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REVIEW: 'Ash' by Jack L. Pyke


Title: Ash

Series: Don’t… #4.5 - Prequel to Don’t… 5

Author: Jack L. Pyke

Published: March 20, 2018

Cover Artist: Siolnatine

Genre: Dark Contemporary Romance; Mystery/Thriller; Suspense; New Adult

Length: 259 Pages

Tags: Gay; M/M; Bisexual; May/December; Law Enforcement; Cliffhanger; CW: PTSD, Murder, Violence

About Ash

“You up for that, hm, Ash? A lesson from an old soul to youth? From me… to you?”

Ash Thomas and his gameplay with other men is vicious, cruel. Better to fuck someone over than be the one who’s on the floor, fucked up, right? But his latest cruelties are about to catch the eye of the Wraith, someone who’s been brought up to play professionally in the shadows. For Ash, beauty and rage aren’t the kind of sins to win him any favours anymore. Life and lessons of the heart never did come easy, especially when they’re about to walk in off the darkened streets, bringing bloodied footprints in their wake.

5 HEART READ

REVIEW:

Let’s clear the air up front: For fans of Jack, Jan and Gray, they don’t appear in Ash, the prequel to Don’t… 5. In Pyke’s own words they aren’t even going to be the “focus” of the upcoming Psychopaths & Sinners. Okay, okay… don’t run for the hills screaming. Those who follow the series know Jack L. Pyke’s talent has no bounds when setting up the Don’t… world. And I’m here to tell you, where these new characters are about to take this dark web of intrigue is her own special brand of mind-fuckery.

Ash was first published as the short story, Original Sin. As Pyke indicates, she wanted to bring the character Raif into the Don’t… fold and has expanded the original with updated scenes… and more! Which means this edition cannot be read as a standalone. I honestly didn’t read the first version but I must say this has everything I love from her, including the feel of just how important these characters are going to be to the overall series.

 

Oh, the way Pyke describes the dynamics of the play and manipulation… is eerie.

 

You’re either going to love or hate Ash, the person. He has to be one of Pyke’s hardest characters to get a bead on. But as each layer is revealed, you see within his hurt and you know there’s so much more to be uncovered. His escape from pain is a bond he shares with his two childhood friends, Chase and Johnny… and the games Ash and Chase play together.

Oh, the way Pyke describes the dynamics of the play and manipulation… is eerie. Even the direct and blunt way Ash and Chase speak, make eye contact – like it is the most normal thing – makes it that much more gritty. It’s bitterly sad, because even as it helps Ash burn the pain, it’s also creating more hurt for him deep down.

The arrival of Raif on scene and the dark mystery surrounding who he is, what he does, who he might be working for… and just what draws Ash to him like a moth to a flame, makes their slow-burning need for one another that much more compelling.

Pyke’s set-up of Ash’s background and his exploits also sets the stage for the brutal lover he is, priming her readers for just how much what he ultimately gives to Raif, means.

Two lost souls learning to trust. One who doesn’t run but lingers, because deep down he wants the love but fears the “fuck over” that comes from all good men. The other a man who has lost a world but sees a young heart deserving of so much he wants to give.

Everything Jack writes allows her readers inside her characters’ minds and slowly reveals the complexity of their world, their circumstances. It takes a keen reader to read between the lines of Pyke’s complex subtleties in Ash.

The building intensity between Ash and Raif is a game of mental foreplay like no other, with the anticipation and sexual tension sparking! The fact that Raif is showing Ash the respect he deserves, secretly longs for, makes it that much hotter. And when Raif says, “’This you-me bullshit. Someone needs to take the lead here,”… you know! With so few words, and some hidden meaning within the ones they do speak, you can feel the trust grow. As Ash begins to listen to his mind instead of giving his body all the control, you feel the change coming, and it’s delicious. The way Ash learns to feel, to care - surprises not only the reader, but himself.

 

Two lost souls learning to trust. One who doesn’t run but lingers, because deep down he wants the love but fears the “fuck over” that comes from all good men. The other a man who has lost a world but sees a young heart deserving of so much he wants to give.

 

With Ash, Jack L. Pyke weaves complexities and intertwines her Don’t... world as only she can. Building up an air of mystery and intrigue that leaves us wondering how Jack, Gray and Jan fit into what’s unfolding – oh, but we know they do! You can feel this troubled young man, the stranger shrouded in secret, and the mysterious murder drawing them into the fold….. And God, with an ending that leaves your heart crying for more, you hope Psychopaths & Sinners is published damn soon!

A copy of Ash was provided to Kimmers’ Erotic Book Banter, by Jack L. Pyke, at no cost and with no expectations in return. We offer our fair and honest opinion on behalf of our readers.

Meet the Author

Jack's a pure M/M erotic romance author who specializes in BDSM.

With a wicked love for portraying D/s relationships in particular, all added to a psychological thriller edge, kink and mind games go hand in hand here.

For more from Jack be sure to visit her website.

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