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Craving Venom
BEAUTY
I wanted to study him.
To observe the man who slaughtered his own family and walked out of the fire smiling.
But the closer I got, the more he got under my skin—into my veins—turning fascination into fixation.
He reads me like scripture, tears apart every line of logic I cling to.
He shouldn’t make me feel alive. He shouldn’t make me want.
But monsters wear many faces.
And I’m starting to wonder if I came here to study evil… or to surrender to it.
MONSTER
They call it a cage.
But it’s not for me.
It’s for them.
To keep them from watching too long, listening too close, craving what was never meant to be loved.
She came in pretending to be curious.
But curiosity is just hunger in disguise.
She talks like she wants truth, but it’s pain that makes her listen.
I don’t love. I consume.
And the only thing more dangerous than a monster who’s been caged—
Is the girl who makes him want to stay in it... with her.
I wanted to study him.
To observe the man who slaughtered his own family and walked out of the fire smiling.
But the closer I got, the more he got under my skin—into my veins—turning fascination into fixation.
He reads me like scripture, tears apart every line of logic I cling to.
He shouldn’t make me feel alive. He shouldn’t make me want.
But monsters wear many faces.
And I’m starting to wonder if I came here to study evil… or to surrender to it.
MONSTER
They call it a cage.
But it’s not for me.
It’s for them.
To keep them from watching too long, listening too close, craving what was never meant to be loved.
She came in pretending to be curious.
But curiosity is just hunger in disguise.
She talks like she wants truth, but it’s pain that makes her listen.
I don’t love. I consume.
And the only thing more dangerous than a monster who’s been caged—
Is the girl who makes him want to stay in it... with her.
619 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 7, 2025
634 people are currently reading
6782 people want to read
About the author
S.C. Arlette
2 books263 followersS. C. Arlette writes dark, twisted romances that’ll mess with your head and tug at your heart. If it’s got danger, obsession, and a whole lot of heat, she’s all in. When she’s not writing, you can find her curled up on the couch watching True Crime or obsessing over adorable pandas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 375 reviews
Want to read
October 27, 2025I wanna start this so bad but it ends on a cliffhanger AND MY MENTAL HEALTH CAN'T HANDLE ANY MORE OF THOSE😭😭😭
December 19, 2025
“I love you, Faith Selestina Collins,” he breathes. “Getting killed at your hands is my only chance at heaven.”
★ᯓ 4 Stars ᯓ★
⤷I'm mad at myself for liking this so much tbh.
This was very heavy both romance-wise and plot-wise.
Zane: I didn't like how cocky he was, like we know you're the smartest person in the room I just don't like the fact that HE knew he was the smartest person in the room. he needs some humbling. He's also fucking insane, like I simply can't put him on my Book Boyfriend list simply because he's so fucked in the head. Therapy is very much needed.
That fucking ending dude... The thing is I predicted ALL OF THAT and it still shocked me, one second they were fine next second they weren't like we need to calm the fuck down.
This next point, some people may not agree with me but it's fine. So I couldn't rate this higher than a 4 simply because of some of the smut. Like the FMC told him no, but she still in her head wanted it, and later on in the book she does admit she wanted it and that she wanted him. But she still said no in the moment and he still gave it to her, so at some points this felt like borderline 🍇? but it wasn't? Like the FMC herself was confused by her feelings so idk? I'm confused as hell by that part.
Faith: I wouldn't say the best FMC ever but she's definitely a badass like I love that she faced a serial killer head on, but also she's a bit dumb cuz she saw the red flags a bit too late but yk what? We're both colourblind. Cuz if I saw that face irl I would ignore the red flags too. 😩
So would I recommend? if you're into heavy triggers and bawling your eyes out yes. But a few heads up, The MMC is literally insane I have yet to read a book where the MMC was this bad, and I read Psychotic Obsession by Leigh Rivers by the way. Actually Tobias might be a little bit more insane? idk honestly
.𓂃⋆ 🥀°.࿔˚Pre-read ༄.°‧🐍𓂃⋆.࿔
⤷600 Page, Serial Killer x girl who wants to learn the truth?
Yes Ma'am this better be good 😋
★ᯓ 4 Stars ᯓ★
⤷I'm mad at myself for liking this so much tbh.
This was very heavy both romance-wise and plot-wise.
Zane: I didn't like how cocky he was, like we know you're the smartest person in the room I just don't like the fact that HE knew he was the smartest person in the room. he needs some humbling. He's also fucking insane, like I simply can't put him on my Book Boyfriend list simply because he's so fucked in the head. Therapy is very much needed.
That fucking ending dude... The thing is I predicted ALL OF THAT and it still shocked me, one second they were fine next second they weren't like we need to calm the fuck down.
This next point, some people may not agree with me but it's fine. So I couldn't rate this higher than a 4 simply because of some of the smut. Like the FMC told him no, but she still in her head wanted it, and later on in the book she does admit she wanted it and that she wanted him. But she still said no in the moment and he still gave it to her, so at some points this felt like borderline 🍇? but it wasn't? Like the FMC herself was confused by her feelings so idk? I'm confused as hell by that part.
Faith: I wouldn't say the best FMC ever but she's definitely a badass like I love that she faced a serial killer head on, but also she's a bit dumb cuz she saw the red flags a bit too late but yk what? We're both colourblind. Cuz if I saw that face irl I would ignore the red flags too. 😩
So would I recommend? if you're into heavy triggers and bawling your eyes out yes. But a few heads up, The MMC is literally insane I have yet to read a book where the MMC was this bad, and I read Psychotic Obsession by Leigh Rivers by the way. Actually Tobias might be a little bit more insane? idk honestly
.𓂃⋆ 🥀°.࿔˚Pre-read ༄.°‧🐍𓂃⋆.࿔
⤷600 Page, Serial Killer x girl who wants to learn the truth?
Yes Ma'am this better be good 😋
July 8, 2025
the fact that you don’t only just read about this story, but you can fully live through it because the author created a whole fictional website called “criminal archives” 🤭 so to say the least … hell yeah i clicked on that link and vibes ??? oh it’s so perfect to get a feel of what this trilogy is going to be like !!
such a great read that had me gasping for air and finding my will to continue living 😩 i literally didn’t want to put it down omg !! thank you so much for the arc sc arlette bby 🖤
this is a dark prison romance, forbidden, prisoner x psychology student, dark desires, he controls everyone but for her … he’ll kneel, touch her and die, power / control, violence, banter, corruption, obsession, plot twists, cliffhanger ending, duo pov, and book one in trilogy ⛓️
faith is a psychology student looking to find her way through getting this degree. she’s such a hard worker and won’t stop until she gets what she put her blood, sweat, and tears for. she loves watching true crime documentaries which is one of the biggest factors why she enjoys psychology. one day she stumbles upon a website where you can write letters to people in prison. this began as a quick little research but quickly escalated when she saw zane’s profile. he is accused of killing his whole family for the money. he grew up wealthy and was already set for life when his parents eventually pass. so why would he be thrown in prison for killing them ? that is something that just doesn’t make sense and faith wants to learn more about him and his story. what started out as bickering and bantering back and forth through this website, turned into taking risks just to see her. nothing is ever the same again 👀
let’s talk about unhinged … zane … GOOD LORD 🧎🏻♀️ this man literally will gauge out your eyes for looking at his woman in any type of way 🤭 can’t say i didn’t giggle because that would be a fat fucking lie !! i love faith heavily 🥹 she’s such a strong character and i love how she never wavers. she will stand ten toes down with someone twice her size and she won’t back down. she stands up for herself because why the fuck would a baddie like her wait and get stomp all over ??! not her. miss girl is a lot stronger than me because the way i would’ve immediately folded the second zane replied back 💀
zane and faith are actually the most perfect together 🥰 they complement each other so well. and i absolutely loved getting to know them in this book !! that ending did real damage to my soul because … WHAT. DO. YOU. MEAN.
