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Cover of Wretched (Never After, #3)

Wretched (Never After, #3)

by Emily McIntire

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️explicit·Never After #3
3.5 on MoodReads (2 ratings)3.8 on Goodreads (149,584)

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Ending

reveal ending

Why Read This?The one-sentence sell. What do you get for showing up to this book, even when it's hard?

You'll experience intense, taboo chemistry and a morally gray love story that delivers on dark promises.

Synopsis

From international bestselling author, Emily McIntire, comes a dark and delicious fractured fairy tale reimagining of The Wizard of Oz. A woman can be great, and terrible too. Evelina Westerly has always been the bad guy. As the brains, brawn, and botanist behind her family's drug empire, she's her father's ruthless secret weapon. With her days divided between perfecting her greenhouse, seeking revenge for her sister's murder, and putting a gun to the head of anyone in her way, Evelina doesn't have time for anything else. Especially not for love. After a one-night stand with a gorgeous man at a nightclub, she's sated her urges and is back to her criminal ways. That is, until that same man shows up as the new Westerly lackey...under a totally different name. But Nicholas Woodsworth's real secret is much more dangerous than an alias. He's an undercover DEA agent, and he's hell-bent on destroying the drug trade that devastated his family. When he realizes the youngest daughter of the Westerly empire is the same woman he's been fantasizing about since that night at the club, attraction wars violently with disgust. Evelina embodies everything he's against, and he's been sent here to be her downfall. Yet the more they learn about the darkness in each other's hearts, the more alike they seem, and when hatred turns to something more, Nicholas will have to decide whether he can love a wretched woman, even if it means bringing both of their lives to ruin. Wretched is a dark, contemporary romance and the third complete standalone in The Never After Series: A collection of fractured fairy tales inspired by our favorite villains. It is not fantasy and it is not a retelling. Reader discretion is advised. For all content warnings check the author's website.

book details below may contain spoilers. some hidden

At a Glance

Evelina is the villain here—ruthless drug empire botanist who poisons people with poppies and quotes Shakespeare while doing it. Nicholas goes undercover DEA to bring her family down and accidentally falls for the most dangerous woman in the operation. McIntire flips the script on who the morally gray one is, and the Wizard of Oz parallels are wickedly fun.

trope onetrope twotrope threetrope four

Book Details

spoiler protected·tap tags to reveal

Goodreads RatingThe crowd's verdict. Take it with salt, though. Some masterpieces are polarizing.

3.83 ★ (149.6k)

Page CountHow long the commitment is.

282 pages

PublishedWhen this hit shelves. Helpful for tracking vibes by era.

2022

Primary GenreWhat type of book this is. Romance? Fantasy? A 400-page therapy session disguised as a thriller?

Dark Romance

PairingWho's falling in love? The gender makeup of your main romance. Helps you find your specific flavor of love story.

M/F

POVWhose head are you in? First person = deep in the feels. Third = watching from above. Dual = emotional whiplash (affectionate).

Dual POV

Romance PacingHow long until they kiss? Slow burn = 300 pages of tension. Insta-love = page 12 and it's already chaos.

Medium Burn

AudiobookCan you experience this book while driving? Washing dishes? Working out while emotionally destroyed? Check here.

AvailableCan you experience this book while driving? Washing dishes? Working out while emotionally destroyed? Check here.

Yes

FormatHow fancy is the audio? Standard = one narrator. Full cast = theater kids went off. GraphicAudio = a MoViE iN yOuR mInD.

GraphicAudio (full Cast + SFX)

NarratorThe voice in your ears.

GraphicAudio Full Cast

Narrator Count

Full Cast

TropesPlot devices and story situations that drive the romance. These are the circumstances that throw characters together or create conflict, not how they personally relate.

spoiler protected·tap tags to reveal
enemies to loversdark romanceforced proximityhidden identityhidden past revealedsecret relationshipforbidden lovecaptive romancevillain gets the girl
RomanceMagicActionAngstWorld
Theme Constellation

Mood & Vibe

MoodWhat you felt reading this. Swoony? Gutted? Deliciously unhinged? The emotional fingerprint.

darkintensedangerousseductivetensesuspenseful

Writing StyleHow the author writes - prose style, dialogue approach, and narrative voice. This is about craft and delivery, not emotional effect.

