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Cover of Hexed

Hexed

by Emily McIntire

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️steamy·Never After #6·✓ Series Complete
4.2 on Goodreads (61,235)

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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?

A villain FMC who owns her darkness paired with a mafia prince who falls first—300 pages of slow-burn tension that explodes. The Little Mermaid retelling is creative and the series finale sticks the landing with an exceptional epilogue.

Synopsis

He's the prince of La Cosa Nostra. She's the witch who steals his heart. From USA Today bestselling author Emily McIntire comes a dark and delicious fractured fairytale of The Little Mermaid. Venesa Andersen has never been good. She wasn’t good enough for her parents, and she isn’t good enough for the gangster uncle who took her in after they died. But she’s cunning. Beautiful. Dutiful to her uncle’s demands. And she doesn’t have time for a moral compass, anyway. When her runaway cousin returns to their coastal southern town, she brings a man with her…and Venesa soon realizes he’s the only one who’s ever seen her for her. There’s just one problem: she can never have him. Enzo “Loverboy” Marino is a wealthy businessman by day and prince of the underworld by night. Underboss to a notorious mafia syndicate, he answers to no one except his father, the strongest don in the Northeast. When he’s tasked with marriage, Enzo doesn’t think twice. Until he meets his fiancée’s cousin. Venesa is everything he never knew he wanted, bewitching him with her sultry voice and supple curves. But Enzo learned long ago that for a man like him, life is better without the things you want. When plans unravel and temptation sings its siren song, they’ll both have to choose what’s more important: duty to their families, or a forbidden love that was never supposed to be.

book details below may contain spoilers. some hidden

At a Glance

The final Never After book and arguably the best—a Little Mermaid retelling set in the mafia world where Venesa is no damsel. She's the villain of her own story, cunning and unapologetic, and Enzo ("Loverboy") falls first and hard. McIntire builds 300 pages of tension before the payoff, and the dual moral grayness makes this one hit different. Each Never After stands alone, but this one rewards series readers with a killer epilogue.

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.

4.17 ★ (61.2k)

Page CountHow long the commitment is.

544 pages

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

2024

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.

Slow Burn

CliffhangerEnding 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

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.

Dual Narration (M+F)

NarratorThe voice in your ears.

Madeleine Dauer, Erik Bloomquist

Narrator Count

Dual

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
dark romancemafia romancefairytale retellingmermaid romanceforbidden loveforced proximityvillain gets the girltouch her and dieslow burn
RomanceMagicActionAngstWorld
Theme Constellation

Mood & Vibe

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

darkintenseseductivedangerousgothicangstysuspensefulsensual

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

darkdramaticsuspensefulseductiveimmersiveedgy

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

medium

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.

medium

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

morally complexforbidden desiremafia underworldsiren songfractured fairytale

Characters

spoiler protected·tap tags to reveal

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

villain protagonistfemme fatalemorally gray FMCpoisonerambitious schemer

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

anti-heromorally gray MMCpossessive alphadark/tortured soulsecretly soft

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.

he falls firstpartners in crimeforbidden lovemorally gray x morally graypush and pullonly soft for them

Spice Details 🌶️

spoiler protected·tap tags to reveal
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Spice Level 4

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

dark / taboo styleintense / passionatepossessive / claiming styletension / anticipation focusslow burn with late spice

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

jealous/possessive during intimacyeye contact intensitygrowling / possessive soundstensionanticipationmine declarationsneck kisses / neck touchingplayful banter

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

possessivedominancerough/aggressive intimacymarkingclaiming
Browse more books by spice level →
This stuff might hit different. No shame in needing to know what's coming. (14)▼
spoiler protected·tap tags to reveal
domestic violencesexual assault (referenced)graphic violencegun violencetorturemurderviolencedeath of loved onesexual traumadrug usetoxic relationshipscheatingstalkingalcoholism
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.

coastal / island / beachbig city / metropolis

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

humans only

RepresentationIdentity representation in the book. LGBTQ+, race/ethnicity, disability, neurodivergence, body type, age and more.

bisexual MCMC 20-30

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.

book hangoverferal brain activatedthe angst deliveredtension finally satisfied

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

anytime

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

cozy eveningat nightrainy weekendvacation

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.🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️steamy
PagesHow long the commitment is.544
PublishedWhen this hit shelves. Helpful for tracking vibes by era.2024
GoodreadsThe crowd's verdict. Take it with salt, though. Some masterpieces are polarizing.4.17 ★ (61.2k)
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 #6
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