| Title | : | Lady Venom Takes a Mistress |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 124 |
| Publication | : | First published September 7, 2023 |
To be bid on was to be bought as a wife. To the winning bidder his prize, a maid, a servant, a child-bearer. That would be Poesy Laroche’s life, she realized, as she walked down the aisle to her future husband. He’d promised to break her into submission, and she knew his words were true.
In an act of desperation, she takes the reins of her fate and dives into the woods rife with terrors. The screams that come at night become only whispers of stories about the mysterious Lady Venom. Her manor is filled with snakes and horrors. And when Poesy gets lost within her maze, Lady Venom claims her as her own mistress, with no hope to escape.
Poesy is locked into a haunted estate where the flowers watch, the ghosts whisper while the snakes slither, and everyone knows the deadliest of them all is their Lady that rules them.
But there are secrets to uncover both within the eerie walls and in the riddles atop Lady’s Venom’s forked tongue as she incites more danger and pleasure than Poesy ever thought possible.
But will it be enough to keep Poesy from her fate? Or will the hidden truths prove more fateful than a serpent’s bite?
Lady Venom is a haunted, spooky, lesbian romance with lethal women and gothic magic. It’s a twist on both Medusa and Beauty and the Beast and features femme dom and captive tropes with off the charts spice. This story is set in The Halloween Boys universe with crossover of lore, but you do not need to read The Halloween Boys before enjoying Lady Venom Takes a Mistress. Please see authors site for content information.
Lady Venom Takes a Mistress Reviews
-
god, im so gay
-
ok so my fav genre might actually be lesbians falling in love then killing men together
-
Perfect spooky season novella to get you super hot 😮💨
FF. Snakes. So many snakes in various shapes and sizes. A silicon python. A vicious and delicious woman with rage and she kills men. Honestly can’t ask for much more than that.
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ -
4.5 ⭐️ - A darkly-fun erotic romance. Quick read. I really enjoyed it. Kindle Unlimited.
-
I wanted to like this so much bc of why the author wrote it: "For all the girls like me who grew up needing to see the duality and fierce beauty within lesbian love." like that's so sweet and I'm obsessed with that idea and that's why I wanted to read it, but sadly it just fell flat in its execution.
pros:
-gay shit!!!!!
-hot, man-murdering villainess
-I support women's wrongs
cons:
-I know it's a novella but it's simply too short for how much stuff she tried to pack in there. the pacing was rushed as fuck. EVERYTHING needed to be fleshed out more, especially the developing relationship between Poesy and Lady Venom because it ended up reading as very wishy-washy, like one paragraph Poesy would be like "wow I love Lady Venom" and then five seconds later she'd be like "oh no I think I might be furious with her!" and five more seconds later she'd be over it. and it was like that over and over for 118 pages.
-the writing wasn't great, like it was digestible and comprehensible but lacked any sense of suspense or really anything special overall, and some details were inconsistent.
-epilogue was pointless, and so was the scene with Ezmeralda - both just ate up pages that could've been spent on the development of Lady Venom/Poesy's relationship
-the pet names were truly terrible
-
TLDR: it could've been good, but it just wasn't, and that's unfortunate. maybe I'm taking it too seriously for being an erotic novella, but it's labeled as a "gothic lesbian romance" so I just expected more. -
This was so delicious and I only wish it was longer (since it’s novella length)! This is a twist on Medusa and Beauty and the Beast, it’s sapphic, we have lethal women, a demoness, a human, a gothic castle, so many snakes. Stopppp, but also give me more. The audiobook was especially fantastic, it’s pretty much a graphic audio with sound effects and just an overall amazing delivery for the story.
-
jesus christ that was actually the worst 100 pages of my life. this is literally just the lesbian version of Neon Gods and if u know me you know how much i despise that book
i understand it’s a short story but the pace moves too fast and like why are they having sex after 24 hours??? 24 hours and lesbian bella swan over here is already “my lady, my dark, mysterious madam”
it sounds like someone wearing a fedora wrote this. way too much cringe but this is what i get for trying to listen to booktok -
Alabaster and Poesy have me under their spell and all I need is more... Why is it so short? I want to read 400 pages 😭
The characters, the plot and the setting are far too good for such a short novella and only whetted my appetite, I would love to enjoy it slower 🥺
Please give me more, Serpent Mommy 🥹
.
