Tempting Venom

2.5⭐️ so disappointing and boring. So much potential and absolutely flopped. Plot didn’t start until 80% of the book. I did like Marcus and Preston but their relationship was overshadowed by the lust and smut (until the end). Nothing new or original but had its okay moments.

Momma Eureka

604 reviews2,837 followers

levi (speak tf up about 🇵🇸 and &#x1f1f1

FUCKING FINALLY !!!!!!!!!! THIS BOOK WAS BETTER THAN GOD OF FURY !!!! You heard here first !!!!

FINALLY A 5⭐️ BOOK FROM RK AFTER SO LONG!!!!!!!!!

THIS IS MY NUMBER ONE FROM HER NOW, AND YES IT DETHRONED GOD OF MALICE AND GOD OF FURY!!!!

If you don’t know, I am one of the biggest RK’s critic. I think most of the times she is repetitive, unoriginal, leave too many things off page and her characters are mostly a copy and paste! I’ve never gave up on her books because when they hit, they truly HIT ! I for example love and adore God of Malice, God of Wrath, God of Fury, The Deception Trilogy, The Monster Trilogy and Hunt the Villain. But every other book I’ve read from her I either like it but have manyyyyyy complaints or I don’t even like it at all. Have said that I was excited about this one specifically because since Beautiful Venom I’ve been waiting for Preston and Marcus story and it did NOT disappoint it!
She finally gave me all I ever wanted in her books which is depth, emotion, all the details and complexity I was craving. Yes Preston was her usual self destructive chaotic character we’ve seen MANY times, BUT hear me out, he had many traumas, deep mental health issues and a complexity I’ve never seen in her books, I laugh with him and I cried with him, I wanted to hold him and be the mother he lost. And Marcus was everything I wanted for him, yes he was violent but he was also so caring, loving and cute, he knew exactly what to give Preston and his sadistic tendency found a perfect balance in Preston’s masochist one. This book has some of THE HOTTEST smut of her books 🥵🔥
I loved how we follow their lives and get to see when they first met all the way to the present. We got to see all we saw in the first two books but through their eyes and I couldn’t be happier.
Loved, loved, lovedddddd !

111 reviews396 followers

July 9, 2026

3.5
Call me a hypocrite idc this book was one of her best works yet and and and and I myself couldn’t believe that
THIS BOOK HAS YEARNING IN IT.
This is so binge worthy and actually nice
The characters were for once not that problematic. This would have been a 4 stars but she messed up this one scene (rina a guys dick doesn’t work like that) 💔
-
Full review otw

annie

336 reviews2,259 followers

Want to Read

December 3, 2025

From Sweet Venom:

- Violet's Pov:
“Go ahead.” Marcus’s eyes look void and creepily unsettling as he stares at me. “Show me the beautiful smile so I can decide what is worth it or if it’s worth anything at all.”
“The fuck are you doing here?” Preston nearly growls the words.
“Aw. Why so cold?” A spark lights up Marcus’s previously dead eyes as he smirks, cocking his head in Preston’s direction. “Came to celebrate your win. Aren’t I supportive?”
“You—” Preston cuts himself off, then grins. “Wrong timing. As you can see, I’m busy with Vee.”
“Vee.” Marcus’s smirk drops and I shiver as he directs a glare at me. “Why don’t you smile for me, Vee? I’m trying to figure out if Armstrong has a fucking death wish on this fine night.”
“Leave her the fuck alone.” Preston punches him in the chest. “And you’re the one who seems to have a goddamn death wish, Osborn.”
I gasp when Marcus grabs Preston’s fist that’s on his chest.
Marcus’s knuckles are covered in bruises, some of them busted, as if he’s fresh out of a fight.
“My, oh my.” Marcus grins, his eyes shining bright. “Are you angry, my prince?”

Preston shoves him away and smiles at me, but it’s forced. He wraps an arm around my shoulders. “Let’s go inside, Vee. Some fly is polluting my air with its constant buzzing.”
“I haven’t finished talking. Also, this needs to go.” Marcus grabs Preston’s wrist from my shoulder and twists so fast and powerfully that I think he’ll break his arm.
Preston releases himself and kicks Marcus. In the stomach.
“Motherfucking bitch! You just never know when to back the fuck off.” Preston kicks him again and again, but Marcus is just laughing.
The whole scene feels surreal to watch. As if I’ve been thrust into an alternative reality.
It’s the first time I’ve seen Preston this worked up, and I’m pretty sure that Marcus is normally the one doing the beating, not the other way around.
Preston stops kicking him, releasing a long breath and flashing him an entirely fake smile. “You got your five minutes of attention. Now, shoo and stop disturbing us.”
I think I see a flash of rage in Marcus’s eyes, but before I can focus on what’s going on, a motorcycle stops beside us—or more like screeches to a halt.
Jude hops off the bike and removes his helmet, revealing hard features and a scowl that’s worse than his permanent one.
“What’s going on here?” he asks Preston and Marcus, who’ve stopped glaring at each other or whatever those two are doing.
Marcus smirks upon seeing Jude’s arm around my waist. “Just a friendly drop-by.”
“Nothing about your presence is friendly, Osborn,” Jude says, tightening his grip on me.
“True.” He taps his lip. “Is Vee your girl, Callahan?”
“Her name is Violet, and yes, she is. You have a problem
“No problem whatsoever.” Marcus grins and then points a thumb at Preston. “Armstrong might, though, considering he was flirting with her. Keep a better eye on her, yeah? Wouldn’t want her to end up in a freak accident.”
Jude takes a step forward, but Preston is already wrapping an arm around Marcus’s throat from behind, choking him. “Never mind us, big man. I’mma beat the crap out of this creep real quick.”
"Question. What’s with all the choking?” Marcus strains, tapping Preston’s arm. “Is it a form of paraphilia up for exploring?”
“Just call someone to throw him out of town,” Jude tells Preston. “And don’t kill him.”
“But why not?” Preston glares down at him. “He’s obviously itching to meet his maker.”
“If you’re my grim reaper, why not? Yum.”
“Fucking creep.” Preston shoves him away. “Your face doesn’t even give me the urge to kill. What a turn-off.”

