Name: Kiss The Villian
ISBN: 9781685451134

Rina Kent

From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Rina Kent comes a scorching standalone professor/student dark MM romance set in the world of Legacy of Gods.

My darkness meets a darker soul.

I’m a golden boy.
A genius law student, the heir to the Carson empire, and the dutiful son.
Or, at least, that's what it looks like from the outside.
Deep inside, I have the urge to set the world on fire.
I keep these impulses in check, rarely indulging in mayhem.
Until one night of debauchery backfires, and I'm caught by a villain.
I bury the entire ordeal with the rest of my skeletons.
That is, until that night walks into my classroom in the form of my new professor.
Kayden Lockwood.
A criminal who’s teaching criminal law.
I can't expose what he's done without unmasking my secret life.
What I can do, however, is force him to taste the poison he gave me.
In the clash of titans, Kayden and I break and crumble.
And I'm starting to realize this dangerous game may have no winners.

Kiss the Villain is a dark MM romance. Please check the author's note for content warnings before diving in. While this book can be enjoyed as a standalone, diving into the Legacy of Gods series will give you a deeper connection to the characters.

A Dark MM Enemies to Lovers Romance

Kiss The Villian

Kiss the villian is a dark MM first book in the villian series by rina kent. 

You can view the trigger warnings <a href ="

www.rinakent.com/content-warning/">here.</a>

Writing style : as always, rina is a phenomenal writer. She writes dark unapologetic heroes that keep one drawn in, but this book? Just not for me. 

MMC : gareth Carson & Kayden <s>lockwood</s>davenport.

side characters :  i liked simone, or Nadine. I also liked the mom jina and Rachel, along with reina (gareth and killian’s mom). 

Summary : Kayden lockwood is seeking revenge for what happened to his wife two years ago, and for that he needs to have gareth wrapped around his finger, but time passes, they spend time together, and Kayden realizes that this is more than revenge, and he is falling for what he was supposed to avenge. There is a eleven years age gap between them. He’s 22, and Kayden is 33. Age is not a problem. I have so much to say about these two. 

Dedicated to by the author : rina said that this book is dedicated to ones who will kiss the villian but only in fiction, and while I agree to that, i don’t like gareth, or Kayden. (FOREVER A KILLIAN CARSON STAN) gareth would throw such a fit. Sorry, but I don’t care, golden boy. 

☑️ Domestic family scenes that are swooning. 

Tags for the book : contemporary, dark romance, unapologetic heroes, twisty plot twists, confusing sometimes. 

↪<spoiler>Kayden <s>lockwood</s>davenport is a professor, and he is just such a contrasting character. I don’t love these characters, lemme put that out there. So, Kayden assaults gareth when they first meet, and to justify it or what, i don’t know but gareth hates everything. If you read the next chapter from his pov, he definitely did not like it. But there’s a blurring line, because he says he liked it. And now i’m just like eh eh eeeeeehhhhh.

Later, Kayden and gareth are in like a situationship? He forces gareth in sexual situations, but gareth is okay with it because he is slowly awakening to the fact that he is gay, and it is okay, and what Kayden makes him feel is real and blah fucking blah. 

Kayden’s revenge was about approaching gareth, his wife’s rapist’s grandson, but what does he do? To avenge her, he assaults gareth? And then justifies it by saying that rape is not about force, control, or power. Which i 1000% disagree with, most of the time it fucking isabout power and control. And rapist’s superiority complex. And Kayden says that it is about the victim’s feelings and the long term impact. That is the aftermath. The damage is already done. Mr Kayden also does not apologise to gareth, but gareth does apologize later in the book when they are together. I did not dislike the book, nor i do want to spread hate, but this is kinda contrasting for Kayden. Isn’t he what his wife already went through? What revenge? And, yes they were arranged marriage, and friends, but nobody should go through what Cassandra went through, so we will not discuss whether the marriage mattered or not. Kayden should have protected her whether it was real or not. What kind of husband not protect his wife? Someone with the same mindset as those sick fucks.

However, Kayden has his soft, sweetheart -y moments, if you would want to call it that. 

