Blood and Poisoned Beginnings

Venesa Andersen's story opens with blood and poison. She's a contract killer, a woman who uses her beauty and cunning to lure men to their deaths. In a chilling prologue, she seduces and murders a man named Joey in a hotel suite, using both strychnine and a knife, all while musing on death and the art of killing. This is not a world of innocence—Venesa is a product of violence, shaped by a traumatic childhood and a family legacy steeped in crime. Her uncle, Trent Kingston, is a Southern kingpin, and Venesa is his most trusted asset, though she's always on the outside looking in. Her life is a constant negotiation between power, survival, and the hope for something more.

Family Ties and Betrayals

Two years later, Venesa's life is still defined by her family's criminal empire. Her cousin Aria, the pampered princess, has run away to New York, and Venesa is sent to check on her. Their relationship is fraught with jealousy, old wounds, and unspoken competition for their uncle's approval. Aria's recklessness and Venesa's loyalty to the family set them on a collision course. When Venesa finds an injured stranger—Enzo Marino, heir to the New York Mafia—on the riverbank, she saves his life, not knowing how this act will bind their fates. The Kingston and Marino families are about to become entwined through an arranged marriage, but beneath the surface, old betrayals and new ambitions threaten to explode.

The Devil's Daughters

Venesa and Aria's rivalry is rooted in childhood trauma and the Kingston family's toxic dynamics. Flashbacks reveal Venesa's painful transition into the Kingston household after her mother's death, where Aria quickly turns from friend to tormentor, branding Venesa with the nickname "Urch" and orchestrating her social exile. The girls' relationship is a microcosm of the larger power struggles at play—each desperate for love, validation, and a place in the family. Their antagonism is sharpened by the return of Aria, now engaged to Enzo, and by Venesa's growing sense of alienation as her uncle's attention shifts away from her.

A Mafia Prince Unveiled

Enzo Marino, the "Lover Boy" of the New York Mafia, is a man haunted by loss and bound by duty. His mother's tragic death and his brother Peppino's murder have left him jaded about love and family. Enzo's engagement to Aria is a business arrangement, a way to cement alliances and repay a debt—Aria saved his life after an attempt on his life left him for dead. But Enzo is restless, suffocated by expectations and drawn to the darkness within himself. When he meets Venesa, sparks fly—she's the only woman who challenges him, sees through his façade, and matches his ruthlessness. Their chemistry is undeniable, but their connection is forbidden.

Tangled Loyalties

As the Kingston and Marino families negotiate their alliance, Venesa is tasked with showing Enzo around Atlantic Cove, a move orchestrated by her uncle to manipulate Enzo into investing in the family's hotel project. Their tour of the boardwalk is charged with tension, flirtation, and the slow revelation of their shared wounds. Both are products of violent families, both crave something real, and both are trapped by obligations they can't escape. Their mutual attraction grows, but so does the danger—every secret, every touch, is a risk. Meanwhile, Venesa's loyalty to her uncle is tested as she's drawn deeper into Enzo's orbit.

The Lair's Dark Heart

The Lair, a bar and underground gambling den, is Venesa's sanctuary and her inheritance from her mother. It's also the site of her most brutal work. When a card-counting stranger from New Jersey is caught cheating, Venesa and Enzo interrogate him together, revealing their shared capacity for violence and their twisted intimacy. The man confesses he was sent to spy on Enzo, hinting at a larger conspiracy involving the De Luca family and the Kingstons. The scene cements Venesa and Enzo's bond—they are both monsters, but together, they find a strange kind of acceptance. Yet, the secrets between them are growing.

Seduction and Survival

Venesa and Enzo's relationship teeters between seduction and survival. They dance around their feelings, each afraid to give in, each haunted by the knowledge that their connection could destroy them both. Their encounters are electric—charged with longing, anger, and the ever-present threat of betrayal. Venesa's past as a killer, her loyalty to her uncle, and Enzo's engagement to Aria are barriers they can't ignore. But when they finally give in to their desire, it's explosive—a moment of stolen happiness in a world that offers them none. Still, the truth about Venesa's role in Enzo's family tragedy looms over them.

The Boardwalk Pact

The boardwalk becomes the stage for shifting alliances and dangerous revelations. Venesa and Enzo's partnership deepens as they uncover the web of betrayals connecting their families. They learn that Aria's uncle, Frankie Bianchi, is tied to both the Kingstons and the De Lucas, and that Enzo's own father may have orchestrated the attempt on his life. The lines between friend and foe blur as Venesa and Enzo are forced to confront the reality that their families' power is built on lies, murder, and manipulation. Their only hope is to trust each other, but trust is a luxury neither can afford.

