This is Ink & Intrigue—the blog where romance ignites, secrets simmer, and every love story hides a twist. I’m your blog host, Sheila Kell, romance author and lover of plot twists, slow burns, and morally questionable book boyfriends.
Let’s get one thing out of the way.
You should not take life advice from villains.
They lie.
They manipulate.
They destroy perfectly good relationships and entire cities before breakfast.
And yet…
Somewhere between the threats, the schemes, and the monologues, my villains actually understand a few uncomfortable truths about love, power, and survival.
So today, purely for entertainment purposes—and with a very large warning label—I’m letting them speak.
If my villains could step out of the shadows for a moment, here’s what they might tell you.
1. Love is your greatest weakness. Protect it accordingly.
Villains know something heroes try to ignore.
The moment you love someone, you give the world leverage.
They would tell you this with a smile:
If someone knows who you love, they know where to hurt you.
But here’s the part they don’t say out loud…
Love is only a weakness if you pretend it isn’t there.
The smart ones don’t deny it.
They prepare for it.
Villain advice (translated safely):
Don’t hide what you care about.
Protect it. Guard it. Fight for it.
Because pretending you don’t love anyone at all is the fastest way to lose everything.
2. Never underestimate the quiet one.
Villains almost always make the same mistake.
They underestimate the heroine.
The quiet woman.
The wounded one.
The one who looks like she won’t fight back.
And that’s usually the moment everything falls apart.
Villains will tell you this with bitterness:
The most dangerous people are the ones who’ve already survived.
Villain advice (actually useful):
Never mistake silence for weakness.
Never assume kindness means helplessness.
And never forget… the person you least expect is often the one who will end you.
3. Power is attractive. Use it wisely.
Villains understand chemistry better than they’d like to admit.
Confidence draws attention.
Control creates tension.
Mystery makes people lean closer.
But villains confuse power with ownership.
They think attraction means entitlement.
And that’s where they lose.
Villain advice (with a warning label):
Confidence is magnetic.
Control is not.
The moment you try to own someone instead of choosing them, you stop being desirable—and start being dangerous.
4. Secrets always come out. Plan accordingly.
Villains live on secrets.
Hidden identities.
Buried crimes.
Carefully constructed lies.
They also know something every hero eventually learns:
The truth always surfaces.
Usually at the worst possible moment.
Villain advice (shockingly correct):
If a secret can destroy your life, it already owns you.
Tell the truth to the people you love.
Or prepare to watch it explode when you least expect it.
5. Revenge will never love you back.
Villains love revenge.
They build their lives around it.
They sacrifice everything for it.
They swear it will make them whole again.
And it never does.
Revenge doesn’t hold your hand in the dark.
It doesn’t choose you.
It doesn’t heal what was broken.
It just leaves you alone at the end of the story.
Villain advice (the saddest truth of all):
If your life is built on anger, there’s no room left for happiness.
Choose healing.
Choose love.
Choose something better than becoming the person who hurt you.
6. Underestimate love at your own risk.
Here’s the secret every villain learns too late.
Love ruins all the best plans.
It makes heroes reckless.
Heroines unstoppable.
And enemies very, very dead.
Villains scoff at love…
Right up until it’s the reason they lose.
Villain advice (accidentally romantic):
Never forget the most dangerous force in any story is two people who refuse to lose each other.
A Final Warning from the Dark Side
If my villains could leave you with one last piece of advice, it would be this:
Love will be used against you.
Fear will try to control you.
And the past will try to define you.
But…
You always get to choose who you become.
And if you’re smart?
You choose the story where you survive.
Where you love bravely.
And where you never become the villain in your own life.
After all…
The best revenge is a happily-ever-after. 🖤😈🔥
Thanks for joining me on Ink & Intrigue, where romance and suspense go hand in hand.
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Want more behind-the-scenes content, writing tips, or a peek into my books? Visit sheilakell.com or follow me on social media at @sheilakellbooks.
Until next time—keep writing, keep swooning, and remember: every heart has a secret. 💕