King of Sloth

Sloane is the second protagonist and point-of-view character in the novel. As the head of Kensington PR (a boutique public relations firm that she started from scratch six years ago), Sloane has built a reputation as a notoriously hard worker who seeks control and perfection. In earlier installments of the series, she has always been seen on her phone, completing tasks, or acting extremely high-strung and frazzled, and these patterns hint at her desperate need for a vacation. Sloane’s tension when dealing with her client of three years, Xavier, is also hinted at throughout the previous installments of the Kings of Sin series, and these details foreshadow the essence of the storyline in King of Sloth.

Though Sloane is in need of a vacation, she denies herself this luxury due to a combination of intense dedication to her job (which stems from her desire to be needed) and her focus on maintaining absolute control over her life. She has only ever taken two vacation days in her six years of running Kensington PR: one for her grandmother’s funeral and one when she was hospitalized with pneumonia. Even then, she had followed the rhythms of her work via email, and “[t]he thought of abandoning [her work] for even a minute made [her] stomach cramp” (7). Though her need for control is not necessarily work related in origin, her dedication to her career is a symptom of a larger problem.

Like Xavier, Sloane wears a carefully crafted mask. While she outwardly appears to have a perfect life and is “the picture of flawlessness” (125), Xavier knows all too well that appearances can be deceiving. His observant nature, especially when it comes to Sloane, allows him to see her insecurities and “flaws.” Whereas her family only claims to see an ice-queen exterior, Xavier takes the time to chip away at this façade and discover the person underneath. He eventually comes to love and appreciate her intelligence, conviction, and “fierce loyalty to those she care[s] about” (159). Unfortunately, Sloane views Xavier’s warmth, charisma, and optimism as signs that he is the worst possible match for her.

Sloane’s rocky romantic past has caused her to become deeply disillusioned by all things romantic, and she displays an unrelenting dedication to remaining detached from others—even from her own pet fish. To her closest friends, Sloane is considered “prickly, uptight, and as cuddly as a cactus” (97). By this point in her life, Sloane has internalized the frequent criticism of her “icy” nature. She believes that she will never be successful at dating because she is too cold and direct to genuinely connect with others. Sloane’s character growth comes from Finding Meaning in Personal Passions. Though she already feels needed in her current career, Sloane must find a sense of her own value through the passion that she shows to her loved ones. In the end, she accepts that she shows her love differently from everyone else, but this quirk does not make her any less emotional, nor does it make her any less worthy of receiving love in return.

Sloane has been estranged from her own family for over five years due to a severe falling out with her older sister, Georgia. The Kensington family consists of Sloane’s father, George; her stepmother, Caroline; her elder sister, Georgia; and her younger half-sister, Penelope (“Pen”).

As Sloane’s father and stepmother, George and Caroline are shallow socialites who are more invested in maintaining public appearance than in fostering genuine familial connections. The marriage between Sloane’s father and Sloane’s biological mother was loveless. Sloane’s mother died in a tragic horseback riding accident when Sloane was 14. Soon after her mother’s death, George married Caroline, who has never particularly liked Sloane or Georgia.

As George’s favorite daughter, Georgia enjoys a premier position in the family, but only because she married a successful man. George avoids discussing the scandal behind Georgia’s marriage to Bentley—who was previously Sloane’s fiancé before cheating on Sloane with Georgia. George and Caroline pretend that Sloane doesn’t exist, deeming her childish for refusing to forgive Georgia, and they ignore the fact that Georgia has never apologized or shown any remorse for her actions. 

Though Sloane pretends not to care what others think of her, she holds bitter thoughts about Georgia. When Georgia is first introduced, Sloane describes her as “a modern Grace Kelly who’[s] just stepped out of the pages of Vogue” (195), and this perception makes it clear that Sloane views Georgia as a better version of herself. Her perception of Georgia is heavily biased by the events that occurred between them and Bentley, which caused Sloan to harbor deep insecurities about her own self-worth. Because Bentley left Sloane for Georgia, Sloane naturally compares herself to Georgia and finds herself lacking even when there is no proof that this is true.

Pen is the only Kensington whom Sloane considers to be family. Though the two sisters are not officially allowed to see each other, Sloane manages to visit Pen in secret with the help of Pen’s nanny, Rhea. Pen is diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, a condition that causes her extreme fatigue, sleep issues, and joint and muscle pain. She experiences “crashes” that often resemble a forced-hibernation state; these interludes are caused by the body’s desperate attempts to recover after periods of overexertion. Pen’s parents hide her away, and Sloane believes that they are ashamed of Pen’s condition.

Dante is the CEO of the Russo Group, the world’s largest luxury goods conglomerate. He is also an acquaintance of Xavier’s father, Alberto Castillo, and for this reason, he is chosen as one fifth of Xavier’s committee, which is tasked with overseeing Xavier’s efforts at a CEO position in order to receive his portion of Alberto’s estate.

As the wife of Dante, Vivian is a luxury event planner in New York City. Her relationship with Dante began as an arranged marriage that neither party was thrilled with. However, out of the forced arrangement grew a genuine attraction, which eventually blossomed into love. They’ve been happily married for years and have a two-month-old child named Josephine.

Alessandra, the wife of Dominic, owns a flower-pressing shop that she began with the help of her friends. Though she shares a rocky past with her husband, they have managed to work through their issues. Following a short separation due to Dominic’s “workaholism and neglect” (296), Alessandra and Dominic have recently reconciled and are strengthening their previously strained relationship. Dominic (featured with Alessandra in King of Greed) is the CEO of the financial conglomerate Davenport Capital, which helps finance Xavier’s business venture.

Isabella, fiancée to Kai, is a writer of erotic thrillers. Kai is an esteemed member of the Valhalla Club’s managing committee, and he is also the CEO of the Young Enterprises media empire. He is a good friend of Sloane’s as well, and his connection to both her and Xavier is pivotal in helping Xavier build influential contacts and start his nightclub business. Kai has a reputation for being a solid friend with great advice, and his presence has been helpful to Dominic and Dante in the past. In King of Sloth, his sober perspective serves Xavier well.

As one of the contacts that Kai gives to Xavier to begin his nightclub endeavor, Vuk (featured in King of Envy) is the ideal business partner for Xavier due to his massive liquor empire, Markovic Holdings, which “range[s] from cheap wine any college student c[an] buy to fine champagne so rare, only a handful of bottles [a]re produced annually” (183). Vuk is highly intimidating due to his aversion to social connections and his frequent refusal to speak. Though Xavier respects Vuk, he also finds the man “deeply unsettling” due to a combination of “his silence, his status, and his [burn] scars” (185). Not much is known about Vuk personally, as Huang only reveals sparse details of his business dealings. Given that he is the male love interest and protagonist of the fifth Kings of Sin installment, his more frequent appearances in King of Sloth and his fixation on the supermodel Ayana are designed to raise questions that can only be answered by reading Huang’s next installment in the series.

First featured in Twisted Love, Alex is the second name on Kai’s list of contacts for Xavier. He is CEO of the Archer Group, a massive real estate development company, and he owns half the real estate in Manhattan. Xavier seeks to lease out a bank vault that Alex owns, which is located in the basement of a skyscraper.

Jules (featured in Twisted Hate) works with a prestigious law firm called Silver & Klein. She helps fast-track Xavier’s permits and licenses for his new business. She also works with Alex Volkov to obtain a commercial lease for the vault space.