Her Villain

by Ellie Meadows

My family made our fortune by preying on the innocent. Now I try to save my black, tarnished soul by saving them instead. I’m a billionaire bachelor with a murderous hobby. And the FBI calls me The Rose Killer. My mother was slaughtered. That's why I became an agent. And every year, I’m taunted by flowers on her grave. As if the psycho watches from the shadows, feeding on my tears. I don’t have time for love. I only want justice.

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Romero and Juliette meet at a fundraiser. A masquerade ball. A crowd of masks. A kiss they’ll never forget. Law-abiding Juliette is drawn to the mysterious tattooed man with the dark eyes and sinful mouth. And despite every bone in his body screaming that she is the enemy, Romero finds himself quickly entangled. Madly. Deeply. Irrevocably.

His hands are covered in blood. Her heart is full of pain.

Can a serial killer and a federal agent be together? Or is their star-crossed love damned from the start?

**The Aqua Vitae Duet is dark, suspenseful, taboo, & forbidden. Consensual sex. Drinking. Violence. With brutal scenes like a car crash you can’t look away from, Her Villain and His Poison will leave you feeling like you need to a trip to confession for absolution. Romero & Juliette’s love is twisted and passionate with a tragic Shakespearean edge.**

Genres: Romance, Dark Romance, BDSM, Crime

302 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 25, 2021

Reviews

[vxhexn reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story sucked me in from the very beginning. The author's writing, albeit overly descriptive at times, is engaging and easy to read. Romero Montego and his alter ego were what drew me into the story. I liked being in his POV more than Juliette's because hers comes with the turmoil and grief surrounding the murder of her mother. Speaking of that murder, I think I know the answer but damn if I don’t want to be proven wrong.

I first discovered Ellie Meadows when she partnered with Claire C Riley for the Born in Darkness duet. I was instantly a fan of their writing style and wanted to read them individually. If you haven't read Claire's Royal Blood: The Brotherhood, go jump into this RH with three brothers today!! And as I don't enjoy dystopian-fantasy type stories, I was excited for Ellie's darker contemporary romance duet’s release. And although I expected the retelling to emulate the Shakespearean tale, I wasn't expecting a mini play reenactment within the story itself. All I can say is...interesting *sigh*

I'm highly invested in the murder of Sandra Capuleti, Juliette's mother. I'm not enthused to go into the next story knowing that a large focus will be the FBI and the serial killer fighting attraction but I knew it had to happen. Life isn't that simple. Here's to hoping we have a lot of steamy non-darkroom sex for these two!!

This is a tamer, role-reversal Mindfuck (by ST Abby) story. A female FBI agent chasing a serial killer and a billionaire vigilante serial killer trying to set the world right.

Normally I don't point out the things that make be drop a star, but these were too big for me to simply ignore. I mean the author takes the time to point fun at her depiction of Romero by having Juliette say "𝘉𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘦 𝘞𝘢𝘺𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴" yet the man is literally a kinky Batman complete with his own Alfred named Balthasar. And don't get me started on my personal distaste of the Christan Gray undertone. I understand consent and feel it does have a place in this world, but it irks me in books and takes me out of the scene. There are so many ways to go about depicting consensual encounters, aside from using a 'script' to explicitly demand verbal confirmation. And the 'Dark Room' seemed a little too on the nose for me.

In the end the one thing that bugged me the most was Juliette's contradictory behavior. She chose to enter into a profession that is dominated by men. She chose to be an outlier and step outside the rookie-teacher roles that exist. She chose to tackle cold cases and ostracize herself in that manner. And yet she chooses to be hurt and affected by the 'boys club' that exists within law enforcement. Have you ever watched NCIS or Rizzoli & Isles? Both Ziva and Jane do not let men make them feel bad for being a woman. For every uncomfortable, sexist joke they are thrown, they give it right back. They don't flirt to get ahead or self sabotage. They prove themselves in their jobs and make it known that they are just as good as any man. I would have preferred a stronger character in this regard.



𝓋𝓍𝒽𝑒𝓍𝓃 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹𝓈
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[Court Small · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Romeo & Juliette retelling with a twist.
Romero is a billionaire bachelor by day and vigilante by night and Julie is an FBI Agent who is obsessed with her Mother's unsolved murder. Their paths end up crossing and their stories interconnect.
I did find at times I was getting Bruce Wayne/Batman vibes more so then Romeo & Juliette
I really liked this book and devoured it in a few hours, cannot wait for book two.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Her Villain has me torn. The story itself is amazing and really strong. It was really able to hold my attention. It’s about Juliette, an FBI agent, that only wanted to become an agent because her mother was brutally murdered and she couldn’t bare to see justice unserved. Our male lead is Romero, a billionaire and much darker version of Batman, who happens to know some information regarding Juliettes mother’s death. They are brought together by a fluke and are finding it hard to avoid each other. What was not necessary was the author feeling the need to add sex just for the sake of there being sex scenes. Romero is widely known as a playboy, what we did not need was random sex scenes of Romero screwing anyone and everyone(in one day) to finally realize it’s Juliette that he wants and not random women. It did not add to the story at all and just came off as gross.

18+ and cliffhanger

[Ms Cat's World · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mystery & Lust

The Aqua Vitae Duet, a darkly twisted Shakespearean retelling of Romeo and Juliet.

Romero Montego, The Rose Killer, anti-hero vigilante billionaire. Obsessed with Juliette once their paths cross.

Juliette Capuleti, FBI Agent, mourning the horrific murder of her socialite mother. Obsessed with finding the murderer.

Slow burn romance even with thoughts of The Dark Room running rampant through Romero's inner monologue moments.

The mystery surrounding Juliette's mother's murder intertwine the two throughout. The author draws the reader in throughout the twists. Her Villain closes just when Juliette finds a hidden truth, one that Romero already knew as he falls deeper into his obsession, His Poison.

[Jenni · Rating 5 out of 5]

A take on villainous romance with a Romeo and Juliette theme. Juliette is an FBI agent whose determined to get to the bottom of her mothers murder 10 years ago. Romero never thought he would see the face of an angel he knew to be gone, but when these two cross paths at a asked ball Romero knows he is walking on thin rope of being discovered but his draw to Juliette is to strong to pull away from. This story has you hooked on to every page! the characters draw you in with heat and chemistry and leave you needing more!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 STARS for Her Villain - Aqua Vitae Duet

Book 1 and not a standalone Her Villain does end on a cliffhanger.

Good read and here is why:

Interesting storyline
Great characters in Romeo and Juliet
Sizzling chemistry
Darker read

I have only read a few books by this author - enjoyed this one ! I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Valarie Gentry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book!! I was completely drawn into this story from the very beginning!! I was completely blown away by Juliette and Romero story and I loved every single dark and steamy moment.

[Alex Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic, riveting read. This is part one of a Duet. Deliciously dark and dangerous. Great characters, well written storyline. Would recommend. Cannot wait for the next book

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Hazel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh wow !!

Off to a slow start but totally worth it. Romero is so dark and delicious with his need for dominance and control... and some serious secrets. I can't wait to see him explain himself to Juliette.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[S I · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first for this author and I enjoyed her work. It had all the exciting elements to keep you interested with great characters, chemistry and some situation to make the story good.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this retelling of Romeo & Juliette with a twist. This was a new author for me. I got a copy of the book. And am voluntarily leaving my review.

[Ashii · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for crime novels. What can I say.. will definitely be back for more when I can read the next book. ♡