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Venom & Vanilla
- The Venom Trilogy, Book 1
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
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Publisher's Summary
Successful Seattle baker Alena Budrene doesn't want to die. But when she's infected with a lethal virus spread by supernatural beings, her only chance for recovery is to make a deal with the devil - or in this case, a warlock.
Though he saves her life, it looks nothing like the life she once knew - and neither does she. Alena is a new breed of "Supe" no one has ever seen before. Even the supernatural police don't know what she is. Now exiled to the northern side of the Wall, which marks the divide between humans and Supes, Alena is thrust into a dark and magical new world.
But just as she begins to adjust to all things supernatural, she realizes that her transformation is the least of her worries - and it was no accident. She was chosen...to be killed by a Greek hero trying to make a name for himself once more.
Alena was brought up to be subservient, preferring creating to fighting, and vanilla and honey to blood. But that was then. Now, to survive, she must stand up for herself - and this time she's got fangs. But will she be ready to use them?
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What listeners say about Venom & Vanilla
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- BikeVON
- 02-05-17
So disappointing.
I have all the Rylee books by Shannon Mayer and love them! I expected the same for this also.
Alena Budrene is the main character. Within 30 minutes I asked myself, is she for real or what? My frustration and disappointment was caused by the juvenile dialogue below.
• I bit my lip, wanting to blurt out they anything but poor; oh poop on it
• Even if I wasn’t allowed to attend anymore. There were things I’ve grown up with that were so firmly ingrained, I couldn’t let them go, even now.
• Pig-brained clodhopper, well thought our twit, Dang it
• Oh my heck, fricky dricky
• While being chased in at high speed she says Honey puffs
• Still on a high speed chase Tad, her brother says, If you weren’t my sister, I strangle you. Alena replies,That is not how we talk Tad.
• Mother-hummping whales on a beech! What am I going to do?
• I don’t know how to use a gun you dink.
• “Mean spirited people have holes in their heart were the goodness leaks out. I bet you have a lot of holes.
• Buffalo balls, You are in my bad book
• He’s a horrible donkey butt
• Donkey butt hole
• You would insult me monster, you started it
• Bossy pants
• Bunch of pointy -hat wearing monkey balls
• Beeswax
• You looked like your bunged up and trying to hard to push to squeeze a poop out.
After listening to our heroine speak like this for six chapters. Then Zeus is castrated as the manager of Blue Box store who calls for clean up on aisle seven; I could not go on. Swearing would be so much better and Mayer should receive a jail sentence for what she does to Greek Mythology.
13 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 11-04-16
Too annoying
I tried and I just can't keep going with this book. I bought this because I have previously enjoyed Shannon Mayers' other books but this was terrible. The heroine was clichéd stereotype with the vocabulary of either a five year old or an obnoxious kindergarten teacher. Super Duper? Really? The other characters were not much better. It's a pity because the basic premise is good.
17 people found this helpful
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- Morrigan
- 04-12-17
Finally!
Would you listen to Venom & Vanilla again? Why?
Finally, a narrator that I will follow as much as I do my favorite authors! I love how the narrator is able to give life to each of the characters. I will most certainly search for other books by this narrator. I also very much enjoy the author as well and suggest them too!
Have you listened to any of Saskia Maarleveld’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
Not that I am aware of
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes
5 people found this helpful
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- Dee M.
- 11-09-16
Not one of Mayer's best...
I stuck with this book until about the half-way point. It took forever for anything interesting to happen. When it did, it started to get stupid really fast.
The trite, overworked theme of "supes" versus humans turned into the even more trite , overworked theme of Greek mythology brought into the modern world.
Mythological characters are, by their very nature, sketchy caricatures, their traits and stories often contradictory and paradoxical. When they are fleshed out into modern characters, it's difficult to keep them from be coming cartoonish. The author missed the mark with this one.
I love anime and cartoons, but prefer more depth when it comes to what I read. With a little humor thrown in, this book probably would make a great short anime series. It's just not good written fiction.
12 people found this helpful
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- Trish R.
