Okay, I've never been this obsessed with something as I am with Kiss the Villain by Rina Kent, that will be released on the 20th of March, which feels like an eternity.
I'm so obsessed with this book that I spend all my time on TikTok watching videos about Gareth and Kayden. Every day, after I've gone through all the videos, I find myself reading the comments to feed my delusional mind. Â
They've been living in my head rent-free, and I can't wait for Rina to start sharing their trailer. Every night before bed, I canât help but think about themâtheir scenes, the dynamics, how Kayden and Gareth will interact. Â
Since there's three months left until the actual release date, I'm gonna share my thoughts on GOR and GOF, the only books where we got glimpses of Kayden and Gareth. This has awakened the detective in me (though donât take me seriouslyâIâm not a great one. I just enjoy analyzing and thinking about things when Iâm bored.)
To be honest, Kayden intrigues me the most. The mystery surrounding him is captivating. I think thatâs why Iâm so obsessed with him. Normally, Iâm not a fan of dark romance or dirty talk, but I loved GOF, and now Iâm completely obsessed with a book that wonât even come out for three months.Â
So here I am, having nothing better to do than this. Letâs begin with Kaydenâthe guy we know so little about, except that he joined TKU this year as a criminal law teacher. Heâs skilled at chess, mentally strong, calm and solemn. His first appearance was in GOR ( I think ) during the chess game with Mia, where he won. A few points about that scene really caught my interest:Â Â
1. How he was less welcoming toward Landon compared to Mia. Â
2. How quickly his demeanor shifted when Mia tried to outsmart him using treacherous techniques. He explained why she lost with such expressionless coldnessâit gave off the vibe of an honorable man who values justice. (I donât why.)Â Â
3. Who was he texting? Why was he so focused on his phone? It happened more than once, his eyes were either on the game or his phone, like he was messaging someone. Was it Gareth? Imagine if he was texting Gareth while playing chess with Mia.
4. How Mia felt like she had seen him before. Is Kayden related to the mafia or her family?
I also think Kaydenâs story with Gareth began before GOR. His reaction when Mia asked if he knew her cousin Gareth was intriguing. He awkwardly replied, âCould be,â after Frank commented that Kayden couldnât possibly know all the students. Kaydenâs responseââYouâd be surprisedââfelt like a hint.
Then Kayden asked Mia about Gareth. Why say you donât know someone and then ask about them, only to smirk when you hear the answer? His behavior is so contradictory. Iâm convinced he already had an interest in Gareth, and something was happening behind the scenes. Â
Kayden is far from an ordinary teacher. No regular professor would be this muscular, have a powerful mindset, or be unbothered by intimidating figures like Landon or Nikolai. Nikolai alone could scare anyone with just a look. I feel like Kayden is connected to the mafia or militaryâjust a theory, but Iâm convinced he has a dark secret. Â
Now, our golden boy Gareth. I havenât read GOM, (don't judge me.) so I only know him through GOF.
Letâs talk about his interactions with Nikolai, because thereâs so much to unpack. Â
First, Iâm 100% sure Gareth and Kayden had something going onâwhether it was a kiss, a hookup, or something else. Garethâs reaction when Nikolai asked if he was attracted to women only because of societal expectations was so telling. He immediately stood up and asked, âWhat did you hear?â Thatâs the response of someone whoâs done something he's worried about being exposed. He litterally spilled the tea without even asking. I loved that moment especially how Gareth wasn't able to hide feelings and expression.
My favorite moment was when Nikolai asked if Gareth was attracted to men. Garethâs eyes practically sparkled like a tropical forest, as he replied, âI donât know, could be.â The phrase âcould beâ reminds me of Kaydenâare they sharing lines now? At that point. Gareth was clearly smitten with his hot, sexy criminal law professor. Â
Another iconic moment was when Nikolai caught Gareth stalking a Mercedes while using his bodyguardâs car. Donât tell me Gareth went through all that trouble just to stalk a random car. It was obviously Kaydenâs car. And of course Kayden, being as sharp as he is, would have noticed. It was him, I'm sure of it. I can't wait to read about that moment in Gareth perceptive.
