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I'm in Love with the Villainess Light Novel #3

I'm in Love with the Villainess (Light Novel), Vol. 3

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In this critically acclaimed romantic comedy, a reincarnated gamer pursues her villainous lady love at a fantasy girl's academy! (And don't miss the manga adaptation, also from Seven Seas.)

Ordinary office worker Oohashi Rei wakes up in the body of the protagonist of her favorite otome game, Revolution. To her delight, the first person to greet her is also her favorite character, Claire Francois--the main antagonist of the story! Now, Rei is determined to romance Claire instead of the game's male leads. But how will her villainous lady love react to this new courtship?!

282 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 26, 2020

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634 people want to read

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Inori

176 books91 followers

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388 (44%)
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298 (33%)
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145 (16%)
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39 (4%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
Profile Image for Mark.
2,802 reviews269 followers
June 25, 2021
Claire and Rae managed to survive a revolution, get jobs as teachers, and adopt two orphans. That’s enough for most, but since they aren’t even 20 yet, no time to rest on their laurels! Dispatched into the heart of hostile territory, there’s lots of intrigue afoot and this time Rae doesn’t have the benefit of foresight to help.

Let me be frank, this book does not need to exist. It simply doesn’t. This could have all ended with the second book and it had everything all just right and perfect and it would have been great. It’s the author deciding they had more to say, but that doesn’t mean they necessarily should.

So, the fact that this book comes precariously close to wholly justifying itself was quite the shock, especially because the actual story proper is not quite moving with the ‘oomph’ that the original one did, but more on that in a bit.

With the whole revolution thing taken care of, we get a little bit of domestic bliss for our stars, but then they are thrust back into the thick of things as they’re forced to visit a hostile foreign power as part of an exchange program.

We also get new characters, some truly unsettling new mysteries (I’d keep reading this even beyond liking the series just to find out where the hell it’s actually going now), and, as befits the next act for these two, a diabolical new foe or three (and what is up with those names? So many questions!).

The story we get is pretty okay; it’s cute seeing Claire and Rae on the same page and as a full on couple for a change and like I said, there are some real wonky implications throughout. It just doesn’t land with quite the impact that the first two books did. It is very smart of them to have Rae running out of game and being forced to deal with life as it happens, at least, I will give them that.

Still, it’s hard to fault this series too much when it’s being so damn earnest about everything. The series’ tenet of ‘love who you love’ has never wavered, even if it has gone to some real extremes, and you can’t fault a book that embraces the concept of ‘yuri paradise’ even as it’s taking jabs at modern Japan with aplomb. It’s really the secret sauce that sets this series apart.

What truly makes this particular book, really, are the bonus chapters, of which there are seven, most of which are filled with all the domestic romance and flirting and, yes, that, that the main story might not have time for. It’s positively overflowing with mush and mush that I was definitely in the mood for.

In particular, there’s one very pointed wedding that couldn’t be more heavy-handed in laying the smack down on people against same-sex marriage, but it gets away with it because it’s too damn sweet of a moment.

The very last story is told from Claire’s perspective and it’s also a great time, though I thought for a minute they were really going to go for it and then seemed to pull back. The resulting story’s fine, but it was nearly a classic.

Main story, 4 stars, buoyed by those lingering mysteries. Bonus chapters, easy 5. I think I have a real blind spot for this series, but I don’t really mind. It’s not perfect, but it is always here to be queer and not be ashamed about it and that’s never a bad message.
Profile Image for Sapphic Bookshelf.
55 reviews69 followers
April 4, 2023
I’m in Love with the Villainess by Inori is the third light novel of this saga that mixes magic and queerness in a world inside a videogame.

In this new volume we can see a new aspect of Rae and Claire’s life. We had the brief chance to meet their twin daughters at the end of volume two and in this new story we explore the familiar side of this strange but cute couple. However, not everything can be perfect, and both encounter some problems when a new assassination plot is underway.

This is an easy and fun read. Very fast paced, and you can finish it in a few hours and use it to rest between heavy books. I love the fun style and how the author uses her characters to talk directly to the reader, which is a fantastic way to make you feel part of the story. Rae is one of the funniest points of view I’ve ever read, and her experiences in her real life resonate a lot with me. She’s a misunderstood queer and nerdy woman that lives in a society where she doesn’t really fit in.

