Boston Belles · 2020
The VillainSpice level, tropes & is it dark romance?
by L.J. Shen
Spice 4/5 (Explicit) · Darkness 3/5 (Dark) · 6 trigger warnings flagged · Series: Boston Belles, book 2 of 4
The Villain is book 2 of Boston Belles by L.J. Shen, first out in 2020. Expect arranged marriage, enemies to lovers and hades and persephone. Spice is explicit (4 of 5) and the darkness is dark, but there is light (3 of 5). We took the warnings from the Trigger Warning Database, a reader-run list. This note is ours. It is not a publisher blurb.
First published: 16 December 2020 (first publication, per Goodreads). Book 2 of Boston Belles.
The Villain tropes
On this shelf, The Villain is filed under Arranged marriage, Enemies to lovers and Hades and Persephone. Each tag opens more books with that trope.
The Villain spice level
Is The Villain dark romance?
Yes. The Villain scores 3 of 5 on our darkness scale (Dark).
Spice and darkness are separate scores. More dark books. How we rate.
The Villain trigger warnings
Book-specific flags taken from the Trigger Warning Database, a reader-run list, grouped by us. Also on that list: serious illness, domestic abuse, child abuse. See the reader-submitted list.
Graphic (2) — open before you read
Open this before you read. These are the flags most likely to be a hard stop.
Moderate (4)
Harm, control, or obsession that is common in this lane.
Minor (0)
Present, and usually not the reason someone puts the book down.
None flagged in this band.
Full The Villain trigger warnings
Boston Belles reading order
The Villain is book 2 of 4 in L.J. Shen's Boston Belles series. Start with The Hunter.
- Book 1 The Hunter · 2020
- Book 2 The Villain (this book)
- Book 3 The Monster · 2021
- Book 4 The Rake · 2022 not on our shelf yet
Order checked against the Goodreads Boston Belles series page on 9 October 2026. The Boston Belles series in order.
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 Villain
Matched on shared tropes, then the closest spice and darkness scores. Other books in the same series are listed above, not here.
- The Marriage Contract
The Marriage Contract
Katee Robert
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●○○
Shared: Arranged marriage, Enemies to lovers
- Girl in Black and White
Girl in Black and White
Danielle Lori
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●○○
Shared: Arranged marriage, Enemies to lovers
- The Darkest Temptation
The Darkest Temptation
Danielle Lori
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●○○
Shared: Arranged marriage, Enemies to lovers
- The Poison Daughter
The Poison Daughter
Sheila Masterson
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●○○
Shared: Arranged marriage, Enemies to lovers
- Amid Clouds and Bones
Amid Clouds and Bones
Ella Fields
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●○○
Shared: Arranged marriage, Enemies to lovers
- Dangerous Innocence
Dangerous Innocence
Cora Reilly
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Arranged marriage, Enemies to lovers
- Anastasia
Anastasia
Sophie Lark
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Arranged marriage, Enemies to lovers
- Bloody Heart
Bloody Heart
Sophie Lark
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Arranged marriage, Enemies to lovers
Books like The Villain, with a reason for each
Questions readers actually ask
What is the spice level of The Villain?
The Villain spice level is 4 of 5 (Explicit). On-page sex, clearly written. Darkness is a separate score: 3 of 5 (Dark).
What are the The Villain trigger warnings?
Graphic: Sexual assault, Torture. Moderate: Violence, Abuse, Blackmail, Obsession. Minor: none flagged. These are book-specific flags reported by readers on the Trigger Warning Database, a reader-run list, grouped by us. The author's own note may list more. Read it before you start.
Is The Villain dark romance?
Yes. The Villain scores 3 of 5 on our darkness scale (Dark). Harm is part of the romance, not a footnote.
What tropes are in The Villain?
On this shelf The Villain is filed under Arranged marriage, Enemies to lovers and Hades and Persephone.
Who is The Villain for?
For a reader who wants a marriage nobody asked for. Spice is explicit. Darkness is dark. Read the warnings on this page before you start.
What are some books like The Villain?
Matched on shared tropes and similar spice and darkness: The Marriage Contract by Katee Robert; Girl in Black and White by Danielle Lori; The Darkest Temptation by Danielle Lori; The Poison Daughter by Sheila Masterson; Amid Clouds and Bones by Ella Fields; Dangerous Innocence by Cora Reilly. More read-alikes, each with a reason, are on zademasked.com/like/the-villain.
Is The Villain a standalone?
No. The Villain is book 2 of 4 in the Boston Belles series by L.J. Shen. The series starts with The Hunter.
What order should I read the Boston Belles series in?
1. The Hunter; 2. The Villain; 3. The Monster; 4. The Rake.
How many books are in the Boston Belles series?
The Boston Belles series by L.J. Shen has 4 main books.
What is the The Villain age rating?
We'd say 18+. Spice sits at 4/5 (explicit) and darkness at 3/5 (dark). That's our recommendation, not an official rating, so read the trigger warnings as well.
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