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Vexing Villains #1

A Villain for Christmas

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“I want you to help me rob a bank.”

The moment I heard those words, I should have slammed the door in my brother’s face and cracked open a book. Though if I had, I wouldn’t have run into August, the city’s main superhero… and the man of my dreams. He’s sexy, kind, and sweet—everything I’m supposed to dislike.

You see, I’m a villain… well, kind of. Honestly, I’d rather curl up and read than commit crimes, but life doesn’t always go the way I want it to, especially after being raised by some cut-rate villains who can’t even steal toilet paper without getting caught.

Suddenly, I find myself spending time with August and realize that maybe there is more to life than petting my hairless cat, but the issue is… what happens when he figures out that I’m Leviathan, an extremely powerful villain? Can he still love me regardless of who I am?

When actual supervillains start targeting August, I might be forced to show everyone who I truly am, but villains and heroes aren’t supposed to save each other, let alone fall in love.

Although, I’ve never been one to do what I’ve been told.

337 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 25, 2019

515 people are currently reading
1681 people want to read

About the author

Alice Winters

62 books2,754 followers
Alice Winters started writing stories as soon as she was old enough to turn her ideas into written words. She loves writing a variety of things from romance and comedy to action. She also enjoys reading, horseback riding, and spending time with her pets.

Follow me on Facebook where I put up short stories, teasers, and giveaways: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Alice...

Join my newsletter: https://www.alicewintersauthor.com/

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 505 reviews
Profile Image for ☆ Todd.
1,442 reviews1,586 followers
March 26, 2023

A refreshing, light-hearted, super feel-good, superheroes and villains story!



Would-be villain Landon, aka Leviathan, just wanted to read. Full stop. He wanted nothing to do with his family's evil deeds, yet somehow still kept finding himself getting pulled into their wacky, doomed schemes.



As the only major superhero protecting the entire city, August, aka Chrono, had very little choice in his life. He did his job or people died, as simple as that. But he wasn't happy and he wanted more.



Fast forward one failed bank robbery later and August "rescued" Landon as he was fleeing the scene of the crime and injured himself. Yes, the very robbery he'd just helped to commit.

I adored seeing Landon and August's quirky romance bloom, as it was revealed early on that they'd attended middle school together years before, but hadn't been friends at the time.

One of my favorite parts of this story was how both Landon's and August's parents continually ratted out their sons regarding their childhood crushes on the other MC. I was dying laughing so many times.
“You were the cutest little kid back in middle school when Landon was fawning all over you. Then when you became a superhero, Landon made me buy him all the posters of you. He told me it was so he could throw darts at them, but instead of darts, there were tissues lying everywhere.”

“Oh. My. God. Kill me now,” I groan.

“Even when you went through that ugly little gangly stage where your limbs looked like they were too big for your body, Landon was all into it,” she says.

“August, stop time, please! End my misery!”
The snark and banter was on par with the MC's from Alice's "Hitman" series, with the humor in this book working *almost* as well for me again here.

Ramping up the humor was Landon's incompetent, well-intentioned family, who I'd describe more as mischievous idiots than actually evil. If they and their friends had a plan, it was pretty much destined to fail. Spectacularly, but with a bit of comic flair.



In addition to the many feels present between the MC's, I also really enjoyed the close, caring relationship between Landon and his brother, Nolan, the only family member who seemed to love Landon for a reason other than his vast powers.

Those close, brotherly feelings played a large role as the story progressed and the evil plan of a group of powerful supervillains was revealed, putting the entire city and people that Landon loved in danger.

We also met August's boss, Valerie, insanely strict and a bit of a ball-buster, and Lex, a superhero from a neighboring city. I liked both of those characters and a closing note at the end of the book indicated that Lex and Nolan "may" get their own book.

There was moderate angst in this one with some steam, but I wouldn't really characterize it as a sexy read, as the humor and action definitely took center stage here.

The story ended with an HEA, cemented further by an old item that August gave Landon at the end of the story, which may have made me swoon just an itty bit. Allegedly.