However, that’s not why this is by far my favourite yuri. I love this light novel because it talks about deep and important topics that I haven’t found in any other yuri manga. The author uses this sweet story to talk about being queer and trans in Japan, which is not always an easy path for people. She also uses her voice to talk about bullying, social class inequality and found families. I believe it’s really important that people in Japan have these kinds of examples to follow their truth and find some comfort.

Even though this is not a queernorm world, almost all characters are queer, which leads to hysterically funny situations and love triangles that will make you laugh until you cry. It also opens new plots to future volumes and explores how this videogame works at its core, which is also really interesting.

This volume is shorter than the previous ones but it includes several bonus chapters that add to the worldbuilding and make everything more real.

I’ll make sure to continue this saga and I will highly recommend you grab this at your library or local bookstore if you feel like you need a fun and warming reading. You will learn to love the characters’ rarities and to discover a new side of Japan you might not have known before. This novel is also a good way to start reading yuri manga as it has more text than graphic novels but still includes beautiful illustrations.

Rating 4*/5*
Rep: Queer main characters
Profile Image for Miss Susan.
2,761 reviews64 followers
July 28, 2022
a little short but surprisingly decent for a book that was very much a 'we finished our story but the network gave us funding for season 2 anyways so away we go' kind of situation. i thought inori did a good job of expanding the world to offer a new storyline

3.5 stars
Profile Image for DumbPopcorn.
99 reviews
September 26, 2024
It was good and entertaining but it was very apparent that it was a story written only because the original succeeded and fans wanted more. I actually enjoyed the bonus stories much more as the romance between Claire and Rae was the focus.
Mis mamis <3
Profile Image for Paz Pérez.
Author 1 book29 followers
April 4, 2023
I’m in Love with the Villainess by Inori is the third light novel of this saga that mixes magic and queerness in a world inside a videogame.

In this new volume we can see a new aspect of Rae and Claire’s life. We had the brief chance to meet their twin daughters at the end of volume two and in this new story we explore the familiar side of this strange but cute couple. However, not everything can be perfect, and both encounter some problems when a new assassination plot is underway.

This is an easy and fun read. Very fast paced, and you can finish it in a few hours and use it to rest between heavy books. I love the fun style and how the author uses her characters to talk directly to the reader, which is a fantastic way to make you feel part of the story. Rae is one of the funniest points of view I’ve ever read, and her experiences in her real life resonate a lot with me. She’s a misunderstood queer and nerdy woman that lives in a society where she doesn’t really fit in.

However, that’s not why this is by far my favourite yuri. I love this light novel because it talks about deep and important topics that I haven’t found in any other yuri manga. The author uses this sweet story to talk about being queer and trans in Japan, which is not always an easy path for people. She also uses her voice to talk about bullying, social class inequality and found families. I believe it’s really important that people in Japan have these kinds of examples to follow their truth and find some comfort.

Even though this is not a queernorm world, almost all characters are queer, which leads to hysterically funny situations and love triangles that will make you laugh until you cry. It also opens new plots to future volumes and explores how this videogame works at its core, which is also really interesting.

This volume is shorter than the previous ones but it includes several bonus chapters that add to the worldbuilding and make everything more real.

I’ll make sure to continue this saga and I will highly recommend you grab this at your library or local bookstore if you feel like you need a fun and warming reading. You will learn to love the characters’ rarities and to discover a new side of Japan you might not have known before. This novel is also a good way to start reading yuri manga as it has more text than graphic novels but still includes beautiful illustrations.

Rating 4*/5*
Rep: Queer main characters
Profile Image for J-Lynn.
1,401 reviews4 followers
July 25, 2021
By the third installment, my interest in Claire and Rae has been diminished. As I was reading, I struggled to continue reading because I didn’t care about the new problems that were created at the start of volume 3. Yes, I enjoy the dynamic between Claire, Rae, and the twins, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

Never force yourself to read a book that you are not enjoying.... With so many books in the world, it isn’t worth it.
Profile Image for Alexis Sara.
105 reviews16 followers
August 12, 2024
I'm In Love With The Villainess Volume 3 expands the world of IILWTV giving us both a lot of looks at Rae and Clair's married life and the clam and peaceful time between the first chapter and the bonus stories in the back and the big expansions when they go to the Empire past the first chapter in this book. While I have plenty of issues with particular choices I think overall the story is a good experience and a good continuation of the story before. I do think one could finish reading the story at Volume 2 and call it there but there is a lot of good stuff on display here.

