When We Collide

by Avril Ashton

A desperate gunman and a Federal Marshal walk into a mechanic’s garage. Unfortunately for them, an assassin is waiting.

He might answer to a new name, but Zander remains a killer on the hunt. He moonlights as a mechanic, his nights spent plotting against the man who wiped out his family. He’ll wait however long he has to for revenge…until an armed stranger breaks into his garage one dark night.

U.S. Federal Marshal Vince Hardin is driving cross country, a futile effort to outrun heartbreak and the gunmen intent on ending him. Car trouble takes him to Zander’s place in time to meet the bullet of a desperate man’s gun.

All Scotty Fallon wanted was a reprieve from the memories haunting him since childhood. Breaking into Zander’s garage was a last resort. Finding himself trapped between a menacing assassin and a Federal Marshal? He doesn’t expect to see the sunrise.

As blood and secrets get spilled, danger turns to connection. Then passion. But soon, a new day arrives, bringing with it new enemies and tough choices that will leave hearts broken and the future of the most unlikely trio hanging in the balance.



Tropes Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, hurt/comfort

Genres: M M Romance, M M M, Enemies To Lovers, Menage, Contemporary, Forced Proximity, Romance

311 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 19, 2024

About the author

A 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.

Reviews

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book, but it just fell a bit flat for me.

Honestly, I was hoping for like a MMM version of Staniel, but I did not get that.

I think my biggest issue here is just that the relationship felt SUPER rushed. Like, they meet and they bond over their past trauma, then its like bam, we love each other.

I am fine with insta love, but this was over the course of like 2 hours or something. That's a bit too quick for me.

I also didn't care for some of the dialogue during the sexy times.

[Nile Princess · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeahhh...no. This author is a 'drop everything' read for me, so I was so looking forward to this book but wow, no and it PAINS me to write this review. I disliked Zander; Vince was just kinda there; Scotty was my sweet cinnamon roll so he was ok. I love forced proximity reads, and it's M/M/M so hello! I was ready. But, this threesome didn't come together in a way that was believable or had any real chemistry. Everyone spilling their stories out of nowhere in the beginning was weird, as was the initial sexual encounter. Then, fine, they get together and the whole getaway happens, and here we're introduced to Derri - Zander's ex - who saves his life, and protects two guys he just met. And as a heartfelt eff you for that, and for being his partner in the business, and being his lifeline while Zander was in hiding, Zander starts treating him like the enemy, all while referring to him as his ex, but supposedly they would have gotten together in the future? So Zander brings not one, but two men, around, Derri doesn't react well to being cast aside for some dudes Zander met two days ago, and he's the problem?? If there was ever a time that I wanted to just throw another person on the pile, it was here. Just make it MMMM already. Either way, there was no recovering for Zander for me. I disliked him intensely.

Let's talk about how Zander was never, at any time, a boss that I took seriously or found threatening. Sir, you have a man killed because he roughed up your boo before anybody even know who he was?? It's not like you warned them and they went against your orders. Maybe it was supposed to show ruthlessness; instead it was giving weak, d*ck whipped energy. I HATE when bosses over react. Him trying to put bass in his voice to Dima, or Reggie, or even Syren was downright laughable. Sir, sit down in the presence of greatness.

Everything just felt way too cartoonish. A silencer doesn't fully silence sound. A person who was just stabbed, bled out, lost consciousness and was on death's door cannot be riding two d*cks, days later (no I did not mistype lol). Vince was shot at the beginning of the book....and it's never mentioned again. Scotty had a drug habit and then, didn't? I just...

The ONLY interesting part of this book was the cameo by my other book boyfriends. Is and Reggie, do I even need to talk about them? No one needs to see that fangirling again. X and Dima, swoon. The book finally got good. I literally skipped every M/M/M sex scene after the first few. I literally didn't care. And just when I thought things couldn't get worse, Syren Rua shows up (I'm not a fan). I was done. Then the Derri situation is resolved, and I was DONE DONE. My pissoffity hit nuclear levels. At least he and Zander finally had a real conversation. And then Syren shows up again and I was definitely at the end of the line. I skimmed the rest and exited stage left.

The two stars are literally for Scotty and the cameo by my two favorite couples. I was good on everything else.

