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emmyrose2016 's review for:
King of Pride
by Ana Huang
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Rating: 1/5
Summary:
Isabella Valencia dreams of becoming a writer—specifically of erotic thrillers—but after two years of working on a novel that still hasn’t come together, she’s had to find another way to pay the bills. For over a year, she’s been bartending at the exclusive Valhalla Club, where one rule is made crystal clear: no fraternizing with the members. That rule would be a lot easier to follow if a certain billionaire didn’t keep showing up at the most inconvenient moments—and wasn’t so impossibly attractive.
When Kai Young’s mother announces it’s finally time to appoint a new CEO, the vote comes much sooner than expected. But since the company has always been in his family, Kai knows the vote is just a formality—the position is essentially his. Still, he understands he needs to stay focused, especially as he works to secure a lucrative deal with a digital news company that could propel the business into the future of media and prevent it from falling behind. With so much at stake, Kai knows he can’t afford any distractions—especially not the purple-haired bartender who always seems to be talking about condoms.
What I liked:
Usually, I would balance the aspects I didn’t enjoy with those I did, but in this case, I genuinely didn’t find anything enjoyable about the book.
What I disliked:
Kai:
Kai was one of my favorite characters in the first book, but wow—this sequel really changed that. At first, he felt like the same person, but within a few chapters, he did a complete 180 and turned into someone unrecognizable. He kept stressing how important the CEO position was to him, and we were told he’s a workaholic—yet it felt like he barely did any actual work. I get that this shift may have been meant to serve the romance, but taking spontaneous vacations and hitting up random clubs just because the girl you're not even dating might be seeing someone else? That didn’t feel like something the Kai from book one would ever do.
I also didn’t like how possessive he became over Isabella before they were even in a relationship. There were just so many things about his character in this book that didn’t sit right with me.
The Romance:
Speaking of the romance—I didn’t like it. In the first book, I thought Kai and Isabella’s interactions were cute, and I was genuinely excited to see their relationship develop. But honestly, in this book, I didn’t feel much chemistry between them, which is disappointing considering this was supposed to be their story.
Overall:
I didn’t enjoy this book at all. The characters didn’t feel like themselves, and the romance completely fell flat for me. Isa makes choices that could risk her job before she even really knows Kai, and their connection feels entirely based on sexual attraction. Kai becomes possessive way too quickly—like, dude, you’re not her boyfriend, you don’t get to dictate who she sees.
Several scenes just felt off. For example, Kai says early on that he likes to keep his sex life private, but then he has no problem hooking up with Isa in a public bar. Sure, he pays someone to guard the room, but that’s hardly keeping things private. I get that people can change their minds, but the shift was so abrupt it felt like a completely different character.
If you loved this book, I’m genuinely glad for you—I wanted to love it too. I was actually excited going in, but it ended up being such a disappointment that I’ve decided to drop the rest of the series.
Summary:
Isabella Valencia dreams of becoming a writer—specifically of erotic thrillers—but after two years of working on a novel that still hasn’t come together, she’s had to find another way to pay the bills. For over a year, she’s been bartending at the exclusive Valhalla Club, where one rule is made crystal clear: no fraternizing with the members. That rule would be a lot easier to follow if a certain billionaire didn’t keep showing up at the most inconvenient moments—and wasn’t so impossibly attractive.
When Kai Young’s mother announces it’s finally time to appoint a new CEO, the vote comes much sooner than expected. But since the company has always been in his family, Kai knows the vote is just a formality—the position is essentially his. Still, he understands he needs to stay focused, especially as he works to secure a lucrative deal with a digital news company that could propel the business into the future of media and prevent it from falling behind. With so much at stake, Kai knows he can’t afford any distractions—especially not the purple-haired bartender who always seems to be talking about condoms.
What I liked:
Usually, I would balance the aspects I didn’t enjoy with those I did, but in this case, I genuinely didn’t find anything enjoyable about the book.
What I disliked:
Kai:
Kai was one of my favorite characters in the first book, but wow—this sequel really changed that. At first, he felt like the same person, but within a few chapters, he did a complete 180 and turned into someone unrecognizable. He kept stressing how important the CEO position was to him, and we were told he’s a workaholic—yet it felt like he barely did any actual work. I get that this shift may have been meant to serve the romance, but taking spontaneous vacations and hitting up random clubs just because the girl you're not even dating might be seeing someone else? That didn’t feel like something the Kai from book one would ever do.
I also didn’t like how possessive he became over Isabella before they were even in a relationship. There were just so many things about his character in this book that didn’t sit right with me.
The Romance:
Speaking of the romance—I didn’t like it. In the first book, I thought Kai and Isabella’s interactions were cute, and I was genuinely excited to see their relationship develop. But honestly, in this book, I didn’t feel much chemistry between them, which is disappointing considering this was supposed to be their story.
Overall:
I didn’t enjoy this book at all. The characters didn’t feel like themselves, and the romance completely fell flat for me. Isa makes choices that could risk her job before she even really knows Kai, and their connection feels entirely based on sexual attraction. Kai becomes possessive way too quickly—like, dude, you’re not her boyfriend, you don’t get to dictate who she sees.
Several scenes just felt off. For example, Kai says early on that he likes to keep his sex life private, but then he has no problem hooking up with Isa in a public bar. Sure, he pays someone to guard the room, but that’s hardly keeping things private. I get that people can change their minds, but the shift was so abrupt it felt like a completely different character.
If you loved this book, I’m genuinely glad for you—I wanted to love it too. I was actually excited going in, but it ended up being such a disappointment that I’ve decided to drop the rest of the series.