King of Greed by Ana Huang is the third book in the Kings of Sin series, and this one is a second-chance billionaire romance that will sweep you off your feet.
King of Wrath was the first book I ever read by Ana Huang, and it made me a life-long fan. I love the idea of using the seven deadly sins as a template for the MMCs, and Ana’s writing was, and continues to be, stunning. It didn’t hurt that the first book had a fake marriage/forced proximity plot. That’s basically my kryptonite.
King of Pride was an excellent follow-up, especially because we had already gotten to know Isabella and Kai in the last book. I’m also a sucker for opposites-attract, and it’s a lot of fun when the MMC is the uptight one who’s shown a good time by the FMC.
This King of Greed book review follows in the footsteps of its predecessors. We’ve also gotten to know Dominic and Alessandra a bit over the last two books, and while my heart broke for Alessandra’s situation, I’ve never been one for second-chance romances, especially when the characters were already married. Or so I thought.
Once again, Ana’s extraordinary storytelling pulled me in and refused to let go. I’m officially a fan of this trope, but I truly wonder if anyone will be able to do it as well as it was done in King of Greed. There’s lots of groveling, self-discovery, and, of course, steamy romance.
If you’ve read the other books, you’ll know that Dominic and Alessandra have been married for about ten years, and while their initial whirlwind romance could’ve been the premise for their own book, their relationship has been stilted for some time now.
Dominic is the titular King of Greed—obsessed with money and power because he grew up with nothing. At first, Alessandra loved being by his side, helping him to build his empire. It was them against the world. But then Dominic started staying late, missing dates and anniversaries, and not talking to or spending enough time with his wife.
As a result, Alessandra curled in on herself. She’d forgotten who she was and what her dreams were made of. She lost her sense of self, though she began to find it again when she started her own pressed flowers business as of late. Still, she was a shell of who she’d once been, and Dominic hadn’t even noticed.
It all comes crashing down when Dominic breaks his promise to be on time for their flight to Washington D.C. for their tenth wedding anniversary. When he does finally make it home, he finds his wife is gone. And that she left her wedding ring on the mantle.
Cue Dominic going out of his mind with worry, not only for his wife’s safety but also for the future of their marriage. Alessandra, on the other hand, feels a sense of relief. She’s now standing on her own two feet, and she can decide who she wants to be and what she wants to do with her life.
One of my favorite aspects of Ana Huang’s King of Sins series is that although it’s a billionaire romance, there is little to no power imbalance between the couple. In the first book, Vivian was a part of high society long before Dante came into the picture. Even though Isabella is a bartender, Kai never uses his money to win her over (and it turns out she’s got a solid, albeit unwanted, backup plan). In this one, Alessandra steps away from all of Dominic’s money, and while she does struggle to prepare her storefront, she’s more than capable of doing it herself.
In addition to that, all of the female characters in the Kings of Sin series have their own hopes and dreams, their own lives outside of their love interests, and King of Greed is no different. In fact, Alessandra’s story is about discovering that side of herself, becoming independent and reliable on no one else. Seeing her struggle and eventually accomplish her dream was incredibly satisfying, and I loved watching her blossom as much as I loved seeing Dominic grovel.
And there is some great groveling in this book. If this were real life, Dominic’s penchant for showing up when Alessandra is out on a date in a restaurant or on vacation in a foreign country would be a little concerning, but truth be told, this is fiction and we’re rooting for this couple to come back together. The important part is that Dominic shows up, and he does that time and time again—though it’s going to take a while for Alessandra to trust that this is his new normal rather than just a sidestep to get her back.
When Alessandra left, it was a giant wakeup call for Dominic. Love was never a problem for them—and neither was sex, to be honest—but he can at least admit that somewhere along the way he stopped prioritizing her. In his mind, he’s built this empire for them, though he also did it to prove himself to everyone who told him he’d amount to nothing.
There are several flashbacks throughout this book, and they give us some great insight into both characters, but especially Dominic’s upbringing. Now we know why he’s so driven and why he’s worked so hard for everything he’s built over the last ten years. It also shows us how Dominic and Alessandra met, as well as gives us insight into their initial romance. You can’t help rooting for them, even though you know it’s all going to fall apart ten years down the road.
But if Dominic is good at one thing, it’s being relentless. What I loved about his character is that he never crosses a line that Alessandra isn’t willing to wipe from the board. Their chemistry is off the charts, and he makes sure she remembers that, but when it truly comes down to it, he gives her what she wants, even if it shatters his heart in the process.
Another great aspect to this series is that the romance usually takes place over many months, which means there’s a realistic timeline for these character to fall in love or, in this case, repair their relationship, in a genuine and believable way. Dominic must change the way he lives his life if he wants Alessandra back, and that’s not something you can do overnight. He needs to prove he’s in it for the long-haul, and watching him commit to that plan of action is extremely satisfying.
As is the spice in this book. Ana Huang knows how to write a steamy romance, and I loved how she balanced their off-the-charts chemistry, which is apparent from the very beginning, with the deeper emotional aspects of their relationship, which is something they both had to work on being more honest about.
All in all, this was another excellent addition to the King of Sins series. Even though I had my reservations because of the second-chance trope, I have no shame in admitting how wrong I was. This book truly changed my mind about this kind of story, and I can’t wait to go out and find more that scratch the same itch King of Greed did.
But before I sign off on this King of Greed book review, I have to talk about the next in the series, King of Sloth. We now know that it’ll feature Sloane and Xavier’s story, and I’m so incredibly excited about this one. I’ve loved Sloane from the beginning—her workaholic attitude, her no-nonsense obsession with romcoms, and the way she’s been flitting around the background for three solid books now. We got to see a bit more of her in King of Greed, and it has me even more excited about what’s to come in King of Sloth. Why does April 30, 2024 have to be so far away!?
‘King of Greed’ hit store shelves on October 24, 2023
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