I'd rate this book at around 4.5 stars and recommend it to fans of Alice's "Hitman" series, as the humor and snark were fairly similar.

An afterward in the book mentions a free Nolan and Lex short follow-up story, which I just got and also can't wait to read. : )

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My ARC copy of the book was provided by the author in exchange for a fair, unbiased review.

See All My Latest Reads (Review Quick-Links)

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Profile Image for Jilly.
1,838 reviews6,699 followers
April 20, 2020
First: Obligatory bitching about the crappy-apocalypse:



But, this book cheered me up. So much funny!
We have a villain, Landon, who is kind of a slacker in that his head really isn't in the villain game. His whole family are villains and they keep trying to get him to join the family business, but he just isn't feeling it. He's lazy. And super sarcastic. And, a little assholish - in the best possible way. I really liked him!



He has had a life-long crush on a superhero, so he does what any self-respecting villain would do to get the attention of a hot guy: crime. And, it pays off because he gets the guy. As he explains to the reporters who are wondering what fresh hell is going on when their superhero and evil villain start dating:

Reporter: "Did you rob the bank?"

Landon: "I did, but I didn't want to. I just really wanted to catch August's attention, and I thought that if I robbed it, I might get to see him," I admit.

"That's so romantic," someone says.

"Thanks! I thought so! So if you want the attention of anyone, rob something while they're around. Maybe they'll put you in handcuffs and --"


I can tell that Landon is going to be a great role model for the kids. Also, another plus? He has the world's ugliest cat.


Holy hell! WTF?? Why? Why are we doing this?

This book was funny enough to having me actually lol. Like, there was a laugh sound made. Not my usual loling which might be a smile or smirk. I'm off to read another one by this author because she can do the sarcastic banter like a boss.

See you in hell. I mean, you know. That's what I'm calling my house at this point. See you on my computer. From hell.
*sigh*
Profile Image for Gail Carriger.
Author 63 books15.4k followers
December 5, 2019
Gail: Mad giggling.
AB: *eyebrow up*
G: Snicker snicker snicker.
G: This book is so much funnier than I thought it would be. I'm so happy.
Book: "summoning a toilet paper demon"
G: Loses her tiny mind for 10 minutes.

So what book was I reading?

A VILLAIN FOR CHRISTMAS by Alice Winters. And what an unexpected gem of a book this is! Gay superheros for Christmas. I picked it up in a string of holiday reads and this one was the star (at the top of the tree, nash).

Look it's not really a holiday read, it's a HILARIOUS take on superheroes where a supervillain (who really doesn't want to be) falls in love with a superhero and has to keep his identity secret until his bumbling evil family, a hairless cat dressed in pajamas, bags of cheese, and various other things conspire against him.

I did not expect to laugh as much as a I did but honestly, it utterly ridiculous and extremely funny.

If you like my character Max in THE SUMAGE SOLUTION or took my rec and enjoyed THE LIGHTNING STRUCK HEART by TJ Klune, then this one is for you. Honestly, give it a try, you won't be sorry.
Profile Image for Kati *☆・゚.
1,313 reviews701 followers
February 13, 2023
4.5***** stars


first: This is not a holiday romance (not really), so don’t let the title deter you from reading it at any time of the year.

So… maybe it was because Michael Lesley was narrating this one too (in this fantastic way of his), or maybe because it was because of the vast amount of sex puns and sexual innuendos, ridiculous characters and banter, but listening to this felt A LOT like listening to the "Tales From Verania". It was hilarious and so very entertaining. I was laughing my ass off. Constantly. Hard! I loved it.

It was still not what I was looking for with the superhero/supervillain trope, but I had a lot of fun. So my biggest thanks to the reader who recommended this to me out of nowhere under another review of mine —it felt a bit like one of those online-shopping suggestions: If you didn’t like this, you maybe enjoy this better.