gosh i literally can’t wrap my head around it 😭 that was such a mindfuck
all i have to say to end this is … ZANE VALEHART COME HOME 😩 THE KIDS AND I MISS YOU !!!
anything for this man truly
food is on the table 🧎🏻♀️
house is cleaned 🧎🏻♀️
laundry folded 🧎🏻♀️
as many kids as he wants 🧎🏻♀️
🌶️🌶️🌶️
such a great read that had me gasping for air and finding my will to continue living 😩 i literally didn’t want to put it down omg !! thank you so much for the arc sc arlette bby 🖤
this is a dark prison romance, forbidden, prisoner x psychology student, dark desires, he controls everyone but for her … he’ll kneel, touch her and die, power / control, violence, banter, corruption, obsession, plot twists, cliffhanger ending, duo pov, and book one in trilogy ⛓️
faith is a psychology student looking to find her way through getting this degree. she’s such a hard worker and won’t stop until she gets what she put her blood, sweat, and tears for. she loves watching true crime documentaries which is one of the biggest factors why she enjoys psychology. one day she stumbles upon a website where you can write letters to people in prison. this began as a quick little research but quickly escalated when she saw zane’s profile. he is accused of killing his whole family for the money. he grew up wealthy and was already set for life when his parents eventually pass. so why would he be thrown in prison for killing them ? that is something that just doesn’t make sense and faith wants to learn more about him and his story. what started out as bickering and bantering back and forth through this website, turned into taking risks just to see her. nothing is ever the same again 👀
let’s talk about unhinged … zane … GOOD LORD 🧎🏻♀️ this man literally will gauge out your eyes for looking at his woman in any type of way 🤭 can’t say i didn’t giggle because that would be a fat fucking lie !! i love faith heavily 🥹 she’s such a strong character and i love how she never wavers. she will stand ten toes down with someone twice her size and she won’t back down. she stands up for herself because why the fuck would a baddie like her wait and get stomp all over ??! not her. miss girl is a lot stronger than me because the way i would’ve immediately folded the second zane replied back 💀
zane and faith are actually the most perfect together 🥰 they complement each other so well. and i absolutely loved getting to know them in this book !! that ending did real damage to my soul because … WHAT. DO. YOU. MEAN.
gosh i literally can’t wrap my head around it 😭 that was such a mindfuck
all i have to say to end this is … ZANE VALEHART COME HOME 😩 THE KIDS AND I MISS YOU !!!
anything for this man truly
food is on the table 🧎🏻♀️
house is cleaned 🧎🏻♀️
laundry folded 🧎🏻♀️
as many kids as he wants 🧎🏻♀️
🌶️🌶️🌶️
August 12, 2025
5⭐️2.5🌶️
First of all this book was everything I want in a dark romance🙌🏻 I haven’t read a book in the dark romance space in a while. This book had me in a complete chokehold! Here’s just a few things I loved: the banter, the tension, the slow burn and scenes that will forever live rent free in my head! AND the spicy scenes🔥🔥🔥 one of them will live rent free in my head🤭
Also can we talk about the author’s incredible writing for a sec?! I felt like I was there and I immediately ordered her other book! I will read anything she writes!
This book leaves off on a cliffhanger so I need book 2 asap!
Absolutely brilliant!!
First of all this book was everything I want in a dark romance🙌🏻 I haven’t read a book in the dark romance space in a while. This book had me in a complete chokehold! Here’s just a few things I loved: the banter, the tension, the slow burn and scenes that will forever live rent free in my head! AND the spicy scenes🔥🔥🔥 one of them will live rent free in my head🤭
Also can we talk about the author’s incredible writing for a sec?! I felt like I was there and I immediately ordered her other book! I will read anything she writes!
This book leaves off on a cliffhanger so I need book 2 asap!
Absolutely brilliant!!
September 20, 2025
what can I say, it started off well, but slowly slowly it just went into pure unwanted smut no plot, and so much was confusing, the female lead gradually lost all her brain cells and became fucking stupid, it felt like it was another. version of haunting Adeline!!!! the resemblance in uncanny I'm telling you!
September 30, 2025
This book had me hook, line and sinker from the very get go. Having gone in completely blind, I was not expecting to be so obsessed so early on, and the plot, the mystery, the writing and the characters completely grabbed me by the throat, I had to know more… and I couldn’t bring myself to stop. There was so much to unpack, so much unfolds, and with every chapter I was even more invested. The twists, the turns and the character development is crazy good. This book had everything I crave in a dark romance, and I am so glad I finally devoured it!
Faith flourished and I absolutely adore her, she really grew into her own, and she had me on my knees I stg. Zane never stood a chance. 🤭 and don’t get me started on that man because I could sing about him ALL DAMN DAY. That man, ugh. PERFECTION. All the right types of wrong, so possessive, morally black, SO UNHINGED, so touch her I dare you. 🥵 He was such a perfect MMC and honestly, he’s up there with my favourite book boyfriends! And his soft side… barely pecking through, but there… in small moments had me melting…. 🫠 Faith and Zane had this delicious simmering slow burn, and the yearning had me WEAK, but when Hell broke loose there was fire 🔥🔥🔥 the spicy scenes took spice to a new level. Chapter 22… (IYKYK). Defo needed a glass of wine after that because WOW! 🤭🫠🥵 and all those spicy scenes had me sweating I stg.
When psychology student Faith becomes obsessed in a murder case, she stumbles upon the case of Zane Valehart. But when she gets wrapped up in Zane’s past, his secrets, betrayals… she’s not quite sure if all is as it seems! Slowly, she uncovers the who, why, and what happened… but what she doesn’t realise is that this is just the beginning. She becomes quickly intertwined into Zane & everything he is, but what she doesn’t realise is with the answers she seeks, she’ll need to find herself too. Slowly she pieces together the past, but is it too late? Only book 2 will tell 😭
The ending had me SOBBING. Like full on ugly crying. I was not okay! 💔😭 I was expecting a cliffhanger but damn, nothing could have prepared me for that. I need more of him, of her, of THEM because damn that ending has me SO EXCITED for what’s to come! Even if I’m still sad about it.
@scarlette was so welcoming in her dms, and I gave her all the updates, all the crash outs. I’m suprised she didn’t put me in time out the ammount of DMs she got 😆 sorry, not sorry. I honestly had the best time reading, and this book has me obsessed. If it’s on your TBR read it, if it isn’t? Get it on there…. Because wow. Just wow. Loved it! So so much. I’ll be impatiently waiting for books 2 and 3… I fear this will be my new personality going forward, I’ve been thinking about them for hours since I finished it. It’s imbedded into my brain. 6 star read. TOP READ of 2025 for sure! ♾️♾️♾️
Faith flourished and I absolutely adore her, she really grew into her own, and she had me on my knees I stg. Zane never stood a chance. 🤭 and don’t get me started on that man because I could sing about him ALL DAMN DAY. That man, ugh. PERFECTION. All the right types of wrong, so possessive, morally black, SO UNHINGED, so touch her I dare you. 🥵 He was such a perfect MMC and honestly, he’s up there with my favourite book boyfriends! And his soft side… barely pecking through, but there… in small moments had me melting…. 🫠 Faith and Zane had this delicious simmering slow burn, and the yearning had me WEAK, but when Hell broke loose there was fire 🔥🔥🔥 the spicy scenes took spice to a new level. Chapter 22… (IYKYK). Defo needed a glass of wine after that because WOW! 🤭🫠🥵 and all those spicy scenes had me sweating I stg.
