Angels Are Falling

by Drethi A.

They tell you to marry the man who shows you the world. Nobody warns you about the one who'd burn it down for you.

AMELIE

Stefan promised me forever, a life held together with love and overdue bills. We were the couple that couldn't be broken.

Then the Prince of Darster invited us to dinner. Cold. Calculating. Beautiful enough to make you forget both. Kai Cavendish took one look at our drowning finances and offered my husband everything—the fortune, the dream career, the crown of this town.

The price was me.

A real marriage. His ring. His bed. His name.

And Stefan, who'd once sworn that not even God could separate us, asked where to sign.

Everyone gets the fairy tale wrong. They think the villain gives up when the story ends. But the villain has been watching me longer than I want to believe, and he never learned how to lose.

I married two men.

One sold me. One bought me.

Only one gets to keep me, and it won't be the one you're rooting for.

KAI

They cast me as the villain. Accurate.

I told her husband I could be his genie. Three wishes, anything he wanted.

But he never asked what my wish was.

Every man has a price. Her love was the only thing I couldn't buy.

So I bought him instead.

Be careful what you wish for…

*This book contains dubious scenes, stalking, manipulation, and issues such as mental health and drugs. Please read the author's note for a complete list of triggers. Depending on your comfort zone, the content might disturb you.

Genres: Dark Romance, Dark, Stalker, Romance, Retellings, Forced Proximity, Marriage Of Convenience

396 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 15, 2026

Reviews

[Wobilba]

What can I say? I love a manipulative unapologetic toxic MMC ❤️😋

[Kursed Reads]

Stefan Noble has always wanted more. A better job. A bigger house. Designer clothes. A bank account with lots of zeros. Everything Kai Cavendish has.

Kai, on the other hand, has only ever wanted one thing: Amelie Noble.

When the Prince of Darster offers Stefan everything he’s ever wanted, it’s all too easy to back Amelie into a corner. But what happens when you finally get everything you’ve ever wanted?

This was such an interesting twist on the love triangle, especially getting all three POVs and being able to see what each character is thinking. I was not prepared for the number of emotions this story would drag out of me.

By the end, I had a lot of feelings about Stefan. Not all of them good. 😂 Kai is a no-brainer - calculated and manipulative, but also thoughtful, passionate, and absolutely feral for Amelie and her love and affection. Swoon. And Amelie? Fierce, loyal, compassionate, and genuinely happy. She was incredibly easy to love.

I really don’t want to say much more because this is one you need to go into as blind as possible. It definitely won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. In fact, normally a love triangle is something I wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole, and I’m so glad I didn’t let that trope alone keep me from this one.

There is so much more than meets the eye here. And honestly, that’s exactly why you should read it without knowing too much going in.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Format: 📱

🗄️ Genre: Contemporary Romance
🗂️ Subgenre(s): New Adult

Ending: 💗 {HEA}
Length: 📚📚📚📚📚
POV: 👫🏻🧍🏼‍♂️ {Multiple | Present}
Emotions: 🤔😬🥵🫠😍
Darkness: 🩶🩶🩶
Burn: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

✨ Tropes: Age Gap (30/23??), Billionaire, Contractual Marriage, Enemies-to-Lovers, Forced Proximity, Marriage of Convenience, Polyandry, Retelling/Reimagining, Rich Boy x Poor Girl, Stolen from OM
 
💫 Microtropes: Boy Obsessed, Caretaker/Protective MMC, Forehead Kisses, He Falls First, He Falls Harder, It’s Always Been You, Just the Tip, Pet Name (Princess), POC/Interracial, Secrets & Lies

🔆 Character: Nurse, Photographer, White Collar

💋 Kinks: 🍑, Body Betrayal, Domination, Power Exchange, Rimming

🤰🏻 Pregnancy: Epilogue

🚩 Red Flags: Alphahole, Antihero/Villain, Bulldozer MMC, Dominant MMC, DubCon (by MMC), Jealous/Possessive/Obsessive, Manipulation, MINE!, “My Wife”, Tracking/Spying

⛔️ Safety Squad: OW/OM Drama, Recreational Drug Use, Violence (Mild), and other potentially triggering elements. Triggers may appear both on- and off-page, in the past and/or present, and to main and/or side characters. If you have any hesitation, check the warnings before diving in. Otherwise, blind is best!!

📍 Setting: California 🇺🇸

📣 Type: Angels Are Falling is the first book in the Twisted Ever After series of interconnected standalones.

⚠️ Warning: The hate-to-want-you in this one will give you whiplash and damp sticky thighs

🛑 Be Advised: My Goodreads shelves are … explicit in both senses. As such, they could be considered spoiler-y.

[Drethi Anis]

I'm so excited to share this dark Aladdin retelling with you. As most of my readers already know, I'm obsessed with retellings and I loved the idea of Jafar winning the girl. This love triangle between Kai, Stefan and Amelie took me almost a year to write, and at 120,000 words, it's my longest book yet.

There is another reason for writing this book. Two of the biggest parts of my identity are traveling the world and being a part of an interracial couple. My books often reflect that, as I love writing interracial couples where the focus isn't always on the cultural differences or tackling stereotypes, but rather on who they are and how they navigate their life.

I've found that Middle Eastern FMCs are severely underrepresented in the morally grey genre, and for years, I've wanted to write a character from Lebanon. I know that the Middle East gets a bad reputation. Despite the media portrayal, it is actually a normal place most of the time and probably my favorite part of the world. No matter how many times I visit, I have failed to see it the same way it is portrayed in the news. The FMC, Amelie, is everything I've experienced in real life, and I hope this book gives back some humanity to the people from the region and how they are perceived in mainstream media.

Thank you for reading.

[Sonia]

Genie being a villain and getting his wish wasn’t in my 2026 bingo card

And I ain’t even mad 💁🏻‍♀️

Cause Genie didn’t just grant himself a wish… he granted himself a wife 😮‍💨, one that was already married 😅👀.