AHHHHH THESE BOTH ARE GONNA BE SOOO YUM 😭 AND THEY'RE AGGRESSIVE AS HELL!!!

- When preston was shot:

“He came during the chaos,” she murmurs back. “He showed up out of nowhere, almost as if he was hiding in the trees the whole time or something, the creep.”
“I said. I’m not going anywhere.” Marcus’s eyes spark with something violent. “If anything, you’re the one who needs to scram for failing to save him.”
“The fuck you just say?” Jude snarls in his face.
“Want me to spell it out for you?” Marcus’s tone is mocking, but his body is tight.
“Go fight outside.” An authoritative voice echoes around the room.
The man is sitting on one of the leather-padded chairs, his fingers forming a steeple at his chin. He’s a striking older version of Preston, but his presence resembles the deep ocean—calm on the outside but with a turbulent energy on the inside.
“Lawrence. He’s Preston’s dad.” Dahlia tells me in a low voice, confirming my suspicions.
Marcus’s glare slides to Lawrence, even though Jude is still strangling him by the collar.
I’ve never seen Marcus this...mad. No. Enraged is an accurate description. Granted, I don’t know him personally, but I’ve seen him all over the place, and he’s usually more unruffled than a monk. Even that time he showed up in the club’s parking lot, he was the one provoking Preston, not the other way around.
Right now, however, he looks at Lawrence as if he’s slaughtered his entire bloodline. “Is that all you have to say when your fucking son is facing death? Go fight outside? You have no other goddamn reaction?” He laughs, the sound unhinged. “God, you’re all the same. Every single corner of your fucking empire is rotten to the core.”
Lawrence doesn’t react, doesn’t even look at Marcus, his full attention remaining square on the door.

OMGSGSGSG MARCUS, I'M SO READY FOR THE ANGST

SPOILER

- preston was said to be DEAD by the doctor and this was marcus;

“You’re lying.” Marcus is breathing harshly, like an injured animal, fighting against the men who are trying to drag him away. “This is a fucking lie!” His roars reverberate in the space.

I CAME TO SAY THAT I FUCK WITH JUDE & PRESTON BUT AAHHH IT'S NOT THEM! 😭

“he’s been notoriously protective of Preston since we were kids.” – both fought A LOT, since the first chapter and had some chemistry, so i really thought it's gonna be them.

“When we were children, Preston was slim and bony with baby features and often got bullied for looking like a girl. And while he made their lives hell afterward, mostly through some form of manipulation, he was physically weak and unable to defend himself. Somehow, Jude became his shield and proceeded to knock those boarding school kids’ teeth out.” – no connection at all, but he's giving Si eun's (from Weak Class Hero) vibes.

“Man, this shit’s amazing.” Preston gives up on the spoon and drinks straight from the bowl.
“It’s hot, take it easy.” Jude pulls the bowl away and passes him a napkin. “Wipe your mouth.” – PLS TELL ME I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO SHIPS THEM 😭

Enough of JudePreston 🥲 Because Pres also has some chem with Marcus

“The sound grows stronger as we get closer. Jude and I come to a halt at a small opening with intertwined branches. A large figure is on top of Preston, punching him to smithereens. And Preston is laughing like a fucking maniac.
Upon sensing our presence, the man shoves Preston against a tree trunk and scurries off. I catch a glimpse of a solid-white mask as he pulls his hoodie over his head and runs.
I aim my gun at him, but Preston, who was happy with being beat to a pulp not two seconds ago, jumps up and stands in my way. “What the fuck are you doing?”
“I’ll chase.” Jude starts in the direction he disappeared in.
Preston places a hand on his chest and pushes him. “He’s my prey. Back off.”
His mouth is bruised, blood gushing from the corners of his lips and trickling to his neck. His shirt is ripped at the collar, and there’s a knife slash on his arm, blood soaking his shirt and gluing it to his skin.
I raise a brow. “I haven’t seen you this injured in a long time. You sure he’s the prey?”
“Of course he is,” he says maniacally and laughs loud, throwing his head back.
“He’s lost his mind again.” Jude sighs.
“Who is he, Preston?”
He smiles, all his teeth showing creepily. “He dared to hunt me in my own goddamn place. Love that!”
“You should’ve let us catch him, dumbass.” Jude hits him upside the head. Preston doesn’t even retaliate, still laughing, still lost in a high. “No, I’m going to hunt him, too, before I chop him into tiny little pieces. Oh my, I’m getting hard thinking about it. I’m so fucking hard.”

