A review by thebookdisciple
Falling for the Villain by Rachel Van Dyken, M. Robinson

If you love the classic tale of falling in love with your sadistic captor, Falling for the Villain is your new jam! Donovan is man who knows what he wants and takes it. He then forces it to submit. In this case, he wants Juliet.

I'm not going to lie, Donovan was not an easy character to like. He really is a sadist and enjoys punishing Juliet to the point of drawing blood. This is a dark story and one that won't appeal to everyone. Donovan just has very few redeeming qualities. However, Juliet does fall in love with him, and I am not one to judge. If she loves him and is okay with the relationship they have/he demands, then more power to them both. It is certainly NOT something I would be okay with, but the story isn't about me!

The first half of the story is very dark. I was so angry at Donovan for behaving the way he does, and made at Juliet for taking it. Sure, she "stands up to him" a little, but I struggled with her acquiescence overall.  I felt like I needed to understand. You do get some of those answers regarding the why which makes both characters a little more understandable as the story progresses. But, it is hard to understand some of the things Donovan does to Juliet and even harder to understand why she allows it. Again-not my cup of tea. So, if you are okay with dark theme romances, I hope you will give Falling for the Villain a try! It might be a little out of your comfort zone but you could love it. In this case, I am not rating the book because I feel it would be unfair. Personally, this was a bit much for me, but it is well written. I don't want disinterest in the subject matter leading to a lower rating indicate that the book is "bad".

I would be remiss if I didn't add an additional note regarding the cover. I hate it. I don't know why, but it seems super bland and perhaps a bit cheesy? I can't put my finger on it exactly, but I wouldn't pick up the book based on the cover.

 

•   POV: 1st


•   Tears: no


•   Trope: dom/sub, kidnapping, 


•   Triggers:
  Spoiler

  Very dark; descriptions of physical violence the hero does to the heroine; Master/pet relationship, dubious consent


•   Series/Standalone: standalone


•   Cliffhanger:
  Spoiler

  no


•   HEA:
  Spoiler

  yes (not my kind of HEA, but to each their own)

dark romances like Tears of Tess by Pepper Winters, Raze by Tillie Cole, Degradation by Stylo Fantome...then you will probably like Falling for the Villain!

Falling for the Villain

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