Talk about the Disney twist we didn’t see coming 🫣🤣.

Whoda thunk that Genie and Jafar would come together and make me side-eye Aladdin 😅.

Cause I sure I didn’t expect it 👀.

Don’t tell me you never looked at Genie like the tall, muscular, glass of blueberry kool-aid water that he is? 😉 🤤

I mean, I did 😅🫣🫣🫣 especially when the live-action came out… cause HELLLLOOO WILL SMITH/GENIE 🥵. Mmmmhmmmm 🫠

And Jafar? Well… he just looks devious and like he gives no Fs what he does to get what he wants 😅.

And you know what? That’s not always a bad thing 💁🏻‍♀️

Cause this book is what happens when Genie isn’t exactly the hero we’ve known him to be 👀, and Aladdin isn’t as blameless as he’s been portrayed 👀.

The book opens up in Kai’s (30, Genie/Jafar) POV, and we quickly find out how much he’s been wanting Amelie (23, Jasmine). He has the perfect opportunity to get what he’s always been wanting: a family.

Then we have Stefan (23, Aladdin). Stefan’s parents passed away in a car accident years before; ever since then, he’s had to take care of his three younger siblings 🫶. But he’s not doing this alone- he’s doing it with Amelie ❤️. Amelie and Stefan are now married, and are basically the pseudo parents for the kids. But they’re struggling ☹️. They constantly have bills to pay (including when the kids get sick), jobs to go to, and parenting required on a daily basis 🫶. It’s so bad that Amelie has to work extra shifts (and has even passed out from how tired and overworked she is).

Enter Kai 👀.

Kai gets “injured” and is helped by Amelie who’s a nurse. To show his appreciation to her and her family, he invites them to a private event where the kids enjoy what it’s like living life with no limits ❤️.

And this is where he strikes a deal with Stefan.

Kai wants the family that Stefan has, so he’ll grant him his dream job and all the money that he could ever possibly want to never have worry about his future or the kids’ future in exchange for: marrying Amelia and being the family man he’s always wanted to be ❤️

Sounds simple… right? 😅

Except it’s NOT so simple… because what happens when the villain isn’t as villainous and the hero isn’t as heroic 👀.

I guess the princess (Amelie/Jasmine) has a lot of thinking to do 😅.

What I loved: POSSIBLE SPOILERS
— Kai being such a manipulative, unapologetic, bulldozer 😈. Look, he has money and is successful for many reasons, and this transcends to his personal life 👀. He’s possessive and calculating 😉 just the way I like ‘em 👀😈. And you know what? HE GIVES NOOOOO Fssssss 💁🏻‍♀️. He has an end goal and he knows just what he needs to do to get it 😮‍💨. Objectively, he’s bad on paper… but subjectively? Drethi made me love him 🤣😮‍💨🫣🫣🫣

— the 🔥. Ufff and there’s plenty of it 😉. It all starts at like 20%… Kai is gonna take it easy of it (well, duh, she’s emotionally unavailable 😬), but it slowly evolves into something raw, unhinged, sexy AF 🥵. Amelie can’t even help her body 😅 as much as she tries, and I was here for it

— how obsessed Kai is when ensuring Amelie feels 💦. If he could remain on his knees for her, he would 🥵😮‍💨. No way she’s not gonna feel pleasure while he’s around 🔥. And he gets in every nook and cranny possible 🫠

— the Aladdin retelling 👏🏻. It’s my first time reading one like, especially one where Aladdin is in my end goal 🤣🤣🤣. We get a poor man, we get a princess, we get wishes, and we get a happily ever after, with a twist 😈

— “be careful what you wish for” is the loudest ever in this book 😅.

— the twists 👀. Just when I thought I understood where this was going, the book pulled another rug out from under me 😅. Or… dare I say… the magic carpet rug 🤣😉 (you see what I did there?) 🤡🤡🤡

— he calls her princess 😉 (and baby) AND she smells like jasmine 👀

— the times I laughed 🤣. This MFer really pays her coworkers to call her Mrs. Canvendish 💁🏻‍♀️. No. Fs. Given 🤷🏻‍♀️as for a male colleague? Well, he can’t make eye contact if he wants to cash in pribe 🤡

— how close he listens to her 🫶. Sometimes, you just need someone to look at you like you’re their world ❤️

— having three POVs 👀. This actually made it so that I wasn’t hating any of the characters and i felt sympathetic 😅, but sympathy can only go so far 🤣🤣🤣 other times, i facepalmed stupid choices 🤦🏻‍♀️

— the emotional manipulation 😈. Kai is the star-STEM student universities covet because he’s an engineer at manipulation 😉. Just when you think something was going up, it curved around, and at the perfect angle too 💁🏻‍♀️. Talk about skillllllllsss

— or maybe he was the best dealer casinos wish they could hire 🤣🤡💀. Either way, he did it 🤷🏻‍♀️

— the dubcon (that could be considered noncon) 😅. Because… 🔥🔥🔥

— the angst 😅

— Kai is NOT a manwhore 😮‍💨. In fact, he hasn’t been with anyone in years

— the epilogue ❤️. I love me a HEA 🫶

What I didn’t like/wanted more of:
— I actually felt bad for Stefan 😬. Don’t get me wrong; some of the choices he made were awful and not the smartest, but I also understand why he did them. I kind of wish he was more of a bad guy so I didn’t feel so bad for him 🤣

— protection 😅. I know a lot of people prefer no condoms to be used, but I wanna know if people are clean 🤷🏻‍♀️. Luckily. This didn’t bother me too much since Kai is celibate 🤣

