ARC Review: VEN by Ker Dukey & K Webster

The Vetrov name comes with expectation.
My role in this world is simple: do as Father asks and live my life how he planned it.

My future is already written: run the empire.
Old Values. Old Rule. Old Money.
Until her.

Everything I do lacks purpose.
Everything I do is empty.
Women. Money. Power. It meant nothing.
Until her.

When the Volkov rose showed up at my home a disgraced package, hand-delivered by a Vasiliev prince, I began paving my own path.
I vowed to make her bloom once more.

She consumed me.
Her. Her. Her.

But you can’t love a rose and expect not to be damaged by her thorns.
She cut me too deep.
And I bled out.
My soul fled.
All that’s left is a cold, calculating monster.

I am Veniamin.
Volcanic. Victorious. Valiant. Vetrov.
When you enter my world to play games, prepare to lose.
In the end, I always find the thorn in my side, and I pluck it right out.

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MY REVIEW

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I knew this was going to be an amazing read right from the start. This story and these characters captured my mind so intensely that I forgot to do anything else but read. Work? Nothing couldn’t wait until tomorrow. Dishes? Get the kids to do it. Sleep? Who needs that? Ven and Diana were calling my name and I could hear nor see anything else!

I don’t know what sort of games we’re playing…
But I sure as hell want to win.
I want to win… her. - Ven

Yes Ven! Be in it to win it. Don’t let anyone, least of all Diana, get in your way!!

Speaking of Diana, I didn’t love her. Nope, she definitely didn’t do it for me. However, I admired the heck out of her for the choices she made… most of the time. Her willingness to sacrifice herself on the blade in order to protect her sister earned my respect. And then she had to get all warrior girl and vow vengeance against the monsters that made up the hierarchy of the world she lived in and had me all Team Diana.

I LOVED Ven! Loved this dude so hard! I didn’t know what to expect from him and I was happy that he turned out to be a worthwhile hero (anti-hero?). He was fiercely loyal, compassionate to those he cared about, and clearly lethal. When it came to Diana, he was a teddy bear. A vicious, cuddly teddy bear.

Time to replenish my darkness, and let loose the hate that now festers deep within me. - Ven

The monster that lived within him was sexy, even if I was upset with the way it was drawn out. Damn you, Diana! I loved how he embraced his darkness and lost his mind. It allowed me to see another side to him, a side that wasn’t soft and loving and passionate. Well, he was still passionate, but he was also wicked and tormented.

Her mouth - her juicy fat lips - was meant for kissing. Meant for kissing me. - Ven

There was so much to love about Ven. His lighter, considerate side and his dark, dominant, and slightly evil side. I’m not even sure which one I loved more. What I did love is that even when he tried to close his heart to its one true love, he couldn’t shut it off. It was a constant struggle to not let his heart win when he was far from doing good and I liked how the authors played with his character in this way.

Now I’m super excited for the next book in the V Games series. Not only because of the crazy amount of revelations made in this one, but because I still need to get a story for Vas. Oh and Ven’s crazy cousins, the Madmen of Moscow, have most definitely piqued my interest!

Release: 06.29.2018 | Genre: Dark Romance | Dual POV - 1st person | Heat: 4 | Standalone - The V Games #2