It was good to see Red - I hope she gets her own book 🌹 -
can’t believe this wasn’t written by a man
-
Steamy spooky read, yes please. This Medusa/Beauty and the Beast style book is the perfect fall read that includes lots of spice which was off the charts 🔥. I absolutely loved Lady Venom. Poesy knew how good she had it and it was nice to have a character not second guess herself around the “monster”. This is a shorter book, but was just the right length to devour in one night. If you’re looking for a sapphic, spooky, and spicy read, do not hesitate to pick this one up. I know I’ll be rereading it again in the future. Can’t wait for more sapphic novels in this universe!
Thanks so much to the author for providing me an arc for an honest review! -
“There’s no need to be afraid of me. I don’t bite.”
“Yes, but do you poison and torment men?”
“I don’t bite.”
3.5 stars. Ahem. This was a good, fun time! Shorter than I'd have liked and I could pinpoint a lot of areas where I wish there had been more description and more plot, because certain events were definitely rushed. But it was a sexy little novella that worked so well thematically and hit all the buttons it needed to. Poesy is auctioned off at her village's marriage mart, but her prospective husband is so horrible she runs away, right into the arms of the dangerous, venomous woman who lives in the woods. Pretty insta-lust, but I was expecting that because it's so short, and hey, I didn't mind. It's this great blend of paranormal and light horror that really appealed to me, especially with all the snakes and how they were connected to Lady Venom. She's the perfect mix of dark and dreamy. And look, if I were in Poesy's shoes, I'd have done everything she did. The writing was pretty; maybe a bit overwrought in a few places, but most of the time, it was lavish in just the way I like. ( and she sighed along with my moans, like my pleasure was the glass she drank from. SWOON.) I went in expecting something hot and slightly spooky, and that's what I got. While I do wish there'd been juuuust a little more substance to this, I still had a great time.
Content warnings:She was slithering into my heart and soul, wrapping around my wrist and my ribs, and squeezing out anything that wasn’t of her. And I welcomed my glorious death.
-
Loved the idea but the execution was lacking a bit. Wish it had been full length instead of a novella.
The names were a crime against humanity. Why Poesy?! Why not Posy or Posey? Alabaster? I'm not screaming that when I cum that's for sure.
Love all the destroying of men though. -
⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
🐍🍒👻🥀🗡
If you like dark romances, with all the triggers.
It is spicy and dark, with lots of killing, snakes, and ghosts.
Poesy gets away from a terrible situation in a world where males bid on females to make them their wives, to make them their slaves, and baby carriers. Her only choice is to run into danger by going to the mansion of Lady Vemon, a man-killer with a dark history. Here, she becomes Lady Venom's mistress and she realizes she is in love wit her.
Both are lethal, dark, and totally in love with each other.
It's a great story for those who love short spicy reads.
Thanks to the author, Kat Blackthorne, and Dark Hearts Press for a copy of the ebook. This review is left voluntarily. -
When Poesy’s life was bought by the highest bidder, she was in a panic to get away. While growing up, she and others had heard of stories about what or who resides in the woods.. where else better to run to escape?
Lady Venom Takes A Mistress is a dark, gothic, sapphic romance following the story of Poesy and Lady Venom. I am a fan of sapphic romances and I didn’t really know what to expect going into this short story but I can confidently say, I absolutely adored this and I really want more stories like this from Kat in the future. This is a retelling and it gives you doses of Medusa, beauty and the beast and even the haunted mansion.
Poesy is a sweet, innocent and delicate character. However through out this short story, there is character growth in her which I loved seeing. She really blossomed and I loved that for her. Lady Venom is possibly the complete opposite, she is powerful and dominant but she is also a fierce protector over those she cares for.
I loved the chemistry and bond between these two. They were sexy, possessive of one another, caring, and I’m going to add another sexy in there because these two, were hot. Smoking.
