The Boys of Clermont Bay · 2021
The Touch of a VillainSpice level, tropes & is it dark romance?
by Holly Renee
Spice 3/5 (Hot) · Darkness 4/5 (Pitch) · No trigger warnings flagged
The Touch of a Villain is book 1 of The Boys of Clermont Bay by Holly Renee. It came out in 2021. The lane here is enemies to lovers. Spice is open door (3 of 5) and the darkness is pitch dark (4 of 5). We could not find the author's own warning list yet, so check it before you start. This note is ours. It is not a publisher blurb.
First published: 18 March 2021 (first publication, per Goodreads). Book 1 of The Boys of Clermont Bay.
The Touch of a Villain tropes
On this shelf, The Touch of a Villain is filed under Enemies to lovers. Each tag opens more books with that trope.
The Touch of a Villain spice level
Is The Touch of a Villain dark romance?
Yes, firmly. The Touch of a Villain scores 4 of 5 on our darkness scale (Pitch).
Spice and darkness are separate scores. More pitch books. How we rate.
The Touch of a Villain trigger warnings
Warnings not yet verified. We could not find the author's own content warning list for this book, so the flags here are only what the publisher's description makes clear. Check the author's note before you start.
Graphic (0) — open before you read
Open this before you read. These are the flags most likely to be a hard stop.
None flagged in this band.
Moderate (0)
Harm, control, or obsession that is common in this lane.
None flagged in this band.
Minor (0)
Present, and usually not the reason someone puts the book down.
None flagged in this band.
Full The Touch of a Villain trigger warnings
The Boys of Clermont Bay reading order
The Touch of a Villain is book 1 of 1 in Holly Renee's The Boys of Clermont Bay series. Start here.
- Book 1 The Touch of a Villain (this book) · 2021
Order checked against the Goodreads The Boys of Clermont Bay series page on 13 October 2026.
Who it's for
Shelf note written for this site. We do not copy reviews or publisher blurbs. Outbound links are search pages, not quoted ratings. Kindle Unlimited and endings are only flagged when we were willing to mark them. How we rate.
Missing a book? Suggest it.
Books like The Touch of a Villain
Matched on shared tropes, then the closest spice and darkness scores. Other books in the same series are listed above, not here.
- All the Little Lies
All the Little Lies
S.J. Sylvis
Spice ●●●○○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Enemies to lovers
- Bad Boy Blues
Bad Boy Blues
Saffron A. Kent
Spice ●●●○○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Enemies to lovers
- Bad Habit
Bad Habit
Charleigh Rose
Spice ●●●○○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Enemies to lovers
- Ruthless Knight
Ruthless Knight
Ashley Jade
Spice ●●●○○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Enemies to lovers
- The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Amelia Wilde
Spice ●●●○○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Enemies to lovers
- The Peer and the Puppet
The Peer and the Puppet
B. B. Reid
Spice ●●●○○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Enemies to lovers
- Truly
Truly
Carmel Rhodes
Spice ●●●○○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Enemies to lovers
- Until You
Until You
Penelope Douglas
Spice ●●●○○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Enemies to lovers
Books like The Touch of a Villain, with a reason for each
Questions readers actually ask
What is the spice level of The Touch of a Villain?
The Touch of a Villain spice level is 3 of 5 (Hot). Open door. The scene stays. Darkness is a separate score: 4 of 5 (Pitch).
What are the The Touch of a Villain trigger warnings?
Graphic: none flagged. Moderate: none flagged. Minor: none flagged. Warnings not yet verified against the author's own list. Check it before you start.
Is The Touch of a Villain dark romance?
Yes, firmly. The Touch of a Villain scores 4 of 5 on our darkness scale (Pitch). Bleak on purpose. Comfort is not the job.
What tropes are in The Touch of a Villain?
On this shelf The Touch of a Villain is filed under Enemies to lovers.
Who is The Touch of a Villain for?
For a reader who wants hate that tips over into wanting. Spice is hot. Darkness is pitch. Warnings are not yet verified, so check the author's note first.
What are some books like The Touch of a Villain?
Matched on shared tropes and similar spice and darkness: All the Little Lies by S.J. Sylvis; Bad Boy Blues by Saffron A. Kent; Bad Habit by Charleigh Rose; Ruthless Knight by Ashley Jade; The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by Amelia Wilde; The Peer and the Puppet by B. B. Reid. More read-alikes, each with a reason, are on zademasked.com/like/the-touch-of-a-villain.
Is The Touch of a Villain a standalone?
No. The Touch of a Villain is book 1 of 1 in the The Boys of Clermont Bay series by Holly Renee.
What order should I read the The Boys of Clermont Bay series in?
1. The Touch of a Villain.
How many books are in the The Boys of Clermont Bay series?
The The Boys of Clermont Bay series by Holly Renee has 1 main book.
What is the The Touch of a Villain age rating?
We'd say 18+. Spice sits at 3/5 (hot) and darkness at 4/5 (pitch). That's our recommendation, not an official rating, so read the trigger warnings as well.
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