Title: A New Empire
Series: Fog City: Book Three
Author: Layla Reyne
Publisher: Amazon/Kindle Unlimited
Length: 192 Pages
Category: Contemporary, Mystery
At a Glance: Well played, Layla Reyne. Such a fun and exciting series! I’m so glad I was along for the ride.
Reviewed By: Jules
Blurb: Legacies were made to be rewritten.
Assassin Hawes Madigan wants to do right—by his family, his organization, his city, and the man he’s falling for, ATF agent Christopher Perri. But Hawes’s rules are being challenged by someone willing to kill for the old ways. To save his soul and his empire, Hawes must make an impossible decision: fight from the outside or bend the knee to win back his throne from within.
Chris is used to being the inside man, the one undercover. Now, he’s on the outside marshaling forces in support of the man and the ring of assassins he was supposed to take down. His mission shifted when he found something that’s been missing for ten long years—a home, with Hawes.
As Hawes and Chris make a dangerous play for control, the lines between allies and traitors blur. Trusting the wrong person could destroy the legacy Hawes envisions for the Madigans. But not trusting anyone, or each other, could mean lights out on their love and lives forever.
The King and King Slayer fight together in this thrilling conclusion to the Fog City Trilogy!
Review: With A New Empire, Layla Reyne brings the Fog City Trilogy to its thrilling conclusion. And what a fun ride. We’ve been through a lot with these characters through the first two books. We know all the players, we know what’s at stake, and now, with this third and final book, it’s time to finally see who’s behind the curtain pulling the strings in the coup against Hawes, and for Hawes and Chris—and Hawes’s siblings—to do what needs to be done to take back the Madigan empire.
Unfortunately, to not only confirm the suspicions of who’s behind everything, but to also build a case against them and take them down for good, Hawes has to take control of the investigation from the inside, and trust Chris, and Kane, and the rest of the ATF to have his back from the outside. It’s dangerous, and the trust between Hawes and Chris is definitely on shaky ground, but they know they make a good team, and they use their chemistry, both personal and professional, to their advantage.
Hawes and Chris aren’t the only good team at work here, though. Holt and Helena also have their brother’s back, and the three of them are ready to make sure the Madigan family business continues to head in the direction they all agreed upon when Hawes took over. I absolutely love the relationship between the Madigan siblings. Hawes and Helena and Holt are so in tune to each other—they’re always naturally on the same page, and ready to face whatever comes at them. Holt may be more behind the scenes, whereas Hawes and Helena are more on the front lines, but he is just as important as they are to the ops. I love them all.
There are several side characters who play pretty significant roles in the story as well, which was cool. Kane, of course, is still an integral part of the story, and hugely important to the Madigan family. Agent Scotty Wheeler, the only partner Chris has agreed to work with since Isabella was killed, plays a big part in gathering intel and also puts himself out there in a huge way a couple of different times. And, Chris’s boss, Vivienne Tran, is in and out of the picture too, and will keep you on your toes wondering whether or not she can be trusted.
As with the first two books in the series, there is great action and suspense. Reyne does a nice job with the pace in this book—there’s plenty of intrigue and stuff going on. But it’s also nicely balanced with the romance. And, I loved Hawes and Chris in this one. Their chemistry truly is off the charts, but there were also some really honest, vulnerable moments between them, as well as some swoony moments and discussions about their future. I loved all of it.
Fans of Reyne’s work will also love the cameos from the Whiskey Verse. And, there was some super intriguing set-up done in this book for future spin-offs and stories set in the Fog City universe. I’m definitely excited for whatever else the author has in store for these characters in the future! Well played, Layla Reyne. Such a fun and exciting series! I’m so glad I was along for the ride. 😊
You can buy A New Empire here:
[zilla_button url=”http://authl.it/B07Z6P2944?d” style=”black” size=”large” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Amazon/Kindle Unlimited [/zilla_button]