Clara’s Verdict
Rina Kent does not write safe books. Kiss the Villain, the first entry in her Villain series and a standalone set within the broader Legacy of Gods universe, is a dark MM romance that commits fully to its premise – and its premise involves a professor, a law student, a shared secret, and a level of mutual toxicity that would give any sensible person pause. It is also, to be clear, enormously compelling. At 14 hours and 26 minutes, narrated by Stephen Dexter, this is a substantial audiobook that earns every minute of its runtime.
Kent has built a reputation on morally complicated romance, and this novel consolidates it. Rated 4.4 out of 5 from 20 listeners, the response reflects genuine enthusiasm from readers who came prepared for the content warnings and found the execution more than matched the premise. If you are new to dark romance or dark MM specifically, this is not the entry point – but for readers who know the genre, this is one of its more accomplished recent offerings.
About the Audiobook
Kiss the Villain is set in Elites University, the world of the Legacy of Gods series, and follows Gareth Carson – law student, heir to a significant empire, and golden boy whose carefully constructed exterior conceals a wilder, darker interior. One night of poor decisions leaves him with a secret he cannot afford to have exposed, until the man who holds that secret walks into his classroom as his new professor: Kayden Lockwood, criminal defence lawyer turned criminal law teacher.
The power dynamic here is layered and deliberately uncomfortable: professor and student, blackmailer and blackmailed, two men discovering their own sexuality in the context of a relationship defined by coercion and mutual leverage. Kent is not interested in tidying this up or softening the edges. The tension between Gareth and Kayden is electric precisely because neither character behaves well, and neither expects the other to.
What distinguishes this from lesser entries in the genre is the character depth. Gareth in particular is rendered with considerable complexity: his performative golden-boy persona, his barely contained rage, and his gradual emotional unravelling as Kayden refuses to stay in the role Gareth has assigned him. The dual POV structure – unusual for a Kent novel – allows readers to understand both men simultaneously, which gives the relationship a psychological richness that single-perspective narration could not achieve.
Content warnings are significant and are listed on the author’s website. Read these before starting.
The Narration
Stephen Dexter handles both narrative perspectives across 14 hours, and the performance is strong. The tonal shifts required – from the controlled, calculated voice of Kayden to the more volatile, emotionally charged perspective of Gareth – are handled with clear differentiation. Dark romance lives or dies on the narrator’s ability to sell tension and chemistry, and Dexter delivers both.
The longer runtime benefits from a narrator who can sustain energy without letting intensity become monotony, and Dexter manages this well. The audiobook format works particularly effectively for Kent’s writing style, which relies heavily on internal monologue and rapid tonal shifts.
What Readers Say
Rated 4.4 out of 5 from 20 listener ratings. Reader responses are notably engaged and specific – this is a readership that knows what it wants and takes pleasure in evaluating whether it received it.
“Gareth and Kayden’s story completely consumed me,” wrote one UK reviewer. “Both characters were toxic, obsessed, possessive, and filled with longing and angst. The chemistry between them was palpable.” Another described it as one of the “darkest books of the second generation” of the Legacy of Gods world – high praise from a reader embedded in the series.
The more measured responses are interesting too. One listener noted feeling that Gareth “put all the work” in the relationship and felt Kayden was underdeveloped by comparison. Another found it “not a patch on God of Fury” – which sets a considerable benchmark. These are the kinds of reviews that suggest a genuinely engaged readership rather than casual passers-by.
Who Should Listen?
Readers already familiar with Rina Kent’s work and the Legacy of Gods universe will find this a natural, rewarding addition. For those new to the series, it functions as a standalone, but the emotional payoff is greater with context. Dark MM romance readers specifically – those who have enjoyed Kent’s God of Fury, or authors like Onley James and Devney Perry – will find this squarely in their wheelhouse.
As noted: content warnings are significant. Visit the author’s website before beginning.
Available on Audible UK. Also check Kobo and Scribd.