Overall, I loved this so much

⚠️safety squad⚠️ SPOILERS
-safe between the MCs
-cheating* (but not between MCs… the h is married to the OM when the H steals her. For a big part of the book, she still has “feelings” for the OM but then develops real feelings for the H). Later on, the OM forcibly kisses the h, but the h doesn’t respond back (after she’s developed feelings for the H)
-sharing*: although it seems like there’s going to be sharing, there’s none since the h is only with the H once the book begins (that we know of). She’s never intimate with the OM ever again. In the beginning, they’re still married and living together, but she’s turned off by OM in basically selling the h to the H 😬
-owd* but not because of H. The OM has his dream singer come onto him. He doesn’t cheat but he does things with her (like do drugs and visit the h’s childhood city 😬) that make the h feel awful
-anxiety attack
-suicidal thoughts
-noncon/dubcon
-anal play
-no condoms: the H has been celibate, the h hasn’t been since she’s married (but has only ever been with OM). No info on her being on birth control either
-HEA/epilogue/two years later

[Kseniia]

“The angels are falling on me because Amelie is thinking of me.” 💔

“I intended to spend the rest of mine making sure she never had to ask twice.” — the best husband material

“She measured a home in memories, and her measurements were my religion.” Oh💔

“In this story, however, the villain won.” — May we all have such a “villain” in our stories.

My eyes are wet. It’s the best story of Dreathi I’ve read.
Deep, touching, painful, unforgettable.

[Lia]

4.8 ⭐️
This book exceeded my every expectation with its depth, sensitivity, and the incredible love at its heart—a love more precious than anything in the world, beyond measure

[˚₊‧꒰ა vruxreads ໒꒱ ‧₊˚]

4.5 ⭐️

OH, KAI. 😭 This man was DELICIOUS.

The premise alone had me hooked, but Kai completely stole the show. Possessive, manipulative, calculating, absolutely unhinged about Amelie... basically everything I want in a dark romance hero. He really said your wish is my command and then proceeded to make it everyone else's problem. 😂

And the funniest part? Amelie had this man wrapped around her finger. She barely had to ask for anything before Kai was already making it happen. He could be terrifying one minute and completely gone for her the next. I LOVED that contrast.

Amelie was also such a great heroine. She wasn't just sitting around letting everything happen to her, and I loved watching her navigate Kai and the insane situation she'd been thrown into.

This was messy, toxic, dramatic, and exactly the kind of dark romance chaos I signed up for. Kai, sir... you're absolutely terrible, but unfortunately, I am obsessed. 😭

- no cheating, no ow drama

[Crystal]

Be careful what you wish for! Full review to come. Absolute gold!

[Yuliia]

Як же харашо, дєвачкі 😍

Дуже сподобалось. Прям ДУЖЕ.

Пан Кінчик офіційно займає перше місце 🥇❤️‍🔥
Я там буквально кожну другу сторінку виділяла.

І як же класно, що глави були від трьох сторін. Побачити всі ці переживання, думки й те, наскільки по-різному кожен із них сприймав одну й ту саму ситуацію 🤌

Стефанчік.

Як же мені було огидно від його дій і думок протягом майже всієї книги 🫠 Яскравий приклад того, що гроші його взагалі не прикрашали.

Він поводився як мала дитина, якій терміново потрібна саме та іграшка, яку тримає інша дитина. Я чесно засуджувала його всю книгу. А потім ближче до кінця раптом зрозуміла: а він і був дитиною.

Дитиною, яка зростала в суспільстві, що її не поважало. Яка бачила розкіш як норму, але сама її не мала. Яка гарувала, щоб вирватися з цього життя і нарешті чогось досягти.

А потім цей шанс у нього забрали. І, будемо чесними, не без допомоги Кая.

Стефан настільки сильно вчепився у свою мрію, настільки був нею засліплений, що в гонитві за всім, чого йому так хотілося, втратив єдине по-справжньому цінне, що мав.

«Бійся своїх бажань» — тут просто ідеально.

Але водночас Кай дуже влучно сказав:

«Хтось міг би подумати, що я закладаю фундамент його краху, але це було не так. Я лише дав йому матеріали. Він сам будував — цеглина за проклятою цеглиною.»

І це теж правда 🤌

Бо, Стефанчік, ну ти ж головою подумай 😭 ХТО просто так прийде і здійснить усі твої мрії? Хто продасть власну жінку іншому чоловікові просто тому, що ти дуже попросив? Чого ти взагалі очікував?

«Стефан мав дар приймати домовленості, які йому підходили, не аналізуючи їх надто глибоко. Це була умисна сліпота чоловіка, який хотів гарних речей і знайшов когось, готового їх надати.»

Оце прям він. Він бачив лише те, що хотів бачити, бо результат його влаштовував.

А це:

«Благаю, тільки не змушуй мене спостерігати за вашими стосунками. Я цього не витримаю.»

Ой, Стефанчік… 😌
Саме цим ти тепер і будеш зайнятий до кінця життя.


А тепер Кай ❤️‍🔥

ОЦЕ МУЖИК.

Він нічого не боявся - він просто брав. Людина дій. Бачить ціль - не бачить перешкод.

І БОЖЕ, який же він був спраглий до неї 😩❤️‍🔥

Їхня перша ніч 🔥🔥🔥
Я буквально дригала ніжками від захвату.

«— Дозволь мені це, — шепнув він.— Будь ласка, Амелі. Це все, про що я прошу.»

«— Спробуй не ненавидіти мене за це, бо не було іншого способу зробити тебе моєю.»

Пан Кінчик, вітаю з першим місцем 🥇😂

Хоча гімна він, звичайно, теж наробив нормально так 😅 Святим ми його тут робити не будемо.

І окремо Амелі 💔

Її мені було по-справжньому шкода. Я навіть не уявляю, наскільки боляче усвідомити, що найдорожча для тебе людина фактично продала тебе заради власних мрій, а потім ще й переконувала, що все це робить заради тебе.

