• Venom & Vanilla

  • The Venom Trilogy, Book 1
  • By: Shannon Mayer
  • Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
  • Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (1,493 ratings)

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Venom & Vanilla  By  cover art

Venom & Vanilla

By: Shannon Mayer
Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
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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?

©2016 Shannon Mayer (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved

What listeners say about Venom & Vanilla

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    763
  • 4 Stars
    438
  • 3 Stars
    198
  • 2 Stars
    55
  • 1 Stars
    39
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
    113
  • 2 Stars
    23
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    17
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    672
  • 4 Stars
    356
  • 3 Stars
    182
  • 2 Stars
    70
  • 1 Stars
    44

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

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.

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17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

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.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

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.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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!

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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!

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Full book didn't know of

Enjoyed this listen and love the narrator can't wait for third book in triology
Must read

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

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.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

love!!!

it was such a goffy fun intriguing story. I recommend it to anyone and will definitely buy the next one in the series

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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!

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3 people found this helpful