“If you were my fiancée, I wouldn’t look at another woman. Entertainment or not.”
I’m not gonna lie, I went into King of Envy with very low expectations. I love Ana Huang, don’t get me wrong, but King of Sloth? Mid at best. So despite all the hype this one’s been getting in the book world, I kept my expectations in check. And honestly? I was relieved to actually enjoy it. Was it the book of the year? No. But I did love the characters, and even though I had a few issues with the story, overall? It was solid. Definitely a win compared to what I was bracing for.
Vuk Markovic is notorious for shunning human interactions. The scarred billionaire rarely talks, and he has no interest in relationships outside his small but trusted circle.
His only exception? Her . The beauty to his beast, the object of his obsession.
He saw her first. He wanted her first. But now, she’s engaged to his oldest friend—and the closer the wedding looms, the more he’s torn between loyalty and desire.
She should be his…and he might just risk it all to have her.
Beautiful. Successful. Glamorous.
To the world, supermodel Ayana Kidane leads the perfect life. Her career has skyrocketed, and she’s engaged to one of New York’s most eligible bachelors.
What people don’t know is that the engagement is only a business arrangement. He gets his inheritance when they marry; she gets the money she needs to leave her abusive agency.
Pretending to be in love should be easy—until she finds herself increasingly drawn to her fiancé’s enigmatic best man.
Vuk thrills and terrifies her in equal measure. She knows she should stay away, but when her wedding is thrown into chaos, he’s the only person she finds comfort in…
Until his past catches up with them and threatens everything they love.
Review of King of Envy by Ana Huang
I enjoyed reading King of Envy so much more than King of Sloth (sorry, not sorry). This one actually gave me what I want in a romance: slow-burn tension, character development, emotional growth, and a plot that didn’t make me want to skim every other page. BUT—yes, there’s a “but”, there were still a few things that bothered me enough to hold this back from being a full-on five-star moment. More like a solid 3.5-star read for me. So let’s dive into the chaos and break down exactly what worked… and what didn’t.
Plot Analysis of King of Envy by Ana Huang
If you thought fake engagements, forbidden pining, and billionaires with emotional walls taller than their skyscrapers were out of style, think again. King of Envy said “let me serve you angst, tension, and unspoken longing on a platinum tray.”
We’ve got Vuk Markovic, elusive, intimidating, allergic to feelings unless said feelings are directed at one very off-limits woman. He’s all brooding stares and clenched jawlines, and of course, his best friend just happens to be engaged to the one person Vuk can’t stop watching like she’s his last remaining brain cell.
Enter Ayana Kidane, literal goddess, international model, and secretly falling apart behind the scenes of her picture-perfect life. The engagement? PR stunt. The career? Exhausting. The only person who sees through the gloss and glamour? That one silent man in the corner who looks like he’s memorizing her every blink.
What follows is a slow, simmering unraveling of their lives as sparks fly, secrets leak, and loyalty starts looking a lot like self-sabotage. It’s giving forbidden. It’s giving restraint with a side of tension so sharp it could slice through steel. If you’re into morally gray chaos with designer wardrobes and penthouse meltdowns, welcome. You’re home.
Characters of King of Envy by Ana Huang
Ayana Kidane: I loved her, okay? She wasn’t just some pretty face in designer heels, she was layered like a damn mille-feuille. Smart, funny, vulnerable, powerful… the full FMC fantasy. I went in expecting “supermodel vibes” and walked out emotionally attached like she was my bestie. I devoured her POV and wanted more, always more. Honestly? Slay.
Vuk Markovic:The man he is. OMG. I live for obsessed men, like, that’s my Roman Empire. Cold, stone-faced, emotionally constipated men with a soft spot the size of Jupiter for the FMC and I will lose all brain function. He’s out here throwing events just to catch a glimpse of her, lurking in the shadows with his perfectly unbothered face while internally combusting. The way he looks at her??? I had to pause. Breathe. Whisper “what the hell is this man doing to me” to absolutely no one.
