Tarnished Empire

With a cover like that, how could I not want to pick this one up! Tarnished Empire ended up being total unexpected. I expected this to be mafia captive, hostile enemies to lovers – but this story took me totally off guard. Instead this is more like Romeo and Juliet meets the Blue Lagoon.

The plot starts out like a familiar mafia treat- Alaric, head of his familys mafia/arms dealing is out for revenge against the man he believes killed his father. But from there, Ava totally delivers a fresh and unique take- a story I didnt expect. Hes recently delivered a real hit to his enemys business, so much so that the enemys daughter, Phoenix, a daughter that Alaric knows nothing about, decides to sidling up to Alaric in hopes of gathering intel on him to report back to her father. Of course, that scheme is short lived, and once shes discovered she finds herself at the mercy of her fathers enemy.and of Alarics enemies as well. Which leaves her and Alaric in a unique situation- enemies who have to somehow work together to survive a situation I (or they) never expected.

Alaric is delicious- a strong, dominant, alpha hero with a giant soft heart buried under all his stoic responsibility and hard edge bravado. Not only do we get some sweetness and vulnerability from him, but hes surprisingly resourceful and clever. His protective nature and passionate emotions had me swooning,and of the two main character, hes definitely the one who grew and evolved more. HIs characterization felt both consistent and more steadily progressed- which had me really invest in him, not to mention in love.

There is a lot to like about Phoenix- shes strong willed, loyal, compassionate, and fighter- all things I love in a push-pull heroine. Shes true to her namesake. But, even so, she took a minute for me to warm up to. At times shes almost too obstinate – a bit foolhardy- which made me respect her a bit less.Her gullible belief she could so easily trick Alaric was so misguided it was comedic, and she stubbornly puts herself in danger repeatedly. Although, I like when Alaric rescues her (swoon), but I couldnt really get into her until Ava gives us her vulnerability- we see her soft side, learn a bit more about why shes admirable, resilient but frustratingly stubborn. Eventually, I grew to love her- I just needed some time.

The pacing of this story had me stalling in a few places- we had an interesting and foreboding beginning and then what felt like a lot of exposition to get to the unexpected forced cohabitation, and then we get so deeply into the ins and outs of that existence that the relational elements very slow. Im glad I pushed through- once these two start to authentically connect and once you figure out just what kind of story this is going to be, I really enjoyed it. There are twists a plenty- just when I thought Id figured out the plot something else would change direction- and that did keep me engaged. While I found the beginning a bit slow, the end had a lot of moving pieces that wrapped up just a smidge too quickly – I felt like I needed to explore the real world functioning of their relationship a smidge more, plus there was so much drama unfolding I would have loved to linger a bit more. The twists were so interesting and amazing (some I expected, others not), but the quick revelations and resolutions I think shortchanged their epicness slightly.

I loved the danger and action elements, and the chemistry was both sexy and then ultimately sweet. I definitely really bought into this story once these two finally connected emotionally, and I definitely appreciate Avas unique approach to forced cohabitation/enemies to lovers- not only did it surprise me but it feels fresh, not only to mafia romance but just romance in general. Overall, an entertaining and unique read.

The ultimate enemies to lovers romance that will keep you riveted until the very end! This book was not what I expected. Hang on tight because its a heck of a ride.

Alaric wanted vengeance. Phoenix just wanted to save her father. Together they would have to find common ground to survive and maybe get more than they could have imagined.

A story of love and vengeance. Alaric will have to choose between exacting justice to avenge his brother or to let it go so that he can build a life with Phoenix. Nothing is ever that simple. But even the bad guys have their own code of honor.

Alaric thought he knew the truth, but now he has his doubts. Its time to find out what really happened.

A roller coaster of emotions with this unexpected journey to love. Phoenix has always been strong and resilient. Now even her strengths will be put to the test. She may hate Alaric when their story begins, but that slowly starts to change. They share an intense attraction that neither can deny, but now they are forced to come to a truce so that they can work together and survive. When that attraction hits a boiling point, the culmination is explosive. Alaric isn’t used to feelings, especially the kind he is developing for Phoenix. The man that is confident and capable has met his match.

She’s stubborn to a fault at times, but that trait will serve her well as she goes up against Alaric. The banter and disagreements are just the foreplay. When they finally give in, it is nothing short of magical. Their connection can overcome even the most difficult of obstacles. They will both be put to the test, but in the end it will be worth the fight. The most perfect Happily Ever After for two people who deserve love and a family of their own.

Just when I think that Ava Harrison has given me all the twists and turns possible, she comes back with an amazing plot and character arc leaving me in a book hangover. Alaric is the book boyfriend your parents do not want you to have and you will not be able to resist by the end. Phoenix is the stubborn, intelligent, heroine that can go toe-to-toe with the hero even in the most jaw-dropping scenarios. The suspense, romance, and action sequences in this book make it an Instant Top 5 in 2020 for me. Only thing that can top this will be the audio version which I will be devouring as soon as it hits my account!

Whilst this can be a standalone, love that it connects with Matteo and Cyrus. Again Im intrigued by the way Ava develops the characters and evolves their connection – I like that her female leads are strong, independent and gutsy. We know the alpha males are strong and unwieldy but witnessing their journey sucks you in – Ive been completely invested in all the stories so far. Great plot, characters and the right amount of sexy, sassy and intrigue. Love this story and recommend

The main h came off as immature and naive, I couldnt make it past a 1/3 of the book with her attitude. I also think the prose is a bit choppy. Would recommend a pass on this one, unfortunately.

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