Beautiful Venom by Rina Kent
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
In a den of vipers, revenge is the deadliest venom.
Beautiful Venom
They shattered my world; now, I’ll bring down theirs.
The problem? I have virtually no way to trace the puppet master.
My only lead: The Vipers.
An elite college hockey team that rules the ice—and the shadows beyond it.
To infiltrate their secret society, I set my sights on their weakest link.
Kane Davenport.
The charismatic captain and the lone green flag in a nest of serpents.
But too late, I realize I’ve enticed the most venomous snake.
Kane’s friendly façade hides a predator more dangerous than I imagined.
He quickly unveils the monster lurking beneath the surface.
A monster who lured me in only to trap me in a lethal game with no escape.
Revenge, Romance, and Really Bad Rich Boys
The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💚💜💙
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪🧪🧪
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏
Character development: 😋🙂🙃😍
Narrator(s): 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration type: Duet Narration
🎧 Heroine: Dahlia Thorne
Dahlia Thorne isn’t at Graystone University just to earn her pre-med degree—she’s there for vengeance. Growing up poor and orphaned after a tragic car accident, she spent her teenage years bouncing from foster home to foster home until she aged out of the system. Life has never given her a break, and she’s sick of watching the privileged coast while she claws her way forward. Her anger sharpens into resolve when her foster sister is brutally attacked and left in a coma. Dahlia is determined to hunt down whoever is responsible—no matter the cost.
🎧 Hero: Kane Davenport
Kane Davenport is everything Dahlia despises: rich, entitled, and untouchably popular. As captain of the Vipers hockey team, heir to one of the town’s founding families, and a senior member of the shadowy Vencor society, Kane rules both the campus and the town alongside his two equally powerful best friends, Preston Armstrong and Jude Callahan. With an initiation looming, Kane and his friends must recruit new members—and Dahlia wants in.
🔥 The Story
When Dahlia approaches Kane about joining Vencor, he lays out the brutal truth:
“You’ll be tested. Pushed to your limits. Used in every way imaginable. Refuse, and you’re out—banished. Fail, and you’ll be destroyed. Betray Vencor, and your bones will never be found. Are you sure you still want this?”
For Dahlia, the answer is yes. Her life means less to her than justice for her sister. But Vencor is a dangerous web of influence, cruelty, and decadence. Dahlia only knows bits and pieces from her careful stalking of Kane and his crew, but one thing is certain—someone inside the society is tied to her sister’s attack. And she intends to uncover who.
💡 What Worked
• Strong supporting cast: Preston and Jude stand out and promise great storylines in the next two books.
• A heroine who matches the hero’s darkness: Dahlia’s grit and eventual emotional detachment drive some delicious tension.
• Kane’s alpha dominance—compelling even when morally murky.
• The satisfaction of watching Kane squirm when Dahlia stops chasing him and starts playing her own game.
⚠️ What Didn’t Work
• The secret society trope—predictably filled with wealthy, morally bankrupt elitists. (Still, Rina Kent’s storytelling outweighs my dislike of it.)
• Dahlia’s early stalker behavior and Kane’s manipulative treatment of her.
• Outdated and infuriating Vencor “rules”: women reduced to objects, gay members banned (likely executed), and Kane’s father grooming him for leadership through years of torture.
🎙 Narration
Told in dual POV through duet narration, the audiobook is voiced by Michelle Sparks and Corvin King. Michelle brings a soft, feminine tone and nails moments of anxiety and vulnerability. Corvin King? One of the sexiest voices I’ve ever heard—perfect for intense, intimate scenes. While his deep timbre isn’t ideal for female voices, in duet narration it doesn’t matter; it’s pure ear candy.
⭐ Verdict
Dark, decadent, and unapologetically twisted, this story blends revenge, romance, and danger into an addictive read—though the secret society’s toxic elitism may test your patience as much as it tests Dahlia’s will.
💬 Quotes
“I don’t think with my dick. Ever. It’s only a weapon used to exert power. Nothing more.”
“My hand flies to my burning cheek. Did Kane just… backhand me?”
“I don’t know what love is and whether or not it’s real, but if it exists, you’re its definition for me.”
“She’s so fucking beautiful, it’s hard to look at her without feeling a burn.”
“It’s moments like these where I think I can feel the real Kane. Not the image he wears so well or the control he allows to rule his life.”
“You’re scared, aren’t you?”
“I’m not scared.”
“You’re trembling, frightened that you love it so much. You’re appalled that if I hunt and chase and f*ck you so brutally, you’ll fall apart all over again. Admit it wildflower, your inner animal was made for mine.”
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