King of Wrath by Ana Huang - Book Review
KING OF WRATH
by ANA HUANG
When the author is Ana Huang, you know that the book won't disappoint you. The men written by Ana Huang have a chokehold on me. They are chef's kiss, sadly, they're fictional too.
The moment the book was released I sprinted to get a copy. I finished it in two days because I had some errands to run or else I would've devoured it in a day.
Spoiler Free Arena
The King of Wrath couple were introduced in Twisted Hate and I've been wanting to read about them ever since.
Everyone loves to read about a grumpy, arrogant and billionaire CEO, that is exactly who Dante Russo is. He's ruthless and meticulous too. He likes it when things go according to his way but that topples when an enemy blackmail's him. He has to comply to his enemy's order and that's how he ends up in an arrangement with his enemy's daughter.
Vivian Lau is a jewellery heiress and the wife he never wanted. He would go to any extreme to prevent this marriage from happening and destroy the evidence that put him in this position.
Vivian is sassy, charming, elegant and well mannered. She is the perfect daughter who is supposed to pave way for her family into the society of the elites. Dante is not her prince charming and nothing what she dreamt of. But as her obligation she agrees to marry him.
But what would happen when you crave for something that is entangled in lies? Will it be a happily ever after?
Vivian is the poster girl for bad bitch who doesn't stop from getting what she wants. Ana Huang has once again given us a sassy female lead. She has incredible comebacks and takes no shit from Dante. She's a two-goody-shoes when she's with her parents, obeys them to make them proud. In the outside world she is an excellent event planner. She's resilient and compassionate. Her and Isabella's friendship was an adorable one. One of the best things is that the author showed how controlling parents can get. Another one is that she's 28 instead of a college student which was new from the author's side. Her comebacks during her argument with Dante made me want to become her bestfriend.
“I also heard the more zeroes one has in their bank account, the fewer words they’re capable of speaking.” Her deceptively pleasant voice could’ve sliced through butter. “You’re proving the rumor correct”
(I told you she was sassy)
Dante Russo is your textbook arrogant, grumpy CEO who is of course a billionaire. I got Alex Volkov vibes from him. A man who has a nickname for his beloved in a foreign language definitely gets brownie points from my side. Dante has a fondness for paintings given that he holds events at his place to exhibit his paintings. Him being Christian Harper's friend was natural. Two grumpy, morally grey men shaking hands for mutual benefit? Sure, sign me up. But, Kai Young and Dante? Phew, someone call the fire brigade because they're smoking hot pair of bestfriends. Dante is a hypocrite. Why? Read on to find out. 🤷
Spoilers ahead!!
Although we did get a glimpse into what Valhalla was in the previous books, this one gives a detailed insight into the world of Valhalla. Even while reading I made a Pinterest board for the interior of Valhalla. If I were a fictional character, I would very much like to be a member of The Valhalla Club. I really loved the fact that Vivian put together the event for Buffy Darlington in such a short notice. By the description of it, Valhalla sounds like an exquisite club that would take your breath away.
Dante and Vivian's first meeting was full of tension. I could cut the tension using a saw. Her asking him not to smoke and the witty, sassy replies from Vivian? God, as a reader I could only imagine what Dante was going through.
Dante kept calling her Mia Cara in Italian.
“We should attempt to get along,” she said breathlessly. “Get to know each other. Maybe go on a date or two.”
Some of the earlier tension dissipated.
“Are you asking me out, mia cara?” A smile touched my lips at her glare.
“I told you to stop calling me that.”
“Yes, you did.”
I was going to call her mia cara every chance I got.”
*I was melting* Even when he kept describing what he felt in Italian, there was a storm in my mind. The part where it is revealed that she knows six languages and Italian is one of them, and she speaks Italian which leaves Dante spellbound. That's it, that was one of the most intimate scenes according to me.
Dante's househelp Greta was a wonderful character. She gave me Hallmark Christmas Movie vibes. She accepted Vivian as one of her own and she nagged Dante whenever she could. Although Dante did threaten to fire her, I feel that he had a place for her in his heart. She was a sweet angel throughout the book.
Vivian crashed one of Dante's events, I loved how badass she was in this moment. Meghan Trainer's 'No' could be played as the background music, (especially the 'untouchable part'). That's a scene we read in Twisted Hate. I loved how the stories happened in the same universe. Apart from Josh and Jules even Stella and Christian made a cameo, which we read in Twisted Lies as well. Christian threatening Dante due to his possessiveness over Stella? Bruh, only he could slam the door on Dante's face. In a deleted scene, Twisted Games couple also made a cameo where Vivian was having lunch with Isabella and she notices Rhys and Bridget on a lunch date looking so in love that she wished she had the same connection to Dante.
The smut in this book was otherworldly. There's one scene that made me sweep up my jaw from the floor.
"You" thrust "are" thrust "my" thrust "wife."
This had me staring at an invisible camera for a few seconds. I had to prevent myself from screaming. There were many such scenes, like the Valhalla library scene, them during their trips et al. This is exactly why I called Dante a hypocrite. According to him, "It's only a business arrangement" then proceeds to show her stars and gets possessive about her. (*shaking my head* tsk tsk tsk)
Dante's parents, unlike Vivian's loved her the way she was. That was one thing I loved about them, they weren't toxic in-laws. Did they leave Dante and Luca with their grandfather to travel the world? Yes. Were they unconsciously abandoning their kids in the process? Yes. But Janis knew that Vivian was the one for Dante. The forced proximity scenes made me want to pull my hair out given how Dante was so insecure about how he felt about Vivian. The author definitely made us understand the meaning of frustration.He'd turned the room into a planetarium.No, not a planetarium. A virtual galaxy.Brilliant stars splashed across the soaring walls and ceiling and swirled beneath our feet. Constellations dotted the "sky," including Andromeda, Perseus, and a distinctive hourglass shape that made my breath hitch.Orion. My favorite."You can't see the stars in New York" Dante said. "So I brought the stars to you.”
This scene was so beautiful, this is where I fell in love with the club. Dante? yeah a little bit but who are we kidding? No one, absolutely no one can replace Rhys Larsen.
Their wedding scene was beautiful. That's the epilogue btw. Their billionaire wedding ft. ice cream cufflinks that Vivian got for Dante during their Paris trip. A beautiful and happy ending for the couple.
“Born in Hong Kong, raised in London, and educated at Oxford and Cambridge, Kai’s mannerisms were a clear reflection of his upbringing.”
I'm eagerly waiting for Kai and Isabella's story. I'm sure it won't disappoint us bookworms in any way. I would love to see a glimpse of Dante and Vivian as a married couple.
Overall, this book was a whirlwind. People who love Ana Huang's books, this one, guys, you're in for a treat. I loved it. Although Dante didn't start fireworks in my mind like Rhys Larsen did, he is a good fictional boyfriend to collect. ;)
Favourite Quotes
- “Love wasn’t always about the big moments. More often, it was tucked in the small moments connecting the major ones.”
- “We’d exchanged only a handful of words, yet I already knew two things with gut certainty. One, Dante was going to be my fiancé. Two, we might kill each other before we ever made it to the altar.”
- “How does he look at me?" Janis smiled. “Like he never wants to look away.”
- “Her body fit mine the way the ocean hugged the shore—naturally, effortlessly, perfectly.”
- "Somehow, somewhere along the way, I’d fallen in love … Not like or lust. Love, in all its terrifying, unpredictable, unwanted glory."
Excellent review!! Made me excited to read this book. ❤
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