Generally speaking, I think the Empire is a significantly better society than the kingdom so it kind of being adversarial to some extent feels like a non conflict to me. It feels a bit frustrating that the fake cast of RevoLily was given such over the top issues unlike the princes's in Revolution. It feels like they had to have some major quirk so that Rae would not have fallen in love with them and instead of Clair but I mean she could have fell for Clair anyway. I do enjoy that we got more POV switching in this volume because Rae can be a bit much but she like Clair grew a lot in Volume 2 and grows some more in this so they are both fun to have the perspective of.

I find the monogamy of it all very annoying especially because this is a story that pokes at it frequently but then doesn't commit to showing any form of non monogamy. It'll love is love the incest stuff but it won't really bother with letting Manaria or Lily or someone get two girlfriends. Revolily is set up explicitly to be a non monogamous society yet apparently in the game and for our characters for the most part non monogamy is a joke at best.

Outside of my pet peeve there I really do think there is a lot of great stuff getting into the reality of the countries, poverty, queer politics, religion, and more.
Profile Image for Jud.
512 reviews1 follower
December 27, 2023
I'm in Love with the Villainess keeps on getting better and proving there is more to give in this fantastic world.

It seems the author has an ongoing personal challenge to keep making this series gayer with each volume that she puts out. Not that I can complain about that, since I am enjoying it so much.
Getting into details, despite the second volume feeling like a true ending, I think Inori did an excellent job at continuing the story. She closed most of the plots last time but left enough for the next arc, which she used excellently. The new setting and plotlines have a fresh vibe that keeps both our characters and us readers on our toes without losing that charismatic idiosincrasy of still being a videogame. I am especially interested in Emperess Dorothea and the Pope, although the new students are quite a mystery too.
Focusing on the characters, I loved seeing the domestic side of Rae and Claire as wives and moms. Their dynamics are superb; they still have that teasing and jelly side, but now there is this new layer too, which fits them so amazingly well. At this point, reading them is such a comfort. They have become a safe place for me, for sure.
Moreover, I felt touched by the afterword section. It may sound dumb, but seeing Inori openly talk about her girl partner and enjoy the success of her work felt rewarding.

To conclude, every volume makes me fall harder for the world and characters of I'm in Love with the Villainess and I recommend it endlessly.
Profile Image for Chris The Lizard from Planet X.
460 reviews10 followers
March 5, 2022
In the third volume of ‘Im in Love With The Villainess,’ trilogy. Rae and Claire have settled down after the revolution, working as magic teachers at the Academy of the Bauer Kingdom purposely keeping their distance from politics. Politics does not leave them alone though as the neighbouring Nur Empire proposes an exchange of hostages to ensure peace. The Bauer Kingdom is not in a position to refuse, and Rae and Claire are amongst those traveling to the Nur Empire. It reminds Rea about a spin-off game, but she soon realizes that her meddling in the Bauer Kingdom caused a lot of things to change (and that as always games don't do real life events and people much justice). The later half of the volume are short stories set in between volume 2 and 3, mostly wholesome sweet things. The book is a bit short, and clearly the first part of a longer story (although without a cliff-hanger). It follows the same line of humour as the earlier volumes with a bit of plotting/intrigue as well. Not as much character development, but we do get to see more about the world and what might be going on behind the scenes. The main story had me hooked, smiling and laughing, the side stories were less interesting, feeling a lot like filler without adding much. Overall, I greatly enjoyed reading the story and looking forward to any next part. A solid addition to the trilogy. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a wholesome fantasy romance story.
Profile Image for Nicolas Lontel.
1,250 reviews92 followers
October 17, 2023
Une autre très bonne entrée dans la série qui s'éloigne drastiquement des deux premiers volumes tout en forgeant une continuité du récit intéressante, pertinente et dramatiquement plus prenante puisque la protagoniste tombe dans un terrain de plus en plus inconnu, les personnages ne réagissent plus comme ils sont supposés réagir et Rae fait face à des ennemis beaucoup beaucoup plus forts qu'elle cette fois-ci (en dire davantage, ce sera malheureusement divulgâcher). On essaie quand même d'en faire beaucoup avec ce volume (faire découvrir tout un nouveau pays, le couple a adopté deux enfants qu'elles doivent élever en plus de se plonger dans des intrigues politiques locales et internationales et survivre au jour le jour après une révolution qui les laisse un peu plus précaires).

