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A review by fortissimofvck
King of Greed by Ana Huang
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I'll be honest I have mixed feelings about giving this book a 5/5 because on one hand, Alessandra deserved better, but on the other, I know damn well that if I were her, I'd have folded the second I'd see Dominic in Brazil. She stood her ground sooo much better than I would've and I'm super glad she did, but Dom also went out of his way when he was trying to make up for his negligence. And I definitely am a sucker for second-chance romances.
When I was writing my King of Wrath review, I said Vivian might be my favorite FMC so far, but Alessandra is very close, if not on par with her. She's strong, she knows what she wants, and it's clear that the monetary goods don't mean much to her when it comes to Dominic. She wants back the man she fell in love with, the one who gave her his time and attention even when he didn't have much, not the man he's become now that he's rich.
To Dominic, on the other hand, that was the exact reason behind his drive and motivation to work so much. He vowed to himself that he would never have to scrape together pennies and cents, that he'd spoil Alessandra rotten. And while that had been his intention all along, he lost sight of what truly mattered to his wife somewhere along the line. He never even saw how unhappy she was in their marriage until she - and even Dante and Kai - said it all to his face.
That's when he started realizing just how majorly he'd fucked up. And it was obvious that after all the negligence, forgotten dates, dinners, and anniversaries, Alessandra wouldn't take him back in a heartbeat. But he tried harder and harder to show her how much he still loved her. Even though he didn't like her going out on dates, he knew he couldn't keep her chained down lest she grew to hate him even more, but when hebroke that guy's nose in for disrespecting her and wanting to tape them having sex? She might've hated him until he explained himself, but my god if that wasn't hot.
And I've read Ana Huang before, I know how her books usually go; more often than not, there's a twist toward the end. But my god if i didn't pray there wouldn't be one this time around, Dominic and Alessandra have been through enough. Should've known better - and should've known something was up with Roman, which, honestly, I did suspect - because of course, Dominic ended up missing Alessandra's store's opening ceremony. Sure, he nearly died, but still, come on. I half-hoped he'd show up bloody and beaten and bruised, still bleeding out. Well, thankfully, he didn't, but that ending really made me go, "Awh:(" - perhaps Alessandra did deserve better. I know his and Roman's lives were on the line there, but he still missed her ceremony because of work...
Some of my favorite scenes/quotes in chronological order<3
When I was writing my King of Wrath review, I said Vivian might be my favorite FMC so far, but Alessandra is very close, if not on par with her. She's strong, she knows what she wants, and it's clear that the monetary goods don't mean much to her when it comes to Dominic. She wants back the man she fell in love with, the one who gave her his time and attention even when he didn't have much, not the man he's become now that he's rich.
To Dominic, on the other hand, that was the exact reason behind his drive and motivation to work so much. He vowed to himself that he would never have to scrape together pennies and cents, that he'd spoil Alessandra rotten. And while that had been his intention all along, he lost sight of what truly mattered to his wife somewhere along the line. He never even saw how unhappy she was in their marriage until she - and even Dante and Kai - said it all to his face.
That's when he started realizing just how majorly he'd fucked up. And it was obvious that after all the negligence, forgotten dates, dinners, and anniversaries, Alessandra wouldn't take him back in a heartbeat. But he tried harder and harder to show her how much he still loved her. Even though he didn't like her going out on dates, he knew he couldn't keep her chained down lest she grew to hate him even more, but when he
And I've read Ana Huang before, I know how her books usually go; more often than not, there's a twist toward the end. But my god if i didn't pray there wouldn't be one this time around, Dominic and Alessandra have been through enough. Should've known better - and should've known something was up with Roman, which, honestly, I did suspect - because of course, Dominic ended up missing Alessandra's store's opening ceremony. Sure, he nearly died, but still, come on. I half-hoped he'd show up bloody and beaten and bruised, still bleeding out. Well, thankfully, he didn't, but that ending really made me go, "Awh:(" - perhaps Alessandra did deserve better. I know his and Roman's lives were on the line there, but he still missed her ceremony because of work...