Оце «я роблю це для нас» при тому, що ніхто тебе не питав, чи потрібне тобі таке «для нас» -просто 🤡

І, здається, Амелі -перша героїня в цій серії, до якої в мене майже немає питань. Мені подобались її реакції, її почуття і те, як вона поводилась у всьому цьому дурдомі.

Коротше…

Я ТАК КАЙФОНУЛА ВІД ЦІЄЇ КНИЖКИ 😍🔥

Емоції були, драма була, мужики творили херню, Пан Кінчик отримав золоту медаль -що ще треба для щастя? ❤️‍🔥

[Jules]

5 well deserved stars and I am so sad it's over! For once, I wouldn't have minded if it was longer, especially if we got more of Kai's POV.

This is the third book I've read in a row by Drethi and it's my fave. The storyline was unique while incorporating elements from the fairytale. The way the author mirrored and basically had the 2 men switch positions was chef's kiss. Amelie's conflict over her loss of autonomy was poignant and heartbreaking. She continuously sacrificed and chose someone who traded her in for the glitz and glam only to come back and expect her to feel the same consuming love for him after the betrayal. Glad our girl has fire and a backbone. All she wanted was an ordinary life and Kai gave up everything to provide that to her.

Kai is just the perfect anti hero and ranks in the top 3 of my book boyfriends. He was so tragically obsessed that it led him down a self destructive path. I really did feel for him. But this dude never gave up. Once he saw an opening, he swooped in and set himself up for success. He was not going to stop until he had her heart which was his wish. He chose Amelie even before she knew he existed, placing her first above and beyond everything while never making her doubt where she stood with him.

Stefan was tragic in his own way. He was blinded by greed and did the classic "didn't know what I had til it was gone". However, you also couldn't help but feel bad for him. So many irredeemable mistakes from a desperate man who lost what mattered most in the end.

I normally blast through and can't wait to finish a book but I really took my time with this one and even went back to certain parts for a reread cuz it was just hitting all the spots and feels. I love a good villain and this scratched the itch.

Only thing is that we got way too much of Stefan's POV and not enough of Kai's.

Safety - non virgins, OWD, OMD (love triangle with a polyandrous setup), no cheating (FMC and MMC are faithful to each other after getting together), sharing (emotional), no on page sex with OP, non manwhore MMC (he was celibate since he first laid eyes on her).

[Tetiana O]

4,5⭐️
З чого б почати мій відгук 😅. Напевно, з того, шо це перша прочитана мною книга з подібним тропом - поліаморний шлюб з всіма його проблемами. (Попередні книги з вай чуз не рахую😅). Це було досить цікаво.

Мені не подобалось, що вона стала товаром і я повністю розуміла її холодність до Кая на самому початку. Але тут приходить істина, не буде раю в шалаші, яке б не було кохання. Тактак, знаєм хто ставив палкі в колеса, не секрет з самого початку, а то і з іншої книги авторки.

Стефан вийшов персонажем якоїсь дитячої повчальної казки з моралью - ти не цінуєш те що маєш. Для нього гроші - єдине бажання і вирішення всіх проблем. Хоч Стефана вони і зіпсували, я не можу стверджувати, що це зло. Це ресурс, яким не треба хизуватися. А він все просрав і тут. Він був щасливим в бідності, а зрозумів це лише розбагатівши і втративши все інше.

А ціну за все його щасливе життя сплачувала Амелі. Це була така красива маніпуляція, зі сторони обох чоловіків (дах, серцозно?). Мені було боляче разом з нею, осягнути, що кохання всього твого життя виставило тебе на продаж, заради якихось дитячих амбіцій. Обкрутив навколо пальця і зіграв на почутті провини.

Кай - щє той змій спокусник і вмілий маніпулятор. Підставляти кожен момент саме так, як йому треба - це талант! Він на стільки одержимий, кохати роками, спостерігати з тіні. Він вибудував справжню бізнес стратегію, просто щоб досягти цієї жінки. Це варте його похвалити, але інструменти, які він використав для цього доволі сумнівні.

А щє було гидко від його «кохання» в деяких сценах сексу, де згоди я не бачила і близько, навіть сумнівної 🫠. За це власне і знімаю зірочки.

[Anastasiia]

4⭐️
Книга однозначно захоплює з перших сторінок. Але залишає і післясмак, бо емоційно було важко читати фінальні сцени.
Дуже великим плюсом є думка трьох сторін. Ми читали і переживали щастя та біль кожного.

Я так боялась цих любовних трикутників, що тут пірнула прям з головою у вир їх подій. І це було достатньо складно, адже для мене тут не було однозначного лиходія. І Кай, і Стефан мали як і позитивні сторони, так і негативні.
Я цілком зрозуміла, як Стефан усе втратив. Як він продав найдорожче в своєму житті, і як потім шкодував

"Ти продав мене.... Я сиділа в конференц-залі, поки десять адвокатів обговорювали, що моє тіло винне по тижнях, і я продовжувала чекати, поки ти покладеш цьому край..."
"Ти проміняв мене на все це й сказав мені, що зробив це для мене."

Щодо Кая, він сам сказав, що лиходій. І він це підтвердив. Звичайно, його наміри були абсолютно тільки заради коханої жінки. Його кохання та відданість ніколи не ставились під сумнів. Він не ризикував би цим. Але все ж, Кай змусив пройти шлях випробувань для Амелі. Він маніпулював, і дуже часто саме вона страждала від цього.
Так, в результаті, вона знайшла шлях до їх кохання. Проте, якою ціною. Іноді мені хотілось сказати їй, залишити їх обох і бути щасливою деінде.

Ця книга точно не про красиву історію кохання. Так, місцями буде приємно і гаряче. Але вам буде боляче від їхніх рішень і почуттів.

[Eunoia]

need safety info :)

[celestial sun (semi hiatus)]

OMG OMG OMG, I LOVED THISSS😭

I’m eating up every single crumb of this book yom yom yom 🤌

Where do I even start?

