About the Author
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. Villain is a companion novella to the New York Times bestselling romance HERO.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.
About Villain
Cover Design by Samantha Young
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…
Out December 5th in digital edition. amazon.com| amazon.com| amazon.co.uk| kobo
Excerpt
Maybe he really did feel bad for the way he’d treated me.
Yeah, maybe he did.
But did that change anything?
He’d still treated me poorly and who was to say he wouldn’t again?
Just because people felt awful for doing something didn’t mean they wouldn’t repeat the crime.
The real problem was my attraction to him.
I could admit it.
I was attracted to the son of a bitch.
There was something deeply wrong with me that I could be attracted to a man I didn’t even like.
Turned out that lunch with my colleagues was a terrible distraction idea. Because Henry was dining at The Bristol Lounge with none other than Caine Carraway.
“Maybe we should go somewhere else,” I said as we stood in the lobby outside the restaurant. Henry hadn’t spotted us yet.
Barbara frowned. “This is your favorite place. You love the Bristol Burger.”
I did love the Bristol Burger.
And for the first time in weeks, I was hungry.
Dammit.
No man was chasing me away from my goddamn burger.
“You’re right.” I nodded, sounding more assured than I actually felt. “But I’ll walk on your left side.”
My friend eyed me in confusion as I huddled at her side, trying to hide behind her as the host led us up the few stairs onto the main floor of the restaurant and right past Henry and Carraway’s table near the bar area, to a larger table at the back of the restaurant. As far as I
could tell, he hadn’t spotted me and there were now pillars between us that I could hide behind.
Relieved, I slid into my chair beside Barbara.
“Drinks?” the waiter asked.
We’d finished giving him our orders when the sight of Henry Lexington walking into view around one of those aforementioned pillars and toward our table made my pulse skitter.
He gave me a soft smile as if we hadn’t been enemies up until twenty-four hours ago. “Miss Ray, what a pleasant surprise.” That soft smile grew into a roguish grin. “Are you stalking me?”
I arched an eyebrow, wondering what the hell kind of game he was playing now. “A burger. I’m stalking a burger.”
“The burgers are very good here.”
“Mr. Lexington,” Barbara said beside me, sounding delighted to see him, and awfully familiar. “What a pleasure to see you.”
“You too, Barbara. And please, I’ve told you before—smart, beautiful women should call me Henry.”
I didn’t know what to do first: be surprised they knew each other or gag at his flirting with her.
“You know each other?”
“I know everyone worth knowing.” He winked at Barbara and she tittered like a schoolgirl.
Dear God.
And then I was the focus of his attention. He leaned against Andrew’s chair who was, as always, oblivious to anything but himself. “So this burger … will it put you in a good mood?”
“Excuse me?”
Those blue eyes were too intense, much too intense. “A good enough mood to agree to have lunch with me tomorrow?”
I was going to kill him.
How dare he put me on the spot in front of my colleagues, in front of Barbara! What? Did he think I’d be civil to him because we had an audience? I scowled. “No.”
“Are you seeing someone?” he persisted.
“No, she’s not,” Barbara interjected, giving me an “Are you crazy?” look. “And yes, she’s free for lunch tomorrow. You can pick her up from the station at one.”
“Fantastic.” Henry gave her a grateful, gorgeous smile before turning it on me. “See you tomorrow.”
He was gone before I could even get past the shock that had sealed my lips.
Review
Villain by Samantha Young
Published: December 5th, 2017
Publisher: Samantha Young
Series: Hero #1.5
Excerpt
Maybe he really did feel bad for the way he’d treated me.
Yeah, maybe he did.
But did that change anything?
He’d still treated me poorly and who was to say he wouldn’t again?
Just because people felt awful for doing something didn’t mean they wouldn’t repeat the crime.
The real problem was my attraction to him.
I could admit it.
I was attracted to the son of a bitch.
There was something deeply wrong with me that I could be attracted to a man I didn’t even like.
Turned out that lunch with my colleagues was a terrible distraction idea. Because Henry was dining at The Bristol Lounge with none other than Caine Carraway.
“Maybe we should go somewhere else,” I said as we stood in the lobby outside the restaurant. Henry hadn’t spotted us yet.
Barbara frowned. “This is your favorite place. You love the Bristol Burger.”
I did love the Bristol Burger.
And for the first time in weeks, I was hungry.
Dammit.
No man was chasing me away from my goddamn burger.
