Guarded King: Empty Kingdom, Book 3

Empty Kingdom #3

by L.M. Dalgleish, Connor Crais (Narrator), Vanessa Edwin (Narrator)

He’s cold, controlled, and completely off-limits. But the more I try to keep my distance, the more impossible he becomes to ignore.

I need this job.

Not for ambition or pride—but because my father’s medical bills don’t pay themselves, and I stopped believing in safety nets a long time ago.

Becoming assistant to Roman King—billionaire CEO, untouchable powerhouse, and emotionally walled-off—isn’t a dream. It’s survival.

He thinks I’m too young. Too soft. A risk he didn’t sign up for.

But I’ve spent my whole life being responsible, making the careful choice.

And working for Roman? It’s the first time I’ve ever felt reckless.

Because when his gaze lingers, when his control slips, something breaks open in both of us. Something messy. Something addictive. Something that could ruin us if we let it.

And the more I try to stay away from him, the more I wonder if playing it safe was ever really living at all.

Guarded King is a full-length, spicy, slow-burn, billionaire boss/assistant romance with mutual yearning, a dirty-talking hero, and a guaranteed happily ever after! It's the third and final book in the Empty Kingdom billionaire romance series, but can be listened to as a standalone.

Genres: Romance, Billionaire Romance, Contemporary Romance, Slow Burn, Workplace Romance, Dark Romance, Workplace

Audible Audio

Published January 5, 2026

Reviews

[Jennyl]

This book has no business being 499 pages long 😤

[Koko]

1) a tale as old as time. I can’t anymore with the disabled parent caretaker!!!!

2) Is it love? Or is just the only other person of the opposite gender available? I’ve definitely slept with a coworker but in my experience, I was blacked out both times. Also he was about 5’7” and ate bananas every day for lunch due to financial crisis.

[Hope]

dnf - H goes to meet his ex fuck buddy with an intention to hookup because he can't get h out of his mind. doesn't matter if he didn't fully go through with it, he well planned to, so nope, dnf it is.

[Canan]

Yalan yok. Akıcı ve güzeldin. Şu ara en çok ihtiyaç duyduğum şey... Belki bir tık da daha kısa olsan harika olurdu. Ama o da tuzu biberi diyelim.

Seriye, ailenin en büyük çocuğu, işkolik ve ciddi mizaçlısı olan Roman ile veda ediyoruz.
Roman görünüş olarak tam babasının oğlu diye düşündürüyor. Ama aslında alaka seviyeleri sıfır. Hoş gel de bunu anlat yavrucağa. Babamın hatalarını tekrarlamayacağım, ben daha iyi bir insan ve CEO olacağım derken hayatın neşesinden uzaklaşmış. Tek odak noktası şirketi en tepeye çıkarmak. Ama tecrübeli asistanı taşınmak durumunda kalınca işleri biraz sekteye uğrar.

Burda devreye Chole giriyor. Genç ve güzel asistanı... Aklından neler neler geçiyor 😱 Ala hayır. Ne demiştik. O babası değil. Gel de bunu duygularına anlat.

Chloe tatlı, verici ve gerektiğinde sağlam bir kadın. Babası için yaptıkları takdir edilesi. Ama varolan bu sebep yüzünden hep sorumluluk alan taraf olmuş. Şımartılmak, gezmek, ufak şeyleri dert etmeye pek zamanı olmamış. Şimdi de patronu olacak pislik ona yetersiz bir çalışan olduğunu söylüyor! Ukala!!

Çiftin uyumunu sevdim ben. Patron-asistan muhabbeti biraz uzadı sanki ama işler rayına oturunca daha iyi ilerledi kurgu.
Hatta hikaye tamam diye düşündüğüm anda yazarın mutlu son sonrasından anlar yazması da güzeldi. Sevdim bunu.

Ben seriyi genel olarak sevdim. Yazarın anlatımı da iyiydi bence. Türü sevenler şans verebilir.

[Yuee 📚 🎧]

Was great book.
All my favorite tropes in it , i just expect more , you know i want more things to happen

But nice 3 books

[Erth]

Loved the book and the series. Best if you read in series sequence. Audio narration was five star.

[Mayi]

What was this!??? Excuse my rant, but I was so looking forward to reading about the final and most mysterious of the brothers! I feel robbed.

Rant:

It took me a long time to get into this book. I honestly hoped that the author would have some imagination here. Alas, here we are...