L'écriture commence à être très bien maîtrisée, on est dans une nouvelle dynamique complètement entre Rae et Claire (puisqu'elles sont mariées maintenant), mais on réussit à glisser quelques clins d'oeil intéressant à l'ancienne dynamique et à trouver des moyens de la renouveler autrement. Les personnages sont beaucoup plus ancrés, le monde est beaucoup plus complexe et la tension et les risques semblent enfin réels, on est maintenant loin du premier volume, mais nous sommes récompensé·es par un récit plus élaboré.
Profile Image for Dream Fractal.
42 reviews1 follower
May 28, 2024
Rae and Claire are back for the spin-off sequel to Revolution, known as RevoLily to fans, the yuri (lesbian romance) game that first got Rae interested in the series back in Japan. While Rae knows the plot of RevoLIly, her actions during the revolution of the first game have changed the course of history enough that she no longer meaningfully has a gift of prophecy. Rae and Claire are pulled into the court intrigues of the Nur Empire and an assassination plot against the cardinal of the Spiritual Church. What's more, we begin to learn the first clues as to how Rae was brought to this world in the first place.

In amongst the adventure is a truly sweet depiction of a stable, lesbian relationship between two women raising a pair of girls. We get lots of moments of Rae and Claire being romantic with each other, as well as being great mothers. There's a very cute wedding and, while the series eschews explicit content, Inori makes it clear that Rae and Claire are not even a little chaste. Rae and Claire aren't the only lesbians either, as new and returning cast members provide additional sapphic representation. The series continues to delight with own-voices lesbian representation that feels authentic to my own experience as a happily married lesbian.
87 reviews
July 30, 2021
The first two volumes already told a complete story, so this one could've easily felt superfluous. But instead, by delving deeper into the world, the third volume is an ambitious new start. The author clearly didn't expect the story to be such a success, and part of the appeal is seeing her confidence grow over time. She embraces the fantastical head-on, goes in detail about the politics of the setting, introduces new characters with their own points of view, and lends depth to previously one note supporting cast members. Using a spin-off Rae isn't as familiar with with its own protagonist is an inspired touch, still keeping some of the meta manipulation elements while also enhancing stakes, surprises, and a more independent world revolving beyond just the two protagonists. Those protagonists are more endearing than ever as well. All told, it's an exciting beginning for the new arc, and I can't wait for more. Plus: only marginal incest!
94 reviews4 followers
March 18, 2025
I have a hard time rating these books because on one hand I feel like I have to completely turn off my brain while reading. The writing isn’t good, there are so many problematic elements to the story and characters, and I don’t even want to delve into the political plot because it’s so entirely shallow it’s really hard to take it seriously.

Still. I did enjoy these for a time. I think this will be the last one I read in this series just because I can only take so much mind numbing romance.

I think this series serves better as an anime/manga - but I’m not sure if that’s just how light novels work as this is the first one I’ve ever read.

It was enjoyable until it wasn’t. Something like this starts to feel repetitive after a bit since it heavily relies on the tropes of the genre.
Profile Image for Anne Bollmann (Annelise Lestrange).
703 reviews77 followers
December 29, 2024
During the first part of the book, I kept questioning myself where the author was going, what was the point behind the scenes. I loved books 1 and 2, but the entirety of the first part of book 3 seemed lost.

I also wasn't the biggest fan of several scenarios, like Rei's teaching classes and students (so boring). After the introduction of Revolution Lily ARC, things looked a little better, as if the author had just decided the purpose of the third volume.

To be honest, I'm going to finish this series just because I have already bought all 5 volumes. If I had bought one at a time, I'd just drop it here and now. I can't phantom what else can be of interest in volumes 4 and 5.
Profile Image for Valeria.
393 reviews8 followers
March 4, 2025
Me tomé pausas prolongadas para leerlo, pero lo disfruté harto. Se expande un poco el mundo, personajes nuevos que me resultaron interesantes (Philine igual me teniai chata) y el lado político que sigue estando me parece entretenido. Los personajes que ya conocíamos siguen siendo interesantes porque hasta un poquito más de profundidad le dieron a algunos. May y Aleah las quiero mucho 😭 mencanta la dinámica familiar, aunque sufro con Rae cada vez que la dejan en segundo plano, pero es parte del proceso. Rae y Claire me siguen encantando, me da rabia cuando intentan meterse entre medio, soy feliz cuando se dicen cosas lindas y quiero seguir viendo como se quieren cada vez más.
Profile Image for Michael Loring.
Author 16 books40 followers
August 26, 2021
Another page-turner! This series just keeps on giving! Some time has passed since the last book, and now Rae and Claire are married with children, and their lives couldn't be better. I've become so attached to these characters I couldn't help but smile at every instance of domestic bliss they shared in this book. Even when the trouble starts and they must put themselves in danger once again, their bond and love for one another is unshakeable. My only gripe is how it ended so abruptly. I can only hope Vol. 4 comes out very soon!
41 reviews
April 8, 2023
Bonus content!