When psychology student Faith becomes obsessed in a murder case, she stumbles upon the case of Zane Valehart. But when she gets wrapped up in Zane’s past, his secrets, betrayals… she’s not quite sure if all is as it seems! Slowly, she uncovers the who, why, and what happened… but what she doesn’t realise is that this is just the beginning. She becomes quickly intertwined into Zane & everything he is, but what she doesn’t realise is with the answers she seeks, she’ll need to find herself too. Slowly she pieces together the past, but is it too late? Only book 2 will tell 😭
The ending had me SOBBING. Like full on ugly crying. I was not okay! 💔😭 I was expecting a cliffhanger but damn, nothing could have prepared me for that. I need more of him, of her, of THEM because damn that ending has me SO EXCITED for what’s to come! Even if I’m still sad about it.
@scarlette was so welcoming in her dms, and I gave her all the updates, all the crash outs. I’m suprised she didn’t put me in time out the ammount of DMs she got 😆 sorry, not sorry. I honestly had the best time reading, and this book has me obsessed. If it’s on your TBR read it, if it isn’t? Get it on there…. Because wow. Just wow. Loved it! So so much. I’ll be impatiently waiting for books 2 and 3… I fear this will be my new personality going forward, I’ve been thinking about them for hours since I finished it. It’s imbedded into my brain. 6 star read. TOP READ of 2025 for sure! ♾️♾️♾️
August 12, 2025
ALRIGHT I WAS SLEEP DEPRIVED FROM THREE NIGHTSHIFTS BACK TO BACK
I’m here to amend my review 🥴
From 3 to 4 stars
BECAUSE the crazy ass couple, Faith and Zane, won’t stop running through my mind. And you know what, something that took my brain power for more than 12hours after I finished reading it, deserves the praise of at least 4 stars. I’m still a hater for some parts but this book gave me the escapism I wanted in a dark romance soooooooooooo yeah. Anyways thanks for listening to my ramble.
—————————
Okay this is definitely a me problem because of how critical I am. The book had me torn from full on loving the characters to hating parts of the plot. And it’s all because of my own personal background. For that reason, I wasn’t fully sold on how the prison/escape was playing out.
If I went in without knowing what I know, this would’ve easily been a smash.
HOWEVER if you’re a dark romance lover and have minimal to zero triggers, this is one you don’t want to miss.
Mmc is like a mix of Zade Meadows, Kade Mitchell and killian carson - do with that what you will. 🔥
Fmc - honestly I actually really like her and regret not praising her more for the baddie she is
This author is creative and holds no bars in telling her story.
I’m here to amend my review 🥴
From 3 to 4 stars
BECAUSE the crazy ass couple, Faith and Zane, won’t stop running through my mind. And you know what, something that took my brain power for more than 12hours after I finished reading it, deserves the praise of at least 4 stars. I’m still a hater for some parts but this book gave me the escapism I wanted in a dark romance soooooooooooo yeah. Anyways thanks for listening to my ramble.
—————————
Okay this is definitely a me problem because of how critical I am. The book had me torn from full on loving the characters to hating parts of the plot. And it’s all because of my own personal background. For that reason, I wasn’t fully sold on how the prison/escape was playing out.
If I went in without knowing what I know, this would’ve easily been a smash.
HOWEVER if you’re a dark romance lover and have minimal to zero triggers, this is one you don’t want to miss.
Mmc is like a mix of Zade Meadows, Kade Mitchell and killian carson - do with that what you will. 🔥
Fmc - honestly I actually really like her and regret not praising her more for the baddie she is
This author is creative and holds no bars in telling her story.
October 27, 2025
words aren’t enough.
THIS BOOK IS HOLDING ME BY THE THROAT.
I can’t tell you in words how invested i was in the story and these characters! Zane is my new book boyfriend and i cannot wait for the next book because i have so many questions after that hell of an ending!
THIS BOOK IS HOLDING ME BY THE THROAT.
I can’t tell you in words how invested i was in the story and these characters! Zane is my new book boyfriend and i cannot wait for the next book because i have so many questions after that hell of an ending!
July 15, 2025
they are INSANE.
July 8, 2025
Can I say I’m even more obsessed with S.C Arlette because this book definitely did make me obsess obsess over her writing. ✍️ 😭❤️ “Can you take it” by her was a wonderful book. But this? It’s an absolute masterpiece!!🥺🥺❤️ and I can’t genuinely wait for the second to be out cause wdym? I gotta wait ? After all the emotions I went through because of the cliffhanger. 😭😭🙏 I need therapy and healing right now cause of this book! ❤️🩹
I miss both of the MC’s Zane and Faith so much 😭😭 cause wdym I’ve already read half of their story ? And I don’t want it to end w the third book. 😭😭🙏 cause the cliffhanger already did some damage to my heart. ♥️ Honestly I love Zane so much he’s such an unhinged MC and I love him like you know when they say “darkness calls darkness” and he’s definitely my cuppa darkness. He’s such a great character tbh and I loved every second of reading about him. Faith omgg that girl is literally me in every aspect of life and if I get in any suitations she’s gotten herself into lol I think that would be me too!😂😂 Cause let’s bfr there were certain scenes where I really wanted to be faith and have Zane to myself. 😝😝😂
Overall, this book definitely changed my brain chemistry!! 😝😝😝 and I loved every freaking second of it. I live for Zane and Faith like hello? Drop book 2 ASAP! This girly cannot wait to see their adventure continue and ik it’s gonna give me more crying 😭 but I’m looking forward to it!😝😝🙏
❤️Tropes ❤️
Prison romance
Touch her and d!e
Forbidden respondence
Monster in disguise
Mindf*** romance
You wanted the monster now don’t cry
Morally grey MMC
I miss both of the MC’s Zane and Faith so much 😭😭 cause wdym I’ve already read half of their story ? And I don’t want it to end w the third book. 😭😭🙏 cause the cliffhanger already did some damage to my heart. ♥️ Honestly I love Zane so much he’s such an unhinged MC and I love him like you know when they say “darkness calls darkness” and he’s definitely my cuppa darkness. He’s such a great character tbh and I loved every second of reading about him. Faith omgg that girl is literally me in every aspect of life and if I get in any suitations she’s gotten herself into lol I think that would be me too!😂😂 Cause let’s bfr there were certain scenes where I really wanted to be faith and have Zane to myself. 😝😝😂
Overall, this book definitely changed my brain chemistry!! 😝😝😝 and I loved every freaking second of it. I live for Zane and Faith like hello? Drop book 2 ASAP! This girly cannot wait to see their adventure continue and ik it’s gonna give me more crying 😭 but I’m looking forward to it!😝😝🙏
❤️Tropes ❤️
Prison romance
Touch her and d!e
Forbidden respondence
Monster in disguise
Mindf*** romance
You wanted the monster now don’t cry
Morally grey MMC
July 8, 2025
arc review 🖤
♾️☆
“ℑ 𝔟𝔢𝔩𝔬𝔫𝔤 𝔱𝔬 𝔥𝔢𝔯. 𝔄𝔫𝔡 𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔯𝔢’𝔰 𝔫𝔬𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔪𝔬𝔯𝔢 𝔡𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯𝔬𝔲𝔰 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔫 𝔞 𝔪𝔞𝔫 𝔴𝔥𝔬’𝔰 𝔬𝔴𝔫𝔢𝔡.”
If I had to describe the writing in this book with two words, they would be ‘lyrical depravity.’ There is an underlying depravity woven throughout this book and it had me in its clutches from page one.
I saw reactions, I’ve read reviews, and none of that could have prepared me for the absolute mayhem that goes on in this book. Don’t get me wrong, the romance was amazing, and the spice? Even better. But the thing I loved most about this book was the darkness, the darkness that is seeping out of the pages and engulfing the entire story. The twists and turns left me grasping for more with every turn of the page.
I have never read a book so depraved, so thought out, so deeply stomach churning, until Craving Venom. There were moments where I had to just sit and reflect on what I just read and question why I loved it so much.