What was surprising tho, but somehow fit the story just fine, was that (like with TJ’s Tales From Verania) there is a lot of sex talk but actually no smut at all (well at least not until the very very end and by then I couldn’t really get into it anymore *lol). I didn’t even know that Alice Winters does write so clean sometimes, so, tbh I was a bit tiny disappointed for a while there.



my absolute favorite scene: when Landon forces August on a date, wearing his old villain suit (way too small for August) and they join SAVCGEM (Super Awesome Villains Combined for the Greater Evil of Mankind) for a night of evil fun. I was laughing tears.


I haven’t discovered yet if Alice Winters wrote more books in this universe but there are a few characters I would be interested in —like Landon’s brother Nolan (supervillain) or August’s mate Lex (superhero).
Profile Image for Lucie V..
1,244 reviews3,671 followers
February 2, 2026
✅ Narrator
✅ Characters
✅ Banter and silly situations
✅ Cute and funny romance
✅ Superpowers
✅ Plot
✅ Pace
❗️❗️Trigger warnings: bombing, first and second degree burns
🔥 Spice level : 🌶️🌶️🌶️ / 5

This is exactly what I expected from Alice Winters. It is light, funny, with silly situations, non-stop banter, and sexual innuendos. It is similar to many of her other books, but in a way, it is comforting. I know what to expect, and I know it’s going to be a good comedic relief. I love Alice Winters’s series, and I was not disappointed by this one. If you are not a fan of her trademark banter and sexual innuendos, which can come off as juvenile humour at times, this one might not be for you. If you enjoyed the Hitman series and the In Darkness series, you will love this one for sure.

It’s clear we’re destined to be with each other. And then I remember that he’s a superhero and I’m a villain and we are not meant to be. It’s like Romeo and Juliet, but where I will not murder myself when he’s simply sleeping. Yes, he’s Juliet in this scenario. He may be taller, broader, and manlier than me in every aspect, but I’m Romeo.


Landon has been raised as a villain by his (wannabe) villain family, but wants nothing to do with this life. All he wants is to be left alone so he can read all day and fantasize about August, the city’s hero. Landon has had a major crush on August since high school, and is ecstatic when he meets August again, and they go on a date. The thing is, the more time he spends with August, the more he falls for him, and the more he has to lie to him, because Landon is a villain after all, and villains can’t be with heroes.

Landon and August remind me of a paranormal version of Felix and Lane, and just like them and every other main character Alice wrote, they are silly and tend to find themselves in over-the-top, crazy situations. There are a few more serious moments, though, that give just enough depth to the story and characters for the story not to be completely ridiculous.

Landon’s family is so ridiculous that it added a lot of funny moments. They made me smile and laugh out loud with their antics, and the way they always tried to throw Landon under the bus, especially in front of August. They are the worst at being villains, and it was hilarious. I mean… They have meetings where they brag about switching the ketchup for hot sauce at a restaurant, and other nefarious misdeeds. That is their proud villain moment.

I enjoyed the simple world-building and the superpowers. It is a light and funny book, easy to fly through, and not requiring much brain power to understand and enjoy. The plot is also not too convoluted. Truly, this is the perfect book to relax and get your mind off serious things.

It would have been nice to have some chapters in August’s POV. I guess (hope) we might get them in the next book, because it would help understand him better, and give him more depth too, maybe.

On a side note, this is not a Christmas book, despite what the title might suggest. The story simply happens around Christmas time, but besides the mention of Christmas decorations and a Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner, there is no connection to the Holidays at all.


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Profile Image for Deborah.
3,857 reviews500 followers
February 1, 2021
Re-read 26th - 27th January 2021

Original review.

I’m a huge fan of this author’s Hitman series. I love Leland and Landon is a very similar character.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

This book takes place in a world with superheroes and supervillains. Landon (Leviathan) is incredibly powerful. He isn’t interested in power and fakes his tests hiding the level of his abilities. He just wants a quiet life. To sit, read and relax.

His family are low level villains and keep dragging him into trouble.

August (Chrono) is a superheroe and London’s crush.

This is funny. (Yes, yet again I made the mistake of reading in public) it’s entertaining. Fabulous characters and did I mention it’s funny?

I’m hoping this is the start of a new series I’d love more of these two.

