Empire of Desire
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- Create Date：2021-11-05 08:21:04
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Rina Kent
- ISBN：B098TQSCPK
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Summary
My forbidden husband。
I kissed my father’s best friend and it kind of didn’t go well。
Not only because he’s eighteen years older than me—but he also didn’t like it。
Not one bit。
In my defense， I didn’t mean to fall for him。 It just happened。
Nathaniel Weaver is the most attractive man I’ve ever seen with enough charisma to blind the sun。
He’s bigger than the world， owns half of it and conquered the other half。
He was forbidden。
Wrong。
So I totally got over him。 Or so I told myself。
Until we’re forced to get married。
Now I’m trapped。
But maybe he’s trapped too。
Because we’re both reaching for that forbidden fruit dangling between us。
Empire of Desire is a complete STANDALONE。 No book should be read prior to this。
Note: This is NOT a dark romance。
I kissed my father’s best friend and it kind of didn’t go well。
Not only because he’s eighteen years older than me—but he also didn’t like it。
Not one bit。
In my defense， I didn’t mean to fall for him。 It just happened。
Nathaniel Weaver is the most attractive man I’ve ever seen with enough charisma to blind the sun。
He’s bigger than the world， owns half of it and conquered the other half。
He was forbidden。
Wrong。
So I totally got over him。 Or so I told myself。
Until we’re forced to get married。
Now I’m trapped。
But maybe he’s trapped too。
Because we’re both reaching for that forbidden fruit dangling between us。
Empire of Desire is a complete STANDALONE。 No book should be read prior to this。
Note: This is NOT a dark romance。
Reviews
Gab
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2。01*I SWEAR IT'S NOT ME， IT'S THE BOOK 。 2。01*I SWEAR IT'S NOT ME， IT'S THE BOOK 。 。。。more
Lole
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I was really exited for this book but it was just disappointing。 All they did was having sex。 I honestly couldn’t even understand how they got from just „sex“ to „love“ like I didn’t understand why Nate fell in love with Gwen。 Also normally I love it when the guy is possessive but this book put it to another level。 She couldn’t even TALK to guys without him being all “mine。you are mine。 Mine。mine。mine。Don’t talk to other boys don’t even look at other boys” like man it’s okay chill。 I still loved I was really exited for this book but it was just disappointing。 All they did was having sex。 I honestly couldn’t even understand how they got from just „sex“ to „love“ like I didn’t understand why Nate fell in love with Gwen。 Also normally I love it when the guy is possessive but this book put it to another level。 She couldn’t even TALK to guys without him being all “mine。you are mine。 Mine。mine。mine。Don’t talk to other boys don’t even look at other boys” like man it’s okay chill。 I still loved Nate and Jane。 （I know my english is bad don’t judge） 。。。more
Kristie Rose Betancourt
，
This age gap romance was written so well。 Another great book by Rina Kent。 It was the best age gap read I’ve had。 Loved it！
Smonro
，
I have to admit that I'm really disappointed with this book， especially since I love all Rina's book。 I don't mind an age-gap romance， there are some that I love， but in this was a no-no for me。 I think when the h character （since usually is the younger out of the two of them） seems mature the whole age-difference may not seem that much of a deal。 But for me the h in this one was really immature and naive。 Apart from that， in this book the H has known the h since she was born and has spent a lot I have to admit that I'm really disappointed with this book， especially since I love all Rina's book。 I don't mind an age-gap romance， there are some that I love， but in this was a no-no for me。 I think when the h character （since usually is the younger out of the two of them） seems mature the whole age-difference may not seem that much of a deal。 But for me the h in this one was really immature and naive。 Apart from that， in this book the H has known the h since she was born and has spent a lot of time together， I mean she called him UNCLE Nate FFS， that was a big red flag for me。 Even though he didn't seem to have inappropriate feelings towards her when she was a minor it was still weird。 I was really excited to read this book since I loved Nate in Black Thorns but I just couldn't read this one。 Also the issue about him calling her "baby girl" and her saying she was a "bad girl" was cringy af for me。 And I have to add that this was happening while （view spoiler）[ her dad and the H's bff is in a coma （hide spoiler）]， I mean when he asked Nate to take care of Gwen I don't think that was what he meant。。。 。。。more
Ariadna Basulto
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No， because Rina Kent can’t keep doing this to me！ I’m tired of utterly loving a book/series and giving my heart and adoration to characters only to have to betray them because here comes another book that just owns my soul。 EMPIRE OF DESIRE was a perfect example of this！ I was completely convinced that I would not and could not love another hero as much as I loved Sebastian from the Thorns duet， but here I am totally keeping my bookhoe status in tip-top shape and it’s not even my fault because No， because Rina Kent can’t keep doing this to me！ I’m tired of utterly loving a book/series and giving my heart and adoration to characters only to have to betray them because here comes another book that just owns my soul。 EMPIRE OF DESIRE was a perfect example of this！ I was completely convinced that I would not and could not love another hero as much as I loved Sebastian from the Thorns duet， but here I am totally keeping my bookhoe status in tip-top shape and it’s not even my fault because how could I possibly resist Nathaniel？ Like， Sir！ I am only human and my weakness is delicious， bad， fictional men。 But seriously， the story， the tropes， the HEAT！ Everything was perfectly executed and I DEVOURED Daddy Nate and everything about this story。 If you’re a fan of Rina Kent I don’t need to convince you to read。 It’s a must read！ For those of you who haven’t dipped your toes into the pool of yum， dive right in and make yourself at home。 This book will make a fan out of you！ 。。。more
Lulu
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I have to say， this is Rina’s best book until now。 Seriously， Nate it’s just perfect and I admire Gwen as hell。 I just loved this book so， so much。 It had been a while since I couldn’t stop reading a book， there was no moment where I wanted to put it down。 I loved it！
Avery
，
Rina’s done it again。 I literally devoured this book and raced against myself because I couldn’t not know what was about to happen！Gwyn is fierce and I adored the fire in her and Nate is cool， collected and well everything 😭😭 I love him so much and their chemistry is like explosive and trust me once you’re in their web you won’t be able to get out until they’re done telling their story。Empire Of Desire is also a very bold first book for Rina’s new series and I loved that。 Can’t wait for all the Rina’s done it again。 I literally devoured this book and raced against myself because I couldn’t not know what was about to happen！Gwyn is fierce and I adored the fire in her and Nate is cool， collected and well everything 😭😭 I love him so much and their chemistry is like explosive and trust me once you’re in their web you won’t be able to get out until they’re done telling their story。Empire Of Desire is also a very bold first book for Rina’s new series and I loved that。 Can’t wait for all the other characters😭😭 though one character that pleasantly surprised me with his chaos was King and I seriously want more for him like it can’t not happen！！All in all Rina did justice to the trope， absolute beauty of an age-gap， however， in some places Gwyn was a lil too much for me in terms of the things she said and I wish there were slightly more depth to her besides her love for all things vanilla。 However， if you like age-gap， be sure to pick this one up and if you thought brother’s best friend was dramatic well this one’s going to knock you out then！！𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 。。。more