“ℌ𝔦𝔰 𝔟𝔬𝔡𝔶 𝔰𝔱𝔞𝔫𝔡𝔰 𝔞𝔰 𝔰𝔬𝔪𝔢𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔠𝔞𝔯𝔳𝔢𝔡 𝔣𝔬𝔯 𝔴𝔬𝔯𝔰𝔥𝔦𝔭, 𝔟𝔲𝔱 𝔥𝔦𝔰 𝔰𝔬𝔲𝔩 𝔦𝔰 𝔞 𝔤𝔯𝔞𝔳𝔢𝔶𝔞𝔯𝔡. 𝔄𝔫𝔡 ℑ 𝔧𝔲𝔰𝔱 𝔱𝔬𝔲𝔠𝔥𝔢𝔡 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔱𝔬𝔪𝔟𝔰𝔱𝔬𝔫𝔢.”
Zane Valehart, the man that you are.😮💨 Just to exist near this man would be a privilege. Nothing about him is simple. He’ll make you think, make you question your sanity, your morals. As soon as you think you have him understood, he’ll show you exactly what it means to be misled.
Faith Collins, you beautiful strong woman.🥹 Being able to watch her blossom throughout this story was beautiful. She transformed into such a strong woman and it was beautiful. I absolutely adore her.
If you love books that will drag you through hell without a promise of heaven, I highly recommend picking this one up.🖤
🌙 “𝒴𝑜𝓊’𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓂𝑜𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝑜 𝓂𝓎 𝓃𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓌𝓀.”🌙
♾️☆
“ℑ 𝔟𝔢𝔩𝔬𝔫𝔤 𝔱𝔬 𝔥𝔢𝔯. 𝔄𝔫𝔡 𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔯𝔢’𝔰 𝔫𝔬𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔪𝔬𝔯𝔢 𝔡𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯𝔬𝔲𝔰 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔫 𝔞 𝔪𝔞𝔫 𝔴𝔥𝔬’𝔰 𝔬𝔴𝔫𝔢𝔡.”
If I had to describe the writing in this book with two words, they would be ‘lyrical depravity.’ There is an underlying depravity woven throughout this book and it had me in its clutches from page one.
I saw reactions, I’ve read reviews, and none of that could have prepared me for the absolute mayhem that goes on in this book. Don’t get me wrong, the romance was amazing, and the spice? Even better. But the thing I loved most about this book was the darkness, the darkness that is seeping out of the pages and engulfing the entire story. The twists and turns left me grasping for more with every turn of the page.
I have never read a book so depraved, so thought out, so deeply stomach churning, until Craving Venom. There were moments where I had to just sit and reflect on what I just read and question why I loved it so much.
“ℌ𝔦𝔰 𝔟𝔬𝔡𝔶 𝔰𝔱𝔞𝔫𝔡𝔰 𝔞𝔰 𝔰𝔬𝔪𝔢𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔠𝔞𝔯𝔳𝔢𝔡 𝔣𝔬𝔯 𝔴𝔬𝔯𝔰𝔥𝔦𝔭, 𝔟𝔲𝔱 𝔥𝔦𝔰 𝔰𝔬𝔲𝔩 𝔦𝔰 𝔞 𝔤𝔯𝔞𝔳𝔢𝔶𝔞𝔯𝔡. 𝔄𝔫𝔡 ℑ 𝔧𝔲𝔰𝔱 𝔱𝔬𝔲𝔠𝔥𝔢𝔡 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔱𝔬𝔪𝔟𝔰𝔱𝔬𝔫𝔢.”
Zane Valehart, the man that you are.😮💨 Just to exist near this man would be a privilege. Nothing about him is simple. He’ll make you think, make you question your sanity, your morals. As soon as you think you have him understood, he’ll show you exactly what it means to be misled.
Faith Collins, you beautiful strong woman.🥹 Being able to watch her blossom throughout this story was beautiful. She transformed into such a strong woman and it was beautiful. I absolutely adore her.
If you love books that will drag you through hell without a promise of heaven, I highly recommend picking this one up.🖤
🌙 “𝒴𝑜𝓊’𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓂𝑜𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝑜 𝓂𝓎 𝓃𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓌𝓀.”🌙
October 29, 2025
That ending was diabolical!! It was so worth it though, I haven’t been this invested in a dark romance in quite some time! This book not only had a fantastic plot that kept me guessing, but the MMC was absolutely unhinged in the best way!
Faith is a psychology student who happens to be a little obsessed with true crime. When she stumbles upon Zade’s case she’s immediately intrigued and does a deep dive until she finds a website where you can write a prisoner not expecting him to respond…
The way I was so invested with Zane’s story and trying to figure out what actually happened, this book had me up late into the night because I literally couldn’t put it down. Go into this blind, you won’t regret it! Well…maybe a little because you’ll absolutely be in love with a criminal.
Faith is a psychology student who happens to be a little obsessed with true crime. When she stumbles upon Zade’s case she’s immediately intrigued and does a deep dive until she finds a website where you can write a prisoner not expecting him to respond…
The way I was so invested with Zane’s story and trying to figure out what actually happened, this book had me up late into the night because I literally couldn’t put it down. Go into this blind, you won’t regret it! Well…maybe a little because you’ll absolutely be in love with a criminal.
July 2, 2025
I am so thankful to have been chosen to be a ARC reader for this book! I devoured this book in just a few sittings. I'm going to write my review with as little spoilers as possible it's just so hard because I want to talk about every part of this book!!!
Craving Venom is hands down one of the best dark romance books I've read in a long time. From the first chapter, I was completely hooked. I love that it It's deliciously dark, full of suspense, and packed with twists that left me speechless. ( Please release the next book asap I need to knowwww) And the spicy....
I'm left speechless. #winebottle
Also I have to mention my fav side character baby mark
R.I.P |love youuuuuuu ;)
If you know me my #1 book boyfriend is Zade from Haunting Adeline. Now if Zade had a twin brother it's Zane
Also the slaves, cult, and ending holy just left speechless...
This story had me on edge, and now I'll be counting down the days until book two. I'm SO thankful to be an ARC reader for this one. Seriously, mark your calendars for July 7 and get your hands on this book the second it drops. You won't regret it.
Craving Venom is hands down one of the best dark romance books I've read in a long time. From the first chapter, I was completely hooked. I love that it It's deliciously dark, full of suspense, and packed with twists that left me speechless. ( Please release the next book asap I need to knowwww) And the spicy....
I'm left speechless. #winebottle
Also I have to mention my fav side character baby mark
R.I.P |love youuuuuuu ;)
If you know me my #1 book boyfriend is Zade from Haunting Adeline. Now if Zade had a twin brother it's Zane
Also the slaves, cult, and ending holy just left speechless...
This story had me on edge, and now I'll be counting down the days until book two. I'm SO thankful to be an ARC reader for this one. Seriously, mark your calendars for July 7 and get your hands on this book the second it drops. You won't regret it.
September 22, 2025
I was already in love with S.C. Arlette’s writing when I read her debut novel last year but let me tell you… I was completely obsessed and blown away by Craving Venom!!! Like to the point where I was rereading the last few chapters and coming up with theories to try and remain calm (we’ll come back to that 👀) but if you love true crime and might be interested in a prison romance where he will literally destroy everything and everyone except for her??? Then you need to read this!! This review is going to be as vague as possible because I literally can’t say what I want to without spoiling everything 😂😭 but just trust me… this one is worth it.
Zane… I loved him from the start so I’m not sure what that says about me lol. I don’t blame Faith at all for being at war with herself because the TENSION in every single scene between these two had me kicking my feet along with the banter because I was torn between laughing or wanting to scream at Faith to just give in already 😂
Zane is as morally grey as they come and some of the things he did when going after Faith… the snake scene had me questioning how the hell I could be terrified yet thinking “why is this so hot” at once. And the scene on the roof… I was actually screaming for that one lol but underneath it all you could see his feelings for Faith continuously grow stronger throughout and I was obsessed with getting his side 😭 the love he has to offer her is far from what’s traditional but it’s real and seeing Faith start to realize that was everything!
