Empire of Sin

Empire #2

by Rina Kent

My boss. My sin.

I’m not the type who has one-night stands.
It wasn’t supposed to happen, okay?
A couple of drinks and a sinful British accent later and I’m in bed with a stranger.
Of course, I left first thing in the morning because I’m a responsible adult.
An adult who has a new job that I need in order to keep my double life a secret.
Little did I know I’m not, in fact, responsible.
Because the stranger I left in bed? Yeah, he’s not a stranger after all.
He’s my new boss.
Knox Van Doren might have a charming smile, but a true villain lurks beneath it all.
And like any villain, he’ll use my sin against me...

Empire of Sin is a complete STANDALONE. No other books should be read prior to this.

Genres: Dark Romance, Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Dark, Mafia Romance, Contemporary, Workplace Romance

356 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2022

About the author

Rina Kent is a New York Times, USA Today, and #1 bestselling author of all things dark romance.
Better known for writing unapologetic anti-heroes and villains, Rina weaves tales of characters you shouldn’t fall for but inevitably do. Her stories are laced with a touch of darkness, a splash of angst, and just the right amount of unhealthy intensity.
When she’s not busy plotting mayhem for her ever-expanding Rinaverse, she leads a private life in London, travels, and pampers her cats in true Cat Lady fashion.


You can find her below:

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Reviews

[🐚🥥 · Rating 3 out of 5]

rina i love you but please make better covers

[⚔Irunía⚔ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.2 do you even need cunnilingus in your life if he licks your tears whenever you cry... stars.

✨Sex approaches infinity and sexual tension tends to zero✨ — not my favorite combination.

🎯 The major issue I had with this book was sex galore that interfered with my plans to fully embrace the angst and intensity of it. Every time I was starting to feel something — whether it was anticipation or excitement or thrill — Knox and Anastasia went at it like sex-starved animals, which cheapened the general atmosphere of impending "disaster" and grand revelation to come.

The moment I experienced slight anguish for Anastasia, right after two Russian shady dudes had almost torn the poor girl's soul out, and was revelling in Knox's knight with shining armor mode, the author didn't let it last, because, you know, feeding us with a public sex scene is obviously more important. 🌚

In the light of this, I perceived the challenging circumstances that both Knox and Anastasia had to deal with as an elaborate game of make-believe more than anything else.

🎯 For me a book is like a melody. If it sounds flat and smooth, it will not cause any emotion, and the day after tomorrow it will be completely forgotten as if it never even existed.

A good melody should have transitions between sweet notes and sharp minors. This book was too concerned about supplying smut-fest to give a damn about following the unsophisticated rule. 💅🏻 So, in a sense, it 'sounded' like a string of harsh moans instead. 🌚

Intellectually, we all know that (courtesy of the genre) Knox and Anastasia were going to get away unscathed and end up together, but emotionally I'd love to be kept on the edge of my seat for a minute or two, huh?

🎯 I found their sex scenes bland, repetitive and roughly written. That had nothing to do with the fact that Knox and Anastasia had particular preferences in sex and everything with the way they were described: nothing special and personal about those moments. Seeing as how they occupied roughly 50% of the narrative...🗿🚬


🎯 Also, may I add that fairy tale dreams and witchlike hair were giving me the least benevolent flashbacks of another author's books (Saffron *cough* Kent *cough*). Can we please not let that particular legacy spread like a contagious disease. 💀

🎯 Overall, the writing was engrossing and even if I cringed internally at a couple of intimate scenes here and there, the experience wasn't that traumatizing.

🎯 Knox was possessive and jealous, but in a textbook kind of way. He was so unhinged verbally when compared to his almost laid-back demeanor. He was a bit parsimonious with acting upon his urges (punching Daniel in the face doesn't count ,👋🏻 where's the bloodbath? His inner Othello was such a tame, talkative pet 🔪).
✨Actions are always superior to fancy Words✨

I started the night with sophistication and martinis, but now, I just want my vodka, because something alien happened to me just now.