Just A Little Book Addiction
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Rina does something different in Empire of Desire。 It's not her normal dark， triggering story。 It's lighter， but in Rina's way。 There is still the angst along with the mental and emotional pull that keeps you turning the page。 Nate had me so intruded when we first met him as the fun loving uncle that was more of a big brother to Sebastian。 Now after reading his story， you see the very different sides of him。 While he still has that joking personality， he also has the domineering presence that yo Rina does something different in Empire of Desire。 It's not her normal dark， triggering story。 It's lighter， but in Rina's way。 There is still the angst along with the mental and emotional pull that keeps you turning the page。 Nate had me so intruded when we first met him as the fun loving uncle that was more of a big brother to Sebastian。 Now after reading his story， you see the very different sides of him。 While he still has that joking personality， he also has the domineering presence that you just can't ignore。 And while he's not technically a daddy。。。 he definitely sends out those Hello Daddy vibes！ Gwyneth mastered the young naïve girl pining after her father's best friend。 She had this sweet lovable part of her， but also this determination to get what she wants。 I loved the push and pull of their relationship and their desire to fight their attraction， even denying it to themselves。 Now， is anyone else excited to see what King has instore for us？？？ I have a feeling that if we get a book from him， he might blow all of Rina's other Daddies out of the water！ 。。。more
Chopang
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I love it！！Nate is hot！！ I love them both。！ I love the chemistry between Nate and Gwennet。 I'm not sure if there's a King and Aspen story？。 I saw the chemistry between this couple。 And I'm waiting for the next story I love Rina's novels。 I love it！！Nate is hot！！ I love them both。！ I love the chemistry between Nate and Gwennet。 I'm not sure if there's a King and Aspen story？。 I saw the chemistry between this couple。 And I'm waiting for the next story I love Rina's novels。 。。。more
loves。romance。books
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When I read the blurb for this I knew I just HAD to have it。 It ticks all the boxes:- age gap- forbidden- angry broken hero- fiesty， quirky heroineAnd aaaaaaaaallllllll the steam！！ The brief synopsis is Gwyneth has the ultimate crush on her dad's best friend， Nate， who has been like an uncle to her since her birth mother dropped her on her dad Kingsley's doorstep when he was merely 18。 Having been around for her whole life he's obviously never looked at her with anything other than almost fondne When I read the blurb for this I knew I just HAD to have it。 It ticks all the boxes:- age gap- forbidden- angry broken hero- fiesty， quirky heroineAnd aaaaaaaaallllllll the steam！！ The brief synopsis is Gwyneth has the ultimate crush on her dad's best friend， Nate， who has been like an uncle to her since her birth mother dropped her on her dad Kingsley's doorstep when he was merely 18。 Having been around for her whole life he's obviously never looked at her with anything other than almost fondness （Nate is closed off and broken and let's no one get close） That all changes when Gwyneth lays one on him at her 18th birthday party， which he promptly shuts down and basically ignores her for the following two years。 Following a turn of events they must enter into a marriage of convenience and that's when the real fun begins。 The chemistry between these two is off。 the。 charts！！！！！ Obviously the whole forbidden factor adds to that too but the way it's written is just perfect。 Gwyneth and her quirks are hilarious。 Her love of vanilla and her 'empty brain' - she's a genuinely likable character and I loved how she slowly but surely insinuates herself into the core of Nate's life breaking all his rules as she went。 Nate is， in short， divine。 I am thoroughly ruined because not only is he pure and utter unadulterated filth， he is the epitome of the best kind of book boyfriend who only has eyes for his girl。 And the way he calls her 'baby girl'。。。oh my word！！！ I just about died and went to heaven。 Mmmm。。。。。 *drool*The peripheral characters were very good too。 There's just enough tidbits thrown in to make you want to read the books that are interconnected with this standalone。 This one is a definite keeper and I'll be recommending to all and sundry。 My thanks to the author and Wildfire Marketing Solutions for the early edition copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion。 。。。more
hooked_on_books
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★★★𝑅𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤★★★（𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒍𝒚 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘。）𝑅𝐴𝑇𝐼𝑁𝐺:⭐⭐⭐⭐Nathaniel Weaver was a character that intrigued me the second i read Thorns Duet。 I love a cold and indifferent man， but what i love most is watching that cold and indifferent man fall in love。 Gwen is an 18 year old girl who was raised by her father， she never met her mother because she abandoned her the second she was born。 She loves her father unconditionally because he was the father and the mother in her life。 How ★★★𝑅𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤★★★（𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒍𝒚 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘。）𝑅𝐴𝑇𝐼𝑁𝐺:⭐⭐⭐⭐Nathaniel Weaver was a character that intrigued me the second i read Thorns Duet。 I love a cold and indifferent man， but what i love most is watching that cold and indifferent man fall in love。 Gwen is an 18 year old girl who was raised by her father， she never met her mother because she abandoned her the second she was born。 She loves her father unconditionally because he was the father and the mother in her life。 However， with time she started having these weird feelings towards her father's best friend Nathaniel Weaver。 So on her 18th birthday she kisses him and that's when everything changes。 I love my heroines strong and with a backbone， and Gwyneth was both and much more。 She was exactly like an 18 year old should be， wise and childish at the same time a perfect balance。 Nate is an iceberg。 Cold and impenetrable and devastatingly handsome。 A god with Adonis looks and a heart made of stone。 Yet nothing could have prepared him for the storm Gwen was going to rage on him。 There is nothing that i love more than watching a cold man fall in love， they are literally the best right！！ They were the perfect match for each other， she was the rainbow to his darkness and the music to his silence。 I don't think that i have read a book by Rina that i didn't love， and i don't think that will ever happen。 The book is full of angst， secrets and 🔥🔥 and you will absolutely LOVE IT！ 。。。more