while i do get all the animosity between Marcus & Preston and all the same Vaughn/Yulian stuff. I still fw JudePreston 🫢

“Whoa.” Marcus laughs. “I can feel the hostility. Oh my. They hate me that much, huh?”
“In their defense, you’re the hate-inducing type.” I look at him and pretend to smile at what he’s saying.
“I am, right?” He grins. “So why isn’t he hating?”
“Who’s he?” – PRESTON.

manas (traveling)

411 reviews2,255 followers

July 4, 2026

rtc…

buddy reading w my favorite, vee! 🧡

best-audiobooks boring-ahh-flops buddy-reads

Youssra (semi ia- shelving books don't mind me)

883 reviews423 followers

Rating this book feels so confusing to me because I LOVED LOVEDDDDDD the characters so so much, but as a whole I can't say I enjoyed the entire book. It had some flaws, but the last 30% had me in an absolute chokehold 😩 So my rating is somewhat divided among different parts of the book😅

Preston and Marcus: A BAJILLION STARS I LOVE THEM SO MUCH😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭Dare I say, they may be my fav mm couple in the Rinaverse???
Preston😭😭 oh my heart cracked wide open for him😭 He was so funny but so broken 💔 Marcus was also SO HOT and so perfect for Preston🥹 He was so protective and patient with Preston even when he was being a spoiled brat😅 Even though their relationship did start off based on lust (like every other Rina couple😅), she did take time to actually have them build an emotional relationship and we actually SAW some stuff as opposed to being told about them😅 Good job Rina, proud of you🤓

The book itself: As much as I loved these characters.. like an unhealthy amount of love and obsession actually... the book wasn't perfect. Some parts were 5 stars tbh, the first 20% and the last 30%?? pure cinema I loved literally every second!!!! Their banter and tension and everything in between was so so much fun. The middle though... it was just very repetitive to me. As much as I enjoyed the spice ( no like seriously some of the hottest spice Rina has ever written🥵🥵), the constant push and pull got tedious. (this push and pull dynamic was very very similar to GoF.. tbh the whole book was similar to GoF😅)

I think if I had read this book early on in my RK adventure, I would have given it a million stars, but the more I read and the older I get, my taste changes and some flaws that I would have let go or ignored back then seem too much for me to let go of now😅 However, the most important thing for me is that I am entertained and I was mostly entertained here so yeah😅 Ok done rambling and sort of explaining my rating that no one asked for😅

Also, that nugget about patient X being who now?????? Did not see that one coming😅

___________________________________________________________

pre-read

FEED ME RINA👹

dark-romance hot-af mm

Alexia

479 reviews

July 6, 2026

3.5 stars.

This is the epic tale of a masochist meeting a sadist and getting it on. And I mean really getting it on, like a lot.

It was so wildly entertaining that I finished it with a grin, well, until the horribly over-the-top ending that reads like a telenovela. Honestly, it had every dramatic trope you can think of, and I couldn't take it seriously for a second.

As for the plot? Let's be real, we don't pick these books for the storyline, because there isn't one, or it's so far out in the ether that it might as well be galaxy-sized. The only thing that truly matters is the chemistry between the couple. And let me tell you, this pair had chemistry in spades.

Meet Marcus, the sadist, aka the pathetic loser who's been obsessed with the fairy prince since he was a kid. For most of the book, I thought he was the cool guy. Turns out, he's just a love-struck loser in disguise.

Then there's Preston, the masochist, aka the whiny prince, who proudly declared he'd whine his way through the entire book. Spoiler: he kept his promise.

Their relationship? A rollercoaster of emotional and sexual chemistry. And the sex scenes? Oh, they were as hot as a summer heatwave, though there were a lot more than I would have liked.

It also seems Rina Kent has improved slightly at writing women; here, the misogyny wasn't as egregious as in her other books. Or maybe I just lost my mind. Who's to say?

In the end, this was a fun ride until the ridiculous ending. Because nothing says emotional depth like melodramatic chaos.

Elizabeth

597 reviews140 followers

college-university genre-dark-romance kink-spanking

I’m not about to use “getting manhandled by my rival” as my pregame ritual.

Rina Kent’s books are 50% nicknames and 50% unhinged violence & vibes. This one is also 20% the word "ethereal" 😆.

No one ever steps between me and chaos. Especially not some Stantonville rat who crawled out of the gutter and decided to grow cheekbones sharp enough to commit crimes with.

Tempting Venom is a friends-to-rivals-to-lovers hockey romance with a side of organized crime and mental health struggles. It is #3 in the Vipers series, but I read it as a standalone and didn't feel like I was missing much of anything. The previous 2 books in the series are MF.

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.

