King of Envy by Ana Huang
- Alisha Eadle
- 4 hours ago
- 7 min read
King of Envy
by Ana Huang
Published by Bloom Books
Book 5 in the Kings of Sin Series
He had everything he could’ve wanted…except her.
Dangerous. Powerful. Reclusive.
Vuk Markovic is notorious for shunning human interactions. The scarred billionaire rarely talks, and he has no interest in relationships outside his small but trusted circle.
His only exception? Her . The beauty to his beast, the object of his obsession.
He saw her first. He wanted her first. But now, she’s engaged to his oldest friend—and the closer the wedding looms, the more he’s torn between loyalty and desire.
She should be his…and he might just risk it all to have her.
**
Beautiful. Successful. Glamorous.
To the world, supermodel Ayana Kidane leads the perfect life. Her career has skyrocketed, and she’s engaged to one of New York’s most eligible bachelors.
What people don't know is that the engagement is only a business arrangement. He gets his inheritance when they marry; she gets the money she needs to leave her abusive agency.
Pretending to be in love should be easy—until she finds herself increasingly drawn to her fiancé’s enigmatic best man.
Vuk thrills and terrifies her in equal measure. She knows she should stay away, but when her wedding is thrown into chaos, he’s the only person she finds comfort in…
Until his past catches up with them and threatens everything they love.
Genre
Triggers
Abuse in the workplace, Violence, Murder
I hate the cliche "must marry or you won't get your inheritance".
It's so overdone.
I didn't hate it in King of Envy, but I didn't love it either.
That aside, overall, I really enjoyed this book.
I loved the darkness around Vuk's character, but his softer side that came out with Ayana.
I loved Ayana's strength of character. She was easy to read and relatable.
What I really loved was them together on page, though. Their chemistry was intense every time they were together on page.
I mean, how could it not be, with how intense Vuk's character is?
It made the forbidden nature of their attraction - and eventual relationship - just that more intriguing to fall into.
Another thing I loved about this book was the situation Ayana found herself in with her modeling agency. It's not something we hear about often, but I have to imagine that there is a lot of abuse in this field of work, and many people are taken advantage of. Especially young adults who feel like they are in between a rock and a hard place.
I mean, this can happen at any workplace.
I just liked that it felt like a realistic problem for a character to have. While not everyone could relate to it, it felt like it could happen to anyone.
I can't forget about one other thing I thoroughly enjoyed about this book - Vuk's selective mutism.
There are a lot of people who are fully capable of speaking, but they choose not to, or can't bring themselves to, for a multitude of reasons. I loved that for Vuk, he only used his voice with those who trusted and loved.
While other characters can use their speech and tell someone they love them, the intensity that is added to that when that character rarely speaks makes it feel like more.
I can't pretend that King of Envy was my favorite book in this series, but I did enjoy it. The only things that I didn't like about it was the cliche reason that led to a marriage of convenience, and a cheesy as fuck scene at the end involving the cat. Ana. Why?
An indiscernible emotion flickered across his face.
Vuk: Perhaps.
Ayana: “That’s not really an answer.”
Vuk: If I had another answer, I would’ve given it.
I glared at him.
Ayana: “Do you get off on being difficult, or does it just come naturally to you?”
Vuk: Both.
Ayana: “Tell me.”
I set my glass down on a nearby table.
Ayana: “If you weren’t here tonight, what would you be doing? Brooding in a corner somewhere or terrifying peasants and children?”
His eyes glittered with amusement.
Vuk: I can do both right here. I’m a good multitasker.
Vuk: If you were my fiancée, I wouldn’t look at another woman. Entertainment or not.
Vuk: No need for an Uber. I’ll drive you.
Ayana: “That’s not necessary. I—”
Vuk: My car isn’t far.
I shrugged off my jacket and handed it to her.
Vuk: Use this for cover instead. Your purse looks expensive.
Ayana crossed her arms.
Ayana: “Are you always this bossy?”
Vuk: Yes.
Ayana: “It’s not an endearing trait, you know.”
Vuk: I know.
Kai: “My advice is to listen, be patient, and never, ever rearrange your wife’s books without permission.”
Kai frowned.
Kai: “You would think alphabetical order by title makes sense, but apparently, it’s not ‘aesthetically pleasing.’”
Xavier: “Why would you rearrange her books?”
Xavier looked appalled.
Xavier: “That’s rule number one of being in a relationship, married or not. Don’t touch their shit. If I tried to reorganize Sloane’s stuff, I wouldn’t be here right now. I’d be dead.”
Ayana: “Let me guess.”
I hid my shiver with a flippant smile.
Ayana: “You intimidated them until they agreed to drop the issue?”
Vuk: ‘Intimidated’ is a strong word. I persuaded him.