darkedgypunchyatmosphericbanter-heavy

Story PacingDoes the story sprint or saunter? Fast = you'll miss sleep. Slow = you'll savor every word. Medium = balanced chaos.

fast

Emotional WeightHow much are you gonna cry? Light = fun feels. Moderate = real stakes. Heavy = bring tissues. Devastating = call your therapist.

heavy

Energy RequiredCan you read this on a Tuesday after work, or do you need a full Saturday and three cups of coffee? Low/Medium/High.

high

VibesOne perfect sentence that captures the essence. Like: 'Fae politics meets forbidden romance with zero chill.'

morally complexforbidden desire

Characters

spoiler protected·tap tags to reveal

FMC ArchetypeWho is she? The female main character's core identity/role. Assassin? Healer? General Badass?

morally gray FMCgeneral badassferal/unhingedambitious schemer

MMC ArchetypeWho is he? The male main character's core identity/role. Your exact flavor of book boyfriend.

secretly softmorally gray MMCprotective love interestspy/assassin

Relationship DynamicsThe interpersonal dynamic between the main characters. How do they relate to each other? This is about character energy and connection style, not plot situations.

enemies to loversforbidden lovelove/hate tensionpush and pullbetrayal to trustonly soft for them

Spice Details 🌶️

spoiler protected·tap tags to reveal
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Spice Level 5

Spice StyleNot just how much spice, but what kind. Emotional intimacy? Explicit but vanilla? Plot-driven heat? Know your flavor.

dark / taboo stylerough / aggressive styleanimalistic / primal

Getting SteamyGentle kinks. Fun but nothing too crazy. The appetizer, so to speak.

dirty talk (sweet/playful)tensionanticipationwall pinningeye contact intensitypossessive/protective

Bringing the HeatFor those who know exactly what they came for. This is where you find your exact brand of chaos. The good stuff.

rough/aggressive intimacypossessivedominancechoking/breath playdegradation (light)bondage/restraintmarkingclaiming
Browse more books by spice level →
This stuff might hit different. No shame in needing to know what's coming. (10)▼
spoiler protected·tap tags to reveal
sexual assaultgraphic violencemurderchildhood traumakidnappingtorturedrug usedubious consentstalkingorganized crime
Browse books by content warning →

World & Setting

spoiler protected·tap tags to reveal

World TypeWhat kind of world are you stepping into? High fantasy = full secondary world. Urban fantasy = magic in modern cities. Portal = starts here, goes there.

contemporary

Primary SettingWhere does the story physically take place? Court intrigue = palace. Dark academia = campus. Cozy witch vibes = small town. This is about location, not world rules.

temple / church / monasterybig city / metropolis

Fantasy CreaturesWhat supernatural beings populate this world? Fae courts, vampire covens, dragon riders, or just regular humans doing their best.

humans only

Reading Context

spoiler protected·tap tags to reveal

Emotional PayoffWhat you get for showing up. The catharsis, the growth, the 'I'm a different person now' moment. This is why the hard books are worth it.

the angst deliveredferal brain activatedobsessedaddictive read

Best Time of YearSeasonal mood rings for books. Summer romance reads different than winter gothic.

autumn

When & Where to ReadContext matters. Some books are Beach Trip energy, others are 3am Bedtime spiral-reads. Trust.

at nightcan't sleep

Never After

Hooked (Never After, #1)

#1 Hooked (Never After, #1)

Scarred (Never After, #2)

#2 Scarred (Never After, #2)

Wretched (Never After, #3)

#3 Wretched (Never After, #3)

Twisted (Never After, #4)

#4 Twisted (Never After, #4)

Crossed (Never After, #5)

#5 Crossed (Never After, #5)

Hexed

#6 Hexed

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Quick Facts

Spice LevelThe heat scale. 0=wholesome, 1=kisses, 2=fade-to-black, 3=tasteful spice, 4=explicit, 5=you need a cold shower. Know thyself.🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️explicit
PagesHow long the commitment is.282
PublishedWhen this hit shelves. Helpful for tracking vibes by era.2022
GoodreadsThe crowd's verdict. Take it with salt, though. Some masterpieces are polarizing.3.83 ★ (149.6k)
EndingEnding type: HEA = forever happy (you'll cry happy). HFN = happy for now (open to interpretation). Bittersweet = complicated feelings. Know what you're signing up for.reveal ending

SeriesThe series this book belongs to and where it falls in the reading order.

Never After #3
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