The author hit copy-paste and went with it! Is the exact same plot of the two previous books, just with different names. But, and this isn't saying much, really, at least in the first book, Delilah had a career!

I had so many issues with this book:

1. Why did this woman have to be a fetus??? It did not matter how many times the author TOLD the reader how mature she was (which was every five paragraphs). It made no sense, and there was no need for it! She could have been 27,28,29, or even 30 with a personality, and still, it would have been an age gap! The difference is that it would have been believable, realistic, and less creepy!
2. Why was the whole "I'm a frustrated artist" thing pushed? So this woman goes from painting something in high school to all of the sudden being an artist? She had very little going for her. Again, this woman, just like the previous ones, had the personality of a lobster. Just a Mary Sue type whose life somehow got interrupted by something super normal or relatable, but that, in their case, turned their lives upside down and is a huge obstacle, and so their are sad and need help but dont know that they do, until a man tells them🙄😖. So there is no depth, no challenge, and no realness to them. But then again, who had depth and gravitas at 24? Who even had enough work experience to land these outlandish jobs at that age!? 😒.

3. Who talks like this guy (Roman) during sex?! Oh dear! I found myself cringing many times while reading this guy's lines😬. For the love of something! I hope no one takes this as an example of how to talk to a woman.

4. Nothing actually happened. The whole book consisted of these two people whom I assumed had mental deficiencies since they couldn't be around each other for more than five minutes without having a medical emergency that rendered them disabled. Roman's penis was having a heart attack inside his pants every time Chloe happened to glance in his general direction. She was having a mental breakdown accompanied by abnormal genital lubrication every time she heard his voice or "felt him" behind her! It was so stupid that I couldn't understand it🙄 . There wasn't a single chapter with the two of them where the conversation flow did not get interrupted by the same inner monologues about how they felt, looked, breathed, walked, smelled , smiled... ugh.
The non-existent plot was solely based on the fact that he had to "hide" her, so this non problem just kept snowballing until it became ridiculous! And to make it worse, Roman finally decided to do what he was supposed to from the get-go:he said he was in a relationship. That's it! He didn't say who/how/when. No, no, he literally said in an interview that he was in a relationship. Magically, aaaaaall this couples' troubles were over, the end!
It is exactly as ridiculous as it sounds, and I feel ridiculous for finishing this book, but I just needed to know how bad it would get... It got bad, so bad. 🤷

As far as intra office/ age gap romances go, this was pretty bad and low on my list.

I feel like the author missed out here on coming up with something new, fresh, and different. Seizing the popularity from the previous books, this should have been a slam dunk...

[Serialbookstarter:Marla]

Although there are parts I like, this is just too drawn out from the business standpoint. The romance is bogged down between all that plus the caregiver status of the fmc. I wanted to like it but found myself jumping chapters and skimming. I think the writing is good but long winded.

[Sundy Tr.]

Roman & Chloe. Final instalment of the series is the story of the oldest King brother. And it was my favourite!!
I absolutely loved this slooow-burn, office romance, it ticked many of the boxes that make me like a book.
Chloe was awesome for her age and gave Roman a run for his money. Confident and proud, I really liked her! I also loved Roman and the way we saw his gradual change. I could feel his struggle, it was so well described. And I loved them as a couple. They clicked and had great chemistry despite the big age gap.

It think it could have been a few pages shorter- personally I would have cut some of the spicy scenes- but oh well. ☺️

-Dual 1st person POV
-Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Overall: 4.5/5 ⭐️ for me.

[ʀ⭒.]

Yeah whatever

[❥ Deea]

5. ★★★★★+++

MY NEWEST OBSESSION THEY LITERALLY OWN ME!!!!
my favourites from the series ⟡ ݁₊

[dee☁️]

Oh I ATE this uppppp🙂‍↕️😋

[wpwpwpwppw]

★4.25
-Boss x Assistant
-Workplace romance
-Billionaire
-Age gap

เล่มนี้เป็นเรื่องของพี่ชายคนโต Roman King พระเอกขึ้นมา Ceo แทนพ่อที่เพิ่งเข้าคุกไป หลังเข้ารับตำแหน่งพระเอกทำงานหนักมากกก วันๆทำแต่งานเพราะต้องการเปลี่ยนภาพลักษณ์ของตัวเองและบริษัท ไม่อยากให้คนภายนอกติดภาพจำของพ่อตัวเอง

