White Monarch Trilogy: The Complete Collection

White Monarch #1-3

by Jessica Hawkins

A passionate tale of arranged marriage in an underworld romance that includes three full-length novels: 'Violent Delights', 'Violent Ends', and 'Violent Triumphs'.

I was born a princess among criminals. An untouchable cartel daughter amongst thieves. Heiress to a throne others have killed for, and one I'd do anything to escape. I want to start a new life with my first love, Diego. But his ruthless brother, Cristiano, will do anything to claim me for himself...

Because in the de la Rosa family, old grudges run deeper than loyalty, and betrayal is a three-letter word: war. But in this feud between brothers, I'm the prize.

Genres: Romance, Mafia Romance, Dark Romance, Dark, Contemporary, Audiobook, Collections

750 pages, Paperback

First published March 18, 2019

Reviews

[Jos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Update: I still agree with my orig review BUT I did re-read and although I still feel the same way, if this had been shortened and Natalia wasn't so annoying maybe I would have felt a solid 4 like I do now. Cristiano...a solid 5 plus, this guy was AHMAZING!!!!


3-3.5 Stars and for me it's generous

I am clearly in the minority here BUT sorry I think this solidified my feelings on trilogies over time.....I just can't and don't want to do them anymore...I get bored and anxious for it to end because it's just too long and that's just me.

I wasn't quite a fan of their "slow burn" if you will......Natalia annoyed me to no end and it wasn't unit book 3 I actually began to genuinely like her.

Ya, this for me ehhhhhh......nothing special for me sadly just a long drawn out storyline:(

[Jess | The HEA Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Romeo and Juliet, but make it a Mexican mafia love triangle between two brothers with friends to lovers AND enemies to lovers, with marriage of convenience between enemies and an avenging murder mystery.

Did that hook you, or should I keep going? 😏

“𝙸 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚑𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚙𝚊𝚒𝚗, 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜. 𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚕 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢 𝚒𝚝? 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚜𝚒𝚗.”

There’s a lot of world building, character development, and the plot ingredients being set up in the initial 30%. It felt a bit daunting at times because there is so much going on, but once the action started it really didn’t stop.

I loved the R&J tie-ins but that were perfectly woven into this story. So much so that sometimes I didn’t realize until after (the church, Pilar as the nurse, Max and Daniel as Benvolio and Mercucio, the end that I won’t spoil…) I liked seeing Natalia’s growth from sheltered, naive young girl to Queen of the Badlands.

I had lots of theories on the mystery and ended being accurate about some of it, but she keeps you guessing til the very end.

I would’ve liked a little more romance between Natalia and Cristiano; the enemies thing was on point but once she realized she cared for him, the action kind of took over.

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍 Romeo and Juliet but were irritated that they were so impulsive and stupid and wanted to ground them for being annoying teenagers.

𝚁𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙽𝙶: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 rounded up
𝚂𝙿𝙸𝙲𝙴: 🌶🌶 for Cristiano’s dirty mouth
𝚃𝚆𝚜: descriptive violence and death on page, rape (not on page), discussions of sex trafficking, drug use on page, miscarriage on page

[Sarahcophagus · Rating 2 out of 5]

I mean, it's a cartel romance, so of course it's going to be angsty, kidnappy and violent. And a Jessica Hawkins book, so a dramatic love triangle was also a given. I am not sure if I actually enjoyed reading this. There is a lot of high tension life or death plot at least, so that was engaging, and I certainly love a good misjudged first (adult) impression, with good reason as Natalia believes she saw Cristiano kill her mother when she was young, but the first book was so slow, and the FMC so naïve that I was waiting for her to catch up that she was being manipulated. I enjoyed the second book more, with the growing trust between the newlyweds and working through their shared past trauma and the awful circumstances that caused their arranged marriage in the first place. I was not following the their consent sex rules though, as they seemed to not count sexual activity as anything other than penetrative sex and then completely obsess over resisting it while constantly talking about it anyway and doing plenty of other stuff. By the third book though, it was almost comical how many times characters were totally 100% confirmed dead came back to life again and again which is where I pretty much stopped caring.

[Tutti Dolci · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is for the trilogy on AUDIOBOOK.

1st: R.I.P. Brian Pallino, the BEST male audiobook star. His voice turned this trilogy into 5-star gold to me.

