Book Review: ‘Beautiful Venom' by Rina Kent

Well, here we are. The day has arrived: Rina Kent, dark romance extraordinaire, has officially blessed us with a dark hockey romance. When I first told Sophie about this release, she immediately said, “That’s basically catnip for you,” and she wasn’t wrong. As soon as I heard about Beautiful Venom, I circled the release date in red on my calendar and cleared my weekend.

Fast forward to release day: I downloaded it the moment it dropped and inhaled the whole thing in just over twenty-four hours. No regrets.

Here's the summary:

“They shattered my world; now, I’ll bring down theirs.

The problem? I have virtually no way to trace the puppet master.

My only lead: The Vipers.

An elite college hockey team that rules the ice—and the shadows beyond it.

To infiltrate their secret society, I set my sights on their weakest link.

Kane Davenport.

The charismatic captain and the lone green flag in a nest of serpents.

But too late, I realize I’ve enticed the most venomous snake.

Kane’s friendly façade hides a predator more dangerous than I imagined.

He quickly unveils the monster lurking beneath the surface.

A monster who lured me in only to trap me in a lethal game with no escape.”

Here’s the thing though - I don’t want to start with “I enjoyed it but…” but, well. But. There was something not quite clicking for me. I’ve been on a Rina Kent binge recently (as in: working through the entire backlist, no crumbs left), so I’m pretty familiar with her style, rhythm, and delicious chaos. Which is why I was a little surprised that ‘Beautiful Venom’ didn’t fully meet the usual mark.

Let me be clear,vI was hooked. This is Kent’s true superpower. No matter what she writes, she has a chokehold on my attention from start to finish. Beautiful Venom is no exception. But unlike some of her previous work, this one felt a little rougher around the edges, like the story hadn’t quite gone through its final polish. The plot wasn’t as layered or emotionally immersive as I’ve come to expect, and for me, that made a difference.

Now, I’ll fully own that part of the problem might be me. Because:

1. I’m a die-hard Rina Kent fan and that comes with built-in expectations.

2. I’m a massive sucker for hockey romance, like, absurdly so.

And this is where the hockey part gets tricky. Our main love interest is, yes, a hockey player—but he’s not particularly invested in the sport. He’s not chasing the NHL dream. There’s no scholarship pressure, no team drama, no sense that hockey is do-or-die. And while that might seem like a refreshing break from the usual sports romance tropes, it also means the story loses some of the stakes and urgency that typically come with the genre. It felt less like a hockey romance and more like a romance featuring a guy who sometimes plays hockey.

That said, there’s still so much to enjoy. Beautiful Venom brings a fresh, punchy energy to the dark romance genre. It’s got grit, banter, and some undeniably addictive tension. If you're a fan of Rina Kent, you’ll likely find plenty to love here. If you’re coming purely for the hockey, you might be left wanting a little more. But either way? I devoured it. Every single page.

Will I recommend it to fellow dark romance fiends? Definitely (with caveats). Will I still be first in line for the next book? Without question.