The story was interesting--And beautiful, as always--. But, this time I must highlight the bonus content.

The book is full of bonus chapters and scenes that are irrelevant to the main story, but still allows you to know more about the characters and their lives 🙂

It is, by all means, a wonderful read. I really liked it. But such abundance of bonus content killed the sense of tension and purpose while I was readong 😅 Especially in the last hundred pages, which are only bonus content 🙃
Profile Image for Vervada.
666 reviews
October 23, 2022
A good continuation. It was great seeing Rae and Claire act as equal partners and their family was really sweet. I actually liked the bonus scenes better than the main story, for its pace was a bit too slow and the endless romantic rivals became annoying pretty fast. Otherwise, an entertaining read which made me curious about the next book.
Profile Image for Mads Mikkelsen's Mom.
221 reviews
Read
January 1, 2023
WHY?? Why incest...AGAIN.
Is it because it's a "thing"/genre that is decently popular in the author's country? Does the author think it's okay?

Other than that annoying and regarded-as-small-but-isn't occurrence, the book was good, and I'll continue to hope for no more incest as I read more into the series.
Profile Image for Mekashi .
87 reviews3 followers
April 19, 2023
Je vais faire court, mais des 3 tomes c'est mon préféré : Claire est plus entreprenante, Rae est plus mature et calme, on a une tonne de péripéties ET! Les enfants ne prennent pas trop de place, merci bien.
Plein de mystères se sont annoncés dans ce tome et je sens que là nous allons réellement toucher à la magie et ce, dès les prochains tomes!
Profile Image for Isapropanol.
339 reviews5 followers
June 18, 2023
I suppose I better focus on the plot and not a certain couple of exiled side characters.

Story was different from expected (where'd the even-more-insane amount of femslash go?), but you really shouldn't have expectations of any kind of this series, seeing as it's strangely unpredictable at times. Expectations aside, I got to admit, it got me kind of sad at times (in a good way).
Profile Image for Juli GoTu.
119 reviews
December 28, 2023
Si siento que bajo un poco, al contrario de los demás se me hizo la historia un poco pequeña, con otra guerra pero solo fue una pelea y ya asi que siento que le hubiera puesto más estrellas si hubiera tardado más esa parte, igual siento que la relación entre las protas está ahi y pues no se ha hecho ni mayor antes mis ojos, necesito más escenas juntas jaja
Profile Image for Jamell Cedeño.
10 reviews
December 27, 2025
Una continuacion mas para los fans que para la historia en si mismo, cumple muy bien los aspectos que ya cumplia bien la anterior parte, pero con mas aspectos de fanservice que de desarrollo de mundo, siento que quedan algunos aspectos a medias pero, sigue siendo interesante, y los niños son muy tiernos, es una buena historia, deseo que los siguientes 2 vol sean asi de maravillosos igualmente
Profile Image for León .
38 reviews
February 23, 2024
I think is a good book like all of the collection but the main content it has is very minimal comparing it to the first two novels. Its cute that they have daughters and a family now, but personally I liked it better when it was just Claire and Rae, I think it was too focused on their daughters.
Profile Image for Emma.
9 reviews
April 10, 2024
I could not stop smiling while reading this. Seeing Rae and Claire happily married together and their life with their kids was so adorable it had me kicking my legs in excitement! The bonus stories at the end of the novel are definitely my favorite in the series so far.
Profile Image for Matt Rizzo.
276 reviews3 followers
January 5, 2025
Pretty good follow up. Some slice of life post romance / Claire realizing she’s gay for Rae. Also some more world building of neighboring kingdoms. Admittedly a bit cringe w.r.t. the Nur Princess, but whatever.
Profile Image for Mathxxl.
65 reviews
Read
June 1, 2025
Tome introductif au nouvel arc, il est logiquement moins fort que son prédécesseur. C'est néanmoins beaucoup de plaisir que de voir Claire et Rae heureuses ❤️, et on sent que l'autrice maîtrise de plus en plus sa narration.
808 reviews11 followers
November 6, 2025
Honestly, I was less impressed with this light novel than I was with the previous two, which made up Act I of the story. I'm going to keep reading and finish the series, though, since the books are quite short and my partner wants to get to talk about Act II with me.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews

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