May 2024 Reading Wrap-up

May felt like the true start of the year 2024 for me. After enduring the high pressures of work and supporting my fiancé through health issues, May became the beacon of light I needed in my bookish content journey. 
I picked up several books that I had been super excited to read and TBR'd even more as I realized I couldn't get through nearly as many reads as I had hoped for.
It's the thought that counts right? 
All in all, I am happy (and proud of myself) for completing four books for the month of May. 
While a majority of the month I spent reading and catching up on Ana Huang's Kings of Sin collection, I got squeeze in reading the latest book from one of my personal favorite author's, Kiera Cass.
While I wanted to write individual reviews for each book, I realized half way through my review of A Thousand Heartbeats that I would end up spending more time creating content for each post vs starting up my June reading. 
To get right to it-below are the reviews for my May Wrap-up. 

Thanks for your support 
<3
Kat 

1.) A Thousand Heartbeats by Kiera Cass
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Teen Fantasy Romance
Review: 
I am completely biased. I've had a huge soft spot for Kiera Cass and her work since I first got my hands on The Selection Series, so I absolutely loved A Thousand Heartbeats. However, if I were being completely unbiased and honest, this one fell flat. Despite being around 570 pages, it felt like only 30 pages were dedicated to the two main characters being together. The novel follows the dual perspectives of Annika, a princess living a life of luxury in one kingdom, and Lennox, who grew up in a desolate, forgotten land.
I really wanted to fawn over this. Had I ignored the rushed tones of this book, I would have allowed myself to. In keeping full transparency though, this one really fell short for me. I've gone back and forth with how I've wanted to rate this one, going from 2.5 stars to 3 stars. All in all this one is a 3 star read for me, because I truly did enjoy a majority of the tale but the critic in me wasn't blown away. I've already written a full review on this earlier in May, so if you would like to read more please click here.

2.) King of Pride (Book 2) by Ana Huang 
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Romance/Contemporary Romance
Review:
In 2023, I found myself fully immersed in the world of smutty romance.
Does that automatically make me a card-carrying member of the "Booktok" and "Bookstagram" community?
Moving on, I delved headfirst into the captivating stories penned by Ana Huang, starting with the Twisted series, but only after I started book one of the Kings of Sins series. With a quick backtrack, I eagerly picked up King of Pride. While Isabella might not have been my top pick in King of Wrath, her dynamic with the irresistible Kai Young in this installment made me realize that Isabella is the quintessential "it girl." She exudes a magnetic presence that would undoubtedly thrive in the realms of "Booktok" and "Bookstagram," while Kai embodies the brooding figure one might find standing in a bookstore, fatefully hoping to cross paths with Isabella.
Despite not sharing the same enthusiasm for some of Isa's preferred literary genres (dinosaur erotica, really?), I found myself drawn to the natural and authentic chemistry between her and Kai. Their relationship, based on mutual support and genuine encouragement, stood out amidst the backdrop of familial expectations to rise from humble beginnings all while learning to stay true to themselves.
Kai was honestly the best. He consistently championed Isa's aspirations without overshadowing her dreams of becoming an author. He zeroed down and provided guidance, nudging her towards her goals, all while allowing her untamed spirit to roam free. In turn, Isa became a pillar of strength for Kai as he navigated the complexities of safeguarding the family legacy.
And let's not forget about the undeniable spice factor. Where can one find their own Kai Young? (Shh, don't let my fiancé know.)
While opinions on Goodreads may vary, my steadfast 4-star rating stands firm. Give it a chance with an open mind, and you just might come to appreciate the magic woven into this feel good tale of opposites attract.