— the quote quite ironically perfectly describes my current state.


✨WHY THE GENEROUS RATING✨

There's just something about a man who licks your tears, calls you his little liar and is ready to invest all his money in your family mafia business so that your daddy, who happens to be the Russian mafia leader in NY, lets him marry you ... 🤌🏻

“You thought I would let you play me, my little liar?”

Possessive pronoun + little + insulting endearment equals Irunía upping the rating a bit. 🖤

Normal people hate the cold, but I find solace in it. It probably has to do with my Russian genes.

A dash of good ol' stereotypes to end this review on a light note;)

(omg, this review is basically all about sex... seems fitting, but... who is a sex-starved animal after that is up for debate 🤌🏻)

P.S. I liked this book more than the 1st one in the series. I noticed that I rated almost all Rina's books (with the exception of two) 3 stars...🗿

[youssra · Rating 4 out of 5]

– 4 stars ✰

“Because you’re fucking mine, beautiful. No one gets to look at you or touch you. And if they make that mistake, I will end their miserable lives.”

I had such a low expectation for this book because I absolutely despised the first one in the series. I love it when books surprise me like this and end up being so good and entertaining. I adore both Knox and Anastasia sm🥹

It’s time I claim my wife again and again. She’s mine and I’m hers, till death do us part.

[Rina Kent]

EMPIRE OF SIN IS A COMPLETE STANDALONE IN THE EMPIRE WORLD!

AMAZON US ➜ https://amzn.to/3vUV3gy
INTERNATIONAL ➜ https://smarturl.it/EOSBuy
AUDIOBOOK ➜ https://amzn.to/3GmL9Iz

[Matilda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

Overall this was much better than book 1 which doesn’t really say much since Empire of Desire was traumatizing 90% of the time

🍒 This is your stereotypical ‘mysterious virgin heroine’ and your ‘manwhore hero that refuses to fuck virgins until THIS particular virgin comes around and all the sudden he can’t think straight. so he decides he needs to fuck her and her out of his system’

Blood.
On the condom and the washcloth I cleaned her with…
She lied to me.
She was a fucking virgin.
And now, I’m tempted to find her and teach her that no one, no fucking one, lies to me and gets away with it.

🍒 Anastasia (h) is an expert deep throater on her first attempt. She must have a black hole in place of her throat cause this just isn’t adding up



🍒 Anastasia just gives off “not like other girls energy”. She has an ‘Oldies’ playlist with ‘vintage’ songs…which consists of 80s to 90s rock

I plug in my earbuds and hit Play on my “Oldies” playlist. The sound of the eighties and nineties rock music puts me in a serene mood. I’ve always been a lover of vintage music, even though new technology is my jam. I’m a paradox that way.

“iM a pAraDox tHat WaY” GIRL THE 90s ISN’T VINTAGE

🍒 The worst part about this was Adrian from the Deception trilogy (Kent’s best work imo) is a horrible piece of shit in this??? How are you going to ruin all the character development he ever made by having him defend a fucking pedophile🤢



🍒 The smut was actually decent in this so bonus points for that. Especially the choking 🤌🏻

Her breath stutters and I smile, tightening my hold on her throat. “For now. But I’ll still come back for more. I’ll still find you in every corner and every fucking nook. I will haunt the fuck out of you, Anastasia, until you have no way out but back to me.”

🍒 The dirty talk was well…

“You shouldn’t be shy. After all…” He digs his fingers in my pussy and I bite my tongue to suppress a moan. “I made this cunt bleed for the first time.”

bonus points for trying though ❤️

To be honest, I think a lot of people would like this book. If you’re into a manwhore hero that changes for a girl, then this is 100% for you and you should give this a chance!

