Empire of Desire by Rina Kent

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My forbidden husband.

I kissed my father’s best friend and it kind of didn’t go well.
Not only because he’s eighteen 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.

Too Young, Too Off-Limits, Too Late

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: ❤️💙💜💚🩷
Spice/Steam: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏🌍
Character development: 😋😀😎😁❤️
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Duet Narration

🎧 Audiobook Review: Empire of Desire

Author: Rina Kent
Genre: Dark Romance
Narrator(s): Aiden Snow, Callie Dalton and Connor Crais

⭐ Audiobook Review: Enhanced & Expanded

Nathanial Weaver has always been a man driven by ambition—so driven, in fact, that he fears it might one day consume him. Raised in privilege and shaped by the expectations that come with it, he’s learned to keep himself tightly controlled. Happiness, parties, and sentimental gatherings aren’t his scene, which is why attending his law partner’s daughter’s eighteenth birthday feels more like an obligation than a celebration. But when your entire firm will be there, you show up, even if you plan to slip out early.

Gwyneth Shaw is nothing like her father, Kingsley. Where he is charismatic, socially magnetic, and effortlessly competent, Gwyneth is quieter, quirkier, and often lost in her own head. She resembles him so little that people mistake them for siblings rather than father and daughter. Kingsley raised her alone after she was left on his doorstep as a newborn, balancing parenthood with college, law school, and eventually building the firm he now runs with Nate. Nate has always believed their friendship formed because devils recognize their own.

Gwyneth, for her part, has spent years nursing a crush on Nate Weaver. She’s neurodivergent, brilliant in her own way, but prone to blanking out, stumbling over negative words, and retreating into closets when overwhelmed. Birthdays remind her of abandonment, but she still tries for her father’s sake. This year, she plans to take control of her life—starting with losing her virginity to Nate. But Nate won’t even let her drop the “Uncle” from his name, so she knows her fantasy is just that.

Years later, everything changes. Kingsley receives a threat involving Gwyneth, and moments later, he’s in a devastating car accident while on the phone with Nate. His last words before the crash: Protect her. Nate shows up at Gwyneth’s house—something he hasn’t done since the disastrous kiss two years prior—and tells her her father is in a coma and may not wake up. Suddenly, the man who has kept his distance is the only one standing between her and danger.

🌟 What Worked for Me

Gwyneth’s Neurodivergence

Her portrayal felt tender and authentic. Her struggles with reading, her sensitivity to negative words, her insomnia, her anxious nail-klinking, and her need for small, safe spaces added depth to her character. She isn’t a stereotype—she’s a young woman navigating the world with a brain that processes things differently, and the story treats that with care.

The Office Dynamics

Gwyneth’s summer internship at the firm was a highlight. Watching her interact with other interns and lawyers—and seeing Nate’s jealousy simmer beneath his polished exterior—added tension and humor. It grounded the romance in a real-world setting and gave her space to grow outside of Nate’s orbit.

Marriage of Convenience + Age Gap

This trope combination can be tricky, but here it worked beautifully. Nate is the quintessential grump, all sharp edges and suppressed emotion, while Gwyneth is quirky, earnest, and unexpectedly brave. Their dynamic is compelling, and the marriage of convenience amplifies their vulnerabilities in a way that feels organic rather than contrived.

⤵️ What Didn’t Work as Well

I’m not usually a fan of large age-gap romances, especially when the gap approaches twenty years. It’s not the maturity difference that bothers me—it’s the real-world implications. Women often outlive their partners, and I can’t help thinking of my mom and grandmothers, who spent decades alone after losing their husbands. That shadow always lingers for me in age-gap stories.

Still, I’ve loved every Rina Kent book I’ve read, so I gave this one a chance—and I’m glad I did.

🎙️ Narration

The dual POV with duet narration elevates the audiobook.

• Aiden Snow and Connor Crais are phenomenal—deep, textured voices that bring emotional gravity to every scene.
• Callie Dalton, however, just isn’t a narrator I connect with. Her tone grates on me, and I can’t quite pinpoint why. Even so, the overall performance remains strong thanks to the other narrators’ exceptional delivery.


💬 Final Thoughts & Assessment

This audiobook surprised me with its emotional depth and character complexity. Despite my usual hesitation with large age gaps, Nate and Gwyneth’s relationship felt earned, layered, and unexpectedly tender. Gwyneth’s neurodivergence is portrayed with empathy, Nate’s protective grumpiness is irresistible, and the marriage-of-convenience arc adds stakes that kept me invested. The suspense elements surrounding Kingsley’s accident and the threat against Gwyneth give the story an extra edge.

While the age gap still triggers personal reservations for me, the storytelling, character development, and narration made this a compelling listen. It’s a romance that shouldn’t work on paper but absolutely does in execution.

⭐ Overall: A deeply engaging, emotionally textured age-gap romance with standout narration and a heroine you can’t help rooting for.

Blog|Goodreads|Facebook|Instagram|Pinterest|BookBub



View all my reviews