2nd: Jessica Hawkins is a wiz at taking HIGHLY FLAWED characters and making a reader care about and cheer for them. Her ability to weave angst and action with romance in this story is excellent, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

3rd: I own this trilogy in paperback, ebook, and audiobook. It's THAT GOOD. And I've read, listened to, and ogled them (the original book covers, that is - which I love), multiple times. In fact, I go back to this trilogy whenever I'm in a reading funk, and it always brings me to life.

[Bondedtobooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ending had me crying 😢

[Yvonne Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series!

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

White Monarch Trilogy by Jessica Hawkins
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“You’ve sworn to be at my dinner table every night.” Rising to his full, intimidating height, he looked down on me. “Now I want you on it. Your husband is hungry”

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this trilogy as it was my first Jessica Hawkins read. She absolutely did not disappoint!! The first book was a lot of character and world building and not TOO much action but very important details for the story.

Once we hit the end of book one things starting picking up and once it started I didn’t want to stop! This story for me was done so well and I really enjoyed their world.

This wasn’t over the top spicy but the mouth of Cristiano made up for that hands down. I loved the possessiveness of that man. 😍 Natalia was a bit stubborn for me but it was absolutely understandable considering the story but still I want to rewatch through the book and strangle her 😆

If you love a good plot, details, a little Romeo and Juliet retelling in a creative way with a dirty mouthed hero then this one is for you 🖤

I leave you with this delicious quote…..

“I gulp down the finest wines and unwrap my candy fast, lick and suck until I get to the sweet core,”—he nipped the shell of my ear—“because I’m greedy for the juicy center.”

[Tori Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot put into words the love I have for this trilogy. The love, the ups and downs, the twists. So good.

[Alex Ciz_naughty · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a surprisingly emotional read!!!

This was my 2nd (or 3rd??) novel by Jessica Hawkins and it was different for me. Normally I don’t like slow burns and THIS SERIES was a slow burn. We don’t even get to the “good stuff” until the 3rd book! I almost let that turn me off but boy oh BOY am I glad I didn’t! This was a true romance. Not a smútmance. I feel into these characters on a visceral level. This series was a VERY large juggernaut that took me almost 3 days to read. (Work, momming and all that jazz in between) and I hated to put it down.
At first, for most of the series really, I couldn’t stand Natalia. I had to CONTINUOUSLY remind myself that she was still a teenager and would indeed have child like reactions and actions as well. This helped me not roll my eyes too much.
She started to grow on me when she started to grow stronger. She’d had a hard life and would be learning even harder lessons throughout this totally heartbreaking story. A few times I had tears in my eyes and that made for heartfelt moments that really brought this story to life.
Then there was Cristiano. 🥵😮‍💨 That man is 🔥🔥🔥🔥I would very much like one of those when I grow up please and thank you! Not only is he gorgeous on the outside but on the inside he was as well. A living superhero with a heart so full and warm it took me by surprise. Definitely not what I was expecting and that made it even
More exciting. He was unapologetically alpha and had an entire city “taken” and made it his he is so bad ärse. The long game he played to find answers was commendable.
These two had known each other almost Natalia’s whole life therefore, had history in spades. Their relationship changed along the way in so many different directions you were kept on your toes wondering what was next.
Then there were the narrators, Emma Wilder, Brian Pallino, Christian Fox, & Gomez Pugh. I could easily pick out Christians and Emma’s as they are 2 of my favs but I also liked the others. They lent an authenticity to the story when I was listening which took me away from cold windy wet home to heat and dessert oasis. Speaking g of heat…once we FINALLY got to that part omg was it worth the wait. I mean stëamy AF 💦 almost made it with the wait! 😂
All in all this book could have been probably 50-100 pages shorter with the back and forth Natalia did but I also understand why it wasn’t. The world building was amazing and really made you connect with the characters. I would have liked to hear more about after for the people of the town. Other than that? A fantastic read that I truly enjoyed!!!

[buzy_reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

Battle between brothers to win the heiress...the respect...the power...and the empire.

Jessica Hawkins spun a great story of deceit and mistrust. Like most drug cartel families there is danger, deceit, and mistrust. With all these elements she also factored in betrayal and violence with a hint of romance.

Main characters: Cristiano brother of loyalty. Diego brother of respect. Natalia daughter of curiosity. Costa father of power.

