Book Review-Tempting Venom

Rina kent

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review. Also my tags may have spoilers in them so be forewarned before checking out full review.

First Impressions

Tempting Venom is the third installment in the Vipers series, and this tackles an angsty MM secret relationship romance. I wasn’t super excited that this was another MM to be honest. I do prefer her books with MF over MM; I just feel like her MM are too much alike and there isn’t much variety in the dynamics. However, despite it feeling like the others, it was still an enjoyable read, and I did enjoy the power dynamics that can be found in this one here. It does have a heavy amount of sex scenes in it, so keep that in mind.

Like the universe built him out of pure temptation and then dared the rest of us to try resisting.

Book Evaluation:

Plot: 3.5/5
World Building: 4/5
Cover: 5/5
Intimacy Level: 4.25/5
Relationship Building: 3.5/5
Heart & Feels: 4/5
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 4/5
Page Turner Level: 5/5
Narration: 5/5
Ending: 5/5
Overall View: 4/5

The Main Protagonists

The Hero: Marcus

The Hero: Preston

“So you are gay.” “If you like. I can be—for current intents and purposes. I’m more into everyone and don’t personally care for labels.”

What I Loved

I think I was first drawn to these two from the beginning scene with them together; even at such a young age, they were so opposite but still had a connection. Now they are both older, and both had to face trauma of their own kind to survive the world they were to be raised in. They are now hockey players and part of the secret society, and being gay is absolutely a death sentence in their world. (another reason why so many MM in this series don’t make sense to me lol ) But I really enjoyed the dynamic. The power play between these two is what really worked for me within this one here. I was really drawn to that element. Marcus is the dominant in the relationship, whereas Preston is the more adventurous spirit ….the damaged one who has issues and needs the control that Marcus can give him. Seeing how intimate and close these two become was poignant at times, and it’s what kept me interested within the story.

I categorically can’t understand this man. At all. If I were him, I would’ve gotten rid of me ages ago. And yet even as he sees me at my lowest, at my most shameful moment, he’s not running away. If anything, he seems…fascinated. Enamored. And that look scares the shit out of me. Because I think I could get used to it.

What I Struggled With

There were a few issues that I had with this one, and really an issue I have with most of her MM books. They all feel the same to me. It’s just with different character names attached. There is always a power dynamic, they are always enemies, and there is always way more focus on sex scenes than an actual story. And that’s the sum of this book. While it had moments of true intimacy and emotion that I was drawn to, it just felt like something major was missing between them and didn’t have the character growth that I was hoping to see. And the ending was a bit confusing.

Narration

This is what made the book even better than it would have been if I had physically read this one. I love the audios for this author; they are normally super well done and had some of my favorite narrators.

Overall Thoughts

While Tempting Venom wasn’t a perfect read, it was a satisfying read that kept me hooked and kept my emotions captivated…

Book Details

Title: Tempting Venom

Author: Rina Kent

Series: Vipers, #3

Publication Date: June 30, 2026

Publisher: Bloom Books

Genre: Dark Romance

Narrator: Teddy Hamilton, J.F. Harding

Length: 14 Hours + 10 Minutes

Tropes/Character Types: Enemies To Lovers, Secret Society, Athlete-Hockey, Unconventional Character, Met as Children, Secret Relationship, Duet Audio

Spice Level:

Steamin’ up the room -the sexual content is more explicit in the language and tone, heavier amount of sexual scenes.

POV: Duo POV

From New York Times bestselling author Rina Kent comes a nail-biting MM dark romance between two hockey rivals.

When two ruthless enemies collide.

My name is Preston Armstrong, and I’m the most depraved bastard you’ll ever meet.

I take what I want, ruin what I don’t, and live exactly how I please.

That is, until I crash into the force of nature that is Marcus Osborn.

Captain of our rival hockey team, and the perpetual thorn in my side.

A migraine in human form and the one person who refuses to play by my rules.

He’s my brand of heartless and just as deranged.

I set out to crush him, his career, and his infuriatingly gorgeous face.

But Marcus hits back with equal force, turning our rivalry into a violent, addictive dance neither of us can walk away from.

We were supposed to annihilate each other.

Instead, we spark a fire that threatens to devour everything in its path.

In this battle of two unhinged souls, our bodies become collateral damage.

But I never expected our stone-cold hearts to get involved.