Angie Cox's Reviews > King of Wrath

4.25 ⭐️ Two words: Dante Russo 🥵🔥


"We'd exchanged only a handful of words, yet I already knew two things with gut certainty. One, Dante was going to be my fiance. Two, we might kill each other before we ever made it to the altar."


WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ new york city settings
✨ gossip girl society vibes
✨ billionaire CEO x jewelry heiress
✨ interracial romance
✨ blackmailed into an arranged marriage
✨ age-gap (28 and 36)
✨ hate to love
✨ denial of feelings
✨ jealousy
✨ slight miscommunication and secret-keeping
✨ one-bed trope
✨ slight ex-boyfriend drama
✨ "touch her and die"
✨ nicknames: mia cara and sweetheart
✨ 3/5 spice
✨ 3rd act breakup with the best groveling ever!
✨ HEA
✨ tw: mild violence, painful family relations


My Thoughts:

I truly enjoyed this story! It's set in the same world as Ana Huang's Twisted Series, and we even see some crossover with Christian and Stella (a delightful surprise since they were my favorite couple from the series). But now, I think Dante and Vivian are my new favorites!

Dante Russo is the perfect contemporary romance hero. He's ruthless, serious, protective, loyal, grumpy, and domineering. He thrives off control both professionally and personally - and never plans to marry. So when he's blackmailed into marrying the daughter of his newest enemy, he's pissed and wants absolutely nothing to do with her. However, even he can't resist the warmth, beauty, and charm of Vivian Lau. Their marriage is all business, but if there's anything he takes seriously, it's his investments. There's nothing quite as sexy as when the hero falls for the last person he's supposed to! I adored it whenever Dante called Vivian 'mia cara' and 'sweetheart'. And his intense jealousy was something to behold. But Dante also had a lot of depth and kindness behind his seemingly indifferent exterior, and it was lovely getting to know him better and seeing his sweet side.

Vivian Lau was a fantastic heroine who experienced tremendous growth. She's smart, generous, kind, sophisticated, and charming. But she shows different sides to different people. To her family, she's an obedient daughter willing to do whatever is asked of her as long as it helps her parents succeed. To Dante, she's bold, sassy, infuriating, and addicting. Vivian not only discovers love in this story, but she finds herself, and that journey was beautiful to follow.

Both Dante and Vivian were well-developed characters with unique and complicated histories with parents that really affected their current mannerisms and behavior. I enjoyed discovering these family dynamics and seeing how Dante learns to open himself to trusting someone while Vivian learns to set boundaries and do what's best for her.

Dante and Vivian's chemistry was electric! Due to the nature of their engagement, there's already so much tension. And the fact Dante wants to hate Vivian and fights his attraction to her made everything more intense. So when they finally confess their feelings and get together, it is explosive!

And let's not forget the spice! These sex scenes were HOT! Plain and simple. There are some steamy moments that take place in a library, limo, public garden, and Bali bungalow with one bed, that'll have you reaching for your nightstand.

There were some smutty things that weren't my cup of tea, like when Dante has Vivian licking up her own c*m, but hey, to each their own. But overall, I did enjoy the smut.

This book has the most epic GROVELING I've ever seen!!!! The fact Dante actually works to win Vivian back was amazing! It takes some time but Dante never pressures her to forgive him. Instead, he's patient, determined, and persistent. And then he does the unthinkable: Dante mother-f*cking Russo gets on his hands and knees for Vivian. Ahhhh, this scene was *chef's kiss* and lives in my head rent-free.

I also really appreciate the believability of this romance. I think my biggest hangup with the Twisted Series was how most of the guys were straight-up unhinged and the girls were way too sweet to fall for that kind of crazy. But Dante is just a super possessive, intense guy and Vivian is sweet but has a backbone (around Dante at least). I found their dynamic to be realistic. Also, the story happens over the course of a few months, which made this slow burn all the better.

But sometimes, the time jumps were too big. We'd sometimes skip 2-3 months after a heated moment and it left me wondering what on earth happened during that time. Apparently nothing, but that wasn't really satisfying to me. I wanted more insight into their feelings during the months we skipped.

The complicated relationship between Vivian and her family, while infuriating, is something I really resonated with since I grew up in a similar (less intense) household. I absolutely hated Vivian's parents, specifically the dad. How he treated Vivian and the rest of his family like they were pawns in a game was sickening. It was also horrible how Vivian would try to speak up for herself, but her dad would shut her up by saying "I am your father. You do not speak to me this way" and then manipulate her by bringing up how everything he's done has been for her. That is such harmful behavior and puts so much pressure and guilt on a child. Their dynamic was infuriating yet very real. And in the end, it was wonderful watching Vivian learn to stand up for herself and realize that you can love your parents on your own terms. There's no need to allow toxic people to have any say or control over your life, parents included.

My main complaint with this story is the pacing. The middle section was pretty slow, and sometimes the writing was too wordy and repetitive whenever discussing Dante or Vivian's feelings. I recognize this was done to reiterate and develop their emotions, but it felt redundant at times. I ended up skimming some of the nondialogue.


Overall, King of Wrath was a wonderful book that I 100% recommend reading if you like billionaire romances with an arranged marriage and hate-to-love trope. I can't wait for the next book in the series!


Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks for providing an e-ARC copy in exchange for an honest review! As always, all opinions are my own.


Favorite Quotes:

"You're an asshole."

"Yes, I am. Better get used to it, mia care, because I'm also your future husband."

_____

It was clear Dante Russo was Satan in a nice suit.

_____

She wasn't my wife yet, but she was mine. No one threatened what was mine.

_____

It felt like hope. It felt like desire. It felt like ruin and salvation all in one.

_____

"I love you, Vivian. More than I could ever hate your father. And more than I ever thought I was capable of."
_____

"You take the most ordinary or unexpected things and make them extraordinary."
_____

Love wasn't always about the big moments. More often, it was tucked in the small moments connecting the major ones.
_____

A part of me would always find my way to her. She was my North Star, the brightest jewel in my sky.
_____