Marcus and Preston are star-crossed lovers who grew up on opposite sides of the river. Marcus grew up poor but loved, while Preston's childhood was a nightmare uncushioned by his family's wealth and influence. The two play for rival hockey teams, which is relevant only because it forces some proximity and some hot, sweaty checking into the boards.

for the first time in my life, I close my eyes, burrowing my head against someone’s heartbeat instead of my own demons. This will end badly. But just for now, I don’t give a fuck.

I enjoyed the book, despite some similarities to Rina's other MM books. I'd really like her next book to skip the somewhat repetitively tedious internalized homophobia and give us a different type of conflict for a change. I did appreciate that it was shorter in this book than in others, but it felt like the same old thing. I love biawakening, but it would be nice to shift a little for the next book. The nicknames and the banter were excellent as always, and two unhinged, possessive MCs is always super enjoyable. I was having a solid 4 star reading experience up until the last 10% of the book. There was a lot of exposition packed into the end of the book and it felt like it was told to us rather than the characters organically opening up and sharing with each other. I understand why Rina structured the plot that way, but it felt like things veered off track from hockey and the MCs relationship to a great deal of other stuff that I personally didn't find as interesting.

“Stay with me, baby. We’re not done.” I feel his gruff words against the cum that’s slipping out of my hole. “I’m going to eat your ass, then I’ll fuck you again.”

My favourite parts were "my fairy prince" 🥰 and the references to friendship throughout the book (iykyk)- even making it their safeword 😆.

naima

138 reviews139 followers

um wow. this was suprisingly good, despite that fact that we have to hear the same plot AGAIN from another pov. DUDE. THESE TWO HAVE INSANE BANTER! like can i have this pls. i lowkey lost it in the first chapter where Marcus is going off about preston being a fairy 🥺 ok bro is dickwhipped. iwish we had gotten more info about preston's mental health - i mean we were told atleast - but i wanted to be showwnnn and not by his ghosting/indulgence like i wanted to be in his brain and flesh, but i guess i cant have everything lol. and was i the only one waiting for the revelation that the evil therapist and his dad's 'friend' were real likeee. lol the dahlia thing will never not be funny to me. but where can i find a marcus lol. the first part of the book is literally 👑🌼🌼🫅🏒🍑🍆🏒🏍️ then the second part is so painful its not even funny i hateee this trope bc it actually gets through my cement barrier of emotional protection.

“Tell anyone about what you just saw, and I’ll pluck your eyes out and use them as earrings.”
“Aw, you want to keep me on you forever?”

“You think I’m joking? I’ll shove your bike keys so far up your ass, you’ll need a surgeon and holy water to retrieve them.”
“Now you want to finger my ass?” I grin. “I’m not open to that since I strictly top. But I’m flattered you’re thinking of me so deeply.”

preread: br my my bby lena, i am a glutton for punishment...i will be reading this even tho i dislike the rest of the series.

safeya ༒︎

255 reviews66 followers

Read

October 23, 2024

i’m only here for the mm 🫦

anticipated-reads

lena ♱

199 reviews153 followers

Currently Reading

pre - read
br with my girl naima 🩷🩷🩷 honestly im to blame for coming back to her reads even though i rate them 2-3 stars each time. and i heard this has bipolar disorder representation...?? oh dear shes gonna do us dirty 😓

melissa

165 reviews21 followers

Read

“He killed her and the gunman because they took Preston from him. He made it personal. Too personal, actually. We all know, aside from dealing with his family, Marcus never makes anything personal. And you know what?”
“What?”
“If the roles were reversed, I believe Pres would’ve done the same.”

that's all you need to know to go feral about this book

favs

veerali

408 reviews1,348 followers

2026-reads adult audiobook

rina kent mm romance starter pack:

—꒰ 🐍 ꒱ the characters

⊹ the top: a bold, aggressive guy who knows what he wants.
⊹ the bottom: a guy who is in total denial about his sexuality and hates being called gay.

—꒰ 🐍 ꒱ the plot

⊹ the hate: the two guys absolutely cannot stand each other. they bicker constantly.

⊹ the personal space: the top constantly invades the bottom's personal space, looming over him and bluntly telling him, "i’m going to fuck you."

⊹ the denial: the bottom pushes him away, shouting that he isn’t gay and demanding the top stop saying those things. the top ignores the rejection and gets even closer.

⊹ the turning point: one day, things get heated and they start dry humping. the top calls him "baby" to taunt him. the bottom snaps, "don't call me that!" in that moment, the top realizes he’s actually fallen in love with him.

⊹ the happy ending: the bottom finally stops fighting his feelings and falls for the top, too. they end up together.

—꒰ 🐍 ꒱ bonus features

⊹ narrator: the entire story is told by the voice of teddy hamilton.

⊹ the gold pack: the bottom has a mentally unstable mother who eventually kills herself, adding extra drama and trauma to his backstory.

lastly thank you to my bestie manas for reading this trash with me. i'd read every trash book with you 🫶🏽

Alya ( 20 comments restriction )

600 reviews209 followers

Thoughts
Oh my God did RK deliver!!! Those two idiots are everything!!!🥹 one of my favourite MM romance / rivals to lovers reads😍 from the prologue, banter to relationship build up😭 I've said this many times before but messed up MMCs being vulnerable just does things to my heart ❤️‍🩹 not only did Rina feed us when it came to them being together but the dialogues 😭 I just love getting lost in this author's books, this is something I can't explain lol those who get it; get it

Plot Summary
Preston Armstrong and Marcus Osborn are bitter rivals on opposing hockey teams, constantly trying to outdo and destroy each other. As their fierce competition intensifies, so does an unexpected attraction neither of them can ignore. What begins as hatred soon turns into a complicated relationship that forces them to confront feelings they never saw coming.