This is definitely a fun, quick read for anyone who enjoys sapphic romance, gothic romances or even something fun to read for the spooky season. I loved the world Kat has built with this story and I hope she takes us back. -
1.5
Amo 100% cuando me dan una villana lesbiana misteriosa, pero también amo una buena trama y desarrollo de personaje, incluso aunque la historia sea corta, y eso tristemente no hubo en este libro :( -
This book was everything I could have hoped for and more. Especially because it sticks it to the patriarchy in the best ways. From the very first page, I was hooked. The story, the spice, the characters. Kat absolutely nailed it. The instant chemistry between Lady Venom and Poesy was fantastic and I loved the mystery around Lady Venom. It was addictive. Everything about Lady Venom is the quintessential bad ass anti hero and I loved every second of it.
If you’re wanting a spicy paranormal romance, fierce females, snakes and more spice, look no further.
Thank you to Kat and Indi Pen PR for sending me this arc. -
my old complaint is that i wanted it to be longer and never end 🥲🖤
-
Lady Venom Takes a Mistress is the sapphic story my gothic heart has been aching for! There's nothing like lesbian lovers sticking it to the patriarchy all while finding their happily ever after...
Nothing says I love you like being sold off to the highest bidder. In this case that highest bidder is a man, not just any man though. A Lord. For Posey that would be a death sentence. Her only choice is to run. And run she does directly into the arms of the one person she was looking for, Lady Venom.
Lady Venom is the woman of the woods the ones that the folklores and fables are about. Everyone always fears what they don't know and while Lady Venom is no saint, she isn't exactly what the towns people have cracked her up to be.
As most tales of woe go this wasn't love at first sight but it very well might have been lust. If you are looking for the perfect sapphic story with snakes and enough spice to soak those panties, then look no further than Lady Venom and her lover.
*ARC received from Indie Pen PR in exchange for my honest review. * -
This gets two stars for the first…15 or so percent which was such a cool set up. I mean a historical sapphic monster romance featuring a human woman running away from a forced marriage and the monster lady that murders men and takes her in? Awesome.
Unfortunately, everything else devolved very quickly after our human FMC gets where she needs to be to meet our monster FMC. From there on out, 15-90% of the book is boring. Nothing happens. The human is just strolling in gardens and participating in lackluster sex scenes and being warned about the super evil lady of the manor who….is super gentle and kind to the human FMC? Alright.
Throw in a historical setting that’s not really historical too for good measure. I mean we’re riding on horses with swords and buying brides but we also have silicone dildos? Having and authors note that’s like “this isn’t historical fiction so I wrote modernity into it cause I wanted to” just…feels like an excuse to write a story that makes no sense.
Also the prose in this was…nonsensical. For example: “while they wore their ample breasts, their soft middles, and their supple thighs like entrancing gardens meant to entice, to touch, to sample.” HUH. -
Oh, my word this was a hot read!!
If you want to read about a human woman falling for a demoness in a gothic castle, please pick this one up!
I loveeeed Lady Venom and her whole vibe. I would read a 500 page book just about her life if I could!
MEMORABLE QUOTES:
“Is a sunflower more beautiful than a daisy? All flowers just bloom. Beauty does not compete; it simply flourishes."
TW: death, killing, blood, SA, threats of SA, snakes, gore, dubcon, violence
TROPES: demon, fantasy, gothic vibes, kindle unlimited, monsters, sapphic, novella -
My only complaint was how short this was! I read this in less than two hours. This was amazingly gay. I love women.
-
”You are going to be my glorious, rapturous downfall, Poesy Laroche.”
5 stars. The ‘touch her and you die’ vibes were STRONG in this one. We even got a “Who did this to you? I’ll kill them!” line and I just about combusted into a million happy little pieces. Also, the smut was hot as hell and Lady Venom is possessive, protective, and a badass. Five stars from me. I have no notes. I’m easy to please, what can I say?