”No, we’re getting you an outfit with protection,” she says.
“It has built-in condoms?” I ask like I’m confused.

“Ah, shit, you’re right. Ew, did Valerie pick out this ugly thing too?” I ask as I hold up a catshit brown sweater.
“No, that’s the only shirt that I picked out in that pile.”
“Aw, it’s so cute! I’m going to wear it, I love it so much,” I say as I pull it on. I look like a giant turd, but August picked it out, so it’s now my favorite sweater ever and I will never take it off.
Profile Image for Somia.
2,076 reviews171 followers
May 1, 2020
Superheros, supervillains and kinda supervillains lay the ground for a amusing and rather sweet m/m romance.

A quirky and funny read, especially the first half, not what I was expecting when I opened the book. My interest waned at one point for quite a while and then was mostly regained.

Acquired via KU.
Profile Image for Susan.
2,360 reviews460 followers
November 28, 2019
4.5 stars

This book was such an unexpected delight! It was hilariously funny and I really enjoyed it. The only reason I’m rounding this down is because between 50% and 80% it dragged a bit. It could have been a bit shorter. But that’s my only complaint.

I’ve read lots of books lately where the writing is just not that great. We get weird stilted dialogue, or people suddenly act really out of character, or the secondary characters are not that great. Here the writing was top notch I have to say. Everything had such a nice flow to it. The things happening actually made sense, and the characters were fun and engaging. Well, the story did feel a bit too long at one point, but I was still very entertained, so it wasn’t too bad.

In this world lots of people have powers. Some have become superheroes and others have decided to become villains. Landon is a very powerful telekinetic. But he has always hidden his powers a bit because he has always known he is more powerful than anyone else.

Landon’s whole family are villains. He grew up thinking it was normal to rob banks.

Hell, I was robbing banks by the age of five once my parents figured out what my power was. I used to love it back then because I thought it was a normal family traditon. At school, when the teacher asked us to do show and tell, I brought in a bag of jewels I’d stolen from a safe and told the enthralled classroom all about how I was a supervillain and I stole them myself.
We had to move after that.


But what makes him different is that he doesn’t want to be a villain. He just wants to read books. But when his brother persuades him to help him rob a bank, Landon reluctantly agrees (even though he isn’t planning on stealing anything). When they’re in the middle of the robbery, a man walks in from the bathroom. That man turns out to be August Bell, also known as superhero Chronobender.

August chases after Landon but Landon loses the clothes and puts on a different mask in the hopes to get away.

“Are you another wannabe?” he asks, clear annoyance dripping from his words. I don’t blame him. I deal with stupid supers on a daily basis. I can’t imagine dealing with them when trying to save lives.
“Me? God no. The mask?” I ask as I point to it.
“Yeah.”
“No, that’s just a fetish of mine. Are you kink-shaming me?” I ask, like I’m disgusted.
He looks alarmed. “Wait… what?”
“Are you kink-shaming me for wearing my fetish mask?” I ask.
His blue eyes search mine as his head cocks a litlle to the side. “I don’t think so… am I?”
“Yes. You’re making me feel uncomfortable.”


After that memorable meeting Landon suddenly finds himself exchanging numbers with his secret crush and he’s even more suprised to see that Landon is actually texting him.

Landon can’t believe it but it looks like August might be interested in him. Now he just needs to not find out that Landon is Leviathan, the villain….

I LOVED Landon, he was absolutely amazing. He blurted out everything he thought and he wasn’t bothered if it was inappropriate or not. He reminded me a lot of my favorite book character ever, Sam of Dragons (The Lightning-Struck Heart).

Nolan laughed. “And then one time we saw you at a grocery store, and I was like, ‘Just go say hi to him.’ And when he wouldn’t, I started to, so he took his power and slammed me into the wall while crying, ‘I didn’t brush my hair!’”
“Don’t listen to him. I’m cool and awesome and would’ve totally just strutted up if I’d ever seen you and been like, ‘Want me to lick your banana?’ and your heart would have exploded or maybe something else, and then we’d have probably gotten married right on the spot.”
August looks slightly alarmed when he looks at me. “Wow… a lot would have happened if you’d have just brushed your hair that morning.”


