The Venom Trilogy

Series · 3 books · 2016-2017

By Shannon Mayer

Books in series

Venom & Vanilla

2016

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?

Fangs & Fennel

2017

Alena Budrene is not just a gifted Seattle baker—she’s also a supernatural. Having survived the virus that made her transformation necessary and outwitted an attack by a Greek hero, she’s ready to settle down and deal with the challenges of living as a “Super Duper.” But nothing is easy for a woman who can turn into a giant snake. Threatened by her unprecedented strength, Alena’s enemies team up against her. What’s next on the menu? The duplicitous demigod Theseus—backed by a ruthless vampire gang and the power-hungry goddess Hera—is determined to lure her into a glorious, and rather public, battle to the death. Now humans, even the ones Alena risks her life to protect, are afraid to acknowledge her existence. And when the friends who once rallied around her begin to fall prey to Theseus’s manipulative schemes, Alena realizes she must act before she loses everything. But will the price of success be too high to pay?

Hisses and Honey

2017

The climactic final volume of The Venom Trilogy by USA Today bestselling author Shannon Mayer. Humble baker turned supernatural Alena Budrene is lovely and lethal, and for the first time, she’s owning it. Finally rid of her low-life ex-husband, she’s free to date sexy vampire mob boss Remo, who respects her as both a Supe and a woman. She’s on good terms with her difficult mother, and she’s growing comfortable with her powers. But just when it seems things are falling into place for Alena, Hera strikes again: the Aegrus virus rages across Seattle, threatening the life of everyone in its path—including Remo, infected by Hades. The only way to stop the carnage is to face Hera and her army in a no-prisoners battle to determine the fate of the human race—and Alena’s future. In a sweeping voyage from the Seattle bar scene to a netherworld populated by murderous gods and monsters, Alena confronts one adversary after another on a quest to set the world right for both humans and Supes and demonstrate her power—to the gods and to herself—once and for all.

Author

Shannon Mayer

Author · 96 books

A long time ago, in a galaxy far away, I was born into a family of Star Wars nuts. I have a lot of siblings (somewhere I lost count but I think there was more than could be numbered on one hand) and being one of the young padawans I was subjected to Star Wars marathons, on a regular basis. If you've read any of my books you'll see there is often a reference to said movies as a small homage to my upbringing. May the force be with you and all that jazz. I started writing when I realized I didn't want to grow up not believing in magic, or not believing in creatures everyone else said didn't exist. That being said, I have never seen a fairy, unicorn or dragon. I had a neighbour who swore they fed the leprechauns in their garden, but I never caught the little buggers no matter how long I lay in wait. (And consequently had to help the neighbours plant new flowers to replace those I killed waiting for the leprechauns to show their faces.) Along the way, I found my husband who is the rock that keeps me from floating away into my dreams, and we have a little boy who is the centre of our world. Living on a farm keeps us busy (as if the writing wasn't enough) and I have more than my share of stories about wrestling with cows, helping birth calves and ending up in the creek during the process, falling in the mud (we'll call it mud but we all know that on a farm, mud is rarely mud) and chasing escaped livestock in the hopes the four legged convicts don't make it to the highway. I've taken up archery, and the goal is to move into horseback archery in time (you know, when I can hit the target on a consistent basis) and when no one is looking, I love to bake (this doesn't happen often as it's hard to keep the sweet treats in stock with two boys in the house.) As to what's coming next for me? More stories (since those never stop inside my head, I might as well share them with all of you!) and more adventures. Pretty much, when the fancy strikes, I'll jump on it. Leap before you look I'm sure that motto was created for me. Or was that . . . think big and dream bigger, ready, set, pull the trigger . . . yeah. That one is a good one too. But only if you have a gun. And are hunting elephants. Which is not cool because of so many reasons. Let's stick with the first one with an addendum. Leap before you look and let your dreams carry you on their wings. And that, my friends, is me in a nutshell.