He’s the kind of man who wouldn’t just say “I’d die for you”, he’s already planning the most efficient way to do it with minimal mess and maximum drama. And the possessiveness? BABY. I was giggling, kicking, screaming, clutching my Kindle like it was oxygen. Give me Vuk any day, I’ll say “thank you so much sir” with my outside voice and scream internally for the rest of my life. This man is not just a character, he is a fantasy in Dior. I am unwell. Goodbye.
The romance: Let me say it from the jump, I had a problem with the relationship. NOT the dynamic between them, okay? Because that? That was on fleek. The tension? Delicious. The slow burn? Blazing. I was out here fanning myself like it was a Victorian scandal. I loved them together so much I was ready to name their fictional children. BUT, and it’s a BIG but, the way the relationship started? That’s where things got messy for me.
Look, I didn’t love how they just shoved Jordan to the side like he was a plot device and not, you know, Vuk’s best friend. And someone Ayana was literally engaged to (even if it was fake). The fact that they didn’t feel the need to tell him right away? All that sneaking around behind his back just didn’t sit right with me. Like I get the circumstances, but also… maybe say something?? I don’t know what that says about me morally, but hey, I said what I said.
Pacing & writing style
As usual (and always), Ana’s writing in King of Envy is engaging, easy to follow, and had me reading faster than I ever do, which, trust me, is saying something because I’m a certified slow reader. But when I say I was binging? I mean it. I genuinely enjoy the way she lays things out—plot, world, emotions, all of it. And let me be loud and clear: I loved the character depth and development here, way more than King of Sloth, which honestly felt flatter than day-old soda.
The relationship dynamic? Top tier. The tension? Off the charts. The spice? Was absolutely spicing. She can write, bestie, and she knows it. And don’t even get me started on the found family moments, I was EATING UP every single cameo like it was my last meal. I missed them so much 😭. Oh, and that scene where they were talking about in-laws? I was cackling and smiling like a clown. Let me stop here before I go on a full-blown monologue because I LOVE THEM SO MUCH, and once I start, I will not shut up.
The only thing that bothered me in this book, besides the whole Jordan situation (which I still haven’t emotionally processed), was the length. As usual with Ana’s books, I just found it a bit too long for a romance. Like, bestie, my eyes were tired but my heart was full. Trim it down a bit and we’re golden.
The pacing in King of Envy had a bit of a slow burn… and I don’t mean the delicious romantic kind (yet). I was kinda sitting there like, “Okay babes, any minute now…” But once it finally kicked off? It was like Ana hit the gas and didn’t let up. Chaos, tension, secrets, spicy scenes, I was hooked. So yes, the beginning dragged just a smidge, but once things started unraveling? I was locked in, emotionally compromised, and refusing to blink in case I missed a Vuk moment.
Tropes and Trigger warnings of King of Envy by Ana Huang
Tropes of King of Envy by Ana Huang
Forbidden Romance
Forced proximity
Obsessed/ Morally Grey MMC
He falls first
Billionaire Romance
Touch her & die vibes
Found Family
Trigger warnings of King of Envy by Ana Huang
Sexual harassment and assault
Death and murder
Torture, Blood, Violence
Some quotes I enjoyed
Most of all, I resented the fact that he had her.”
{…}
“Because they were getting married.
Because I saw her first.
Because she was his when she should be mine.”
“Because she’s fucking mine. Jordan was her fiancé in name, but I was the one she’d turned to first. I was the one who understood what she needed—not comfort, but vengeance. I was the one who would kill and die for her in the same breath. No other man could match that, ring or no ring.”
“Careful, srce moje.” His voice rasped against my sensitized skin. “Or you’ll fucking kill me.”
“I’d made a lot of mistakes in my life, but kissing Ayana? It was the biggest damn mistake I’d ever made. If I hadn’t kissed her, I wouldn’t have known. I’d have suspected, but I wouldn’t have known that she wanted me the way I wanted her. I wouldn’t have tasted her desire or heard her fucking moans. That knowledge spelled the beginning of my end because there was only one obstacle left between us, and my loyalty to him grew more tenuous every day.”
“There’s one thing you should know about me, Ayana,” he said, his breath grazing my ear. “I. Don’t. Share.”
“When I said I wanted her, I wanted all of her. Every smile, every tear, every sigh and moan. She consumed me, body and soul, and I refused to settle for anything less in return.”