Then thereâs the alley scene where Kayden cornered Gareth, and Nikolai interrupted them. This was the ultimate proof of their relationship. What did Gareth say or do to piss Kayden off so much that he shoved him against the wall and told him to âShut the fuck up?â
Kaydenâs possessiveness was on full display when Nikolai intervened. The way he tightened his grip on Gareth and his face turned murderous when Nikolai told him to back off.
Gareth calling Kayden "Sir.â Dude is this a hint of you being a bottom? Just asking. I'm not judging, I swear.
Kayden was pissed by Niko's interruption of their little lover fight, how he narrowed his eyes on Niko and looked at Gareth up and down and said the infamous ââWe are not done, Carson. I expect you in my office tomorrow morningââwas dripping with tension. We all know that âoffice meetingâ isnât going to be a normal discussion. For some reasons I feel sorry for Gareth.
Letâs not forget how Gareth tried to brush it off as a typical student/professor disagreement. Really, Gareth? Even Nikolai didnât buy it. He instantly knew that Kayden was the man Gareth had been talking aboutâthe only man he was attracted to. Â
It was so sweet how Nikolai was supportive of Garethâs choices, but not before making sure his cousin was okay. What surprised me more was Garethâs inability to handle Kaydenâs anger. No I misspelled it âhow he didnât do anything when Kayden cornered him. He just stood there, his hands on his collar. Even Nikolai noticed how poorly Gareth handled the situation. (Sub behavior, 2.0)Â Â
Gareth gives off the vibe of someone in denial. He openly says he hates Nikolai's dick pictures, he sends in their group chat but has Kayden as a lover? Come on, Gareth. Heâs like those people who loudly hate something but secretly love it. He always makes a big deal about Nikolaiâs behaviorânot negatively, but compared to Killian and Jeremy, who donât mind and just go along with it. It's like he's trying to remind himself and show the others how much he hates it, when it's just a coping mechanism.
According to Rinaâs latest updates, Kiss the Villain will be darker than GOF, and she said she feels consumed by their chemistry. Rina described Kayden as an outsider, and mentioned that his story with Gareth will be different from the others. I wonder in what point?
Iâve been wondering who the âvillainâ might be, but I really think itâs Kayden. Rina herself described him as a âbad boy,â and with his anger issues and incredible psychological control, it makes sense. Gareth is the golden boyâthe kind of person who does his homework the moment he gets home from university. (Though I bet the homework he was doing in GOF was for Kaydenâs class.) That doesnât mean Gareth is innocent, though. Heâs Killianâs older brother and Asherâs sonâhe even got the stalking genes. Â
I really think Kayden is the dominant one in their relationship. Mia described him as muscular, and Nikolai said heâs larger than Gareth. Add his personality and behaviour, and I can easily picture it. Like, imagine Kayden making Gareth kneel to give him a blowjob.
Kayden strikes me as the type of man who would love to tarnish Garethâs golden boy image. He seems like a dominant person who enjoys control. I also think that Gareth is a complete sub for Kayden, I don't why. Like he would do anything to get his approval in the bedroom, receive his praises, and to have Kayden fuck him senseless until he can't walk the next day.
Kiss the Villain will definitely be different from GOF. Nikolai was more open about his sexuality, whereas Bran was traumatized and struggled to accept his feelings and sexuality. In this spin-off, I think Gareth will have a similar issueâstruggling to accept that heâs gay or bi. As for Kayden, thatâs harder to guess. Heâs so calm and unreadable. Â
But just like Gareth, I think Kayden has only fucked women. Gareth might be his first man. I canât imagine Kayden being as open as Nikolai. Even if heâs been with men before, I doubt heâd brag about it. Or maybe heâs more like Killian and just enjoys having complete control over his partners not matter their gender.
Another thingâI donât think Kayden will be as gentle as Nikolai was with Bran. I picture Kayden as someone who wouldnât care about hurting Gareth at the start of their relationship. There will probably be a lot of angstâa lot of it. Neither of them seems like the type to easily accept the chemistry they share. Â
I think I spoke about everything, if there's anything else please tell me. I really want to share my enthusiasm with someone and wild ideas that dominates my head. I can't wait for the news that Rina will share with us.