This dark romance, Kiss the Villain by Rina Kent, took me completely outside my usual reading lane and honestly, that’s exactly why I picked it up. This is a dark, very, very spicy M/M romance built on a delicious power play between a student and his professor, and let me tell you: the beginning of this book definitely left an impression.
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Book Description
From 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.
Gareth Carson is the golden boy — heir to a powerful law dynasty, a brilliant student at King’s U, and the picture-perfect son. But beneath the polished mask, he craves control, chaos, and carnage.
Kayden Lockwood is brutal, unreadable, and dangerous — a criminal who ends up teaching Gareth’s criminal law class. And he knows exactly who Gareth is.
A disastrous night ties them together long before Gareth recognizes his new professor. What follows is a brutal game of revenge, blackmail, and dangerous attraction — a power struggle that neither man is prepared to lose.
Thoughts
Quick heads-up before we dive in: this is dark romance with explicit content and dubious-consent situations, so please check the trigger warnings before picking it up. This was not my usual reading and that’s part of what made it such an interesting experience.
In the first half of this book, Rina Kent shines. The author establishes both characters beautifully and builds an almost unbearable amount of tension. Gareth and Kayden are both strong-headed and deeply flawed. Honestly, I’m not sure where to start listing their flaws lol… and watching them circle each other in a constant power play was genuinely fun to read. Every scene feels like a battle of wills, and the romance that unfolds between them is twisted, entertaining, and incredibly spicy.
Where the book lost me a little was in the second half. The story takes one of the characters in a direction that just didn’t feel right to me. While I completely understand why the author took that route and in some ways, it makes sense, I would have preferred a different approach. I want to be clear that’s purely a personal-taste thing and there is nothing wrong with the book. It cost the story a star and a half, but it didn’t sink it. The story remains a great romance with characters who can’t stay away from each other and with off the charts chemistry. If you enjoy reading dark fantasy, this is a good story.
My rating: 3.5/5 stars (★★★⯪☆).
Top 5 tropes/themes in Kiss the Villain
The top 5 tropes/themes:
- M/M Romance
- Student × Professor (forbidden romance)
- Power Play at Every Turn
- Morally Grey, Deeply Flawed Characters
- Enemies to Lovers
About the Author
Rina Kent is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author known for her dark, twisty romances, including the Royal Elite, Deception, and Legacy of Gods series. Kiss the Villain is the first book in her Villain series — her dedicated space for MM romance in the Rinaverse — where she brings the same obsession, high stakes, and morally grey characters her readers love to a pair of men who are every bit as dangerous as her most infamous couples.
Conclusion
Kiss the Villain is twisted, entertaining, and very, very spicy — a power-play romance between two deeply flawed characters that kept me turning pages. The first half is electric, the second half is where the characters embrace their choices. This is a good story. 3.5 stars for me. Happy reading!
If you’re looking for an intense enemy to lover Romantasy, check out my review of Daggermouth
