Empire of Lies: A Dark Mafia Romance (Torrio Empire Book 2)

The story starts where it left off in book one with so much drama and doubts. The Lies seem to pile up in every corner of the ‘PLOT’ as it moves forward. So far the series has stuck to the essence of the titles of the books, they match the vibe perfectly.Bianca and Callum’s relationship has to go through so much pressure and lies that it’s impossible to see a happy ending in the future. The constant push and pull from both of them and the situation worsen overall. The chemistry is bang-on and full of spice.The story is detailed with every emotion the characters are feeling and sometimes it becomes overbearing seeing the same thing going again and again but then it justifies the plot line I think. So much is happening in one go that it all feels so complicated.The happy times are far and less and the way Bianca is suffering in all this just makes me sad. They both deserve happiness and with new hurdles coming their way, I am just excited to see what happens in the next book.The ending has a superbly suspenseful cliffhanger which has my hackles rising. In addition to the ongoing couple I’m really curious about Tatum’s story and really want to see how she fairs and is the protector any good.

I like the guy and story...but honestly if I were him, id never have gone for a girl who just runs everytime theres a problem. Its exhausting and there were times I literally was like "God, just let her go already then"I hope the 3rd book has her turn into a woman from an immature, scared child that she is in the 1st 2 books.

Book 2 is way more intense than Empire of Lust. There is certainly more storytelling and character development. I like that there is a plot in Empire of Lies, with secrets coming to light and betrayal. There is a hint of suspense and mystery, with a player orchestrating things in the background, giving the book some edginess.There is a nice balance between spice and storytelling, which is a must for me.It ends on a cliffhanger that had me holding my breath.

This book was so much better than the first. It was good to see the pace slowed down a bit and things didn’t feel as rushed as the first book did. There were definitely times where the plot was still rushed and a few things didn’t make sense, but I still enjoyed the book overall.

Callum is dealing with the fall out from his vindictive Ex in book one. Bianca is rightfully upset that he never told her he is still technically married so packs up and moves home with her Dad. The biggest issues right now are communication and Bianca struggles with him keeping things from her and doing things to force her into choices he wants her to make without just talking to her. Amanda is Tatum’s Mother but she wasn’t with Callum for love. She got pregnant on purpose and instead of allowing a divorce to happen she wants more money and more money and truly to make Callum as miserable as possible. She has no redeeming qualities and does not even have a relationship with her daughter. Her goal is to split Callum and Bianca up even going as far as to say she will finally sign the papers if he leaves her because she knows he really loves her. He is working hard to give Bianca space and time but he can’t stand not knowing if she is safe so he sends Romero to put cameras in her room. Bianca is trying to adjust to living back home with a father who I not in good shape and drinking a little too much. Charlie says mean things especially when it comes to her best friend and his father. But he has believed for years Callum killed his wife so you can understand the hatred. But he is controlling in his own way and sometimes you want to smack his head in the wall. He loves his daughter but he never got over losing his wife and everyone around him has trying to tell him it was an accident and he knows differently and it’s made him lose touch a little. This is book 2 of 3 so obviously a cliff hanger but I’m thankful that this author is pretty good about releasing around a month apart. By the end of this book we see that both Tatum and Bianca are in trouble and I can’t wait to see Callum lose it over this in book 3. 🖤

This second book is sensational, but I’m outraged that this ends in another cliffhanger. You cannot read this book as a standalone, so I’m just commenting on what readers should already know from Book 1:1. Arms dealer, Callum Torrio, is in a taboo relationship with his daughter’s (Tatum) best friend, Bianca Cole.2. His wife Amanda won’t sign divorce papers, abandoned their daughter, continues to sabotage divorce negotiations, and manipulates Bianca’s ex BF (Lucas) to help her retaliate against Callum.3. Bianca finds out that he’s still married4. Her father, detective Charlie Cole, is investigating her mother’s suspicious death - car accident?5. Tatum has been physically and sexually abused by her ex BF, Kristoff6. Romero, Callum’s right hand man, has unspoken, unrealized romantic interest in Tatum7. At the end of book 1, Bianca leaves Callum only to be whisked away by Lucas at the behest of Amanda…ending in a car accident - Callum kills Lucas8. Callum realizes that there’s a traitor in his midst feeding info to Amanda9. Bianca returns home to find her father drunkenly state that Callum is responsible for her mother’s murder.10. This review is already too long…LOL 😂. Read book 1.Book 2 follows all the threads that I highlighted above, and contains more graphically explicit, sizzling sex scenes, gun violence, police corruption, and organized crime dealings. It is just as exciting and action packed as book 1. Never a dull moment. Readers will be reacquainted with: Amanda’s plans to thwart Callum’s happiness with Bianca, Tatum’s spiraling depression as a result of her abusive ex BF (Kristoff), what happens when Kristoff returns from Europe, what Bianca’s father has not uncovered regarding her mother’s death, and his knowledge of her relation with Callum, plus Callum’s and Bianca’s recognition that they are meant to be together. The author has us hooked despite ending this book in a cliffhanger. The surprises that await us at the end of this novel are stunning! Not patiently awaiting book 3, UGH! 😩🤬. Hurry, I’m gonna die…soon!! 💀. In homage to Tina Turner, this series is 🎶 “Simply the best” 🎶I have received an ARC from Booksprout and I am leaving an unbiased review voluntarily.

Carrying on from book one, bianca spends most of the book going back and forth between wanting to be with callum and trying to stand her ground. Which is weak, as once he's close by he snaps his fingers and she left panting for him. I must admit I got annoyed with her quite a bit. I wanted her to stick to her guns and do the right thing. Stand up to callum. He was another that drive me mad as a strong mc, I wanted him to stand by the choices he'd matter and not fall into a bottle whenever bianca decided to leave, or she was late home. Amanda is a bi*ch. I think she's behind alot more than we've been shown and tatum is falling apart. So in all fairness I was getting a little fed up, but the story picked up and left another cliff hanger, so I guess I will have to wait and see what becomes of them all.