I expected this book to be very wattpad-y and generally not super good, but I was surprised to find that this book was quite different than what I expected. I want to say that not the writing was the issue, but the story and the characters. I'll write a lot for this review because there are many things that are not okay and each lowered the score.

SPOILERS AHEAD

1. We get two prologue chapters that talk about the great-parents and then the parents of the actual characters. I expected there to be an actual reason for this, but we only got a kid named after them at some point.
2. Parents and parent figures die for different reasons. So what are the brothers gonna do? Kill the suspect (that killed one brother) and his son, which will also result in the suspect's wife death as well and so the other son will remain alone (no worries, he's also rich).
3. The little sister falls in love with that orphan, but her brothers hate him, so she keeps the relationship a secret, but when her brothers find out they forbid her to see him again. When he tries to talk to her, because he is worried, they beat him because his family sucks, good enough reason I guess.
4. She is oh so tired so she sleeps a lot (oh shit, it's a pregnancy). She's sick an losing weight (oh, thank god, she's just sick). Nope, nvm, she's pregnant. 6 weeks pregnant (so basically it was a few weeks between the forced break-up and this moment). We get a very sweet moment with her brothers that say that they would do everything for her nice/nephew and they suggest that the mother to be should move (alone) to Canada. So they would do anything, but it's okay if they grow up without their father. Everything is fine until she's in pain and bleeding, but it's actually okay. She just finds out she'll have triplets (again, don't know why, no family history, I guess it was just dramatic). She'll be a great mother that doesn't let only the staff to take care of the kids and the house. Before we get to the next part of the story, the kids are going to school.
5. The next part is about the wives (not too much tho, we'll get a 7 years time jump, no worries) because now the brothers are married (but they have some rules: the wives have to be 23 years old, they don't fall in love, they get 1kid/wife and after 7 years they divorce) and this is exactly what happens. Okay, so Elisabeth was 29-30 when she become a mother and she is the youngest sibling (I forgot the differences between her and her brothers) so the men are older, but they only want a 23 y.o. wife, to give them a kid. Oh, and they must all live together. That's all. All I want to know is why? This part is really not that long. After 7 years they divorce and a few years later George's wife (that went ahead and made herself a billionaire) come back and she catches his eyes again (by now she is with another woman and doesn't even recognize her). He blackmails her into getting her to live with him again and she thinks that she swore that she won't come back to that place 8 years before, so that means 15 years passed between the moment they married and the day she comes back, but her daughter is described like a little child.
6. Which brings me to my next point, the timeline is messed up and years don't add up at all. For example, after the whole wife fiasco we got back in Canada. Where Elizabeth's son (who is somehow only 12) is sick and he needs a special blood type only his father has, so finally, Henry learns that he has not one, but three kids. No worries, he flies with his jet in and saves the day. Oh, and now the brothers understand the true meaning of love and they accept the relationship between Elizabeth and Henry (and I still don't know how is this only 12 when the brothers married after she gave birth and divorced and enough time passed that the ex wife got a degree and a business and she said 8 years, but at some point she also said 4 I think, so idk what's going on). Anyway, yay for them, they are only in their 40s now.
7. Besides all of that, there is a character, Buffer, that appears to be working for both families, but we don't get anything more.

Tl;DR: The brothers are walking red flags and they also treat their sister as a kid even when she is a grown women. Most actions are illogical and the timeline makes little to no sense.

DNF 25%

Unfortunately, this book was unable to hold my attention. The prologues were jarring, the 3rd person writing was poorly done, and after reading through 25% of the book, I didn't care about any of the characters. The main siblings were entitled, overachievers with a vocabulary dated in the early 20th century. The plot ran together to where I didn't know what was happening from go.

With all the 5 star reviews, I expected something different, but this wasn't it.

Empire of Billions explores the complex world of the wealthy Roberts family, where personal pain and forbidden love intertwine. The youngest sibling, Elizabeth, finds herself caught between her family's expectations and her deep feelings for Henry Kinkaid, a man her brothers despise. I enjoyed this book for its rich emotional depth and the way it explores the sacrifices and challenges of love amidst family loyalty and wealth.

Hold onto your hearts, folks! 💔 Empire of Billions is a rollercoaster of love, secrets, and family drama! Elizabeth's forbidden romance with the enigmatic Henry Kinkaid is as spicy as it gets, and when you throw in some juicy family feuds and dark secrets, you've got a must-read! If you're into passionate love stories that test the limits of loyalty and family bonds, this book is totally your jam. Dive in and watch those billion-dollar walls come crumbling down! 💫📚

The novel unfolds as a beautifully crafted narrative, intertwining luxury, power, and the complex layers of love. It beckons readers to immerse themselves in the epic tale of the Roberts family, whose empire is built on immense wealth shrouded in grief, secret liaisons, and forbidden desires. Masson's skill in depicting the fluctuations of varied human relationships is evident, as she shapes the characters' growth with remarkable delicacy and insight.