Kiss the Villain

If you’re into dark romance that doesn’t pull punches, Kiss the Villain is shaping up to be absolutely unmissable. This is the kind of book that’s already generating serious buzz in the romance community, and honestly? The anticipation is completely justified. We’re talking about a 560-page deep dive into an enemies-to-lovers dynamic that promises to be messy, intense, and utterly addictive—and that’s exactly what readers are craving right now.

What’s particularly exciting about this upcoming release is that it’s coming from Rina Kent, a USA Today and #1 Amazon bestselling author who clearly knows how to craft stories that stick with you. If you’ve encountered her work before, you know she doesn’t do surface-level romance. She goes deep into the psychology of her characters, explores power dynamics with nuance, and isn’t afraid to make things complicated. With Kiss the Villain, she’s bringing all of that expertise to a male/male dark college romance, which is a space where she’s already earned serious credibility with readers.

The premise alone is what’s got people talking:

• Kayden and the narrator are locked in this “clash of titans”—not just enemies, but something more sinister and intoxicating
• A dangerous game where the stakes keep getting higher and the line between antagonism and attraction blurs completely
• The fundamental question: can there even be winners in this dynamic?
• Set in a college environment, which grounds the intensity in a world where these characters are still figuring out who they are

What makes this book particularly relevant right now is how it’s positioned within the larger dark romance landscape. There’s been this cultural shift toward narratives that embrace moral complexity, that refuse to sanitize attraction or pretend relationships are simple. Kiss the Villain is set to release right into that conversation, and it’s going to spark discussions about consent, power, vulnerability, and what it means when two people who should be enemies find themselves inexorably drawn to each other.

The real genius of what Kent appears to be crafting here is that Kiss the Villain isn’t just dark for darkness’s sake—it’s exploring legitimate psychological territory about attraction, control, and the spaces where danger and desire intersect.

The thematic elements being woven through this book are genuinely sophisticated:

1. BDSM and power dynamics—explored with the kind of depth that respects both the community and the characters’ emotional journeys
2. Asexual representation—which is still relatively rare in dark romance, making this a meaningful addition to the genre
3. Contemporary college setting—grounding these extraordinary emotions in very real, relatable spaces
4. The enemies-to-lovers arc—but not in a “they just needed to see the real each other” way; more like a slow, painful recognition of connection despite everything

The fact that this is book one of what’s shaping up to be a series (with Hunt the Villain scheduled for March 2026 and Crave the Villain anticipated in 2027) tells you something important: Kent has a vision here that extends beyond just one couple’s story. There’s a broader world being built, a universe of “villains” and complex dynamics that suggest she’s thinking in chapters and arcs rather than just standalone moments.

Look, here’s the thing about waiting for a book like this—it’s the anticipation that builds the community. Readers are already theorizing, already connecting the dots about what Kayden’s deal is, what brought these two together, how they’ll possibly find solid ground. That’s the mark of a genuinely compelling story.

What’s also worth noting is the production value that’s going into this. Coming from Evermore (and with the deluxe editions available through places like Square Books), this isn’t a rushed release. The publisher is treating this like the literary event it’s shaping up to be. A 560-page novel is substantial—this isn’t a quick read. This is a commitment, the kind of book that’s meant to live in your head for weeks after you finish.

The creative vision Kent is bringing to Kiss the Villain feels like it’s addressing a real gap in the market. There’s definitely an audience for dark romance, but there’s an underserved audience for dark romance that takes LGBTQ+ representation seriously, that explores asexuality without tokenism, and that treats complex power dynamics with the psychological sophistication they deserve. This book is clearly positioned to fill that space, and the build-up to its 2025 release suggests readers have been waiting for exactly this.

If you’re someone who loves books that make you uncomfortable in interesting ways, that challenge your assumptions about what romance can be, and that refuse to let their characters off easy—Kiss the Villain is absolutely worth putting on your radar. The fact that it’s not out yet doesn’t diminish its impact; if anything, it makes the wait feel meaningful.