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.*

Release Day Blitz: Dirty Empire

Dirty Empire by Nina West is now live!

From internationally bestselling author K.A. Tucker, writing as Nina West, comes the dark and sexy Dirty Empire series

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.

I've already read Sweet Mercy (review here) and Gabriel Fallen (review here) and am looking forward to sharing my thoughts on Dirty Empire with you very soon! (PS don't forget you need to read these books in order otherwise you'll spoil the entire series for yourself and where's the fun in that?)

Download Dirty Empire today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

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Sweet Mercy (the first book in the Dirty Empire series) is also FREE!
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And in case you want a little teaser to hold you over until you can read it too...

Meet Nina
Nina West is the author of the sinfully sexy and highly addictive The Wolf Hotel series and Dirty Empire series. She lives in the city but spends her summers in the wilderness.

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Review: Gabriel Fallen

Last week I shared my thoughts on Sweet Mercy, the first book in Nina West's Dirty Empire series (read the review here if you missed it). Gabriel Fallen is book two and is, if you can believe it, more intense than the first. It's just as angsty and sexy but now that the Mercy and Gabriel are getting to know each other better, stakes are higher and hearts are at risk. If you haven't read the first book, I'd suggest doing that and then coming back here for my thoughts on the second book - I don't want anything accidentally being spoiled for you!

Here's the synopsis:

Mercy Wheeler and Gabriel Easton’s sordid tale continues in Gabriel Fallen as Mercy finds herself heading down a dangerous path.

Gabriel has made an art of dangling what I’m most desperate for in front of me, what he knows I can’t refuse, no matter the cost. In this case, that cost continues to be me.

He is still a scoundrel, but I’m starting to see something more.

And while our bargain is proving advantageous in ways I never anticipated, the risks that come with being associated with a man like him are becoming painfully clear.

But how much longer before this arrangement with Gabriel costs me everything I am?

I mentioned in my review of Sweet Mercy that I wasn't a fan of Gabriel. He was far too controlling and, even though he treated Mercy with respect, he seemed to think everything should be handed to him, including Mercy. She has spunk and a spine, even in the face of the son of a very dangerous man, so she doesn't really allow him to walk all over her. That said, she has no real choice but to go along with his demands because he can help her father, who's in jail for murder even though he never meant to kill anyone. (You following?) You can tell, though, that he's starting to fall for Mercy and that is solidifying his feelings that he and his brother have got to get out of the family business. It's sort of like when the Grinch's heart grew three sizes if, you know, the Grinch was a very sexy young man whose father is an imprisoned mob boss.

Speaking of wanting to get out of the family business - I actually quite enjoyed that part of the story. It added an interesting layer to the drama as the reader (along with Gabriel and his brother, Caleb) doesn't really know who to trust. And making a mistake about who to trust? That kind of mistake can have permanent and fatal consequences. 

I have to say I'm so glad that I read these books so close to the publication date of book three (Dirty Empire releases on September 15) because OH MY GOD THE CLIFFHANGER. West's novels can be read as one big novel as each picks up directly where the other left off (at least, that's the experience thus far) and thank goodness because I am freaking the fuck out about what happened at the end. Just. WHAT??? Also - I was relying on the next book to wrap everything up (no idea if it'll be in a nice bow or if things will go completely off the rails) BUT this trilogy is now going to be a quartet. I don't know if my nerves can handle it.

Gabriel Fallen was just as addictive and steamy (oh so steamy) as Sweet Mercy and even though I'm still struggling with my thoughts on Gabriel, I'm completely into the story Nina West is telling and I cannot wait to read what's next in Dirty Empire. 

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

Review: Sweet Mercy

A few months ago, K.A. Tucker, one of my favourite authors, bestowed a gift upon us during the pandemic. It turns out she's been secretly writing erotic novels under the name Nina West for a few years. WHAT!?! I immediately bought the four book set of the Wolf Hotel series and absolutely devoured all four in July. They're short, they're super steamy, and they were completely addictive. She's also working on the Dirty Empire series and, so far, I've read the first two, in anticipation of the next novel (Dirty Empire) coming out later this month. It was supposed to be the final one in the series but it's looking like a fourth book will be coming too! But this review is about the first book, Sweet Mercy. Buckle in, friends. It's going to be a sexy ride.

Here's the synopsis:

One visit to my father in prison—convicted for a murder he didn’t commit—and I’ve attracted the attention of the last man I’d ever want knowing that I exist.

Gabriel Easton.

Son of an infamous crime boss. Deplorable womanizer. Scoundrel to the core.

Worse, he has figured out how desperate I am to protect my father from brutality behind bars. He has the power to grant that protection, and he has offered it … for a price.

Me.

I am to become a “guest” in his mansion, to live with him until he tires of having me around.

I'll do anything for my father, including agree to Gabriel's cruel game. But I won't comply with his every whim and wish.

Not when he taunts me with that ruthless spark in his cold blue eyes.

Not when he requires that I share his bedroom at night.

Unfortunately for me, I think my loathing for him is what he’s enjoying most.

That's fine. By the time I’m through with him, he’ll be crying my name.

Mercy. 

This book does not fuck around. It is dark and it is erotic...aaaand it has a hero who I really struggled with. Gabriel was the kind of guy who thinks he's God's gift to women and he also has the added "bonus" (in his eyes) of being super rich but with dirty money that also ensures a whole lot of people are afraid of him. He just exuded this sense of entitlement, power, and disregard for any rules, even while West was trying to write that he and his brother did want to try to go legitimate with their nightclub. I struggle with super alpha males in any romance but especially when there's such a power imbalance between the hero and heroine. I tried to set it aside and just enjoy the story and that mostly worked but I knew I couldn't review the book without noting the toxicity in Gabriel and Mercy's "relationship."

Because this is a series, and I had already read West's other series, I had an idea that the first book would be mostly foreplay. There was a lot to set up as Gabriel and Mercy got to know each other plus Gabriel had to convince Mercy that he was her only hope to get her father out of prison. A lot had to happen before they could give into their lust for each other. But once they did? Holy fireworks, Batman. It's intense and even though Gabriel is a scoundrel, he is respectful in the bedroom and that, honestly, helped it be a lot sexier because I was still trying to accept him as a love interest. 

I think at one point I described the series as what Fifty Shades of Grey could have been. The bare bones premise of it is really similar and follows what Twilight set up. There's a controlling guy with a secret, who isn't innocent but does want to be at least a little bit better but also doesn't think he should be allowed to be better. Then there's a fairly naive female who has no real choice but to rely on the hero even though she does have her own mind. And then there's a bunch of sexy times - that are much, much better written (and just plain better) than anything James wrote. It's not the same story but the tropes are there.

I really liked Mercy and my heart broke for her as she was trying to deal with such terrible circumstances. I liked getting to know her and realizing how strong she was even in the midst of all the terribleness. She's the kind of character I would love to hang out with, have a drink with, and get to know better. That made up for being so hesitant about Gabriel.

Fans of erotic romance should probably check out Sweet Mercy by Nina West. Though, I'll probably recommend waiting until at least the third book is out because you're going to want to binge the hell out of these books. They get under your skin, let me tell you! Stay tuned for the review of book two, Gabriel Fallen, coming at you soon!

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