Beautiful Venom

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Discuss your overall impressions of Beautiful Venom. Which were your favorite and/or least favorite aspects of the novel, and why?

2. How did your experience reading Beautiful Venom compare to your experience reading other Kent titles like God of Malice or Kiss the Villain? What parallels or disparities do you notice between Kent’s titles?

3. Compare Beautiful Venom with other dark romance or sports romance novels. For example, what narrative and/or thematic threads do you notice between Kent’s title and titles like Parker S. Huntington’s My Dark Romeo or Ana Huang’s King of Envy?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. The novel offers several examples of characters with violent tendencies that are ultimately, in the narrative’s world, redeemable. How did these characters resonate with your own beliefs and experiences? Did you find their depiction realistic?

2. The novel features erotic scenes that graphically depict primal play, dubious consent, and consensual non-consent. How does Dahlia and Kane’s sexual experimentation align with or conflict with your own viewpoints on sex? Which aspects of their intimate relationship resonate with your own?

3. Which member of Vencor did you relate to most: Kane, Jude Callahan, or Preston Armstrong? Which aspects of the Vencor members’ characters were most and/or least believable, and why?

4. Beautiful Venom is set on a college campus and in the Vipers hockey arena. How did you relate to the characters’ collegiate and/or sporting experiences? Did their investment in these worlds resonate with you? Why or why not?

5. Dahlia is close with her sister Violet. How does their sororal relationship compare with your own family dynamics? Was their relationship believable to you, and why or why not?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. As a dark romance novel, Beautiful Venom embraces complex representations of sex. Does Kent challenge, subvert, or reinforce cultural stereotypes regarding unconventional sexual relationships? What are the positive and negative aspects of her sexual depictions?

2. Explore the relationship between Dahlia’s sex life and her personal growth. How does this aspect of her personal life help her overcome societal and cultural stereotypes? How does her journey enter into cultural conversation about sex and empowerment?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. The novel alternates between Dahlia’s and Kane’s first-person points of view. What is the narrative and thematic effect of this structure? How would the novel resonate differently if written from only Dahlia’s or only Kane’s perspective?

2. Compare Dahlia’s and Kane’s upbringings. What is the thematic significance of the overlaps and/or disparities between their childhood experiences?

3. Discuss the role that Megan’s character plays in Dahlia’s storyline. Does she satisfy a conventional best friend archetype? Does she contribute to Dahlia’s growth? How might Kent have used her character differently or more effectively?

4. Identify three symbols in the novel and discuss their significance. For example, what do images like the Vencor rings, the Vipers arena, or Helena Davenport’s fish represent? What deeper purpose do they serve in the narrative?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Create a playlist that captures the evolution of Dahlia and Kane’s enemies-to-lovers romance. As you choose your songs, consider the conflicts, revelations, betrayals, breakups, sexual encounters, and reconciliations that define their relationship. Share your playlists and explain your reasoning behind each chosen song.

2. Write another epilogue for the novel that takes place five years after it ends. What does Dahlia and Kane’s life look like? How has their relationship developed?