Thank you for the ARC provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op. Omg this book was crazy in the best way! I hated Ryzen and I loved Cian but I did have a hard time trying to figure out which one was the bad guy. This story was very different from any book I have read before and I was hooked! It gave me Bridget Jones vibes but darker. I did not expect to get so wrapped up in the twists and turns of this book but it consumed me. I need the 2nd book now and can’t wait to find out what will happen next!

Venom and Lace is so bad it almost makes me angry.

Nova is the most infuriating character. All talk, no action; she changes her mind based on who spoke to her last. Ryzen, Cian, Juliet – they gaslight, manipulate, and straight-out lie, and she turns around and asks for more. Ignoring the truth right in front of her, Nova always makes the wrong decision and jumps head first into terrible choices like it’s her kink.

If the characters being terrible wasn’t enough to dissuade you, let’s talk about the writing. Simple and repetitive, every chapter is a slight variation on the one before. We go back and forth over the most boring details without making progress and then end on a cliffhanger that should’ve been in the middle of the book, not the end. Venom and Lace is a romance novel. It’s not epic high fantasy, a complicated family saga, or even the mafia thriller it so desperately wants to be. It doesn’t get to have a cliffhanger with no resolution and expect people to pick up another book to go around in circles with this infuriating woman again. Romance series finish with one couple and then move on to a related one in the next book. Or, in rare cases, fast forward in time to an important time/event with the same couple. You don’t get more than one book to figure out a love triangle. Especially not a crime adjacent Pride and Prejudice retelling with less appeal than Mrs Bennet’s scheming.

I should’ve given up after the third time Nova pretended to be sex-positive while judging someone else. Or the fifth time she flip-flopped on who she was going to trust. Or when her ‘very best friend’ is so naive she can’t figure out she’s being manipulated to manoeuvre her friend. Or when she tries to explain that she can’t discuss a contract with a lawyer because it’s confidential and speaking to a lawyer would break confidentiality. I honestly couldn’t make this up. No one should have made this up.

One star. I’d give negative stars if I could.

Thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy of venom and lace by dani Antoinette. I love love love this. It started as girl falls into a situation for a romance book and quickly turns into a mystery of who's who. Ryzen tells her about this horrible ex friend. She meets ex friend cian and he gives her the same story and reverse but both are hot and she only has feeling for one. The ending wow. I cannot wait for a second book.

If you are thinking about reading this, do not hesitate start NOW 🖤 the author honestly did such an amazing job with this book, the balance between smut and plot was perfection. I do tend to like a lot of smut, but can be over a book quickly if that is all it is. This book is so much more than that! It was balanced and so very well written. The tether between the two MMC and the two FMC was amazing, I call all of them main characters because they are in their own ways. The add of southern charm and the literal view of it from the FMC Nova had me laughing. The 90’s nostalgia was alive in this book and made me cackle, I have never related to an FMC like I did NOVA!!! I literally could break bread with her and chat for hours on the phone, if she were real!

Nova the FMC Is fearless and strong willed, a successful adult business owner in her own right who had my heart from the beginning she is wild and free, secure in herself and her sexuality all while being drawn into chaos and a world of wealth and deception she is not familiar with while trying to save her business not only for herself but for her best friend and business partner Juliet, when she finds herself in the Likes of Ryzen a successful real estate owner whose story isn’t so black and white, it’s mucky, gloomy and packed with betrayal or is it?!? Nova has no idea what she has gotten herself into with this fake engagement. Cue in Cain an old business partner and best friend of Ryzen turned enemy, for why?? we are yet to really know, but Nova is the prize and neither will stop at nothing to secure her as theirs. What are their intentions, whose are pure? Introduce the Covingtons in the mix, a southern family wealthy beyond ready to sell their Hotel chains worth millions and their southern games cause more chaos in Nova’s life than she was prepared for. What is the connection between all these characters, for all we know it’s Nova, but deep down they are tied in ways we need to know and understand. What happens when a mouse gets thrown into a den of snakes? Which snakes are the enemy? And which truly wants to love her and protect her? What lengths will Cain and Ryzen go to, to claim Nova, and most importantly is Juliet truly her friend after being exposed to this world of wealth and manipulation and a good lay?!?!? QUESTION EVERYTHING, AND EVERYONE….