“You’re right.” I nodded, sounding more assured than I actually felt. “But I’ll walk on your left side.”
My friend eyed me in confusion as I huddled at her side, trying to hide behind her as the host led us up the few stairs onto the main floor of the restaurant and right past Henry and Carraway’s table near the bar area, to a larger table at the back of the restaurant. As far as I
could tell, he hadn’t spotted me and there were now pillars between us that I could hide behind.
Relieved, I slid into my chair beside Barbara.
“Drinks?” the waiter asked.
We’d finished giving him our orders when the sight of Henry Lexington walking into view around one of those aforementioned pillars and toward our table made my pulse skitter.
He gave me a soft smile as if we hadn’t been enemies up until twenty-four hours ago. “Miss Ray, what a pleasant surprise.” That soft smile grew into a roguish grin. “Are you stalking me?”
I arched an eyebrow, wondering what the hell kind of game he was playing now. “A burger. I’m stalking a burger.”
“The burgers are very good here.”
“Mr. Lexington,” Barbara said beside me, sounding delighted to see him, and awfully familiar. “What a pleasure to see you.”
“You too, Barbara. And please, I’ve told you before—smart, beautiful women should call me Henry.”
I didn’t know what to do first: be surprised they knew each other or gag at his flirting with her.
“You know each other?”
“I know everyone worth knowing.” He winked at Barbara and she tittered like a schoolgirl.
Dear God.
And then I was the focus of his attention. He leaned against Andrew’s chair who was, as always, oblivious to anything but himself. “So this burger … will it put you in a good mood?”
“Excuse me?”
Those blue eyes were too intense, much too intense. “A good enough mood to agree to have lunch with me tomorrow?”
I was going to kill him.
How dare he put me on the spot in front of my colleagues, in front of Barbara! What? Did he think I’d be civil to him because we had an audience? I scowled. “No.”
“Are you seeing someone?” he persisted.
“No, she’s not,” Barbara interjected, giving me an “Are you crazy?” look. “And yes, she’s free for lunch tomorrow. You can pick her up from the station at one.”
“Fantastic.” Henry gave her a grateful, gorgeous smile before turning it on me. “See you tomorrow.”
He was gone before I could even get past the shock that had sealed my lips.
Review
Villain by Samantha YoungPublished: December 5th, 2017
Publisher: Samantha Young
Series: Hero #1.5
I really, really liked Henry in Hero. He was a fun, cheeky flirt. The total opposite of Caine; which in hindsight he needed to be easy going to have uptight, broody Caine as a best friend. So well we got a good sense of Henry in Hero, Nadia was a little more unknown. We just knew she finally stole Henry's elusive bachelor heart.
I feel like Villain was written for the fans. I'm pretty sure all of us wanted more of Henry and to get the real story of his and Nadia's romance. And here we are. Like most of Samantha's romance stories, it's messy at times. There's some sort of redemption. A misunderstanding. A hot alpha male type. Villain definitely fits the mold. There was certainly more to Nadia than most of us guessed in Hero. She's taken the on air news world by storm. Risen in popularity has clearly made her uncomfortable. Nadia's boss is a pig that wants her keep on moving up. She's put in a really tough position. Which leads to her and Henry not meeting on the best of terms. Trust is an issue there.
Like all tragic romances there's a past and secrets that can get in the way. But hey, if you've read Hero(which why haven't you?), there's no surprise to their future. Like mentioned, Villain is most definitely a story for the fans that wanted just a little more of Henry and Nadia. I think it does the job well enough. Hero just holds that different more emotional spot in my heart.
I feel like Villain was written for the fans. I'm pretty sure all of us wanted more of Henry and to get the real story of his and Nadia's romance. And here we are. Like most of Samantha's romance stories, it's messy at times. There's some sort of redemption. A misunderstanding. A hot alpha male type. Villain definitely fits the mold. There was certainly more to Nadia than most of us guessed in Hero. She's taken the on air news world by storm. Risen in popularity has clearly made her uncomfortable. Nadia's boss is a pig that wants her keep on moving up. She's put in a really tough position. Which leads to her and Henry not meeting on the best of terms. Trust is an issue there.
Like all tragic romances there's a past and secrets that can get in the way. But hey, if you've read Hero(which why haven't you?), there's no surprise to their future. Like mentioned, Villain is most definitely a story for the fans that wanted just a little more of Henry and Nadia. I think it does the job well enough. Hero just holds that different more emotional spot in my heart.
Happy reading!
Brittany
Brittany
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