Ayana: “Mm-hmm. No wonder you refused to tell me your plans for the bachelor party. I didn’t have a bar brawl on my bingo card, especially not at a place called…”
I squinted at the neon green letters buzzing over the entrance.
Ayana: “The Soggy Bottom.”
Vuk: The Fighting Pit was already packed.
Karma was a bitch with different faces. Sometimes it was an attempted assassination; other times, it was a fucking laser tag night with my friend, his fiancée who I was secretly obsessed with, and a model who clung to me like a barnacle. Oh, and a bunch of drunken people I didn’t care about. I would’ve preferred another assassination attempt.
Dante: “We all clear on the rules?”
Kai: “It’s laser tag. I’m sure we’ll figure it out.”
Will: “I’ve never played laser tag,”
Will mused.
Will: “But I do love video games. They’re kinda the same thing, right?”
Dante’s lip curled.
Dante: “Petition to swap him out for Viv. At least she understands the difference between virtual reality and actual reality.”
Vuk: “Kada te konačno budem poljubio, nećeš više nositi njegov prsten na ruci.”
("When I finally kiss you, you will no longer wear his ring on your hand")
“Why are you the one here discussing the situation and not her fiancé?”
Because she’s fucking mine. Jordan was her fiancé in name, but I was the one she’d turned to first. I was the one who understood what she needed—not comfort, but vengeance. I was the one who would kill and die for her in the same breath. No other man could match that, ring or no ring.
Vuk: “Careful, srce moje.” (my heart)
His voice rasped against my sensitized skin.
Vuk: “Or you’ll fucking kill me.”
My fingers curled around a fistful of his shirt.
Ayana: “Good,”
I breathed.
Vuk: “Do you taste that, srce moje?” (my heart)
Vuk’s eyes burned into mine.
Vuk: “That’s the taste of your need for me. Not anyone else. Me.”
He pushed his fingers deeper. I choked, my eyes welling with tears.
Vuk: “You’re mine, Ayana. I teško onom koji pokuša da mi te uzme.”
(Woe to the one who tries to take you from me.)
I glowered at the insufferable creature. I’d had every intention of tossing him back on the street after the rainstorm, but my staff had cried and protested until I gave in. Apparently, petting a fluffy little monster was soothing to some people. God knew why.
Ayana: “I didn’t know you had a cat.”
I whipped around in time to see Shadow trot into the room like he owned it. He ignored me and went straight to Ayana. He rubbed his head against her leg and purred when she bent to scratch him behind the ears.
Vuk: “He’s not my cat.”
I was getting tired of repeating myself. Ayana picked him up and cuddled him close to her chest.
Ayana: “What’s his name?”
Vuk: “Shadow,”
I said, my tone sour. Shadow stared straight at me while he nuzzled her breast. He let out a small meow, which she interpreted as a sign of affection and I interpreted as a big, fat fuck you.
Ayana: “The next time you talk shit about people, have the courtesy not to do it within earshot,”
I snapped. I didn’t care if I ended up on some celebrity gossip forum for being “rude” or “a bitch.” They deserved it.
Ayana: “His scars are a sign of character, but your actions are a sign that you lack basic common decency. If I were you, I’d have a harder time looking in the mirror than anyone else here. It’s not him who’s ‘ugly’—it’s you.”
He blinked up at me, his eyes bleary.
Vuk: “Jesus. Creep much? I know you missed me, but you don’t have to watch me sleep like you’re Edward fucking Cullen.”
Vuk: It’ll all work out in the end.
What a stupid platitude, but people liked hearing it. Jordan eyed me.
Jordan: “Words of comfort from Vuk Markovic?”
he joked.
Jordan: “Ayana’s influence, I presume.”
Vuk: The only ones you’ll get from me. You want to talk more? Get a real therapist.
Jordan: “You’re such an asshole,”
he said with a laugh.
Vuk: “I told you what would happen if you went near Ayana again.”
I pressed the gun against his forehead. He sobbed. The scent of urine filled the air.
Vuk: “But I forgot to mention another thing. Don’t touch my fucking cat.”
Vuk: “Nisam sklon kompromisima, srce, ali za tebe bih pristao i na hiljadu njih.”
(I'm not one for compromises, sweetheart, but I'd agree to a thousand for you.)
Ayana: “I love you. Not because you saved my life but because you’re you.”
It was as if she’d read my mind.
Ayana: “Grumpy, sweet, smart, loyal…a little stabby at times, but no one’s perfect.”
There were dinner parties and charity galas and industry networking events. There were parties for things I didn’t think you could have parties for, like a pet’s birthday. It confounded me as to why my staff insisted on celebrating Shadow’s birthday when we didn’t even know when it was; I’d rescued the damn thing off the street. Jeremiah said they made up a date for him, which completely destroyed the point of a birthday. No one else seemed to think so when I pointed that out, so here we were, singing Happy Birthday to a fucking cat.