VILLAIN
Series: Hero # 1.5
Author: Samantha Young
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Cover Design: Samantha Young
Release Date: December 5th, 2017
The sexy and emotional companion novella to the New York Times bestselling romance HERO.
Nadia Ray is not just a broadcast meteorologist. She’s Boston’s morning television It Girl. Successful and independent, she’s put a past she’s ashamed of behind her and is forging a future she can be proud of. However, when her new boss discovers her secret he blackmails her, intent on using Nadia’s popularity to make them the number one morning show in Massachusetts. He wants her to be part of uncovering the city’s biggest scandal – a secret billionaire Caine Carraway is hiding.
Soon Nadia is thrown into the path of Caine’s best friend: sexy, wealthy bachelor Henry Lexington. But she doesn’t encounter the dashing high society gentleman Henry is purported to be. Instead she’s faced with an insulting and defensive villain who misjudges her at every turn.
When Henry finally realizes the truth, and decides to make amends, Nadia wants nothing to do with him. But she underestimates his determination and charm and soon they find themselves embroiled in an intense, passionate affair.
An affair Nadia knows must come to an end before their feelings grow any deeper and he discovers her secrets.
After all, Henry Lexington isn’t the only one who played the part of a villain once…
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“I need to apologize,” he said to my back as I hurried into my sitting room. My shoulders hunched to my neck at the words. I couldn’t look at him.
What did he want me to say? That it was okay?
Because it wasn’t.
No one, no matter what, should have to be subjected to what that woman said to me.
Henry’s mother!
He was in Cloud Cuckoo Land if he thought this, whatever this was between us, could ever work out when his mother thought so little of me.
“Just go,” I snapped, not looking at him.
“No,” he said, his tone stern. “Not until you turn around and look at me.”
I shot him a glare over my shoulder. “Satisfied? Now leave.”
Instead of leaving, he studied my face, softening as if he understood what was going on behind my fury.
But he didn’t understand.
“I cannot apologize enough for what my mother said to you. Frankly, right now I’m ashamed I share DNA with the woman. That was the reason I was avoiding her. She’s … bad with the women I date normally, even the ones she’s set me up with. No one is good enough. Usually, it’s merely irritating, but I didn’t want to subject you to her. And if I had known how goddamn low she’d sink tonight, I never would’ve put you in that situation.”
I heard his words, but I couldn’t feel them. I couldn’t feel the anger and worry in them that I’d later remember. In that moment, all I saw were the flowers peeking over the top of the trash can behind him. Flowers that had arrived at my apartment earlier that afternoon. Flowers that meant he’d found my home address. Flowers that taunted me, saying, “You can’t be angry at Penelope Lexington when you know she’d feel smug with satisfaction if she ever discovered the truth.” She’d feel vindicated in her opinion of me.
Worse would be how Henry would react if he knew the truth. How he’d never look at me the same way again. He’d never look at me in that way that was getting under my skin, becoming an addiction, despite all the defenses I’d tried to put up against him.
A chill shivered down my spine.
“Nadia, what can I do? What—”
“If you’re not going to leave,” I turned around to fully face him, “then we might as well get this over with.”
Henry watched with narrowed eyes as I threw my purse on the couch and then removed my earrings. “What are you doing?”
Cold, toneless, I reminded him, “Our arrangement is almost over. A deal is a deal.”
“A deal is a deal?” The muscle in his jaw twitched, his eyes flashing. “You’re going to fuck me like some martyr?”
“Well, I’d prefer it if you leave but I don’t welch on a deal.”
“Nadia, don’t hide from me.” I could hear the barely contained fury beneath his words and in a twisted way, I reveled in it. I wanted his anger. I wanted to force him to walk away and walk away for good. “Talk to me.”
I scoffed. “Why do you keep trying to make this more than it is? You wanted to slum it with the local weather girl. I wanted to get laid because it’s been a while. You just happened to be there and I’ve heard you’re good. That’s all this ever was. And I’m not one of your uptight society princesses who needs to be assured you want more from me than a dirty fuck.”
“Nadia …”
I didn’t heed the growl of warning in his voice. “Let me make it clearer,” I hissed out, all my rage at myself redirected at him like I knew and feared would happen. “I don’t do relationships with spoiled rich boys who run away from their mommas. I’ll let a rich boy fuck me for the hell of it, but rest assured when I do let someone in long-term, it’ll be a man.”
Not even a second later, Henry crossed the distance between us, one hand tangling into my pinned-up hair, the other around my waist. He yanked me roughly against him before I could blink and slammed his mouth down over mine in a hard, punishing kiss.
4.5 ‘Sexiest Banter’ Stars
Yaaaaaayyyy!!! Straight to the top of my Best Novellas of 2017!
I had a feeling Villain would tick all my romance boxes, well, it went filled my reader cravings to overflow! No exaggeration, Samantha Young was able to compact a clever, romantic and super sexy story in just one novella. Villain gave me EVERYTHING!
