King of Pride is the second installment in the Kings of Sin series. If you want a mindless, smutty read (tbh, I enjoy mindless and smutty books), then this is the book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

2.5 stars

I liked Isabella and Kai well enough. On the surface, they couldn't be more opposite, yet they have more in common than they think. There's a pretty good cast of characters here and it was easy for me to be lost in the vague mentions of them.

Plot wise, it was okay. There are a lot of moving parts and yet it still somehow felt like nothing happened. I did mostly enjoy the relationship aspect and really liked the last couple of chapters.

Overall, I was curious enough to keep reading and some of the other characters do seem intriguing, but I don't know if I'll read any more of the series.

**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**

Another really great opposites attract, dual POV, slow burn, super STEAMY romance from one of my fav authors! I am really enjoying this Sin series and the second book for sure lived up to the first! This works as a standalone too and was good on audio. Looking forward to reading the next in the series. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

Kai and Isabella are lovely together right from the start. Before they're even in a relationship, they have an easy way with one another, playful and teasing and at ease. They couldn't be more opposite: Kai is boring, uptight and translates books into Latin for fun while Isabella is bold, impulsive and creative. They are absolutely not each others type. But of course that matters very little in the face of attraction.

I personally really enjoy when characters must finally admit they like each other more than they should followed by that moment of realization that it's too late they're already hooked. What I really enjoyed about their relationship was how they let themselves be silly together. They have so many inside jokes and are so at ease with each other. I really enjoyed this and I'm looking forward to reading more of Ana Huang's work, and the release of King of Greed!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! I was originally drawn to the cover and the storyline, but the characters were amazing and I loved them. The storyline was greatly paced, which caused me to devour it. I had never read anything by Ana Huang, but I will definitely be looking into this author's other books.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy of King of Pride by Ana Huang!

Kai and Isabella are just such incredible characters. I hope that we have much more to come from them in the future because I cannot get enough! The continuation of the series had me completely hooked and utterly absorbed. What I felt I knew about them previously was just a glimpse and this book expanded on my context as well as my love for these characters. Well done, Ms. Huang! I cannot wait for more!

My second time through King of Pride and I loved it even more! This series is such a gem and I cannot wait to see what else Ana has in store for us. Kai and Isabella are two of her best characters yet!

Characters: I love both of our lead characters so damn much. You gotta love Kai, the nerdy boy who is actually a bit of a freak in the sheets! Paired so perfectly with Isabella who is just so easy to route for. She’s the perfect blend of tough and soft. An added bonus of this instalment was setting Vivian and Dante as lovesick newlyweds. Along with a sneak peek into Dominic and Alexandria’s dynamic, which just made me all the more excited for King of Greed.
Setting: We are back in Ana Huang’s New York City and cameos galore! A central setting of this story in particular is the Valhalla Club as Kai is a member and Isabella a bartender there. I loved all their liaisons in the piano room and the secret library.
Pacing: What can I say there isn’t an Ana Huang book I haven’t devoured quickly. This was my second time through King of Pride as I had read the self-published version when it came out a few months ago. That should speak for itself that I am reading it again, only a few months apart from the last time I read it.
Romance: I alluded to it earlier but I feel the need to reiterate that Kai is just so hot. I particularly love the scenes where Isabella makes a very confident bet, loses and has to pay for it in one of the most deliciously possible ways. I loved how these two characters tended to just avoid each other and saw love as a complication. Then became each other biggest cheerleader, which I just love!

We got a sneak peek of both Kai and Isabella in the first book, and they had both already stolen my heart by the time I got to their story. This is a true opposites attract: Kai Young is always polished and put together. His upbringing means he has the ultimate control over his emotions and never loses his cool or makes judgments that jeopardize everything he’s worked for. Isabella Valencia, on the other hand, is the bartender at Valhalla, the extremely exclusive club of which Kai is a member. With her purple hair and tattoos, she’s not the kind of woman you bring home to your very reserved, very judgmental mother. Especially because she also comes with no filter and plenty of secrets.

King of Pride is also a forbidden romance because members and employees of Valhalla are not allowed to cross that line of professional friendliness. Obviously, these two do exactly that, and maybe it’s because I already have a fondness for this trope, but it’s worth every agonizing second. And trust that the stakes are high. With Kai in the running for CEO, he cannot afford a scandal or risk losing out on the chance to take over his family’s company. Meanwhile, if they’re caught, Isabella won’t just lose her job—she’ll be blacklisted from all the bars in the area.

What I love about Ana Huang’s writing, and this series in particular, is that each character has their own life and ambitions outside of the other. Kai cares about taking over his company, and when he becomes aware that someone is attempting to dethrone him, he must use his wits and resources to unmask them without losing his morals along the way. Isabella has her own hopes and dreams, and with mounting pressure from all sides and a scandal brewing, she has to decide who she wants to be and whether she’ll put her foot down for the career—and the man—she truly wants.

The last thing I want to mention in this King of Pride book review is how this installment blasts the world right open. There’s every chance I didn’t catch the references in the last book since I hadn’t read the Twisted series yet, but there are quite a few familiar faces who show up in this one. Even better, we get to know a few of the secondary characters quite well, and it’s becoming more obvious which ones are being set up for future books.

Really enjoyed the concept and the continuation of the of the series. I do feel that some parts of the "off limits" relationship that Ana Huang is trying to portray misses the mark a bit. To me it did not make so much sense as the two main characters are in the same friend group and see each other often. I understand the social and economical off limits aspect but I felt that the background of that and their attraction was missing in some ways. Many things were referenced but it wasn't shown on the page, which made me a little disappointed.

However, I thought that the writing was still phenomenal and those library scenes were *chef's kiss*
Huang has a way of captivating her audience that she does so spectacularly.

Highly recommend