King of Envy

The Kings of Sin series by Ana Huang is a collection of standalone romance novels that feature romantic unorthodox pairings, usually involving one or more wealthy individuals. Often delving into antagonistic tropes, such as divorce romances and enemies-to-lovers plotlines, each narrative emphasizes how unlikely and seemingly unfit all pairings are for one another before a series of events validates their love.

Though the collection will eventually have seven titles, as of 2025 only five have been published. King of Wrath features Dante Russo and Vivian Lau’s love story. King of Pride deals with polar opposites Kai Young and Isabella Valencia. King of Greed looks at the failing marriage between Dominic and Alessandra Davenport. King of Sloth showcases Xavier Castillo’s pursuit of his publicist, Sloane Kensington. King of Envy deals both with Ayana and Jordan’s sham engagement and Vuk Markovic and Ayana’s forbidden romance. The following two titles will be King of Gluttony and King of Lust, but their synopses have not yet been disclosed. While each novel is a standalone story, Huang nevertheless constructs a common narrative universe for all her storylines. Her characters often appear in cameos or more significant ways throughout the series.

In King of Envy, all the male leads in the previous novels make an appearance, with Xavier being the owner of the Vault, a club that Vuk has invested in and is often used for party locations throughout the novel. Kai and Dante are guests at Jordan’s bachelor party, with Dante also one of Vuk’s close friends and boxing partners. Dominic is the source of information on Emmanuelle’s nefarious dealings, as well as Roman’s older foster brother. The female characters are also interconnected, with Sloane serving as Ayana’s publicist and close friend, and Vivian and Isabella appearing as extras at Ayana’s bachelorette party.

Huang also includes callbacks to her past novels, such as the fire at the Vault in King of Sloth set by Roman, which Vuk is still investigating at the beginning of King of Envy, or the unresolved tension from King of Greed between Dominic and Roman. Likewise, Huang alludes to her future novels with the formal inclusion of new characters, specifically Maya Singh, a wealthy heiress, and her love-hate relationship with Sebastian Laurent, a millionaire, who will most likely feature as the main characters of King of Gluttony. The series thus details the inner workings and who’s-who of its elite social class.

As the fifth book in the series, King of Envy gestures toward the larger denouement that will bring together all the storylines published thus far: Roman’s mystery remains unresolved, and the Brotherhood—though currently leaderless—is presumably taking shape under his rule, while only two more romances are planned before the conclusion.