Ember by Naima Simone marks the return of The Hunted Kingdom, a series of smoking hot, unapologetically violent mafia romances that reimagine classic fairytales in a gritty modern world. While Ember is the second book in the series, it can be read entirely on its own, with new characters and a new storyline that reimagines Cinderella in a playful, compelling, and vicious retelling.
House of Cross, an elite fashion house and secret criminal organization, is Ember Cross’s birthright. She is the genius behind the operation, using her lab to create the best designer drugs on the market.
But with her father dead, and her freedom finally in sight, surprises in the will leave her once again mired in family drama, locked underneath the thumb of the House of Cross.
Asad Prince earned his place at the top of the House of Cross, and he paid the price in blood. With his stepfather gone, it’s his time to take everything he’s worked for, including his stepsister.
Ember wants out, but Asad has no intention of letting her go, not without a hell of a fight.
Ember is a true enemies-to-lovers romance. Asad is straight-up evil to Ember at points, and Ember legitimately wants to murder him for much of the book. These two absolutely fucking hate each other, and it creates so much heat and delicious, angsty tension.
She’s the deadliest combination walking. People like to whisper behind my back. Saying I’m dangerous and ruthless. They tend to overlook the real threat in their midst. Ember’s like a deadly virus. Invisible to most. Sneaky. And deadly as fuck.
Asad is a morally black character who is impossible not to love. He is confident, competent, and fiercely hot. Ember is much the same; she’s good at her job, knows herself, and is not afraid to stand up to Asad for a single second. Sure, she’s cooking drugs and killing people, but we love a woman in STEM.
Nothing like me, who would use her neck as the stem of my glass and feed her the alcohol directly from my mouth.
What does this mean? No idea. It makes no sense in a literal fashion. But it’s provocative. It gets the people going. I love it.
The whole spirit and vibe of this book is just phenomenal. It has a whole mood and aura that is eminently entertaining. It’s over-the-top in a darkly funny way, but with passion and intention on every page.
Let’s talk spice. This book is off the charts in terms of sexual energy. It’s hotter than hell and intensely passionate, with a descriptive, visceral sort of raunchiness and dirty talk of the highest order.
The only flaw Ember suffers from is some minor, nitpicky editing errors. The percentages on who owns how much of the company were not kept consistent, for example, but these little issues did not particularly affect my enjoyment of the book. It’s good enough that the little mistakes don’t matter.
Ember is an enchanting, exciting mafia romance that’s an incredible ride from start to finish. I loved this book, and I would happily read ten more books in The Hunted Kingdom series.
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