Also, I don't care about Daniel's book...give me Damien's book. He sounds hot and he's unintentionally funny

“Love?” He appears genuinely perplexed. “What the fuck does that mean?”
“Love is when you can’t breathe when the other isn’t there. It’s when living becomes a chore, and waking up every day is an accomplishment. It’s when you can’t stop thinking about them and need them close so you can finally exist.”
“Sounds like a fucking hindrance.”

empire of desire review
empire of hate review
empire of lust review

[Lori [semi-hiatus]]

DNF for now
wasn't particularly impressed with either POV or that 'sex' scene in the beginning
no chemistry is back 😔
And did I hear this right? Poor Anastasia doesn't get any oral sex?
Why is Knox a manwhore then if he can't even go down on a woman? 🤡

[lakshmi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a certain bar of expectations when it comes to a Rina Kent book.

🤞 Possessive Alpha man (🤷‍♀️meh)
🤞A sudden weird-as-fuck plot twist that probably doesn’t make sense ☑️
🤞good smut ☑️ 🤏
🤞Hilarious as fuck secondary characters 🙅‍♀️
🤞A heroine with almost little to none social life until the hero steps in ☑️

Empire of sin didn’t exactly deliver but, it was fun to read and the eye-roll worthy moments were easily dismisabble

I might be totally alone in this but you know those TikToks/booktoks that shows us a single scene from the book to make us read the book? The ones that usually involve an alpha male giving commands because most of our depriaved ass’ love that kind of shit?
— i think RK writes her books for those Tiktoks. ✨✨


@Irunía writes this review way better than me because she has the time and patience 🙏 but here’s mine :

The sex was mediocre and I could’ve done with it not being there in every. single. chapter. I liked Knox - much more of a subtle “alpha male” character and he was surprisingly sweet and of course damaged because all good men need to be put through some shit.

“We might have started with my fucking your brains out, but over time, you became the woman I can’t imagine my life without. You became my woman, Anastasia, and I intend to keep you.”

The heroine was fine too. I cannot put forth stellar remarks about her because while she had a back bone and all that good stuff 🥰 she had the personality of cement. I mean, at least she could’ve spoken to plants 🪴 in her past time because she was so boring.

“You’re such a princess.”
“I’m not a princess.”
“You hate cooking, cleaning, and any house chores, basically.”
“It’s not that I hate them. I’m just not good at them.”
“Because you’re a princess.” He smiles. “But don’t worry, I’ve got you.”

But I liked the teeeenyyy tinyyyy mafia aspect of this book AND the cameos by our beloved males who are too cool to say anything beside fucker and fuck off.

Daniel’s book is going to be interesting 😈

[mira · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25⭐️

“ I’ll still find you in every corner and every fucking nook. I will haunt the fuck out of you, Anastasia, until you have no way out but back to me.”

update: i changed the rating from 3.75 to 4.25 stars because its been days and i still can't stop thinking about knox and anastasia and just EVERYTHING about them. the romance in here was def 5/5 <3

i loved knox and anastasia. even though it was very insta lust and they were moving on so fast, i liked it. i loved their relationship and their sex scenes. they had so much chemistry and their dynamic was enjoyable.

i didn't like how the whole mafia plot came in at the 70% mark. i just got bored really fast. even though the side characters were entertaining i just wanted the couple to be together. so basically i found this book a bit long since the pacing of the couple was fast. idk if i make sense, and idk if i'm just nitpicking.

i obviously liked this book enough to give it 3.75 stars (for now) despite the boring scenes. anyway, lets get to the good parts *warning very spicy quotes coming your way*:

“So fucking tight, my Anastasia,” he grunts near my ear.”

ladies i may have died because i have a weak spot for men when they say "my *insert name here*" during sex scenes. idk why it just makes me melt a lil.

“I fuck her like a madman with no cure, like this is the last fuck of my life, like she’s my prize and I have to have her one final time.”

if i knew how to fucking add memes on this stupid app, its game over for you bitches. anyway, idk what to say but i'm jealous ok.

anyway i just realized that i didn't highlight anything past chapter 18... is that when i started getting bored?? hmm idk very suspicious hmmm.... might change the rating depending on if i'll like this book tomorrow.

[D.L. Howe · Rating 5 out of 5]

BR with my girl Crystal, hopefully the first of many.