[⭐Toonasa⭐ •Romance Book Lovers' Haven• · Rating 5 out of 5]

A MMM romance that I spent my weekend on! There's enemies to Lovers vibes, forced proximity & hurt comfort.
I devoured my #ARC in around 6hrs (over 2days). Loved Zander, Vince, Scotty!

Zander is an ex assassin, now a bored mechanic in an Alabama town; he's hardass & ruthless. Vince (43) is a federal marshal on run, caring to those in need. Scotty (24) is a junkie who wants a reprieve from his memories, so fragile.

Omg, this book is FAST PACED. It goes through plot beats so fast, tho it never gets boring & hits kept coming BUT the drama felt a lil underutilized. It's dark, action packed, some mafia shit too.

The 3 are sweet. The insta connection to insta love? Hm. But them opening up about ALL (not vague, BUT EVERYTHING!) in few hours? Uh, how? 😬😬. I also felt the focus was on Z, more than V & S 🤔. The sexy scenes are smoking hot, love me the vers action 🥵. Some off screen scenes I wanted to see.

I feel so BAD for Derri 😭😭. I kinda wanted this to be MMMM for him 😣.

There's no epilogue but weirdly it didn't feel the need to! I liked the premise, the writing style is awesome too, but the pacing...oh my 😅. This was my 1st book by Avril.

Story Ratings:

POV: 3rd person, Triple POV
1) Overall Enjoyment—> 4.5/5
2) The Characters: 4.8/5
3) Top feels: 😳😏🙃😆🥺😩😤🤤🥵😥🤭💥😉🥰😯
4) Steamy scenes: 4/5
5) Levels: Cute: 4.25/5
Angst: 2.25/5
Dark+Action: 3/5
6) Creativity + world: 4.5/5
7) Plot arc: (Insta love & Action) 4.5/5
8) Writing style + pace: 4/5

[Dee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Avril Ashton is an auto-buy for me. Her writing is vivid and evocative. She draws you in from the first page and keeps you engrossed the entire time. This book was no different. It was enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and in a world that crossed over with prior books I had read and loved.

Why, then, the low rating??? Apart from the insta-love and wanna be gangsta ickiness; The MC was DESPICABLE! There was very little by way of redeeming quality to Kian/Zander and he was as unfaithful and disloyal a creature as I have ever read.
Without, making a spoiler, I was left thinking if he treated someone who sacrificed EVERYTHING for him in that manner, how will he eventually treat these new “loves” of his life.
The way in which he was able to blank and then treat his current lover so harshly, would have had me racing to get away from his as quickly as I could. He kept referring to his lover as his “EX” and stating he had “moved on” when it was clear he had never informed said ex of that fact BEFORE moving on.

Morally ambiguous MCs are a staple of this writer but this was a whole new low that I didn’t expect and frankly couldn’t mentally navigate around. UGH.

[Aimee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could have been better...

I liked the overall story and I loved seeing so many other MCs from overlapping books, however, this story was missing so much.

It's a fast paced story and it keeps the reader intrigued every single second but I just didn't really believe insta-love between a wounded, captured marshal and the top hitman he's been after for years. It happened so fast, in just a few hours while being held captive with another man. It just didn't equal a situation where 3 men could suddenly fall in love.

I also didn't really like how Derri was handled. He really didn't need that story line. This could have ended up as a MMMM and all would have been good.

The writing was still amazing and it had all the things I loved about Ashton's books and like I said above the overall story was still really good and that's what gave it 3 stars.

[Heike · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate to give this book such a low rating. I devoured all of Avril Ashton’s other books and loved them, especially the Run This Town, Loose Ends, Brooklyn Sinners and Staniel series. So I was expecting an intense and captivating story.
But what I got was insta love without any substance. I mean, come on, an (ex-) hitman/mafia/bad guy and a US marshal? That’s the perfect opportunity for some intense enemies to lovers and I was looking forward to it. But then I blinked, and bam, they were in love. No development whatsoever.
Add Scotty, an emotional young man, breaking into said ex-mafia guy’s garage to find anything worthy of paying for his drugs. Accidentally he shoots the marshal. But marshal Vince sees something in him and wants to protect him.
And within what felt like 30 minutes all three of them tell each other their life stories and spill their secrets. That was just too unbelievable for me. Especially with the jobs two of these three men have/had.
I felt no connection with or between the MCs.
And the story arc aside from the romance wasn’t much better. Everything got solved way too fast and had way more potential.
But on a positive note: at least this book had the expected possessive “he’s mine/touch him and d!e”-behavior and Mrs. Ashton’s typically good writing. And cameos of some of my favorite MCs. I loved to see Dima and Syren again.
This book had way more potential in my opinion. But maybe I just had a bad day.