PAOLA
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Después de terminar esto y de pasarme más tiempo saltando las absurdas escenas 🔥 entre Gwyneth y Nate， debo decir que， este libro es muy muy malo 🤔¿se lee rápido？ SiPero。。。 sus personajes principales son tan odiosos entiendo que Gwyneth sea depresiva y eso， pero lo único que resaltaba era lo absurdamente obsesionada que estaba con Nate y la autora no manejó bien eso， lo que resulto en un personaje muy soso y por el cual no sientes simpatía alguna。Me gustó el personaje de Nate pero no lo suficien Después de terminar esto y de pasarme más tiempo saltando las absurdas escenas 🔥 entre Gwyneth y Nate， debo decir que， este libro es muy muy malo 🤔¿se lee rápido？ SiPero。。。 sus personajes principales son tan odiosos entiendo que Gwyneth sea depresiva y eso， pero lo único que resaltaba era lo absurdamente obsesionada que estaba con Nate y la autora no manejó bien eso， lo que resulto en un personaje muy soso y por el cual no sientes simpatía alguna。Me gustó el personaje de Nate pero no lo suficiente， no está a la altura de sus otros personajes masculinos。 El plot twist me lo veía venir desde los primeros capítulos， así que nada nuevo para mí。Lo rescatable que probablemente Jane sea el alter ego de Anastasia （la misma de Throne Duet） y que su pareja sea Knox （yo de verdad esperaba que la autora juntara a Anastasia con Vlad） 😥Así que。。。 no， Rina para mí después de la trilogía Deception， no ha logrado cautivarme con sus historias 。。。more
Flor ❁ ⟨HIATUS⟩
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oh my god。 she did it。 she did it again。another shitty book 😍rtc。
Shaneela Y
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Taboo age gapHow does Rina do it？ Any troupe she just smashes it with her amazing writing skills and fabulous characters， spins a story like a web till you are so caught in the trap she cleverly laid😐 you can’t put your kindle down。 I don’t know if I’m envious of her brain or just grateful 😊 I think I’m both！Gwen & Nate’s story is as per the synopsis yet so much more intriguing。 Gwen having only ever had her father in her life has created a hole in her heart by not having a mother， she has an am Taboo age gapHow does Rina do it？ Any troupe she just smashes it with her amazing writing skills and fabulous characters， spins a story like a web till you are so caught in the trap she cleverly laid😐 you can’t put your kindle down。 I don’t know if I’m envious of her brain or just grateful 😊 I think I’m both！Gwen & Nate’s story is as per the synopsis yet so much more intriguing。 Gwen having only ever had her father in her life has created a hole in her heart by not having a mother， she has an amazing father who dotes on her but a part of her is broken。 The dynamics of their relationship is so deep I think only another single parent can truly appreciate this aspect of the book。 Nate has been in her life for as long as her father due to unforeseen circumstances Gwen has no choice but to marry Nate。 This is only the start of their journey so many twists & turns I loved it all。 Highly recommend Rina Kent’s latest， can’t wait for Knox & Sebastian’s books。 。。。more
Sarah Barnes
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THE REVIEW FOR THE BOOK: Empire of DesireGENRE: Contemporary RomanceAUTHOR: Rina KentTROPE: contemporary romance， taboo， fathers best friend， age-gap， forced marriage TYPE: Empire Book #1POV: Multiple POVMY RATING: 5。0 StarsGwyneth and her father have been inseparable her entire life。 Her father was a teenage single dad who raised Gwyneth on his own with the occasional helping hand from his best friend Nathaniel。 At some point when Gwyneth was 15， she stopped looking at Nathaniel as Uncle Nate a THE REVIEW FOR THE BOOK: Empire of DesireGENRE: Contemporary RomanceAUTHOR: Rina KentTROPE: contemporary romance， taboo， fathers best friend， age-gap， forced marriage TYPE: Empire Book #1POV: Multiple POVMY RATING: 5。0 StarsGwyneth and her father have been inseparable her entire life。 Her father was a teenage single dad who raised Gwyneth on his own with the occasional helping hand from his best friend Nathaniel。 At some point when Gwyneth was 15， she stopped looking at Nathaniel as Uncle Nate and developed serious feelings for him。 On her 18th birthday， she decides to kiss him…it doesn’t end the way she had hoped。 From that moment forward， Nathaniel did whatever he could to avoid being in the same room as Gwyneth。 Two years later， the pair are re-connected when tragedy strikes。 In order to protect her father’s empire， Gwyneth must marry Nathaniel。 There isn’t a single Rina Kent book that I don’t love。 For me， she’s that one-click author。 I consume everything she writes。 I didn’t know what to expect when going into this book…its certainly wasn’t what I got。 This book is very taboo。 Nathaniel is someone who has been around since Gwyneth was born。 Even though he didn’t play an active “uncle” role in her life， he was still a part of it。 The author does a great job of ensuring that the feelings from Nathaniel’s side never developed until she was an adult。 There is no hint of grooming or anything like that。 If anyone is worried about that going into this book， then rest assured that the relationship doesn’t start to develop until she’s a legal adult。The sex scenes in this book are descriptive and erotic。 I love the dominant and submissive roles both characters play。 You can tell that Nathaniel really struggled with his feelings given her age and who she was in relation to him。 The story is very taboo and despite that， I was utterly consumed reading this。 I don’t think that I was able to put it down。 If you’re a fan of age-gap taboo romances， you’re going to LOVE this book。 I was provided an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Olivia Lennox
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This is the first book in the series。This book is about Nate and Gwen。Gwen is the daughter of Nate's best friend Kingsley。After a bad situation Gwen and Nate get together for convinience。But along the way the lines got blurred。They had a good chemistry。The storyline was good and kept me interested。I can't wait to read the next book in the series。 This is the first book in the series。This book is about Nate and Gwen。Gwen is the daughter of Nate's best friend Kingsley。After a bad situation Gwen and Nate get together for convinience。But along the way the lines got blurred。They had a good chemistry。The storyline was good and kept me interested。I can't wait to read the next book in the series。 。。。more
Matilda
