Empire of Desire

An Age Gap Father's Best Friend Romance

By: Rina Kent

Narrated by: Aiden Snow, Callie Dalton, Connor Crais

Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

My forbidden husband.

I kissed my father’s best friend, and it kind of didn’t go well.

Not only because he’s 18 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 stand-alone. No other books should be listened to prior to this.

©2021 Rina Kent (P)2021 Rina Kent

Sexy, Age Gap Romance

I love Rina Kent! I prepare to be completely swept away every time I read one of her novels. I know I’ll be worthless until I’ve finished! That goes for this story as well, although this one was a bit more predictable than most of her books. And coincidentally, I’ve read a couple other age gap books recently that had several similarities so it took away some of the freshness for me. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed this one…good balance of heat, romance, heartfelt moments as well as a hint of mystery. Listeners can have pretty strong opinions about narrators and we don’t all like the same thing…but for me, this narration trio was excellent! Three of my favorites!! 5 star narration and 4 star story. Yes, I definitely recommend!

Who writes these reviews?! Family members?

Let me sum it up for you and save you 10 hours

She’s self proclaimed empty headed (implied dumb) over and over. Yet she’s going to law school.

Her man carries her tiny body everywhere like she is weightless. She’s so tiny and he’s so strong (hear that about 6 times).

He’s a jerk and that’s perfectly okay with her. (Especially hospital scene.. get real. What an ass)

I want my credit and 10 hours of my life back.

Female character is awful

Not sure if it was her voice or character but I found myself skipping through her chapters. The book itself was a slow start and then when I thought there was going to be some action with her dad's accident, her mother, or Suzanne it fell flat. Nothing!

Entertaining

I enjoyed this audiobook while I was listening to it but found the characters somewhat unrelatable. But I do I enjoy age gap, and fathers best friend so it kept me entertained.
I would listen to the other books in the series.

Incredibly HOT romance!

I get why everyone swoons over Aiden Snow's voice. I really loved this book and dual narration.

Just amazing

Empire of Desire was just what I expected from Rina, her books are always amazing I couldn't put it down/ quit listening . Narration was awesome, I love Aiden Snows Voice.

Another Amazing Story from Rina Kent

Iam Huge fan of Rina Kent books so when I got the chance to listen Empire of Desire I was just so pumped because OMG did everyone read that blurb it screams LISTEN TO ME . LOL . Gwen and Nate story was just everything. I was eagerly devouring every word of their story, their story was sexy, addicting, fun, wicked and gave the perfecting Happily ever after. Rina Kent never disappoints and when I say the plot of this book was top tier iam serious and the plot twist omg it made me audibly gasp. If your wondering if you should pick of this fantastic standalone the answer is YES go pick this one up right now.

🔥🔥🔥

As with all of Rina‘s books, I loved it. She has a way of creating such complex characters that in real life you would probably not want to know them. The men are always alphas who demand the respect and obedience of the women. But, she creates women who are spunky and fight back. I love that.

I love the idea of age gap romances although in real life I was never attracted to older men. I just think about later in life when the man is in his 60s and the woman is still younger. It’s nice to just listen to a book and escape reality.

I loved the three-way point of view we got through the story. The surprise at the end was shocking when Gwyneth’s mom is revealed. There were a few unanswered questions, but I’m sure that we’re gonna find the answers in the next book or so in the series.

The only negative that I would say about this book is that there was so much profanity. I think the F bomb was said every other sentence. To me, lawyers should have a better mind and vocabulary than using the F word to express anger. That’s such a minor thing, but it is a warning that this book is for mature adults. I also like it when she does the duet narration rather than the duel.

All three narrators did a great job. I did find that Connor and Aiden read much slower than Callie so I was constantly changing the speed.

Rina is the queen of complex stories. You won’t be sorry. I cannot wait for Knox‘s story to come out, and it was so exciting to have him and Daniel mentioned in this book.

Loved Listening to this!

I Give this Book a 4/5 Star Rating.

Formats Read: Ebook & Audiobook.
Updated: Audiobook Review at Bottom.

HEA(?): Yes!
Relationship Type: MF
Heat: 3.5-4/5
Romance: 4-4.5/5
Drama: 3-3.5/5, There really isn’t that much drama as I was expecting but I’m perfectly okay with that to be honest.
Suspense: 3/5
Pacing: Mid. But reads a bit faster.
Dark(?): No.

This was a very enjoyable read, I personally love Rina Kent’s writing style cause it’s so addictive.
This book in particular is a Perfect Palate Cleanser
/Book Block Breaker, while the writing does read a tiny bit faster than her normal books it’s quite a relaxing read which is actually exactly what I was needing/looking for.
This will most definitely be a continuous reread for me.
I can’t wait to read Knox’s book and I would love it if Kingsley gets a book as well! ☺️


Audiobook Review:
Overall: 4.5/5, Listing as 5.
Story: 4/5
Performance: 4.5/5, Listing as 5.
Narrators: Aiden Snow, Callie Dalton & Connor Crais

Listening to this book after I read it, you get a different take of the book due to the narration and it’s even more enjoyable to me actually. I really recommend the audiobook ☺️

When it comes to Aiden Snow, his voice is just pure Cat Nip. It’s absolutely gorgeous and could listen to him forever! He did a wonderful job!

