Empire of Sin

An Enemies to Lovers Romance

By: Rina Kent

Narrated by: John Hartley, Vanessa Edwin

Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

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 stand-alone. No other books should be listened to prior to this.

©2022 Rina Kent (P)2022 Rina Kent

❤️ LOVED.. LOVED.. LOVED IT ❤️

Once I started this very addictive listen I just couldn’t stop because the relationship dynamics of a woman on the run, a man obsessed, sizzling chemistry and a delicious push ‘n pull between the hero and heroine kept me entertained, engaged and eager for more.

Anastasia.. a beautiful caged bird who has escaped her gilded guarded life and is determined to start her freedom with a one night nameless bang.. and the British businessman whose licks are giving her tingles and shivers seems more than happy to oblige. Knox.. a handsome, sexy, smart, dominant, dark and damaged Lawyer who doesn’t do twice and isn’t looking for more so he’s very happy with the mysterious blond’s proposition. Yet, when Knox wakes in the morning, their explosive chemistry, hot sex, feisty connection and blood on the condom has him wanting more.. but, with the touch of cold sheets where an intriguing little liar should be, Knox really feels the loss. Fast-forward two weeks, neither one can get the other out of their minds, however Anastasia has reinvented herself and turned into a plain Jane.. and a chance lift encounter on day one of her new job, unexpectedly brings Knox back into her life. And, the push ‘n pull, chemistry, passion, heat, humor, hurdles, hoops, shadows and secondary characters that follows in their riveting possessive journey, had me listening way into the wee small hours.

Worth a credit? Yes, I loved all the highs and lows in their dual POV love story which was expertly brought to life by John and Vanessa and I think her male voice may just be my favorite 🤫🤭😉😊.

Nobody can write like Rina Kent

This book! (MY FAVORITE)
This audio! (THESE NARRATORS WERE PERFECT. John and Vanessa played these characters to perfection)
This author! (WRITES LIKE A DREAM EVERY SINGLE TIME)
THESE CHARACTERS!!! OMGGGG I AM SO IN LOVE!!!!!!! Knox was EVERYTHING!!! He was just....SO much more than I thought he would be, and what is crazy is, I already LOVED him in other books so you can only imagine how PHENOMENAL he was in this. His possessiveness, his dominance, his ruthlessness, and the sex.. WOW, it was freaking HOT!!! And lets talk about Miss Jane/Anastasia shall we? I CANNOT EXPLAIN HOW MUCH I LOVED THIS WOMAN! She was PERFECT for Knox! The chemistry between them both before they got serious, to the way they were with each other after just made me melt. I also LOVE LOVE LOVED seeing so many older characters in the other books. It gave me such nostalgia.. Nobody can write like Rina Kent. I will be thinking about this book for days and weeks until Empire of Hate is out. Daniel's story may even blow this one out of the water! 5 stars just isnt enough for what I want to give this book, heck this Empire series. 10 stars.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Need a 6th Star!!

I'm a huge Rina Kent fan & have all her books.... EMPIRE OF SIN is now one of my FAVORITES!!! I've been anxiously waiting for KNOX'S story. It didn't disappoint. I couldn't stop listening until the very end & then wished for more! The NARRATION is STELLAR!

Male Narrator Sounds Too Old

So this book is exceptional. Wouldn’t expect anything less from the great Rina Kent!! While the narration is also good, the male narrator just sounds too old for the Knox I have in my head. Knox is only 28 and this guy sounds middle aged. Otherwise, I have zero complaints and would bet money you will LOVE this book. Definitely recommend!

Hiding in plain sight …

It was supposed to be one night, but it turned into so much more. Knox and Anastasia’s twisted tale is full of secrets and lies. It’s dark and complicated and their push/pull dynamic was fun to watch. I loved the character crossover. It’s like catching up with old friends.

John Hartley and Vanessa Edwin do an incredible job of bringing Rina Kent’s story to life.

Loved this story!

I've been wanting Knox's story for so long and it was even better than I could've imagined! Anastasia was wonderful! FMCs tend to irritate me at some point, but she was fantastic all the time! They're story was so cute! I think I know who's book is next and I'm SO excited for it!!

Growly John Hartley is perfect!

