What do you think?
Rate this book
What Love Is
One month. No strings. That’s what they agreed to.Who has time for a relationship? Not Seraphina Cook. She’s too focused on keeping her son in her life and running the criminal empire she wrestled from her dead husband’s grip. Well, she would be, if she wasn’t distracted by the young, cocky, and very dangerous man she blackmailed into her bed.
She didn’t need a bargain to get him, but Toro doesn’t mind. Whatever got him close to Seraphina, he’d take. Still, their allotted time together isn’t nearly long enough to prove he’s more than just a conquest to be used up and discarded. Their sizzling connection is the only thing they seem to agree on and Toro has no qualms about leveraging that to get what he wants.
Sera has given herself one month to indulge in—and rid herself of—the reckless attraction she feels for Toro. But when he touches her, when he looks at her, she finds herself thinking about the what-ifs.
What if she took what Toro offered?
What if she trusted someone else to have her back?
And what if she finally allowed herself to be loved the way she deserved to be?
What Love Is is an M/F standalone between an unapologetically diabolical older woman with zero fear and the younger man who finds that sh!t sexy AF. It features blackmail, forced proximity, a bisexual Trans MC, and an interracial relationship.
She didn’t need a bargain to get him, but Toro doesn’t mind. Whatever got him close to Seraphina, he’d take. Still, their allotted time together isn’t nearly long enough to prove he’s more than just a conquest to be used up and discarded. Their sizzling connection is the only thing they seem to agree on and Toro has no qualms about leveraging that to get what he wants.
Sera has given herself one month to indulge in—and rid herself of—the reckless attraction she feels for Toro. But when he touches her, when he looks at her, she finds herself thinking about the what-ifs.
What if she took what Toro offered?
What if she trusted someone else to have her back?
And what if she finally allowed herself to be loved the way she deserved to be?
What Love Is is an M/F standalone between an unapologetically diabolical older woman with zero fear and the younger man who finds that sh!t sexy AF. It features blackmail, forced proximity, a bisexual Trans MC, and an interracial relationship.
249 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 25, 2023
25 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
Avril Ashton
78 books1,680 followersA Caribbean transplant, Avril now lives in Stone Mountain, GA., with a tolerant Spousal Equivalent. Together they raise an eccentric daughter who loves reading and school (not so much school anymore). Avril’s earliest memories of reading revolve around discussing plot points of Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys with an equally book-minded mother
Always in love with the written word, Avril finally decided to do the writing in August of ’09 and never looked back. Spicy love scenes, delicious heroes, and wicked women burn up the pages of Avril’s stories, but there’ll always be a happy ending; Av remains a believer of love in all its forms.
Always in love with the written word, Avril finally decided to do the writing in August of ’09 and never looked back. Spicy love scenes, delicious heroes, and wicked women burn up the pages of Avril’s stories, but there’ll always be a happy ending; Av remains a believer of love in all its forms.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 26, 2023
I have been waiting on Seraphina's book forever, and this story gave everything it needed to give. Re Sera's growth, redemption, acceptance of self, the author hit it out the park. The thing about (hated) characters like Seraphina is that in order for us to accept her happiness, we need her to unapologetically OWN the stuff she did, and she does this in spades. The author expertly navigates Sera righting her wrongs without having things veer into hokey corniness, and by doing that we are able to empathize, and enjoy. Her convo with Donovan ending with 'I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry' three times, genuine, hand over heart, brought tears to my eyes. A+
I mostly read M/M, and some M/F here or there, and I know what I need/enjoy in books, what parts of sex scenes make books worth reading, so I read the blurb and thought ehhhhhh. But I have serious respect for this author's work, and I have always been intrigued by Seraphina. Yes, she was a horrible character, but she was funny and charming in ways, and powerful and sexy as hell, so skipping this book was not an option. I'm glad I didn't. I LOVED Julian/Toro for Seraphina. I loved him just for the man he was, and I loved them together. I skimmed around the parts of the sex scenes that weren't for me...so don't get to asking details lol, but they were hot together and Toro was confident about who he was. Would I have preferred to get everything I needed out of those parts of the story? Yes. But that aspect of Toro added to who he was as a person and the things he endured added depth to this character. I loved him. And I respect the author for challenging herself to do something different than she normally does.
Israel and Reggie - YUH DON KNOW. Do I even need to go into full fangirl mode about these two? They are my babies. I am so happy that Is and Seraphina are on a path to something good, which hopefully will end up great. I look forward to glimpses of them in other books. Reggie being there, watching over Is, every step of the way makes my heart glad. "I no longer need a mother; I want one." Sniff sniff. I'm happy for you, baby.
So many parts of this book shouldn't have worked for me - the aforementioned, and older woman/younger man (I rarely read these), with him being younger than her son, and the inclusion of Daniel and Stavros (you know how intensely I dislike them) - but really, this book came together flawlessly. I really enjoyed. 5 Full stars.