Landon eventually introduces August to his family and to the fake villain society they belong to.

“What’s your villain name?” Baker asks.
While it probably wouldn’t be a super huge deal if everyone figured out it’s August, I think it’d be best to keep him hidden at the moment. No one here, besides my parents, knows that we’re dating. And everyone always wears villain suits anyway.
“Uh…” August looks over at me.
“It’s Moistman,” I announce. “He’ll get you wet with just a look.”
“Oh my god, what are you doing?” August whispers.
“Hi, Moistman!” Buzz calls out.
“Moistman! Moistman!” the rest begin to chant. It sounds satanic, but I’m loving it. I need August to feast his eyes upon the insanity that is my life so he can truly understand my pain.


These ‘villains’ were absolutely awesome.

“Moistman, since you are an honorary member of SAVCGEM, we would love for you to pick our evil deed for the week!”
Poor August looks very concerned. “Uh…”
And there he is, the city’s hero with all eyes on him, completely at a loss for words. He looks over at me and raises an eyebrow as I grin at him.
“It can be anything!” Ravengirl says. “My choice was two weeks ago, and we all went over to my college and popped the tires of my professor’s car because he’s a dick and kept looking at my chest when talking to me.”
“Anything,” I urge.
“Uh… why don’t you choose for me?” he suggests.
“Nope. This is your day to shine.”
“I… want to…” He looks around at the eager faces. “TP someone’s house?”
“Ooh! Good choice!” Mom says as she claps her hands.


I liked that it had a serious undertone as well, when it turn out one of Landon's brothers is a real villain and tries to kill people. And together they have to stop him.

I really loved this book and despite it being a bit too long in the middle, it was a delight to read this and I will definitely re-read soon.
Profile Image for Leslie.
1,190 reviews305 followers
November 25, 2019


"I grab a Caramello off the counter, then I think better of it and grab the whole box. I am technically a supervillain. 'Now was I here tonight?' 'No,' a few say. 'Good.' Then I see a box of suckers and take the entire box. 'Thanks for the treats.'"-Landon, "A Villain for Christmas."

I've always loved villains more than superheroes. They're so much more interesting. So unpredictable and fun.

My favorite villains:



I rest my case.

So if you give me a book about a villain and a superhero falling in love, I'm going to read it!


Because this is Alice Winters, "A Villain for Christmas," is not your typical villain/superhero story. Landon, our villain would rather be reading than committing crimes. He comes from a family of villains whose most recent evil deed was replacing ketchup with hot sauce at a diner. When Landon runs into his middle school crush August, aka the town superhero Chronobender, he's just as smitten as he was when he was a kid. Suddenly he's wondering if being a villain, even an uninterested one, is what he wants to be.

I highly enjoyed this book. It had the humor and banter I've come to expect from a Winters novel. Landon's family especially were nutcases in the best way and his cat needs her own book. The developing relationship between Landon and August was funny and sweet. Even when Landon found out August wasn't perfect in every way.

"'Wait, what? You really do have a glasses fetish, don't you?' 'All I'm saying is that maybe if you had your glasses on, you wouldn't have dumped half of the spice cabinet into the frying pan. And even if glasses couldn't have saved you, you'd have at least looked hot doing it.'"

It's safe to say August shouldn't quit his day job to become a chef.

If you're looking for a different kind of Christmas read, one with lots of funny shenanigans, snark and feels, add, "A Villain for Christmas," to your holiday reading list now!

ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions, including who the best villains are, are entirely my own.
Profile Image for Cadiva.
4,013 reviews447 followers
December 20, 2025
Utter genius

I laughed so many times even reading this book!

The plot was clever, the humour en pointe, both August and Landon were compelling and interesting characters and I loved their crazy relationship.