I liked the deceit and mistrust of the storyline between brothers, yet I wish there was more of a backstory between them. I’m referencing what is typical knowledge about drug cartel members from other books to understand the dilemma these members are in. However, I don’t like doing that because Jessica is nothing but unpredictable. Her storylines are original even when writing about familiar genres. Jessica layers her characters with an array of unconventional situations stacking up the forbidden level.

I found some of the commentary was repetitive with both brothers rehashing the same words over and over again. I had hoped this feud between brothers would have progressed into something more dangerous. Maybe the next book will produce something more sinister.

I wanted to love it more than I did, but I got hung up on the motives and intentions of Diego and Cristiano. With Jessica planting seeds of doubt in my head I kept questioning there every move.

After twenty years of living an oblivious life, being the daughter of a cartel leader, Natalia was faced with a choice between two men, two brothers to be exact, with whom to trust. With Cristiano’s help she learned the lifestyle she should’ve learned years ago.
After eleven years of being exiled from the Cruzes family, Cristiano is back to find closure in this dirty world of corruption and lies.

Natalia learned very little about the world she lived in. Without a mother to guide her into womanhood Natalia was at a disadvantage when it came to judging the de la Rosa men.

Overall:
This enemy to lovers sadly had limited sex scenes. There was however lots of dirty talk and plenty of foreplay.
However, Natalia’s character wore on my patience with her inability to see what was so obvious to the reader.
If your looking for a typical cartel story you won’t find it here. While these characters were living the life of cartel leaders the focus was on developing the relationship between Cristiano and Natalia.

Jessica is the Queen of angst. Yet, this wasn’t the type of angst I was anticipating. I’ve learned to expect the slow and steady pace of a slow building love built from a hate. What I didn’t expect was to become so unconcerned whether they consummated the marriage. I’m still hung up on the deceit of pinning the murder on Cristiano and exiling him from the family.

“You don’t know the first thing about my business, and you haven’t made any honest effort to learn. You see what you want to see and believe rumors without substantiating them. I won’t indulge that behavior.” Cristiano’s words from the story.

Cristiano’s character put my mind at ease when it came to Natalia’s inner turmoil. He had her pegged. While she thought she could play his game I liked how he still controlled her moves.
I get how easy it was for Cristiano to tolerate Natalia’s assumptions, as a reader we are not privy to the type of relationship Cristiano had with Natalia growing up. All I see is a stubborn, naive, petulant child who believed in rumors and accusations instead of searching for the truth.

I wanted to like it more than I did, but it just wasn’t what I expected. Jessica is an amazing and talented writer and this storyline is unique and creative, yet it’s lacking for me. Natalia’s character held me back from enjoying this story with her doubtful thoughts. I know the premise was to wait until Natalia was ready for her role, but at the age of twenty I would’ve thought she would have learned something useful from all her eavesdropping.
I had a love hate relationship being inside Natalia’s head. She frustrated the sh*te out of me. I know Jessica is sitting in her chair laughing at how well she wrote her character. I wish I could say I enjoyed watching her grow and learn, but her inability and lack of skills was alarming.

I kept waiting for something to happen. I’m not even sure what that something was...something sneaky or spiteful. Where the hell was Diego? He would’ve brought some much needed drama. This was supposed to be Natalia torn between two men, yet she kept rehashing how she was captured against her will. I wanted to ring her neck. I wanted to smack some sense in Cristiano for wanting her.

The ending was fantastic. I wish the rest of the story had held the same type of danger and energy that this cliffhanger ending did. I appreciate the time and effort to develop characters, yet the slow building of trust was too drawn out.

The making of a queen while others would’ve kept her a princess.
Cristiano was more than a husband to Natalia, he was the protector, provider and educator. When Natalia lost her mother at a very young age she relied on her father to guide her and protect her. As the years went by and Natalia was old enough to wed, an arrangement was made. Cristiano became her protector and the man who would train her for the role of queen.
This enemy to lovers saga continues with Violent Triumphs being the last and final book.

Overall:
I still felt disconnected with these characters. Even though a change was made between them I still had limited to no interest in there union.
I was disappointed at how long I had to wait for answers regarding Natalia’s mother’s murder, almost the halfway mark.
Jessica focused on building a romantic suspense while I focused on the truth.

