26 Comments
author

Thank you as ever!

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Oct 20Liked by Luke Jennings

Intriguing. How many sides is Bili playing I wonder. Villanelle are as tight and as close as ever. It's nice to see the character growth of Oxana, thinking about others and ow they feel . Sweet. Thanks Luke. I know this is going to be your last, at least for a while, so I look forward to a whopping ending.

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Oct 24Liked by Luke Jennings

That'd be fun to find out that Bili had been Tikhomirov's girl all along.

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oops, That should read Villaneve, but you knew that :) Got another typo in there but can't seem to edit as easily.

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Oct 20Liked by Luke Jennings

How will it end? Lot's to wrap up... so glad Eve figured out the clues V gave her & they are reunited. What will happen to Valentin? Will he be the artist he has longed for?

May Alice & her babies yet feed deliciously on Balice. ..

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Oct 20Liked by Luke Jennings

Aww Valentin bless him 😘 he just wants to be an artist. See what happens when we just let people be ...they're happy! 🥹 Great chapter Luke, thank you ❤️

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I know Valentin *wants* to be an artist—but I keep thinking "What does he *need* to be?" We can see the cynical political calculation in using him as a figurehead Romanov prince, but wouldn't that also provide a stability to the Russian government so it doesn't have to rely on a "strongman" like Putin or Stalin to maintain order? (Especially since as strongmen go, Putin is a weak, WEAK man who not only can't successfully conquer The Ukraine, which is a fraction of Russia's size, he can't even protect Russia from being invaded by them! 😂 )

People raised to be royalty or nobility are told of their obligations pretty much from birth, and why those obligations are necessary. Yes, you might fall in love with a divorcée, but you're *expected* to marry that virgin princess from a rival country or political group to (at least temporarily) unite both parties; yes, you want to be an artist, but you're *expected* to put the people of Russia before your personal interests. That doesn't means you can't still keep your divorcée as a Mistress, or continue art as a hobby—in fact, that's probably a good way to "humanize" you in the eyes of the people you're the figurehead for!

So...does Valentin continue to hide and be an artist? Or does he accept his obligations as "The Last Romanov" and help to unite Russia? And how does Villanelle get herself and Eve out of this one—by telling Johnny she fled with Valentin to keep him away from potential assassins? And didn't tell him because she suspected one of The Twelve is a mole, and didn't tell Eve because she had to move quickly?

Or, does Valentin either get assassinated while with Villanelle and Eve, so they have to go on the run again? Or, better for them, does he get assassinated once he's handed over to Balice, so E&V come off smelling like roses while Balice and her crew are disgraced...?

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Gosh I would never have thought that they were going to keep that little beast at home. Still have many questions to Bili, still figuring her out.

Love that nature description and VillanEve reunion in their latest sanctuary. So poetic and peaceful. Just wondering, is it just a pause before another cliffhanger or it’s me being anxious…

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author

Find out on Sunday...

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I’ve wondered all along if V and E would end up back in Russia with Timikrov. He worked with Eve and Villanelle before to secure his place as President, curious if Oxana and Eve work out a deal for safety if they keep Valentine away for the election.

I see Balice now having a longer game story of realizing she’s been played and manipulated when it is way too late with Billi. Sounds like Balice will tell Billi everything and then some! Curious how things are wrapped up and left with one chapter to go!

Grateful to have our girls back together. Oxana thinking and caring for others, especially her Eve and Eve showing her spy skills!

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Darn you. Here I was mining Ch. 10 and googling lapwings at 4am here in L.A. last week to try and figure out what Eve realized, and the obvious was in Ch. 1 all along—shepherds, lapwings, and skylarks and all. Well done. I hate that it’s nearly time to wrap this up, but love that it looks like you’ll be turning everything on its ear before you step away for a bit…yuss! Hopefully that means you’ll be back to pick things up again before too long, but more than happy to support your time for other projects in the meantime. Can’t wait to see what’s next.

