Hexed by Emily McIntire Summary, Characters and Themes
Hexed by Emily McIntire is a dark, seductive mafia romance that reimagines The Little Mermaid in a world of crime, betrayal, and forbidden love. Venesa Kingston is a lethal enforcer for her uncle’s criminal empire, a woman as deadly as she is beautiful.
Enzo Marino, the son of a powerful mafia boss, is bound by duty to an arranged marriage with Venesa’s cousin, Aria. But when Venesa and Enzo meet, their undeniable attraction ignites a dangerous affair, threatening to unravel their families’ fragile alliance. Packed with power struggles, deceit, and an electrifying romance, Hexed is a gripping, high-stakes tale of love and loyalty in a ruthless underworld.
Summary
Venesa Kingston has never known love—only survival. Raised by her uncle, Trent Kingston, after the death of her parents, she has become his most dangerous weapon: an assassin who kills with precision, her preferred method being poison.
The book opens with a chilling scene where Venesa seduces and murders a man, proving that she is not just another pawn in her uncle’s empire—she’s a force to be reckoned with.
Two years later, fate intervenes when she stumbles upon a nearly-dead man on the banks of the Hudson River. This man is Enzo Marino, heir to one of the most notorious mafia families in New York. Though every instinct tells her to walk away, Venesa secretly tends to his wounds and disappears before he wakes up.
However, her cousin, Aria Kingston, falsely takes credit for saving Enzo’s life, unknowingly tying their fates together. Grateful—and seeing an opportunity for political alliance—Enzo’s father, Carlos Marino, arranges a marriage between Enzo and Aria to solidify the bond between the Kingston and Marino families.
One year later, Enzo arrives in Atlantic Cove, South Carolina, for his engagement party. While he accepts his upcoming marriage as a duty to his family, he feels no love for Aria.
But when he meets Venesa—the real woman who saved him—an undeniable and dangerous attraction sparks between them. Venesa is everything Aria is not: sharp, ruthless, and unafraid to embrace the darkness of their world.
As Enzo and Venesa are forced into close proximity due to their families’ business, their chemistry intensifies. Venesa struggles with her emotions, torn between her loyalty to her uncle and the pull she feels toward Enzo.
Meanwhile, Enzo begins to suspect that his attempted murder was an inside job, possibly orchestrated by his own father, Carlos, who views his rising power as a threat.
Despite their best efforts, Venesa and Enzo’s desire for each other escalates into a dangerous affair. What begins as a game of seduction quickly turns into something deeper—something neither of them can ignore.
But their forbidden love comes at a steep cost. Aria, growing increasingly desperate, begins to suspect the truth, and Trent Kingston, ever the strategist, senses that Venesa’s loyalty is wavering.
As tensions rise, Enzo continues his investigation into his attempted murder, uncovering layers of betrayal within his own family.
Meanwhile, Trent begins testing Venesa’s loyalty, forcing her into brutal assignments that push her to her limits. The situation reaches a boiling point when Trent discovers her affair with Enzo. Feeling betrayed, he gives Venesa an ultimatum: kill Enzo or die herself.
Simultaneously, Enzo finally learns the truth—Carlos was behind his attack all along, seeing him as a growing threat to his control.
With enemies closing in on all sides, Enzo and Venesa are forced to make a choice: fight for their love or succumb to the violent world they were born into.
A brutal war erupts between the Marinos and the Kingstons, with betrayals on both sides. Aria, feeling scorned, exposes Venesa and Enzo’s relationship, igniting a deadly chain of events.
Trent captures Venesa, testing whether she will remain loyal to the family. Meanwhile, Enzo takes on his father, leading to a final confrontation that reshapes the power balance in both families.
In the end, both Trent and Carlos fall—betrayed from within their own ranks. Enzo seizes control of the Marino family, while Venesa, finally free from her uncle’s grasp, chooses a future with Enzo.
However, their journey does not end in a traditional happily-ever-after. They leave behind a trail of blood and broken loyalties, knowing that their past will always haunt them. Yet, for the first time, they are free to build a future on their own terms, carving out their own destiny in a world where love and power are always at war.
Dark, passionate, and filled with treachery, Hexed is a gripping story of two people who defy their fate, even when the cost is everything they’ve ever known.
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Characters
Venesa Kingston
Venesa is the dark and enigmatic protagonist of Hexed. She’s introduced as a cold-hearted assassin, using poison as her weapon of choice, demonstrating a ruthlessness that makes her both feared and admired.
Raised by her powerful crime lord uncle, Trent Kingston, Venesa was trained to be calculating and efficient in her work, making her an indispensable part of the Kingston criminal empire. Despite her ability to perform brutal tasks without hesitation, she harbors a deep emotional complexity.
She questions her loyalty to her uncle and struggles with her identity in a world that expects her to serve the family without questioning. Venesa’s attraction to Enzo Marino, a man she should have no interest in due to her loyalty to her family, complicates her role as an enforcer.
Her journey in the novel is about reconciling her desires with her loyalty, and her internal conflict about whether to follow her uncle’s commands or her heart’s desires propels her character development.
