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A review by nickartrip102
Kiss the Villain by Rina Kent
1.0
I would like to think that like all people, I'm complicated in my own way. I read God of Fury because every time I went in search of what was popular in M/M fiction last year I found it mentioned in one way or another. I avoided the book for a long time due to my own personal reading preferences in terms of M/M romance (authentically queer, not necessarily filled with violent hypermasculinity and endless puddles of cum like A24 Horror does Sean Cody.) I didn't hate it, I enjoyed the melodrama even if it was incredibly problematic and there were some parts of the story that I found somewhat charming. So, in true complicated Nick fashion, I decided to give Rina Kent’s new M/M romance Kiss the Villain a try. This time the story follows Gareth, Killian’s brother/Nikolai’s cousin, who finds himself in a heated affair with his professor, the morally corrupt Faye Resnick Kayden Lockwood.
A list of thoughts, with spoilers:
-Dubcon is listed as a trigger. Yeah, let’s just be straight up honest, the dynamic between Kayden and Gareth is problematic as fuck. There’s no direct communication as the characters neatly settle into this dom/sub relationship or into these noncon/dubcon scenes.
-The characterization is horrible. Who are these people? Smart, but never say anything remotely intelligent?
-All of the blood. No. This was much more of a me issue, this may be standard for “dark romance” and perhaps even enjoyable to some.
-Children killing animals, but let’s normalize it. No.
-Gareth’s shock after discovering Kayden was previously married was understandable. The unhinged and obsessive behavior after? Not okay.
-I don’t understand how Gareth and Kayden developed any sort of emotional attachment. This book is like 500 pages long, but I’m not convinced these men learned anything real about each other. History and facts, maybe. But that was about it.
I rated God of Fury two stars — I can’t do the same for Kiss the Villain. In Brandon and Niko’s story it felt like there was at least some recognition of Niko’s behavior and Brandon’s own mental health issues, even if they were handled poorly. Gareth and Kayden’s story does not offer that same recognition, at least with any sense of resolution. It’s an endless cycle of threats, possessive behavior, and sex without much character growth or depth of connection.
A list of thoughts, with spoilers:
Spoiler
-I’m not built for dark romance. You mean to tell me that Kayden witnesses Gareth attempt to sexually assault someone and is like…oh, this is who I want.-Dubcon is listed as a trigger. Yeah, let’s just be straight up honest, the dynamic between Kayden and Gareth is problematic as fuck. There’s no direct communication as the characters neatly settle into this dom/sub relationship or into these noncon/dubcon scenes.
-The characterization is horrible. Who are these people? Smart, but never say anything remotely intelligent?
-All of the blood. No. This was much more of a me issue, this may be standard for “dark romance” and perhaps even enjoyable to some.
-Children killing animals, but let’s normalize it. No.
-Gareth’s shock after discovering Kayden was previously married was understandable. The unhinged and obsessive behavior after? Not okay.
-I don’t understand how Gareth and Kayden developed any sort of emotional attachment. This book is like 500 pages long, but I’m not convinced these men learned anything real about each other. History and facts, maybe. But that was about it.
I rated God of Fury two stars — I can’t do the same for Kiss the Villain. In Brandon and Niko’s story it felt like there was at least some recognition of Niko’s behavior and Brandon’s own mental health issues, even if they were handled poorly. Gareth and Kayden’s story does not offer that same recognition, at least with any sense of resolution. It’s an endless cycle of threats, possessive behavior, and sex without much character growth or depth of connection.