Secrets in the Shadows

As Venesa and Enzo dig deeper, the secrets at the heart of their families come to light. Venesa discovers that her uncle had her mother killed to steal the Kingston fortune, and that her own inheritance has been hidden from her. Enzo learns that his father, Carlos Marino, is the true architect of the violence that has shaped both their lives. Betrayals multiply—Fisher, Venesa's best friend, is revealed as a pawn in the Kingstons' schemes; Aria is exposed as a manipulator who never truly saved Enzo. The past and present collide, forcing Venesa and Enzo to choose between vengeance and forgiveness.

Chains, Knives, and Truth

Venesa is betrayed and captured, chained in her own torture room by Aria and Fisher. The scene is a crucible—Venesa must use her wits and her words to survive, turning her captors against each other and exposing the lies that have bound them all. Bastien, her only true ally, helps orchestrate her escape. In a parallel confrontation, Enzo faces his father at Peppino's grave, learning the full extent of Carlos's treachery. The two lovers are reunited in violence and grief, their bond tested but unbroken. Together, they resolve to take back what's theirs and end the cycle of betrayal.

The King's Downfall

The final showdown takes place at the Lair, where Venesa lures her uncle into a trap. With Bastien and Enzo at her side, she confronts Trent Kingston, exposing his crimes and reclaiming her birthright. The confrontation is brutal—Venesa uses her signature poison to end her uncle's reign, while Aria is left voiceless and powerless, a fitting punishment for her years of cruelty. The Kingston empire falls, and Venesa emerges as its true heir. Enzo, having killed his own father to protect her, takes his place as the new don of the Marino family. Together, they forge a new alliance, built not on blood, but on choice.

Love Out Loud

In the aftermath, Venesa and Enzo struggle to heal from the wounds of their pasts. They mourn the friends and family they've lost, but they also find solace in each other. Their love is imperfect, scarred by betrayal and violence, but it is real. Enzo proposes to Venesa on the boardwalk where their story began, promising to love her out loud in this life and every life after. The novel ends with the promise of a new beginning—a future built not on the sins of their families, but on the hard-won trust and love they've found in each other.

Characters

Venesa Andersen

Venesa is the novel's antiheroine—a contract killer shaped by childhood trauma, family betrayal, and a desperate need for love. Raised by an abusive father and a neglectful mother, she is taken in by her uncle, Trent Kingston, only to find herself an outsider in a world of privilege and power. Venesa's loyalty is both her strength and her weakness—she will do anything for the people she loves, even as they use and discard her. Her relationship with Aria is defined by rivalry and pain, while her bond with Enzo is a lifeline in a world that offers her little hope. Venesa's journey is one of self-discovery, as she learns to claim her own power and demand to be chosen, not just used.

Enzo Marino

Enzo is the heir to the Marino crime family, a man marked by loss, violence, and the crushing weight of expectation. His mother's death and his brother's murder have left him emotionally scarred, wary of love, and resigned to a life of obligation. Enzo's engagement to Aria is a business transaction, but his connection with Venesa awakens something real—a longing for authenticity, for a partner who sees and accepts his darkness. Enzo is both ruthless and vulnerable, capable of great violence and great tenderness. His arc is one of breaking free from his father's shadow and choosing his own path, even when it means risking everything.

Trent Kingston (Uncle T)

Trent is the patriarch of the Kingston family, a man who wields power with a velvet glove and an iron fist. He is both father figure and tormentor to Venesa, using her as his most valuable asset while denying her true belonging. Trent's love for his daughter Aria is obsessive, blinding him to her flaws and fueling his willingness to sacrifice anyone—including Venesa—for her sake. His greatest crime is the murder of his own sister, Venesa's mother, to secure the Kingston fortune. Trent's downfall is a study in hubris—the king who is undone by the very family he sought to control.

Aria Kingston

Aria is Venesa's cousin and lifelong rival, the golden child who can do no wrong in her father's eyes. Her beauty and charm mask a deep insecurity and a capacity for cruelty, especially toward Venesa. Aria's engagement to Enzo is both a prize and a prison, a way to secure her place in the family and escape her father's control. Her arc is one of gradual unraveling—her manipulations are exposed, her voice is literally taken from her, and she is left powerless in the end. Aria is both a product and a perpetrator of the Kingston family's toxic legacy.