While the tension and spice between the two was off the charts, I can’t forget the story and plot twists that come with it. I had a feeling on some things but most of it? I was blindsided when everything started to come together. I still have a million questions but my jaw definitely dropped a few times.
Zane’s in prison for ending his own family but is he actually caged or is it all apart of the plan? He’s the type of guy whose back up plans have back up plans and always seems to be ahead of the game… but Faith makes him reckless and what happens if that causes him to slip up? That’s the question I’m asking myself right now LOL. The author tells us that literally everything has a reason for it so when I got to that CLIFFHANGER I immediately started rereading and looking for hidden clues to try and calm my nerves because WTFFFF. I wanted to fully throw my kindle because how am I supposed to wait for book two 😂😭 I think I’ve come up with a theory to hold me over for now (or else I’m actually going to lose my mind) but I seriously cant rave about Zane and Faith enough… one of my top reads for sure!
Zane… I loved him from the start so I’m not sure what that says about me lol. I don’t blame Faith at all for being at war with herself because the TENSION in every single scene between these two had me kicking my feet along with the banter because I was torn between laughing or wanting to scream at Faith to just give in already 😂
Zane is as morally grey as they come and some of the things he did when going after Faith… the snake scene had me questioning how the hell I could be terrified yet thinking “why is this so hot” at once. And the scene on the roof… I was actually screaming for that one lol but underneath it all you could see his feelings for Faith continuously grow stronger throughout and I was obsessed with getting his side 😭 the love he has to offer her is far from what’s traditional but it’s real and seeing Faith start to realize that was everything!
While the tension and spice between the two was off the charts, I can’t forget the story and plot twists that come with it. I had a feeling on some things but most of it? I was blindsided when everything started to come together. I still have a million questions but my jaw definitely dropped a few times.
Zane’s in prison for ending his own family but is he actually caged or is it all apart of the plan? He’s the type of guy whose back up plans have back up plans and always seems to be ahead of the game… but Faith makes him reckless and what happens if that causes him to slip up? That’s the question I’m asking myself right now LOL. The author tells us that literally everything has a reason for it so when I got to that CLIFFHANGER I immediately started rereading and looking for hidden clues to try and calm my nerves because WTFFFF. I wanted to fully throw my kindle because how am I supposed to wait for book two 😂😭 I think I’ve come up with a theory to hold me over for now (or else I’m actually going to lose my mind) but I seriously cant rave about Zane and Faith enough… one of my top reads for sure!
January 5, 2026
This is a long one lol.
Let me preface this with I enjoy dark romance, but it has to be written well. I’ve read some unhinged things and had a great time. So none of that is the issue here, I’m very open minded.
SPOILERS AHEAD. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK.
The fmc is genuinely so effing annoying. Her bestie is annoying. I found them both insufferable honestly.
Everything is just too convenient. I’m sorry but an inmate in prison for murder has a computer in his room? Is it magically unmonitored? They’ve had some crazy conversations on that thing. Especially after he already attempted to escape? Yeah… ok. There were so many plot holes. Things brought up so intensely and just quietly fizzled away in the background. The exhibit he made for her? You’re just telling me no one questioned / investigated this? No one realized it all directly ties to faith? All of his crazy plans manage to go perfectly with no hitches and everything works in his favor? (I rolled my eyes SO hard when she left his jail cell and he planned a fire to distract guards, like be so fr).
80% in it started to feel like I was plummeting down hill. The change of pace seemed so random. I get the set up the author was trying to do with the news articles but it felt like “wait did I skip a chapter wtf is going on”. Skimmed the remainder after this.
Also why is this “college” written like a high school? Lockers? Bleachers you can go under? A professor chiding you for pda under said bleachers lol? Idk I’m not saying it’s impossible for a college setting to have these things, it just read as very high school to me and gave me the ick.
Let me preface this with I enjoy dark romance, but it has to be written well. I’ve read some unhinged things and had a great time. So none of that is the issue here, I’m very open minded.
SPOILERS AHEAD. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK.
The fmc is genuinely so effing annoying. Her bestie is annoying. I found them both insufferable honestly.
Everything is just too convenient. I’m sorry but an inmate in prison for murder has a computer in his room? Is it magically unmonitored? They’ve had some crazy conversations on that thing. Especially after he already attempted to escape? Yeah… ok. There were so many plot holes. Things brought up so intensely and just quietly fizzled away in the background. The exhibit he made for her? You’re just telling me no one questioned / investigated this? No one realized it all directly ties to faith? All of his crazy plans manage to go perfectly with no hitches and everything works in his favor? (I rolled my eyes SO hard when she left his jail cell and he planned a fire to distract guards, like be so fr).
80% in it started to feel like I was plummeting down hill. The change of pace seemed so random. I get the set up the author was trying to do with the news articles but it felt like “wait did I skip a chapter wtf is going on”. Skimmed the remainder after this.
Also why is this “college” written like a high school? Lockers? Bleachers you can go under? A professor chiding you for pda under said bleachers lol? Idk I’m not saying it’s impossible for a college setting to have these things, it just read as very high school to me and gave me the ick.
January 24, 2026
This book had me fu*** up from the start… fair warning this story was DARK and the cliffhanger at the end had me just sitting there staring at nothing because I just couldn’t believe it… please give me book 2 right now!!!
November 15, 2025
3.5 ★’s
When I read a dark romance, I usually throw any believability out the window and just roll with it. That was definitely necessary here - but don’t get me wrong this was a fun, ridiculous ride!
Zane is entertaining. I love a psychos inner dialogue when it’s humorous and sarcastic, and Zane is serving that. Are morally grey/black mmc’s with a secretive past overdone? Absolutely, but I’m still a sucker for them every single time.
Faith was taking some time to grow on me, and jk in the end she never did. I just didn’t understand a lot of what she did and said? She flip flopped at the strangest times. Also, she is an absolute shit friend to Tria. Tria deserves so much better!!
This started off great but it did seem to fizzle a bit around the 80% mark. I started to notice some inconsistencies around this time too, but I think a little editing would clear both of those issues up.
I’m a glutton for punishment, and I wanted all the emotional damage but alas - ‘twas not what happened for me. Overall, I enjoyed reading this as purely a vibes read!
When I read a dark romance, I usually throw any believability out the window and just roll with it. That was definitely necessary here - but don’t get me wrong this was a fun, ridiculous ride!
Zane is entertaining. I love a psychos inner dialogue when it’s humorous and sarcastic, and Zane is serving that. Are morally grey/black mmc’s with a secretive past overdone? Absolutely, but I’m still a sucker for them every single time.
Faith was taking some time to grow on me, and jk in the end she never did. I just didn’t understand a lot of what she did and said? She flip flopped at the strangest times. Also, she is an absolute shit friend to Tria. Tria deserves so much better!!
This started off great but it did seem to fizzle a bit around the 80% mark. I started to notice some inconsistencies around this time too, but I think a little editing would clear both of those issues up.
I’m a glutton for punishment, and I wanted all the emotional damage but alas - ‘twas not what happened for me. Overall, I enjoyed reading this as purely a vibes read!
July 5, 2025
I seriously have no words for how much I loved this entire book. Pretty sure I just sat and stared into the void for a good hour after finishing it, just to process. This is one of those books that alters your brain chemistry and makes you question yourself, while also making you feel whole. The way you can write things that speak to my soul and make me feel seen is something I will cherish forever.
When Faith-a psychology student addicted to true crime-messages a convicted convict, the unexpected happens. He messages her back. Because what’s the worst that could happen when he sets his sights on her after their heated banter?