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Lia౨ৎ

88 reviews11 followers

alpha-male am-i-into-guys-too enemies-to-lovers-but-not-enemies-t

3.75⭐

im slightly disappointed because i was really convinced this book would be 5 stars. Im in love with Marcus Osborn and hes my husband and best vipers man❤️ i loved him and preston together but what made me lower my rating is the fact that it took so long for them to be an actual couple. besides the prologue, the first 70% of the book is just preston and Marcus engaging in the repetitve pattern of having a spicy or cute moment, and then Preston pushing marcus away or punching him. (poor marcus i feel so bad for him). and like i get that preston has mental problems but why is that repetitive one step forward, two steps back pattern taking up most of the book? Its like there was a very weak plot. Marcus was so beyond patient with Preston. i cant express how much i love Marcus. Also i feel like some things were missing in this book. Like Preston seems to be upset over dahlia "sleeping with Marcus" even though she didn't. why does he never find out that they didn't sleep together? i wanted to see what his reaction would be. also, more importantly, WHY dont we get a scene of dahlia finding out about preston and marcus? i was so hyped for dahlia to finally find out why preston refuses to call her real name and laugh, like why wouldnt that be included in the book?? kinda disappointing.
also, some things didn't line up with the other books, such as jude acting surprised when he finds preston and marcus together, but kane told him that they were in a relationship so that makes no sense.

but i did cry multiple times in this book. marcus is just perfect and i feel so sad for him. his dad abandoned him and his mom,he doesn't really have close friends of his own, he has to deal with preston pushing him away and his "death" and just thinking about it makes me cry. but anyways will always love my husband marcus❤️

my most anticipated read of this year. I will be PRAYING for marcus's and dahlias friendship in the future because those 2 are basically the best duo of this whole series not to mention i cant wait to see marcus's pov of the club scene. 🤭

shy_bjourney

29 reviews4 followers

June 30, 2026

Marcus might be my fav RK man ever. Wow. What a man he is. And Preston my beautiful sad baby 😭😭😭 These two were made for each other

147 reviews2 followers

Want to Read

May 30, 2025

You can't call me a homophobe when all I am doing is questioning the authenticity of Rina Kent's M/M books. How is it good ally-ship or representation if every time she writes a gay male love story it's about a character who has presented as straight in every single book but his own or suffers from internalized homophobia? And every time she writes a gay character why are they preyed upon by an adult (usually a woman) sexually. Do you know what the optics of her writing her gay characters like this looks like? Like she is saying that the only reason they can be gay is because an adult woman took advantage of them when they were a child and turned them away from women.

reviews

lakshmi

747 reviews626 followers

July 6, 2026

definitely enjoying this mm streak that ms rina Kent is cooking ☕️

okay so I had to read it twice just to be sure about my feelings and yeah. It was just okay. I did enjoy it more the second time around, especially because I got to go slower and savour it but it still hit the mark for me.

I love Preston and Marcus indivitually as characters and while I did love their games, foreplay and kink? There wasn’t enough of the relationship development between them. There was plenty of character development by Preston and it was quite a beautiful and heartbreaking journey to read, so I guess I wanted to read a little bit more of how their relationship would’ve progressed after the accident instead off the direct jump to the hea 💔

besides that, I think it was still a fun read. Always love a pain kink and Preston still refusing to say dahlia’s name is hilarious!!

also watch me re read this like 200 times this next month and bump up my rating 👀 because I’m nothing if not indecisive

Bookish Boy

154 reviews25 followers

Want to Read

September 28, 2025

Yes this new MM from Rina is going to be the death of me. 2026??? PLEASE GOD DONT KILL ME BEFORE THEN.

Edit:
Oh fuck, here we go with the homophobes tanking the ratings again. Get a life lmao.

purlpur

359 reviews85 followers

abuse dark-romance enemies-to-lovers

5⭐️
оо таааак. ось яке диво трапляється, коли нічого не очікуєш від книги, бо серія загалом бідося, а отримуєш таку вибухову хімію між престоном і маркусом, що не можеш відлипнути від їхньої взаємодії з перших же сторінок, тихенько дригаючи ніжками від захвату 🥹
збіса смачно розписаний троп запеклого суперництва: тут тобі й штовханина на льоду, й не менш гарячі «батли» в ліжку. уууф, палає все! ріночка знала, чим задобрити, поки насправді під кінець готувала для нас emotional damage 😈🔥

‼️ окрема рекомендація. якшо вас цікавить саме пара престон+маркус, то забийте на попередні книги серії і починайте одразу з цієї. як добре, що я вже підзабула сюжет другої книги, завдяки цьому важливі події під фінал тут відчувалися саме так, як треба. бо ой, як я була зла на рінку, що вона запихнула такий важливий твіст з історії хлопців в попередню книгу, не давши пережити цей момент в першу чергу з їхньої точки зору 😡