Bastien

Bastien is Trent's right-hand man, a figure of quiet strength and hidden depths. He is the only person Venesa truly trusts, and his loyalty to her is unwavering, even as he plays both sides to protect her. Bastien is a master of violence, but he is also a source of comfort and stability for Venesa. His role in the story is that of the silent guardian, the one who ensures that justice is served and that Venesa survives to claim her birthright.

Fisher

Fisher is Venesa's childhood friend and confidant, a fellow outcast who understands her pain. His loyalty is tested when he is manipulated by Aria and Trent, forced to choose between his love for Aria and his friendship with Venesa. Fisher's betrayal is a devastating blow, but his actions are rooted in desperation and vulnerability. His death is both a tragedy and a release, a reminder that in this world, even the best intentions can lead to ruin.

Carlos Marino

Enzo's father is the true villain of the story—a man whose paranoia, ambition, and cruelty have shaped the destinies of both families. Carlos orchestrates the murders of his own sons, manipulates alliances, and demands absolute loyalty. His downfall comes at the hands of Enzo, who must kill his father to break free from the cycle of violence and claim his own future.

Frankie Bianchi

Aria's uncle and a key player in the web of betrayals, Frankie is the link between the Kingstons, the Marinos, and the De Lucas. His willingness to sell out anyone for survival makes him both dangerous and expendable. His confession to Enzo is the catalyst for the final reckoning.

Jessica

Enzo's assistant, Jessica, is revealed as a mole working for Carlos Marino. Her betrayal is a reminder that danger can come from the most unexpected places, and her actions nearly cost Venesa her life.

The Lair (Setting/Character)

The Lair is more than just a bar—it is Venesa's inheritance, her sanctuary, and the site of her greatest trials. It is where she confronts her enemies, claims her power, and ultimately enacts her revenge. The Lair is a symbol of both the darkness she has survived and the future she is determined to build.

Plot Devices

Dual Narration and Shifting Perspectives

The novel employs a dual narrative structure, alternating between Venesa and Enzo's points of view. This device allows readers to experience the story's events from both sides, deepening empathy for each character and heightening the suspense as secrets are revealed. The shifting perspectives also mirror the characters' internal struggles—each is both hunter and hunted, victim and perpetrator.

Foreshadowing and Symbolism

The story is rich with foreshadowing and symbolism—Venesa's seashell necklace, the family painting, the recurring motif of poison and knives, the boardwalk as a place of both innocence and violence. These elements serve as both plot devices and thematic anchors, reinforcing the novel's exploration of power, inheritance, and the possibility of redemption.

The "Deal with the Devil"

Throughout the novel, characters are constantly making deals—some explicit, some unspoken. These bargains drive the plot, as alliances shift and betrayals are revealed. The "deal with the devil" motif underscores the moral ambiguity of the world Venesa and Enzo inhabit, where survival often means sacrificing one's soul.

The Cycle of Violence and Inheritance

The novel's structure is built around the idea of inheritance—not just of wealth and power, but of trauma, violence, and toxic family dynamics. Each character is shaped by the sins of their parents, and the story's central question is whether they can break the cycle or are doomed to repeat it. The final act, in which Venesa and Enzo claim their own destinies, is both a literal and symbolic breaking of the chain.

The "Different Life" Refrain

The phrase "in a different life" recurs throughout the novel, encapsulating the characters' longing for escape, for a world where they can be free to love and be loved. The refrain is both a lament and a challenge—by the end, Venesa and Enzo choose to make this life the one where they love out loud, refusing to be defined by the past.

Analysis

Hexed is a dark, contemporary reimagining of the villain's journey—a fractured fairy tale where the monsters are made, not born, and where love is both a weapon and a salvation. Emily McIntire's novel interrogates the nature of power, the legacy of trauma, and the possibility of redemption in a world where loyalty is currency and betrayal is inevitable. At its core, Hexed is about the struggle to be seen and chosen in a world that would rather use and discard you. Venesa and Enzo's story is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit—their love is forged in violence, tested by betrayal, and ultimately triumphant because they choose each other, flaws and all. The novel's message is clear: we are not defined by the families we are born into, but by the families we choose, and by our willingness to break the cycles that bind us. In a world of blood and poison, Hexed dares to imagine a different life—one where love is loud, messy, and, above all, real.

Last updated: July 23, 2025