Review: Tarnished empire by Ava Harrison

Title: Tarnished Empire

Author: Ava Harrison

Publisher: AH Publishing

Publication Date: October 13th, 2020

My plan was simple.
Get invited onto his yacht.
Find information to destroy him.

But I wasn't prepared for Alaric Prince.
Dangerous and seductive, he trapped me in his gilded cage.

He calls me Dove.
Easily preyed on.
Easily broken.

A man that ruthless only wants to crush me.
I must resist the temptation to let him.

He's my father's enemy.
At war with my family.
A danger to me.

Falling for him would be my demise.
But if my plan works, it will be his.

“Words are just words without action.”

Although Alaric and Phoenix's love story is the highlight, they have their story arcs. Alaric’s dysfunctional relationship with his family and Phoenix could never be with her loved ones due to other external circumstances. They both find love and grow. It is beautifully developed. I liked Alaric more than Phoenix. He was more sensible and consistent throughout the book. I did enjoy her sass, I’ll give her that. I wasn’t very into the story in the beginning mostly because of Phoenix because, from a logical point of view, I couldn’t comprehend her decisions. She’s not a spy, she has not fight training whatsoever. As soon as she becomes aware of her father’s situation, she abruptly opts to uncover all of Alaric’s weaponry intel. Nix places her bets on seduction without a back-up plan. Predictably, Phoenix faces the consequences of grossly underestimating her enemy. 

“I’m trapped here indefinitely, all because I was stupid enough to walk into a damn trap.”

In the first few chapters, I was as amused by her as much as Alaric was. She is extremely naive but it still felt unreal. But the plot turns a different direction and everything gets better. I got to see different layers in both of them. Details from Alaric and Phoenix’s tragic pasts are explored. There will also be many swoon-worthy moments. 

“Only the dead have seen the end of the war.”

Tarnished Empire is written from both the main characters' perspectives and I enjoy romances more this way. These characters went places I did not expect them to go, literally and figuratively. Some of the locations are a treat for any reader to imagine. It contains simple diction and fast pacing. The only nitpick I have is the climax and it's not necessarily a negative thing. It just felt rushed. I was flipping pages by the second in the last few chapters and I wanted more. 

❤Related Post: Tarnished Empire Cover Reveal

This book kept me on my toes. That sentence sums up my thoughts.Tarnished Empire is one of the best dark romances I’ve read. I devoured it in one sitting. I look forward to reading and reviewing more books to come. Recommend this book to all New-Adult romance genre readers. ARC provided by Ava Harrison and Valentine PR. Thank you. 

Rating 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

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