[Reading Rommance · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5. This was fun. The beginning had me hooked. I really like how all three men met and got together. I like each of the men, too. I enjoy Zander’s possessiveness and take charge attitude. I like that Vince stands his own, but is also openly softer and emotional (at least around Scotty). And I like how Scotty needs taken care of, but also takes care of others. Together, they really do work. And I was intrigued as to how this relationship would work for obvious reasons, but it seemed to work out. I didn’t love all the crime and criminal politics, but that’s a personal thing. I never do love that. Also, things escalated quickly multiple times, which was both a blessing and curse. I don’t think the book needed to be longer by any means, but I also felt like one minute they all hated each other and the next they were in love. Overall a fun, exciting read. 4/5 spice levels.

Notes: MMM, criminal/law enforcement, touch him and die, possessive MC, hurt/comfort, past trauma, criminal organization, aggressive and violent meet cute, violence

[Al · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its dark and in many ways horrifying. Life has a different meaning and comes and goes cheaply. I nearly wept over Zander and Derri. Revenge is taken seriously and executed without remorse. And while there were those deserved to be punished, the way it was done is final. The men moved quickly from 'enemies' to lovers and from lust to love - almost too quickly, but overall its a riveting read, and not for the faint hearted

[Barbara]

Gdy czytam książki o przestępcach, policjantach i osobach postronnych, podchodzę do nich z odpowiednim nastawieniem. Wiem, że przedstawione wydarzenia będą tak mało realistyczne jak to tylko możliwe. Ale też nie lubię, gdy moja inteligencja jest obrażana. Tak szybki insta-love to już lekka przesada.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 stars.

[Saskia Veldhuis · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I did my best to remind myself that this is fiction, I really struggled with the insta-love here. Three MCs with different traumatic life experiences ensuring none of them could possibly trust others quickly deciding they are in love within hours of meeting. There was lots of action which was interesting and the MCs were good but they and Derri deserved more relationship building.

[Megan McGrath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Officially, I'd give this a good 4.5 stars, but I rounded up because the writing was very well done and the story kept me very engaged. I had trouble putting it down because I constantly had to know how the next tense scene would play out.

I love the distinctive dynamics each separate author approaches when they tackle a triad/throuple story. While always intense in some way, and most likely an HEA, the interactions themselves are always unique in different ways. The relationship that develops between our mains, Zander, Vince and Scotty is quite memorable and very, very hot.

This is my first foray into an Avril Ashton story and her take in When We Collide starts from a very negative and stress-filled beginning, and we spend the first third of the book meeting the characters and learning what makes each of them tick and who they are. As their respective stories are revealed, even the hardest heart begins to crack. When the men finally start to realize their physical feelings, there's still a good amount of tension, but the initial hatred and mistrust is almost completely gone between them.
After killing his uncle and becoming the new head of his organization, Zander has to decide how and when to separate himself from the two men steadily changing his life, in order to protect them. Their connection burning bright and fast, the men share several intense and very spicy moments until they need to take their separate corners. With Zander and Vince now on opposite sides again, lives are on the line.

Many antagonists appear in this story, a minimum of one per MC, and each provides a new stressor to the story. Each of the men have to decide how to approach all these challenges and choose if it can or will interrupt and affect growing relationship.

There was a surprising amount of bloodshed and murder, despite the fact I knew from the synopsis that there would be some involved. All of it was handled in the story very well, and without unnecessary and gruesome detail. It didn't detract from the story at all, but could still be rough for those who might be squeamish. Several characters skirt a morally gray line, but I felt that the right people came out ahead, and all necessary "bad guys" were taken care of.

The main characters interact with one another with a heavy dose of spiciness and passion. Emotions weigh heavily on how those interactions play out, whether in a situation with all 3 of them, or just one pair of them at a time.