นางเอก Chole เข้ามาเป็นเลขาคนใหม่ของพระเอกแทนคนเก่าที่ขอลาออกไปอยู่กับครอบครัว ครั้งแรกที่ได้เจอกันในลิฟท์พระเอกก็โดนตกละ แต่ทำเป็นไม่สนใจ พอได้รู้ว่าคนนี้แหละจะมาเป็นเลขาของตัวเองก็โวยวายกับเลขาคนเก่าที่เป็นคนคัดเลือกว่าไม่เอาไปหาคนใหม่มานู้นนี้(เพราะฮีมีปมในใจจากเรื่องเก่าๆของพ่อ)แต่ชีนางเอกก็สู้สุดใจจะเอาตำแหน่งนี้ให้ได้ เพราะต้องการเงินและสวัสดิการของบริษัทเพื่อดูแลพ่อที่ป่วยอยู่

เล่มนี้ก็ยังคงความสโลว์เบิร์นที่ sexual tension ดีมากเหมือนเดิมมม พ่วงมาด้วยความรู้สึก forbidden หน่อยๆของเลขาสาวกับเจ้านายที่มีใจให้กันแต่พยายามจะหักห้ามใจ เคมีมันเลยยิ่งพลุ่งพล่านไปใหญ่ พอถึงจุดที่ไม่ห้ามใจแล้วก็ต้องเก็บความสัมพันธ์ไว้เป็นความลับอีกเพราะกลัวมีผลกระทบต่องาน ละไอพี่พระเอกขี้หวงมากกกก แต่จะออกตัวก็ไม่ได้ 55555

โดยรวมก็คือชอบ สนุกเหมือนเดิม character development ดี ปมของพระเอกก็เข้าใจได้ว่าทำไมฮีถึงพยายามปิดกั้นตัวเองแบบนั้น แต่พระนางเข้ามาเติมเต็มชีวิตกันและกันจริงๆ ส่วน spice ก็ตราตรึงไม่ต่างจากเล่มสอง 55555 ชอบที่พระเอกเรียกนางเองว่า sweetheart ด้วย ชอบคำเรียกเบสิคๆแบบนี้ เขิน☺️

[pannit]

เล่มสุดท้ายในซีรีส์ มาถึงคราวพี่ชายคนโตของ King’s Group อย่างพี่โรมัน ชอบเล่มนี้ไม่แพ้เล่มสองเลย ฮื้อ ๆ เป็นแนว บอส x เลขา ที่พระเอกต้องการเปลี่ยนภาพลักษณ์ตัวเอง กำลังหาเลขาคนใหม่ พอสบตากับนางเอกในลิฟต์ก็ปิ๊งสาวละ ยิ่งพอรู้ว่าคนนี้จะมาเป็นเลขาคนใหม่ก็ไม่โอเค ฮีจั๊ดจากความเด็ก ด้วยนางเอกอายุ 24 ส่วนพี่แกก็ 39 ปีแหนะ เอจแก้ป 15 ปีเรยยย 🌝 แต่นางเอกก็ขอโอกาส อย่าพึ่งตัดสินได้มะ ให้ฉันทำงานให้เห็นก่อนสิ สรุปสุดท้ายก็ได้งานไปนั่นแหละ 😂

เป็น workplace romance ที่สโลววววเบิร์นแต่อร่อยมากกกก พระเอกยึกยัก ชอบสาวแต่ตั้งมั่นจะไม่เอาเลขา ฮีมีปมจากพ่อตัวเองด้วย ถ้าภาพลักษณ์แย่ บริษัทก็จะแย่ตาม เอาจริงไม่ค่อยอินจุดนี้ของเรื่องเท่าไหร่ รู้สึกมันเป็น rich people problem ปะ 55555555 แต่ก็เออ ๆ เข้าใจได้

เรื่องมันสนุกตรงที่พอมันเป็น forbidden พี่แกก็จะขี้หวงแต่ทำไรไม่ได้ เห็นใครมาจีบก็หึงไปหมด แต่ก็รู้ตัวนะว่าตัวเองไม่ได้ประกาศให้โลกรู้เองว่าคนนี้ผู้หญิงของผ้มมม ก็จะสมน้ำหน้าหน่อย ๆ 🤣 ส่วนเลิฟซีนเดอร์ตี้ทอล์กใด ๆ ก็คือแซ่บบบบ ไม่แพ้น้อง ๆ จากสองเล่มแรก อ่านละเขินหน้าร้อนไปหมดดด เบาได้เบาจ้าพี่ 🥵

ภาพรวมชอบมากแหละ
4.5⭐️

[Sadan]

Roman & Chloe

[Bri]

Get it here:
Amazon US * Amazon UK

[lucialeelibros]

this book was hot, HOT... AND HOT!!!!!