I’m pretty obsessed with this one, mostly because of all those lovely connections to The Royal Elite series. But also because, every single interaction between Knox and Anastasia is delicious. From the hating to the fucking and everything in between.

Don’t you just love it when the womanizer tries to use his disregard for monogamy on the woman who has no regard for it herself? Talk about blowing up in your face.

I’ve been a big Cole fan since the first Rina Kent book I read; Deviant King. But Knox is starting to give him a run for his money.

He did not seriously bring wallpaper for her place. 🤣🙈

He’s the perfect man. He’s sexy af, smart, a dark sense of humor, intense, passionate. Great job, a sexy accent plus he cooks and cleans. Where the hell do I find one of these?

The sailing was too smooth, I should’ve known the doom and gloom was upon us. Unfortunately, I was too busy getting lost in the sexfest. So, that crisis hit me right in the solar plexus and all the emotions that followed sank deep.

Fortunately, Knox ain’t no bitch.

This is by far my favorite RK book.

[bookaddict lass (kate) · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love rina kent's books. idc about what anyone has to say about her, she serves me jealous and possessive guys and strong and loyal heroines. imma be grateful💓
knox and anastasia are my fav horny rabbits. i wish i had a sexy possessive man hot on my heels at my working place too giving me orgasms in between the work routine👄

[ellie · Rating 2 out of 5]

i decided to give this book a second chance and my original thoughts still stand, it was tedious and boring. the best part was all the damn crossovers... even though i reject this version of Adrian🤠

*****

original review:

dnf @ 12%

reading their first interaction and subsequent ONS was the cringiest and most boring interaction i have possibly read in a long time. literally zero flavour and chemistry. they have been having the most generic conversation for less than five mins before Knox licks her damn ear in public 🤠



(i tried to read more and just... no thank you).

[alka · Rating 2 out of 5]

tolerable at best.


but hey, on the bright side, this is the only rina kent book i haven't dnfed so i'd say that things are definitely looking up :)

[. (rip) · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I can’t imagine my life without. You became my woman, Anastasia, and I intend to keep you.”

buddy read with Natasha 🖤

[Sylvie {Semi-Hiatus} · Rating 2 out of 5]

Follow your heart, they said. So that’s exactly what im going to do now. Giving this 3 stars didn’t dir right with me, I’m rounding it down to 2. #oopsiedaisy

3 Stars, and I'm being too generous.

I don’t care that Empire of Sin is the second book of a series. I need to read Anastasia’s story as ASAP as possible! (probably next week)

[Poppy Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knox van Doren ❤️‍🔥 review to come

[Crystal (Crystalreads2) · Rating 5 out of 5]

So sorry, Nate, but Knox just became my favorite character from Rina Kent and my favorite book. I had a fantastic time with my buddy read partner D.L. Howe.

I know when going in a Rina Kent book on what to expect. She writes complex characters that are deeply flawed. What I loved and appreciated in this book is how she wrote the female protagonist. She gave as much as she got and didn’t back down—a fighter with demons that match the male protagonist.

The book started with a bang. I was afraid it would fizzle and then halfway through pick back up. Rest assured, that didn’t happen. It was game on, and it didn’t stop.

Anastasia wants to be free and escape from her life. Outside her comfort zone, she has one hot and heavy night with a stranger. She then takes off in the middle of the night. Two weeks later, after shedding Anastasia to become Jane. She finds out her new boss is the stranger she shared an unforgettable night.

Imagine Knox’s surprise when the girl who ran out in him and he can’t stop thinking about is the girl in the elevator. She may change her appearance, but he knows it’s here, and since she lied to him, he wants to know why. He is determined to find out.

The push and pull with angst is what really sucked me in. Plus, the humor. I don't think I ever laughed so hard with any of the author’s books.

The spice is a five-for me. It's a raw, rough, and excellent example of what primal sex is. We also feel how Knox feels about intimacy from his past. Your past always comes back to hunt you.