Landon's villainous family were also hilarious and the plotline about their childhood crushes was super cute.
Profile Image for Gustaf.
1,444 reviews198 followers
October 13, 2023
This was so much fun, feel-good and cute. I loved every second of it. It had the trademark Alice Winters silliness combined with some great imagination and sexy super villains (and heroes). What more could I ask for? Oh yes, a hairless cat named Ballsack.
Profile Image for Debra ~~ seriously slacking on her reviews ~~.
2,246 reviews259 followers
January 4, 2020
This was an unexpected, fun story. Superheroes, supervillains (and wannabes), superpowers and plenty of snark, and humor. Although it takes place around the holidays, I wouldn't really call it a holiday story (if you're like me and only read Christmasy stories around Christmas, don't put this one in that category).

Family drama, action, romance and plenty of humor. This was a fun take on the genre and I really enjoyed it. The only thing stopping me from rating it higher was that it felt a bit long on occasion. Overall, grab it for something a bit different.
Profile Image for Iman (hiatus).
726 reviews262 followers
October 11, 2022
4.25 ⭐️

Winters books are just lucky because I like my books to be a charmer if not relatable 😂 I love jokes and I love to joke and this was ridiculous AF I couldn’t stop snorting, smiling and laughing my ass off.

I really like the smiliar writing with what I’m used to and the I liked the plot as well, especially with a lot of action and suprises. It kept me on my toes. They were childhood friends turn lovers, a lot of my friends here will look forward to that, although be aware that it was told just on the surface and there wasn’t pining or anything ;) Still, Landon and August are such sweethearts together 🥰 Reminds me a lot of Havoc and Miles from Happy Endings.

Tbh, the dialogues are so ridiculous (sometimes it can get a little excessive and annoying) but there are lot of times where I can’t help, but laugh. What can I do with a broken humor. And for a couple who make sex jokes all the time, it was a little awkward when they kept quiet during sex. I shouldn’t have noticed that, but I did 😭😭😭 And with all of the sex jokes, I’m actually surprised they didn’t have sex sooner hahah (This was just a weird thought, not that it affected anything anyway)

And nothing can top Nolan and Landon’s relationship as brothers 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹 I love that the most!

“I would never give up on you. You’re my brother. I’ll always love you and believe in you.”

“You’re my brother. We might have had our differences growing up, but you were ultimately the one who was always there for me. I want to be there for you, but I don’t know what to do.”

“Just not giving up on me is enough.”



Thanks to my bestie, Hugo for the rec 🤗 I needed this sweet, funny break ;3

I looked up, there’s actually a term for someone who’s fetish is people wearing glasses….. and I accidentally come across a really peculiar website about it 💀💀 *awkwardly taking my glasses off* This is all August and Landon’s fault!
Profile Image for Jane (whatjanereads).
798 reviews246 followers
Read
December 26, 2021
I have no idea how to rate this book or even how I feel about it.
The humour in this is very…special. Like penis and vagina humour, sexual innuendos every second sentence?
I loved this in TJ Klunes The Extraordinaries, but these characters are teens and I laughed me ass off.
This is an adult book, they’re in their late 20s. Somehow it just didn’t fit the vibe for me?
If you love the Tales of Verania books by TJ Klune I bet you will love this as well (it wasn’t for me either)!

The story itself and the characters are cool!
It’s about a super villain who’s kinda fed up with his super villain family. He just wants to be left alone and read books all day honestly.
When he also crosses ways with the cities most popular superhero and falls in love with him, things start to become messy.
I really liked the story itself, even though it wasn’t mind breaking, but still there was much more of a story to it than normally in a Holiday romance novel. It felt more like a fantasy book, which I really liked for a change.
Profile Image for Camila T 🍉.
426 reviews27 followers
December 12, 2023
3.5 ⭐️
Shenanigans? ✅
Banter? ✅
OTT but lovable characters? ✅

Landon is a villain. Well, former villain. He just wants to read and have a normal job. That seems impossible within a family of villains, who try everything to bring him back, because of his incredible superpower. After trying to rob a bank with his youngest brother (which fails tremendously), he encounters August, a long time crush and current city superhero. Some questions, old and new, arise: will he be able to charm the superhero, being from a family of villains? Would his family love him the same if he didn’t have his superpowers? Will the Balzac joke ever get old? How old WAS that cheese ffs Brandon put it down.

