I was so excited to get to this book since we finally get to see the romance between Holly and Venom! I have been waiting for their story since book one! While I enjoyed this book, it's not my favourite of the series.

The story unfolds in the same timeline as the previous book, Archangel’s Heart. Archangel’s Viper diverts from the series' main couple and features the youngest member of Raphael’s Seven, Venom. Venom is back in New York and is roped into discovering who put a bounty on Holly Chang, the broken girl he helped rescue from the Archangel of Blood, Uram. Holly was turned against her will; she's left not quite a vampire or human. She has the left with a vampiric bloodlust, a poisonous bite and the ability to mesmerize her prey. The strange, violent power is growing inside her.

Venom was the member of Raphael’s Seven that I was least interested in — to be fair he has some tough competition. It was nice to see a softer side to him. While Venom seems to embrace his unique snake-like abilities, it was heartbreaking to see how his family reacted to his transformation.

Holly was made into something not quite vampire, much like Venom. It’s amazing how far she has come, from the closed-off girl who never feels safe to a wicked smart and confident woman. She has done everything within her power to reclaim her life. I adore seeing her relationship with her family. I also enjoyed seeing her accept the otherness inside her with a special thanks to Venom’s encouragement.

The romance comes late in the story. There did seem to be a weird shift in their relationship. One moment they can't stand either other but secretly attracted to each other and the next they are together. But, I’m not going to complain since I adored seeing Venom take care of Holly mostly by cooking for her (who would have guessed he was a chef!). It was a nice touch that their venom is the antidote to the other’s poisonous bite.

I know I have said this before, but I am totally in awe of Nalini Singh’s world-building! She is the master of creating a captivating macro plot, which each book adds new dimensions to while creating an engaging and compelling romance.

Yeah, so while this did not end up being my favourite of the series, I still flew through it. I love the Guild Hunter world! I cannot wait to get to the next book, Archangel’s Prophecy.

"I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review"

Once a broken girl known as Sorrow, Holly Chang now prowls the shadowy gray underground of the city for the angels. But it’s not her winged allies who make her a wanted woman—it’s the unknown power coursing through her veins. Brutalized by an insane archangel, she was left with the bloodlust of a vampire, the ability to mesmerize her prey, and a poisonous bite.
Now, someone has put a bounty on her head…
Venom is one of the Seven, Archangel Raphael’s private guard, and he’s as infuriating as he is seductive. A centuries-old vampire, his fangs dispense a poison deadlier than Holly’s. But even if Venom can protect Holly from those hunting her, he might not be able to save himself—because the strange, violent power inside Holly is awakening…
No one is safe.

What can I say is even 10 books in I love this series and was so excited to read Venoms story. There was something about him that I really loved. I also loved getting to know more about Sorrow/Holly. This book was amazing all throughout and I loved not only the romantic element but also the drama that was taking place in this book.

I loved how these two fit together and how their relationship progressed. The writing done by Nalini Singh was amazing like all her other work and this book left me wanting more. I really don't have anything bad to say about the book and was so close giving it 5 stars and I am still unsure on why it wasn't a clear 5 out of 5 stars. In saying that it would be at least a 4.5 star read for me.

Hollys Character was amazing and so very strong and I loved that no matter what was thrown at her she would get back up and come back stronger and harder.
Venom I loved his dark humor and I loved that in this book we got to know more of his back story. I also loved him showing his softer side it explained so much about him and why he was the way he was.

I can't wait till the next book in the series and I can't wait to read about the other characters in this world. I normally am not a huge angel book fan but this one is just done so well.

Can you ever be whole again? Holly knows that the monster is trying to take over she is fighting every day just to stay sane. The horror of what happened to her & her friends still haunt her and she fears that she will become like the monster that killed them all. Venom knows that his kitty has grown up and he fears that his attraction to her will put her in harm's way but he doesn't have to worry about that as someone else will pay anything to get Holly for themselves. Can Holly be around Venom without giving in to her dreams, can he protect her from what she is about to become? He will do anything to protect her but this time he might just lose her for good. Can Uram the monster still be alive even after Raphael destroyed his very essence as Holly knows that he is still alive inside her and that he is about to take the last bit of her soul. The twists just keep on coming in their story it was never going to be easy. It was good to see the other characters and how far they have all come. Definitely sucks you in.

Dark and exhilarating as two prickly souls find each other

Wow-ee. I feel like I just scoffed down a dark chocolate cake – a really rich one with ganache and maybe a bit of raspberry. I wanted more of it just so I could glory in its beauty. This is book 10 in Nalini Singh’s Guild Hunter series and it’s a cracker.

Venom and Holly have great chemistry. They’ve been striking sparks off each other for a few books and their constant banter is a delight to read. The entire book is a delight to read, come to think of it. I loved the growing feelings between the two; the scene where we finally get under Venom’s skin? Amazing. Nalini has taken one of the more reserved, unreadable characters and shown the heart he’s been hiding for so long.

The pain and beauty of this series lie in the evaluation of time – what you do with it and what happens when you have more of it than the people you love. Once again, this book hits those themes right in the feels.

For some background: this series is a combination of romance and fantasy, so some books introduce new couples while others return to the main couple. This book introduces a new couple, though the characters have both appeared previously. As such, it’s one of the better entry points to the series – there are a lot of characters to keep track of, but the plot is relatively self contained. I’d still recommend starting at the beginning, but it that’s not available, this one’s good, as long as you don’t mind some spoilers. My only complaint is the amount of exposition at the start. I felt like we didn’t need to know all that detail and it seemed a little heavy-handed – contrast Honor’s story for background drama that didn’t require infodumps.

I loved this book and cannot wait to read more in this series, particularly about Illium and Aodhan, though their time is yet to come. I also want a meet-the-parents scene, because that got teased a couple of times and I think that’d be delightful.

Five poisonous stars (because between these two, poison is totally a compliment)