[Carina Hales]

Fantastic end to a great series. I have loved reading about the King brothers. Roman and Chloe had a strong connection and the passion between them was off the charts!

Chloe was such a sweetheart with a heart of gold. I’m so glad she found Roman. Roman also needed Chloe to bring back warmth and love in his life.

An entertaining story, the pages flow by! I loved the appearances of Tate, Violet, Cole and Delilah, so good to see snippets from them after their stories. There was even a cameo from another favourite of mine!

Overall a great read and a book and series I would recommend.

[Chris ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥]

3.75-4⭐️I finished this in under 24 hours, that how much I liked it. In a way, this was your usual workplace romance, but at the same time, it was soo much more than that, because the author didn’t just concentrate on their romance but also on their workplace environment and the relationships of their respective families. By the way, I loved seeing Cole, Delilah, Tate and Violet again, they were great side characters.

But what I liked the most was the slow burn and the tension between our two main characters. The way these two literally CRAVED AND YEARNED for each other but wouldn’t allow themselves to be together? Ugh DELICIOUS!!!! *dramatic faint*

The Plot:

After losing her job, our heroine Chloe is anxious about no longer being able to financially support her father who suffers from a chronic illness, so she applies for a secretary position at the hero’s firm. Although Roman is instantly drawn to her, he is against hiring her (an attractive assistant who he can’t keep his eyes off ) because he doesn’t want to be perceived like the womanizer his father was. Eventually, he gives in and brings her on board. Of course, as they work closely together, their mutual attraction intensifies. And despite their efforts to maintain a professional distance, their chemistry proves impossible to ignore.

- Age gap - 15 years (coming from someone who isn’t a fan of age gaps, it didn’t feel weird at all given how mature the fmc was for her age)
- Workplace romance - billionaire x secretary
- Brooding & tortured mmc x kind & down-to-earth fmc
- Spicy 🌶️

Only thing that bothered me was the third act breakup. It was completely unnecessary and Roman should have groveled a bit more. I was left feeling that she was much more in love with him than he was with her because of the way he prioritized the company over her. But other than that, I really enjoyed Chloe and Roman‘s story.


When it comes to this series, book 1 is my favorite, Roman and Chloe’s story is nr. 2 and I skipped Tate‘s book altogether.


“Tell me, sweetheart. Do you want me?”
Her breaths are coming fast. “I shouldn’t.”
“I know.” I press my mouth to the tender skin at the angle of her jaw. “I shouldn’t want you, either. But here we are.” My tongue flicks out and tastes her. “I’ve fucking missed you. Have you missed me?”
“You’ve seen me almost every day.” Her voice is breathy, her fingers tangling in the hair at my nape.
“I have. And it’s been fucking torture not being able to touch you again. So tell me, Chloe. Did you miss me too?”
“Yes. Every day.”


BR with my dear Lori! 🤗

[Camii]

Se que el libro tiene como trama principal el "slow burn" pero me hubiera gustado ver mas de los protagonistas como pareja oficial ya que prácticamente estuvieron todo el libro teniendo una relación a escondidas y no se pudo disfrutar el verlos a ambos amándose libremente, además si se me hizo todo demasiado largo, entiendo el punto porque Roman tenía muchas inseguridades con respeto a las relaciones por la mala reputación que dejo su padre pero a la hora de estar con Chloe tuvo acciónes un tanto contradictorias porque hizo tantas promesas que en vez de darle a ella seguridad fueron una todo lo contrario y termino lastimada y en peligro igual cosa que el dijo que no haría 😭

[Mortempa]

Много приятна поредица. Би било хубаво ако някое бг издателство я вземе! :)
Тази книга ми хареса повече от първа и втора. Това, че Клоуи се грижеше за болния си баща удари близко до дома и ме разплакваше всеки път. Роман е типичния grumpy милиардер, който променя приоритетите си заради любовта и никога няма да спра да харесвам тази сюжетна линия!
Обожавам това, че братята оправих отношенията си с майка им. Обичам, когато всичко свършва повече от добре! Със сигурност препоръчвам да се прочете. :)

[Beyza]

İlk kitabına göre Kat kat iyiydi beğendim
Adam iyiydi eski karısı biraz drama yaptı ama çok değildi
iki karakteri de sevdim
yalnızca daha fazla epilog olmasını isterdim
sonu yok gibiydi evlenme teklifi etti o kadar
fena değildi yine de belki sonra okunur

[Ali]

THE LAST DOMINO INDEED FALLS THE HARDEST

[Andrea]

Something to be said for saving the best for last.

