Empire by Lili St Germain is breathtaking finale to the Cartel trilogy and it's page turning conclusion.

Recommend this trilogy to all readers.

Holy Mother of Dragons! Lili Saint Germain has once again created a perfect mind
F$@k read.
The conclusion to this incredibly explosive story had me holding my breath, as I was kept wondering what was going to happen next. Gritty, brutal and raw the story of Mariana, Dornan and John was the ultimate dark romance.
I fell in love with Mariana, Dornan and John. They were so fierce, so badass, and together they created a finely woven web of truths, lies, trust and betrayal. The result was that they payed the ultimate price.
Could they have done things differently?

This series is dark, really dark and it swallowed me whole.
The finale in anything is always a gamble to see if you agree with the ending- and this one is, in my opinion- the only ending that could have worked.

WOW! This story blew my mind! It was brilliant, dark, and I loved every damn second of it!

After I had finished ´The Gypsy Brothers' series, I couldn't let go of the characters, that I had come to love and hate - I needed more and more so I needed some answers!

Dornan - How did he become the sadistic and deranged killer, that we meet in 'The Gypsy Brothers' series? What happened to him that turned him into this monster?

The author did a great job of giving us some brief glimpses of Dornan's hinted underlying humanity, without taking away the fact about the bad guy he really is.

If you are looking for a story with a happy ending, don't read this one, because this story doesn't have one - It's ending is tragic, raw and utterly heartbreaking.

In 'Empire' we see Dornan disappear into his madness - with the introduction to Dornan's dark side in 'Kingpin', it takes us full into his darkness. It has hit the 'No point of Return' for him and Mariana comes to face the reality, that the man she fell in love with no longer exist.

Are you a fan of the dark romance/erotica universe, then here is your next read! Recommend that you read 'The Gypsy Brothers' series first, then followed by the 'Cartel' series. These two series are not for everyone, as they hold their fair share of graphic accounts of abuse of every variety. But are you into raw, gritty and dark stories, then you can't go wrong with these series.

I am blown away by the twisted content that Lili St. Germain writes, so do yourself the favor and take the disclaimers seriously and buckle up, you are in for one hell of a ride on the dark side!

Sorry, but his one was a giant nope for me. Characters were not enjoyable, and the information presented in the plot was disturbing.

This was an epic story that drove me crazy in a good way!! I didn't expect anything less.Another brilliant book!

My Empire Review . . .

Gah! This series and the Gypsy Brothers had me on my toes with angst and anticipation. In Gypsy Brothers we already saw what Dornan had turned into but in this series we got to see the demise that was Dornan. In Cartel, we got to see the softer side of Dornan and in Kingpin, we got to see when things started to go dark for poor Dornan but here in Empire, we saw the end of any good in Dornan.

The way this was brilliantly written, it either leads you up to the Gypsy Brothers or if you've already read the Gypsy Brothers then it gives you the making of how the darkness won within the Ross family.

Since I had already read the previous series I knew some details that were coming and you would think that it would have lessened the impact but nope . . . it was done in such a good way that you were on pins and needles waiting to find out what was going to happen next.

Let's be honest Marianna and Dornan were a hot mess together but yet still tragically beautiful in their dark way. But the true hot mess winner was Dornan. He was heading toward the dark at record speeds.


The night he'd turned into my nightmare. The night I started to be more afraid of him than I was of his father.
The night my lover became my nightmare.


Even though there was so much not to like about Dornan we got little tidbits that gave us hope for him and that maybe his love for Marianna could win out in the end.


But Dornan would never be able to run from the thing he cam from. The thing that created him. The darkness didn't just exist with him.
He was the fucking darkness.

How does a woman fall for two men? And especially one as abusive as Dornan. Was it stockholm syndrome or when you crave any love that you end up falling for the one who can save you and destroy you as well. It was easy to see how John fit into her heart but you also knew that they were all playing a very dangerous game with not a good chance of succeeding.

After reading they Gypsy Brothers I assumed what the ending was going to be but I was so surprised with this ending that now I need to re-read the Gypsy Brothers to see if I missed anything. Plus now I also want to find out more about our handsome FBI agent. Fingers crossed Lili gets the inkling to write more about Lindsay.

Lili St. Germain has such a knack at writing darkly delicious intriguing stories. Even though they are from a very dark world, she has the ability to pull me in to this world, while we follow through on the journey.

This journey this time was Dornan and Marianna. This Cartel journey was tragic yet beautiful. Hopeful yet sad. Dark yet light. Loving yet hateful. It was also brilliantly done. I can't wait to read more from this author and also to re-read the Gypsy Brothers.

4 . 5 Dark & Delicious Thumbs up!

One of the grittiest novels I've read in a while. I nearly mastered reading with my hands over my eyes. Shocking in its delivery, but addictive.

I started the Cartel series from the beginning so when it came to the Empire book, I had to skim and reread the other 2 just so I could have the continuity. This is definitely an edge of your seat story esp since I have not read the Gypsy Brothers series. From what I gathered, Dornan is the villain in the Gypsy series but in the Cartel series the reader gets to experience his evolution into this villain. And since I didn't read the other series, Mariana and John's story was a surprise. Mariana is such a strong character and I feel for her.......and I definitely feel for John, talk about being trapped! I was really conflicted about Dornan.....but Emilio...he was evil personified! This series has a it all and I can't wait to start the Gypsy series!