4⭐️
well, this was a wild ride

i came here thinking: yes, another billionaire fake fiancé book, my favorite 😈
and when i finished i was like: what in hell just happened 🤯

don't let this book fool you, you are getting more than that fake relationship drama
there's blackmail, dubious intentions, cheating, stalker subplot, grudges that have been held for way too long, and manipulation

loooots of manipulation
i felt manipulated as a reader to the point that i was like, i don't know who to fucking trust 🤬

i don't know what else to tell you... let me sum up the main characters so you get a whif of what to expect...
we have ryzen, he will 100% confuse you, but in my personal opinion... he is as two faced as they come 🤡
then there's nova, our fmc, who's this boss ass bitch, smart as hell when business is involved, but also... i would be lying if i told you i didn't think about slapping her a couple of times... specially towards the end 😂
and then theres cian, broody, tattooed cian, who despite being the one i would trust the most, is also hiding plenty of secrets, therefore making me doubt myself every goddamned time i kept reading

did i tell you this was a wild ride yet? because it was 🥵

anyways this started as an arc from net galley and turned into me downloading it from kindle unlimited, because you gotta support indie authors when you can 💖 so know that my opinions are my own always 💪🏻

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Sadly, this just wasn’t for me. I don’t think this was bad by any means, it just wasn’t for me.

Tropes: Fake Engagement/Engagement of Convenience, Billionaires, Enemies to Lovers, Slow Burn, Dark Romance

Thank you NetGalley Victory Editing and the author for providing me with an E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

In this book, we follow Nova who is a c0-owner of an online sex shop. She finds herself entering into a fake engagement with billionaire real estate mogul, Ryzen. Everything might not be what it seems, and Nova finds herself getting tangled up with Ryzen's longtime rival and ex-business partner, Cian.

The first thing that drew me into this book was the cover, it is absolutely STUNNING. I am not going to lie, I did not read the blurb for this book, I saw the cover and I was like "I need it". I thought this book was going to be a fantasy romance, it is the complete opposite, which is FINE. I enjoyed all the characters, but I really like Nova & Cian together. I found the first quarter of this book to be a little bit confusing, but once I figured out where the author was taking this book, I had a clear view. This book does end in a cliffhanger!

Oh, this had me hooked from page one! Both Nova and Ryzen are great characters, and I really enjoyed the twists and turns after they agree on a fake engagement. It gets complicated for the two quickly after. I was anxious when I first started reading due to the warning of there being a cliffhanger however, the drama and intensity made it all worth it.

Thank you NetGalley, Dani Antoinette and to the publisher for the ARC!

This one was definitely not what I expected when I started reading it. I'm all about a fake marriage but that in addition with this story, ugh so incredibly good. I mean we have a sex toy shop owner, a mysterious romp in a club and shopping a la Pretty Women. Who could resist? Not to forget the tall, dark and handsome Ryzen Goodacre, who is Chicago's most eligible bachelor. What I did not like was this cliffhanger. I need book 2 pronto please!

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions above are my own.

I was completely entertained the entire time. The continuous back of forth between Cian and Ryzen was super fun. I clearly could tell this is going to have a sequel and honestly I don’t know which guy is the “good” guy but that ending was something else. I suggest this if you need something fun, quick and exciting to read. Overall a good book, not the best but I had such a good time reading it!

Wow, I don’t think I even have the words to explain how I feel about this book! From start to finish I could not put this book down. Nova, the owner of a sex toy company, is soon finding herself wrapped up in a scheme with the rich business man, Ryzen. Though the story becomes more twisted when his rival, Cian enters the picture.

There were so many parts of this book where I thought I knew what was coming, but then my jaw dropped at the twist! There were so many warped lies that I’m still not sure what is to come! Plus the steamy scenes… to die for I absolutely need the next book!

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC, EVEN THOUGH IT ENDS WITH A CLIFFHANGER. 😆 Great characters and I am going to think about it for some time before we get the next installment.

The twist and turns of this book had me literally yelling at my kindle.

I loved that Nova was a take-no-sh*t kind of character, but was as torn as she was between Ryzen and Cian. The book went from a seemingly simply enemies to lovers and then quickly turned into a scene out of an action move in the last chapter.

I have so many unanswered questions, but I hate that Nova is caught up in some weird twisted game between two former friends. Does Cian really love her? What kind of shady business is Ryzen (or should I say Hymen) caught up in?? WHAT IS THE TRUTH?? LOL.

The chemistry between Nova and Cian is undeniable and I hope that in the next book they get their happily ever after despite the mayhem and chaos.

