King of Greed by Ana Huang is the third book in the Kings of Sin series and it is worth the read.
Ana Huang is one of those authors, who I trust to write a great romance book. I've read her Twisted series and I have read all the books in her latest series, Kings of Sin. The most recent book being King of Greed.
King of Greed came out last year and for some reason, I just never got around to reading it. But now I have and it has been long overdue. A friend of mine messaged me when I announced I was reading it and said "About time!".
But I can say with certainty, that if you have read Ana's books before, or you love a good billionaire romance, read the Kings of Sin series. And more specifically, read King of Greed because that just jumped to the top of my favourites list for this series.
And I'm going to tell you why.
My review of King of Greed by Ana Huang
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Tropes:
Billionaire romance: 9/10
Second chance: 9.5/10
Marriage in trouble: 10/10
Overall rating: 5/5
King of Greed is the third book in the Kings of Sin series and it follows the story of Dominic Davenport and Alessandra, his wife.
The synopsis of the book is as follows:
"He had her, he lost her…and he’ll do anything to win her back.
Powerful, brilliant, and ambitious, Dominic Davenport clawed his way up from nothing to become the King of Wall Street.
He has everything—a beautiful home, a beautiful wife, and more money than he could spend in a lifetime. But no matter how much he accumulates, he’s never satisfied.
In his endless quest for more, he drives away the only person who saw him as enough.
It isn’t until she’s gone that he realizes there may be more to life than riches and glory…but by then, it may be too late.
***
Kind, intelligent, and thoughtful, Alessandra Davenport has played the role of trophy wife for years.
She stood by her husband while he built an empire, but now that they’ve reached the top, she realizes he’s no longer the man she fell for.
When it becomes clear that she’ll always come second to his work, she finally takes charge of her life and puts herself first—even if it means leaving the only man she’s ever loved.
But what she didn’t count on was his refusal to let her go…or for him to fight for their marriage, no matter what it takes."
As you can tell, King of Greed is a second-chance romance between Dominic and Alessandra after Alessandra decides to leave Dom. Their young love could be a story on its own, but over the 10 years of marriage, things have changed.
Dominic comes from a poor background and has always vowed he would make it and be successful. Alessandra not only captured his heart but helped support him on his journey to becoming a figure at the top of Wall Street.
However, after a decade, Alessandra doesn't feel like anything more than a pillar of support for Dominic, which causes the whole marriage-in-trouble trope.
In the first two books of this series, King of Wrath and King of Pride, we see snippets of Alessandra and Dominic and it's suggested that there are issues in their marriage. But this book brings them all to the forefront.
After their 10th anniversary, Alessandra decides to give her husband a wake-up call and chooses to leave. Coming from a Brazilian background, Alessandra is fiery, strong and a woman who knows what she wants. But somewhere throughout her marriage, she lost sight of her dreams and who she was.
Alessandra curled in on herself and only began to realise how much of a shell of a person she became when she made the leap to begin an online business. This thrived and eventually, after the inciting incident of Alé leaving Dom, she focuses her efforts on revitalising herself and achieving her dreams.
Meanwhile, Dom is the epiphany of the King of Greed. Striving to be the best and having as much money as he can, Dom became obsessed with work. He is a workaholic and that took over his life and marriage, letting Alessandra slip away without him noticing. It's only when Dominic finds Alessandra gone that everything comes crashing down and he realises how wrong he had been. He is driven and believes he built his empire for them, but when Alessandra leaves, his eyes are opened.
Dominic becomes a new version of himself, who is still relentless, but is showing restraint for Alessandra and never crosses a line with her. He shows that actions speak louder than words and through the flashbacks we gain a deeper understanding of his character and why he is the way he is.
King of Greed is a book about a billionaire regaining the trust of his wife and them finding love again. But it is also so much more than that.
This book tells the story of how work can overtake someone's life and its impact on those around them. It tells the story of a woman who once lost her identity and how she finds herself again, finds her independence and learns to stand on her own two feet to chase the life she wants. It tells the story of a man who worked his way from nothing to being the best through hard work and determination, but also how he navigates life's struggles.
The timeline of King of Greed is over several months, so it is realistic in that Alessandra and Dominic get divorced, spend time apart and then begin dating and figuring out how their lives fit together. It isn't a quick, whirlwind romance and it also isn't unbelievable.
There are moments of banter and laughter – Chapter 18 made me laugh – and there are moments of emotion and heartbreak. And I loved that.
This book was an emotional rollercoaster because you're experiencing the story of two people who love each other, how they fall apart and then have a second chance. Ana always creates complex characters and plots that reel you in as a reader. The chemistry and romance in this book are off the charts and I loved it.
There was one subplot that I think could have done with more explanation about its resolution but that aside, King of Greed is one of my favourite books this year so far.
Intrigued?
If my review has intrigued you to give King of Greed, or the Kings of Sin series, a go, it's available on Amazon. Feel free to get in touch and let me know your thoughts about the book.
Until next time...