Some issues

One note though: is it a Christmas book if the only thing tying to the theme is that it happens on Christmas time? I was hoping for more jolly feelings, but this could have happened whenever and it would be the same.
Profile Image for Vicki.
1,146 reviews26 followers
November 19, 2019
Hilarious, romantic, good vs evil holiday story.

This is just one page after another of hilarious witty, snarky banter in the fight between good and evil. I was laughing out loud, quietly giggling and/or snorting throughout the whole book and I couldn’t put it down.

A well written original story with two fun characters who have bucket loads of chemistry between them. Sweet and sexy August and warped and snarky Landon are so loveable and connect with each other even though they are on opposite sides of the good vs evil plot.

There is so much to love in this book.
A superhero who can freeze time, an evil book reading villain with telekinesis who hates being evil, an ugly cat, a snow globe that’s used for nefarious deeds, a villain who brings cheese to a superhero fight and the totally embarrassing and inept family of villains that Landon belongs to.
Add to that Landon saving lives and an hilarious reference to Santa’s bells, and you get one fantastic read showing that superheroes can sometimes be a little bit naughty and villains can sometimes be super nice.

If you enjoy minimal angst, fun banter with inappropriate comments, quirky side characters and some heat filled moments between two loveable main characters, then this is a book for you.
Profile Image for Lori.
437 reviews25 followers
December 26, 2024
4.5 stars, I really enjoyed this story and Micheal Lesley's narration. I laughed so much, very fun read!
Profile Image for Michelle.
835 reviews4 followers
December 31, 2020
The problem with an Alice Winters book is that they are all the same with the snarky dialogue and the overly flamboyant camp. One book can be very fun, but every book I've ever picked up from her is pretty much the same book and it gets a bit old after awhile. The plot for this one was mediocre, as were the sex scenes. Quite honestly, by the end of the book I didn't even really want to finish it, and it took me days to slog through the last chapter and epilogue. I would just like to read something from her that has characters which aren't exactly the same as in her other books.
Profile Image for Dani.
1,707 reviews337 followers
March 31, 2023
I like the idea of the supervillain and superhero falling in love, but for me Landon and August just felt like a supernatural version of Lane and Felix from the In Darkness series, just with a few details changed.

Zacia kind of stole the show and I was more interested in the cat than the main couple 😂

The story I would love to read is Lex and Nolan's. The short of Fire and Ice has got me really intrigued and I just want more of them.
Profile Image for Rielle.
569 reviews68 followers
March 31, 2023
Cute until about 40% and then it’s just a lot and stays that way. The sexy parts weren’t very sexy and the silly parts got kind of stale. I love this humor and there are soooo many fun quotable moments, but it’s relentless in a way that takes the fun out of it all.
Profile Image for Trio.
3,628 reviews209 followers
October 27, 2023
I'm glad I gave this one a chance because I enjoyed Michael Lesley's performance in the audio edition of Alice Winters' A Villain for Christmas.

Unfortunately the story was a bit tiresome for me. Lots of potty humor, and uninspired jokes.
Profile Image for Chris.
2,070 reviews
February 22, 2020
Just not sure how to feel about this one. Love the Hitman series but this just felt a little OTT for me. Tried to love it more, but just couldn’t get into it
Profile Image for Ben Howard.
1,510 reviews258 followers
November 18, 2022
A childhood friends-to-lovers set during the holiday season in a world of superheroes and supervillains. Except they weren't friends when they were kids, they just had mutual crushes on each other and expressed them in unhelpfull ways. When you have superpowers, trying to show off and impress someone can lead to some awkward situations; like a teachers car stuck in a tree.

A Villain for Christmas has Alice Winter's signature humour, and a cute romance between a famous superhero and a guy born into a villainous family. But could have done with a bit more xmas vibes imo.
Profile Image for Elizabeth.
3,744 reviews334 followers
January 28, 2026
5 stars of pure enjoyment.

This is a silly book with a lot of humor and sweetness. It's a bit goofy but full of heart. Even tho it's light there are thoughtful points being made.