щодо сюжету. ріна, як і багато інших авторок, останніми роками почала писати товстунці, і не сказати, що для її книг вони потрібні. тут по тій самій схемі працює: близько 70% часу увага зосереджена на розвитку лл, розкритті травм персонажів і шаленій хімії, і лише під кінець починається якась заворушка та трошки епіку. виходить так: якщо персонажі та їхня динаміка не зайдуть від початку, то загалом книга читатиметься нудно. у мене ж був точно не цей випадок, бо я просто насолоджувалася кожною сторінкою взаємодії престона і маркуса 😮‍💨😎💃

щодо героїв, то після такої к-сті книг ріні об'єктивно вже мало чим вдається здивувати. усі її персонажі, а особливо в цій серії, - це копії когось раніше.

як от престон - це ремі 2.0. тільки зараз у авторки з'явилася фішка накидувати побільше психічних порушень та травм. з просто одержимими гг вже не так цікаво 😅 пам'ятаєте гарета та брена? так от об'єднайте і помножте на два. але як же круто вдалося розкрити престона. попри всіх своїх внутрішніх демонів, він такий вразливий і зворушливий, що хочеться постійно його обіймати, справжня бубочка 🥹 а деякі твісти, пов'язані з його ментальним здоров'ям, виглядали дійсно інтригуюче 😈

маркус - цей маааааркус. кожному по такому маркусу за мій рахунок! і безкоштовне вбивство від престона у подарунок 😁. це серйозне, відповідальне, турботливе сонечко, яке вміє бути наполегливим, сталевою опорою і водночас - ніжним притулком для такої складної душі, як престон. якщо спочатку мені було боляче за престона, то потім мені стало ще болючіше через маркуса, і за те, як він усе це переживав 💔

було так мило спостерігати за їхньою «грою»
престон: погрожує в усіх можливих красномовних і жорстоких способах
маркус: 😍😍😍 you’re coming with me

ну такі вони солодкі пиріжечки. шлях від такої агресії й гамселення один одного до неймовірно тендітних моментів - просто в саме серденько. ааав, обожнюю таку динаміку 🤤🫠

мої зранені крихітки. я вас вже полюбила 🙂‍↔️

– would you kill for me?
– yes.
...
– and you, preston? would you live for me?

p.s. твіст із сайрусом теж крутяк. шкода його капець. і тепер ще більше хочеться його історію прочитати 😏

morgan ۶ৎ (i’m back)

39 reviews153 followers

Currently Reading

⸺ 𑣲⋆˚࿔ preread

started this on my 9hr flight home from rome. really enjoying so far hope it continues 😛😛 also, hi i miss y’all i hate being in a slump :(

can-t-wait

Livvvvvvvv

48 reviews65 followers

Currently Reading

favorites-26 my-library read-dark-romance

pre read

starting todayyyy!

with my beautiful Grace

neither of us have read the first two, so it's gonna be a fkin ride lmao but i love me some rina MM

🧡

Lena

219 reviews21 followers

July 8, 2026

4.5⭐️

"T’es terriblement beau, ce soir." "Yeah? What’s that mean?" "It means you’re terribly annoying tonight." 😏

I loved this book. I was so excited for Preston and Marcus, and I have to say this book exceeded my expectations.💗

favorite moments (spoilers!):

—> the tension and banter between Preston and Marcus 🤭

—> Preston at Dr. Durets therapy session talking about how he stole Marcus’s bike. It’s hilarious.😆

—> the nickname!! Marcus’s nickname for Preston.🥹 my prince, princeling or fairy prince

—> the group chat and the friendship between Kane, Jude and Preston. I love this trio.😍

—> Marcus being obsessed with Preston. The way he’s falling for him and wants to be close. So cute.

—> Preston calling Dahlia every name starting with D except the right one.😂 I completely lost it when he called her "Dropbox"

"Are you sure they weren’t for Dallas?“ "Dallas?” “Kane’s toy that you paraded around on your arm tonight.” “Dahlia?” “Yeah, Denver."

—> Marcus blocking Preston every time he wrote something insulting.

—> Marcus cooking for Preston.🥰

—> Marcus’s mom, June. She was so welcoming and motherly towards Preston. I also loved the mother-son relationship between her and Marcus.

—> Preston with his sister Miley. The skating scene when Marcus came by. I also love how Preston calls her Miles of Trouble - I mean how cute is that nickname?! 🥹

—> Preston’s letter made me cry…

—> The talk between Preston and his dad made me emotional too. It was so sweet how he told him he would never leave.

—> The scene in the first epilogue when Jude and Kane found out about Preston and Marcus. That was fun.😆 I wished there had been a little more with all of them together, though.

"Wow. Fucking months?“ Jude gawks. "And you haven’t told me anything?" - "Well, I teleported to the future, witnessed your reaction from now, and vehemently decided against it, asshole."

Anyway, Preston is so precious. I think he’s my new favorite. I loved Marcus too. He was obsessed with Preston ever since they were children, and I’ll never shut up about the nicknames my prince or fairy prince, because they’re so perfect.