As we said goodbye to the characters, we were given the chance to see the happier and healthier changes they'd all made to improve their lives. They admit to their personal challenges, but vow to take good care of one another going forward, no matter what happens.

Definitely a heart-pumping adventure to read, but a great story to dive into if you enjoy the intensity of suspense and life-and-death situations. Mentions of very abusive and horrifying childhoods for each of the main characters, including bashing, beating and murder.


I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[EQUUS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frankly I've had a hard time reviewing this book. Avril Ashton is one of my favorite authors and I've reread some of her darker books multiple times, so dark themes and her unapologetic characters that live only by they own code in the unforgiving world of criminals don't bother me. She writes them so well that in my opinion she's created some of the most memorable characters in darker MM fiction. I've had high expectations for this book but frankly I almost DNF-ed at about 33%. It's probably just me so don't get me wrong - all in all it's still a page turner - but some things could probably have been handled differently.
One reason was that some logistical and technical issues that kept pilling up in action scenes were borderline ridiculous. And I mean pilling up literally - sometimes more than 3 per page. The other was a time frame. From enemies/strangers to three way undying love in a few hours? Just no. So the relationship (besides attraction) has no legs to stand on. And even attraction felt like it came out of nowhere - just because the author decided it was there? Another no. It would take a lot more internal musings, self reflectionins and observations about eachother from each character's POW to make both believable. The characters, especially Vince and Scotty were underdeveloped, so sometimes they felt like extras in their own story. In my opinion this could be one of her best works ever only if the book was longer and dug deeper.
In some aspects it's still the Avril Ashton that we love. The book is raw, gritty, unapologetic, heartbreaking at some moments and the bedroom scenes are scorching hot. As a bonus we get to revisit some of our favorite characters from her previous books/series (Syren, Isaac, Reggie and Dima) - which I highly recommend .
You'll find them and hopefully enjoy as much as I did in Brooklyn Sinners, Staniel Duet, Run this Town and Loose Ends series.

[Anne Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Zander, Scotty and Vince. Wow, what a rollercoaster
Firstly, let me say I got this book from gay romance reviews, and this is me leaving my honest review.
This is a brand-new author to me, and when I read the write-up, I was extremely excited to read this book, but I’ve got to say there was just too much all at once for me. I adored the connection that Zander, Scotty and Vince shared. But in some ways I feel like this could’ve been three books Just thrown all in together.
Zander was an assassin for his uncle, but when he learn some information, he decided to fake his death and dig deep for more information on his uncle before he acted. So he went and bought Garage and lived a mundane boring life. That was until the night that Scotty decided to try and rob him. Scotty himself was going through issues with his uncle. And then Vince walked into the garage and Scotty shot him by accident. But what Scotty didn’t know was that Vince is a US Marshal running from Someone who wanted him dead. And they all end up on this one night in Zander‘s garage.
I’m not going to give the story away, but these three have an Insta love, and I’ve got to say the passion that these three share was off the charts and I really wish that we heard about Xander’s point of view in book one then Scotty‘s point of view book 2, and then finally Vinces story in book 3, because all of the information at once was a bit much for me, the title of this book is absolutely superb. It is when they collide their three lives collide without knowing how strong their connection to one another’s are . I would definitely read another book from this author and I really enjoyed that There were three of them in the relationship but was difficult times ahead for these three. And your heart will go out for each of them through different times in this book. So I’m going to give it three. Five. It was very close to a four but it was just a bit too much.

[Gabs (gaybism) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zander owns a mechanics garage since he has had to leave his past life as an assassin. He is bored and misses who he used to be.

Scotty is a broken man who doesn’t have anyone caring what he does. He has made some bad choices. One of them being, deciding to rob the garage Zander owns.

Vince is a marshal who is on the run from people trying to kill him. When his car breaks down, he has no choice but to go to the nearest garage.

Zander who had been having a boring night finds himself staring down the barrel of a gun held by a shaking Scotty. He isn’t scared or phased because that isn’t the first time he found himself in danger. He had everything under control, until Vince steps through the garage doors and Scotty accidentally shoots the marshal.

This was the best and most incredulous meeting. How three very different men found themselves at the same place at the same time. How circumstances brought them together and how they found themselves tied to each other!