Enzo Marino
Enzo is the heir to the powerful Marino Mafia family, a man caught between duty and desire. As a wealthy businessman by day and a ruthless underboss by night, Enzo has been groomed by his father, Carlos Marino, to run the family empire.
His engagement to Aria Kingston is a strategic move, intended to unite two powerful crime families, yet Enzo has no emotional investment in it. His relationship with Venesa is his forbidden escape, a tumultuous affair that challenges everything he has known about loyalty, power, and control.
Enzo’s internal struggle is centered around breaking free from his father’s oppressive grip and reclaiming his own agency. As he uncovers betrayals within his family, Enzo’s evolution is marked by his growing desire for freedom from the toxic family legacy and his willingness to fight for Venesa, even if it means going to war with his own blood.
Aria Kingston
Aria, the cousin of Venesa, serves as a foil to her character. Whereas Venesa is cold and calculating, Aria is portrayed as naive and desperate for validation.
Her role in the story revolves around her engagement to Enzo Marino, which she views as a chance to gain power and security. Aria’s naivety and her fixation on appearances make her an unfit match for Enzo, who sees her more as a business partner than a lover.
Her eventual realization of the affair between Enzo and Venesa marks her as a tragic character who is both betrayed and caught in the crossfire of a war between two mafia families. Aria’s relationship with Venesa is fraught with tension, and she becomes a victim of the larger familial power struggles.
Trent Kingston
Trent, Venesa’s uncle and the patriarch of the Kingston crime family, represents the old guard of mafia leadership. He is a man of immense power and control, unwavering in his loyalty to his family and the empire he built.
Trent’s character is defined by his pragmatic ruthlessness and his deep belief in loyalty above all else. He views Venesa not as a niece, but as a tool to maintain and expand the Kingston family’s influence.
His unyielding nature clashes with Venesa’s growing dissatisfaction, leading to a conflict between them that underscores the darker themes of family loyalty and the cost of power. Trent’s character also embodies the theme of toxic masculinity in power dynamics, as his control over Venesa and his disregard for her individuality drives much of the plot’s tension.
Themes
The Internal Struggles of Identity and Loyalty in a Family Built on Power and Crime
One of the central themes of Hexed is the exploration of identity and loyalty within a family that thrives on crime and manipulation. Venesa, Enzo, and even Aria, are all caught in a web of expectations imposed by their powerful families.
Venesa, despite her brutal nature, struggles to reconcile her loyalty to her uncle with her growing desire for freedom, both personal and emotional. This tension is further explored through Enzo, who is expected to inherit the Marino family empire but longs to break free from his father’s oppressive control.
The characters’ struggles to define their own identities against the backdrop of criminal dynasties highlight the internal conflict between personal desires and the unyielding demands of family loyalty. This theme raises poignant questions about the costs of adhering to familial expectations in a world governed by crime and power.
Forbidden Love in a World Where Duty and Family Come First
The forbidden love between Venesa and Enzo serves as a poignant exploration of desire clashing with duty. In a world where alliances are forged through blood and power, and love is secondary to loyalty, their relationship is an act of rebellion.
Both characters know that their love is dangerous—Venesa to her uncle and Enzo to his father—but they cannot help but be drawn to each other. Their attraction transcends physical chemistry, as it embodies the fundamental human need to connect, even in a world where such connections can lead to devastating consequences.
This theme emphasizes the impossibility of love in an environment ruled by loyalty to dangerous, unforgiving families. The emotional stakes of their forbidden romance raise questions about whether love can ever survive in a world that values loyalty to power above all else.
The Corrosive Nature of Power and Its Impact on Personal Relationships
Another key theme in Hexed is the corrosive nature of power and its ability to destroy personal relationships. Both the Marino and Kingston families are built on power and manipulation, and this dynamic seeps into the personal lives of the characters.
The relationships in the novel—whether familial or romantic—are shaped by the pressures of maintaining and expanding power. Venesa’s strained relationship with her uncle Trent highlights how power can turn even the closest familial bonds into transactional relationships, where loyalty is more important than love.
Enzo’s betrayal of his father, Carlos, and his ultimate rebellion against the family empire signify his refusal to be controlled by the toxic legacy of power. This theme explores how power corrupts and ultimately leads to the destruction of authentic personal connections, forcing characters to choose between love and loyalty to their families.
Betrayal as the Catalyst for Change and the Desire for Redemption
Betrayal is a driving force in Hexed, serving as both a theme and a catalyst for character development. Enzo’s realization that his father may have been behind the attempt on his life shakes his foundation, making him question everything he thought he knew about loyalty and family.
Similarly, Venesa’s affair with Enzo becomes an act of betrayal against her uncle, forcing her to reckon with her place in the Kingston empire. As the plot unfolds, betrayal leads to dramatic shifts in power, as characters are forced to confront their own moral codes and desires for redemption.
The theme of betrayal goes hand in hand with the desire for redemption, especially for Venesa and Enzo, who ultimately seek to break free from their respective family legacies. This theme underscores the idea that betrayal, while destructive, can also pave the way for personal growth and the pursuit of a more authentic life, free from the toxic influences of their pasts.