🤌🏼 He takes care of gareth really well after every session. 

🤌🏼 He stocks his fridge with strawberries, knowing that gareth loves them.

🤌🏼He protects gareth from vencor, and his brother grant, who he knows can and will hurt gareth. 

🤌🏼 He lets gareth buy him whatever expensive shit he wants, even though he comes from a quite influential family and is richie rich af. 

🤌🏼 He gives his last name to gareth. Because he wants it. 

🤌🏼 He adopts a stray, though gareth protests, but names her moka, which is given by gareth himself. (Rina’s love for cats is showing). 

🤌🏼 Moka is a sweet honeybun who clings to gareth, even though all he does scowl, and frown initially but warms up to her eventually. 

🤌🏼 Kayden stares at gareth a lot. (He really finds gareth beautiful).

🤌🏼 Kayden also calls him “baby” multiple times in the book. (Questioning how many times I heard that, niko my love I am running back to you, you were so much better than kay was). 

🤌🏼 Kayden risks his life just to see gareth once while he is admitted in the hospital knowing he is gonna die. 

🤌🏼 Kayden protests gareth from his impulsive tendencies to kill and be violent.

🤌🏼 Kayden asks gareth to hurt him physically for the fuck ups he did. (Like he absolutely should).</spoiler>

⇾conclusion, Kayden has his moments. You decide whether you want to read the book or not. 

What i loved : i loved moka, and the ending where Kayden fights everyone and leaves vencor, like he should. And loves gareth in his own way. (A little). I still don’t like him much. If I was moka, i would shoving my claws at him. 

Plot or character driven : curiosity driven. 

Strong character development : somewhat. 

Interconnected/ or standalone : interconnected standalone. 

Recs from the same author : if you were curious about Killian, and can ignore the famous cliff scene, then yes, you should definitely read his book — god of malice, first in the legacy of gods series. 

Similar books : if you like golden boy x dominant partner, but gay? Then you’d enjoy god of fury the fifth book in the legacy of gods series by same author. Niko is such a golden retriever, his shenanigans are my fav. Looks like he could kill, which he absolutely will but is just a lover boy for his Brandon. (His lotus flower). 

Last details : I am revoking my license of reading mm books for now. Where are my golden retriever MMC’s eh? Give them back! 😤 Kidding. I love niko, Killian, el

i, crieghton, Jeremy from the series. Will love them always. 

ruhaani ♡

Kiss the villian is a dark MM first book in the villian series by rina kent. 

Spoilers ahead. 

You can view the trigger warnings <a href ="www.rinakent.com/content-warning/">here.</a>

Story : ⭐⭐⭐

Plot : ⭐⭐⭐

Rating : ⭐⭐

Writing style : as always, rina is a phenomenal writer. She writes dark unapologetic heroes that keep one drawn in, but this book? Just not for me. 

MMC : gareth Carson & Kayden <s>lockwood</s>davenport. 

side characters : i liked simone, or Nadine. I also liked the mom jina and Rachel, along with reina (gareth and killian’s mom). 

Story setting : dark college.

Summary : Kayden lockwood is seeking revenge for what happened to his wife two years ago, and for that he needs to have gareth wrapped around his finger, but time passes, they spend time together, and Kayden realizes that this is more than revenge, and he is falling for what he was supposed to avenge. There is a eleven years age gap between them. He’s 22, and Kayden is 33. Age is not a problem. I have so much to say about these two. 

Dedicated to by the author : rina said that this book is dedicated to ones who will kiss the villian but only in fiction, and while I agree to that, i don’t like gareth, or Kayden. (FOREVER A KILLIAN CARSON STAN) gareth would throw such a fit. Sorry, but I don’t care, golden boy. 

Pacing : medium. 

Tropes : ☑️enemy’s grandson. 

☑️ possessive MMC. 

☑️ Mutual obsession. 

☑️touch him and you die. 

☑️Dark romance. 

☑️ assault. 

☑️ Domestic family scenes that are swooning. 

Type of romance : dark.

Tags for the book : contemporary, dark romance, unapologetic heroes, twisty plot twists, confusing sometimes. 