***4,5 "Brutal and unjustly" stars***

"People aren't born monsters. They're made that way."

If i'll say that this story didn't broke something inside of me, it will be a total lie!!!
Damn!!! The last thirty pages wrecked my heart... even some tears slipped down on my cheeks!!!
This ending was devestating and not so much for Mariana and John because they made their bed on their own, but for this poor girl, Juliette!!!!
She was the ultimate innocent person in here!!! She and Jase!!! And she had the worst fate of all of them for something that wasn't her fault!!!
Damn you, Dornan!!!! How could you???

"Why can't we ever turn back the fucking clock?"

In the last installment of the Cartel series, the web of lies and secrets are crumbling down...
Mariana can't stand to be anymore with Dornan, not after what he did to her....
She is in love with a kind and gentle man and the only thing that she wants is for her, John, Juliette and Jase to run away from this fucked up life and Dornan...
But she had no other choice than to stay with Dornan, until she will find out a way to be finally free of him, Emilio and the Cartel!!!

"I should have known his salvation was too good to be true.
Because it’s all gone now, the dark secret love I had for him bleeding away in the darkness that came afterwards.
Now, there’s only hate.
Now, I just want to escape."

"My twenty-ninth birthday and I was still here. Still with Dornan. Still with John. Trapped between three men: one that I loved, one that I used to love, and one that I despised with every fibre of my being."

Dornan is getting suspicious of her and with his father's push, he is determined to found out if Mariana had betrayed him in many ways...
Did she betray the Cartel by killing Murphy???
Is she fucking someone else???
At the same time, Dornan and John's friendship is breaking down and Dornan is a very vengeaful person...

"She hated him for what he’d done. For everything. And he couldn’t even blame her, because she was right to hate him. To fear him.
None of that mattered, though. She was his. She would always be his."

"Time had worn them both down, two brothers in arms, complete strangers....
They were no longer the brothers in arms they’d been as teenagers, setting off on the open road, criss-crossing the country with abandon. They were prisoners of fate now, soldiers of a fortune that they could never have foretold."

John doesn't want anymore to be the other man in Mariana's life!!!
He wants to get her and his loving daughter away from this life and Dornan's wrath, but Mariana is refusing to let Jase behind, so that fact are slowing them down and if they won't be careful, they will find themselves in a very difficult position...
Probably, six feet under the earth!!!

"You have a daughter, John. Calm your shit. Get it together.
It wasn’t easy to be calm around a storm like Dornan Ross. He made you see the worst in yourself, like a mirror, held up to expose your dirtiest truths. He was like poison."

Well, as you can understand, things got really ugly in here, especially when Dornan became suspicious...
The man had lost his mind.... He wasn't the man that he was in the first book...
The darkness had completely ruled him and he became very unpredictable!!!!

"Dornan had been born on this road. Naked, bloody, screaming, a pawn in a game much bigger than him. A chess piece that belonged to Emilio Ross, in blood and in name...
Dornan would never be able to run from the thing he came from. The thing that created him. The darkness didn’t just exist within him.
He was the fucking darkness."

No, i won't tell you more, but the things didn't turn out very good...
The thing that pissed me off very much was that the bad guys didn't take what they really deserved...
Unfortunately, the good guys took what they didn't deserve and that was breaking my heart!!!
Especially for Juliette!!! But also for John...
How could Dornan do all those things to these two people who knew for so many years and that he once loved so much???
I also have some objections for Mariana's ending.... It pleased me but it pained me as well!!!!

"He became the monster he was born to be."

Damn!!!! I'm running for Gypsy Brothers series because i need desperately redemption for Juliette!!!
I hope that she will kill painfully Dornan and his six seeds!!!!

***ARC generously provided via NetGalley for the exchange of an honest review***

copy received through Netgalley for review
This is the conclusion to the Cartel series. The author does not pull any punches with these stories. These are not easy to read stories. If your have read the previous books you know now to expect a clean HEA. Mariana's life is one tragedy after another. And just when you think their will be sunshine, the darkness takes over. Marian's darkness is Dornan. He started out as her hero but ended up almost destroying her. His behavior spiralled out of control. He was no longer the anti hero from book 1. The author pretty much killed all hope from him in the second book. The third book made you hate him. There was some bright spot for her with John. Somehow you know as the reader that this will not end well. I was on pnins and needles every time they took chances to be together. The twists and turns of this story will keep you interested until the crazy end. As with the previous books,there is blood, sex and violence galore. Another page turner that will keep you reading all night.

The storyline was intriguing, and kept you on the edge of your seat! I couldn’t seem to put the book down. I can't get enough of the Cartel series. This is a series that any romantic suspense lover won’t want to miss!!!