Lady Venom rescues Poesy after she runs away from the awful man that she was supposed to marry. Poesy becomes her mistress and is taken to her castle and the gothic vibes in this were so well done. I really like Blackthorne’s writing style. It was vivid and descriptive. I liked that Poesy took to her role as mistress pretty quickly so there was no unnecessary scenes of her being scared or anything. She just adapted to everything. I liked the chemistry between her and LV (whose real name is Alabaster but hell no I’m not calling her that) and the sex scenes were super hot. There’s also some violence and action and those scenes were pretty cool. LV kills men and her snakes eat them. Wifey right there. Queen shit. I loved the way this wrapped up and the way that LV and Poesy get their own unique little HEA.
I feel like this review is all over the place but long story short I loved this and I would apply to be Lady Venom’s mistress any day. Bye. -
I was looking forward to this one, but I ended up a bit disappointed. I LOVE the monster/human trope, and that was my only favorite part.
-
I forgot to mark this when I started and finished because I was so invested in this book. This is everything I want in a WLW Medusa novel. The spooky vibes were a huge plus.
-
Uhmmmmm... Lo mejor para describir este libro es... Confusión? Buena idea pero mala ejecución?
La historia podría tener su aquello pero lamentablemente está escrita de prisa y corriendo. No desarrolla bien a los personajes, no describe bien los escenarios, las escenas de acción duran un total de 3 páginas cuando se podrían extender más de 20... Y el smut? Más de lo mismo, podría ser mucho mucho mucho mejor si describiera más, pero al igual que todo en el libro se queda corto.
Me ha gustado? Meh. Podría mejorarse? Definitivamente. Lo recomendaría? Pf si tienes un rato vale y no tienes absolutamente nada más que leer vale, pero tampoco creas -
Dreadfully Perfect!
I don’t even know what to write. This book was just perfect. It was dark. It was romance. It was very sexy. There’s magical elements and ghosts. Even a Vampiress! (Although a very small role but awakening as well). So much mystery in the half statements and whispered gossip. Beautiful imagery, I never pictured snakes as sexy or sweet but I may not mind a little garter snake bracelet! Oh! And forked tongues? Yes please! -
1.5 stars
This was not a slowburn, more like an arsonist's lullaby. After getting over the main characters name—which was, unfortunately, Poesy—I was immediately struck across the face by the love interest's name—which was, even more unfortunately, Alabaster Baudelaire. -
OOF, that was hot.
What it's about: Lady Venom Takes a Mistress is a dark sapphic fairytale (x erotica) in which a monstress takes down the patriarchy. Clocking in at 120 pages, this book is short, but it still packs one hell of a punch.
The story follows Poesy, who is about to be auctioned off to a horrible man who plans to rape her in their marriage bed. Sensibly, Poesy chooses flee into the Deep Dark Woods instead, where she finds a gorgeous murderous creature that won't let her go.
What I thought: I didn't think I would like this book. I picked it up and read the first 10 pages (fully expecting to put it away) and got hooked instead. The writing is absolutely beautiful - possibly some of the best I have seen in a long time - and I really felt for Poesy.
What impressed me most was the author's economy of words. She manages to communicate an awful lot in very few sentences, and honestly there were times that this felt like a zipped-up version of a 300 page story. Unfortunately, that economy of words is also the novella's weakness, in that there were several times I really wished she'd have let her scenes breathe a bit more.
TW: snakes, SA, lots of dead bodies.
TL;DR: steamy, varied, and far too short. Pick this up for spooky vibes. -
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
🌶️🌶️🌶️
BR with my girl Cass
I haven’t read many sapphic romance books, I believe this is my 3rd? But let me tell you, Kat set the bar pretty high!
I also don’t get the chance to read too many gothic romances and I have no idea why because I always love them, so this was right up my alley.
I loved all the female empowerment! Seeing all those cruddy men get their just desserts was simply delicious.
You know what else was delicious? All the spice! I thought those two ladies had a ton of physical chemistry. I honestly would’ve liked more of an emotional connection, but that was the only drawback for me.
This wonderful little novella was packed with intrigue, fabulous world building and enough drama to keep you coming back for more. -
hm...the plot was rlly good it's just the wording and sentence structures were sometimes off-putting and cringe... but i think this novella needed an additional AT LEAST 200-300 pages bc the story did not fit well into only 100. and the smut was also really good in terms of idea but execution was again, cringe. overall it was a good story it just wasn't executed the best if could've been.