Knox and Jane are a couple of my favorites from Rina Kent's world. Both are very intense, but for different reasons. I loved how as unapologetic Knox is about basically everything he does, he does indeed have a couple soft spots for the right reasons. Both are trying to forge their own lives very different from how they grew up. Their interactions at work and away from work were pretty intense. As they get to know one another, they discover the other isn't as bad as they originally thought. There's plenty of heat between Knox and Jane, but there's also a gritty and horrible story both these characters endure. Knox's dirty talking game is seriously on point. I found myself rewinding quite a few times. Growly John Hartley is a favorite aural gift he shares.

John Hartley and Vanessa Edwin did a wonderful job narrating. John has quickly elevated to my top 5 male narrators. He's a wonderful actor, and all the voices he brings to life are truly a gift.

Story is wonderful

Rina writes amazing storylines. Books and characters are superb and so well written. Story is not disappointing.

The audible narration is okay. The male Narrator’s voice sounds far too old to be a 28 year old male. His voice sounds like a man in his 60’s so this was a little distracting. The male narration was a little too intense and overly narrated.

Definitely think that Rina Kent’s duet Narration is more effective for her books like the Royal Elite Series. The narrators for Royal Elite were much more well matched as well as the Deception Trilogy books.

The Empire Series and Legacy of the Gods could definitely improve the listening experience with Duet narration.

Overall still can’t deny that the story is fabulous and still worth listening to!

Knox love him

John Hartley and Vanessa Edwin are wonderful especially two broken people just trying to put there past in the past but nothing stay there so when it blow up in there face Knox and Anastasia need to confront them.

Knox: Dark Warrior of Justice

I’ve been waiting for this story since the Throne Duet! Knox is a successful and arrogant playboy attorney. Anastasia is the quiet IT girl who is hiding an intense background. Together they just click even though Ana is fighting her hardest to resist.

•Love how Knox knew it was Anastasia right away at work and there was no time wasted figuring it out. His dominance and confidence was so sexy! There are some nice dominant smexcy scenes too 🔥
•Loved the cameos of Empire crew, mafia peeps, and of course the guy group chats. The visit from Elsa, Teal and Ethan was just perfection!
Epilogue was amazing 😻

Narration by John and Vanessa was great! Would have been perfect if it was duet though.

Absolutely brilliant

Loved both narrators, they did an outstanding job bringing this characters to life… steamy scenes are so hot in this book! Wow… and the chemistry between our characters was amazing… I loved the plot I loved seeing my favourite characters from past books again

I’m just sad it ended

The series is awesome!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fully enjoyed. Well worth the credit! Awesome narration! Highly recommended! Characters are strong and plot is engaging!

An Enemies To Lovers Romance

Empire of Sin by Rina Kent is a dark enemies-to-lovers romance that I listened to on audio narrated by John Hartley and Vanessa Edwin. This is the second 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 between Knox and Anastasia. I really enjoyed getting both of their points of views throughout the book. It really brought the story to life.

John and Vanessa 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 dark romances, mafia romances, enemies-to-lovers romances, or romantic suspense.

Way darker than the previous book

I wasn’t expecting it to be way darker than the previous book. Doesn’t mean I didn’t like it though.

How was it darker? First of all, there’s some mafia here. Well, bratva, as it is, because Anastasia is a Russian mafia princess. And her family doesn’t want to let her go. Be prepared for violence, death threats, murder, heartless killers… It’s never explicit, but it’s here. I quite enjoyed Ana as a character. Her nerdiness was refreshing–she’s a computer genius and she loves technology–and I loved her fantasies, the way she decided to view the world around her. Also, she was strong and she knew what she wanted. But she also was ready to relinquish control in bed.

The perfect woman for Knox, who was controlling and domineering. His backstory was another source of angst, but it was revealed much later in the book. When he met Anastasia, he was happy to find someone ready to satisfy his needs, as well as a challenge and a mystery. I wasn’t a fan of the magic vagina trope–once he’s been with her, Knox the womanizer can’t think of any other girl. Doubtful. I’d have loved to see more feelings and connections right from the beginning. His story arc was quite interesting though. He clearly grows up and changes in the course of the book, even reaching some sort of closure by the end of it.

Their relationship is HOT. Their attraction for each other was undeniable, and the slight Dom/sub dynamic took it up a notch. To say they were meant for each other is an understatement.