Onto the characters :

 ↪<spoiler>Kayden <s>lockwood</s>davenport is a professor, and he is just such a contrasting character. I don’t love these characters, lemme put that out there. So, Kayden assaults gareth when they first meet, and to justify it or what, i don’t know but gareth hates everything. If you read the next chapter from his pov, he definitely did not like it. But there’s a blurring line, because he says he liked it. And now i’m just like eh eh eeeeeehhhhh. 

Later, Kayden and gareth are in like a situationship? He forces gareth in sexual situations, but gareth is okay with it because he is slowly awakening to the fact that he is gay, and it is okay, and what Kayden makes him feel is real and blah fucking blah. 

Kayden’s revenge was about approaching gareth, his wife’s rapist’s grandson, but what does he do? To avenge her, he assaults gareth? And then justifies it by saying that rape is not about force, control, or power. Which i 1000% disagree with, most of the time it fucking isabout power and control. And rapist’s superiority complex. And Kayden says that it is about the victim’s feelings and the long term impact. That is the aftermath. The damage is already done. Mr Kayden also does not apologise to gareth, but gareth does apologize later in the book when they are together. I did not dislike the book, nor i do want to spread hate, but this is kinda contrasting for Kayden. Isn’t he what his wife already went through? What revenge? And, yes they were arranged marriage, and friends, but nobody should go through what Cassandra went through, so we will not discuss whether the marriage mattered or not. Kayden should have protected her whether it was real or not. What kind of husband not protect his wife? Someone with the same mindset as those sick fucks. 

However, Kayden has his soft, sweetheart -y moments, if you would want to call it that. 

🤌🏼 He takes care of gareth really well after every session. 

🤌🏼 He stocks his fridge with strawberries, knowing that gareth loves them.

He takes a bullet for gareth. 

🤌🏼He protects gareth from vencor, and his brother grant, who he knows can and will hurt gareth. 

🤌🏼 He lets gareth buy him whatever expensive shit he wants, even though he comes from a quite influential family and is richie rich af. 

🤌🏼 He gives his last name to gareth. Because he wants it. 

🤌🏼 He adopts a stray, though gareth protests, but names her moka, which is given by gareth himself. (Rina’s love for cats is showing). 

🤌🏼 Moka is a sweet honeybun who clings to gareth, even though all he does scowl, and frown initially but warms up to her eventually. 

🤌🏼 Kayden stares at gareth a lot. (He really finds gareth beautiful).

🤌🏼 Kayden also calls him “baby” multiple times in the book. (Questioning how many times I heard that, niko my love I am running back to you, you were so much better than kay was). 

🤌🏼 Kayden risks his life just to see gareth once while he is admitted in the hospital knowing he is gonna die. 

🤌🏼 Kayden protests gareth from his impulsive tendencies to kill and be violent.

🤌🏼 Kayden asks gareth to hurt him physically for the fuck ups he did. (Like he absolutely should).</spoiler>

⇾conclusion, Kayden has his moments. You decide whether you want to read the book or not. 

What i loved : i loved moka, and the ending where Kayden fights everyone and leaves vencor, like he should. And loves gareth in his own way. (A little). I still don’t like him much. If I was moka, i would shoving my claws at him. 

Is a part of a series : yes. 

Series name : villain. 

Series order number : 1 of 3. 

Plot or character driven : curiosity driven. 

Loveable characters : no. 

Strong character development : somewhat. 

Flaws of characters a main focus : yes. 

Interconnected/ or standalone : interconnected standalone. 

Recs from the same author : if you were curious about Killian, and can ignore the famous cliff scene, then yes, you should definitely read his book — god of malice, first in the legacy of gods series. 

Similar books : if you like golden boy x dominant partner, but gay? Then you’d enjoy god of fury the fifth book in the legacy of gods series by same author. Niko is such a golden retriever, his shenanigans are my fav. Looks like he could kill, which he absolutely will but is just a lover boy for his Brandon. (His lotus flower). 