Natalie finally transformed and came into her role as queen which was a blessing considering her mindset was weak before and now its strong.
I liked how Jessica proceeded forward with answers and providing closure regarding her mother’s death, even if it took reading half the book.

This isn’t your run of the mill cartel story. Jessica put her spin on it by changing it up by focusing on molding Natalia into a queen. I do appreciate the effort Jessica put in creating a unique cartel story I just wish the delivery had a steadier pace of entertainment.

This was a true to fashion Jessica Hawkins story with long stretches of angst, some dirty sexy scenes, and a plethora of details. What I would’ve liked more of was story based solely on dialogue something to help move the story along at a more steady pace. As it was it was slow on more than one occasion with heavy action in some areas then back to the slow pace. I found myself feeling weary and too tired to read the slower sections. This story isn’t progressing at the rate I need to stay attached. My mind wanders periodically awaiting some form of entertainment.

Unfortunately this story didn’t sing to me like I would’ve liked. There was little to no action or suspense. I wasn’t invested in these characters the way I usually am with Jessica’s characters. The caliber of writing was nothing when compared to Slip of the Tongue which will always be my favorite.

Although, I didn’t love reading this book I am curious about the audiobook and who will narrate Cristiano and Natalia. I might be inclined to give it a listen.

[Sarah Asermily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crime, slow burn spicy romance, Cristiano de la Rosa… what else could we ask for?

The way Jessica Hawkins writes is captivating, and I felt like I was living the book as I was reading it. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a series that I didn’t get bored with halfway through, but the Whjte Monarch trilogy got better and better the more I read. The story takes the reader on a wild ride, but not in such a way that it feels unrealistic. Do I feel like an expert on the cartel life after reading these books? Why yes, yes I do. And without dropping any spoilers (trust me— each book has an ending that’ll leave you sitting there with your mouth agape in shock), I loved that despite all of the turmoil that the characters face, there’s still possibility of a happy ending.

My only gripe was that I felt Natalia was a bit TOO stubborn for awhile. At times, I wanted her to move past all of her preconceived (albeit fair given all she’d gone through) notions about Cristiano. It’s probably just a personal preference though—I grew impatient and forgot what “slow burn” means!

If you haven’t read these books, do it. You will devour them.

[huh_lena · Rating 4 out of 5]

The White Monarch Trilogy isn’t the love triangle you expect nor a Romeo + Juliette retelling, it’s better!

While the blurb gives you vibes of a love triangle don’t fall too deeply into it. I love, love, love the love/hate and mysterious motives between Natalia, Diego, and Cristiano.

Personally, I found myself loathing Diego, I hate everything about him, so every feature he had I died on the inside. If Jessica Hawkins made us want to hate him, she accomplished her goal! 👏🏼

Cristiano and Natalia’s push and pull dynamics become so angsty. You don’t know whether you love it or hate it! Overall their story had me hooked. I couldn’t wait for their next altercation.

While this was reviewed by many others as a Romeo and Juliette retelling…it is much better with a HEA! I need more from a certain three characters. 👀

I read/listened as an audiobook and the narrators are just superb, so get the audiobook!

[Katie MacLeod · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I grabbed this trilogy because it was one of the daily deals for Kindle. I love arranged marriages and mafia related things so I took a chance. Are these books good? Yes. Are they great? Not really. They are very long and well written but the FMC annoyed me to no end. She constantly played the victim and was annoyingly loyal to the wrong people. The saving grace to this series is the last book. Natalia finally pulls it together by this book and the action/adventure we need come out here. I would read the whole series just to get that experience. I don’t love the ending and I’m left wanting more/closure. They are tame in the sense of smut and violence, so if this trope/world is new to you, these are good books to start with.

[Luka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh Jessica

I love your books and I loved this one.
But keep forgetting the long drawn out bits or maybe you are just too soap opera for me??

I enjoyed this trilogy and I liked that it is finished - well it feels like it - like it it was a movie it would fade out and credits would rolle while it slowly zoned out.

I do not understand Spanish so that gave a few glitches but I made due. But I love the way symbols and spiritual thoughts are very nicely sewn in the story, sometimes its too much or the plot is kind of based on it but here it feels like it is some times - a moment in life - if you have ever trued it you self you know what I mean.