So basically this book is about Kai falling completely, utterly, hopelessly for Amelie, a woman who is already married to guy, Stefan. Amelie and Stefan are struggling financially when this insanely rich man Kai offers Stefan money and anything he wished, in exchange for Amelie.

And KAI💋 My God. I absolutely loved Kai. He was exactly the kind of MMC you want in a dark romance...devoted, loyal, unhinged, cunning, and witty. His entire world revolved around Amelie. The man was patient, calculating and willing to go to absolutely insane lengths for her 🙏 The level of devotion and yearning was EVERYTHING

Amelie was amazing. My poor girl just wanted a simple life with the man she loved and a family of her own. I really liked that she stood her ground when she needed to, acknowledged her feelings and actually spoke her mind instead of just going along with everything happening around her. Though most of the times her hands were tied and she couldn't actually do anything.

Stefan...Idk man. He was... nice. That's it. I don't hate him particularly. What he did was obviously wrong but in the end he got exactly what he wished for so who am I to sit here feeling sorry for him?if anything I mostly felt a little pity for him. Kai did manipulate things but in the end it was all Stefan's choices that led him where he is

I REALLY loved this book. Everything came together so well and that ending was PERFECT. The only thing I wish hadn't happened was Kai tricking Amelie into intimacy during their first time. It wasn't non-consensual and Amelie herself acknowledged that she enjoyed it but felt guilty and thought that she was betraying Stefan while being with Kai. Aside from that everything else was perfect

I already know I'm going to be thinking about this book for a LONG time. And I'm definitely going to miss both of the MCs😭🩷

Kai’s devotion
Kai’s scheming
Kai’s absolute determination to get Amelie.
Yeah... this man was not playing around 👀

this cunning little fellow Kai was wild for Amelie

Safety

Kai: He had been celibate since the first time he saw Amelie which was years ago. He wasn't interested in anyone else. His fixation was entirely on HER

Amelie: She shared a few kisses with Stefan after marrying Kai but they didn't become intimate. The book doesn't specify when the last time they were intimate but given their situation seems to have been quite some time ago.

Stefan: He's the OM in this story, so this may not matter to some but he had a celebrity crush when he was fifteen and he eventually ended up working with her. That caused some strain in his relationship with Amelie (ofc Kai was somewhat involved in this becoz he is just that witted👀😏)

[Shabby -BookBistroBlog]

“I've NEVER-EVER read a book like this before!!”
This arc sign-up came from The Smuthood PR. the Blurb hooked me, so I signed up. But it EXCEEDED my expectations tenfold.
What. Story.
What writing.
What emotions.
The story opens with a happy family, bound together by strong, unbreakable bonds of real love, even as they struggle to keep food on the table. Stefan Noble, Amelie and his orphaned siblings- Jamie & August and Bella adore Amelie, who's blindly, consumed by love for Stefan.
Kai Cavendish, Prince of Dartser is the silent stalker who covets Amelie. He watches her from beyond the fence, through the door, keeps tabs on her
So he makes an Indecent Proposal

“I want your wife and kids”

W.T.F!!


The AUDACITY of Kai
The INACTIVENESS of Stefan
The PROPSTEROUSNESS of even the Idea
My gawd. I expected Stefan to get up. Slap Kai and walk away
But Drethi flips the story. The Epic love turns into a letmethinkaboutit moment!
Now the hero and the villain swap places. The twist plays out right in front of your eyes. The repercussions happen, consequences spread like wildfire and I'm was SCREAMING - I told you so dumbass! And still couldn't stop the disaster from unfolding.
I swear my heart was going through a wringer.
But like Aladdin says-

“Be Careful What You Wish For”

What Stefan leaves on the curb, Kai picks up and treasures it.
I HATED, DETESTED Kai in the beginning. But buy the end I was crying tears for him
How did that happen??
His character has the biggest arch. The transformation, devotion and obsession completely won me over

“ I was supposed to feel sorry for the hero of this story. I felt nothing. I’d handed him everything he’d wished for, it wasn’t my fault he was unhappy with the outcome. He could stand there for all of eternity, and I wouldn’t give a shit. In fact, I’d only throw salt in his wound and leave him with one final word.  Suffer.”

Stefan went down like a drunk bugger he was.
Through all the mess emerges one warrior queen - Amelie. She protects and exercises her right to choose. That was the most refreshing part of the story. No nonsensical dilemma, no cheesy, formulaic decisions or dialogues, no conundrum of choosing whom.
Amelie knows her value and demands double and I was jumping for joy



The sensibility,maturity displayed by the author blew. My.mind!
I'm so taken by her writing prowess, Drethi will be my new obsession. I'm going to read all her books now
“10 stars for Terms & Conditions”
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[Katie Murphy]

Looking for a red flagged man who is absolutely devoted to his lady? Well let me introduce Kai Cavendish. This book is loosely based on the tale of Aladdin but instead of a Gene with 3 wishes you have Kai and with his wishes he wants something in return. But be warned as the hero may get more than he bargained for leaving the villain of the tale more better off.

Kai first laid eyes on his soul mate Amelie when he was giving a presentation at a university and from that day he was absolutely entranced. The issue was Amelie was 7 years younger than Kai and she was deeply in love with her boyfriend Stefan who she went on to marry upon finishing university. Even though Kai may have lost out on his chance he watched Amelie from a far, she was his world and over the years he started to devise a plan to ensure Amelie would be his.

While Kai’s life revolved around Amelie, her life revolved around her husband Stefan and his siblings, as now she found herself co-raising them with Stefan after they lost their parents. With financial burdens increasing Amelie decides to take a once off job for a yacht party, which you may remember it as Rose & Cadens engagement party from Unapologetic Obsession. Now despite all this Amelie isn’t aware of who Kai is so when she tends to his injured hand and accepts dinner with her husband and his little siblings as a thank you she doesn’t find anything strange.

