The Venom We Bleed is the first book in the Scorpion Kings series by Lucy Smoke. It’s a why choose bully romance featuring a badass heroine and three dark and dangerous love interests, reckoning with their fucked up hometown and all its secrets.
After Juliet Donovan’s life falls apart in a single night, she goes from a popular, rich girl at Silverwood Prep to a reviled outsider at Silverwood Public. Abandoned by everyone, now she has to fight for survival at a school where students and teachers alike want to make her pay for her father’s crimes. Juliet just has to make it through senior year and keep her grades up so she can get the hell out of Silverwood.
There’s a clear hierarchy in Silverwood, and at the top are the Scorpion Kings, Nolan, Gio, and Lex. They’ve been blood brothers since they were kids, when they made a pact to leave Silverwood as soon as they could. Until they can leave, they rule the south side of town.
When Juliet crashes into their world, she’s a distraction, one the Scorpion Kings can’t afford if they want their plans to succeed. But they can’t seem to stay away from this fiery fallen princess and her messy tragedy.
Given that the prologue opens with them committing a murder, the Scorpion Kings are definitely Silverwood’s bad boys, and as with most why choose romances I’ve read, they fit into pretty clear roles. Nolan is the leader, Gio is the playboy, and Lex is the methodical psychopath.
Juliet Donovan is pain personified, and men like us love a little bit of agony.
All of these characters, including Juliet, carry a lot of anger, and with good reason. These four have experienced so much trauma and pain, and it makes them interesting.
There is an abundance of messy drama in The Venom We Bleed, which makes sense given the fact that they are all high school seniors. Don’t worry, they’re all eighteen. It’s a true bully romance, and none of them hold back when it comes to making their enemies pay.
Like so many good romances, particularly those in which the main characters are still under twenty-five, there is a healthy dose of problems that could have been solved with open communication.
The story is fast-paced and fun, in a dark and chaotic sort of way. It’s undeniably entertaining, but it doesn’t really have anything that makes it stand out from the crowd. It felt like I’d read this book a hundred times. That said, I’m halfway through the second book in the series as I write this, and it absolutely is worth sticking with.
Since it’s a bully romance, the romantic parts of this book are a definite slow burn. The slow burn didn’t really work here, despite the fact that it makes sense for the plot, because this story really needs the spice.
There is definite spice in this book, though, you just have to be patient and wait for it. When it comes, it’s perfect. It’s hot and exactly what this book needs with these characters.
The Venom We Bleed was a lot of fun, although it felt like it blended into the crowd of all the other why choose books out there. As I said, I will absolutely continue with the series, and based on the cliffhanger ending, I have high hopes that things will only get better from there.
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