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2 stars 🍌The best part about this book was when it ended and I got to read the preview for Knox's book 💋•There was zero angst or tension•I got so much secondhand embarrassment， especially at the beginning when the heroine kept throwing herself at the hero— The moment my lips touch his， I think I've reached another level of existence。。。I move my mouth against his closed one and even dart my tongue out to lick his lower lip。→ma'am。。。he is not kissing you back， please stop assaulting him 😁 •There's 2 stars 🍌The best part about this book was when it ended and I got to read the preview for Knox's book 💋•There was zero angst or tension•I got so much secondhand embarrassment， especially at the beginning when the heroine kept throwing herself at the hero— The moment my lips touch his， I think I've reached another level of existence。。。I move my mouth against his closed one and even dart my tongue out to lick his lower lip。→ma'am。。。he is not kissing you back， please stop assaulting him 😁 •There's a scene where the heroine is about to go down on the hero and she tells him 'don't worry。。。I've practiced'。。。he thinks she means on other guys， but nope—"You practiced？" I ask with a calm I don't feel，"Yeah， why do you think bananas are my favorite fruit？"→you did not just fucking say that sweetie。。。。 •There's also a point where the heroine gets mad at the hero for absolutely no fucking reason and decides to go to a club and dry hump two guys？？？ All while being legally married to the hero and in love with him。。。 You hurt me first。 This is what it feels like to be hurt， asshole。→UM MA'AM HOW YOU GONNA GET BACK AT SOMEONE WITHOUT MAKING IT CLEAR WHY YOU NEED TO GET BACK AT THEM？？？？？ Then when the hero become pissed at her for this， as he should be， she starts fucking crying and goes。。。"In case you didn't notice， you ruined my evening。" •The heroine has this weird hard-on for vanilla and vanilla milkshakes？？？ Like everything needs to be vanilla。 Her shampoo， her bedroom walls， her food， her fucking underwear。 In fact， every time it was mentioned， I died a little inside •The heroine is a little 'pick me girl' because she likes NF and Twenty One Pilots 🤪。。。I slow down， way down， and put on a mash-up playlist of Twenty One Pilots and NF because they calm me。 They're special， like me。Special people are misunderstood and that's okay。 Special people get hurt and that's also okay。 Because we're special that way。 No forts would destroy us or keep us out。→Someone should create another Pulitzer Prize where the goal is to 'make the most people want to slam their heads into a wall while reading your work' 。。。more
Anzhelika Li
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I had a number of problems with this one but overall， Rina's books are always entertaining for whatever reason， and Empire of Desire was no exception。On the side note here though， the writing reminded me so much of Saffron A。 Kent。 I wonder why？ I had a number of problems with this one but overall， Rina's books are always entertaining for whatever reason， and Empire of Desire was no exception。On the side note here though， the writing reminded me so much of Saffron A。 Kent。 I wonder why？ 。。。more
kat
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 1 star ☆I should've kept my expectations low for empire of desire because it ended up disappointing me and it turned me into a brainless zombie。 i'm sorry for putting tanaz and hala through my dumb idiotic questions。 I sincerely apologize。 it was the book， not me。 the book brought that side out of me。 and when I think about it， not much happened in the book。 the beginning was okayish， the middle was just all over the place and so confusing and the ending was horrible， just pure garbage。 there wa 1 star ☆I should've kept my expectations low for empire of desire because it ended up disappointing me and it turned me into a brainless zombie。 i'm sorry for putting tanaz and hala through my dumb idiotic questions。 I sincerely apologize。 it was the book， not me。 the book brought that side out of me。 and when I think about it， not much happened in the book。 the beginning was okayish， the middle was just all over the place and so confusing and the ending was horrible， just pure garbage。 there was literally no plot to it and I figured out who gwen's mother was before it was revealed。 shocking。 it shocked me to my core。 and all nate and gwen ever did was argue， lust over each other， and fuck against walls and trees。 it was an endless cycle。 also， the marriage part happened way too fast for my liking and their 'i love you's' felt very forced。I mean， I know they had to get married as asap as possible so he could protect her and her dad's assets from susan。 but how can she think about marriage when your dad is in a coma？ in the next room？ how can she think about touching him WHEN YOUR DAD IS IN A COMA？ Is she going through the grief stages？ Is this her way of coping？ i'm not judging if it is。 “This marriage is only for convenience。 Do you understand， Gwyneth？” “Oh。”“It’s a yes or no question。 Do you understand？”“Does…does this mean you won’t touch me？” see what I mean？and the only part where I felt something was when he told gwen to get the fuck off him because he saw her doing this— 'Then I rub my ass and stomach against their erections， feeling them get hard all at once。 Grunts and groans fill my ears and I lick my lips， so intoxicated on the feeling of having them both so turned on by me。' I still don't see the point of this scene。 it's like she ran out of ideas and threw in whatever she could think of to get to the word count。 'My core clenches in remembrance of him inside me and the image turns me delirious as I glide myself against his bulge。“Gwyneth， stop。”I shake my head frantically。 “I lied。 I didn’t like it， not really。”“You didn’t like what？”“Grinding against Alex and Chris。” i wish i could slap fictional characters through book。 。。。more
Natasha
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First i need to say that i hate the model on the cover so Nate in my mind did not look like a rat！😌 *also warning spoilers ahead*I have love and hate relationship with Rina's books but ever since i've read The thorns duet（which was so bad btw） i anticipated Nate's book bc he was the most intriguing character there。 So when i saw that it's a BIG age gap book i had some doubts😂 First i really dislike age gaps。 That's obv my personal preference and i can get over 10 years， 12 years max but an 18 ye First i need to say that i hate the model on the cover so Nate in my mind did not look like a rat！😌 *also warning spoilers ahead*I have love and hate relationship with Rina's books but ever since i've read The thorns duet（which was so bad btw） i anticipated Nate's book bc he was the most intriguing character there。 So when i saw that it's a BIG age gap book i had some doubts😂 First i really dislike age gaps。 That's obv my personal preference and i can get over 10 years， 12 years max but an 18 years age gap is just too much。 The problem is that Nate is Gwen's dad best friend so he knew her since she was just a baby。 How is that not gross？🤢 "Gwyneth， I met you the day you were born。King freaked out when he found a baby at his doorstep and thought it was a good idea to call in his nemesis for crisis control。He pushed you in my arms and flew to the kitchen like a madman。 It was the first time I held a baby and it was pretty awkward at best， but then something happened。 You stopped crying。 Just like that。 You stared at me with those colorful， inquisitive eyes that somehow pierced through my chest。" He basically raised her with King and he was like an uncle to her。 That is just yuck to me。 Okay age-gaps aside the storyline is basically Gwen started developing feelings for Nate since she was 15 and on her 18th b-day she kisses him but he rejects her。 Then he starts seeing her differently so he avoids her for 2 years。 And 2 years later her father Kingsley is in a car accident and falls in a coma。 Nate and Gwen need to get married so King's evil stepmother can't take the law firm and everything he owns。 There is also the mystery of who Gwen's mother is which was so obvious imo but later on that。 I think that Nate had a lot of potential and he deserved SO MUCH BETTER。 He did not need to end up with an immature child。 There i said it， Gwen was like an annoying teenager who was coddled and sheltered by her overprotective father her whole life so she finally started to act out。 Talk about privileged life。 