Review: Dirty Empire

I'm back again with another Nina West review! The third in her now four book series, Dirty Empire, released last week and, just like all the others, I had it read in a day. These books are crazy addictive. They're also a true series and you have to read them in order. I'll also suggest not even reading this review if you haven't yet read Sweet Mercy or Gabriel Fallen. Spoilers are no fun! Already read the books or are one of those people who actually enjoy spoilers (I don't get it)? Read on!

Here's the synopsis:

Mercy Wheeler and Gabriel Easton’s sordid tale continues in Dirty Empire as Mercy finds her loyalties tested and Gabriel’s attempt to break free of his family’s legacy comes with unexpected consequences.

Yes, that's it. Honestly, it makes sense. You can't really talk about what happens in this book without giving away things that happened in the previous two. So, again, read this review with caution if you haven't yet read the first two books.

If you recall from my review of Gabriel Fallen, the second book (review here), I was anxious to get this one because of the cliffhanger West left us with. The good news is, not as many characters were affected as I feared. (No, I'm not giving away exactly what the cliffhanger was.) The bad news is...she wrote another cliffhanger! Ahhhhh. And the fourth book, Fallen Empire, won't be out until 2021. Which, thankfully, is only a few months away. (I don't know the release date and neither does she but I'm really hoping for some sort of relief when we turn the calendar to next year. Which may be wishful thinking.)

This book is way more about the dark storyline of Gabriel's father and drug business (that Gabriel and his brother, Caleb, desperately want out of) than it is the sexy times between Gabe and Mercy. It reminded me of a darker version of Tucker's Burying Water series (don't forget that Nina West is K.A. Tucker!). It's so great to see Tucker writing the kind of stories she obviously really wanted to and she's just as talented at writing the suspenseful and seedy storylines as she is the sexy, romantic ones. 

Since this installment is so focused on the business side of things, it's a lot more intense. No one knows who to trust and even Gabe and Mercy find themselves doubting the other. Tensions are super high and they're elevated even more by the fact that they're not on home turf. They're in Las Vegas and you just know what happens in Vegas will not be staying in Vegas. 

I've been struggling with Gabriel throughout the entire series and wonder how on earth Mercy could fall for a guy who is such an arrogant ass who thinks everything should be handed to him because he's so good looking and his dad is a drug lord, albeit a drug lord who is currently in prison. Now, Gabriel does treat Mercy with respect - when he's not essentially forcing her to stay with him so her dad will be looked after in prison - and he does seem to care about her. But it's really, really hard for me to wrap my head around how she thinks it's a good idea to fall for him. I've been going along with it because I am enjoying the story but the relationship is bordering on, if not outright, toxic and I feel it needs to be mentioned each time.

I'm enjoying the time I'm spending reading Nina West's Dirty Empire series and I'm really looking forward to seeing how she wraps everything up in the final book. Dirty Empire gave a hint at the storm that's about to hit and it's going to be intense but so worth it in the end.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the author, via Valentine PR, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*