Zane is labeled as “the world’s most good looking criminal” and has a whole fan club of women. Currently serving 2 life sentences for the murder of his mother and brother in Veridian Correctional Facility. He is great at showcasing a differing personality for the public versus how he is with people he cares about.
I don’t even know where to start with how obsessed I am with Zane and Faith. The way that Faith battles with her feelings for someone so dangerous and the turmoil she is going through. But I think the part that I loved was her best friend who didn’t shame her for how she was feeling or what she was experiencing.
So much happened in this book, cracked bottles, snakes everywhere, evacuations, masked vigilante, secret societies. Let’s just say Zane has a plan for everything and plans for those plans. You will definitely fall in love with him along the way after hating him just a little bit. Pretty sure I highlighted half the book because whew, some amazing quotes that I fell in love with.
I won’t spoiler anything for you, just know that this absolutely needs to be your next read!
When Faith-a psychology student addicted to true crime-messages a convicted convict, the unexpected happens. He messages her back. Because what’s the worst that could happen when he sets his sights on her after their heated banter?
Zane is labeled as “the world’s most good looking criminal” and has a whole fan club of women. Currently serving 2 life sentences for the murder of his mother and brother in Veridian Correctional Facility. He is great at showcasing a differing personality for the public versus how he is with people he cares about.
I don’t even know where to start with how obsessed I am with Zane and Faith. The way that Faith battles with her feelings for someone so dangerous and the turmoil she is going through. But I think the part that I loved was her best friend who didn’t shame her for how she was feeling or what she was experiencing.
So much happened in this book, cracked bottles, snakes everywhere, evacuations, masked vigilante, secret societies. Let’s just say Zane has a plan for everything and plans for those plans. You will definitely fall in love with him along the way after hating him just a little bit. Pretty sure I highlighted half the book because whew, some amazing quotes that I fell in love with.
I won’t spoiler anything for you, just know that this absolutely needs to be your next read!
January 16, 2026
Let me start with the good things first because yes, the good should come before the bad. And trust me, I have a lot of bad things to say, because this book was pure insanity: cringe, nonsensical, and honestly one of the most exhausting things I’ve spent three days reading. I’m giving it two stars and that’s me being extremely generous.
The good things:
1. The concept- I genuinely love the psych student/enthusiast × criminal/morally grey trope. That’s the sole reason my friend recommended this book to me—and she absolutely loved it, unlike me. For me, it was a painful read.
Cecily Knight (God of Wrath) and London Noble (Born Darkly), you’ll forever be my favorite fictional psychs. No one is touching your throne.
2. The newspaper cuttings- The graphic newspaper clippings at the start of every chapter were beautifully done—very descriptive and genuinely impressive. I loved that part.
3. Zane drew a very beautiful portrait of Faith from his imagination. That was actually cute.
4. Zane broke out of prison not to escape but his only intention was to meet Faith.
5. The ending- Thank God it ended, because I genuinely couldn’t survive another 100 pages of this nonsense.
Jokes and criticism aside, I did like the delivery of the final 10%. The first 90% was absolute chaos, but the last bit almost made up for it.
Now, with all that said—why does this book have a 4-star rating? I genuinely feel like some of you were on the same substance the author smoked while writing this, because this was straight-up nonsense.
Someone commented, “A Kindle was thrown,” and girl I get you. Loud +1. I nearly hurled my Kindle out of my car while reading this on a year-end road trip. Completely ruined my mood. I wouldn’t even wish this book on my enemies.
I’m not even a passionate hater, but what was this writing? It was so hard to follow—painfully so. At one point, I genuinely wanted to know which AI was used to write this book so I can avoid it while working on my semester thesis. Heck, I believe even ChatGPT can't pull this bullshit out of its robotic ass.
The plot kicks off with Faith texting Zane who is a criminal locked up behind the bars. Apparently, Zane never checks his inbox, but thanks to Mark rage-baiting him, he replies to a psych-related message—and out of thousands of unread texts, it just happens to be Faith’s. (Yeah we get it she is y/n). They start bantering back and forth. I dunno how they are allowing people to keep laptops in prison cell these days though. And apparently they also have prison wi-fi. I know this is fiction, but can we at least pretend to have some logic?
Basically, it’s like being a die-hard fan of an idol—fantasizing about him and wanting to form a connection so badly that you can’t interact or behave normally with people in real life. And the book starts off by glorifying parasocialism. What makes it even worse is that the FMC is fangirling over a psychopathic criminal. Faith keeps zoning out at the thought of Zane. She’s mid-kiss with Trevor and thinking about Zane. When she’s walking down the street with her friends, she’s thinking about Zane. Girl, to be honest, you need help.
And somehow, it’s the same for Zane. He’s thinking about Faith mid-makeout session with a random girl who appeared out of nowhere. Somehow, Zane even starts abusing a substance just to stop thinking about Faith—even though he never abuses substances at all. She’s apparently “that” different. It’s always about being “that” different. (Ah...I hate this y/n syndrome.)
There are only a few likable characters in this book and you can count them on one hand—and that’s Mark and Trevor, who are sidelined anyway. I felt bad for Trevor because he was genuinely a nice guy.
And what is up with Tria anyway? She was goddamn annoying because she kept forcing Faith to date, even when Faith clearly wasn’t comfortable enough to do so—mostly because her ex had supposedly died.
But after a few chapters, Faith finds out that her ex, Jason—whom she thought was dead—wasn’t actually dead. He just pretended to be dead because he was too cowardly to break up with her before getting together with another woman. Faith didn’t blame the girl, though, and I really praise her for that. She’s definitely a girl’s girl. But then she starts self-deprecating over throwing coffee on Jason. Like, girl, why are you regretting it? Come on—throwing a cup of coffee on your asshole ex doesn’t make you a psycho and he definitely deserved it.
Then Faith has fantasies of killing Jason in different ways, which she shares with Zane. But after that, Jason has no role at all—he’s completely forgotten and thrown away as if he never existed. That character had no purpose other than being filler, like most of the others. Like seriously, this was the guy Faith apparently spent years crying over? Oh god.
Faith and Zane first meet in person during a Halloween party—which is extremely ridiculous, and I’ll tell you exactly why, because SINCE WHEN ARE PARTIES BEING HELD IN PRISON. Did I miss a memo? Is this a club now?
I mean, it was already odd that just anyone could cross prison gates without showing strong government ID, but parties being held there? This is beyond delusional. You need to lack functioning brain cells to come up with this nonsense.
The writing just keeps getting more and more ridiculous with every page and here’s why.
In one scene at the party, Zane approaches Faith from behind and whispers something into her ear. When she turns around, no one is there. First of all, how did Zane vanish in milliseconds? Is he a goddamn ninja? Please—a fifth grader could write something better than this.
And Faith convinces herself that it was just her mind playing tricks because of the atmosphere. Girl, I can’t let this level of stupidity slide. She wasn’t hallucinating and she hadn’t even touched her first drink.
Apparently, Zane disappeared in that scene because he wanted to be patient and earn her.
Patience? ppft WHAT A SICK JOKE.
Because in the very next scene, he forcefully drags her into a shadowed room and clearly violates her. The scene is extremely descriptive, and worst of all, their silhouettes are visible from the other side—meaning Tria and probably several others watched it unfold. Even if it was “just shadows,” it was still horrible.
And Faith is fully aware that she’s been violated. But then comes the body-betrayal syndrome—and I hate when this happens. Like, what the hell?
The plot pacing was horrible. Nonexistent at times. How did Faith forget that Zane is a psycho when it’s stated in the very first chapter? It’s like once in a blue moon she remembers, “Oh, he’s a psycho,” and then immediately goes, “Never mind, he’s the one I need.”
