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3 Books to Read If You Love When the Villain Gets the Girl

BookTok has done it again, unveiling some of the best enemies-to-lovers/villain-gets-the-girl tropes on the book market right now.

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BookTok has done it again, unveiling some of the best enemies-to-lovers/villain-gets-the-girl tropes on the book market right now.

While dark romance can certainly be alluring, I’d last about five seconds with some of these possessive, morally grey male main characters, but I digress. If you’re into this genre and love the tension of a villain love interest, here are three books where the villain gets the girl.

1. Hooked by Emily McIntire

Hooked by Emily McIntire is a popular dark romance novel with an addictive enemies-to-lovers trope. I first heard of this story from BookTok, which seems to be obsessed with this spicy read and its smooth, brooding male main character, James. If you’re looking for a fun, easy, and captivating read where the villain gets the girl, this one’s for you.

Synopsis: “James has always had one agenda: destroy his enemy, Peter Michaels. When Peter’s twenty-year-old daughter Wendy shows up in James’s bar, he sees his way in. Seduce the girl and use her for his revenge. It’s the perfect plan, until things in James’s organization begin to crumble. Suddenly, he has to find the traitor in his midst, and his plan for revenge gets murkier as James starts to see Wendy as more than just a pawn in his game.

Wendy has been cloistered away most of her life by her cold, wealthy father, but a spontaneous night out with friends turns into an intense and addictive love affair with the dark and brooding James. As much as she knows James is dangerous, Wendy can’t seem to shake her desire for him. But as their relationship grows more heated and she learns more about the world he moves in, she finds herself unsure if she’s falling for the man known as James or the monster known as Hook.”

2. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Another BookTok favorite is The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, a popular YA fantasy/political romance novel. Perhaps one of the best parts of this series, however, is its strong female main character. 

Jude isn’t the helpless, naive type these books often portray. She’s an incredibly intelligent and brave woman. And Cardan? Well, he’s certainly a piece of work…This is the ultimate enemies-to-lovers book, but fair warning: it’s a slowwwww process.

Synopsis: “Jude was seven when her parents were murdered, and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.

As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.”

3. Bewitched by Laura Thalassa

If you had a thing for Damon Salvatore, you’ll love Bewitched by Laura Thalassa. This fun, spicy, and witchy read features one of the most protective, obsessive, and morally grey male main characters ever created. Odds are, that’s exactly what you’re looking for if you’re reading this list.

Synopsis: “At age twenty, Selene Bowers desperately hopes to be accepted into Henbane Coven, an academy for young witches. Since one of the requirements for entry is to connect with her powers via a quest through the wilderness, Selene books a trip to South America. When a nefarious supernatural force tries to drag her plane from the sky, Selene’s magic awakens to save her life―at a cost. Using her powers devours her memories, one by one.

Worse, when Selene braves the jungle and discovers the source of the attack, she finds herself awakening an ancient evil, Memnon the Cursed, who mistakes Selene for his long-dead wife. The wife who betrayed him. Selene manages to escape and begin her studies at Henbane, but when Memnon turns up at the coven and witches are found dead across campus, Selene becomes entangled in a dangerous plot. Accused of the murders on the basis of her memory loss, Selene must rely on Memnon’s help for answers―and his plans for her will change everything.”

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