10 Romance Books Where the Villain Deserves the Love Story More Than the Hero (Picture Credit – Instagram)
Some characters steal scenes; others steal hearts, especially when they shouldn’t. There’s something deliciously irresistible about villains who burn too bright and love too hard. These aren’t one-note monsters; they’re complex, magnetic forces who fight, fall, and fracture for love. In these ten fantasy novels, the villains don’t just deserve the love story—they make you wonder why they weren’t the hero to begin with. Power is tempting, but passion in the wrong hands? Devastating.
1. These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
In Chloe Gong’s reimagining of Romeo and Juliet, Juliette Cai isn’t the true villain—Paul is. The madness spreading through 1920s Shanghai sets the stage for monsters, both real and metaphorical. Paul’s cold ambition and relentless devotion to a cause make him the perfect foil. You know he’s wrong for Juliette, but you also see the burn of longing in his calculated moves. He doesn’t get the girl, but he commands attention in every devastating, self-destructive moment.
These Violent Delights (Picture Credit – Instagram)
2. The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller
Who says the villain doesn’t deserve the crown and the kiss? In Tricia Levenseller’s standalone, Alessandra wants power and isn’t afraid to kill for it. When she meets the Shadow King, who’s just as dangerous, it’s not love at first sight—it’s strategy. Yet their dynamic hums with tension and equal footing. The villainy here is mutual, but it’s the Shadow King’s restraint and darkness that elevate him. He doesn’t just get the girl—he earns her respect, devotion, and heart.
3. Vicious by V.E. Schwab
Victor Vale isn’t your standard antagonist. In ‘Vicious,’ V.E. Schwab gives us a world where superpowers are born from trauma. Victor isn’t heroic, but he’s precise, purposeful, and strangely gentle beneath the edge. His rivalry with Eli Ever is personal and philosophical, but Victor’s motivations are rooted in loyalty and justice, not vanity. If anyone deserves love in this brutal world, it’s the man who still protects what matters, even when he’s no longer allowed to want it.
4. The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh
The Caliph of Khorasan is a murderer. Or so it seems. In Renée Ahdieh’s ‘The Wrath and the Dawn,’ Khalid is cursed, closed off, and terrifying. But as layers peel back, we see a broken man trying to control his destiny without causing more harm. He’s the villain by title, but the pain behind his eyes tells another story. He loves deeply, silently, and sacrificially, making his yearning feel far more tragic and real than any spotless hero.
5. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Cardan Greenbriar is arrogant, cruel, and too clever for his own good—but he’s never boring. In ‘The Cruel Prince,’ he torments Jude with the precision of someone who’s both threatened and fascinated. Yet beneath the taunts is vulnerability—the mark of someone unloved, manipulated, and aching. Holly Black crafts a villain whose evolution is messy but magnetic. Cardan doesn’t ask for love, yet when it’s offered, he becomes someone who might finally deserve it—and that feels far more earned than any hero’s arc.
The Cruel Prince (Picture Credit – Instagram)
6. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
Rhysand enters Feyre’s story like a storm—dark, dangerous, and utterly misunderstood. In ‘A Court of Mist and Fury,’ he’s painted as a villain, especially after his manipulative debut in the first book. But it’s Rhysand who truly sees Feyre’s broken pieces and helps her rebuild. His love is steady, respectful, and fiercely loyal. While the so-called hero lets her fracture, Rhysand holds her through the storm. His redemption arc proves villains can love better, deeper, and more honestly.
7. The Young Elites by Marie Lu
Adelina Amouteru isn’t just the villain of her story—she’s the protagonist. Marie Lu paints a chilling portrait of a girl consumed by pain and power. ‘The Young Elites’ follows her descent into darkness, but it’s in her relationships that we see sparks of what could have been. Her capacity to love is tangled in fear and fury, yet undeniably real. She doesn’t get the love story she craves—but it’s clear she’s the one who needed it most.
8. Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco
Wrath is one of the Seven Princes of Hell, but he’s also sinfully charming and disarmingly sincere. In ‘Kingdom of the Wicked,’ Emilia’s quest for vengeance entangles her with this demon prince, and sparks fly. What makes Wrath unforgettable isn’t his darkness—it’s the way he wields it in defence of her. He doesn’t try to be good, only good to her. That distinction makes his devotion sear hotter than any noble hero’s promise. He’s villainy done right.
9. Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin
Lou and Reid’s enemies-to-lovers romance gets its bite from Lou’s own moral ambiguity. But it’s the villainous Morgane, Lou’s mother, who haunts the book with chilling charisma. She’s cruel, manipulative, and deeply strategic—but also wounded and sharp with maternal wrath. You hate her, but can’t look away. There’s a twisted logic in her pain, a glimmer of yearning buried under revenge. In another story, Morgane might’ve been the lead, and her love story? A brutal, burning kind of beautiful. 
Serpent & Dove (Picture Credit – Instagram)
10. A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson
Dracula rarely gets his due in love stories—too monstrous, too possessive. But in S.T. Gibson’s gothic retelling, he’s more than a myth. Told from the perspective of one of his brides, ‘A Dowry of Blood’ renders him both intoxicating and terrible. His love is absolute, consuming, and cruelly tender. And yet, through his flaws, you see someone who wants eternity not out of ego, but fear of being alone. It’s villainy wrapped in velvet, and you ache for him.
Heroes may get the spotlight, but villains often get the soul. In these ten books, the so-called antagonists aren’t just more interesting—they’re more vulnerable, more human, and more capable of devastating love. When they fall, it’s not from grace—it’s into someone’s arms, claws and all. Their stories prove that love doesn’t need purity to be powerful. Sometimes, the villain isn’t the one we should fear losing, it’s the one we were already losing before we even noticed.