He Had Everything He Could’ve Wanted…Except Her.

I recently finished reading King of Envy by Ana Huang. This is book #5 in the Kings of Sins series.

~POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT~

  Rating: 3.5/5 stars

"Dangerous. Powerful. Reclusive.

Vuk Markovic is notorious for shunning human interactions. The scarred billionaire rarely talks, and he has no interest in relationships outside his small but trusted circle.

His only exception? Her . The beauty to his beast, the object of his obsession.

He saw her first. He wanted her first. But now, she’s engaged to his oldest friend—and the closer the wedding looms, the more he’s torn between loyalty and desire.

She should be his…and he might just risk it all to have her.

Beautiful. Successful. Glamorous.

To the world, supermodel Ayana Kidane leads the perfect life. Her career has skyrocketed, and she’s engaged to one of New York’s most eligible bachelors.

What people don't know is that the engagement is only a business arrangement. He gets his inheritance when they marry; she gets the money she needs to leave her abusive agency.

Pretending to be in love should be easy—until she finds herself increasingly drawn to her fiancé’s enigmatic best man.

Vuk thrills and terrifies her in equal measure. She knows she should stay away, but when her wedding is thrown into chaos, he’s the only person she finds comfort in…

Until his past catches up with them and threatens everything they love."

Ok! Let me walk you through the fashion week of madness that is Envy & Sin—equal parts catwalk and catfight, with a backdrop of murder, model contracts, and men with issues that even Freud wouldn’t touch.

Ayana Kidane’s life looks perfect on the surface—supermodel, fiancée to a rich guy, and the world at her feet. But behind the glam, she’s stuck in a fake engagement with Jordan Ford to get out of a toxic agency. But there’s more going on than anyone realizes. Enter Vuk, Jordan’s best friend and an absolute mystery. He’s a billionaire with a dark past and a dangerous obsession with Ayana. Their chemistry is undeniable, but everything is complicated by secrets, lies, and a dark, hidden world that Vuk is tangled up in. As the wedding day looms, a lot goes down—betrayals, danger, and a whole lot of chaos that shakes everything to its core. The price of love, vengeance, and survival collide, and Ayana and Vuk are forced to face their demons. In the end, they have to decide if love can thrive after all the mess they've been through.

Ayana Kidane: Model by day, emotional wreck by night. supermodel with a spine of steel and secrets stitched under every designer hem Ayana Kidane Breaks Hearts and Models High Fashion—Also, She Might Just Break You in the Process. She’s elegance dipped in survival, engaged to a man who doesn’t love her (nor any woman), and shackled to a modeling agency run by demons in couture. The only way out? A marriage contract inked in lies and desperation. A model who makes you wish you looked like that but you don’t, and never will, and someone who definitely knows her worth, even if it’s buried under an ocean of emotional baggage. Let’s be real, she’s had to deal with a life of being commodified—like, imagine your worth being measured in likes but not, y’know, love. Still, Ayana’s got sass for days. She’s just out here trying to find a safe space to be genuinely herself, without all the glitz and glam distracting from the trauma and chaos she’s really battling. And look, if you can’t handle her realness, you best pack it up and get in line. Because Ayana doesn’t have time for your mess.

Vuk Markovic: Jordan’s best man, a reclusive billionaire with scars like battle medals and a past so red, even the devil might flinch. Vuk is obsession dressed in Armani, and Ayana? She's the storm he can't outrun. Vuk Markovic got Scars, Secrets, and the Fine Art of Making You Fall in Love While Looking Like He’ll Break Your Heart (and Maybe Your Bones). Vuk is the kind of man who should come with a warning label: Warning: Approach With Caution. Might Love You to Death. He’s got the brooding, dangerous aura of someone who’s done some shady stuff. Not like he’s apologizing, though—oh no, he’s just living his best life while causing total chaos and pretending not to care. Vuk isn’t just some billionaire CEO—he’s the dark, brooding alpha who’s more comfortable in the shadows than in the spotlight. With scars from a past that refuses to let go, he’s built his empire on pain and betrayal. But then Ayana steps into his life, and suddenly, he’s got something worth fighting for. Is it obsession? Sure. But it’s also real—something he hasn’t known in forever. His world of violence and betrayal gets flipped upside down by Ayana, and now? He’s ready to burn it all down for her. He’s not perfect, but he’s hers, and that’s all that matters. Let’s just say, if he were a cocktail, he’d be straight-up whiskey—strong, fiery, and not afraid to put you on your ass if you’re not careful. He’s got a thing for Ayana, and now his life is a whole lot messier, but at least real. Love? Yeah, it’s his biggest weakness. Want a fairytale? Not happening. But, like, if you want the dark, twisted version? Buckle up, baby.

