If You Hate Her, You Should Probably Put A Ring On It
If You Hate Her, You Should Probably Put A Ring On It
by Charlotte Brandman
“‘You forget.’ I pressed my fingers against her nape, forcing her to look up at me. ‘You’re my fiancee. Not Kai’s. Not anyone else’s. I don’t give a fuck how handsome they are or what type of accent they have. You’re mine, and no one…’ I dipped my head, my lips brushing hers with each word. ‘Touches what’s mine.’” - Dante Russo, King of Wrath
Today’s the day folks: we’re finally discussing Ana Huang. I got hooked on the Twisted Love series in early September. That was B.B.E — Before Blog Era — meaning that I might revisit some of my favorite moments from Ana Huang’s debut interconnected standalone series later on in my blogger journey. But today, we’re covering her new, unfinished Kings of Sin series, starting with King of Wrath.
Arranged marriage/fake-dating novels have my entire heart (and both my ovaries) in a chokehold. The rising action of the two protagonists going from enemies to allies, to friends, to lovers, back to enemies, and then back to lovers is a rollercoaster I willingly sign up for at least once a week. This week, I watched as Dante Russo, big-shot billionaire CEO, and Vivian Lau, kick-ass Chinese-American jewelry heiress, battle it out on my Kindle’s figurative battleground. And let me tell you— it ended in sexy, sexy flames.
When Francis Lau uncovers Dante Russo’s younger brother, Luca, sneaking around with a mafia princess, he uses photographic evidence to force Dante into an arranged marriage with Francis’ youngest daughter, Vivian. From the start, neither Dante nor Vivian wanted anything to do with one another. They both have companies to run– Dante, a billion-dollar jewelry firm, and Vivian, a successful event planning service– they don’t have time for a spouse. But with Dante’s loyalty to his brother and Vivian’s duty to her father, they’re forced into an unwanted engagement that Dante aims to destroy. Dante plans to blackmail Francis into backing out of the engagement and severing his ties with the Lau family for good.
That is, until, pickles, pudding, and Pringles.
That’s right folks, this book even has new food combinations for us to try. In a fated meeting at midnight in Dante’s kitchen, Vivian and her estranged fiancee try each other’s weird food combinations, suited specifically for when they can’t sleep. Dante’s weapon of choice — vanilla ice cream and soy sauce. As a lactose-intolerant human, I’m depressed that I can’t try this for myself. But it’s fine, I’ll force my wonderful roommate, Leah, to try it for me and I’ll live vicariously through her. Vivian brings her childhood favorite of dill pickle slices, chocolate pudding, and Pringles to the table and the two enemies literally and figuratively have a food fight. It’s the first time we see both stoic, serious business-centered people open up to someone else— and it’s pretty damn cute.
There are a few more glimpses behind Dante’s shell as Vivian continues planning their wedding. Like when they take photos in Central Park — which of course includes a fake kiss — or when Dante takes Vivian out to dinner. You know, all of the coupley things you’d expect from a newly engaged couple. Except, both Dante and Vivian feel the closeness between them growing and Dante, for one, is fucking terrified.
Tension continues to rise as Dante furthers his efforts to take down the Lau family fortune. The more Dante falls in love with Vivian, the closer he gets to their inevitable ending— because Vivian would never forgive him for destroying her family, not when she feels a duty to protect them.
The smut in this book was out of this world. With break-up sex, make-up sex, and Dante going down on Vivian to make up for his failures as a boyfriend— this novel is jam-packed with passionate scenes and enough love-making to have you wiggling your toes and kicking your feet.
Ana Huang remains one of my favorite romance authors and not just because we share Chinese heritage (although that is a plus). Huang performs time and again in delivering character-driven stories that center around powerful women with missions of their own. It makes me so happy to see Asian-American women at the forefront of romance novels, especially stories that have been so successful. Representation isn’t just about primetime movies or Asian characters in TV shows— it’s also about including us in something as simple as a romance novel. And for that, I am Ana Huang’s number one fan.
King of Greed, the third book in the King of Sins series comes out October 24th and my friend Becca and I will be in a race to finish it. I hope after getting you into the Huang Universe, you’ll be discovering Huang’s newest story alongside us.
See you next read,
Charlotte
Photograph: Pinterest