Callie Dalton, her voice did sound a bit uncomfortable in the beginning, a little robotic. But once you get into the flow with her narrating it’s apparent she’s is getting more comfortable with the character she is playing and in the end voices her character quite well.

Connor Crais, his voice wasn’t what I was picturing for King at first, but he does fit King later on. I really curious to listen to more books he’s narrated.

Super Hot!🔥🔥🔥

I love a true, age -gap romance, and this was all that and more. Super steamy with an alpha to die for! The female character is a tad too immature, but a total 5 stars otherwise!!

Age gap, taboo romance

I absolutely loved this age gap, contemporary, taboo romance!

This was intense, dark and so very compelling

The characters were well fleshed out, real and relatable.

I absolutely loved the chemistry between the characters!!

This was hot, sexy and spicy.

The narrators performed an amazing audio delivery and narration


Definitely recommend

Age-Gap and Forbidden Romance!

This is the first book in the Empire series, a standalone romance. Nathaniel (Nat) and Gwyneth (Gwyn)’s story is well written and captivating. Nat is handsome and protective. Gwyn is young, naive, and impulsive. They share a sizzling hot chemistry, and a push and pull relationship. Gwyn's dad Kingsley is an enigmatic character, and a fantastic single dad. I would love to read his story. This is a great age-gap, father’s best friend, and taboo/forbidden romance. Aiden Snow, Callie Dalton and Connor Crais did an outstanding job with the narration. I enjoyed it! Rina Kent never disappoints!

Amazing age gap listen

Loved this story so much! Age Gap, Father’s Best Friend & marriage of convenience/forced proximity all rolled into one great story. Gwen & Nathaniel’s chemistry was crazy hot. So many twists & turns. I didn’t want the book to end! Excellent narration by Callie Dalton, Aiden Snow & Connor Crais.

Good, not great.

The performance was perfection, in my opinion.
The story is good, but for me it was hard getting past how immature the female character was. It ruined alot of the book for me personally and I almost did'nt finnish it.

Empire of Desire: Empire Series Book 1

PERFORMANCE REVIEW:

The story is told mostly in Nate & Gwyneth’s POV which make our main narrators Aiden Snow & Callie Dalton. King was narrated by Connor Crais.

All three narrators did an excellent job of bringing the story to life, but Callie Dalton stood out for me the most because she narrated Gwyneth’s character spectacularly. She captured her age, status, naivete, and overall sheltered view of the world ridiculously well and it just awed me!

STORY REVIEW:

I experienced my first Rina Kent story just last year (2022) and it was so well done that I immediately wanted to jump back and read all about the people and world these kids came from! I was so impressed with her style that I honestly just wanted to experience more, no matter what world it was, so when the opportunity to listen to Empire of Desire came up, I jumped!

I’m not going to lie and say I did not have some serious eyeroll and #twitchy moments over this plot, but for the most part, I found it to be just the kind of crazy passionate, age-gap romance, I like. There’s a whole lot more going on in this story other than Nate & Gwyneth’s romance journey and for the most part, it all moved the story forward but some of it still has me thinking “but why, though?” and that’s a feeling I don’t like. The one that stands out the most is King’s awakening and its aftermath. I can’t go into detail because, spoiler, but suffice it to say my eye is still twitching so do with that information what you will LOL On the flip side of this, I found the entire Aspen circumstance to be well played and honestly took me by complete surprise. It was twisted and messy and right under their noses and yet I was as surprised as everyone in the book was when it unfolded. Again, that’s as much as I can say because, spoiler, but again, well done!

Sidenote (and this is really only for its ridiculously humorous nature): Gwyneth likes vanilla. That is vital information you should know. Ask me why. No, seriously, ask me. (I am cry laughing so hard right now) Okay, I’ll tell you. This is only an assumption on my part, but I assume it is vital information because we are told 63 times. *blink* Specifically, vanilla milkshakes (31 times) and vanilla ice cream (20 times). But wait, that’s not really how I know she likes vanilla. I know she truly likes it because … wait for it … vanilla-colored panties *rapid blinking laughing hysterically*

Okay, so overall, Empire of Desire turned out to be sexy, passionate, a little twitchy here and there, captivating, and surprising, all surrounded by the scent of vanilla! :) 4 Stars all around!

The series is awesome!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The series is awesome!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Taboo romance on its finest. Fully enjoyed. Well worth the credit! Awesome narration! Highly recommended! Male characters is HOT! ❤️‍🔥

My forbidden husband

Review

Audiobook 🎧 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Gwen x NATE


I have read these book twice and now I am listening to the Audiobook as I am in love with them mainly by Rina kent.

