ebookreview | Entries tagged with author: rina kent

Beautiful Venom (Vipers #1) by Rina Kent

Genre:
Dark Academia, Dark Romance, Academia, Dark, Sports, Kindle Unlimited, Enemies to Lovers, Contemporary, Hockey

Publication Date:
May 27, 2025

Page Numbers:
496

Read/Finished Date:
May 30th, 2025 - May 31st, 2025

Rating:
DNF @ 50%

Premise:

In a den of vipers, revenge is the deadliest 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.

This book marks the beginning of a new chapter in the #Rinaverse. No other book should be read before this.

Review:

Why are dark academia books a rinse and repeat of previous books? Is there not something out there that is dark academia but with a storyline that will hook you? This was supposed to be my first sports romance and I thought, "Hey, this will be different than the others."

I found out I was wrong. Dead wrong. Our female lead, like many female leads before her, has come to a dark academy that is filled with secrets because why? She is either trying to find a friend or a sibling or she's just plain nosy. I tend to go with the former more than anything. Blah. Blah. Blah. She meets the male lead, who is dark and broody. Beautiful and dangerous. You know, all that and a bag of chips? Those male leads.

Then, suddenly, as the pair get together, by stalking or willingly, the plot disappears altogether. You know it was there and then it is gone. And you ask yourself, "What happened?" As you push into the second half of the novel, the plot conveniently pops itself up.

This was that book.