3.) King of Greed (Book 3) by Ana Huang
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/2
Genre: Romance/Contemporary Romance
Review:
In King of Greed, we delve deeper into the life of Alessandra Davenport, the newest addition to the group introduced in King of Wrath. Married to the self-absorbed Dominic 'Started from the bottom, now I'm rich' Davenport, Alessandra finds herself overshadowed and coming second to her husband's success. Despite their ten-year marriage and shared history from their time at Thayer University, Alessandra's dreams take a backseat to support Dominic's ambitions.
Dominic's relentless pursuit of success, driven by his humble beginnings and the ambition to build a multi-billion dollar company from the ground up, leaves him blind to Alessandra's loneliness. He believes that providing luxuries for himself and his wife is all that matters. Meanwhile, Alessandra, who only wanted her husband to be happy and fulfilled, had already sacrificed her own aspirations to support Dominic's rise to the top, only to feel neglected and professionally stifled in the process.
Tired of being overlooked and missing out on important milestones, such as their 10-year wedding anniversary, Alessandra takes a final stand by filing for divorce. Taken by utter surprise, Dominic realizes that his accomplishments pale in comparison to losing Alessandra.
Despite my rating of 3.5 stars, I found myself loving this book. My primary concern revolved around Dominic's possessive nature. While his desperation to regain Alessandra's affection stemmed from a genuine fear of losing her, his actions post-divorce filing crossed a line into unsettling territory. His relentless pursuit, from refusing to sign the divorce documents to following her all the way to Brazil in an attempt to rekindle their romance, veered more towards stalker-like behavior rather than heartfelt gestures of romance. Another aspect that didn't quite resonate with me was the subplot involving her former supermodel mother's wedding planning and attendance, a woman with whom she shares a tumultuous relationship. Despite these challenges, I found myself drawn to the romantic elements of the book. Alessandra's journey towards finding her passion and asserting her individuality rather than just being seen as Dominic's beautiful wife was truly captivating. Witnessing her redefine her boundaries and priorities was a refreshing change. Additionally, I appreciated the growth Dominic underwent, realizing that while money may come and go, true love must be cherished and nurtured because once it slips away, there's no reversing time.
Overall, I shared a love hate relationship with this book but would read again. 

Also, I enjoyed the little cameo of darling redhead Jules Ambrose and Dr. McSteamy Josh Chen from Twisted Hate. 

4.) King of Sloth (Book 4) by Ana Huang
Rating: ⭐⭐1/2
Genre: Romance/Contemporary Romance
Review:
I wanted to like this one. I really did. Unfortunately, King of Sloth moved at a pace as slow as its namesake, failing to hold my attention. Sloan Kensington is my personal favorite among the quartet of girls, and I was eager to see what author Ana Huang had in store for this strong, independent woman.
Sloan has tirelessly worked to break free from the shadow of being a nepo-baby. She distanced herself from her father's archaic influence, which pushed her to become nothing more than a trophy wife to a rich man to boost her social standards. Instead, she became the top PR agent for the elite. Handling every situation with grace and finesse, Sloan faced a new challenge when she took on the task of representing Xavier Castillo, the free-spending scion of Colombia's wealthiest family.
The grumpy-sunshine trope is rarely a favorite of mine, but I approached this book with excitement, primarily because the grumpy character was our female lead, while the male love interest was set to show her a life beyond the monotony of business. I appreciated that both characters shared complicated relationships with their fathers and had both lost their mothers in tragic ways.
Despite these promising elements, the book left me rolling my eyes and counting the times I almost DNF'd it. There were simply too many plot points.
For instance, Xavier is dealing with his dying father and the pressure to take over the family business or lose out on a $7.9 billion inheritance. Meanwhile, Sloan has a secret, much younger half-sister with a rare medical condition, leading her to conspire with the nanny for secret meet-ups. Then there’s the whole plotline of destroying a scummy gossip columnist for releasing private photos and outing the two. Wrapping up this complicated jumble of plotlines, we also follow Xavier as he overcomes his fear of failure and embarks on a journey to open his own nightclub, bringing together a giant cluster of cameos from previous characters going all the way back to the Twisted series. Finally, we get an even deeper backstory on why Sloan has chosen to distance herself from her family, her complicated history with showing any emotion, and the twist involving her full sister, Georgia.
There was so much going on that even as I write this, I can't keep track of it all. King of Sloth felt rushed. I honestly did not find the characters to have any true chemistry as it felt forced, just like their proximity. There was also a lot of cheese factor to it. Have you ever seen Sleepless in Seattle? Yeah, that kind of cheese.
All in all, I give this one 2.5 stars. Here's to hoping that King of Envy is given justice.