This book, for me, has everything, and I can’t stop thinking about how much I loved it. I can’t wait for Daniel’s Book.

[ApoorvaReads]

It’s 2.30 am and I just binged the shit out of this book. I don’t know how I feel about it so maybe I’ll just sleep on it and decide later.



PS- I can’t believe Rina robbed us of Daniel’s book prologue. I was literally waiting to reach the ending of book 2 asap so I could see a glimpse of her next book😭😭

[nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Re-read 26/09/24: 3.5⭐️
This was...a decent read, for lack of a better word. I'm just gonna dive into the things that I liked and didn't like without further ado.

What I liked:

- Knox not entertaining the thought of any other woman after meeting Ana (eventhough that should be the bare minimum but is an unpredictable factor when it comes to RK's books)

- Anastasia taking control of her life and losing her virginity. I'm usually not a fan of virgin heroines because it usually equals doormat heroines. But in this case, it wasn't too bad

- That *one* jealousy scene when Knox caught Anastasia with Daniel

- Seeing Adrian, Rai, Vladimir (hubbyyyyyyy) and Damien (baby daddy. I absolutely loved how he was so into Mio the moment he saw her. Here's to hoping that RK doesn't ruin their book if she ends up writing it)

What I didn't like:

- Daniel. Fuck that cunt. I was excited for his book when I read this one two years ago but after *actually* reading Dan's story, I realised how much of a dick he was and how much I despised him. Seriously. Fuck him. There's not a word in the English language that would accurately depict my hate towards him. He was an immature POS in this one too #justicefornicole

- Knox's ex-whorish ways. A fact that I did not want to be reminded of frequently. Double standards galore. I will say though that it was tolerable in this instance because of his past. Hypersexuality is a common trauma response after CSA

- Knox fucking Anastasia from the back until the very last sex scene because of his trauma. Why did it take so long for the intimacy to build between them? It annoyed me ngl

- Seeing the rest of the RES gang. Unpopular opinion but I really don't like them. Maybe it's because I hate prep school/HS romances

- The love confession felt so abrupt and didn't feel wholesome

- All the "choking" and "grabbing her by her throat and putting pressure on her pulse point till all she felt was ecstasy" SIT TF DOWN BOY. Also, what are you playin at lol? It felt overdone

- Sex scenes got repetitive after a point and I found myself getting bored

- Anastasia and her body betraying syndrome and stammering when she actually started out as a good character. Girl...what happened???

- Sasha (Aleksander) and his (technically her) jackass behavior. Boo, where was this backbone in your trilogy huh???

Verdict: An okay read. Not as great as I made it out to be in my mind and def not bookshelf worthy. Glad I decided to do a re-read before impulse buying.

***

5⭐️
Papi Knox can wreck my pussy ahsjskskdk🥵🥵🥵

[Natasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Knox and Anastasia win the prize for most random pair who had ZERO chemistry.

This review will be jumbled mess so i apologize in advance.

Was it really good? No, it wasn't.
Was it better than Empire of Desire? A little.🤷‍♀️

"I’m going to have fun playing with you, my little liar."

Plain Jane or Anastasia is the Russian mafia princess who is on the run(her reason for running away was so stupid and absurd btw🙄) so she decides to have a ONS and obviously the guy she has sex(and loses her virginity to) is Knox.🙄
Also she needs a personality transplant.
She was like a mute🤦‍♀️ girl use your words, it was pain reading her inner monologues.
The only good thing about her was her music taste.😂

Knox was like a completely different person and acted like horny teenager who never had sex before and he supposed to be a manwhore who regularly had thresomes with Daniel.🙄
And about Daniel.. i'm undecided so far, he bugged me a lot.
I'll rather read Damien's book than his.🤷‍♀️

I had the same problem like the thorns duet.
They never had a normal conversation, everything was told in their inner monologues and everything was insta lust/ fucking or trying to have sex all the time.
Where was the build up? They literally had sex in the first chapter🤦‍♀️ and then continue to lust over each other.
Knox is into some BDSM shit and surprise surprise Anastasia always had fantasies about rough sex.

