𑣲𝐥𝐢𝐧

If you’re the type who enjoys watching emotionally stunted billionaires self-destruct over women they can’t have, welcome. You’re home.

🎀 The Vibe:

Obsessive alpha who communicates via deadly glares and hands

Beauty and the Beast, but make it silent and Serbian

Forbidden romance

Low on plot, high on pining

Ana Huang’s signature universe crossovers

🎀 What works:

Vuk: This man is obsessed. He’s intense, reserved, terrifying to everyone except Ayana, and it’s hot. He’s the best part of this book, hands down.

Ayana: She is a supermodel. She has a functional family and no tragic past. She is..... okay. (I mean, there is nothing really special about her character. But I like her.)

ASL Representation: It’s rare to see a love interest who uses sign language and has chosen silence as a trauma response.

The crossovers: If you’re a fan of the Twisted and Kings of Sin series, the cameos here were chef’s kiss. They actually made sense, unlike some other shared universes (cough Dark Verse's Syndicator). Kai and Dante especially stole every scene they were in.

❌ What Didn’t Land:

Pacing issues: The first half is decent, but around 70% in, it just... drags. Characters start keeping secrets for the sake of “tension,” but we all know what’s going on. That “if we just talked this would be over” energy was frustrating.

The plot: Barely there. If you read the blurb, you already know the entire trajectory. No shockers, no big twist, just a long, slow emotional spiral.

Vuk being Cristian Harper, just mute edition: Obsessive, protective, emotionally constipated billionaire? Yeah, we’ve seen this man before. Vuk felt like Cristian 2.0—but this time with a tragic backstory and no spoken words. Same vibes, less dialogue.

🎀 Spoiler Zone (because we’re being real):

Ayana’s fiancé? A placeholder with zero depth. We all knew he was getting dumped.

The sex scenes? Worth the wait, but maybe a bit too delayed. When it finally happens, it hits—but girl, we were starving.

We get a spicy little setup for Maya and Sebastian—which I will be seated for.

🎀 Final Verdict:

🌟 Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Is it the best-written thing out there? Nah. But did I eat it up like it was my last meal? Hell yes.

Read it for:

The intense stares

The unspoken obsession

Slow burn

The moment Vuk finally breaks (you’ll know it when it hits)

Skip if you need:

A fast-paced plot

Big twists

Would I recommend it? Yep. Will you scream at the characters for being emotionally constipated? Oh, absolutely. Will you love every second anyway? Without question.

"What do I taste like?"

"Kak moya."

Remember Christian Allister was obsessed with Gianna for 8 years and went to therapy because of it, made connections with mafia just so he could see her, wore her hair tie on his wrist for 3 years, saw her get married twice, got down on her only to find she doesn't remember his name and when he finally had her, he washed her hair everynight and called her Malyshka.

Christian: Suspect is jealous of an inanimate objective, because his wife likes it more than him.

Nico, stops running: Oh, we're going personal?

Nico: Suspect is pussy-whipped for a woman who didn't even remember his name.

Christian:

“mia cara”

“can’t see the stars in new york, so i brought the stars to you.”

“you’re my fiancée.”

“you’re mine. and no one touches what’s mine.”

“it doesn’t take a genius to know what he was doing while he was thinking of you at midnight.”

“she wasn’t my wife yet. but she was mine.”

“make no mistake, mia cara. this is business. and if there’s one thing i take seriously, it’s my investments.”