Reviewed by Mal

TITLE: Pascal and the Forger

AUTHOR: Avril Ashton

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 274  Pages

RELEASE DATE: April 14, 2023

BLURB:

They used to have it all. Until they didn’t. Now, one man wants another chance to make things right, while the other doesn’t know if he can risk his heart again.

As head of the Haitian mafia, Mathieu Pascal is dangerous, ruthless, and cold-hearted. He’s also alone, but there’d been a time when he had love. With one careless decision, he betrayed the one man who ever mattered to him. He has no right to forgiveness, but he’ll do anything to prove he deserves it.

Win Beltran was at his lowest when he met Mathieu Pascal. He took the freedom the other man offered and in return, handed over his heart. He thought he was safe…until Mathieu destroyed him. Years later, Win has moved on. At least he pretends, because even though he’s married to Mathieu’s rival, his heart has only ever belonged to the one who broke it.

Their shared secrets keep Win and Mathieu tied to each other as the heat of their tumultuous chemistry melts their weak resistance. But an invisible hand is orchestrating a war, and Mathieu’s enemies are drawing closer. To protect Win, he’ll burn the world to the ground as they fight for their lives and their hearts.

This is the story of Pascal and The Forger from DIG YOUR GRAVE (STANIEL #2). It can be read as a standalone and features all the second-chance, angsty, pining, groveling, jealous, possessive, secrets and lies, sexy goodness you can stand.

REVIEW:

I am a huge fan of Avril Ashton’s writing, I am completely invested in the interconnected world of crime, violence, passion, loyalty, betrayal and unshakeable love that she builds with her books. The cross over plot lines and characters are sublime and completely immersive. I’ve had this book on my kindle since I finished the Staniel Duet and I finally got a chance to read it and I am not kidding when I tell you I was blown away. Ashton takes her time laying out their past from the beginning, till a complex picture of lost love emerges.

The layers and secrets piled one on top of the other are phenomenal in their reveal, keeping me on edge as the situation reveals itself to be far more complicated than anticipated, mix in the emotional devastation that both Mathieu and Win have been living with and it’s a jagged, explosive, gripping journey to go on. It’s been 10 years since anything remotely intimate has happened between them, their tainted history keeping them apart after what was an all consuming love for both of them. This follows their journey of redemption, of finding their way back to that trust and love in the midst of mafia factions at war, long kept secrets, hidden agendas and betrayals.

The chemistry between the two is absolutely fraught with desperate emotion, clinging and clawing to get a piece of each other to get a piece back. The sex scenes are white hot!

I absolutely loved the book and highly recommend it.

RATING:

BUY LINK:

Amazon