Last details : I am revoking my license of reading mm books for now. Where are my golden retriever MMC’s eh? Give them back! 😤 Kidding. I love niko, Killian, el

i, crieghton, Jeremy from the series. Will love them always. 

Can’t pick one, of course.

“your chaos soothes my calm, your darkness is a mirror of my own, and that beautiful soul of yours is a figment of mine and a torch that burns in the depths of my blackened heart.”

“you tame my darkness, calm my chaos, and quiet the voices. i don’t only love you, but i’m physically unable to live without you.”

from the moment i was reading god of fury and niko spotted kayden and gareth in that alleyway, i knew i wanted to read more about them. that's why i was so excited when rina announced they're gonna have their own book and i'm so happy that after months of being in a reading slump i finally got to read their story.

and i'm so obsessed. i know nothing much happens in the first half and it's mostly smut (and i still ate it up) but it gets so much better when the plots starts developing. both kayden and gareth are so possessive and jealous but they make such a cute couple in the end that's why i really believe they're perfect for each other. i can't even find my words to explain how much i loved their dynamic. i love myself some professor x student trope.

and of course i have to mention the most precious and cute character: my little moka, i'm gonna miss you so much !!

victor

“your chaos soothes my calm, your darkness is a mirror of my own, and that beautiful soul of yours is a figment of mine and a torch that burns in the depths of my blackened heart.”

“you tame my darkness, calm my chaos, and quiet the voices. i don’t only love you, but i’m physically unable to live without you.”

from the moment i was reading god of fury and niko spotted kayden and gareth in that alleyway, i knew i wanted to read more about them. that's why i was so excited when rina announced they're gonna have their own book and i'm so happy that after months of being in a reading slump i finally got to read their story.

and i'm so obsessed. i know nothing much happens in the first half and it's mostly smut (and i still ate it up) but it gets so much better when the plots starts developing. both kayden and gareth are so possessive and jealous but they make such a cute couple in the end that's why i really believe they're perfect for each other. i can't even find my words to explain how much i loved their dynamic. i love myself some professor x student trope.

and of course i have to mention the most precious and cute character: my little moka, i'm gonna miss you so much !!

rlly liked this one a LOT rina kent needs to write more mm books 

so obsessed with gareth and the fact that he’s actually more insane than killian LMAO but also loved kayden and how much they mean to each other

jenna

rlly liked this one a LOT rina kent needs to write more mm books 

so obsessed with gareth and the fact that he’s actually more insane than killian LMAO but also loved kayden and how much they mean to each other

love a professor/student trope🤭 

I saw a lot of people having problems with this book because they wanted Gareth to be normal but even in the books before you could always tell he was a closeted psycho so I don't know what they expected.

I loved the book! The ending dragged a bit so I didn't really needed the epilogues but aside from that it was really good! Since all the other guys in the series were open about being menaces it was actually quite nice to read the opposite and Gareth wanting to mask.

Also Gareth (and Kayden, too) were SO funny in their heads lmao I really enjoyed their povs!

I also really liked their dynamic even tho the rape was a bit unnecessary. I remember asking myself how she could possibly top Killian's book in darkness when that book had rape in it. The answer is more rape💀 It is definitely not something I agree with in books but it did feel a bit different from Glyndon. Maybe because Gareth is a psycho himself and kept trying to assault Kayden himself. They kinda canceled each other out in that regard.

I hate that the rape was AGAIN undermined by the victim saying they kinda wanted it deep down. It's a recurring issue Rina has with first writing rape and then not acutally acknowledging the lack of consent and trying to rewrite it as something freeing for the victim. If you have to include it, at least be fucking honest about it.

Sophia

I saw a lot of people having problems with this book because they wanted Gareth to be normal but even in the books before you could always tell he was a closeted psycho so I don't know what they expected.

I loved the book! The ending dragged a bit so I didn't really needed the epilogues but aside from that it was really good! Since all the other guys in the series were open about being menaces it was actually quite nice to read the opposite and Gareth wanting to mask.

Also Gareth (and Kayden, too) were SO funny in their heads lmao I really enjoyed their povs!

