Review: V is for Villainous by Danielle Allen
V is for Villainous by Danielle Allen on July 30, 2019
Genres: African American, Romance, Mystery, Suspense
Pages: 263
Format: ARC
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It wasn’t just the fact that it was a secret society at Hamilton University. It was also that their presence could be felt in every event, project, and donation on campus. Everything they touched reeked of wealth, power, and success.
But for me, it was the garden V planted and maintained to feed the homeless and the hungry that captured my heart and left me a supporter of the mysterious organization. Even without knowing all the details, it was clear to me that being a member of V was a game changer.
So when I was selected, I was floored.
But had I known the things I’d have to do, the people I’d have to hurt, the lies I’d have to tell, I would’ve declined. Or at least, that’s what I tell myself so I can sleep at night. People always want to know what V stands for. For me, V stands for villainous.
I’m not the hero of this story. I’m the villain.
And that’ll haunt me for the rest of my life.
There’s a secret society on Hamilton University’s campus. A secret in the sense that most know about their existence through their community efforts on campus but no one knows who’s in it, what they do or how they came to be. Well, that is unless you are one of the chosen few.
In Danielle Allen’s V is for Villainous, we are introduced to the V Society and the five women who are chosen to be a part of the organization this senior year. This story focuses on Michaela Jones, she’s a hard-working undergrad student solely focused on her work and getting into Yale for law school. When we first meet her, she is breaking up with her boyfriend, though we get the sense that it isn’t something she voluntarily wanted to do.
Fast forward almost two years and Michaela is invited to join V after attending a party. She’s intrigued and wants to join. Any organization that can promise you great mentors, opportunities, cash and job leads after law school is something worth looking into, right? All of those things come with a price and there’s a mission to complete to fully become a part of V. As Michaela learns more about what she has to do and what she’s really gotten herself into, she’s forced to make some hard decisions.
Enter Nathan Phillips. A guy who is sweet, attentive and handsome. In her words, he makes everything better and is exactly what she needs. However, he is intricately tied to her assignment and that makes it tricky when she falls in love with him. She begins to feel guilty when she has to leverage her relationship to find out certain pertinent details. How far is Michaela willing to go to get the life she’s longed for? Is she willing to give up on love?
I liked Michaela a lot and not just because she shares the name of one of my favorite characters on the ABC show, How To Get Away With Murder. She’s not all good and not all bad. There are shades of grey to her even when she doesn’t want to admit it, very similar to the organization she has now pledged herself to. Nathan made a great observation of her when they first started to get to know each other. “I thought you were one of the most beautiful and closed off women I’d ever seen. Like artwork in a glass case at the museum. You can look at it and admire its beauty, but you can’t ever get too close. ” I don’t think he realized just how true that last line was going to be in their relationship.
The secondary characters were solid, I want to know more about every one of them. Most of them weren’t on the page for too long but they left enough of an impression to where I am curious. There are the other girls in Michaela’s class, her roommate, Nathan, and not to mention the ex-boyfriend who I hope she lets go of because he’s annoying LOL.
I said a lot without saying much, didn’t I? Haha. There’s a shroud of mystery around this story, and series, that you have to read for yourself. Everything’s complicated in V is for Villainous and that’s what makes the story even better. You all know I love a little suspense and mystery in my romance novels.
This story does end on a cliffhanger, not just with the whole V society but with Michaela and her love life as well. There are some interesting things at play here and I’m intrigued to find out what happens next.
V is for Vicious is out now, the second book in this series, off I go to read more of this story!
Natalya is the author of All The Things I Never Said, a soul-stirring collection of short stories, prose and love letters for the soulful wanderers, the brokenhearted and the hopeless romantics.
You can follow her rantings and occasional sparks of brilliance on Twitter @NatalyaMuncuff.
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