OMG!!!!!!! I don’t even know where to start with this book! When i first started i thought it was just going to be some boring “dark” romance that wasn’t dark at all, and would just be mostly boring *** scenes, and just another rich girl who hates rich men but agreed to the deal then fell in love with him. But omg was i ever so wrong with that! And i have never been so happy to be wrong in my life. I so cannot wait till i can read book 2 and see what is going to happen now that Nova knows that she should have believed Cain and never doubted that man for a single second. I really hope that book 2 is just as good, if not better than book 1. I definitely signed up for the authors news letter just so i can keep up to date for when it will come out because that cliff hanger is definitely going to be leaving me with a book hang over for at least a couple of days if not weeks.!!!!! This book definitely is a 5 star read for me!!!

I really wasn’t sold on this book in the beginning. I felt like the pacing of the story was a bit rushed and the characters were a bit dull but by about 60% I was thoroughly enjoying myself. I have absolutely no idea what is going on and I have no clue who to trust. I really thought that by the description of this book I was going to know exactly what the plot would be and it was be so simple. I was wrong. I was wrong in the best way. I have definitely been sucked into the story now. Can’t wait for the next one, I will definitely be reading it.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC copy of this book to read and review. All of these thoughts and opinions are my own.

Nova is caught in a bad boy love problem. Cain and Ryzen are rivals and both want the same girl. Nova is stuck between going with her heart and going with what she thinks is right. Both men have misled her in different ways and she doesn’t know who she can trust.

Man, what a whirlwind this book put me through. I can not wait for the second book in this series. It literally had me on my toes and that ending….oh my lord I need the next book like yesterday. Also Grams is a ride or die. Loved her!

Also, I’m team Cain for now. I don’t really trust either one of them but Ryzen has been a douche canoe and I’m not fan girling over him like I am Cain.

4 stars!!!!

This book looked SO good and it exceeded my expectations. The plot, twists, turns and tropes were SO good and I need book two ASAP. I just was so blown away by this title and will recommend it to everyone!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free ARC in exchange for a review.

This book could be summed up as "Nova is stupid and I don't like her."

Nova presents herself as a strong, independent woman, when she is in fact the most malleable and gullible person I have ever had the misfortune to read about. There is not a brain in her or Juliet's heads. Juliet is also a terrible friend.

The only person in this book I liked is Pinocchio the cat. I'm serious. Nova is an idiot, Juliet is a bad friend who ditches her bestie for a guy who "hides her phone as a joke" which she sees nothing wrong with, Ryzen is a creep who gets into bed naked with the girl he's pretending to date, and Cian is a total asshole.

Nova literally changes her mind about who's in the wrong every time a man speaks to her and it was so boring to watch her go back and forth for half the book. At one point, she assumes her grandmother, who she apparently adores, is going senile rather than consider that marrying a random guy who has done nothing but be an absolute weirdo might be a bad idea. Literally.

There's also some plot point I don't care about with a black rose and a stalker which Nova is just like "huh weird oh well" because she's a total moron. Every character is an idiot that I hate who can't see the most obvious red flags ever.

1 star. 1 star for Pinocchio the cat.

Venom & Lace by Dani Antoinette is a well-paced, spicy read. One thing that I truly loved and enjoyed about this book is the protagonist Nova La Roux. The author successfully creates a character who has a good head on her shoulder, daring, bold and rational. The banter and humour of this character made me smile and cheer for her on numerous occasions. How the two male characters grunt and disparage each other is akin to the drama unfolding at a high school playground. It is a lot of he/said...he/said that made elements of this book unnecessarily convoluted, and it painfully dragged on. Additionally, I feel that the benefit of the doubt and preference was placed on one character, and the other did not have a fighting chance. The ending was great as it entices readers to watch out for book two, but I'm now on the fence about discovering what happens next.

Thank you, NetGalley & Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, for giving me an ARC. This honest review is left voluntarily.

Okay but why did I not read that little thing on the bottom of the cover saying book 1?! Gosh as I was getting to the end there was just pure panic as I realised not all of that could be resolved in a handful of pages.

Sigh... now I have to wait... impatiently that is... because I need to know what happens next. Like need it like I need oxygen. Dani Antoinette did amazing with this I was swooping left and right not sure with guy I wanted her to be with. At a certain point I put all my chips in with a certain masked man 😍 who, I honestly thought was going to be someone else. The twists kept me on my toes! I LOVE that!

Loved the characters! Even loved the characters I hated... certain manipulative asshole and bitch sister... that's when you know it's good. You even love the people you imagine terrible things happening to because of their evil-ness

I got an ARC and I'm so thankful but now I'm so depressed I have to wait so long for the next one! 😭😭😭

Excuse me while I go cry

But 5 stars. The pain is so good 😂😭