Their relationship was not even a slowburn， Nate lost his mind one day after they married so he needed to feel her tight pussy。 “Tell me， baby girl。 Did he touch my fucking pussy？” “Is this hard enough for you， baby girl？” If i read baby girl one more time🔪Gosh i was sick of their dirty talk。。 “Does that mean I’ve been a bad girl， husband？” "What else do you like？” “Being your slut。”“So you’re my slut？” “I am。” “Only mine？” “Did someone touch this ass， Gwyneth？” She shakes her head frantically。 “Use your voice。” “No…” “Is it because you were saving it for me， too？ Like you saved your virgin pussy？” God i'm embarrassed by reading this😭 And in the end i still couldn't figure out why Nate loved Gwen， it felt like Gwen was obsessed with him and he just liked fucking younger girls。 The plot twist Aspen being Gwen's mother was obvious but the reason why Aspen left her or in reality thought she was dead was so absurd😂 “But how？” Gwyneth stares at Aspen。 “I thought you said you didn’t remember my dad。” “I didn’t。 I tried to find him when I realized I was pregnant， mainly to protect you from my aunt and uncle， but I had nothing to do with it。 My aunt and uncle must’ve dug deeper and gone asking around about the night of the party， because they clearly planned to leave you with Kingsley。 Yeah her aunt and uncle knew who was at the party so they went from home to home to ask with whom their niece had sex😂 that was just plain stupid and so funny。 This rating is mainly bc i have soft spot for Nate and also his banter with King was hilarious。 “Hi， Dad。” I kiss his cheek。 “So now you have a dad？” “Your jealousy is showing， King。” Nate smirks at him。 “You shut up， daughter stealer。” Maybe we can get a book with King and Aspen， i know now that it's going to be full of angry sex and messiness。 I'm here for it。😌 。。。more
Anyeris
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Ever since i first read Aiden's book， i was sold for Rina， her books just hit the right spot， with the angsty， possessive and dark romance stories， so much that i binge read all of her books in less than a week， i was left wanting more。 Then came Jonathan's book， and hell yes！ that man set the standard for all of the male book protagonists out there， he's just that good！ so i was super excited when for this book， the age-gap romance， and having had a taste of Nate in Sebastians book was all i co Ever since i first read Aiden's book， i was sold for Rina， her books just hit the right spot， with the angsty， possessive and dark romance stories， so much that i binge read all of her books in less than a week， i was left wanting more。 Then came Jonathan's book， and hell yes！ that man set the standard for all of the male book protagonists out there， he's just that good！ so i was super excited when for this book， the age-gap romance， and having had a taste of Nate in Sebastians book was all i could think about。 I did like the book， but i found it missing some of the spark the previous books had， i loved Nate but i don't feel like i fully got to know him， Gwyneth has been my least liked female protagonist so far （ up till now Silver held that spot） i just found the overall book lacking。。。must admit i got super hyped for Knox's book！ cant wait for him and Jane to have the spotlight（ by the way i hope it's really her and not this Anatasia we got in the preview at the end of the book， im seriously hoping in a " i hid my identity and i'm running away from my family" kinda situation。All of this， i will keep setting alarms for whenever Rina releases a book， and crossing my fingers for a possible Ethan book （ i'm sure his book would be as good as Reign of a King） 。。。more
Vea
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Age-gap romance is my jam so when Rina announced this book， I was super excited for it。 It was a very different type of read by Rina for me。。 probably because I’m used to the dark and twisted from her by now but I really enjoyed it。 The heroine was sweet， innocent and quirky。 She has been sheltered by her big shot attorney father her whole life。 It was basically the two of them against the world。 I loved their relationship。 When her life circumstances suddenly changed， she was forced to make a q Age-gap romance is my jam so when Rina announced this book， I was super excited for it。 It was a very different type of read by Rina for me。。 probably because I’m used to the dark and twisted from her by now but I really enjoyed it。 The heroine was sweet， innocent and quirky。 She has been sheltered by her big shot attorney father her whole life。 It was basically the two of them against the world。 I loved their relationship。 When her life circumstances suddenly changed， she was forced to make a quick decision to save her fathers legacy by marrying his best friend。 Nate’s stubborn， intimidating， detached personality pretty much affects everyone except for Gwyneth。 When this girl wants something， nothing can stand in her way。 As inexperienced and naive she may seem in the beginning， she’s really not a doormat in any type of way。 The first half of the book was a bit of a slow plot/burn， but the second half made all up for it。 I can see why Rina would do that in the beginning to make their relationship more authentic。 I love that we got a glimpse at Knox and Daniel， and I hope the dad gets his own book too。 Gwyneth made me laugh several times。 This girl 😂。。 “He should be a crime。 Because I’m always tempted to commit this particular crime” 。。。more
NiCoLeTa E。 {Addicted To Books}
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***5 "And that's final！！！" stars*** "How does someone react to being married to their one-time crush， who they kind of got over -but not really- and who also happens to be their dad's best friend？"I'm not very fond of age gap and office romances to be totally honest with you。。。The marriage of convinience though is one of my favorite tropes。。。Add to the above and daddy's best friend trope and Rina gave us an explosive result that honestly， it blew my mind！！！I freakin' loved everything abou ***5 "And that's final！！！" stars*** "How does someone react to being married to their one-time crush， who they kind of got over -but not really- and who also happens to be their dad's best friend？"I'm not very fond of age gap and office romances to be totally honest with you。。。The marriage of convinience though is one of my favorite tropes。。。Add to the above and daddy's best friend trope and Rina gave us an explosive result that honestly， it blew my mind！！！I freakin' loved everything about this book， even though I had my hesitations in the beginning。。。 "You're truly fucked， baby girl。"Gwyneth was infatuated with Nathaniel， her daddy's best friend， since she was fifteen years old。。。 Somewhere along the way， Uncle Nate became Nate， the man of her dreams and on her eighteenth birthday， she had stolen a kiss that led on a disaster。。。For two years， Nate and Gwen were avoiding each other， until fate turned everything upside down and forced them together in the form of a marriage of convinience。。。 "It's a fake marriage。""Fake is an illusion， but this is real， tangible， touchable。"Gwen thought she had got over Nate。。。 She was just fooling herself by thinking it and the close proximity with her new husband are making her old feelings rushing on the surface with vengeance。。。Nate feels weird。。。 He is a man of no feelings and honestly， he don't know what to do with his young wife。。。 Especially when she is starting to get under his skin and he is starting to act like he is not himself anymore。。。 He is his best friend's daughter， for god's sake！！！ "Best of luck， Nate。""