Jordan Ford: The Sweetheart Who Wants Everything Without Wanting Anything—Except to Not Be in This Mess. Jordan Ford Struggles to Keep It Together—Between His Fiancé, His Identity Crisis, and His Way Too Complicated Life. This guy’s got the world’s biggest heart but zero idea how to manage it. He’s the classic “nice guy”. A disaster wrapped in a designer suit.

What Made Me Swoon:

• The Attraction-A touch so fierce, it burns like flame,With every glance, they call each others name.

• He talks to no one but her. Not even Siri.

• Little Details: He remembers her fave food from a sleep mumble? That’s next-level attentive Stalker? Romantic? Both?.

• The cat reminding him of her? so he adopted one, Total softie vibes under that tough exterior.

• Protective Vibe: Vuk’s tough but protective side? Chef's kiss. He’s got her back, no questions asked.

• This man got a WHOLE RAGE ROOM and let her use it to scream her trauma away. No, because that’s a love language. He’s giving “I’m toxic but I’ll still cradle you when you cry.” We love a multilayered menace

What Fell Short:

• Villains were a bit… Saturday cartoon sometimes. I needed more menace, less mustache-twirling.

• Jordan’s arc started strong but fizzled. Could’ve been a powerful narrative on identity—but got sidelined.

• Some pacing dips. Everything felt too straightforward—where’s the jaw-dropping twist that ruins my emotional stability at 2 a.m.? Where’s the deep, gut-wrenching secret that changes everything? It gave mafia-lite when I wanted full-blown emotional war crimes.

• Roman deserved more meat. If you're gonna give us a morally grey assassin, don't half-bake him.

• Tbh, It started strong, but halfway through I was zoning out like I accidentally opened a terms & conditions PDF. Halfway through, it gave me vibes of someone telling a juicy story but skipping the juice. Is the smut and the second half written by a man a ghostwriter? Because it sure felt like it. Idk, Ana really messed up Jordon’s character. I hate when the author messed up with the characters just to elevate the main ones. That coma nonsense plz! I did NOT wanted them together like that, please. It was so rushed, it made no sense.

• Same damn loop every time— SA ➯ she goes crying to him ➯ he takes revenge ➯ secrets get revealed ➯ some clichéd drama ➯Same cartoon villain kidnaps her ➯They take revenge ➯ and then the Happy ending. Like, we get it, can we get something new?

Forbidden Love? Check. Slow burn? Check. Trauma, betrayal, obsession, and survival? Triple check.

Ayana & Vuk aren’t just a couple—they’re a whole storm . Ayana & Vuk are intense, complicated, and kind of iconic—but the emotional payoff didn’t hit hard enough for me. But… I won’t lie, this one didn’t hit quite as hard as King of Wrath. The tension was there, the drama was real, but the stakes felt a bit safe at times. Still, I appreciated how Ana wove in themes like ambition, cultural identity, and boundaries, especially from Ayana’s side. Also, the forbidden vibes? Immaculate.

Final thoughts? If you're into emotionally constipated men, forbidden longing, and slow-burn that makes your chest hurt a lil', go for it. If rage-room love languages, repressed CEOs, and obsessive tension are your thing — you might fall in love. Just don’t touch his cat. Good, but didn’t fully deliver the chaos-meets-love magic I wanted

Check out King of Envy, and discover what happens when he has everyone but her.

Happy Reading :)