I also really liked their dynamic even tho the rape was a bit unnecessary. I remember asking myself how she could possibly top Killian's book in darkness when that book had rape in it. The answer is more rape💀 It is definitely not something I agree with in books but it did feel a bit different from Glyndon. Maybe because Gareth is a psycho himself and kept trying to assault Kayden himself. They kinda canceled each other out in that regard.

I hate that the rape was AGAIN undermined by the victim saying they kinda wanted it deep down. It's a recurring issue Rina has with first writing rape and then not acutally acknowledging the lack of consent and trying to rewrite it as something freeing for the victim. If you have to include it, at least be fucking honest about it.

Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️

Hero: 🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻

Heroine:🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️

Relationship Building: 💒💒💒💒💒

Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂😂😂

Kiss the Villain was a story that packs quite a punch and if you love M/M romance and dark romance, then this is a series that is a must read for her. I am not sure if this whole series will be MM based or not. I am hoping she will continue to write MF couples because I do think that is where she is most good at in my opinion. But I actually think Kiss the Villain was better than God of Fury, but that is just my viewpoint as I feel like God of Fury was way overrated. But Kiss the Villain is even better. I am not sure where the backlash for this book came from and I didn't feel anything weird about the MM relationship at all. If this is your cup of tea, I do believe that the elements within the story will most definitely work for you.

Gareth and Kayden are our two main protagonists here, and Gareth is our connection to the Gods series, his brother is Killian. Kayden is posing as a professor, but he has a secret plan....he needs to get close to Gareth because his grandfather was behind the death of his late wife and he is determined to kill all those responsible for her rape and murder. But what neither Gareth or Kayden expected was for the bright chemistry to build between them or for something deeper to form between that that goes more intimate than just sex.....but when it deals with the heart. But their relationship must be done in secret, there is also a age gap in their relationship and their families aren't exactly best friends. But when all the truths come out....will their relationship survive the coming storm?

Kiss The Villain was a compelling and addictive story and I just didn't want to put it down. I absolutely loved every moment between Gareth and Kayden. From the first few pages, I was hooked within this story. I also did this in audio and this series is AMAZING in audio, just sayin'. And its a full cast audio, so you definitely can't go wrong with that. I found Kiss of Villain to be a fabulous story. I am not sure if the author is planning on moving forward with only MM....I hope she does do more MF though, I really hope its not just only MM. But we shall see what she does with this series. I do think you can read this as a standalone without reading the Gods series. All the timelines actually surround each other so as long as you know there is a group of friends and they interact with each other's timelines, then you will be fine.

The romance between these two was so fiery hot. Their chemistry was written top notch. I also loved the way that they come together. The angst was so well done. I normally am not a enemies to lovers fan...but Rina Kent writes these elements super well. Their interactions were hilarious and Kent still delivers on the humor and banter so right. I also couldn't get enough of the way that they build this relationship from wanting to kill each other to wanting to love each other and kill anyone that prevents them from being together. It definitely features characters that are anti heroes, so keep in mind these are definitely dark and has some Non Con elements within it. But if you don't mind those elements....this book will completely work for you. We also see cameos from many characters of the previous connected series which was a blast to see. I am eager to see what we will get with this series.

Nothing!!!! Just wasn't quite a 6 star read.

Full Cast and highly recommend....very well done!!!

Kiss the Villain is the first of a new series that struck a deep chord to this readers heart. It is resonating, edgy and thrilling, angsty enough to curl your toes and delivers on all the feels!

Character Types: Anti Hero, Mafia, Teacher

Tropes: Student-Teacher Love, Enemies to Lovers, Forbidden Love

If you like these authors, I recommend This Book

Lover of Romance 

Book Evaluation:
Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️
World Building:🌎🌎🌎🌎🌎
Cover:📔📔📔📔📔
Hero: 🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻
Heroine:🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️
Intimacy Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Relationship Building: 💒💒💒💒💒
Heart & Feels:💞💞💞💞💞
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂😂😂
Page Turner Level:📖📖📖📖📖
Narration:🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧
Ending:🧧🧧🧧🧧🧧
Overall View: ✨✨✨✨✨


First Impressions
Kiss the Villain was a story that packs quite a punch and if you love M/M romance and dark romance, then this is a series that is a must read for her. I am not sure if this whole series will be MM based or not. I am hoping she will continue to write MF couples because I do think that is where she is most good at in my opinion. But I actually think Kiss the Villain was better than God of Fury, but that is just my viewpoint as I feel like God of Fury was way overrated. But Kiss the Villain is even better. I am not sure where the backlash for this book came from and I didn't feel anything weird about the MM relationship at all. If this is your cup of tea, I do believe that the elements within the story will most definitely work for you.