- 12-13-18
DNF..
Yeah, this “heroine” is too stupid for me. Every time you turned around she was saying, “Oh dear.” I can’t stand to read the same exclamation so many times in a row. And because she was a “Firstamentalist” she wouldn’t swear so the author gave her really stupid things to say. Such as: Mother-humping whales on the beach,” or “Honey Puffs,” or “Stamped on my Fricky-Dicky forehead,” or “Buffalo Balls,” or “Horrible Donkey Butt.” Really? And I quit at 36% of this silly book, no idea what else she came up with. I can't listen to 8 hours of that stupidness, unless I was listening to a book for a 12 year old. The only funny thing Alena said was by referring to the man in charge of the law enforcement department, SDMP, of the paranormals, as Oberfluffel instead of Oberfall.
I have no idea who the hero is supposed to be but if it’s REMO I’m definitely not interested.
No sex up until I quit, only kiss between Alena and Dahlia and my iPad found the F-bomb used 4 times.
******I would have liked to have known what creature Merlin the Warlock made Alena so if someone can give me an answer to that I would appreciate it but I can’t read anymore to find out myself.******
As to the narration: Saskia Maarleveld did a fantastic job on the voices and emotions when she read so I can recommend her but not the book.
1 person found this helpful
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- sdvigna
- 12-30-16
love!!!
it was such a goffy fun intriguing story. I recommend it to anyone and will definitely buy the next one in the series
3 people found this helpful
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- Sabrina Gable
- 11-13-16
Great Book!
Yes, the book could have moved at a better clip, but it held my attention through it all. That makes it a very good book in my opinion. Can't wait for book 2!
3 people found this helpful
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- Curly's Ramblings
- 11-08-16
Loved it!
Adventure, humor, and perilousness abound in this book of the new series by one of my favorite authors! Great character, storyline, & plot development! Looking forward to book 2!
5 people found this helpful
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- Sherry V
- 01-29-17
Entertaining
Very entertaining! Everything I've come to expect from Shannon Mayer - action, great plot, humor, interesting characters... I can hardly wait to read, listen to, the next book in the series. This is a must read!
6 people found this helpful
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- Harry
- 01-13-17
Full book didn't know of
Enjoyed this listen and love the narrator can't wait for third book in triology
Must read
4 people found this helpful
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- Nisareen Khan
- 03-23-20
Unique twist on Greek mythology
Alena Budrene has weeks to live. A victim of the Aegrus virus which killed her brother Tad five years before, her only comfort is fellow patient Dahlia who has even less time to live. Her husband Roger has already moved on, having moved his long time girlfriend into their home and helped himself to her inheritance. To add salt to injury he has also sold her beloved bakery to her competitor. Now all Alena can do is wait for the inevitable gruesome end that will see her body waste away.
Suddenly Dahlia offers Alena hope. A warlock by the name of Merlin, is offering a cure - for the right price. However Alena is a Firstamentalist and fearing she will go to hell if she takes up Merlin’s offer - which has apparently been already paid for by a mysterious benefactor - tells Merlin to cure Dahlia in her stead.
With Dahlia now gone, Alena is in despair. Unexpectedly, Merlin returns with a new offer - to make her ‘special’ a one of a kind supernatural that no one has seen before.
“Beautiful. Powerful. Exotic. Cured. And no one will ever know who you are by looking at you.”
Alena decides to accept his offer unaware that Merlin has got his own agenda and that she has been chosen for a specific reason.
Venom and Vanilla is the first instalment of the Venom trilogy and was also my first introduction to the author. From the offset I found myself sympathising with Alena’s plight and outraged at her self centred husband’s betrayal and callousness. Alena comes across as an endearing and caring individual who readers won’t help rooting for. The secondary characters were equally appealing. Dahlia, Remo, Officer Jensen, Ernie the Cherub and Yaya were my favourite.
Alena stems from fundamentalist religious background. Her parents are Firstamentalists and it’s for this reason that Alena initially rejects the cure as it goes against her morals and upbringing. Her evolution from a meek church mouse into a fearsome Drakaina - a woman siren capable of shifting into a venomous snake at will, was interesting to see.