Some of my favorite scenes/quotes in chronological order<3
Once upon a time, I'd loved my husband. /.../ But once upon a time was a long time ago, and now, as I watched him walk through the door for the first time in weeks, all I felt was a deep, dull ache in the places where love once resided. /.../ He gave me a perfunctory kiss on the lips.A familiar whiff of citrus and sandalwood brushed my senses and made my heart squeeze. He'd worn the same cologne since I gifted it to him a decade ago during our first trip to Brazil. I used to find the loyalty romantic, but the new cynic in me whispered it was only because he couldn't be bothered to find a new scent. Dominic wasn't the boy who gave himself a hundred papercuts making origami versions of my favorite flowers for my birthday, and I wasn't the girl who floated through life with stars and dreams in her eyes. /.../ "One day, I'll buy you a thousand real roses. I promise." He'd kept that promise, but he'd broken a thousand more since. ->this and the parallel with him giving her bouquets of flowers along with numbers actually made me a little sad, like come on:("I wondered, if there was an emergency at work and at home at the same time, who you would choose. Me, or your investors?" "You know I would choose you." "That's the thing. I don't. Because you haven't chosen me, not in a long time." Learning foreign languages didn't come easily for him, but the fact that he'd done it anyway because he wanted to make a good impression on my family... God, I adored this man. "Let's stop beating around the bush. You're the problem, Dom. Even someone who's only met you both once can tell you barely paid attention to Alessandra when she was around. How many times have you stayed at the event while she went home because she didn't feel well? How many dinners did you take with clients instead of with her?" /.../ It was one thing for the other person to point out the flaws in a relationship. It was another for a third party to do so with unerring accuracy, especially when I'd thought everything had been fine. Not great, but not horrible. Obviously, I'd been wrong. "I would stalk you if it meant you'd talk to me again." "How romantic." "I'm past romantic. Alessandra. I'm desperate." /.../ I caught the tiniest glimpse of the man he used to be - the one who carried me uphill because my heel broke, who kissed me good night every night no matter how late he came home, and who attempted to bake one of the elaborate cakes I'd saved on Pinterest for my birthday. His cake had come out decidedly un-Pinterestlike, but I'd loved it anyway. It was the thought that counted. All for a kiss and several stolen minutes alone. Was it worth it? a voice whispered. Yes. The answer came without a thought. She was always worth it. I'd take any moment with her, no matter how quick or fleeting, because I didn't know how many we had left. "Can you honestly look me in the eye and tell me you don't love me anymore?" "Loving you was never the problem. I've loved you for eleven years, Dom. Everything I did, everything I gave up and endured was for you. The late nights, the missed dates, the canceled trips. I believed in you and wanted you to succeed, not because I cared about the money, but because you did. I thought one day, it would be enough, and you would be happy with what we had. But you'll never be happy, and I'll never be enough. /.../ Do you know there were times when I wished you had a mistress? At least then, I would have something concrete to fight. But I can't fight what I can't see, so I went to sleep every night in an empty bed, and I woke up to an empty house. /.../ You're right, I do still love you. A part of me always will. But you're not the person I fell in love with anymore, and all this time that I've spent trying to pretend you are? It's killing me. Marcelo had invited him over for dinner. Forget sibling vacations. Tomorrow, I'd be an only child because I was going to murder my brother. /.../ "Borrowing sugar? Seriously? You fell for that?" "I panicked, okay? What was I supposed to do, turn the poor guy away?" "Yes. You invited my ex-husband for dinner. We divorced two months ago and he followed me to Brazil!" "You know I don't deal well with interpersonal pressure!" <3 gotta love Marcelo honestlyWe stood at the altar and vowed to share our milestones together, but how many had I missed since I uttered that promise? Too many. People looked at him and only saw the harsh edges and cold exterior. They ruminated over why the daughter of a famous supermodel was dating a "nobody," and they whispered about us getting married too young, too soon, and too quick. I didn't care. They could gossip all they wanted; I didn't need their validation or extra time to know he was the one. "Which one do you like better? She held up two scarves. "I can't decide. "I stared at them. They looked exactly the same. "That one." I gestured at the one on the right. "Perfect. Thanks." She bought the one on the left. "You broke my heart, and you weren't even there to witness it." </33The Russos had been married for three years and were starting a family. I had been married to Alessandra for ten and had nothing left of it except for the diamond in my pocket and the broken pieces serrating my heart. THE ENTIRE SCENE OF HIM BEATING UP A GUY BECAUSE HE DISRESPECTED AND WANTED TO MAKE A SEXTAPE OF HIM AND ALESSANDRA thisss>>>>>>"Please don't break my heart." "I won't. I lost you once, and I never want to lose you again." Dominic and I didn't work the first time, but sometimes, the strongest things were those that had been broken and healed.
Additional thing I absolutely adored: JOSH AND JULES SHOWING UP<3 they were my favorite couple from the Twisted series:))