Author: T. L. Smith
Series: Cruel Desires, Book One
Genre: Dark romance
My rating: ★★★☆☆
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️☆
I’d seen Moments of Malevolence marketed as an enemies-to-lovers romance, which immediately caught my attention because it’s one of my favourite tropes. After finishing it though, I’d probably describe it more as a hate-to-love… or maybe even hate-to-dislike relationship. The chemistry is definitely there, but it didn’t quite give me the level of tension I was expecting from a true enemies-to-lovers story.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. I read it quickly, the chapters are short and it was an easy story to get through. It just didn’t become one of my standout reads of the year.
What’s the book about?
Moments of Malevolence follows two characters whose lives become tangled together through rivalry, attraction and plenty of questionable decisions. Their relationship is messy, fiery and full of banter as they constantly clash while trying to figure out whether they want to kill each other… or kiss each other.
What I loved
The pacing in terms of readability was great. The short chapters kept me turning the pages, and I never felt like I was forcing myself to pick the book back up.
There were also some genuinely funny moments that caught me off guard. My favourite scene by far was when she burns his house down, and instead of reacting how you’d expect, he’s basically like, “Guess I’m moving in with you.” That made me laugh and was probably the highlight of the book for me. I wish we’d had more moments like that because the humour really added something to their relationship.
I also think the premise had a lot of potential. The foundations for a really addictive series are definitely there.
What didn’t quite work for me
Where the book fell a little short was the tension.
Everything seemed to happen over the space of just a couple of weeks, which meant there wasn’t much time for the relationship or the plot to really build. I kept waiting for a big twist, confrontation or climactic moment that never quite came. Instead, things seemed to resolve quite quickly, and I finished the book feeling like I’d missed that big emotional payoff.
Because of that, the romance didn’t feel as intense as I’d hoped, especially considering how it had been marketed. I wanted more conflict, more slow-burn tension and a stronger climax before everything came together.
Is it worth reading?
I think so. If you’re after a quick, entertaining dark romance that’s easy to binge, this is worth picking up. The short chapters make it fly by, and there are some fun character moments throughout.
As for the rest of the series… I’m not rushing to continue it. Maybe the later books build on the world and deliver more of the tension I was looking for, but for now I’m happy leaving it here.
My verdict
Moments of Malevolence was an enjoyable, fast-paced read with plenty of chemistry and a few genuinely funny moments. While I liked the characters and thought the storyline had lots of potential, it never quite reached the level of tension or emotional payoff I was hoping for.
It’s a solid read if you’re looking for something dark and easy to binge, but it wasn’t one of my favourites this year.
The Curvy Bookworm 