With what？""Being caught in someone's web for once。"I won't tell you more about this story， other than it was a beautiful story with so much depth。。。I loved that Gwen was acting like a girl of her age。。。 I liked how she was behaving beside Nate。。。I loved how she managed to melt the ice around Nate's heart and I loved how close she was with her father。。。As for Nate？？？ Honestly， he was a hard man to love， but along the way， while Gwen was rubbing on his personality， I just fell under his spell and I loved him for Gwen even though there was a huge age gap between them。。。 "He's a god whose heart is made of stone。 I can touch it， but I can never breath life into it。""She has the type of fire that can't be put out by water。 If anything， it's out to evaporate the water。 And that fire is now directed at me。"Honestly， I thought that it would feel weird the big age gap and that would be a turn off that Nate was King's best friend， but Rina managed to pull me under her spell and to make me fall for this couple， along the secondary characters and now， I'm craving for more and more of this crew！！！Knox is next and I'm very intrigued， but what my heart is longing badly is King's turn。。。 "I'll take it。""You'll take what？""Everything you have to offer and everything you don't。"**I received an ARC for the exchange of an honest review** 。。。more
Muneera
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Where should I start？Repetitive。。。monotonous。。。over description of every damn thought by the female lead making her look more like mentally challenged rather than someone who have issue with negative words that triggers her。 I wasnt expecting a fierce or hot headed woman but I was also not expecting I would read about a main lead who think through her pussy rather than brain even when her father is in damn coma。 The idea of main leads of other books used as support lead is actually tainting the Where should I start？Repetitive。。。monotonous。。。over description of every damn thought by the female lead making her look more like mentally challenged rather than someone who have issue with negative words that triggers her。 I wasnt expecting a fierce or hot headed woman but I was also not expecting I would read about a main lead who think through her pussy rather than brain even when her father is in damn coma。 The idea of main leads of other books used as support lead is actually tainting the glorious image I have of them。 Bastian， for me was best of Rina's Twisted lead（till part 1 of his book） but here in this book he is merely left as a comic character。 400 pages are too much for a book that could have been written within 300。 For me what kills the thrill of reading this book is over description of thoughts， action of main lead。 I literally skipped pages of the description of Gwen's though。 I really miss the Rina I read in the deception series， RES series， throne series etc。 This is not her I feel。 This is not the Rina Kent I fell in love with。 Truly disappointed！！ 。。。more
Samantha Hickey
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Rina knocked it outta the park with this one！！ I loved this book！！！Gwyneth is the daughter of Nates best friend Kingsley。 She has been in love with Nate since the age of 15。 On her 18th birthday， she decides to make her move， but it backfires and causes Nate to keep his distance。 After a horrible accident 2 years later， Nate is all Gwyneth has。 They come up with a plan to get married， so she will be financially stable and won't lose all that her dad has worked so hard for。 They both just didn't Rina knocked it outta the park with this one！！ I loved this book！！！Gwyneth is the daughter of Nates best friend Kingsley。 She has been in love with Nate since the age of 15。 On her 18th birthday， she decides to make her move， but it backfires and causes Nate to keep his distance。 After a horrible accident 2 years later， Nate is all Gwyneth has。 They come up with a plan to get married， so she will be financially stable and won't lose all that her dad has worked so hard for。 They both just didn't expect to feel such strong feelings for each other。Holy crap。 Nates dirty talk is *chefs kiss*。 That mans mouth is DIRTY！！！ The spice in this book is so hot， everything about this book is AMAZING！ Gwyneth is trying to figure out what really happened with her dads accident and is out for revenge。 This book blew me away。 Rinas books always stay with me for awhile after reading them， and this one no different。 This is a must read！！！！ 。。。more
Jessie （A Bibliophile’s Desire）
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While Empire of Desire isn’t nearly as dark as I’m used to with Rina’s writing it definitely makes up for it with some of the thickest tension I’ve read from her。 Gah。 Nate and Gwyneth are so combative and entirely combustible。 Then having that forbidden element of being her father’s best friend makes for this story to be a solid taboo romance you won’t wanna put down。 I really enjoyed the chapters from Kingsley’s perspective。 It added an extra level to the angst。This one will hit you in the fee While Empire of Desire isn’t nearly as dark as I’m used to with Rina’s writing it definitely makes up for it with some of the thickest tension I’ve read from her。 Gah。 Nate and Gwyneth are so combative and entirely combustible。 Then having that forbidden element of being her father’s best friend makes for this story to be a solid taboo romance you won’t wanna put down。 I really enjoyed the chapters from Kingsley’s perspective。 It added an extra level to the angst。This one will hit you in the feels for a few reasons making it easy to grow attached to these characters。 I felt like I was being battered at life right along with them。 Suspense lies underneath the sizzling heat of the story keeping you on your toes wondering how things will play out。 I clutched my kindle quite a few times， but like always my heart was mended by the end。 I’ll always be a sucker for two lonely sounds finding their eternal happiness and that’s exactly what you’ll get with these two。 。。。more
Readers Manic
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Rejected was how Gwen saw herself since she came into the world， both for her past and present and even for the one who always had her heart。But life sometimes tends to take a turn， making you think you're in some kind of inverted world where everything you look at fits and rejection is just a mere distant word。。。or when everything you've always believed never reverses。 papers。。。Nate was always a man who knew from an early age to hide his empty， dark side by letting people see what he wanted， an Rejected was how Gwen saw herself since she came into the world， both for her past and present and even for the one who always had her heart。But life sometimes tends to take a turn， making you think you're in some kind of inverted world where everything you look at fits and rejection is just a mere distant word。。。or when everything you've always believed never reverses。 papers。。。Nate was always a man who knew from an early age to hide his empty， dark side by letting people see what he wanted， and since then he has become one of the most powerful men in NY， making his company and his prestige soar with him。 。。most what he couldn't master was the hurricane of colored eyes and flaming hair that at some point grew and managed to slip under his armor。。。 Both draw a line that is out of bounds leading both to use and if they destroy themselves along the way， a mixture of lust， pleasure and submission is what makes Nate let his guard down and Gwen sink even deeper inside him， linked by the same emptiness they see no more trapped than ever 。。 more secrets are revealed making their worlds just ash。。。Willing to fight for each other Gwen and Nate fight for their feelings putting at risk everyone they love in order to really have their happily ever after。。。Empire of Desire was an incredibly well-written story， with an amazing plot， with amazing characters like Nate and Gwen are the perfect chemistry of each other among the other characters。Rina again surprised me with this story making me yearn for the next。。。 。。。more
