The Villain
by L.J. Shen
Persephone is broke, divorced and in debt to dangerous people. Cillian Fitzpatrick, the coldest billionaire in Boston, offers to make the problem go away if she marries him. He does not do feelings.
- Spice
- 4/5
- Burn
- Medium
- Pages
- ~400
- Ending
- HEA
HEA means happily ever after: they end up together, for good.
How spicy is The Villain?
The Villain is a 4 out of 5 on our spice scale: spicy (explicit). Explicit, detailed scenes and several of them. The famous "perfect 4": real plot, real smut. Spice starts around the middle.
- Steam: Explicit open door
- Burn: Medium burn
- When: Spice starts around the middle
- Pairing: One man, one woman
- POV: First person, dual POV (both leads)
- Ending: Happily ever after
Content warnings
Some readers like to go in blind, so these stay hidden until you tap.
Show 4 content warnings
- Child abuse (past or present)
- Manipulation / gaslighting
- Torture
- Serious or terminal illness
Our editorial notes, which may be incomplete. If something is a hard limit for you, check the author's own content notes too.
What readers say
Loading reader votes…
Read it? How spicy was it?
Tap a level to vote. Tap it again to take your vote back.
Spot a content warning we missed?
Tick anything the book has. Once a few readers report the same thing, it is added to this book's content warnings (still behind a tap) and to the hard-no filters.
Reader reviews
- Loading reviews…
Reviews and votes are from readers, not us. Community rules.
Tropes & tags
Tropes
Love interest
Subgenre
Your next read
If you liked The Villain
More by L.J. Shen
The Villain: quick answers
How spicy is The Villain?
The Villain is a 4 out of 5 on our spice scale: spicy (explicit). Explicit, detailed scenes and several of them. The famous "perfect 4": real plot, real smut. Spice starts around the middle.
Is The Villain a standalone?
No. The Villain is book 2 of 4 in Boston Belles. Start with The Villain. The series is complete.
What tropes are in The Villain?
The Villain features marriage of convenience, billionaire, grumpy hero, morally grey mmc. It is a medium burn M/F romance that ends with a happily ever after.
Does The Villain have content warnings?
Our notes for The Villain include: child abuse (past or present), manipulation / gaslighting, torture, serious or terminal illness. This list may not be complete; check the author's own content notes if anything is a hard limit for you.
What should I read after The Villain?
If you loved The Villain, try Vicious by L.J. Shen, Twisted Love by Ana Huang, A Not So Meet Cute by Meghan Quinn. They share its marriage of convenience and billionaire energy at a similar spice level.

