It is during this dinner that Kai proposes a proposition to Stefan in which rather than steal his wife, he wants to join their family and he will make their financial problems evaporate. Yes Stefan was horrified by the proposal as you would expect from a man deeply in love with his wife but Kai’s manipulation tactics got him thinking and he didn’t want Amelie to resent him in the future if they didn’t solve their problems and as such he convinces Amelie to go along with the deal. The proposal notes that Amelie will divorce Stefan and legally marry Kai.

While Amelie was very hesitant and more or less against this in the first place this proposal actually opened her eyes as it did mine. Kai was a billionaire yes but he was lonely and wanted to devote his life to Amelie, he was always there when she needed him and he put her and the kids first in every single scenario in this book. On the other hand you have Stefan who had exactly what Kai dreamed of but once he got a taste of the wealth it was like his family didn’t seem to exist anymore and honestly my heart shattered for Amelie because she loved Stefan more than anything and yes he did with her at a point but he loved the wealth more and when he realised that, he had already lost Amelie’s heart to Kai.

What I loved about this book is we got the a POVs from Amelie, Kai and Stefan. As readers we were able to have access to their thoughts and relationships and this was definitely beneficial throughout the book and also allow readers to come to their own conclusions on the characters.

Kai Cavendish is nothing but a patient man as he definitely played the waiting game here, did he manipulate some of Stefans choices oh absolutely but Stefan didn’t help himself either whatsoever.

Overall I absolutely loved this book. Thank you to the author who provided this e-arc for my honest thoughts 💭

[Ashieeeboo ❤️‍🔥]

when I say I want them obsessed, Kai is the very definition of that. 🤏🏻

[Hey Lin]

Listen Linda…..I usually love Drethi Anis books because she always has all the elements I love. This one was better than her and Nenia Campbell’s dual author disaster of a book called Xander, but still lots of things didn’t sit right with me. Come along…..let me rage….i mean…..spoil all the details.

There is a bit of continuation from Unapologetic Obsession, but no biggie if you haven’t read it. H sees the h during a school thing and finds out that she’s way too young so he waits til she’s a bit older to introduce himself. Meanwhile, she already has a boyfriend and they get engaged and married when his parents die. They wanted to be together when they take care of his 3 younger siblings. That was my first “Huh?” Moment because Drethi men usually don’t really give a shit about age or consent 😂 that’s why they’re morally grey. Why didn’t he just introduce himself even when she was 17 and make sure the boyfriend/husband wasn’t even going to be an option in the first place? I know it’s supposed to be a Jafar retelling where he gets the girl but……it just didn’t fit with the usual of what I like from this author.

Anyway, H starts to make sure that their financial situation is dire so that the husband will take the bargain he offers: he wants to be the other husband and have a throuple relationship where they share the h. He makes the h divorce her husband and marry him instead and offers the ex husband money, prestiage, a new career as a travel magazine CEO and the ex husband takes the deal while enjoying his newfound fortune. Meanwhile, the h is being dubiously coerced into sex and feels like she’s been sold to the new H so that her husband can have this new life. He’s constantly working, ignoring dinners with her that she planned, starts doing drugs, etc. The moment when she starts to get sick of this new version of the ex husband was when she’s visiting her home country and her husband lies to her when he’s in the same city as her. And the new H manipulates the old H by having him with another woman (a famous singer that he loved growing up) with him. I honestly thought the author was going to have the h catch him in bed with the ex husband but they were just at a restaurant together. BORING. The h makes the act of them being together at a restaurant (while she’s with another man *cough cough*) the most horrible thing ever and it’s only then that she stops loving her husband and starts to love her new one. LAME.

You know what’s also lame? Anytime the h got a phone call, hung out with the ex husband or did anything with him, the new H got irrationally angry. Like…..bro…..you came up with this brilliant plan to be with your woman WITH the old husband. You are an idiot 🙄🤦‍♀️ You’re so possesive and jealous but YOU wanted this sister bros situation!!!!! Like, make it make some sense.

Later on, it comes to light that the new H’s parents were going up to the college where the h was attending because their son was always there to stalk her. His parents kill the ex husband’s parents in a car accident. Ok. Ho hum. That didn’t really faze me so 🤷‍♀️

In the end, the whole new H and the h are a happy family with ex husband’s siblings and although the ex husband now has everything he thought he wanted, he is now the one pining for his whole life with his ex wife.

Yeah………ok.

[Niry 🪽]

IM IN LOVEEEEE

[Bookiemonster]

I enjoyed this book throughly and being able to read Stefan’s POV was such a good insight. It made me feel torn but then I’d have to remember that he chose this and how much he hurt Amelie.
I can’t wait for the next instalment!

[Erica Curtis]

My heart is broken for Stefan; This was a 22/23 year old who lost his parents and had to take quick custody of his three siblings. The story keeps focusing on his resentment but he is a person who had dreams and had them suddenly ripped away. He didn’t react negatively or in anger. He stepped up and got a job that would support his new family and did everything he could to make them happy (which was spoken about REPEATEDLY in the book).
I understand that he made all the decisions (I say this loosely, because let’s be honest this is entrapment) but I can’t help but feel sorry for him.

I didn’t enjoy this story as much as the others. Amalie felt like a fraud, it’s pointed out multiple times throughout the book about how fiercely loyal she is but completely turns away from the person she’s been “blindly in love” with since high school; this is all without even a sliver of a conversation about what has happened. Then when Stefan tries to bring this all to her attention and explain what happened, she doesn’t want to listen and doesn’t care.

It’s also almost perverse how Kai just moved them all into Stefan’s childhood home at the end of the book.

Honestly, I have so many more opinions on this book but to end on a positive note…the writing as always is amazing and the story is gripping and easy to follow.

[Hara Pieris]

I’m so excited for Kai and Amelie’s story! I can’t wait to see more of Drethi’s work.

