Updated November 2, 2026 · reading data through September 2026
King of Envy
by Ana Huang
A scarred, reclusive billionaire who keeps almost everyone at a distance finds himself fixated on one woman. She is engaged to his oldest friend, and as her wedding nears, he must choose between loyalty and desire.
Best for: Readers who enjoy beauty-and-beast romances with forbidden longing and a brooding hero
King of Envy is #18 on BookWard's Rising chart for November 2026: the hottest new books published in the past two years.
What King of Envy is about
Vuk Markovic is a powerful, scarred billionaire who keeps to himself, rarely speaks and has no use for anyone outside a small, trusted circle. There is one exception: a woman he noticed first and wanted first. She is now engaged to his oldest friend.
With the wedding drawing closer, Vuk is pulled between loyalty and desire, and he may be willing to risk everything to have her. Framed as a beauty and the beast romance, the story leans into obsession and forbidden want. It is a good fit for readers who enjoy brooding, intense love stories where the central question is how far someone will go for the person he cannot have.
Why King of Envy is on the Rising chart
484 readers have shelved it on Open Library since 2025; 34 are reading it right now. The Rising score blends six public signals, each scored from 0 to 100 against the other new books and weighted as shown.
| Signal | This book | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reader pace | 84 | 28% |
| Buzz | 27 | 24% |
| Growth | 20 | 18% |
| Being read right now | 88 | 12% |
| Reader love | 45 | 10% |
| Newness | 60 | 8% |
New and popular Ranked on reader activity only; no Wikipedia page to measure.
The numbers behind it
- Wikipedia: no article yet, so this book is ranked on reader activity alone and we make no claim about its direction.
- Open Library readers: 441 want to read, 34 reading now, 9 have read it.
- Ratings: 3.83 out of 5 from 6 Open Library ratings.
King of Envy on the Rising chart: history
First on the chart this month. The history grows with every monthly update.
| Month | Rank | Score |
|---|---|---|
| November 2026 | #18 | 53 |
Questions about King of Envy
Is King of Envy a new book?
Yes. King of Envy by Ana Huang was first published in 2025, and BookWard's Rising chart only includes books published in the past two years.
Why is King of Envy on the Rising chart?
484 readers have shelved it on Open Library since 2025; 34 are reading it right now.
More new books readers are finding
- Can We Be Strangers Again? Shrijeet Shandilya
- King of Sloth Ana Huang
- Deep End Ali Hazelwood
Prefer proven favorites? See the Top 100, or all Rising books.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views. The description is paraphrased from real source text (Open Library or Wikipedia). A book is on the Rising chart only if it was published in 2025 or 2026 and its readers are active and its interest is not falling. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales. Read the full methodology.
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