So dispute the drawn out-ness this is a good cartel read

[Nabila · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

Agak mlz review satu-satu, jadi disini aja sekaligus yes. INI BAGUS BGT. 3 buku langsung marathon, sangat membantuku di fase demot ini 😔. suka banget sama endingnya kek skeufubcwygeuk feelings. Tapii mungkin krn novel juga ye bukan dunia nyata, dramatis euy, reasoning behind major events nya tu kyk hah(?) segitunya amat bang(?) trs bikin storyline nya agak ngaret.

Plot-wise, klo suka baca yg genre-nya serupa, gampang ketebak sih. Yang bikin refreshing itu latar sama karakter2 nya actually kinda wholesome, baru banyak spice nya pas book 3, not complaining at all for book 1-2.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! WOW! WOW! I'm blown away!!! This Trilogy was phenomenal and that still seems like I'm not giving it enough credit!! The way this story was told is nothing like I have ever read/listened to before!!! I felt like I was watching one of those Latin Soap Operas, but Mafia style. Cristiano who is the MMC just made his way onto my list of top book boyfriends!! I truly don't know how to move on from this!! It has consumed me from the beginning. I highly recommend listening to the audiobooks!!! The narrators were perfection!!

[Ambreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

slow burn ✓
possesive bodyguard ✓✓
ml falls first ✓✓✓
the book starts with naive natalia falling for her dads side kick ,but then comes the ml and bang everything starts to get interesting
natalia though naive , was irritating in the first book but the second book the slow burn the romance consttine restraint . this was a chefs kids
the third book dives into more betrayal natalia finally acknowledging her feelings .

[C Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I couldn't put these books down. The storyline, the characters, the angst, the love ...what a myriad of emotions. My eyes actually leaked while reading the third book. I've cried laughing before but this was a first ...such a moving story. So well written and the twists and turns ... read the trilogy!
This author is being added to my favourites list for sure.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Two brothers, one mafia princess.
*mafia cartel
*dark elements
*kidnapping
*slow burn then very spicy
*enemies to lovers

This story has been on my TBR for so long. Last week I finally picked it up. I’m so glad I did because I love cartel mafia romance. This one is very good. Action packed, a lot of plot. Which is my favourite. The details were on point.
I did find it super slow… and dragged a little bit in the first two books. The third book was my favourite. You just have to get there. There is a plot twist which I didn’t see coming. Loved that. Overall a good trilogy. And I highly recommend it.

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sucks

Halfway into 2nd book main male character has kissed 💋 the female main character one time and rubbed up against her backside a little. She slept with a bad guy so all in all it a boring and slow ass book. 😴

[Sarah Baskin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listen I think I read this in like 2 days- maybe 3 tops I couldn’t put it down and for this being a slow burn that says a lot for me. I highly recommend… the amount of twists in this - some I saw coming others I did not- all I lived for and yes I cried.

[Ann Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty good ending

The chemistry of the main characters was off the charts from the beginning. The story keeps you on your toes and makes you want to keep reading to see what happens next. There are a few dry moments but for the most part I really like it. 4.24

[Tracey Gigliotti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Queen

Their lives intertwined years ago. She was the child he was meant to protect. She watched him standing over her mother's dead body as a child and believed he was the one to kill her. He has cleared his name to everyone, but she can't except it.

[shawna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The love of two brothers one will betray Natalie one will die for her. The life of a cartel princess full of anguish and secrets with some twist you might catch on to before there revealed. Sometimes the book is long winded with Natalie's miss trust of the brothers.

[Karima Ansari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my god! This book has my heart.
Cristiano de la Rosa will forever be in my heart
Oh god! The man of my dreams.
I LOVE him.
The character development of Natalia is soooo good
I will recommend this book to EVERY READER I KNOW!!

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

I read this as a trilogy. This was a great read of lies, deception, truths and trust. Loved how patient he was with her as he proved his love and proved to her that she could trust him. Lots of twists and intrigue going on to keep you reading.
Narration was superb.

[Di OBRIEN · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

A good story, for the most part, but it was a little slow at times and quite long. The ending, however, more than made up for some of the slowness. It was dramatic and exciting. 3.5 stars.

[Mary Silvestri · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars

Very good but too long. Very interesting story and very informative. It is unbelievable the evil things that go on in the world, that is for real.

[G Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

[Diksha Garg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg this Trilogy is everything i could have asked for and SO MUCH MORE! Loved every second of it. I couldn't get enough!