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Empire of Desire

By: Rina Kent
Narrated by: Aiden Snow, Callie Dalton, Connor Crais
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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
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What listeners say about Empire of Desire

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    428
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Incredibly HOT romance!

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

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I would listen just for his voice alone

Can I just go on and on about that man's voice? He does things to my insides. The storyline was amazing with twist and and I love how the plot thickened. Definitely worth the credit. Even though I don't ever want to hear about cupcakes, or vanilla ever again.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
Listener received this title free

A must listen!

“Here’s the thing, age gaps aren’t so much my thing but if you left the years aside and focus on the story it’s easy to continue it. I read the book before listening to the audio and ended up enjoying more the story as an audio. First, Aiden did an outstanding job! His voice was simply gorgeous. Connor did an amazing job too. I don’t know if it was just me but his voice sounded different? Kind of hard to explain but also an incredible voice! Callie well, I think she did an incredible work because at some point I couldn’t stand her voice lol. Not in a bad way but like I said when it comes to age gape and one like tis so many years well of course the girl is well a girl. She was childish and frustrating at some parts that had me rolling up my eyes in annoyance so yeah Callie portrayed Gwen perfectly!”

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Loved!!!

Absolutely loved this book! This story was amazing and definitely worth a credit. The storyline was great and the characters were very well developed. The narrators brought the story to life.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
Listener received this title free

Good narration for a good story.

⭐⭐⭐💫 Vanilla Stars

It's been a hot minute since I've last read one of Rina Kent's books and I've forgotten how hot they are!

Usually, age gap is not my first choice for tropes, but every now and then, I'm able to find one that can hold my attention, without triggering my dad issues 😂😂😂.

These characters are definitely present in some previous books by this author, that I haven't read, but aside from more information from their backstory and random mentions, I could read it as a standalone.

Nate is ruthless, rough, cold, handsome and broken. The full package for a toxic relationship with his best friend's little daughter! I liked that he was cold with her, and all business at the beginning... It would be unlikely that they felt in bed as soon as her dad was out of picture.

Gweneth in the other hand, was not an easy pill to swallow. She was annoying, immature, annoying, overprotected, annoying, boring... have I said annoying? Yep...
She's twenty years old when she's enrolled into a "marriage on paper" with Nate, but she's still locked in her fifteens, taking her vanilla milkshake for breakfast "every-single-day", and living with her dad, even if she's already in college.

Nate dealt with her as if she was a child, ordering her to answer to every rhetorical question, and serving her vanilla milkshakes every time that she pouts.
It was actually realistic to their previous interactions, considering that he was Uncle Nate before.

But i loved how he also was caring, even when he didn't want to get attached, and the s3x between them were really hot!

I wish we had more depth of their characters and their past, on why Nate was so broken, or about everything around Gweneth other than her vanilla obsession.

Their happy ending came after lots of punches and death threats, but it was sweet.

I'm honestly more curious about Kingsley and Aspen right now, cause that duo are the epitome of fire meet gasoline!

🎧 About the Audiobook Narration 🎧

Narrated by Aiden Snow, Callie Dalton and Connor Crais.

Aiden Snow was Nate's narrator and he was really good to hold my attention and Nate's coldness.
Callie Dalton made justice to Gweneth, bem as annoying as her, with a high pitched teenager voice.
Connor Crais made just a few chapters from Kingsley's POV,  but he looked like he was really bored.

Overall the narration helped with the book.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Female narrator has a lisp

It’s not that noticeable but it does distract. I felt like the story went fast when her dad found out about Nate. A lot of it was a stretch to believe- like the author told you to just go with it so the story could go on.. who is just fine after waking from a coma- no one but apparently her dad. I felt like a lot of it was glossed over almost as if there were only a certain number of pages the author could write for this book and she realized she had to rush

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Another win for Rina Kent

Kent is an auto click purchase for me. I have my favorites of her pieces and even though this story didn’t trump my faves it was still very good with all the feels.

*spoilers* This would have been 5 stars if I didn’t find Gwen so childlike. I love age gaps, but Gwen was written like a needy dependent child despite being 20. Was she on the autistic spectrum?? Her emotional imbalance, coping mechanisms, and habits read like child living in a 20 year olds body. Maybe I missed the part where it spelled out that she struggled with special needs but it was very distracting while reading. One moment she was talking like a horny young adult and in the next reacting like a 10 year old (and not an immature or spoiled way but a way that she makes me question her full mental cognition.). Either way, cute story.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

An Enthralling🔥Romance! Terrific Story & Listen🎧

Rina Kent pens another amazing novel and she mastered several tropes, nailing every single one of them, an age gap and forbidden romance with her father’s best friend and a fake marriage/marriage of convenience, just to name a few. This story immediately drew me in, grabbing my attention and captivating it the entire book. The character development and world building is fantastic, the complexity of the characters and their relationships are fantastic too, and you learn more of each as the story unfolds. Kingsley “King” Shaw and Nathaniel “Nate” Weaver are lawyers and business partners in their law firm. King is a single dad of his daughter Gwyneth “Gwen”, the mother was never in the picture, Nate has known Gwen since she was a baby so it surprised him when she flirted with him and gave him a romantic kiss on her eighteenth birthday. She had had a crush on him for a few years now and felt it was time to act on them, but he had none of it and avoided her for close to two years after that. When King is in an accident, they need to prevent his ex-wife from trying to gain control of his property, and since Gwyneth was only twenty and she did would not gain full access to anything for another year. Nate realized the quickest solution was for them to get married, on paper only. Gwen wants more, but he is not willing to go there, yet the man is possessive with her. She does not give up on him though, continues to flirt with him and even gets herself an internship at his law firm, so he has to see more of her. Gwen is a social butterfly, and Nate is not happy with what he sees, so he takes her under his wing. The chemistry between them is undeniable and sizzling hot, and when he finally stops denying it, the fireworks between them are explosive. I loved how everything played out in this book, it is a brilliantly plotted story with plenty of drama, heartfelt emotions, angst, some surprising twists and turns, and a steamy romance. I also love how fiercely protective King was of his daughter, he may have only been in a few chapters, but he sure was a strong presence. Rina Kent, thank you for another amazing story and emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧 And for the amazing narration, Rina Kent could not have chosen a better cast to bring her story and characters to life. Aiden Snow, Callie Dalton and Connor Crais are brilliant narrators and versatile voice artists. They had a complete understanding of the characters they portrayed, giving each a voice that suited their character’s persona to a tee, sounding believable and just as I pictured the character to sound. Aiden Snow played Nathanial’s role with perfection, grasping his aloofness and alpha-tude completely. Callie Dalton nailed it as Gwyneth, brought out her bubbling personality and her vulnerable side. Connor Crais jumps in as Kingsley for a few chapters, brings out his fierce protectiveness and alpha-tude and anger towards others. All were great at performing the roles of the secondary characters as well. They set the perfect tone for the story, captured all the characters’ emotions and projected them into their performance and have you feeling every single one. These entertaining storytellers are a pleasure to listen to and their narration enhances an already brilliant story to another level. Thank you for another exceptional listen.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Empire of Desire

I wasn't sure if this author was for me, but during an audible sale this one will intrigued me. I loved the dad's best friend forbidden romance. This was packed with a great storyline with suspense and some amazing spice! Great job by the narrators!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Loved it 🥰

Loved it so much I have heard it twice so far 😉. Read this one before you read the other 3. Then read Empire of Sin. That's the next one I'm about to hear for the second time.

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