The only thing that bothered me a little was how the story dragged on after the beginning until about 60%. I loved their banter and the push and pull between them, but sometimes it felt a little too long and repetitive.

Everything else was perfect, though. I just love these characters so much. I doubt Rina Kent will ever write something I don’t like.

I’m so ready for Crave the Villain and I know Cyrus’s story will make me cry. And I can’t believe there will probably also be Yulian and Marcus in the next book.☺️

And then I’m excited to see what will come next? Maybe the older generation with Preston’s uncle, Atlas, Jude’s older brother, Julian (who’s already married - marriage in trouble maybe🤞🏻) and Marcus’s sister, Serena Osborn.

tropes:
~ rivals to lovers
~ hockey romance
~ unhinged chaos x unhinged calm
~ power dynamic
~ bi awakening
~ secret relationship

favorite quotes:

"I stare up at him as the sky and wandering clouds frame his face and the dimples, making him look so pretty. Like a prince. A fairy prince."

"You’re not pretty like a girl. You’re just pretty."

"His head dips, and instinct urges me to pull back, but I can’t - not when he whispers so close to my mouth. "You’re all mine tonight, prince."

"And right in the middle of it stands Marcus Osborn. Wolves captain. Stantonville’s pride and joy. And the guy I decided to crush until there’s nothing left. I’ll skin him alive and eat his goddamn heart. He doesn’t seem to be aware of my macabre cannibalistic plans, because his full attention remains on me."

"Sprawling at the top of Ravenswood Hill, this is where my ancestors decided to start the witch coven after immigrating from Europe. Sorry, the family. They decided to start the family. Silly me always thinking of it as a cool witch club."

"A smile lifts my lips as sadistic tension coils in my stomach. "Well, this is one way to say you miss me, my prince."

"Don’t flatter yourself. I wouldn’t bleed for you.“ - "No, but you would bleed on me, wouldn’t you?"

"You want to kill me?" He strains, his face turning red. "Go ahead, baby. I’m sure you’ll make it look phenomenal."

"You’re adorably homicidal today." "I’ll be adorably vicious." "I’m looking forward to it."

"Are you calling Dahlia the wrong names on purpose?" "No. I know her name is Dakota." "Fucking adorable." He chuckles again, pushing the candies back into my hand. "Don’t be jealous of Dahlia."

"T’es terriblement beau, ce soir.“ "Yeah? What’s that mean?" "It means you’re terribly annoying tonight."
I understand enough French to know beau doesn’t mean „annoying“. It means beautiful. It means hot. Preston looked me dead in the eye and said I was "terribly beautiful tonight,"

"You’ll be my sugar daddy?“ he asks with a bit of a smile in his voice. "Sure." "I’m extremely expensive." "I’m rich. I can afford you." "I don’t want your money, baby." "Then what do you want?" "You."

"Mom goes to the espresso machine that she demanded for Mother’s Day. From my dad. "What?" she told him on the phone. "You can’t afford a fancy machine for the mother of your son?“ Naturally, he sent an expensive gadget that took me an hour to set up."

"If Marcus rejects me, your life will be hell, and well be camping out here until he forgives me." "Oh God." "That’s right, you better start praying."

"Those little bitches better get their hands off of him. Now. Okay, I’m cool. I won’t actually cut their heads off in their sleep. Probably."

"Once upon a time, I saw a fairy prince and wanted to make him mine. Little did I know that he’d claim me just as completely."

Mads

83 reviews15 followers

(⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5) I actually LOVED this. It was a good, engaging read! Rina Kent characters and plots can feel recycled & reversed around in a lot of ways. It doesn’t make them bad stories, but it feels like I’ve read pieces of it. It had elements like that & made it feel like déjà vu. This story did have solid depth & complexity though and I loved the dynamic between Preston & Marcus. Marcus was so steady & Preston was just absolute wild, unhinged chaos and it worked. The ending did kind of slap together a bit, I think it could’ve been done better. There was a lot of “there’s no way this can work” to it ultimately being fine very quickly.

Knocked off a star because Rina Kent can’t acknowledge bisexuality for some reason. I have a love/hate thing with her and her approaches to sexuality.

AnnaKitt

218 reviews18 followers

absolute-favorites college-school dark-romance

ahhh yes it's 5 and I’m honestly so torn and mad right now I hate it!
but I have things to say, so here's the deal.

RK’s books mostly work for a reason; before my MM era I read them all, I know her universe well, which is crazy, but I remember enjoying them despite some obvious flaws or repetitiveness.
Similar thing with the Tempting Venom here 🫠 

I can name quite a number of things that were far from perfect and close to pissing me off, but the overall vibe, the way she writes, the general feel, chemistry and the closure - it all worked for me AGAIN.
Because we can love and hate and criticize her books all the way, and I am nothing if not trying to be objective here, but her writing is addictive in that ‘don’t-want-to-stop’ way, all this OTT toxicity and murderous hot boys with all the hate sex do take a hold on you whether you love them or not!

“He tastes like temptation and actual air. Like bad decisions wrapped in smoke. Like sin coated in blood. And I’m ravenous.”