I mostly read M/M, and some M/F here or there, and I know what I need/enjoy in books, what parts of sex scenes make books worth reading, so I read the blurb and thought ehhhhhh. But I have serious respect for this author's work, and I have always been intrigued by Seraphina. Yes, she was a horrible character, but she was funny and charming in ways, and powerful and sexy as hell, so skipping this book was not an option. I'm glad I didn't. I LOVED Julian/Toro for Seraphina. I loved him just for the man he was, and I loved them together. I skimmed around the parts of the sex scenes that weren't for me...so don't get to asking details lol, but they were hot together and Toro was confident about who he was. Would I have preferred to get everything I needed out of those parts of the story? Yes. But that aspect of Toro added to who he was as a person and the things he endured added depth to this character. I loved him. And I respect the author for challenging herself to do something different than she normally does.
Israel and Reggie - YUH DON KNOW. Do I even need to go into full fangirl mode about these two? They are my babies. I am so happy that Is and Seraphina are on a path to something good, which hopefully will end up great. I look forward to glimpses of them in other books. Reggie being there, watching over Is, every step of the way makes my heart glad. "I no longer need a mother; I want one." Sniff sniff. I'm happy for you, baby.
So many parts of this book shouldn't have worked for me - the aforementioned, and older woman/younger man (I rarely read these), with him being younger than her son, and the inclusion of Daniel and Stavros (you know how intensely I dislike them) - but really, this book came together flawlessly. I really enjoyed. 5 Full stars.
January 6, 2025
Ok I understand what other reviewers are saying about the sex scenes but honestly I liked them. I think that a lot of my enjoyment of this book came from the trans guy representation. As I'm reflecting, I'm realizing that it's quite rare for a book to feature a trans man as the romantic interest and not have that be his single overwhelming character trait? Definitely gonna be pondering this for a good long while.
ANYWAY getting to the point, I particularly appreciated how hot Seraphina found Toro. Like from the get-go, she was like THAT is a MAN whomst I WANT in a SEXUAL WAY. Like she finds him absolutely irresistibly ridiculously attractive. Basically the moment he arrives at her house she's like I NEED HIS COCK. And so it continues, until quite a ways into the story when she finds out he's trans, at which point the fact that he's trans literally does not impact how desirable he is to her.
I guess this is maybe the first romance book I've read with a FTM hero who is 1) not withering away in dysphoria, 2) treated as male by every significant character, 3) lusted after as a man and 4) engages in toxic masculine/alpha male behavior every now and then. Like he's a dude with dude issues. I don't know why this felt remarkable to me. As I'm typing it out it seems like such a low bar. And maybe I'm just not finding the right stuff to read; if that's the case, please point me in the right direction immediately. But the fact of the matter is that I don't see this kind of representation elsewhere. Of course I wish that it was common enough and normal enough that these elements were not particularly remarkable. Alas! This fUcKeD uP SoCiEtY currently faces a critical shortage of the exact type of man I want to read my devious little sex books about.
Maybe it's my own trans ass just feeling starved of representation, but it felt quite honestly really affirming to me personally to read a whole book that consists mainly of a sexy powerful MILF going absolutely wild for this man. Ok that's all for now folks xx
ANYWAY getting to the point, I particularly appreciated how hot Seraphina found Toro. Like from the get-go, she was like THAT is a MAN whomst I WANT in a SEXUAL WAY. Like she finds him absolutely irresistibly ridiculously attractive. Basically the moment he arrives at her house she's like I NEED HIS COCK. And so it continues, until quite a ways into the story when she finds out he's trans, at which point the fact that he's trans literally does not impact how desirable he is to her.
I guess this is maybe the first romance book I've read with a FTM hero who is 1) not withering away in dysphoria, 2) treated as male by every significant character, 3) lusted after as a man and 4) engages in toxic masculine/alpha male behavior every now and then. Like he's a dude with dude issues. I don't know why this felt remarkable to me. As I'm typing it out it seems like such a low bar. And maybe I'm just not finding the right stuff to read; if that's the case, please point me in the right direction immediately. But the fact of the matter is that I don't see this kind of representation elsewhere. Of course I wish that it was common enough and normal enough that these elements were not particularly remarkable. Alas! This fUcKeD uP SoCiEtY currently faces a critical shortage of the exact type of man I want to read my devious little sex books about.
Maybe it's my own trans ass just feeling starved of representation, but it felt quite honestly really affirming to me personally to read a whole book that consists mainly of a sexy powerful MILF going absolutely wild for this man. Ok that's all for now folks xx
August 29, 2023
I enjoyed the representation of a female-to-male transgender person and the older woman/younger man romantic relationship. I liked that Toro's and Seraphina's potential relationship was hinted at in previous books and in the initial content of the story. Therefore, Toro's confession of love did not totally come across as instant love and Seraphina's development of a deeper connection to Tora was more believable. I also liked that the story was told from the villains' point of view. The author did a better job of portraying a female-to-male transgender person than a previously written book with similar themes. The conflict was well-contained and reasonable for the story's length and characters' backgrounds. The sex scenes were less developed and a bit skewed towards the female character. Also, this book contained a few great and appreciated angsty love-sick quotes.