[Bolu]

I thoroughly enjoyed this retelling of Aladdin. I also got quite a kick out of the Afterword, where Drethi Anis confessed that Indecent Proposal was also a major source of inspiration for the story. I suspected it from the beginning.

I can’t imagine the weight of losing Stefan’s parents, or the burden of everything that loss ultimately cost both him and Amelie. However, I deeply resented Stefan for the way he handled it. I could tell from the very beginning exactly what kind of man he was. He was practically the embodiment of the green-eyed monster.

Stefan essentially forced Amelie’s hand. She never wanted to enter into the arrangement in the first place. Heck, she kept her nursing job to preserved some semblance of her independence. Yet Stefan seemed to conveniently forget who had been standing beside him through everything. The person who had loved him, supported him, and sacrificed for him long before the shiny new life came along.

And that is what bothered me most about Stefan: Amelie’s love for him was completely unconditional.

I have a deep belief that unconditional love is something primarily reserved for parents and their children. The sacrifices Amelie made for Stefan were, in my eyes, the kind of sacrifices only a mother could make. She gave and gave, often without asking for anything in return, while Stefan seemed far more preoccupied with what he wanted and what he had to gain.

He was so quick to shed his old life, his responsibilities, and even his family. And what really got under my skin was that he barely stopped to consider how Amelie felt about any of it.

Yes, I understand that Kai knew exactly how to dangle the proverbial carrot in front of Stefan. But not once did Stefan seem to stop and think about Amelie or his siblings before chasing after the life being offered to him. It was as though everything outside of his own wants temporarily ceased to exist.

And, honestly, I could even argue that Amelie wasn’t solely in love with Stefan. I think she was also in love with the idea of family — the warmth, security, affection, and sense of belonging that came with finally being part of a family unit.

Loneliness is a silent killer. For a child to experience that level of loneliness and isolation must have taken an enormous toll on her psyche. When you’ve spent so much of your life feeling invisible, unwanted, and alone, being welcomed into a family that sees you, loves you, and makes space for you can feel almost impossible to walk away from.

When you’ve spent your life in the cold of isolation, even the smallest warmth of belonging can feel like salvation

This is the second book I’ve read by Drethi Anis, and I’m starting to notice a pattern that really strikes a chord with me. She seems to have a particular fondness for strong, dependable, consistent male characters — the Sunday-morning type of love. The kind of love that isn’t necessarily flashy, but shows up. The kind that stays. The kind that transcends circumstances and weathers every storm.

Which brings us, rather conveniently, to Kai.

Kai has committed more than his fair share of questionable acts — but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t thoroughly enjoy his character. There’s just something about a man who knows exactly what he wants and is willing to move heaven, earth, and several moral boundaries to get it. (Within the context of fiction strictly lol)

Unfortunately for Stefan, and rather fortunately for Kai, there is a certain irony in all of this. Perhaps those who have spent the longest time outside the warmth of belonging are the ones who recognize its value most instinctively when they finally find it. Kai certainly seemed to understand that value — and, unlike Stefan, he never appeared particularly interested in taking it for granted.

Ultimately, Angels Are Falling was a surprisingly thought-provoking read for me. Beneath all the romance and questionable decision-making, I found myself genuinely invested in its exploration of family, belonging, sacrifice, and the complicated ways in which our deepest emotional needs or wants can shape the choices we make.

[Blue]

I love the MMC, he’s so manipulative and so unapologetic about it but I don’t love the premise. I read this book for the MMC and pretty much hate everything else about it. I hate that the OM called the FMC his wife and that she’s his wife at all. I get it, it’s the whole plot and it kept me up reading but the concept trigger me. Yes apparently I’m a Karen, sue me.

Safety, FMC kissed OM and slept in his bed (no sex) but pretty much cuddle, before her feelings for MMC, she craves OM attention and touch. Also we don’t know for sure if MMC was celibate after meeting her, we assumed he was but it’s not stated clearly, it’s eluded to that he went down the deep end at some point and we know drug and alcohol was involved but I would have like it and rated it higher if it’s clearly stated that yes he was obsessed since the moment he saw her and never looked at another woman since. See, not that hard.

[↬ Ⓛ]

Axel from 5,000 nights was my main, and just got dethroned by my husband Kai because he showed up, and show out… like move over, I’m the upgrade—this is a hostile takeover of the entire obsession department. Kai is my soulmate, I’m afraid no one can measure up to him now. 😭 Legit hype, and crashing out over a fictional man who I’m very unhinged for—this is so unhealthily. 🫠

[Shell]

I have put off this review as long as I did because I was very conflicted. I wanted to wait and see other reviews before I did, mainly because I thought I was an outlier.

I had to recheck what everyone's definition of sexual coercion was because my definition was not this. The scenes was straight up non con/grape, which I guess everyone considers coercion. So, I'll let that be and won't argue that point.

As far as the rest, it just wasn't enjoyable. I was excited for an Aladdin retelling. And the "Genie" being the villan? Yes! Sign me up please. It just ended up falling flat for me.

We didn't really *need* Stefan's POV. It was almost irrelevant. About the only chapters that were needed was the first and last one. The others I just found myself telling him to shut up.

When did Amalie actually fall in love with Kai? What exactly did he do that made her love him? Because I would have loved to see that scene? They don't have one scene where he is normal and nice and not manipulating her at some point. I'm all for villain gets the girl. He's not so much a villain as I feel like he's just narcissistic. He's not in love with her. It's literally just obsession. And the only reason she "loves" him back is because he's just there.

Also, how are the kids just ok with all of this? I get Bella, but the boys are 7/8. How are they not questioning the insanity of it all. Idk maybe I was just an inquisitive kid.

Overall, I think this author just is not for me. Which is ok. I've been wanting to expand out from my main authors and I'm glad I gave Drethi a try. I hope if you do decide to pick up the book, you enjoy it.

Happy reading 🌻

Thank you to Drethi and The Smuthood for a chance to read this ARC.