Empire is the third book in the Cartel Trilogy. I have read about the life of Mariana Rodriguez, and her involvement with the Il Sangue Cartel and Gypsy Brothers MC. What a scary life she has lead for over a decade! This third installment becomes even more complicated with the love triangle of Mariana, Dornan (Gypsy Brothers VP) and John (Gypsy Brothers President). Mariana is a tough, smart,strong willed, and determined woman, it was fascinating to see where she would end up after all this time. I found some of the scenes hard to get through in this book, the violence ramped up and Dornan's aggression became even more out of control. A true monster! I now know what Mariana meant at the very beginning when she said that the one she loved was also the one who would destroy her.
If you are not afraid of a dark read (violence, human trafficking, sexual assault, drugs) then this is certainly a series that you should check out.

Mariana is thrust into a world and life she didn’t want in order to protect her father and her family. Her priority is to her family but I got the feeling she wanted to free her father of herself. It’s like she was this person who wasn’t enough and she’s trying to protect him but also be enough for him at the same time.

I really enjoyed the twists and turns in this book. I loved to hate Dornan and John was different. I got the sense that this trilogy was not going to be very straightforward and boy was I right. This book takes many turns; some you may predict but others that you cannot predict at all. Throughout this book though I loved the character growth and the way they seem to mature/regress throughout.

This is not an easy book to read but worth it in my opinion.

This book was crazy, still have a book hangover from this one! This author brings twisted and creative to a new level! What you expect will happen with this book, will probably not happen, Dornan isn't going to become a better man, though you will get to see some vulnerability in him but you really see how crazy he is in this book. This isn't a feel good happily ever after book, this is raw, dark and gritty and if you don't like that kind of subject you might want to pass on this. There are some really dark themes that some readers may not be able to handle in this book.

These books really leave me wanting more and I hate when they end. This was an amazing ending to the series, though it seems like the author made it so that she could add more onto this series. If you like dark and gutwrenching you will love this!!

OMW! I think I know really fully comprehend the term "clusterfu@k" !!!!

I've come to love some of these characters in a warped manner but I've also come to really hate some of them .

I was blown away by cruelty and heartlessness and on more than 1 ocassion I felt my heart shatter into pieces . I also learnt that monsters aren't born they're created .

Empire was an epic ending to a phenomenal read ! Lili St Germain has a talent for the dark , twisted and unconventional !

Violent. Brutal. Empire will take its toll on your mental well-being.

❝As if on cue, a tiny crab crawled out of a neat hole in Allie’s chest and darted along her collarbone before disappearing underneath her ragged red hair.❞

This is the third book in the Cartel series by Lili St. Germain. I had this marked on my calendar for release this past June. As they do, release dates get moved and in this case, it was moved so far from when I read Kingpin (Cartel, #2), I forgot major portions of the previous story. This created an issue for me as this book picked up where Kingpin left off and I was a little lost and confused.

Emilio continues to be the deranged lunatic we have seen in the first two books, and Dornan continues to unravel. Gone is the love she once held for Dornan, Mariana wants both dead. She longs to run away with John and aside from the danger that is involved in running away, she won’t leave without taking the kids and this as good as a death wish.

I don’t mind dark books. I have no problem reading with one eye open, or between the fingers which I’ve thrown over my eyes. But I struggled to turn the pages of this one. Lili St. Germain didn’t seem to hold back while writing this conclusion to the Cartel series. Though, I guess I am a glutton for punishment because St. Germain’s writing kept me intrigued and engaged to the end.

Not for the faint of heart, Empire ends the series with a BANG!

I just love this series. The author is once again giving us a rich story with beloved characters in her signature captivating and addictive writing style.

Review posted 1/12 at the enclosed link.

Empire is the epic conclusion to the dark and twisted story of Dornan Ross. It is the final book of the Cartel trilogy, the prequel to the fantastic Gypsy Brothers series. Author Lili St. Germain is a master at weaving a tale so disturbing and shocking, yet full of surprises. She created complex characters that crawled inside my head and messed with my psyche. I read the entire Gypsy Brothers series in a matter of days, and without spoiling anything for those who haven’t read it yet, I loathed Dornan. He was evil incarnate, until he wasn’t. I was so excited when Lili St. Germain announced that she would be writing a prequel to the series focusing on Dornan and Mariana. I needed to know how he became the monster he was and why. I needed to understand how she could ever have loved him. I devoured the first 2 books and have waited impatiently for this one. Empire. The beginning of the end. And it was worth the wait. Loved it.

The characters are so different, yet, I found myself feeling for all of them. Except Emilio, because he truly is evil personified. Nothing redeeming about him in this series or the next. Even though I knew how it would end, or so I thought, as I had read the Gypsy Brothers and this is a prequel, author Lili St. Germain still managed to surprise me. What. A. Book. It was fast-paced, keep you on the edge of your seat, cannot put down filled with WTF and OMG moments.

I felt so many emotions at once reading this book. I even questioned my own moral compass. The love story, because as violent and disturbing as it was, it was a love story, between Dornan, Mariana, and John was engrossing, passionate, sick and beyond dysfunctional. To make me feel anything other than revulsion for a man such as Dornan takes creative talent. Lili St. Germain has this talent. If you are a fan of dark romance and the Gypsy Brothers, read this trilogy. It is fantastic.