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Thank You Luke

As always enjoying our girls and their adventures. Glad Eve was able to follow the clues to find Oxana.

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founding

I loved the way Oxana and Eve reunite. Very sweet how Oxana came up to Eve from behind and caressed her cheek with her own and Oxana's strong arms enclosed Eve. How romantic! ❤️ I love the description of the landscape as Eve walked to meet Oxana. All of the dripping trees, the geese, the yews and the farmland are described beautifully. I can picture it all. Eve complimented Valentin on his drawings and noted that it is the first time he looked truly happy. 😊 As far as Balice and Bili are concerned, those two deserve each other. They are beyond strange! Who has an enormous pet rat named Alice? The rat should be named Balice. Great chapter Luke. I eagerly and patiently await the next one. Thanks so much. An avid fan, Diane ❤️

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author

Thanks Diane!

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Oct 20·edited Oct 21

Oh Balice Balice... She is our real lost sheep... even though with a ratty face. Lost in love.

Mr. Jennings, I will miss your sense of humor, as well as Bili's!

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author

🐑

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Loved the reunion 💯🔥👏👏👏…. Oxsana truly loves Eve… but along with that can bring chaos….especially now they have ran off with Valentin. I feel we are about to tip over the edge of your 🎢 journey ! Which makes me nervous but also super excited 😝 ! I can’t stop laughing my head off Balice&Bili are actually sitting on a sofa with a captured Rat 🐀 like this ain’t normal pmsl 🤣 I would be gone 🏃‍♀️ they clearly are bonkers & just the way Bili speaks lol 😂 … Bili is good at her job & getting info & Balice holds her cards close to her chest , maybe Balice has finally met her match lol 😂 Team V&E always along with Valentin ! Thanks for sharing Luke the master mind …always love your description to detail 💯🔥👏 very easy for the minds eye to invision , so looking forward to the next instalment…. This is just epic ( mind-blowing) 💯🔥🎢❤️👏

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author

Thanks Pru! Next week is final post

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Thanks Luke so excited for next week this is epic 💯🔥🎢 I thought it might be next week but I saw some comments & thought oh ! 😱

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I love how our girls reunited! Such a romantic image comes to mind. Oxana really took to heart Eve's concerns for Valentin and took him away. I love that he's finally starting to work on the art he's always dreamt of doing but never could. That smile says it all!🥰

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Love Valentin's artwork

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author

🐦‍⬛

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I miss Oxana/Villanelle the assassin and the way she tracked down her targets and took them out. Still enjoyed the heck out of these weekly installments. Thank you, Luke, for bringing back to life.

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author

I'm glad you enjoyed that aspect, Jay. But like the cat-and-mouse with Eve, stories have to move on. You can't repeat the same set of circumstances indefinitely. Otherwise the tension goes out of the thing, and you end up with what screenwriters describe as 'flat' characters. I didn't want Villanelle to be a flat character, endlessly killing people, I wanted her to have to face what for her was a much more complex challenge: overcoming her own affectless nature and finding and holding onto love. What part of her would have to die, so that this new part could be born? Could she be both lethal and loving? As a writer I'm conscious that you can't please all your readers all the time. Some readers want Villanelle just to be endlessly badass, dividing her time between casual fucking and blowing her targets' heads off. So it's a risk, going into more emotionally complex territory. But it's where my instinct takes me, and I hope it's a journey you'll continue to enjoy!

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Oct 22Liked by Luke Jennings

Can't wait to see the continued emotional evolution of Villanelle.

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Yes, of course you're correct, Luke. I guess I was just a hardcore Villanelle fan and not ready to let go of that aspect of her character. Although I was kind of waiting for Oxana to track down and eliminate targets, which was so written so brilliantly in your three books, characters do have to change with the times - just like real people.

But my comment on that doesn't mean I haven't enjoyed your weekly installments. I have greatly enjoyed anticipating and reading them week to week. The books and making them into a TV series is the best entertainment I've had in years and I'm very grateful to you for that.

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