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Beautiful Venom

A Dark Hockey Romance

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About this listen

From New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Rina Kent comes a sizzling dark hockey romance set in a new glamorous secret world.

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 start of a new chapter in the #Rinaverse. No other book should be listened to prior to this.

©2025 Rina Kent (P)2025 Rina Kent Contemporary Romantic Suspense Sports Hockey

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Sweet Venom cover art
Sweet Venom By: Rina Kent
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Okay listen—I've read every Rina Kent book out there, and Beautiful Venom? Easily the most different one she’s written. Like, seriously. You know how her heroines are usually soft, shy, meek, untouched, and need protecting? That’s not what we’re dealing with here. This book said “we’re doing chaos,” and ran with it—and I LOVED it.

Let’s start with Dahlia Thorne—my queen. This girl is everything. Fearless, strategic, emotionally intelligent, knows exactly how to get what she wants, and isn’t afraid to blackmail to do it. 👑 Her sass? Unmatched. The way she roasts Kane, disappears on him, shows him attitude, demands the best parts of him... iconic. Her transformation from thinking Kane was the “harmless option” to realizing he’s 50 shades of twisted? Hilarious and honestly, one of my favorite arcs.

And Kane Davenport?? Cold, controlled, not cruel, and dangerously protective. From the start, he had this simmering energy without crossing into full psycho-mode (which, let’s be real, is rare in the Rinaverse). He respected her boundaries, got jealous in the best ways, and even when he fumbled, the man groveled. Hard. Weeks of apologies, standing outside in the snow just to see her, helping her sister, sacrificing everything—he really meant it when he said sorry. 🕊

AND CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE DYNAMIC??? 🔥 The sex was scorching, though yeah… the primal vibe was a bit overdone. Like, we get it, you're animals—but also, maybe chill for five minutes? 😂 That aside, their emotional connection was stunning. He cared for her. Nurtured her. Killed his own father for her (!!!), and still melted at a simple “I like you a lot.” 🥹 Every time he called her wildflower?? I DIED.

Then there’s the supporting cast. First up: Preston & Jude—TELL ME I’M NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO SHIPPED THEM AT FIRST 😭😭😭 Their friendship is elite but it's also giving “mama bear and chaotic child” energy, and I loved every second of it. Preston is all messed up but hilarious and weird in the best way. Hurt Dahlia? Yes. Do I still want more of him? Also yes.

Now… Jude & Violet. God. I knew from the second she slapped him that we were in for a brutal, no-mercy, hate-to-love explosion. And Jude? That psycho side of him peeked right through in that scene—I saw it. He’s cold, calculated, terrifying—and I’m 1000% here for whatever madness is brewing between them. Their story is going to wreck me, I already know.

Marcus and Preston... yeah, we’re in for an enemies to lovers masterpiece. The tension? Already thick. Marcus is chaos personified and I’m READY for it. Also, Julian Callahan—I know he only had like 3 minutes of screentime, but those three minutes? Obsessed. He cares about his wife, even if it’s in a gilded-cage kind of way. Rina, I’m begging: GIVE THEM THEIR OWN STORY. We need it. The world needs it. No peace until then.

The plot? Surprisingly twisty. I didn’t expect the turns it took, and now I’m desperate to know what’s going on with Violet and Jude. Their story smells like pain and obsession and I need it injected into my veins yesterday.

Now... the audio narration. 😬

Corvin King: Deep voice, panty-melting rasp, hot when Kane’s in beast mode or during sex scenes, but... what’s with the constant out-of-breath growl? 😅 Every character sounded the same and sometimes I was like “Bro, are you narrating a dragon? Take a breath.” It got better in the second half though.

Michelle Sparks: Clear character distinction, sure, but she sounded flat and monotone most of the time. Not bad, just… lacked emotional punch.

Still, not a dealbreaker. I’d probably reread the ebook version anyway because Dahlia’s one-liners deserve to be highlighted and worshipped.

Beautiful Venom felt like Rina Kent finally said “let me break my own mold,” and she did. It was raw, dirty, emotional, sharp, and still found space for softness. Kane and Dahlia’s dynamic was everything, and the found family of psychos surrounding them? Chef’s kiss.

10/10 would read again. And again. And again.
Now Rina, if you’re reading this: give us Julian & Annalise. We’re not asking. We're DEMANDING. Don’t make us riot. 😤

Dark, twisted, and totally addicting.

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Not my favourite from RK but a good listen. The narrator voicing the FMC sounded angry for most of the book and the narrator for the MMC sounded like he was putting on a strange growly voice, both of which took away from the book a little in my opinion. It was good in places but I think just a little too much. The story itself was good and enjoyed the plot twists

Not my favourite from RK but a good listen

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I LOVED THIS SOOOOOOO MUCH this was so enjoyable i finished it in a day and now im sad its over. This was honestly perfect cant fault it and the narration... OMG 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Wow!

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I really liked Dahlia as the FMC she was easy to read and had relatable parts. There is some very dark subjects in here so triggers do need to be checked. The FMC was strong and feisty and not insufferable. Kane was interesting to read and follow his arc through the book. Having read a couple of other Rina Kent books you can see the set up for the next two books coming and I’m looking forward to Jude and Violet and Preston and Marcuses stories

Narrators did a great job

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Thought the book was good but not great after LOG and KTV but honestly the audio brought it to life! Great, Corvin King is incredible as ever!

The narration is perfect

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