I actually really liked it! And Sloane and Xavier are so good for eachother the character development👌 but for me the change was too fast like one minute he was a huge party boy (kind of like a child I am sorry) and then he was business like. I like his childish side and their playful attitude but I still have some questions left unanswered... But I loved to see Xavier build his business and to see so many characters from the other books!!! Even got to see Alex♡♡♡

This book met and exceeded every single one of my expectations. Sloane and Xavier were delightful from the very first page, and got progressively more adorable. I’m gonna be thinking about these two for days. 💙💙 (It doesn’t hurt that they give off MAJOR Sydrian vibes, aka one of my absolute favorite fictional couples.)

The only thing that could’ve made this book better was a Kai and Isa wedding. IT WAS THE ONE THING I WANTED, ANA.

Okay, but seriously. We’ve seen Viv and Dante get married, Alé and Dom get divorced and remarried, but Kai and Isa’s wedding is off-page?? And we find out in the epilogue that said wedding was only weeks after this book’s main story ends?? RUDE. And, to top it off, we don’t even get to see Xavi and Sloane engaged. I feel denied!!! 🥲🥲

On another note, I won’t lie—I’m skeptical about the next book. I don’t know either Vuk or Ayana enough to care about them, and I feel like Vuk is such a strange choice for a lead. I knew we’d have to leave the squad eventually, given how long the series is going to be, but I just. I don’t know. I’m gonna need some convincing on this one.

One more thing. At the very end, Xavi mentions Alex discovered the saboteur’s identity but wouldn’t share it, and all we got was it’s someone from a mercenary group that’s targeting the wealthy. I’d bet my nonexistent money that it’s Roman, and we haven’t seen the last of him yet. 👀

Updated series ranking:

My Ana Huang holy trinity, which finally exists after this book: King of Pride, King of Sloth, Twisted Lies. 💜💙💚

I’m not gonna reread, I’m not gonna reread, I’m not gonna reread……

Representation:

I LOVED this book. I connect with the FMC so much and found her very relatable. It was so nice having the MMC genuinely be a good guy throughout the book, and even his early pitfalls were really because he cared too much. 
Ironically, the book is a little cliché which the FMC would, on her own, rip to pieces, but I loved that bit of irony. 
I also love how Ana Huang references characters from her other books as little Easter eggs, and those lovable characters are still around for us to enjoy.

The current weather is just so fucking hot then there's Xavier who comes through my day and just instantly made it hotter. I'm so fucking glad I read this via audiobook because the voice actor for Xavier is just........I was just drooling all over my bed the whole time. Then he's a fucking golden retriever?!?!?! Sign me up, I also want a Xavier. Where does Sloane get one?!

Okay, enough drooling. Story-wise, it was actually a good book. You really were there during the whole ride from when Xavier was that kind of spoiled brat boy turned into this one hell of a mature man who's running his own business. It was nice to him transition and am actually happy to ride along his adventure. Sloane was just a big ass personality that I think everyone can relate. What happened to her and her family was also a situation wherein many can relate to (not that I can but know some people who are in the same situation). That's why Sloane and Xavier are just a good match. Queue in Midnight Rain by Taylor Swift because that song is legit for them.

The cameos in this book was just so too many to count and I'm loving it! Thank you, Ana, for that! 

It breaks my heart to give the queen Ana anything less than 4⭐️. But this book just didn’t quite make it for me. 

I loved Xavier, that man is a puppy dog in human form. Then we have Sloane who in all honesty, I do find myself relating to. The cold, icy exterior she puts on to protect herself from others. The excessive control she applies to her life so she can’t possibly find herself feeling out of it. I totally get it and thought to myself, yeah, this works.

But then we have the story. And whilst I did really enjoy parts of it, I just don’t think I loved it. I couldn’t even really tell you why except for that I just felt it wasn’t gelling for me. Maybe I’ve come to expect too much from Queen Ana at this point.

For me this is definitely one of the slower books in the series. Things don’t really start heating up until about halfway through. They literally start the book by going to Spain and he teaches her how to dance and there’s just not really enough happening with that. There is spice in this book, of course there is, it’s Ana Huang. Butttttt, I would say less than her usual level. Not necessarily a bad thing depending on who you are as a reader, but for me, I did miss it. The spice that is there is pretty good, Xavier is a little bit rough but gentle too. And “put your hands on the desk” is deffo giving bat boy Cassian vibes 😮‍💨

Sloane is a character we’ve read about for a long time, she’s been a big part of the first three books and it was great to finally get a deep dive into her personality. I think she was written brilliantly and I loved her no nonsense, straight talking ways immensely. The fact we also get to read more about our faves from both the Kings of Sin series and the Twisted series is great too. I miss them all 🥺. I think there’s also name drops from some of her other books too but I can’t attest to that as I have only read the two series I just mentioned. 

Xavier falls first (bloody love when the guy falls first) but it feels like he does this quickly. I obviously understand that when this book starts they’ve already known each other years, but it did just feel a bit speedy and threw off the pacing for me.

Tbh this book also did just feel a bit like a set up for Vuk and Ayanas story, and I just feel it was a waste of Sloane and Xavier time. Don’t get me wrong I am buzzing for King of Envy but that’s not why I picked this book up. 

Overall, I did like it. Ana Huang could never produce anything bad but I think my expectations are just so high and this just fell a bit flat. I liked parts of this, but not sure it totally came together the way I hoped. But it was cute and I am still excited to see the series progress! 

If you love romcoms then you will love this because it’s like a tribute to the classics 🫶🏻