"I thought I would only like sex with the lights off and on scheduled days.
And no, those fantasies I had about being held down and fucked don’t count."

Naomi is that you?

"And then his chest turns rigid at my back, and then he’s spilling inside me. Hot spurts of his cum warming my pussy.
Holy shit.
“You…you…” I pant. “You didn’t use a condom?
Why aren’t you on birth control? Who the fuck is not on birth control these days?”
“Me.” I get in his face and snatch my glasses that he placed in his pocket, then put them on. “And why are you angry at me? You’re the one who didn’t use a condom.”

Next scene:

"Yes, I lied. I did in fact have a condom on me. Ever since that first time in the supply room, I always walk around with one.

eww hello chlamydia, he was such a manwhore🤢 and anastasia was such a meek character.



I see everyone is freaking out about Aidenelsa, Teal or Ethan but ADRIAN FREAKING VOLKOV🥵 he was the highlight for me.(Flor would agree😌)

"Beside him is the strongest man in the Bratva. Some even say he’s more powerful than my father. He’s not only the strategist and the brains, but he’s also the most ruthless man I’ve ever known.
Adrian Volkov.
I can’t stop looking at him, even though he hasn’t acknowledged my existence yet.
He’s tall, dark, and has an imposing presence that sparks fear without him having to do anything.
The moment he puts someone in his sights, they might as well be considered dead."

The Russian mafia side plot with crumbs from Adrian, Kiril, Vladimir, Rai is the only reason why i gave it 3 stars bc the romance between Anastasia and Knox was putting me to sleep.😴

Rina pls go back to your mafia romances at least they were interesting.😪

Buddy read with my mafia girl🥰 flora, we want Daniel's prologue RK asap, pls thank you!😌

[tasya *:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished it in a day while abandoning 'Atomic Habits', it seriously feels like a crime. My first book from Rina Kent, and I must admit this is fun. A great introduction to her works, I would say.

[Ꮗ€♫◗☿ ❤️ ilikebooksbest.com ❤️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crossovermania!




The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙🖤💜❤️💚
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📙📘📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌍🌎
Character development: 😟🤭😤😘🥰

The heroine: Anastasia - she is Russian but grew up in Americas and was raised in a strictly sheltered mafia environment. She was homeschooled, not allowed to go anywhere since it was a security hazard, she had no friends, no fun and none of the American experiences that most people had. However, tonight she was out and, on a mission to lose her virginity before she disappears.

“It’s my “fuck you” to the people who intended to use this part of me to marry me off to the first influential man who comes knocking on our door.”

The Hero: Knox - he has PTSD from a traumatic event in his childhood and still suffers from nightmares. He is British but went to law school in America and now he lives in New York City. He works with a fellow Brit that he went to law school with named Dan. He is quite a playboy and never stays with one woman for long. He has violent tastes and likes things rough.

The Story: Anastasia needed to escape, she didn’t want to be used as a pawn in someone else’s game, so after her one night of debauchery where she got her revenge by losing her virginity, she snuck away from her family. She reinvented herself in New York, dying her platinum blonde hair black, donning brown contacts and black framed glasses with thick lenses to hide her face. She got a job at the law firm of Weaver & Shaw, one of the most sought-after law firms in their field.

Anastasia will work in IT for the firm. She did well with homeschool and was able to skip grades and take computer engineering courses. She also had an internship at her family firm though that was on her resume under her new name which she took from another intern, Jane Summers. W&S put her on a months trial since they were still a bit unsure of her due to the fact that she is only twenty, so she plans to show them how good she is during that time.

I liked Anastasia from the start. She was vulnerable yet strong. She planned and executed her own escape and followed through with every step of the plan. She has social anxiety and some OCD and had a big fear of looking into people’s eyes, as a result of her childhood. Yet she wanted to be free. At first, she was afraid that all of the sudden someone would start reigning bullets all over the place, but she told herself that was her old life. She was also extremely intelligent which I really loved. She is an IT nerd (like me), and she knows her stuff. She is also protecting her adopted grandmother.

