
Vipers and Virtuosos (Monsters & Muses, Bk. 2, Deluxe Edition)
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Overview
The BookTok-beloved dark romance series Monsters & Muses returns with a collector's deluxe edition — and this rock star obsession is as dangerous as it is addictive.
Riley Kelly didn't move to New York City looking for a fresh start. After a brutal assault left her scarred and deeply traumatized, all she wants is quiet — something close to normal. What she gets instead is Aiden James.
Aiden is a rock star at the peak of his fame — sold-out arenas, chart-topping albums, paparazzi at every turn. But behind the spotlight, he guards one thing fiercely: the dark, tragic past his infamous family has buried deep. He doesn't let people in. He doesn't lose control.
Then he sees Riley at a city fundraiser, and control goes out the window.
Her blue eyes and the faint scent of peppermint are suddenly all he can think about. But before anything can begin, their single encounter takes a devastating turn — and Riley vanishes from his life like she was never there.
Now Aiden is obsessed. Not with winning her over — with making her pay.
He tracks her down with one goal: to dismantle the life of the woman he blames for derailing his career. He's willing to upend his own world to make hers miserable. He's willing to break every rule he's ever lived by.
What he isn't prepared for is what happens when obsession and hatred start to look a lot like something else entirely.
Series Information
Series Name: Monsters & Muses
Series Reading Order
The Monsters & Muses series consists of interconnected standalone dark romances, each inspired by a different Greek myth. While they can be read independently, it is highly recommended to read the prequel novella, Sweet Sin, before Promises and Pomegranates. The rest of the series can then be read in publication order, or as preferred.
Prequel Novella, Sweet Sin - Sweet Sin
Book 1 - Promises and Pomegranates
Book 2, Deluxe Edition - Vipers and Virtuosos
Book 3, Deluxe Edition - Oaths and Omissions
Book 4, Deluxe Edition - Arrows and Apologies
Book 5, Deluxe Edition - Souls and Sorrows
Book 6 - Liars and Liaisons
Topics and Key Themes
Narrative Tropes
Enemies to Lovers
Slow Burn
He Falls First
Dark Romance
Obsessive Hero
Key Themes
Obsession weaponized as revenge — Aiden hunts Riley to destroy her, not win her.
Trauma beneath the surface — Riley's assault scars shape every risk she dares to take.
Fame as armor — Aiden's rock star identity hides a dark past he refuses to expose.
Hatred that shifts into need — enemy intent unravels when proximity makes hatred feel like hunger.
Control lost to wanting — two people who guard themselves absolutely cannot stop what's building.
Who is this book for?
Primary Genre: Dark Contemporary Romance
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 4/5: Very Spicy
Turning up the heat! Multiple steamy scenes with clear, descriptive detail and strong chemistry. Romance and spice share the spotlight here.
Fans of Penelope Douglas and dark obsessive romance will enjoy the morally complex rock star hero, trauma-laden slow burn, and enemies-to-lovers tension that builds beneath a dangerously possessive love story.
About the Author
SAV R. MILLER is an international bestselling author of dark and contemporary romance. She prefers the villains in most stories, and thinks everyone deserves happily-ever-after. Sav lives in central Kentucky with two pups named Lord Byron and Poe. She loves sitcoms, silence, and sardonic humor.
Similar Authors
Penelope Douglas, Leigh Rivers, Navessa Allen
Reader FAQs
It sits at the heavier end of the spectrum. The hero's motivation is explicitly revenge-driven, the heroine carries serious trauma from a past assault, and the tension is built on hostility and obsession rather than softness. It is not a lighthearted read.
Both feature morally complex heroes, high emotional stakes, and slow-burn tension built on antagonism. Vipers and Virtuosos leans harder into obsessive, revenge-driven dynamics and deals more explicitly with trauma, making it slightly darker in tone than most Douglas titles.
It is a slow burn. The central dynamic begins as active hostility — Aiden is pursuing Riley to harm her, not win her — so the shift toward something else develops gradually under considerable tension and internal resistance from both characters.
The book is written for adult readers. It carries a spice level of 4 out of 5, contains explicit content, and deals with themes including trauma from assault and obsessive, revenge-motivated behavior. It is not appropriate for younger or younger-YA readers.
Unlike most rock star romances, the hero's pursuit is initially predatory rather than romantic — he tracks the heroine down to dismantle her life. The fame element serves as character armor masking a buried past, rather than as glamorous backdrop.
Info
ISBN: 9781464229022
Published Date: December 10, 2024
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Language: English
Page Count: 398
Size: 8.50" l x 5.50" w x 1.25" h
Category
Fiction