[Sybrenna]

4.5⭐️ I actually love this series soooo much!! I was like 20 pages in and I was already giggling and kicking my feet! This is billionaire, workplace, boss x assistant, age gap, (24/39) romance. The burn of this was soooo good because of THE TENSION, the YEARNING, the lingering looks, the way we have this guarded billionaire who slowly but surely lets his walls down, with a FILTHY mouth, & the way that the fmc is sweet but also stands her ground??? Also yall.. the JEALOUSY???? ATE IT UP. The BANTER in the beginning? Again, giggling and kicking my feet!!! Idk, I’m a sucker for romances where there’s hesitancy and then the mc who’s hesitant to love meets the other mc and all that goes out the window.. causeeee, romance, right?? Ugh, love love this series and all the couples. Here are some of my favorite highlights:

The urge to stake a claim on a woman who isn’t mine—who will never be mine—is ridiculous.

“Stay or go, Chloe. Your choice.” NOT GONNA LIE THIS ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ HAD ME GAGGED

“Don’t,” he growls. I deliberately wet my lips, my heartbeat detonating in my ears. “Don’t what?” “Don’t look at me like that.” “Like what?” My voice comes out breathless. “Like you want me to taste you as much as I fucking want to.”

“Being an island isn’t the defense you think it is, trust me. You’ll build your walls so thick that eventually no one will be able to get close to you, even the people who most want to be there. You’re doing a disservice to them and yourself by not letting them in.”

“Nothing about the two of us together is easy. But I want it anyway. I want you.”

I’ve spent my whole life keeping people at a distance, guarding my heart. But she breached my defenses without even trying. There was never any guarding against her.

[Lexy Foghture]

GUARDED KING by L.M. Dalgleish? Instant favorite. Instant obsession. Instant meltdown.
I LOVED this book. I LOVED the whole series. Every single King brother is swoon-worthy, but this one? This one was mine. 👑

From the very first book, I was waiting—no, aching—to read Roman’s story. He was always the coldest, most mysterious, most guarded of them all, and I knew there had to be something deeper. And wow… it did not disappoint.

Roman. Was. EVERYTHING.
The way he burned silently for Chloe? The way he suffered in silence because he thought he couldn’t have her?? I was KICKING MY FEET. ✨
He couldn’t stop touching her, couldn’t stay away, couldn’t hide how deeply she got under his skin. And Chloe? She owned him without even knowing it. The power she held over him made me melt.

The emotional tension, the longing, the stolen touches, the resistance that never stood a chance… chef’s kiss.
I was giggling. Screaming. Hugging my Kindle. This was angsty deliciousness in the best possible way.

If you love:
• The cold, tortured hero who melts for one woman
• Deep emotional tension and longing
• A heroine who unknowingly becomes his whole world
• That slow unraveling of walls until everything explodes…

Then Guarded King is a MUST-READ.
10/10. No crumbs left. Absolute favorite. Go read it. NOW.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Elsa Reyna]

Beautifully written

In tears!! The last book in this series but she finished it with a bang!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ x 20
I can see the amount of work, heart and detail that was written into this jewel! Loved every chapter...it's 3am and I am crying cause I knew Roman was going to be my favorite DAMAGED King and he hit me HARD!!😭😭😭😭😭...everything on his shoulders maybe cause I relate to him in certain ways that I couldn't put it down till I finished it... such a beautiful book ... thank you l.m for this jewel. Finally seeing all three King Brothers happy and even their mom... great way to end this series!🥰🥰🥰🥰

[Zahra]

:))))))))))))))((((((((((((:

[Joannak]

I must admit I am not a big fan of age gap stories, especially more than 10 years. Buuuut.. I must also admit that I didn't feel it so much in the story, so it did not bother me. The story was wonderful, sweet aaaaand spicy. Very well done.

[Ioana Reads]

5 grumpy stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rabdare sa treceți de slow burn.. apoi..4🌶

Cea mai buna carte din serie?
Pt mine DA!🦋