I was equally impressed with the authors world building. We have a world in which humans had initially been oblivious to the vampires, werewolves, warlocks and Greeks gods walking amongst them. That is until the Aegrus virus began to spread. Although the virus originated from the Supes themselves, it only presents itself as a cold or at worst the flu in them. For humans however, contracting it leads to certain death within weeks of becoming infected - their bodies slowly shrivelling up into husks. The government has quarantine protocols in place for those infected which has victims separated from their loved ones and isolated in a specially built hospital on Whitney Island. There’s no cure unless one takes the route that Alena and Tad did. Alena later discovers that the virus is only susceptible to humans who had supernatural blood in the genetics and comes to learn that her parents are hiding something in their family tree. Supes are separated from humans by a Wall that is patrolled by police in both sides of the divide. Those who wish to visit the human side are chipped by the supernatural police to track their movements. They have no rights as humans refuse to acknowledge their existence.
All in all I found this to be an engaging read with an unique twist on Greek mythology. We find ourselves rooting for the monsters instead of the gods and heroes. The book was fast paced with never a dull moment. It’s a light hearted read with lots of humour and definitely not one to be taken seriously. Judging by her hints of a family curse and the fact that their parents are keeping secrets, the author has paved the way for an interesting sequel and I’m looking forward to exploring their backgrounds further.
I listened to this book in audible form which was narrated by Saskia Maarleveld. I was impressed by the way she was masterfully able to bring each character to life with their own unique voice, switching effortlessly between characters and accents.
I recommend this for fans of vampires, werewolves, warlocks, shifters, sirens, Greek mythology and baking!
1 person found this helpful
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- Rebel
- 01-29-17
Terrible
Avoid this one if you can. I am struggling to believe Shannon Meyer actually wrote with rubbish. No swearing church going lead female role with Greek gods and vampires? Ridiculous plot, no twist or turns to keep you engaged. Stick to the Rylee Adamson series and do not waste a credit on this nonsense.
3 people found this helpful
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- Leia
- 06-05-22
vanilla
yes yes yes absalutly love Ur audibles
, I work outside so need a good listen for the day fantastic as
always thankyou
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- Amazon Customer
- 05-02-22
Another winner from Shannon Mayer
I just love this author's work. She never fails to both entertain me and keep me on the edge of my seat. Another creative expansion of the same universe of Riley, Larkspur and Zamira (but not with those characters). Enjoy!
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- Nikki
- 11-18-19
Another character worth listening to/reading from the worlds of Shannon Mayer
I really like Alena, she has a great mix of innocent and unbelieving without smacking you over the head with it as some authors do. She struggles with her beliefs etc but accepts what’s in front of her and what’s changed when she should.
There are some entertaining characters in this trilogy, I seriously want to kick Roger in the nuts!
The story is really fun and engaging, the idea of a ‘monster’ trying to change things for the better and the perceived ‘heros’ actually being a-holes is not lost on me.
Well worth the read, looking forward to the rest of the trilogy.
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- Naedrax17
- 04-21-18
Okay
I didn't hate this book but wasn't overall fussed. It seem to start as one story then change into something else completely.
Theres a virus killing of humans that seems to have come from supernatural creatures. If your rich enough you can be saved from the virus by being turned into a supernatural creature. This is what happens to Alena. Now she has to adjust to her new life, overcome her past behaviours & deal with the fact she is being hunted because of what she now is.
It seemed so many small things to help understand the story were not explained or gloss over really quickly like the supernaturals causing the virus. I wish more of the story had been fleshed. It was ok but I will not be continuing on with the series.
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- Imee-B
- 12-30-16
Addictive, delicious
Venom and vanilla is a decadent mix of deliciousness coupled with a smart and beautiful heroine and u have a recipe for unique and fast paced story that grabs u from beginning to end and leaves u keeps wanting more :D Saskia as the narrator is magnificent as always thank you xox
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