Everything happens fast between them. They bond over their past traumas and decide pretty much straight away that they would do anything for each other!

As always this was a rollercoaster of a dark romance. I love Avril’s ability to make me fall in love with the reddest of red flags! This book was steamy, action packed and filled with all the emotions!

Syren’s cameo was so welcome. It made me realise that it might be time for a re-read😈It was nice seeing Israel, Reggie, Toro, Seraphina and Dima. That was a lot of danger in one room.

The only thing that I didn’t like was what happened to Derri. I understood it to an extent but I felt bad for him.😭

[audiobook_chaos · Rating 5 out of 5]

5* because I can’t give it 10
Avril does it again with this intense book that follows Zander , Vince and Scotty . Zander ran away from his existing life as an assassin when he found out his Uncle Murray DuBois had lied to him .However little does he know his past is going to come crashing back thanks to Vince who’s a federal Marshal running from Murray DuBois and the hitmen he keeps sending to kill him . When his car breaks down it’s Zanders garage he turns to just in time to take a bullet from Scotty who broke into the garage not expecting Zander to be there . Scotty has a lot of issues brought on my his despicable uncle to keep him quiet he force him to take drugs so no one would believe what Scotty knew about him I really felt for Scotty he was so sweet .
When Zander realises who Vince is he uses him as bait to get his uncle to tell the truth about his family but the more time he spends with Scotty and Vince the more he waivers and in the end he tells them to go .
This was such a great book the characters were fabulous the plot was fantastic and the spice was hot hot hot ,each character grew and changed throughout the story especially Scotty . Each one of them had to make some hard decisions about people in their life who had betrayed them .
What made it even better as the cameos from several characters from previous books and oh boy have certain ones not changed a bit except maybe got a bit more annoying 😆 but now I want to go read the ones I’ve not already read .

[mm_spice_reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wooow what a spicy, dirty ride (pun intended). I always know going into an Avril Ashton book that we are going to get massive amounts of spice with a great plot. This one is MMM, featuring Zander, Vince and Scotty. Zander is a mechanic, who owns his own garage and has been on the run from a more sinister past. Vince is a US Marshall, who is running from a bad relationship but is also being hunted by a crime boss. Scotty is a younger man who breaks into Zander's shop, looking to steal something to get money for drugs.

There seemed to be more of an instant connection with Vince and Scotty, with Zander's affections taking more time. Sometimes I think poly books can be hard, sometimes there seems to be someone kind of left out. I felt like this was pretty well balanced in that respect, however I did sometimes struggle with Vince. Nothing inherently bad, I just had a hard time seeing him in this relationship. I also found a bit of a flaw in the timing/pacing. All three characters were pretty defiant towards one another, and then it just seemed like we moved pretty quickly to love - it was a bit unbelievable to me, but hey, this is fiction.

The spice in this book was epic, the descriptions were very well done and Zander - boy has some of the filthiest dirty talk and I loved every second of it!

[V · Rating 1 out of 5]

Un gran peccato perché l'inizio mi aveva tenuta incollata anche se non amo per niente l'insta love, soprattutto quando di mezzo ci dovrebbero essere killer spietati che uccidono senza rimorso. Dal 40% sembra che un'altra autrice si sia impossessata della storia e non ho tollerato come Zender abbia ucciso un suo uomo, una persona fidata, solo perché ha colpito il suo amante (di cui si è innamorato in meno di 24 ore e che è un poliziotto, quindi ovviamente un nemico dal punto di vista della persona che ha sparato senza battere ciglio). Mi sono sentita imbrogliata, la parte iniziale era molto curata, avevo apprezzato l'abilità dell'autrice (nonostante alcune scene cringe) di tenere su la tensione e l'attenzione con tre uomini così diversi fra di loro, ma passato un po' diventa una boiata come tanti altri mm che si trovano in giro e da cui mi tengo a debita distanza. Questo non è un libro con tre personaggi Vince-Scotty-Zender. Questo è il libro di Zender e i suoi uomini. Vince mi era sembrato molto interessante ma più si andava avanti e più è diventato una macchietta, l'ombra di Zender, un personaggio noioso. Le scene erotiche le ho saltate perché semplicemente imbarazzanti. Ho dato un'altra possibilità all'autrice perché il suo stile mi piace, ma ormai ho capito che i suoi personaggi e le storie che crea non fanno per me. DNF

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is my newest favorite next to the Staniel Duet!

