White Monarch

Book reviews

12 Nov

Written By Anzhelika Li

“Just remember—no monster thinks of himself that way. He’s just living by a different code than yours.”

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1. VIOLENT DELIGHTS by Jessica Hawkins

SYNOPSIS

I was born a princess among criminals. An untouchable among thieves. Heiress to a life others have killed for, and one I'd do anything to escape. I vowed not to leave without Diego, my first love and best friend, but if his ruthless brother has his way, I won’t leave at all.

Cristiano de la Rosa is a man as big and bold as his legend. Once upon a time, he was our cartel’s best soldier… until he became my family’s worst enemy. And a man like Cristiano will bend fate to his will to get what he wants—even if it means tearing me from another's arms.

Because in the de la Rosa family, old grudges run deeper than loyalty, and betrayal is a three-letter word: war. But this feud isn’t between enemies—it’s between brothers. And I’m the prize.

2. VIOLENT ENDS by Jessica Hawkins

SYNOPSIS

The devil has a name, and it’s Cristiano de la Rosa. On my wedding day, he was the last man I expected to see standing at the altar. He wants to make me his queen. His brother wants to rescue his princess.

Getting Cristiano to lose control becomes the name of the game, and the stakes are life and death. But as truth and lies blur, loyalty is tested, and our chemistry threatens to reach the melting point, the prize grows less clear. Either freedom no longer means what I think it does, or Cristiano is as devious as everyone says, and he’s mastered the art of playing my mind.

All I know for certain is that nothing is certain. And all you need to know? This is a love story. But even love stories have to end.

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3. VIOLENT TRIUMPHS by Jessica Hawkins

SYNOPSIS

I’ve become a queen to the forsaken, a leader to thieves, and the wife of a man who instills fear in all who cross his path. He was the husband I didn’t want. Now, I can’t fathom life without my king.

I should’ve been ready for anything. Like the caterpillar that feeds on poison during metamorphosis, I was raised in the dangerous world of cartel crime. But nothing could’ve prepared me for Cristiano de la Rosa, his brother’s poison, or the Calavera cartel.

This is still a story about a love strong enough to topple households, unite enemies, and divide brothers. Resilient enough to bring down those who would try to destroy it… and selfless enough to make the ultimate sacrifice.

But I was warned, and so were you. Death’s day always comes.

This time, it will find what was once a caterpillar is now a butterfly—and hell hath no fury like the White Monarch.

BOOK REVIEW

Jessica Hawkins didn’t hold back with this dark and gritty and harsh and really beautiful series. She created a world of cartels and mobsters looking for dirty money, free sex, and limitless power at the expense of the lives of innocent people. The books were filled with slow-burn suspense thanks to constant deception and shrewd scheming, which sent my heart beating like crazy and aching so bad.

The narrative unfolded around two competitive men, brothers by blood and divided by choice. They were irrevocably different and vying for the same woman’s attention and affection but for two opposite in nature reasons, which made me understand but hate them at the same time. And the mentioned woman was beautiful and sheltered and annoyingly naive Natalia, the only daughter of a powerful Mexican cartel boss. Her life was overflown with painful sadness and oftentimes groundless hope. Natalia (being a stupid little girl, sorry not sorry) thought that her life was once filled with true love and promise but then turned to be bound by a twisted obligation. Cristiano de la Rosa was a brutally handsome, ruthless man with respectful principles on the light side, while Diego de la Rosa was a pretentious liar and coward with a very dark soul. The feud between the brothers was old and the revealed with time truths didn’t leave a doubt who was the right brother to trust Natalia's life and heart with.

“Trust no one. Never draw a weapon unless you meant to kill. Loyalty didn’t guarantee loyalty, even to your own blood. Anyone, even the most loyal disciple, could turn.”

From the very beginning, I knew exactly where my heart would align itself. It was fascinating to witness the battle of wills and beliefs between Cristiano and Diego. What really made me go berserk was Natalia with her bloody prejudice and stubbornness. Not gonna lie, I hated her character till almost the end of the second book.

“For those who are deserving, I ask before I take. I feed those who feed me. I can’t control how others interpret things, but I give honesty where I get it. You’ll find me dead before you find me a liar.”

Cristiano, however, was such a doll. I find it easy to say I love a certain male character, but it’s very rare when I say that I respect him. It’s interesting how the romance aspect was not the focal point of the series, at least to me. Cristiano’s world outlook, determination, and dedication were of much more importance. Sometimes, I felt like Jessica Hawkins wanted me to fall in love with Cristiano and not Natalia haha.

I cannot talk about any of the occurred events because they were interconnected and any small detail might spoil the whole plot (and yes, there’re cliffhangers at the end of each book). So, I would highly recommend you check the finished series out and embark upon a rocky but exciting journey.