From there, the book just kept getting worse and worse, and I skimmed through most of the pages just to somehow finish it.
I was actually enjoying the book at the start, but the moment I saw Faith drinking wine with ramen, I couldn’t take this bullshit anymore. This book is as bad as that wine-and-ramen combo.
The good things:
1. The concept- I genuinely love the psych student/enthusiast × criminal/morally grey trope. That’s the sole reason my friend recommended this book to me—and she absolutely loved it, unlike me. For me, it was a painful read.
Cecily Knight (God of Wrath) and London Noble (Born Darkly), you’ll forever be my favorite fictional psychs. No one is touching your throne.
2. The newspaper cuttings- The graphic newspaper clippings at the start of every chapter were beautifully done—very descriptive and genuinely impressive. I loved that part.
3. Zane drew a very beautiful portrait of Faith from his imagination. That was actually cute.
4. Zane broke out of prison not to escape but his only intention was to meet Faith.
5. The ending- Thank God it ended, because I genuinely couldn’t survive another 100 pages of this nonsense.
Jokes and criticism aside, I did like the delivery of the final 10%. The first 90% was absolute chaos, but the last bit almost made up for it.
“I love you, Faith Selestina Collins,” he breathes. “Getting killed at your hands is my only chance at heaven."
Now, with all that said—why does this book have a 4-star rating? I genuinely feel like some of you were on the same substance the author smoked while writing this, because this was straight-up nonsense.
Someone commented, “A Kindle was thrown,” and girl I get you. Loud +1. I nearly hurled my Kindle out of my car while reading this on a year-end road trip. Completely ruined my mood. I wouldn’t even wish this book on my enemies.
I’m not even a passionate hater, but what was this writing? It was so hard to follow—painfully so. At one point, I genuinely wanted to know which AI was used to write this book so I can avoid it while working on my semester thesis. Heck, I believe even ChatGPT can't pull this bullshit out of its robotic ass.
The plot kicks off with Faith texting Zane who is a criminal locked up behind the bars. Apparently, Zane never checks his inbox, but thanks to Mark rage-baiting him, he replies to a psych-related message—and out of thousands of unread texts, it just happens to be Faith’s. (Yeah we get it she is y/n). They start bantering back and forth. I dunno how they are allowing people to keep laptops in prison cell these days though. And apparently they also have prison wi-fi. I know this is fiction, but can we at least pretend to have some logic?
Basically, it’s like being a die-hard fan of an idol—fantasizing about him and wanting to form a connection so badly that you can’t interact or behave normally with people in real life. And the book starts off by glorifying parasocialism. What makes it even worse is that the FMC is fangirling over a psychopathic criminal. Faith keeps zoning out at the thought of Zane. She’s mid-kiss with Trevor and thinking about Zane. When she’s walking down the street with her friends, she’s thinking about Zane. Girl, to be honest, you need help.
And somehow, it’s the same for Zane. He’s thinking about Faith mid-makeout session with a random girl who appeared out of nowhere. Somehow, Zane even starts abusing a substance just to stop thinking about Faith—even though he never abuses substances at all. She’s apparently “that” different. It’s always about being “that” different. (Ah...I hate this y/n syndrome.)
There are only a few likable characters in this book and you can count them on one hand—and that’s Mark and Trevor, who are sidelined anyway. I felt bad for Trevor because he was genuinely a nice guy.
And what is up with Tria anyway? She was goddamn annoying because she kept forcing Faith to date, even when Faith clearly wasn’t comfortable enough to do so—mostly because her ex had supposedly died.
But after a few chapters, Faith finds out that her ex, Jason—whom she thought was dead—wasn’t actually dead. He just pretended to be dead because he was too cowardly to break up with her before getting together with another woman. Faith didn’t blame the girl, though, and I really praise her for that. She’s definitely a girl’s girl. But then she starts self-deprecating over throwing coffee on Jason. Like, girl, why are you regretting it? Come on—throwing a cup of coffee on your asshole ex doesn’t make you a psycho and he definitely deserved it.
Then Faith has fantasies of killing Jason in different ways, which she shares with Zane. But after that, Jason has no role at all—he’s completely forgotten and thrown away as if he never existed. That character had no purpose other than being filler, like most of the others. Like seriously, this was the guy Faith apparently spent years crying over? Oh god.
Faith and Zane first meet in person during a Halloween party—which is extremely ridiculous, and I’ll tell you exactly why, because SINCE WHEN ARE PARTIES BEING HELD IN PRISON. Did I miss a memo? Is this a club now?
I mean, it was already odd that just anyone could cross prison gates without showing strong government ID, but parties being held there? This is beyond delusional. You need to lack functioning brain cells to come up with this nonsense.
The writing just keeps getting more and more ridiculous with every page and here’s why.
In one scene at the party, Zane approaches Faith from behind and whispers something into her ear. When she turns around, no one is there. First of all, how did Zane vanish in milliseconds? Is he a goddamn ninja? Please—a fifth grader could write something better than this.
And Faith convinces herself that it was just her mind playing tricks because of the atmosphere. Girl, I can’t let this level of stupidity slide. She wasn’t hallucinating and she hadn’t even touched her first drink.
Apparently, Zane disappeared in that scene because he wanted to be patient and earn her.
"Because this isn’t the moment I want. Not yet. And I’m nothing if not patient."
Patience? ppft WHAT A SICK JOKE.
Because in the very next scene, he forcefully drags her into a shadowed room and clearly violates her. The scene is extremely descriptive, and worst of all, their silhouettes are visible from the other side—meaning Tria and probably several others watched it unfold. Even if it was “just shadows,” it was still horrible.
And Faith is fully aware that she’s been violated. But then comes the body-betrayal syndrome—and I hate when this happens. Like, what the hell?
The plot pacing was horrible. Nonexistent at times. How did Faith forget that Zane is a psycho when it’s stated in the very first chapter? It’s like once in a blue moon she remembers, “Oh, he’s a psycho,” and then immediately goes, “Never mind, he’s the one I need.”
From there, the book just kept getting worse and worse, and I skimmed through most of the pages just to somehow finish it.
I was actually enjoying the book at the start, but the moment I saw Faith drinking wine with ramen, I couldn’t take this bullshit anymore. This book is as bad as that wine-and-ramen combo.
December 29, 2025
i couldn’t get through this!! every scene was rape omfg
December 22, 2025
The whole book was cringe and the fmc was insufferable and dumb. The side characters were also annoying. Also, what type of prison is that?? One willing to have just anyone walk in apparently
July 1, 2025
oh lord where to begin with this review?!
this book was not what I expected. it was more. Way more. It was emotional, intense, shocking, it was perfectly fucking unhinged!
not to mention HOT. should we fall for someone like Zane. hahaha definitely not. even Faith knows that. but here we are as usual falling for the "bad" guy. but he's not really is he...
if Zade Meadows had a brother...it would be Zane.
I loved that there were twists and curveball throughout this book. even though they were so emotional. like w/Mark 😭💔
I wasn't ready for all that.
also wasn't expecting the story to turn out the way it was...for example the disappearances...the cult. that's all I'll say without possible spoilers.
as unhinged as Zane is, I just loved him. His story that every slowly gets revealed is so heartbreaking and dark.
As for Faith...he warned her about him. but like us dark romance lovers, we couldn't stay away. something drew her in. like her love for crime shows.
ugh so many scenes between them were beyond 🔥
The things Zane does, so twisted, so calculated, so fucking amazing.
another thing I really enjoyed was throughout the book there's art with certain scenes to bring things to life.
