Ruthless. Elegant. Meticulous. Ambitious. Arrogant. Well-Mannered.

I recently finished reading King of Wrath by Ana Huang. This is book #1 in the Kings of Sin series. *POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT* Rating: 4/5 stars

"Ruthless. Meticulous. Arrogant.

Dante Russo thrives on control, both personally and professionally.

The billionaire CEO 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.

It doesn’t matter how beautiful or charming she is. He'll do everything in his power to destroy the evidence 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 high society.

Marrying a blue-blooded Russo means opening doors that would otherwise remain closed to her new-money family.

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 thing she could possibly do: fall in love with her future husband." I started reading Ana Huang's Twisted Series last year and was instantly drawn in by her writing style, like many many other readers. There was something so accessible and fanfic-y about that series that just... worked. You knew pretty quickly upon starting each book what tropes would be involved and what the character dynamics would be like, which I find fun! But I know that isn't for every reader.

This book is the start of a new series and I think it marks a slight departure from Ana Huang's signature formula, and I'm mad at it. This book follows Dante and Vivian who enter into a fake engagement due to ~circumstances I won't reveal here least I risk spoiling the book~

Not altogether different than Twisted Lies in terms of plot, but the execution here is the difference. The relationship between Vivian and Dante is much more subtle than any of this author's previous couples. I think maybe because Vivian is 28 rather than a fresh college grad. But there isn't any bumbling awkwardness on the part of the heroine or OTT cheesy confessions too early on from the hero. Instead, you have a relationship that unfolds a little more delicately.

But fear not Twisted Series fans, there are enough intriguing plot moments and scorching hot sex scenes to keep your interest.

The only thing that kept this book from being rated higher for me was the conflict. You know early on what it will be, but I was still hoping we'd go in a different direction. I'm not a huge fan of deceit/lies of omission in a romantic relationship, but the grovel at the end almost makes up for it.

Overall, excited to see where this series goes, and really intrigued to see how things play out with Kai and Isabella!

Check out King of Wrath, and join the adventure of a forced engagement. Don't forget to check out book #2, King of Pride.

Happy Reading :)