I also liked Knox from the first time he appeared in a book in the Royal Elite series as a stepbrother to Elsa. He was a nice guy as a teenager, and I love the fact that he grew up to be a tattooed, muscular hottie who is pretty dark and dangerous. He is confident and dominant. I loved that both Knox and Anastasia developed an unhealthy obsession with each other, and it was funny to see how stalkerish each of them became. Like all Rina Kent books, this one was a bit dark, and the intimate scenes were sizzlingly hot. I can always count on a Rina Kent book to have me fascinated and not able to put it down from start to finish.

There were a lot of crossovers from both the Royal Elite series on Knox’s side and the Deception Trilogy, the Monster Trilogy and the Throne Duet on Anastasia’s side. I love that many of my favorite characters from all of those books showed up in this story.

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[purlpur · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️
я в любові і повністю задоволена 😌
мої офісні мени продовжуються. в цій книзі якраз трохи більше юридичної двіжухи і ведення судової справи фоном, нормально прописаний розвиток стосунків, плюс мафіозні інтриги. що ще треба для щастя 🤓

парочка анастасії та нокса мені повністю імпонує. вона - асоціальна хакерша, яка приховує свою особистість. він - власницький, успішний адвокат, із травматичним дитинством. нокс просто май мен, не дарма він сподобався ще в книзі його сестри.

в них гарно прописаний розвиток стосунків, чого не вистачило в першій книзі. спочатку бажання, потім цікавість, інтерес, потім пізнавання один одного (о так, вони розмовляють ротами), потім спільний побут, потім відкриття таємниць, зізнання в почуттях, трохи емоційної драми. ну пьорфект 😎
а їх хімія..😮‍💨 ням, полюбила цих кроликів. єдине, можна було б трохи раніше наважитись дивитись їй в очі, якщо ви розумієте про що я 😏

особливо милими були моменти, коли з'являлись головні персонажі з інших серій. їх тут правда не мало і я завжди тішилась, коли бачила знайомі обличчя. подобаються такі камео ☺️
але після цього захотіла ще більше книгу дем'яна 🥲 ріна, я знаю ти можеш, подаруй вже нам історію цього божевільного чоловіка.

[Clace · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.04!

This was definitely the worst book and I'm so disappointed that this was my 600th book 👹

The guy tells the girl he'll hurt her and then she ignores him. He actually does and then she cries.

If that wasn't enough he controls her and like get something new😭😭

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was kind of meh for me :,(

[☆EmilyEverAfter☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The way these worlds come together is flawless. Tell me how I could have forgotten about Knox Van Doren. The way he stood up to the Pakhan for Ana.. freaking love that! I've missed the RK universe. What will I do when these are over 😭😭

[alana ☁️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. i just want to clarify that this isn't a bad book exactly, just not what i was hoping for, and for whatever reasons i struggled to connect to the characters and the story fully. i probably wouldn't recommend.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

*audiobook

4-star is rare for me...

Especially given my tumultuous relationship with the Rina Kent universe lol, but here we are...

Yes, babe, I am as surprised as you are.

I am a little peeved, though, because for some reason, Rina has been torturing me by writing TWO epilogues for all her other mediocre books, but she chose THIS one to be stingy with?!

The ONE time I actually wanted to listen to this couple more...

4.5 stars for the hero.

Yes, Knox surprised me in this book. He is the best hero Rina Kent has ever written. Yes, I will stand by that statement.

I never cared about him in the other books he appeared on, but he is marvelous in his own book!

4.5 stars for the chemistry.

Knox and Ana are made for each other. The chemistry is palpable. I wanted more!

4.5 stars for the plot.

The pacing was great, the side plot of the court case also, and the double identity was a little intriguing, and I love how the mafia fit into the whole narrative! It was perfectly executed.

