Darling Venom: A Standalone Best Friend’s Brother Romance

—𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐮𝐬. 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞. 𝐖𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐲 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐬, 𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐮𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐲. 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡.About the book: Enemies-to-lovers, Best friend's brother, Age gap, Slow burn, Grumpy/Sunshine, Opposite attracts, Mental illness, Anguish, Depression, Suicide.Triggers: Depression, Suicide, Self harm, Death, Bullying.Darling Venom is about healing, redemption and forgiveness.How to forgive yourself and the others and moving on.The book has 3 POVs (Kellan, Charlotte and Tate).The book has a lot of amazing quotes.This was emotional and heavy. It's not an exaggeration when I say I cried and sobbed when I read it especially when Charlotte reached the campus to find Kellan is dead.𝐊𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐧:“𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩, 𝐈 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦. 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐬.”  He was intelligent, unique and young. Despite he died at the beginning of the novel. But he always was there in pages. There to hunt the minds of the people who loved him. That's why I put him in the edit. He loved and appreciated his big brother and was aware of his devotion.I believe his mistakes were a ruselt of his young age, immaturity, Depression and of being dumped. He is a good person inside.𝐓𝐚𝐭𝐞:𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧.𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐞.𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧’𝐬 𝐟𝐮𝐞𝐥, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬.He loved his younger half-brother more than himself. He made all what he can to raise him the best he can. He lived with guilt after his death. He punishes himself. He believes he doesn't deserve any happiness. Not after Kel's tragic end in a young age. He is such a devoted brother and a caring partner."𝐊𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠. 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥."𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞:𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞.𝐈𝐭𝐬 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟.𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐝.She insisted on saving Tate and not to lose him as she lost his brother. She insisted to not let him being a prey for guilt and depression. She made it her responsibility to drag him from his misery despite her own misery and guilt.𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐭, 𝐃𝐫. 𝐓𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐦 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢.𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝.𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐈’𝐦 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲.Tate, Charlotte and Kellan are tortured souls. I even felt sorry for Leah. Despite how she treated Charlotte and being a secondary character, I still understand how she feels everytime she looks at the mirror. I understand her anger and bitterness. But she's kind and a good person inside. Her dropping out the college to make living for her sis.𝐖𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞—𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧. 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐦. 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐰𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐮𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞.Here it's better if you stopped because of the spoilers:————For people who read the book:I can't stop feeling proud because I guessed the Author Terry plagiarized from him is Kel himself. I assumed this when he said it's too late to apologize for this author. Why? Because Kel is already dead now.Theories passed my mind while reading:—When Charlotte was pregnant at the end, I thought we will see them having a boy and will name him Kellan.🙈—Reagan felt the attraction between them and tries to push her towards him. I think she guessed something is happening after Tate call her after their first meeting and asked Reagan how to get to Charlotte giving an excuse she forgot something personal at his clinic. I assume she thought he is interested in her and after how he couldn't keep his eyes off her especially at the gender reveal party.

I devoured this thick book in less than a day! I was totally consumed by it. Wow, I have no idea why I waited so long to read this. I also listened via audible too which was fantastic. This book is a true rollercoaster of emotions. I felt all the emotions with this one, it broke my heart and made it whole again. This is one of my favoured reads this year, if not ever. Adding to to my list of books I want to read over and over again

My god, what can I say... Wow... Kellan such a beautiful sole so imperfectly perfect, he is going to stay in my heart forever ❤️

I wanted a book that would break me. I wanted something that gave Torment by Dylan Page vibes and this book was it.I cried so many times. It was everything I needed.This book seeps into your soul while you read and if you’re anything like me it will stay there. I know this book will be with me forever.My heart feels a little broken today but my soul feels full in a way it only can when you read something so unfathomably thought provoking.I’m obsessed, I’m in love, I’m broken.

This story was heart wrenching beautiful and so much more than an enemies to lovers romance. This was a beautifully written story about the guilt and pain left behind after suicide. I have lost people to depression and had to take a breather after some chapters but ultimately this story was a cathartic and healing story with raw emotion and healing romance.

This is such an amazing read. I hated having to put it down even considered quitting my job so I wouldn’t have to. But wow this book is an absolute must read. I would love there to be a sequel!Give your minds an escape and your heart a journey and read this now !

There are only 2 things I was disappointed with:1 - the front cover makes this look like a typical romance/smut book. Which clearly I’m in to or I wouldn’t have downloaded it.2 - the about blurb is utter rubbish.Neither of these thing does this book any justice at all. This year I have read over 150 books and I can honestly say this has been one of my favourites. From the blurb I expected there to be loss, I expected it to be mentioned, I expected it to be talked about in passing or part of the backstory.I did not expect to be so moved by a novel that was described as an enemies to lovers romance. I really didn’t think this was an enemies to lovers romance. It was raw, it was emotive and it dealt with much bigger issues. Loss, suicidal tendencies, survivor guilt, mistakes, forgiveness and self worth. The relationships were real, I connected with so many of the characters at different points. The beauty is that the author ensured that every character was a villain and a hero at the same time.It was fantastic. Now I need to buy a hard copy for my collection, I’m sure this will be a re-read.

Very emotional read, beautifully written, gripping from the start. Characters are easy to relate to, developing strong as the book progress. The ending is disappointing and unrealistic.