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karlapardo's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Ok I really liked this book. In my opinion Ana Huang can do no wrong so I will probably like all her books. I don't LOVE this one but I really did like it. The marriage of convenience trope is one of my favorite tropes so that just had me hooked before even reading it. Let's start with the characters. Vivian is just such a good FMC. Now, don't get me wrong, it took me a little bit for me to like it, I would say 35-40% into the book is when I started liking her but by the end of the book I loved her. You can truly see her growth throughout the book but you just have to get to her actual back story and then it's easier to understand her and like her. She has this thing when she is trying so hard to be the perfect daughter but that consists of her faking her personality and she is so done with that and she just wants to be herself but that's not possible because that's not her "perfect" side. She was really against changing herself because she has it engrained in her brain that she has to be perfect so it is really hard for her to stand up for herself and be able to be just her and see that she is worth of love and attention. When she does come to the realization that she is worth love, attention and that she is able to be her true self without the unbelievable expectations put on her it's just beautiful to see. Also, I loved that she didn't give in to Dante immediately was amazing and very refreshing, especially with the arranged marriage trope. Dante! I really liked him, I think it was easier for me to like Dante at the beginning than Vivian. I loved his whole thing of "I won't ever get actually get married or fall in love" and then he just falls so head over heels in love for Vivian that it's just so fun. He is a mysterious, dark, icy man but when he has Vivian around he just turns into a loving man. He fought for Vivian when she wasn't even doing it for herself and I think that's one of the reasons why I love him. He became a better man because of Vivian and his evolution is fantastic to read. Also! This man is POSSESSIVE, the whole "You" thrust "are" thrust "my" thrust "wife" thing was so good. Their relationship was also so cute, their support for each other, the spice, the groveling, the rawness of the relationship, their chemistry, the denial and then the giving in to each other. Love this and will definitely be reading again at some point like every other Ana Huang book.
Memorable Quotes
Memorable Quotes
- “I love you, Vivian. More than I could ever hate your father. And more than I ever thought I was capable of.”
- “How does he look at me?” Janis smiled. “Like he never wants to look away.”
- “Somehow, somewhere along the way, I’d fallen in love … Not like or lust. Love, in all its terrifying, unpredictable, unwanted glory.”
- “She was my wife, my partner, my guiding star. And I wouldn't have it any other way”
- “Touch Stella again, and you’ll no longer have a fiancée.” (I HAD TO! IT'S CHRISTIAN HARPER!!!)
- “You can’t see the stars in New York,” Dante said. “So I brought the stars to you.”
- “You take the most ordinary or unexpected things and make them extraordinary.”
- “You and me, sweetheart. That’s the destination. And I’m willing to take as many steps as I need to get there.”
- “Tell me what you want, Vivian. Do you want me on my knees?”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Minor: Abandonment, Body shaming, and Death
annabananadel's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
“You can’t see the stars in New York. So I brought the stars to you.”
Devoured this first book in just a few days, 3 days to be exact. That's how much I was hooked. Arranged marriage is really getting to me. There's just something about people being in closed proximity and being "forced" to act in a lovingly way that gets to me and I'm loving it a lot. I know we met these characters, well Dante and just vividly heard of Vivian, in Twisted Lies. So I was shocked to know that this was an arranged marriage - when this book was released. I thought they were simply couples that are getting married when they were introduced. Then there were the little hints such as Josh's painting. Ugh. Ana, you are such an amazing author. It made me miss Twisted series so much.
Dante and Vivian's love story is something that is just meant to be. It just so happen that they forced to be together by Vivian's dad. The blackmailing was for sure going to be the third act conflict so that was expected. I was just looking forward to the before and after that conflict because you can clearly see Dante falling in love with Vivian and he can't do anything about it. Then they started going on dates and I just died being so happy for the two of them.
Vivian's situation however was pretty understandable in Asian countries where you give up everything for your family - even your happiness. I'm sad for what happened to Vivian and her ex-boyfriend, but without that happening, she wouldn't have been with Dante and they are endgame.
What a great book to start the series. I'm in the middle of reading King of Pride and Kai's accent is just................. *drools*
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence and Toxic relationship
ellornaslibrary's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Let me preface this by saying: Billionaire Romance is not my thing.