I loved it with my whole heart and I want to hear what happens to Nolan. I hope there's more. Off to go see if there is a series written! 🏃🏼‍♀️💨
Profile Image for Joyfully Jay.
9,130 reviews521 followers
November 25, 2019
A Joyfully Jay review.

4.75 stars


I am a superhero junkie, so I was so excited to see that Alice Winters was releasing A Villain for Christmas. Winters is one of my favorite authors, particularly for humorous action adventure, and this story was pretty much everything I wanted. First off, the world building is great here. I loved learning about the characters’ powers and the different abilities and seeing them play out throughout the story. Winters also builds a great larger world, introducing us to the different villains groups, showing what things are like in superhero headquarters, and highlighting the way the police sort of sit back and let August handle any problem that arises. There are great battle scenes and lots of exciting action as the heroes try to fend off the villains. There is almost a suspense feel to the story as the men encounter dangers and have to figure out who is behind it all. So I found the superhero storyline to be really exciting and engaging and Winters brings it all to life so well.

Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.


Profile Image for Saimi Vasquez.
1,973 reviews94 followers
December 18, 2022
Lo unico que quiere hacer Landon en su vida es quedarse en casa y leer, y tal vez conseguir que su crush de la escuela (ahora convertido en Super-heroe) se fije en el, y quizas le pida una cita. Pero perteneciendo el a una familia de villanos, sabe que eso es imposible. Hasta que un dia su hermano Brandon lo convence para que vayan a robar un banco, y ahi se encuentra con August (o su nombre de super-heroe Crono), y este lo invita a salir. Asi que su vida comienza a verse perfecta, ahora si solo lograra que August se quede con el "a pesar" de ser un villano? Y si no lo acepta? Que puede hacer para que August lo acepte y se quede con el a pesar de todo?

Al haber leido otros libros de este autor antes, pensaba que sabia como iba a ser, pero no recordaba lo divertido que resultan sus personajes, lo absurdo que resulta la relacion entre los protas, pero lo entretenido que es la lectura. No hay manera de que pares de reir, con todo y que la trama tiene sus momentos serios, de indecision, de auto-compasion y de drama con la familia, el libro resulta super-entretenido y divertido, te enamoras de los personajes, y no solo de los protas, sino de los secundarios, quieres saber mas de ellos, mas del universo.
Este es uno de esos autores del que es raro que lea algo que no me entretanga, asi que es seguro que leere otros libros de el mas adelante.
Profile Image for Liz.
455 reviews25 followers
July 21, 2020
Full of snark and hilarious situations

As my first MM romance, I was unexpectedly DELIGHTED with this author and the crazy, ridiculous, over-the-top characters she's created. I laughed all night while reading this book. I also loved the superhero-villain plot. For some reason, I haven't been able to find hero romances that cover all my safety triggers, but with this, I was just having too much fun to care! But it turns out Alice Winters doesn't write about dumb drama; there's no miscommunication, long-withheld secrets, cheating, etc. Even when there is drama, it's full of light comments and moments that lessen the angst of the moment. As someone who gets stressed out easily, I loved that the most.

A definite recommendation, even if you're just curious about MM Romance.
Profile Image for Diane Dannenfeldt.
4,032 reviews78 followers
November 8, 2021
Ms. Winters writes the most funniest characters. Plus we have villains, super villains and superheros. Landon grew up in a family of villains who uses him for his powers, all he wants is to read his books and be loved by his parents for him, not what he can do for them. August is a superhero who is tried of everything falling on his shoulders. His biggest fear is not getting to a situation in time to save whomever is needed of his services. What neither of them know is that they have had crushes on each other since they were in school. When a group of super villains decide that they want to take over the world, it is up to August, Landon and unexpected help from unexpected places, to stop them. The book was filled with all the snark that we expect from a Ms. Winters book, a solid plot that really had me worried at times and romance. I would love to see more of them. Also, there are other characters in the book that I would love to see their stories as well. Thank you Ms. Winters for creating another awesome book!

ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
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