew on me pretty quickly. What I loved the most was their banter and how fun their interactions were. I am glad that there were some mystery to the story as well, Nadia was keeping a secret that she didn't want revealed. The sex scenes were hot and just enough to satisfy me. The writing was great, I was able to connect to the characters and everything fit perfectly together. I think Villain was a great contemporary romance, and I wouldn't have minded it being a full-length novel.
January 30, 2020
Nadia Ray è la meteorologa televisiva di Boston, è quasi riuscita a fare la carriera che tanto sognava quando un imprevisto le blocca la strada...il suo capo ha scoperto il segreto che nasconde e con questo iniziano i ricatti. Henry Lexington è uno degli uomini più ricchi della città, scala la gerarchia della famiglia per raggiungere il posto che gli spetta. Due strade che si incontrano in condizioni strane ed una storia che inizia.
E io dovrei saperlo ormai che dalle novelle non posso aspettarmi troppo, ma questa volta sono rimasta davvero delusa. La storia poteva anche esserci, ma ovviamente è scritta a tirar via e di conseguenza tutto resta talmente superficiale da risultare banale e scontato, senza un minimo di trasporto o di emozione...praticamente zero empatia.
E io dovrei saperlo ormai che dalle novelle non posso aspettarmi troppo, ma questa volta sono rimasta davvero delusa. La storia poteva anche esserci, ma ovviamente è scritta a tirar via e di conseguenza tutto resta talmente superficiale da risultare banale e scontato, senza un minimo di trasporto o di emozione...praticamente zero empatia.
December 8, 2017
It's a sweet story.
I have a crush on heroine
She's so sassy and strong (i love strong women)
As for the hero.. I don't like him
He's always flirting with ow in front of the heroine..said she's beautiful and smart...(i know it's his nature ...but i still don't like when he do tht)
tht's so romantic...
Even though later he change ...i still can't forget about it (that's how I am)
That's all.. Don't let my opinion on this book refrain you from reading this book ;))
I have a crush on heroine
She's so sassy and strong (i love strong women)
As for the hero.. I don't like him
He's always flirting with ow in front of the heroine..said she's beautiful and smart...(i know it's his nature ...but i still don't like when he do tht)
tht's so romantic...
Even though later he change ...i still can't forget about it (that's how I am)
That's all.. Don't let my opinion on this book refrain you from reading this book ;))
December 7, 2017
Y'all other female others better take some notes on this masterpiece. 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
THIS IS HOW YOU WRITE A CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE WITH A *REAL* CONTEMPORARY WOMAN.
THIS IS HOW YOU WRITE A CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE WITH A *REAL* CONTEMPORARY WOMAN.
December 15, 2017
It's been a couple of years since I read Hero so I have to admit I didn't remember anything about Caine's best friend Henry who is one of the main characters in this companion novella but I love Samantha Young's writing so of course I've been looking forward to reading this story. I'm glad I did because Villain is a fab novella with a really sweet romance and genuinely nice characters, I actually would have liked a longer story for them, not because this was missing anything but because I'd have been happy to spend more time with them.
Obviously with novellas authors have to dive straight into the romance but Samantha Young didn't have any problems creating a believable story that had me rooting for her characters to get it together. Nadia was great, there was something in her past that she was very ashamed of but she had done her best to put that behind her and move on with her life. Unfortunately for her her sleazy boss found out her secret and was willing to use it to blackmail her but I was really proud of her for the way she stood up for herself in the end. Henry was a known playboy but he was also a nice and caring guy and apart from a couple of moments at the beginning where he acted pretty badly I really liked him. I think what helped was that once he realised the mistakes he'd made he was genuinely sorry for his actions and went out of his way to apologise to Nadia and make amends. He was also incredibly sweet and let her take their relationship at her own pace, he understood that she was scared to be in a relationship and was willing to work to earn her trust. His reaction when he found out about her past was also wonderful, I can't say too much because it could be considered a spoiler but he told her all the things I'd been wanting to say since I found out what had happened and that got him a huge thumbs up.
It was nice to see a glimpse of Caine and Alexa but this story really was Nadia and Henry's time to shine so they were only minor background characters. This story fits into the timeline somewhere in the middle of Hero but I don't think it really included spoilers for the other couple's story so you could probably read these in any order. Villain is another lovely romance from Samantha Young and I'm already looking forward to her next one.
Obviously with novellas authors have to dive straight into the romance but Samantha Young didn't have any problems creating a believable story that had me rooting for her characters to get it together. Nadia was great, there was something in her past that she was very ashamed of but she had done her best to put that behind her and move on with her life. Unfortunately for her her sleazy boss found out her secret and was willing to use it to blackmail her but I was really proud of her for the way she stood up for herself in the end. Henry was a known playboy but he was also a nice and caring guy and apart from a couple of moments at the beginning where he acted pretty badly I really liked him. I think what helped was that once he realised the mistakes he'd made he was genuinely sorry for his actions and went out of his way to apologise to Nadia and make amends. He was also incredibly sweet and let her take their relationship at her own pace, he understood that she was scared to be in a relationship and was willing to work to earn her trust. His reaction when he found out about her past was also wonderful, I can't say too much because it could be considered a spoiler but he told her all the things I'd been wanting to say since I found out what had happened and that got him a huge thumbs up.
It was nice to see a glimpse of Caine and Alexa but this story really was Nadia and Henry's time to shine so they were only minor background characters. This story fits into the timeline somewhere in the middle of Hero but I don't think it really included spoilers for the other couple's story so you could probably read these in any order. Villain is another lovely romance from Samantha Young and I'm already looking forward to her next one.
December 7, 2017
4.25 Stars!
Aww, I enjoyed it so! 💗
Aww, I enjoyed it so! 💗
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