Megan
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GAH！ SO GOOD！ Nate & Gwen were absolutely everything and then some！ This was so much more of an emotional read than I expected。 With a whirlwind of emotions， a 🔥🔥🔥 connection and the angsty， twisty bits that I love about a Rina Kent book && you've got yourself one heck of a start to a new series！ GAH！ SO GOOD！ Nate & Gwen were absolutely everything and then some！ This was so much more of an emotional read than I expected。 With a whirlwind of emotions， a 🔥🔥🔥 connection and the angsty， twisty bits that I love about a Rina Kent book && you've got yourself one heck of a start to a new series！ 。。。more
♡tanaz♡
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2。5 stars ⭐⭐RK go back to writing dark/mafia book challenge because this book。。。 ☝️ you're done。 ☝️ you're done。No one is more shocked than me at the rating I'm giving。 I've been dying and gagging for this book for the LONGEST time and when I finally got my grabby hands at the copy my emotions went from 📈 to this 📉。 Thanks to the lovely kitty kat for BR this with me and for hala who watched our reactions and got so excited she joined and re-read too 😂It's been so long since I sat down and wrote 2。5 stars ⭐⭐RK go back to writing dark/mafia book challenge because this book。。。 ☝️ you're done。 ☝️ you're done。No one is more shocked than me at the rating I'm giving。 I've been dying and gagging for this book for the LONGEST time and when I finally got my grabby hands at the copy my emotions went from 📈 to this 📉。 Thanks to the lovely kitty kat for BR this with me and for hala who watched our reactions and got so excited she joined and re-read too 😂It's been so long since I sat down and wrote a long ranty review！ There will be spoilers galore so please stop reading from here。 I'm being serious I will go into a lot of detail on the main "plot twist" （if you can even call it that when I predicted that shit from chapter 3）， so please stop reading from here， but do come back once you've read the book 😊 ⚠️ SPOILER ALERT PROCEED WITH CAUTION ⚠️ ✨ plot breakdown ✨Gwynneth Shaw， daughter of Kingsley Shaw （single father from the age of 17， Gwen's mystery mom dumped her outside King's house and was never to be found - however King has hired a PI to find her for the last 20 years）， is a law student who has an unrequited crush on Nathanial Weaver since she was 15。 He is a lawyer who is King's partner in their joint law firm and also his best friend， acting like an uncle to Gwen， and watched her grow up from the beginning。and then the plot goes something like this:💖 Gwen likes Nate。 💖 He doesn't think about her。 💖 She kisses him on the lips on her 18th birthday。 💖 Nate stays away for 2 years because he's thinking thoughts he shouldn't。 💖 Daddy king gets into an accident & then a coma， as he finds out who Gwen's mom is。💖 King's nasty-ass stepmother wants to steal his firm and house。 💖 Nate comes up with the idea to marry Gwen， protect her assets & become the power of attorney。 💖 Nate immediately gets sucked into Gwen's unique heterochromatic eyes， obsessed with her sMaLL aNd TiNy bOdY， and luscious auburn/ginger/red hair （unrequited love my ass）， and next thing you know they're fucking against every surface of their house， car， and even against a goddamn fucking tree。 “Her slender body that I can’t stop thinking about how small it is compared to mine。” - Nate said ✨ size kink ✨what I was promised - angst and unrequited lovewhat I got - Nate pretending to not like Gwen and staying away for 2 years because he started seeing her differently， and when they got married he lasted 2 seconds before getting jealous and finger fucking her。 WHERE IS MY GODDAMN SLOW BURN？ THE TENSION？ THE PAIN AND ANGST OF LOVING SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T LOVE YOU BACK？？？I have been duped， your honor 😔✨ Let's have a closer look at the characters ✨🤍🥤👰👑 1st up it's 'bad gyal' Gwyneth 👑👰🥤🤍 Gwen's personality is her being this naive， aloof girl who idolizes her doting father， drinks her body weight in vanilla milkshakes， and is obsessed with one Nate Weaver。 She also struggles with mental health issues， in her words she has a lot of anxiety and depression that actually affects the way she views negative words， as when she hears or tries to talk about them it brings on a panic attack。 What I liked about Gwen -RK wrote her mental health issues in a unique way and I think she handled it well， it made Gwen all that more relatable。 I loved how obsessed with Nate she was， it gave us funny moments such as when Nate was explaining to her how he's marrying her to protect Kingsley's assets and all Gwen hears is "So yOu dO wAnT tO maRrY mE"。Nate - *exsists* Gwen - There was a moment where Gwen was trying to make Nate jealous and talking about "other guys" doing stuff to her， and it was supposed to be this girl power moment and it was kind of hot， but after reading There Are No Saints， where the heroine does something MILES better， this scene wasn't all that。 But to the people who are salty over it， please relax and don't get your knickers in a twist。 What I didn't like - her awful awful dirty talk and her sexual persona of being a bad girl。 I had to double-check who the author was because it seemed like the spirit of miss Saffron Kent possessed Rina to write their dirty talk during sex。 or they probably share the same ghostwriter。 exhibit a） - “Yeah， I’m a bit crazy。 You know， like when I kissed you that day。 So I don’t think I can be a good girl。”“No， you can’t。”“I’m a bad girl， though。”exhibit b） - “You’re a bad girl， right？”“I am。 So， so bad。”“Bad girls don’t get to talk， so when I tell you to shut up， you do。”exhibit c） - “A normal person probably would， but I’m a little weird and a very bad girl， so you can play with me all you want。 I’ll be your toy。”Gwen said it's ✨ horny hours ✨🖤🤵💼⚖️ Uncle Nate ⚖️💼🤵🖤call me sick but the fact they never had sex scenes with her calling him uncle Nate was quite frankly debilitating to my mental health。 I was expecting some Credence style smut but instead， I got "I'VE BEEN A BAD GIRL SIR" play。 Nate started off strong for me， he acted like he couldn't give af about Gwen， she was just Kingsley's annoying child UNTIL SHE KISSED HIM （mind you that's literally the prologue） and since then he was whipped。 I wanted more push and pull， more tension， more of his apathy and indifference。 “If you don’t stop flaunting yourself around， if you keep provoking me and don’t stay in your lane， I’ll be inclined to take action。 I’ll swallow you down so fast， there’ll be nothing left of you， let alone your sarcasm and naïveté。 You’ll stare in the mirror and not recognize yourself anymore。 ”He was Gwen's biggest champion， always motivating her to be a better person but was strict and disciplined at the same time。 I was really hoping his dirty talk would be the same， him being very strict almost like Adrian from Vow of Deception （which has thee hottest sex scenes ever written）， but he spoke more like a saffron kent hero， constantly asking Gwen "are you mine？" "you're mine aren't you" "this is my pussy"。。。 