I mean, ever since I decided to go down the Rina Kent universe, I made it a habit to listen to her books at 2.0 speed usually, but this one, I had to slow it down to savor it.

Best couple I have read so far in this series of books!

1.5 stars for the heroine.

Look, I am convinced Rina Kent will never write a heroine I love. They're always desperate, weak, pathetic, and never challenge their respective heros in ANY way, and are almost always virgins for some odd reason, and they're always fcking bleeding after their first time.

Like... does Rina Kent know that not all first-timers bleed...?

Ana was no different.

I don't like when female characters fall all over themselves over a man, at least not until midway through the story.

And I only find it good when the hero is jealous, and Rina Kent tends to make her heroines act super jealous. Which weirds me out. When women are jealous, I find it gross. Because I prefer confident women, and confident women don't get jealous.

Although Ana was miles better than Rina's other annoying heroines, she was still acting all in love and shit from the get-go. Which annoys me super hard.

But yeah, overall, I enjoyed this audiobook quite a lot!

[Melanie (mells_view) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5* He ruined me. Corrupted me. And I keep wanting more.

I can’t explain it. I enjoy these books overall, but something I can’t put my finger on is missing for me. That said, I’m entertained and I’ll probably keep picking up this author’s books. This one is good. Some heavy topics and themes weaved in, but mostly it’s a hidden identity mixed with an angry, “it’s just fooling around not love” type plot. I ate it up like candy, so.

If you enjoy mafia adjacent romance with a dom/sub vibe to the relationship, then this book will suit you.

[Arini · Rating 4 out of 5]

#1 Empire of Desire — 2 stars
#2 Empire of Sin — 3.75 stars

love a H who fights for his h. thats why this is the highest one i rated in the series. no matter that the H is a former womanizer. no matter that this one has too much smut for my liking. i just loved how obsessive & possessive the H got towards the h even if all of it started simply because he took her virginity during a one night stand, and it intrigued him that she left him in the morning (a man like him doesnt get left). i could also appreciate the runaway mafia princess plotline because it made the h a bit different from the others in the series. i didnt care for the Royal Elite cameos, but i really enjoyed the RK mafia series crossover. im impatiently waiting for Damiens book.

(read as an audiobook)

[a · Rating 2 out of 5]

edited: it was nothing different than usual, but cringeworthy all the same. in fact i'd call it a very typical rina kent book so i wasn't exceptionally disappointed or dissatisfied. after reading so many books-out of which i only seemed to like adrian's-i still don't know her primary audience lol. the sex scenes are definitely for over 18 year old i guess but the way they talk? Imao plz that's cringey alright, it's something i might've enjoyed when i was a middle schooler or something. i do like rina but just noooo. especially the scenes that had knox's school friends like plz shut up that wasn't cute i- anyway we're not here to bitch about his very lame friends. i did like damien's character however the way he couldn't care less about practically anything. his might as well be the only book i'm looking forward to.

<3

i feel like all her books are pretty similar and just... idk kinda bland if you take out the sex? rina kent practically makes ALL her female leads to be pick me's (as in NOT like OTHER girls) she has a set of characters for the ladies and when you have that and you're writing so many books there's no diversity lol.

all the heroines are so alike and indistinguishable it's absurd. and they're also very much virgins because y'know those who have regular sex are ho*s or oh! let me use the word she did in "red thorns" : whor*s. our guys however are casanovas and playbois. i mean they do sleep around but like in the BEST and coolest way okay!

when i read red thorns and realized there would be a book for reina i was genuinely excited. i wanted to see a queen bee pov, thought reina would be that baddie simply bashing all the stereotypes right in the face of misogynists like 'yes b*tch i love taking care of my body and sleeping with guys and dancing coz its none of your business but guess. what. she turned out so lame like literally? the author practically SWITCHED the personalities. there was nothing of old reina. no talk about how so many cheerleaders face eating disorders noooo we weren't talking about it we were just straight up shaming the whole thing because guess what! reina didn't like those salads anymore, she loved to EAT: you know, UNLIKE most girls.