I'm in desperate need of book 2 because that cliffhanger was so rude. so rude...like how could you leave us hanging like that S.C. Arlette?!
thank you so much for allowing me to arc read this. I'll also be sending you my therapy bill. 😆
this book was not what I expected. it was more. Way more. It was emotional, intense, shocking, it was perfectly fucking unhinged!
not to mention HOT. should we fall for someone like Zane. hahaha definitely not. even Faith knows that. but here we are as usual falling for the "bad" guy. but he's not really is he...
if Zade Meadows had a brother...it would be Zane.
I loved that there were twists and curveball throughout this book. even though they were so emotional. like w/Mark 😭💔
I wasn't ready for all that.
also wasn't expecting the story to turn out the way it was...for example the disappearances...the cult. that's all I'll say without possible spoilers.
as unhinged as Zane is, I just loved him. His story that every slowly gets revealed is so heartbreaking and dark.
As for Faith...he warned her about him. but like us dark romance lovers, we couldn't stay away. something drew her in. like her love for crime shows.
ugh so many scenes between them were beyond 🔥
The things Zane does, so twisted, so calculated, so fucking amazing.
another thing I really enjoyed was throughout the book there's art with certain scenes to bring things to life.
I'm in desperate need of book 2 because that cliffhanger was so rude. so rude...like how could you leave us hanging like that S.C. Arlette?!
thank you so much for allowing me to arc read this. I'll also be sending you my therapy bill. 😆
July 20, 2025
Thank you to S.C. Arlette for sending me Craving Venom!
Girl. I mean—GIRL.
How the heck did you just waltz into my life with this unhinged treat?
Tropes/Kinks/menu 🤭
🔪 Inmate/Student
🖤 Obsessed MMC
🕯️ Secret Society
🩸 CNC (Consensual Non-Consent)
💨 Breath Play
…aaaand a lot more :))
Plot Blurb:
Faith, a college student and true crime junkie, becomes obsessed with studying Zane Valehart—a prisoner convicted of killing his mother and brother. She finds a website called Criminal Archives, where you can write a prisoner. She writes to Zane, who of becomes OBSESSED with her. The more they communicate, the deeper she falls into his darkness… until it’s too late to pull herself back out.😏
My Review:
This book had me from the very first damn page—with the news article’s, the slowly unfolding secrets, and the website! Her brother even created a real Criminal Archives site so you can read about Zane!
The book is 650+ pages, but don’t let that scare you. I never lost interest and didn’t skim a damn page. I am really looking forward to the sequel as our lovely author left us on a CLIFFHANGER DELUXE! 🙃❤️
Solid 4.7 ⭐️
Girl. I mean—GIRL.
How the heck did you just waltz into my life with this unhinged treat?
Tropes/Kinks/menu 🤭
🔪 Inmate/Student
🖤 Obsessed MMC
🕯️ Secret Society
🩸 CNC (Consensual Non-Consent)
💨 Breath Play
…aaaand a lot more :))
Plot Blurb:
Faith, a college student and true crime junkie, becomes obsessed with studying Zane Valehart—a prisoner convicted of killing his mother and brother. She finds a website called Criminal Archives, where you can write a prisoner. She writes to Zane, who of becomes OBSESSED with her. The more they communicate, the deeper she falls into his darkness… until it’s too late to pull herself back out.😏
My Review:
This book had me from the very first damn page—with the news article’s, the slowly unfolding secrets, and the website! Her brother even created a real Criminal Archives site so you can read about Zane!
The book is 650+ pages, but don’t let that scare you. I never lost interest and didn’t skim a damn page. I am really looking forward to the sequel as our lovely author left us on a CLIFFHANGER DELUXE! 🙃❤️
Solid 4.7 ⭐️
September 7, 2025
A kindle was thrown
July 14, 2025
I'm speechless, that ending was brutal. I wasn't ready 😳😭🤯😨
Zane is such an amazing character! 🥹🥹💖
i have so many questions that need answers. 😭😭😭
Zane is such an amazing character! 🥹🥹💖
i have so many questions that need answers. 😭😭😭
Read
December 18, 2025Holy shit wtf did I just read (in a good way), need time to process and probably need a reread cuz I'm on the backend of a slump and need to get back to reading again,
December 28, 2025
Ooooof
December 18, 2025
4.5 ⭐️
Okay I was told I would want to throw my kindle/book across the room when I finished and I do in fact want to chuck this thing!! 😭 I need book two RIGHT NOW!!!
Besides the cliffhanger that’s going to haunt me, this book had everything that every dark romance reader will devour.
Prison romance (she is a psychology student x he’s the prisoner), control, obsession, st@lking, touch her & d!e, banter, “object” play 👀, mask play, corruption, plot twist, and as mentioned one fat cliffhanger.
Seriously, this book is 600+ pages and I am still sitting here like “wait… no!!! I need more!!!” 😭
I felt completely consumed with this book, everything melted away with how this story pulled me in and felt like I was in it! Every single emotion felt like my own. I cried, I laughed, I was scared, I was angry… you name it.
This is dark, and our MMC is the definition. Zane is possessive, addicted, strategic, unhinged, calculating… he basically clicks all the boxes of everything I needed and wanted. There is nothing that will stop this man from getting what he wants, quite literally!!
Set a building on fire or shut the entire campus down just for the chance touch her? You bet 😅🤭👏🏼
He’s the kind of man that will have everyone kneeling at his feet, but the one kneeling at hers and worshiping the ground she walks on. YES PLEASE!!
And I absolutely LOVED the plot twist! I cannot wait to see where this trilogy will go! So until then I’ll be here itching for book two.
Okay I was told I would want to throw my kindle/book across the room when I finished and I do in fact want to chuck this thing!! 😭 I need book two RIGHT NOW!!!
Besides the cliffhanger that’s going to haunt me, this book had everything that every dark romance reader will devour.
Prison romance (she is a psychology student x he’s the prisoner), control, obsession, st@lking, touch her & d!e, banter, “object” play 👀, mask play, corruption, plot twist, and as mentioned one fat cliffhanger.
Seriously, this book is 600+ pages and I am still sitting here like “wait… no!!! I need more!!!” 😭
I felt completely consumed with this book, everything melted away with how this story pulled me in and felt like I was in it! Every single emotion felt like my own. I cried, I laughed, I was scared, I was angry… you name it.
This is dark, and our MMC is the definition. Zane is possessive, addicted, strategic, unhinged, calculating… he basically clicks all the boxes of everything I needed and wanted. There is nothing that will stop this man from getting what he wants, quite literally!!
Set a building on fire or shut the entire campus down just for the chance touch her? You bet 😅🤭👏🏼
He’s the kind of man that will have everyone kneeling at his feet, but the one kneeling at hers and worshiping the ground she walks on. YES PLEASE!!
And I absolutely LOVED the plot twist! I cannot wait to see where this trilogy will go! So until then I’ll be here itching for book two.
August 6, 2025
3.5 ⭐️ Haunting Adeline, but make it slightly more unhinged and slightly less original.
September 25, 2025
chapter 1 - intrigued
chapter 2 - ew why tf are we bragging about fucking someone wife hello??
chapter 3 - expected trevor to be a dick but he’s actually sweet
chapter 4 - CLOCK HIS SHIT, MARK
chapter 5 - who’s jason? and i’m loving the messages
chapter 6 - ew?? i don’t want to read about him getting it on with another woman. someone humble this man oh my days
chapter 7 - eh
chapter 8 - oh god i hate him
chapter 9 - im just skimming atp because im not enjoying it. dnf sadly
chapter 2 - ew why tf are we bragging about fucking someone wife hello??
chapter 3 - expected trevor to be a dick but he’s actually sweet
chapter 4 - CLOCK HIS SHIT, MARK
chapter 5 - who’s jason? and i’m loving the messages
chapter 6 - ew?? i don’t want to read about him getting it on with another woman. someone humble this man oh my days
chapter 7 - eh
chapter 8 - oh god i hate him
chapter 9 - im just skimming atp because im not enjoying it. dnf sadly
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