This book was pretty good, I would definitely recommend

~This was given by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review………..

Tristan is out for revenge. His life went up in flames when he was a child, and a powerful senator lit the match. With a team of friends he has spent decades plotting to take everything from the senator. After a run in with a woman at a bar, he decides to take what is most precious to the senator… his daughter.

Is this cheesy and stereotypical? Yes. Does that make it bad? No.

If you’re into darkish romance (this one isn’t TOO dark) and intense emotional stakes, this book is for you.

It’s a good story, and the cliffhanger 😩

This isn’t just a beauty and the beast retelling, this book has all the memorable quotes!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. From the cover of the book, I could not guess the genre it belonged and it seemed a fantasy-romance. After I read the blurb, I wanted to give it a go.
A traumatized MMC who wants revenge on the man who ruined his life and falls in love with his enemy (eventually). A nice beginning to a trilogy. The writing was good, the characters were a bit annoying for my taste. But the ending was nicely placed
Thanks!

I am in love with this. The concept is so fun, and the summary had me intrigued. I was so excited to start, and I was not at all disappointed. I love, love the main characters and I need more.

Unhinged, dramatic, and totally obsessed review of Empire of Ache & Ruin by Diana A. Hicks:

From the first chapter I was like “ooh yes yes mafia, ballet, a morally grey revenge daddy?” and then BOOM—trauma, betrayal, secret identities, fake marriages, and an auction. Yes. A human auction. I WAS STRESSED. My eye did that twitchy thing. My jaw clenched like I was about to fight someone. (It was Paloma’s father. I was going to fight Paloma’s father.)

Let’s talk about that man—Senator Davis. Garbage. Swamp rat. Spawn of Satan. You ever read a character so disgusting you physically recoil when they show up on the page? That was him. He sold his daughter. For six million dirty, mafia-stained dollars. The audacity? The evil? Someone lock this man up and throw away the plot twist.

Now Tristan/Archer? Oh. My. God. Burned, broody, vengeful, and hotter than the actual fires he crawled out of. This man is the definition of “I hate you but also I would die for you and also maybe I want to ruin your life but oops now I’m in love with you.” That’s my jam. That’s my whole bookshelf. His revenge mission was detailed, calculated, vicious… and then Paloma happened. And he crumbled like a morally ambiguous cookie. Swoon.

Paloma, my sweet summer swan, I wanted to shake you gently like a glittery snow globe and whisper “girl, stand up!” She’s naive, vulnerable, and so desperate for love and validation that it broke me. Like, ma’am, blink twice if you need rescuing—but also maybe stop trusting men who keep locking you in penthouses? JUST A THOUGHT. She deserves a backbone arc in book two and I will be first in line to witness it.

Also?? The Black Swan ballet parallels? ICONIC. Tragic ballerina? Dark prince with a tortured past? Manipulation, sacrifice, inner duality? Diana A. Hicks said “I’ll take Beauty and the Beast and Black Swan, and make it extra spicy and extra devastating,” and she DELIVERED. I devoured it like a gremlin at 3 a.m.

Now let’s address the CLIFFHANGER. I threw my Kindle. Not metaphorically. I yeeted it. My poor brand new kindle! What kind of emotional whiplash was that? I gasped. I cursed. this author knows how to reel you in and keep you coming back for more because i did not put this book down, and i will be coming back for book 2 and 3 this was a wild ride and i loved every second of it!

Check content warnings — this one’s dark, it deals with trauma, abuse, self-harm, and may punch you in the feelings. But if you like your romance emotionally destructive and painfully addictive? Welcome to the Empire.