King of Greed by. Ana Huang | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Title: King of Greed

Author: Ana Huang

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 352

Publication Date: 10/24/23

Categories: Adult, Romance, Second Chance Romance, Marriage in Trouble

He had her, he lost her…and he’ll do anything to win her back.

Powerful, brilliant, and ambitious, Dominic Davenport clawed his way up from nothing to become the King of Wall Street.

He has everything—a beautiful home, a beautiful wife, and more money than he could spend in a lifetime. But no matter how much he accumulates, he’s never satisfied.

In his endless quest for more, he drives away the only person who saw him as enough.

It isn’t until she’s gone that he realizes there may be more to life than riches and glory…but by then, it may be too late.

***

Kind, intelligent, and thoughtful, Alessandra Davenport has played the role of trophy wife for years.

She stood by her husband while he built an empire, but now that they’ve reached the top, she realizes he’s no longer the man she fell for.

When it becomes clear that she’ll always come second to his work, she finally takes charge of her life and puts herself first—even if it means leaving the only man she’s ever loved.

But what she didn’t count on was his refusal to let her go…or for him to fight for their marriage, no matter what it takes.

King of Greed is a steamy marriage in trouble/second chance romance. It’s book three in the Kings of Sin series but can be read as a standalone.

Content Warning:

I’m sad I didn’t love this one and I think it’s because nothing about Alessandra or Dominic was intriguing to me even though when they appeared in the two previous books very briefly I was quite interested in their story.

It’s clear these two love each other very much and maybe the marriage in trouble trope just bored me. I get that Dominic worked too much and put his job first but he had issues from the past that made him want to achieve everything. Thing is I didn’t find him very interesting – his brother Roman was more intriguing! Alessandra was just okay too.

I actually loss interest 30% in and skimmed the rest or else I would have DNF’ed it. I just wish there was more drama and spark between them.

My Final Thoughts:

This one is my least favorite of the Kings of Sins series but I’m still going to read King of Sloth though.

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Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

King of Pride by. Ana Huang | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

King of Wrath by. Ana Huang | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Plot Twist by. Erin La Rosa | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Plot Twist

Author: Erin La Rosa

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 11/14/23

Publisher: Canary Street Press

Categories: Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Chick Lit, LGBT+

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Canary Street Press for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

She’s written off more than she can chew…

Romance author Sophie Lyon’s ironic secret just went she’s never been in love—and it’s ruining her reputation. With a manuscript deadline looming, Sophie makes an ambitious plan to overcome her writer’s reunite with her exes (including her last girlfriend Carla, the one person she could have loved) to learn why she’s never fallen in love, and document it all for her millions of new online followers.

Luckily, Sophie’s reclusive landlord, Dash Montrose—a former teen heartthrob—has social media all figured out and is willing to help. What he doesn’t mention is that he’s an anonymous online crafter, a hobby that helps him maintain his sobriety. No one knows about his complicated relationship with alcohol, and with a family that’s Hollywood royalty, Dash has to steer clear of scandal.

As Sophie and Dash grow closer, they discover a heat between them that rivals Dash’s pottery kiln. But Sophie needs to figure out who she is outside her relationships, and Dash isn’t sure he’s stable enough for the commitment she deserves. So Sophie suggests what any good romance author a friends-with-benefits arrangement. Surely a strictly casual relationship won’t cause any trouble…

Content Warning: alcoholism, rehab/relapse, dysfunctional family, stalking

+ An author with writer’s block, Sophie, is trying to get writing inspiration by talking to all of her ex’s. Dash is her landlord and he’s a famous actor, and also her best friend’s brother. He’s also working on his sobriety which he’s kept a secret from his family. I thought Sophie and Dash had good chemistry and they didn’t hook up right away, it was nice to see their attraction grow. They have a few spicy scenes together which made this story a little sweet and spicy.

+ I do like that the two characters were working on themselves a lot before committing to anything with one another. They definitely tried to give each other space enough to do that – but their attraction kept getting in the way. Dash doesn’t have the best relationship with his mom – he comes from a famous family full of actors and his mom always makes him feel like he doesn’t live up to her expectations. So he’s going through a lot.

~ The TikTok storyline with Dash’s stalker didn’t quite work for me. I thought it was interesting he was a crafter on the side to help with his sobriety though.

~ I didn’t totally click with Sophie. She’s trying to figure out why her past relationships ended but then tries to get back with an ex or explore the feelings there while she’s having a physical relationship with Dash. I thought she was a bit messy in that department but she did seem like a very supportive friend to Dash.

Tropes: one bed, best friend’s brother, forced proximity

My Thoughts:

I thought this one was okay and wish I liked Sophie better but at least I did like Dash’s story a lot. I did enjoy how both characters were working on themselves as they navigated their attraction and feelings for one another. There’s some spice to this one!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Holiday Mix-Up by. Ginny Baird | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Holiday Mix-Up

Author: Ginny Baird

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 352

Publication Date: 10/10/23

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Categories: Romance, Holiday Romance, Contemporary

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

While You Were Sleeping meets The Wedding Date with a fun Puerto Rican holiday twist in NYT and USA Today bestselling author Ginny Baird’s latest romance, in which a diner waitress agrees to be her patron’s fake date…only for him to land in a coma and her to be stuck playing his sweetheart with his family all week long.

Lonely-hearted waitress Katie Smith has nowhere to go for Christmas, and a huge crush on her gorgeous diner patron Juan Martinez. So when Juan asks Katie to pose as his girlfriend for holiday festivities at his family’s winery, Katie leaps at the chance…that is, until an accident lands Juan in a coma right after giving his folks the “news.” Katie knows she should tell the Martinezes the truth, but when they immediately embrace her, Katie is reluctant to let her fantasy of a family holiday go. And then there’s Juan’s brother, Mateo, whose smile tugs at her heartstrings just right―and who tells her perfect Juan might not be everything he seems. Second son Mateo Martinez loves his brother, but Juan’s plan to “rebrand and expand” Los Cielos Cellars has cost their family too much and put its entire tradition in jeopardy. Katie seems to understand, but she’s still committed to Juan…even when Mateo starts to wish her gentle heart and beautiful smile were committed to him instead. With the winery at stake, secrets on all sides, and Juan due to wake up any day, can Katie and Mateo follow their hearts to a Christmas miracle, or will this mix-up ruin their chances?

Content Warning:

I grew up watching rom-coms like While You Were Sleeping and this book definitely follows the script!

Katie is a waitress who has a crush on her customer, Juan and he asks her to be his fake girlfriend for Christmas. But before they can even carry their plan out, there is a freak accident and Juan is in a coma. Juan’s family believes Katie is his girlfriend and she goes along with it. What she didn’t expect being around Juan’s family was having her fall for his brother Matteo instead.

I got lots of While You Were Sleeping similarities in this book and knew how the story would end but I still thought it was cute. It’s a light hearted read and set leading up to Christmas.

I did like the family themes and the cast of characters in Matteo’s family. As for the romance, though it was cute and I knew how it would end – I kind of wanted more from Katie and Matteo. I just thought they were a little bland. There’s no steam between them, just some kisses but it makes for a wholesome holiday romance.

Tropes: chaste romance, falling for the brother of the guy in the coma, fake girlfriend

My Final Thoughts:

You will definitely like this if you are a fan of the movie While You Were Sleeping. This one was a sweet, light-hearted holiday romance heavy on family themes.