Toxic Vengeance appealed to me right away because of the Heroine, Eden. She is a "toxin expert" which just sounds amazingly cool. She is also a former Valkyrie (badass group of female assassins who are trained in all kinds of deadly skills).
Eden met Zack before the story in Toxic Vengeance takes place; it ended badly because she was still a Valkyrie at the time and was forced to deceive him. Now, she is in danger; someone is hunting the former Valkyries and attempting to kill them. She is on her own now, having not made contact with her handler in awhile. Zack barges back into her life and falls in love again instantly. She and Zack then must figure out who is trying to kill Eden.
All the books in the Vengeance series are a bit formulaic. First, there is a valkyrie who is trained in a specific area to be lethal. Then, a military type man enters their life and the instant love is strong. They fight together to take down the bad guy. Now, formulas aren't bad; I enjoyed Toxic Vengeance. But, I found myself confusing it with other Cross books because sometimes it was as if I had read it before but with different character names. The big conflict in the romance of this story is the trust issues. Eden had deceived Zack in the past and he wasn't quick to forget it.
I wish there was more focus on Eden's work with toxins! However, I enjoyed her and Zack's story. The action in this book seemed a bit more violent and aggressive (gun violence) as opposed to more distant ways of fighting, like many of the valkyries skills dictate. Toxic Vengeance is perfect for readers who like this formula and enjoy the blending of action, danger, and romance. While you can read this as a stand alone, I think it helps inform your reading if you have read the previous books since there is a larger story arc at play.
- POV: 3rd
- Tears: no
- Trope: assassin
- Triggers: none
- Series/Standalone: series
- Cliffhanger: not for Zack and Eden, but a set up of the final book
- HEA: yes
authors like Susan Stoker, Katie Reus, Pamela Clare...then you will probably like Toxic Vengeance!
See full review on The Book Disciple