Nadia has just started to feel like she is conquering her place in the news scene, as Chicago’s sweetheart broadcast meteorologist. But all that is put to risk, and her past about to be revealed if she doesn’t uncover the secrets behind Caine Carraway success, and its origin.
Henry Lexington, Caine’s best friend, just can’t allow that, and will do anything to shut down the story, and protect his family, so he comes crushing down Nadia’s part in the most aggressive ways.
“How stupid was I to think this guy could help me?
How stupid was I to think any man could help me?
I was right before.
I needed to fix this myself. Like always.”
Be prepared, because even when they thought they were on opposite sides, the instant chemistry was off the charts, and you could cut the sexual tension with a knife! Oh boy, could we!
When Henry realizes the truth of Nadia’s situation, he immediately tries to make amends, but in Nadia’s eyes the damage was done, and you couldn’t just flip a switch and go from enemies, to friends.
“We’re just two cuties then, huh?”
The elevator doors opened and I strode out ahead of him. “I’m cute. You… I’m thinking undiagnosed multiple personality disorder.”
Henry’s laughter rang out behind me and I had to suppress a smile at the compelling sound. He hurried to my side. “I’m growing on you.”
“Like a wart.”
OMG, the BANTER! It was one of the most satisfying, innuendo filled, and sexy banter I’ve had the pleasure of reading! So, so incredibly good, and it just made me fall in love with these characters even more! I can’t resist a naughty banter!
“No. We don’t need to have lunch or go to a ball together.”
“No lunch dates, no date to the ball, no penis for you. And you don’t want miss out on my penis. It’s a good one.”
“I see we’re doing this the hard way.”
“I hope so.”
Henry sure did flip the tables on Nadia, and her idea of ‘scratching an itch’ and be done with him, where their sexual tension was concerned, surprising her – and me – with being the one wanting more of her, and fighting for her and to have all of her, every step of the way! I couldn’t have loved him more – and that is saying a lot considering his manwhoring past- and how he was a treated Nadia like the most precious thing in the world. Total swoon alert!
Nadia was SO amazing! So real, so smart, so strong, even if she doesn’t fully realize herself, it was such an incredible joy and happiness to see a strong independent woman stand up for herself in every situation, even with Henry. It’s so rare this days to see such a resilient and realist female main character, that I fell helplessly in love with her!
“The harm was in him. I wasn’t a naïve girl in a romance novel who thought she could seriously keep her emotions detached from a guy she was having sex with all the time.”
“He could charm me effortlessly and then rip my heart out the next day.”
See what I mean? SO REAL, so heart touching, I could feel her doubts, her emotions, her fears of her past. I hurt for her, but I also rejoiced in every moment she stood up for herself, and cheered them all the more for her resistance.
“I acted like my story deserved a hero.
But only a heroine deserves a hero.
And I wasn’t a heroine. I couldn’t be.
The truth was in someone else’s story…
I was a villain.”
And Henry, never gave up, and fought through all her walls and showed just I truly wanted her. More than anything!
All the sexual tension, the sexy banter, and their insane chemistry translated in the most sizzling hot sex scenes! Their teasing sure played just as beautifully in and out of the sheets! Scorching!
“I want you all the time,” he grumbled, putting his hand on my back to lead me out of the office. “My cock is going to fucking break off.”
“You?” I huffed. “What about my poor, abused vagina?”
“You weren’t complaining earlier,” he pulled open the door, “when my tongue was on it.”“But we haven’t argued,” I teased.
“It doesn’t matter,” Henry said, his voice hoarse as he reached down and unzipped his pants slowly. A fizzle of pleasure tingled between my legs. “I’m going to fuck you like we have.”
Yep, with just a little bit more of these two on the epilogue, and on their ending would have made Villain the absolute perfect little story. As it is Ms. Young created the most amazing tale of enemies to lovers, and I’m sure I won’t soon forget Henry and Nadia and their delicious banter. I miss them already, and sincerely hope Samantha Young surprises us, once again, like she did with this one, and give us even more of these two in the future! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
“I was born into a life of privilege… but I never knew true wealth until I met you, Nadia Ray.”
“Henry… do I get you at the end of it?”
“Yes.” He smiled. “You get me now, during, and after.”
HERO (Hero #1)
Samantha Young is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author from Stirlingshire, Scotland. She’s been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award 2012 for Best Author and Best Romance for her international bestseller ON DUBLIN STREET, Best Romance 2014 for BEFORE JAMAICA LANE, and Best Romance 2015 for HERO. ON DUBLIN STREET is Samantha’s first adult contemporary romance series and has sold in thirty countries. Samantha’s YA contemporary lit debut THE IMPOSSIBLE VASTNESS OF US releases from Harlequin Teen June 2017.
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