Villain by Samantha Young
Series: Hero #1.5 (full reading order below)
Publication 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…
Buy Links:
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Hero was one of my favorite reads back in 2015. I remember wanting Nadia and Henry’s story so bad, and now we finally have it! Samantha Young doesn’t disappoint – I adored their novella. It’s quick and hot, but with enough heart and emotion to get you hooked onto the characters and story despite the short length. Plus, it’s got the enemies-to-lovers trope, which I’m always up for.
When Nadia and Henry first meet, they make terrible first impressions on one another, leading them to make quick judgments about the other, despite the wild attraction between them. Unfortunately, Henry ends up being in the wrong here, but this charming, suave man is nothing if not determined to win the good favor – and eventually, the heart – of the one woman he can’t get out of his mind.
“I was born into a life of privilege … but I never knew true wealth until I met you, Nadia Ray.”
Mix in some good groveling, plenty of steamy scenes, and cute banter, and you have the novella that is Villain. I enjoyed this novella SO much – not only did I adore Nadia and Henry, but it was also great to see Caine and Alexa again! I’d definitely recommend this novella if you loved Hero, or if you need a good, short contemporary romance fix!
Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.
Now here’s an excerpt from Villain! ❤
Shaking off the memory of yesterday, I grabbed my purse and opened the door to my apartment with every intention of jumping in a cab to the address Joe had given me.
However, a man blocked my way.
He stood in my doorway, his fist raised as if to knock.
Shocked, I stared up at his familiar face.
Why the hell was Henry Lexington standing in my doorway?
His vibrant blue eyes met mine and for a moment, neither of us said a word. Silence stretched thinly between us, and I suddenly realized I was holding my breath.
Lexington quite abruptly broke the silence. “Miss Ray?”
“Yes, what—”
“We need to talk.” He pushed past me and walked into my apartment without an invitation.
For a moment, I stood there with my mouth open, asking myself if that had just happened. Were people really that rude?
I stared after him, watching him disappear out of my hall and into my sitting room.
All my papers on Carraway were in there!
“Hey!” I called, shutting the door and hurrying after him. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Lexington stood in the middle of my small sitting room, his back, thankfully, to my desk. His expression was sullen, cool, and calculating. This was not the charming, hedonistic millionaire I’d read about. “I could ask you the same thing, Miss Ray.”
“Excuse me?” Cold sweat prickled under my arms. Did he know? How did he know? If he didn’t know, why the hell else would he be here? Why was he here and not Carraway?
I waited anxiously for Lexington to stop boring through my face with his hard eyes. “I assume you know who I am.”
“You’re Henry Lexington.”
“And you, Miss Ray,” he turned and strode over to my desk, fingering my papers, “are going to let a certain story die.”
My belly flipped unpleasantly.
Goddammit. “What?” I said.
Lexington raised an unimpressed eyebrow. “Imelda Worthington.”
Fuck.
“That blank expression isn’t fooling anyone, Miss Ray. I know she said a few unfortunate things to Richard Peters, your boss, and I know you’ve been calling her ever since.”
Despite my guilt, despite knowing I was in the wrong here, this privileged asshole had burst into my apartment to intimidate me. Like hell! “You do, do you?”
His eyes narrowed. “Imelda informed me of what’s been going on and asked me to kindly give you a message.” He prowled toward me and I suddenly felt real fear. I didn’t know this man and he was here to shut me up. How far would he go? I steeled myself, not wanting him to see my fear. If my expression gave me away, however, I didn’t know; all I did know was that Henry Lexington stopped a good foot from me. It still wasn’t enough. He stood at over six feet, his broad shoulders fitted into a perfectly tailored three-piece suit. He had big, masculine hands, one hidden in his pocket, the other resting on his flat stomach over a suit button. Henry Lexington had a swimmer’s build—sleek but powerful—and I could only guess at the strength beneath his suit. I struggled not to feel overwhelmed by his large, magnetic presence, as much as I struggled not to feel fear.
“You’ll leave her alone,” he demanded.
Guessing there was no point in being coy considering he’d seen my desk, I asked, “Why are you here instead of Carraway?”
Lexington flashed me a wolfish grin that didn’t reach his eyes. “Because I’m the nice one. Caine scares Imelda. He scares most people. Not you, though.” He took another step toward me, seeming to be cataloguing every little nuance of my face. “And if you’re not careful, that lack of fear could ruin you, Miss Ray.”
Reading Order: Hero series
#1 ~ Hero: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#1.5 ~ Villain: Ebook • Goodreads (Dec. 5, 2017)
Samantha Young is the New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of adult contemporary romances, including the On Dublin Street series and Hero, as well as the New Adult duology Into the Deep and Out of the Shallows. Every Little Thing, the second book in her new Hart’s Boardwalk series, will be published by Berkley in March 2017. Before turning to contemporary fiction, she wrote several young adult paranormal and fantasy series, including the amazon bestselling Tale of Lunarmorte trilogy. Samantha’s debut YA contemporary novel The Impossible Vastness of Us was published by Harlequin TEEN in ebook & hardback June 2017. Play On is an adult contemporary romance and the first in a brand new series set in Scotland.
Samantha has been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award 2012 for Best Author and Best Romance for On Dublin Street, Best Romance 2014 for Before Jamaica Lane, and Best Romance 2015 for Hero. On Dublin Street, a #1 bestseller in Germany, was the Bronze Award Winner in the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2013, Before Jamaica Lane the Gold Medal Winner for the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2014 and Echoes of Scotland Street the Bronze Medal Winner for the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2015.
Samantha is currently published in 30 countries and is a #1 international bestselling author.
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