About the Voices, the Voice fit the characters perfectly because this is very important to me seriously.
“Sometimes I love the book more when I go to read the Audio Book I hate the voice and it ruins the magic for me”
I found the voice of Nate and King Gwen's father SO SEXY MY GOD than men.
Perfect acting, I felt all the emotion of the characters through the actors. Apart from the funny moments, there was a lot of laughter, mainly through the fight between Nate and King.

And yes I cried with Aspen and GWEN

about the characters

Gwen is an amazing character, I loved her personality of going after what she wants, despite the prejudices that society has, she has her own light and is the daughter of her wonderful father King, which I love.

Nate, since Sebastian and Naomi's book I was curious about him and in love.
I loved his relationship with Sebastian.

I love books that surprise me and this is one of them, this is one of those books that you just can't stop reading. this is important to me because I am understood if the book is bad and I leave without regret if the story is bad.
So when it catches my attention and I can't stop, it gives me enormous satisfaction as a reader and listener.

About the story

Starting with Gwen going after her crush Nate and stealing a kiss from him, and he rejects her, After a while we have a twist and Nate and Gwen end up married, After being rejected gwen starts ignoring the Nate that I love, and he starts to go crazy with jealousy in relation to her and then the love of the two begins.

I love all of Nate's jealous scenes, The whole part of them as a couple is so beautiful to read and listen to, Even though it's not cute at all but hot, Their scenes are pretty hot

NATE my man

Best moments
Nate's declaration of love is the best moment, because after that there's his fight with king and my what a crazy scene.

I love the king chapter.
We also have the reveal about Aspen that made me cry yeah
Aspen is one of my favorite Rina characters.


It gave a lot of laughs, I cried and got involved with the story.

Age Gap - Father’s Best Friend

Empire of Desire by Rina Kent is an age gap father's best friend romance that I listened to on audio narrated by Aiden Snow, Callie Dalton, and Connor Crais. This is the first book of the Empire series and can be read as a stand-alone.

I love Rina's books! She does an amazing job pulling me into the story and making me fall in love with the characters. I loved the relationship that bloomed between Nathaniel and Gwyneth. It was messy but you couldn't help but root for them. I really enjoyed getting Nathaniel, Gwyneth, and Kingsley's points of view throughout the book. It really brought the story to life.

Aiden. Callie, and Connor did an amazing job on the narration. I look forward to listening to more of their work in the future.

I would recommend this book if you like age gap romances, forbidden romances, father's best friend romances, or new adult romances.

Forbidden Age Gap Goodness

More Rina Kent perfection! I was hooked from the beginning with this story. I love an age gap and add your dads best friend? Absolutely. I always say I dont think Rina Kent can get any better, each book she pulls no stops and gives it all to us.

The audio narration was great! Connor and Callie are always instant buys for me but when you add Aiden to that mix it just gets so much better.

I can't wait to find out what happens next in this series! Super hooked!

A perfect taboo romance filled with desire

Empire of Desire is book one in the Empire series and is the complete standalone, forbidden age-gap, fathers’ best friend, marriage of convenience romance story of Nathaniel Weaver and Gwyneth Shaw.
Gwyneth was infatuated with Nathaniel, her dad’s best friend, since she was fifteen years old. All her life Nathaniel had been Uncle Nate until somewhere along the way he became Nate, the man of her dreams and on her eighteenth birthday, she shoors her shot and kisses him which goes down like a lead balloon. For two long years Nate and Gwen avoid each other, until an accident turns their lives upside down and forces them together in the form of a marriage of convenience.
Nate is devastatingly sexy and his closed off, impenetrable persona would deter even the strongest of people, yet he’s not prepared for the storm that is Gwen and the forbidden temptation she tangles in front of him. Seeing Nate’s control snap and his possessive side come to the forefront was panty melting hot and I could die a happy woman if Nate was to repeat “you’re truly fucked, baby girl” for the rest of my days.
Aiden Snow brings Nate to life and quite honestly, I can’t think of a better person who could’ve done this character justice quite like Aiden. His deep voice was simply perfect for this super-hot, dirty talking, sexually experienced alpha. Callie Dalton’s sweet, lilting tone was perfect to portray the sassy and utterly besotted Gwen. Callie really sold me that Gwen was not only wounded but was also initially suffering from unrequited love and finally bags herself the man she’s wanted for a long time. Connor Crais’ performance as Kingsley Shaw, father of Gwen and best friend of Nate. Even though King is a small part in this book, Connor’s portrayal of the doting father is amazing.
I loved this story, the characters, the tropes, Ms Kents writing style, the dirty talk and steamy times, the fact that it’s focused around desire, whether that is something that has been present but not reciprocated or a growing, slow burn desire and the anticipation contributed to make this an incredible story. I cannot wait to get lost in more from this fabulous author, especially Knox’s story in Empire of Sin.