like it was cheesy but also kind of hot？？？exhibit a） - “Because it’s my pussy and it’s only supposed to be mine， right？”exhibit b） - “My hand grips her tiny waist and she wiggles against my rock-hard dick。 “So you’re my slut？”“I am。”“Only mine？”“For now。”exhibit c） - “Do you feel my cock claiming your tight ass， wife？”She nods frantically。“This ass is now mine， too， isn’t it？”“Yes！” ”Also once they got married all they did was have sex， I feel like I got to know a lot about Gwen's personality but I hardly know anything about Nate。 All I know is he's an ambitious lawyer， who is Sebastian's uncle （Red Thorns）， and doesn't get along with his annoying mother。 I wanted more of his personality and banter with Gwen， yet all the focus was more on them having marathon sex or on secondary characters。 ✨ Side Characters ✨🧠 Kingsley 🧠- Gwens's dad。。。 okay I really wanted to like this guy， he single-handedly brought up Gwen and was the most amazing dad but after he wakes from his coma I just did not like him at all。 I know he was angry at Nate for sleeping with his princess but he took it too far， trying to kill Nate was laughable。 The way he sniffed out Nate's smell like a police dog and tried to hunt him down 😂😂😂 At this point the book turned into a comedy。 He just woke up from a severe coma with some damage to his brain， and next thing you know he's boxing Nate as if he's Muhammed Ali and trying to drown his ass。 And not Gwen trying to come in between them like a cute little pick me going "THIS ISN'T YOU" 😂 and the stuff he was saying about Nate touching Gwen when she was a toddler。。。 like I understand as a parent you wanna be protective and think the worst but it was just unnecessary。 He has a hate relationship with Aspen who I'll be talking about next and I really don't understand why， but they have a book that I guess will explain that， and personally， I don't think I'm interested in their story。 （look away hala）👩🦰 Aspen 👩🦰 - works alongside Nate and Kingsley， and is good friends with Nate but everyone thinks they are fucking。 Has red hair。 Helped come up with the idea of Nate marrying Gwen。 Did I mention she has RED HAIR？ OH yeah， that's right， remember when I said Nate was looking for Gwen's mother？ and in my head all I could think about was excuse me sir but if you slept with someone how would you not know what they looked like？ so how could it be Aspen with the RED hair？ Well， it happens when you're a 14 y/o girl， who goes to a party， lies about her age saying she's 16， and gets so drunk off her face she has sex with a 17-year-old who she doesn't remember （and vice versa） but it's a miracle because a sneaky lil swimmer managed to impregnate her。 But then you have evil guardians who abuse you and make you think you had a stillbirth， and they go and deliver the baby to the doorstep of the father。。。This is also the moment where I and kat have a mental breakdown trying to come up with plot ideas whilst hala dies laughing because we overcomplicated the plot twist so hard when all Aspen and Kingsley did was have a drunk one nightstand。。。 Things me and kat predicted⭐ Aspen has a twin who is the real mother of Gwen⭐ Kingsley was raped （the way hala screamed at how wrong we were。。。 sorry for the trauma boo）⭐ King and Aspen were both drugged ⭐ King had amnesia （don't ask how we came up with that it was 2 am & we were delirious）⭐ They met in a dark sex club and wore kinky face masks ⭐ Stole his sperm （again don't ask we were high without the w**d）⭐ Aspen got a face transplant that's why Kingsley doesn't recognize her 🖥️ Jane 🖥️ - best girl。 nothing but good things to say about this bitch， 5/5 stars and I'm so ready for her enemies-lovers situation for her and Knox。 she's funny and a clever IT girl what more could you want？ “Are you okay？” Jane runs a hand in front of my face。 “You look like you’re having a stroke。”“I’m fine。 Fiiiine。 Yeah， totally fine。”“You don’t look fine。 If you were a PC， I’d run a malware check。 But I can’t， so I’m lost here。” - HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE THIS GIRL？🔥 Knox Van Doren 🔥 - to my RES peeps y'all already know Knoxy as Elsa's foster brother and Teals twin， and he is just so delicious。 A criminal lawyer， who loves to rile Nate up， his interactions with Jane have me so pumped for their book and I'm so glad it's the next book in the series！Daniel whatshisname - another lawyer part of the gang。 bland white man。 his book is getting skipped。 😞 So why the 2。5-star rating？ 😞Up until about 35%， I was enjoying the book。 But for me， Rina overhyped the tropes and didn't deliver what we were promised。 Yes， she gave us the marriage of convenience with dad's best friend trope， but there was no angst/longing， there was no buildup of sexual tension。 One minute Nate said he wouldn't touch her and then as soon as Gwen is seen talking to another guy， Nate shoves two fingers in her vag。 It's just too abrupt。 I didn't feel their banter， they did talk and Gwen was really bubbly and fun but I wanted more of that rather than the extreme focus on like 7 different side characters。 I know this is a contemporary romance and usually， the plot is just the romance， but even the conflict between the couple in this was so fucking sad。。。 like Gwen got angry with Nate because he wouldn't kiss her， but then King woke up from his coma and suddenly he's trying to kill Nate and then all is forgiven。 Then the plot twists with Gwens's mom， and the Jane/Knox crumbs， it felt more like a setup for everyone else stories rather than just nategwen。 After Vow of Deception， I've been holding Rina to a much higher standard， because that is her best body of work， from the characters， the plot/twists， the smut， the build-up， the tension everything。 I think this is probably a case of me having set such a high standard that she couldn't reach， so I don't think the book is a problem。 It was written well enough， and there is a bit of everything to sate most readers but for me， this kinda fell flat and didn't end on the high I wanted。 Again thanks to Kat and Hala for reading this with me！ PS:no one - kat - 2 comasme & hala - 。。。more
Gitanjali Kumar
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This book ticks several of my favorite genres marriage of convenience，unrequited love，office romance and I loved reading every single page of this。Nathaniel Weaver is definitely one unforgettable character。A man who remains impassive mostly finally starts to crumble when Gwen loses everything。Gwen is a sweet little girl whose crush grows stronger as she matures。Their marriage of convenience brings them closer and their chemistry is explosive and sizzling。The storyline is thick with suspense and This book ticks several of my favorite genres marriage of convenience，unrequited love，office romance and I loved reading every single page of this。Nathaniel Weaver is definitely one unforgettable character。A man who remains impassive mostly finally starts to crumble when Gwen loses everything。Gwen is a sweet little girl whose crush grows stronger as she matures。Their marriage of convenience brings them closer and their chemistry is explosive and sizzling。The storyline is thick with suspense and it has enough twists to keep every reader on the edge till the end。Another good one from Rina Kent！ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Empire of Desire
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Empire of Desire&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Empire of Desire&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0