However, my sister got this book and I had it available through KU so I was like heck let's try one of the spicy books she reads. And tbh, I was pretty sure that I'd not get far in this book and end up swiftly DNFing it. So imagine my surprise when I basically read this almost 400 page book in 3 days and had s good time with it. In the beginning, I was positive that Dante was going to be the reason I stopped reading this book. I am not into Romances where one love interest is a jerk to the other even if there's some hidden reason you can't tell them. Yet, Dante definitely left me surprised in the best way. I also found that I really likes Vivian as a character and enjoyed the story elements in regards to her family too. Dante and Vivian were a delight together. I do wish we'd have gotten more siblin g moments with Luca and Dante or Vivian and Agnes, and really wished we'd gotten more of the adorable Dante we started seeing around 80% into the book, but I did enjoy this far more than I thought I would. It was a good time.
However, my sister got this book and I had it available through KU so I was like heck let's try one of the spicy books she reads. And tbh, I was pretty sure that I'd not get far in this book and end up swiftly DNFing it. So imagine my surprise when I basically read this almost 400 page book in 3 days and had s good time with it. In the beginning, I was positive that Dante was going to be the reason I stopped reading this book. I am not into Romances where one love interest is a jerk to the other even if there's some hidden reason you can't tell them. Yet, Dante definitely left me surprised in the best way. I also found that I really likes Vivian as a character and enjoyed the story elements in regards to her family too. Dante and Vivian were a delight together. I do wish we'd have gotten more siblin g moments with Luca and Dante or Vivian and Agnes, and really wished we'd gotten more of the adorable Dante we started seeing around 80% into the book, but I did enjoy this far more than I thought I would. It was a good time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Blood and Gun violence
cielosiluminado's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
i just love this story so much. i'm a sucker for grumpy man falling in love with a sunshine girl.
dante being italian was... like vivian, it also does unspeakable things to my insides.
“Per te aspetterei per sempre, amore mio.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and Gun violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Gaslighting, Blood, Classism, and Toxic relationship
caitsreadingcorner's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I went into this book with low expectations as I have never really been drawn towards forced marriage/arrangement tropes. Unfortunately, it did not exceed my expectations. I finished the book because I was entertained but I found the plot far fetched and the romance that was fantasized felt rather forced and toxic. There was some character growth (they became slightly less extreme as the book progressed) but the spice in this book often felt like an afterthought to bandaid the tumultuous nature of the relationship. It didn’t really feel like there was much of a genuine bond or connection forged between the characters so it leaned very Wattpad-esque. Nonetheless, there was enough substance to keep me reading. It was a very light and easy read as it didn’t require me to think too much.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Violence
caitythekitten's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Cursing
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Alcohol, and Toxic relationship
canascorner's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment
Moderate: Alcohol, Grief, Bullying, and Death
katie0528's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I'm not much of a dark romance reader, but this came highly recommended by a friend. Vivian Lau, a nouveau riche heiress enters into an arranged marriage with Dante Russo, an old money billionaire, not knowing her father is blackmailing Dante. As Dante actively looks for a way out, the couple is shocked to find sparks flying. It was a fun read, but I was expecting this to be kinkier. The story itself is very psychological but the sex is pretty vanilla, and there's fewer spicy scenes than I expected. It's a decent intro to the genre, and I will probably seek out the next book in the series in the future, but I'm not rushing out to do so.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Gun violence
noelle_julianna's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Bullying, and Classism
Minor: Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Fatphobia, Sexual content, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
thatokiebird's review
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
King of Wrath is the first book in a loose series, the kind where each book focuses on different people but they know each other and make cameos in one another’s books. This is not my normal type of book I tend to read, but my partner surprised me with the second book in the series after I said I was craving a romance novel. This is technically a romance novel, but it is way darker and fraught with strife than the kind of romance I’m drawn toward.
Our two main characters are the wholly unrelatable richy rich type of rich person. They were kinda annoying, Dante especially, and lack endearing charming qualities to make up for that. The writing is okay, much better during an action or a steamy scene and very clunky and lame during descriptive scenes or when the characters engaged in small talk. Yet I still read the book fairly quickly, after I finally got into it about a 4th of the way into it.
I’ll read the next one simply because that was the book my partner surprised me with, but I’m not sure I could make it through the seven I’m assuming will be published.
Our two main characters are the wholly unrelatable richy rich type of rich person. They were kinda annoying, Dante especially, and lack endearing charming qualities to make up for that. The writing is okay, much better during an action or a steamy scene and very clunky and lame during descriptive scenes or when the characters engaged in small talk. Yet I still read the book fairly quickly, after I finally got into it about a 4th of the way into it.
I’ll read the next one simply because that was the book my partner surprised me with, but I’m not sure I could make it through the seven I’m assuming will be published.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Toxic relationship