Thank you to Ana Huang, Bloom Books, and NetGalley for the advance reader copy of the traditional publication of King of Wrath. This new edition hits shelves on April 25th!
This review is coming from my second time around through King of Wrath. I received an early copy of the Bloom Books edition, having read the indie-published version back in the fall. So I am already a huge fan of Ana’s work and this series kicks off in such an exciting way. This book was made for me, a billionaire marriage of convenience!
She was my North Star, the brightest jewel in my sky. Ruthless. Meticulous. Arrogant. Billionaire CEO Dante Russo thrives on control, both personally and professionally. He never planned to marry…until the threat of blackmail forces him into an engagement with a woman he barely knows. Vivian Lau, jewelry heiress and daughter of his newest enemy. The wife he never wanted, and the weakness he never saw coming. It doesn’t matter how beautiful or charming she is. Dante will do everything in his power to destroy the blackmail and their betrothal. There’s only one problem: now that he has her, he can’t bring himself to let her go. *** Elegant. Ambitious. Well-mannered. Vivian Lau is the perfect daughter and her family’s ticket into the highest echelons of society. Marrying a blue-blooded Russo means opening doors that would otherwise remain closed to her new-money parents. While the rude, elusive Dante isn’t her idea of a dream partner, she agrees to their arranged marriage out of duty. Craving his touch was never part of the plan. Neither was the worst possible outcome: falling in love with her future husband.
Check out my more detailed thoughts below…
- Characters: Dante and Vivian are the leads of this first story in the Kings of Sin series. Dante Russo, an Italian businessman is your classic male hero who comes across as icy and as you get to know him he thaws. He reminds me a bit of another Dante, Giana Darling’s leading hero in the Anti-Heroes in Love duet, so if you love that book you should read this. If you already are a huge fan of this series, I’d recommend Giana’s to you. The best part of this story though is Vivian Lau. She had humble roots until her teens, and that’s when her father was able to grow their family jewelry business into a behemoth company. She is so determined, and independent, she is a badass in the best way possible. One of my fave moments is when she spends a ton of Dante’s money after he left for a month-long business trip and once he pushes her on it she passive-aggressively returns all the money with a cheque left on his bedside. As this is the first book Ana also established a cast of side characters, including Vivian’s besties Isabella and Sloane. The little bits we got of them intrigued me, and I cannot wait to dive deeper into the Valhalla Club with Isabella and Kai in the next instalment. Speaking of Kai, loved him too and I cannot wait to learn more about him.
- Setting: This story is predominately set in New York City. The Laus are based in Boston but Vivian lives in New York and stretches for independence through her event planning business. The dominant set of the story is Dante’s apartment and it makes a splash in early scenes. I loved how as Vivian was burrowing her way into Dante’s home, she was burrowing her way into his heart.
- Pacing: The book is paced decently well. As this is a re-read I was expecting to read it quite quickly, but I found myself wanting to savour each and every word.
- Romance: I adore this couple! Of course, this starts with them as virtual strangers, thrust together into a marriage of convenience simply a business deal. I loved how from early on Ana built tension between Dante and Vivian. Their first kiss and early touches were so hot, and once they began to explore each other more it got even hotter.
King of Wrath receives five out of five stars.
You can pick up the story here.
Thank you again to Ana Huang and the team at Sourcebooks for the review opportunity. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!