[Tara]

I caaaant wait pls release this 😭

[Emmy Wong]

This was a genius masterpiece dark romance retelling of the Aladdin story. It hit parts of my heart in ways I never thought possible and also had the most outrageous plot twists. One of the catch lines of this book is “careful what you wish for” which kind of also reminds me of the movie Obsession that was very popular when I read it, and trust me it’s horrific and amazing in the same way (and yes Stefen the old husband is Bear, luckily Kai is there to “save” Amelie). I will not gaslight you into thinking that Kai is a good guy because he’s not. In this twisted Aladdin story he’s the genie but also the villain, but one thing he is NOT is Jafar and that’s an important distinction. He’s such an interesting character, on one hand he’s the Prince of Darster the zillionaire but also a man who lost everything to another, which is exactly why he built an empire to get it back. And even though he’s super hot and good with kids, he’s a total red flag (which both Amelie and I choose to ignore btw) and there is serious dubcon/grape in the start and major manipulation throughout the book so please check the triggers. Some parts of this story will be quite obvious if you’ve read couple of dark romances but I enjoyed the tiny bit of predictability before it all came crashing down. The plot twists in this book were freaking insane I was choking from shock, and gosh when you find out why this book is called “angels are falling” I swear you’ll never be the same. Drethi A is a freaking literary genius and the way this story was told was mastery. Even though I hated Stefan and dreaded his parts at first, see in the downfall of his life and him getting replaced by Kai, and realising it’s because of his dumb wish, was pure evil genius (and gave me quite some satisfaction too haha). Kai truly was a master manipulator but I loved him and Amelie together and honestly I can’t help but be impressed at his genius (courtesy of the amazing Drethi A) in making it happen. And honestly I felt quite bad for Amelie cause she was just a kind soul who wanted unconditional love, she just the wrong husband the first time around. It really has been a while since a book has had such a huge impact on me and this masterpiece will probably haunt me in my dreams. This book is a straight 6/5 and I can’t wait to see what comes next in this series (I’m seeing a beauty and the beast retelling is next and it’s one of my faves!).

[J]

4.75⭐️ This was so unbelievably heart-wrenching and incredible. It has changed me for good.

Oh. My. God. Going into this book, this was not what I was expecting in the slightest. I was completely, entirely thrown and I have never read a plot as unique as this. This book literally showed me the importance and value of real, true love burning with ferocious loyalty and undying passion, and that’s not something I can say about any other book so far. I literally have no words.

Not for one moment, when I opened this was I expecting THREE povs or to feel heartbreakingly sorry for the other man! The way I couldn’t stop crying at times and felt so deeply for every character really shows Anis’ dedication to her characters and mind-blowing storytelling. I feel like my heart needs to be glued back together ASAP!

I’m so glad our evil, villainous Kai won the war, and won Amelie, but I ache for Stefan despite knowing he’s wrong! I could literally feel the intricate, tangled web of Kai’s insistent manipulation, and I fell knowingly into the trap with no return or regrets. And I love him. I was rooting for my queen Amelie all along, and she finally received the endless devotion and worship she deserved. Kai was 100% the villain and I couldn’t help falling for him! He was the best anti-hero ever- there was no way he was going to stop until he got the only thing he’s ever wanted!

The only reason this wasn’t 5⭐️ is because I wished we had focused more on Kai’s devotion and romance with Amelie near the end, rather than zeroing in on the competition and jealousy between Kai and Stefan. But, overall- so good!

[mia ˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚]

"I had spent my whole life waiting to be somebody’s first choice, and Kai had chosen me before I ever knew his name."

4.5 stars ⁺‧₊˚ ཐི⋆♱⋆ཋྀ ˚₊‧⁺

omfg. drethi has done it again. how can this woman write such drugging, overwhelming, wonderful stories when you're forced to root for one of the most manipulative heroes ever?

this story is so sweet and sad in so many areas. caden will always be my #1, but kai is a close, enthralling second. this man literally loved Amelie his whole life, before she even knew he was alive. he put her through a college, continuously tried to get rid of her husband, and was what she needed all along. i truly really enjoyed Amelie as a fmc. she's beautiful and incredibly loyal which i loved. kai needed someone to love his broken parts all along. he gave up his entire empire jsut for a piece of her. and god that scene when he came back to LA to find her and Stefan together was something else.

ᡕᠵデᡁ᠊╾━ now to the elephant in the room.
Stefan. ugh. i almost rated this 5 stars and it was his fucking fault. i'm sorry, but why did we even need his pov? literally it was just him getting high and spending money on things. i get it, in a sense, since he was a part of the relationship but he's plain awful and that was 50 pages that could've been acquitted to kai or Amelie who deserved it more. he was just so unbelievably annoying. that also takes me to my next point that while there is a poly relationship happening, its not really described in the blurb. Amelie doesn't touch Stefan at all after which makes it less of a marriage but its uncomfy just for me. i also felt like there wasn't a satisfying enough ending where Stefan is miserable. he's just rich and looking at them from outside the window, which is poetic (wow drethi) but i wanted more a punch. also there was an obscene amount of 'porn' mentions which was weird. you can compare kai's beauty to anything but that.

so so worth the anticipation. you're an inspiration.

other quotes <3

“I love you.” Not too. Mine wasn’t an echo, it held seniority. “But love seems mild for what I feel for you, Princess. It’s greater than love.”

I only agreed to share you because a fraction of you was worth more than the entirety of anyone else.

Because their son had lost his mind over the one thing in this world he couldn’t buy. They paid for this woman with their lives, and I was raised—by those exact people—never to waste an inheritance.

“You were standing in the way of the only thing I ever wanted.” He straightened his sleeve. “Everything else that happened to you was collateral damage.”

But because it had come from her story, I tipped my face and let the snow cover my brow, my lashes, and the corners of my mouth. I pretended. The angels are falling on me because Amelie is thinking of me.