Lou’s Review: Villains, by Lee Winter

I’m a huge fan of Lee Winter’s writing. Which, in a perverse way, is why it took me so long to get to the Villains books. When I’m confident that a book will be wonderful, I never want to read it until I’m in the right frame of mind to fully appreciate the story. Like Christmas a Lee Winter release generally happens but once a year – even with two dropping in the space of a month, her books demand to be savoured.

And I’m glad that held off with The Fixer and Chaos Agent. Because Eden Lawless and Michelle Hastings were more than worth the wait.

First off, the hook is nothing short of divine. A naïve activist ends up working for high-powered corporate fixers without twigging that her sexy new boss is a supervillain. Eden and Michelle’s relationship is Opposites Attract on steroids. The chemistry, the layers of conflict between them, it’s a delicious dynamic.

Here I have to make a slight confession. In the beginning I wasn’t rooting for Eden and Michelle. Senator Phyllis Kensington threw a spanner in the works. I’m very partial to a morally grey older woman. And the fact Winter compares her to Patty Hewes, played by the glorious Glenn Close… it did things to me. I’m a total Hewesbian. So, I wondered why Michelle would want anybody else when she could have sexytimes with the Senator.

Glenn Close as Patty Hewes. (I rest my case!)

But then it becomes abundantly clear why Phyllis isn’t a desirable option. And why Eden appeals instead. She and Michelle fit, in a weird way. They are better, stronger people together –exactly it should be with romance. And the fact this relationship unfolds over two books makes it believable in spite of Eden’s initial misunderstanding of what the Fixers are. The humour of those moments had me cackling. But they also build incredible dramatic tension. I viscerally felt Michelle’s fear that this wholesome new connection would be crushed the moment Eden realised.

Usually when I read Slow Burns I spend the first half of the book thinking “please, for the love of God, just fuck already.” Spice is my thing. But with the Villains books that delayed payoff enhances the story. The intimacy between Eden and Michelle feels fully earned, and all the more wonderful for it.

I’ll admit to being apprehensive when I heard about Michelle Hastings being a heroine in this story. Having devoured On the Record and fallen completely in love with Catherine Ayers, I couldn’t imagine rooting for the woman responsible for her downfall. Michelle’s betrayal is one of the most devastating things Catherine has ever survived. And reading Under Your Skin, I couldn’t help but think of that Sir Chloe song: “Michelle, Michelle, you are a monster from hell.”

But nobody does Ice Queens quite like Lee Winter. Michelle’s self-loathing, the vulnerability beneath her frosty exterior, make it impossible not to ache for her. I didn’t entirely buy the redemption arc, and – though spectacular – I don’t think the ending comes close to absolving her. Feeling guilty for your actions is not the same as accepting full accountability.

That being said, both Villains books are tremendous. Smart, entertaining, and dizzyingly well-plotted. All the romance writing advice tells new authors to read widely within our tropes – for me, that’s Opposites Attract and Age Gap. And to me Winter’s writing represents the very best possibilities within sapphic romance. She’s part of the canon I’m writing towards, which is the highest praise I have to offer.