“From the moment I heard her laugh on that damn TV program years ago, I’d been a goner. She’d been a new model at the time, but there was something about the way she talked and carried herself that sank its claws into me and refused to let go. She’d radiated authenticity, and she had the type of smile that made me want to smile too—and I fucking hated smiling.”
“She was a splash of color in my world of gray, and before I knew it, I was ensnared. There was no way out.”
“Being quiet was…easier. Preference became habit, and habit became the new normal.”
“Joy doesn’t require the absence of grief,” my mother said. “We have the capacity to hold both at the same time. That’s part of the human experience.”
“We can’t control our feelings. Whether it’s envy, bitterness, or, yes, relief, we’ve all felt things we were ashamed to feel. But it’s our actions that matter most.”
“My mother was my comfort; my father was my guiding star. He was the one I counted on to steer me in the right direction when I was lost, and he was right.”
“I won’t hurt you. Ever,” Vuk said. “If you walk away right now and say you never want to see me again, I’ll respect your wishes. But I can’t pretend to be somebody I’m not. What’s done is done, and if someone came after you tomorrow, I’d deal with them the same way I dealt with the shooter.” His tone was hard. Ruthless. “It’s in my DNA, srce. I can compromise, but I can’t change the core of who I am. No matter how much I wish I could.”
“I’m not usually a compromise person, srce, but for you, I’d agree to a thousand compromises if you asked.”
“I enjoy spending time with you,” I said. “I enjoy seeing you happy. That’s what I enjoy.”
Final Thoughts
I’m dramatic, but hear me out: King of Envy had me hanging on by a thread… and that thread was named Vuk Markovic.
This book was giving so much and yet… just not everything. You know when you’re so close to loving something but there’s that one tiny rock in your shoe the whole time? Yeah, that. I was hooked on the tension, obsessed with the characters (VUK, I’m free Thursday if you’re wondering), and emotionally compromised by the found family cameos, chef’s kiss. But the pacing in the beginning had me checking how many pages were left, and the whole Jordan situation? I’m still side-eyeing it like it personally betrayed me.
Was it a new favorite? No. But did I tab dramatic quotes, giggle at spicy scenes, and scream internally at every possessive glance? Absolutely. It’s a 3.5-star kind of ride, the type that leaves you both full and just a tiny bit hungry for more.
Ana, if you’re reading this (you’re probably not, but manifesting), I need more Vuk content. Like, yesterday. Spin-off, bonus epilogue, entire mini-series, I don’t care. Feed me. I’m on my knees, begging like a Victorian orphan at the gates of Envy Enterprises.
About the author
Ana Huang is a #1 New York Times, #1 USA Today, Sunday Times, Wall Street Journal, and #1 Amazon bestselling author. Best known for her Twisted series, she writes New Adult and contemporary romance with deliciously alpha heroes, strong heroines, and plenty of steam, angst, and swoon.
Her books have been translated in over two dozen languages and featured in outlets such as Good Morning America, NPR, PEOPLE, and Cosmopolitan.
A self-professed travel enthusiast, she loves incorporating beautiful destinations into her stories and will never say no to a good chai latte.
Practical Information for Readers
King of Envy by Ana Huang Book Formats
King of Envy is available in various formats to suit every reader’s preference:
Paperback : Ideal for readers who enjoy the tactile experience of holding a physical book.
eBook: Convenient for on-the-go reading, available on all major e-reader platforms.
Audiobook: Narrated with emotional depth, available on platforms like Audible.
PDF King of Envy by Ana Huang: While some may search for a PDF version, it’s recommended to opt for legal eBook options to support the author.
Where to Find King of Envy by Ana Huang PDF
Amazon Kindle: Offers a user-friendly interface with customizable reading settings.
Barnes & Noble Nook: Another popular platform with a wide selection of e-books.
Apple Books: Provides seamless integration with Apple devices and a smooth reading experience.
King of Envy by Ana HuangAge Rating
Due to its mature content and darker themes, King of Envy by Ana Huang is recommended for readers aged 19 and older. Please review the trigger warnings above before reading.