September 18, 2024
5⭐️
3🌶
I really enjoyed this book! This book was more about the mental battle one has with themselves and what they think is the best thing to do vs. actual physical fighting.
We are going through this journey of self-realization and reflection with Seraphina. She is recognizing that her previous actions are preventing her from the future/ life that she is trying to achieve.
I loved Toro in the other books, and I love Toro even more now. He stayed true to his feelings, but I'm glad he didn't fold immediately when Seraphina came back.
I also will not tolerate any Toro slander!!! That's my man, and yall can't have him.
Another well written story by Avril!
3🌶
I really enjoyed this book! This book was more about the mental battle one has with themselves and what they think is the best thing to do vs. actual physical fighting.
We are going through this journey of self-realization and reflection with Seraphina. She is recognizing that her previous actions are preventing her from the future/ life that she is trying to achieve.
I loved Toro in the other books, and I love Toro even more now. He stayed true to his feelings, but I'm glad he didn't fold immediately when Seraphina came back.
I also will not tolerate any Toro slander!!! That's my man, and yall can't have him.
Another well written story by Avril!
August 28, 2023
Powerful
What a story beautifully written. NO SPOILERS! This must be opened like fine wine. It was nice to see characters from past stories interwoven with this one But this was all about Seraphina Cooks Evolution. From past books we have grown to hate and fear this woman.She was relentless and evil. This is her story of redemption. Fantastic a must read And the man in her life Toro was a story in itself.
What a story beautifully written. NO SPOILERS! This must be opened like fine wine. It was nice to see characters from past stories interwoven with this one But this was all about Seraphina Cooks Evolution. From past books we have grown to hate and fear this woman.She was relentless and evil. This is her story of redemption. Fantastic a must read And the man in her life Toro was a story in itself.
October 8, 2025
One of the rare straight romance that I read —because the man is trans, one of the even rarer straight romance that I really liked —because the story was deep, mature, raw but thoughtful and the characters whole and fully fledged.
And for once with a trans MC, his transition isn't the focus of the whole book but just a part of who he is. Kudos to the author for doing her research and nailing the trans(masc) aspects of it.
And for once with a trans MC, his transition isn't the focus of the whole book but just a part of who he is. Kudos to the author for doing her research and nailing the trans(masc) aspects of it.
January 29, 2025
Make sure you check your cw before starting this to make sure that this book is right for you. Toro and Seraphinas romance is beautiful. It's a standalone, but it again personally for me I would read the prior books to get the back story on these characters, since other characters and storylines intertwine with their storyline.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 28, 2024
Really meh about the first 50% of this book before it got good. Nearly DNF too. The first half was mostly a lot of sex ala erotica but then we get to some substance as the book progresses and then really get good in the last 25% I think.
April 28, 2024
Seraphina (evil manipulative crime lord) and Toro (Daniel Nieto’s nephew. His trans nephew, as a twist. Also a psychopath/sociopath. Sorry I don’t know the difference.) It’s a good story, with typical mercurial personalities.
KU
KU
August 25, 2023
We get to learn more about two secondary characters in this universe. It was great to discover more about Toro and Seraphina. We get to see them vulnerable and a totally different side to them.
September 12, 2023
Awesome!
Awesome read. Captivating from the first page! Loved all the twists and turns between Toro and Ser! So raw but full of so much emotion.
Awesome read. Captivating from the first page! Loved all the twists and turns between Toro and Ser! So raw but full of so much emotion.
January 1, 2026
The spice was fab. I think going from Daniel and Starvo’s book to this, I expected more violence. I expected Toro to be more devious but still a good book
August 31, 2023
2.5
So, the only m/f I really read is either historical romance or fantasy but as this was Toro's book of course I had to give this a go. Sadly, it didn't do much for me, I feel Seraphina lost that aura of power and danger she always had, there was no action at all and the sex was just repetitive and based on the same thing over and over again, not counting with the constant use of certain word.
What saved the book for me was definitely Daniel and Stavros, they just made everything right for me.
Still, I love Avril. Some of my favourite books ever come from this world and I will read anything that comes new, I'm probably not the target for this kind of story.
So, the only m/f I really read is either historical romance or fantasy but as this was Toro's book of course I had to give this a go. Sadly, it didn't do much for me, I feel Seraphina lost that aura of power and danger she always had, there was no action at all and the sex was just repetitive and based on the same thing over and over again, not counting with the constant use of certain word.
What saved the book for me was definitely Daniel and Stavros, they just made everything right for me.
Still, I love Avril. Some of my favourite books ever come from this world and I will read anything that comes new, I'm probably not the target for this kind of story.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews