Rating: 4/5
Trigger Warnings: family trauma, fire, death of a parent, cheating (not the main couple)
About the Book:
Author: Ana Huang
Published: April 30th, 2024
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Description:
He'd never wanted anyone enough to chase them...until he met her.
Charming, easygoing, and rich beyond belief, Xavier Castillo has the world at his fingertips.
He also has no interest in taking over his family’s empire (much to his father’s chagrin), but that hasn’t stopped women from throwing themselves at him…unless the woman in question is his publicist.
Nothing brings him more joy than riling her up, but when a tragedy forces them closer than ever, he must grapple with the uncertainty of his future—and the realization that the only person immune to his charms is the only one he truly wants.
***
Cool, intelligent, and ambitious, Sloane Kensington is a high-powered publicist who’s used to dealing with difficult clients.
However, none infuriate—or tempt—her more than a certain billionaire heir, with his stupid dimples and laid-back attitude.
She may be forced to work with him, but she’ll never fall for him…no matter how fast he makes her heart beat or how thoughtful he is beneath his party persona.
He’s her client, and that’s all he’ll ever be. Right?
Review:
King of Sloth is the fourth instalment in Ana Huang’s world of sexy billionaire men, the Kings of Sin series. The book is grounded in the universe of all Ana’s books, however, with nods to the other FMCs and MMCs from this series and others by her (hello, Alex Volkov…). I especially loved how Sloane, the main character of this book, was close with the women from her group, each a respective FMC in their own right. Their support for each other was a highlight for me, both in the books I have read from the series overall and in King of Sloth.
The novel switches in perspective between the two protagonists, Sloane and Xavier. Sloane Kensington is a high-powered CEO whose PR company is in charge of Xavier Castillo, the son of a wealthy South American businessman. Their relationship starts off as professional but over the course of the story lines naturally blur. The first third of the book wasn’t particularly spicy, in fact, it was more plot-based and focused on establishing both Sloane and Xavier’s backstories and their dilemmas. I felt this first section highlighted more so their professional connection as opposed to their instant chemistry. As I read the book I found I actually did appreciate this because it made romance and the smut (when it did eventually come) that much more exciting! It also helped to make their coupling make sense…Sometimes romance novels focus so much on chemistry that they forget friendship and trust are the true foundation of a good, long-lasting relationship.
Returning to the two characters, separately I cared for both of their situations and troubles. Family trauma is a huge theme in this book, one that Ana handled expertly (as always). I found that even though their situations were distinct and different, Sloane dealing with estrangement and infidelity and Xavier dealing with parental death and guilt, they were still incredibly relatable to me as a reader. Ultimately though, both characters had moments with their family, problematic or not, which allowed them to heal and move forward. I felt that because of this Sloane and Xavier were able to build an emotional understanding first and foremost which I appreciated greatly about them as a couple. In the end, their individual emotional journeys made their hard-fought romance all that much more sweet.
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