Because GOD how I hated Preston 🤯
I know I am not 100% fair since I haven’t read the first 2 books in the series and we DO know he has some heavy traumaS, but he was behaving beyond fucked up, an annoying spoiled child had nothing on him 🫠

It’s crazy how already around 30% it was so stupidly hot it was not even funny - because Rina CAN write sizzling chemistry and Preston and Marcus DID have chemistry.

“Uh-huh. I’m popular with the ladies for having a national treasure.”
“Hmm. Now, this national treasure is so hard for me, baby.”

But Preston was in such denial and kept rejecting Marcus so hard that I even got unsure of how this whole thing between them is going to work.
While Marcus actually had a ridiculous patience of a saint, I think it was one of the reasons that we get less of his POV chapters compared to Preston’s (16 vs 24) - to keep his actions more as a mystery while Preston is a literal menacing troubled tornado of deep traumas and conflict.
 
And when at 60% it all didn’t change much, with all the internalized homophobia after all the stuff they did - and I hate this so much, though again - I understand that there is a reason behind this - but his attitude was already exhausting, constant denial and deflecting, and the repetitiveness, one step forward, two step back was getting hard to go through. Because nothing new was happening for a long time, the plot really made an appearance somewhere after 70%, so those 550 pages were probably unnecessary after all - but I still was NOT bored somehow 🙃 
I also felt like the side characters were really flat and I didn't like them, except for Miley obviously, but then again - probably the series thing and I can’t judge that.

And the good time Marcus and Preston had before the whole ordeal in the end we only see in retrospective. Like Rina dwelled so long on the hate and running away and push&pull, but then we didn’t even get the proper glimpse of the good stuff they shared apart from some scenes.

And here comes THE BUT!!!!!!!

With all the flaws mentioned, Preston made me actually laugh quite a number of times, and I mean REALLY LAUGH - calling Dahlia names, messing up the set phrases, naming Marcus in his phone was ridiculously hilarious 🤭 and I LOVED it 🤍

“Try me, big man. I’ll bury you ten feet under.”
“It’s six feet, idiot.”

Then there were so many atmospheric details like Marcus tapping his fingers and those mango candies 🥹

“D-don’t do that.” 
“Don’t do what?”
“Lick me. I’m not an ice cream cone.”
“No, you’re candy. Mango flavored.”

And again, their chemistry was off-charts, the dynamics was really different from what we are used to see, and I won’t call their relationship an ordinary hate-to-love or any kind of traditional power struggle.

“What’s your safe word, baby?”
“F-friends.”  
I chuckle darkly in his ear. “We’ll never be friends.”
“Thank fuck for that”

They did have a connection and the future that finally made me believe it.
There was also a strong mental health - bipolar disorder in particular - representation, and the hurt / comfort aspect was addressed probably in a not very traditional, but still careful way.  

At the end of the day, we all deserve a Marcus!!❤‍🔥
She went all out making him basically a perfect man, that apart from his stubborn patience you really won’t find anything to bitch about.

“Fairy princes aren’t a mere figment of the imagination; they’re real, and Preston is the personification of those mythical beings.
I find myself fantasizing about blinding each and every person who looks at him, plucking their eyes out, and bashing their heads in.”

And in the end Preston managed to soften and win me over after all 🥹

“I think I’ve been in love with you for a long time. I loved you when I thought love was pain.”

I loved the conclusion and I'm not even ashamed that I have really enjoyed the ride overall ❣️
So let’s agree on 4,5 but round it up to 5, and all wait IMpatiently together for Cyrus’s story because WTF and WDYM he is ... !!! 🫨

tzw

35 reviews

Boring, boring, boring... oh did I forget to say boring? And cringe. And instalusty

Why on earth was this book so long when there was ZERO plot? Just endless, cringy smut that I had to skim through bc I couldn't take any of it seriously. It was that cringe

I've never liked Preston and this book proved me right. He's just an annoying, misogynistic twink. Calling Dahlia a "hoe"? SHUT UP, YOU WEIRDO FREAK. Dahlia could eat you for breakfast.

This whole thing with him calling her wrong names and making disgusting comments about her wasn't funny at all. IT WAS WEIRD and DISGUSTING. If a female character acted this way, everyone would call her annoying and insufferable but since he's a man, he's funny and "my baby🥺". Let's not forget how this fandom treated Ava. THE DOUBLE STANDARDS. But honestly, I didn't expect anything less from this male-centered, misogynistic fandom.

And don't get me started on him shaming Marcus' mother and throwing around the word "bitch" in every single sentence. Also Marcus wanting to kill Violet out of jealousy and Preston wanting to kill a woman just for speaking to Marcus? (He was even jealous of his 7 year old sister #bye) WEIRD.

And Marcus and Preston's reunion after his supposed death? Wtf was that? This scene was so underwhelming and anticlimactic.

"I still find women attractive, and I'm not attracted to other men aside from Marcus."

The "gay for you trope" is really problematic, homophobic and gives major fetish vibes. I'M SO OVER IT.

Yeah, this book gave nothing.

Anw, DAHLIA AND VIOLET CARRIED THE SERIES, idc.

This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.

Grace Harper

376 reviews353 followers

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