The theme of child abuse–through sexual abuse, neglect, or altogether toxic environment–could be triggering or disturbing, but it’s never treated lightly or fetishized. I felt the horror and trauma. And don’t worry, the bad guys get what they deserve. Not before they make victims, unfortunately.

A lot of side characters navigate around Ana and Knox. Friends, family, bratva members, colleagues…They don’t have much function besides helping or hindering the romance, but some of the interactions are quite enjoyable, and they help defining the main characters, as well as the side characters who have been or will become more important in other books in the series. It’s a complete standalone though, and the author gives enough information to know what’s up with those other characters without reading the rest of the series.

The narrators were good. The male one was perfect for cold-hearted Knox, hence sometimes missing the target with emotions. The female narrator was great though, bringing to life both the strength and the vulnerability of Anastasia, and Knox’s ruthlessness. I felt they didn’t quite matched together, but they are good on their own and made the audio a great experience.

Love a happy ending.

I enjoyed the book, easy to listen to. I’m glad it had a happy ending. Knox definitely grows on you as the story goes on.
The narrators were great. Job well done.

Wow

I was SUPER curious about Knox from the moment we met him, and this crossover DEFINITELY filled in the blanks.
Plain Jane/ mafia princess meets ruthless businessman and I am here for it.
I was left wanting in the tension department, but the other parts definitely made up for it.

Knox and Anatasia!

This is the second book in the Empire series. This is a series of standalone romances, well written, with overlapping timelines. Knox and Anastasia's story is emotional, and grippingly captivating. Knox is handsome, enigmatic, possessive, dominant, and very protective. I liked his determination. Anastasia is a wonderful character, beautiful, strong, and caring. Their relationship is intense and passionate. The storyline is filled with danger, secrets and drama. The supporting characters are intriguing. I loved to see again Nat and Gwyn from the first book. I liked the epilogue. John Hartley and Vanessa Edwin did an excellent job with the narration. I enjoyed it. Looking forward to listening to Empire of Hate, Daniel’s story, the next book in the series.

Hot, sexy, enemies to lovers romance!

Empire of Sin is book two in the Empire series and is the complete standalone story of Anastasia Sokolov and Knox Van Doren.
Anastasia wasn’t born a mafia princess, however she soon learned that the tiara, title, and castle come with a hefty price tag…freedom. Ana decides she wants to have one sinful night with a stranger before she starts a new life on the run, far away from her family.
Know, a notorious criminal lawyer walks into a bar in New Jersey and immediately see’s the gorgeous blonde in a red dress with a butterfly on her back at the bar. He takes her to a hotel and only realises she was a virgin the next morning when he wakes up alone and sees the blood on the condom and wash cloth.
Fast forward a couple of weeks and Knox is surprised to see the woman who has occupied his thoughts in the elevator, only she has completely changed her appearance and introduces herself as Jane Summers. He knows it’s Anastasia and has no idea why she’s lying but is determined to find out. They are hiding sides of themselves from each other while giving in to the lust and desire they feel for one another in a no strings arrangement.
The incredibly talented Vanessa Edwin and John Hartley bring Anastasia and Knox to life. Vanessa’s sweet, melodic voice was simply perfect to portray the angelic on the outside and vixen on the inside runaway mafia princess. John’s deep, gruff British brogue was perfect to breath life into the perfectly imperfect, dirty talking, alpha-hole. I love this pairing together; they really complement one another and are amazing.
I loved to Knox and Ana’s story. If you love a good enemies to lovers, one-night stand to lovers, friends with benefits to lovers trope with a damaged dirty talking alpha-hole who knows his way around a woman’s body and a sweet, innocent yet strong and independent heroine then grab this audiobook and lost in it as I did, you won’t be disappointed.

loved this one!

Loved this book and Knox was 🔥🔥
This book sucked me in from the beginning and I love the constant push and pull between him and Anastasia and his possessiveness.

There were definitely some scenes that were 🥵 and I loved it all!
Absolutely recommend this one!

Ps: I definitely loved the fact that the other characters from her previous books made some cameos, that was literally the best parts for me!

The second in the series

This is Anastasia and Knox's story, two strangers, one night, and then chemistry sparks and gets in the way, add forbidden romance to it and you get the perfect combo. The story will hook you from the start, this Empire series is getting better by the page. All characters are fantastic, Knox's past will have your heart, while Anastasia will become a favorite heroine. This two started on a journey you will definitely need to read to enjoy.