First Line
Tonight, I'm going to hurt someone.

Summary
Gareth and Kayden are our two main protagonists here, and Gareth is our connection to the Gods series, his brother is Killian. Kayden is posing as a professor, but he has a secret plan....he needs to get close to Gareth because his grandfather was behind the death of his late wife and he is determined to kill all those responsible for her rape and murder. But what neither Gareth or Kayden expected was for the bright chemistry to build between them or for something deeper to form between that that goes more intimate than just sex.....but when it deals with the heart. But their relationship must be done in secret, there is also a age gap in their relationship and their families aren't exactly best friends. But when all the truths come out....will their relationship survive the coming storm?

What I Loved
Kiss The Villain was a compelling and addictive story and I just didn't want to put it down. I absolutely loved every moment between Gareth and Kayden. From the first few pages, I was hooked within this story. I also did this in audio and this series is AMAZING in audio, just sayin'. And its a full cast audio, so you definitely can't go wrong with that. I found Kiss of Villain to be a fabulous story. I am not sure if the author is planning on moving forward with only MM....I hope she does do more MF though, I really hope its not just only MM. But we shall see what she does with this series. I do think you can read this as a standalone without reading the Gods series. All the timelines actually surround each other so as long as you know there is a group of friends and they interact with each other's timelines, then you will be fine.

The romance between these two was so fiery hot. Their chemistry was written top notch. I also loved the way that they come together. The angst was so well done. I normally am not a enemies to lovers fan...but Rina Kent writes these elements super well. Their interactions were hilarious and Kent still delivers on the humor and banter so right. I also couldn't get enough of the way that they build this relationship from wanting to kill each other to wanting to love each other and kill anyone that prevents them from being together. It definitely features characters that are anti heroes, so keep in mind these are definitely dark and has some Non Con elements within it. But if you don't mind those elements....this book will completely work for you. We also see cameos from many characters of the previous connected series which was a blast to see. I am eager to see what we will get with this series.

What I Struggled With
Nothing!!!! Just wasn't quite a 6 star read.

Narration
Full Cast and highly recommend....very well done!!!

Overall View
Kiss the Villain is the first of a new series that struck a deep chord to this readers heart. It is resonating, edgy and thrilling, angsty enough to curl your toes and delivers on all the feels!

Book Details (also in my shelves)
Sub Genre: Dark Romance
Character Types: Anti Hero, Mafia, Teacher
Themes: Angsty, MM Loving'
Tropes: Student-Teacher Love, Enemies to Lovers, Forbidden Love

Book Perspective
Multi POV

Relationship Conflict vs Plot Conflict
Relationship

If you like these authors, I recommend This Book
Giana Darling
Onley James
Ella Frank

Song This Book Inspires
Sail by Awolnation

Recommendation For Reading Order
Standalone---It has character connections but its all in the same timeline.

Steam/Spice Explanations

Simmering cup of tea---soft warm touches and light intimacy
Warmin' by the fire- a medium level of sexual tension, a balance of sexual and emotional intimacy, lighter on the details in the sexual moments.
Steamin' up the room -the sexual content is more explicit in the language and tone, heavier amount of sexual scenes.
Blazing fire to the building-The prime focus is the sex scenes, scorching hot, and could burn one. Less focus on the emotional intimacy to the relationship.

Narrators:
Stephen Dexter, Grayson Owens, Shane East, Teddy Hamilton, Corvin King, Samantha Brentmoor, Vivenne Larue

Kiss The Villian A Dark MM Enemies to Lovers Romance

Reviews

Highlights