Zander (currently in hiding from his murderous uncle who killed his family long ago) Scotty (the current mayor's nephew and watched the mayor kill his mother when he was a child; also a recovering drug addict) and Vince (a federal marshall that was on the run from Zander's uncle) all inadvertently meet at Zander's garage after Scotty breaks in and demands Zander's wallet and then shoots Vince as soon as he walks in the door. Scotty is down on his luck and partially spiraling and after Vince wakes up, he notices that Scotty needs gentle care and words. Zander simply doesn't care because his uncle is on the way to grab Vince and take out anyone in their way. However, after each man shares stories about their individual pasts while they wait, all of them soon realize that they need to protect each other and fast.

Ooof! I always look forward to the steamy scenes in Avril's book and this one definitely did not disappoint! Once these three were finally able to be together, all bets were off. I love the fact that all three were vers and didn't have strict bedroom roles.

Plot: 5/5
Spice: 5/5

I received an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest opinion

[Mal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has all the delicious and intense dark mafia romance elements I’ve come to expect from Avril Ashton’s books. I always expect them to be Steamy and emotionally charged with Complete, complex, gray characters struggling with seemingly impossible situations to get their HEA…. And Her books always deliver.

While Vince, Zander and Scotty are absolutely, incineratingly hot together there is also a very very fast and deep emotional attachment between them that made me struggle a bit with the initial pacing of the developing relationship dynamics and the depth of characterisation I’ve come to expect from this author.

Their connection btw, happens under extremely stressful circumstances leading to an almost instant bonding and open vulnerability between these men almost to the exclusion of all else which I couldn’t keep pace with.

There is no shortage twists and turns as they race against time with seemingly irreconcilable situations while a shift in power in the criminal underbelly is taking place. I also loved seeing characters from past series who I still miss… need another re-read.

Expect:
* Mafia romance
* Insta lust/love/attachment
* Morally grey
* Hurt comfort
* Violence, murder
* Enemies to lovers
* High heat
* Forced proximity

[DebbieReadsBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Independent reviewer for GRR, I was gifted my copy of this book.
Taken straight from the blurb:
A desperate gunman and a Federal Marshall walk into a mechanic’s garage. Unfortunately for them, an assassin is waiting.
That line absolutely describes this book the best and I wasn’t sure how things were gonna go down, or when or anything, because this book kept surprising me and I bloody loved it!
All three men have a say, in the first person. They each have very different and distinctive voices and it made for great reading.
Its dark and deadly. Smexy and steamy, so much steam! That physical connection between the three men comes early. It comes out of nowhere, hard and fast and powerful! The emotion comes later, and I loved that.
There is betrayal at the highest level and I did not see that coming, at all!
There were some . . . intriguing . . side characters that piqued my interest and I don’t know if they get, or have already, their own book but I hope so. I need to go search this author’s backlist of 70 odd books, cos this is the first I've read of this author and I want to read more!
5 full and shiny stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere

[Marsha L Respess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes the relationship of Zander, Vince, and Scotty is not really believable but I loved their story anyway. I really identified with Scotty's fears because I am not great in emergencies and his fears were so real. Both Zander and Vince had painful and traumatic childhoods and though on opposite sides they still fell in love. I should have realized who had betrayed Zander's family and that Vince had been betrayed by someone in the U.S. Marshals Department. The story got wild when Dima and Israel Storm and Seraphina(she still gives me nightmares)take Vince and Scotty to Coney Island and Zander follows and they at first want to take over Zander's casino but settle on an arms shipment and Zander will become a partner with them and then when Syren showed up things really got intense and I was sure someone would die and his interest in Scotty was very unsettling. Not surprised that Derri ended up being a threat that Zander had to take care just like Vince had to take care of his boss Russ earlier. I do enjoy reading about this world even when I am afraid what will happen next.

[J.L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the author's note at the beginning of the text, I had no problem reading this book as a stand-alone story with no previous knowledge of the world. I even found this book a tantalizing introduction, since meeting secondary characters has intrigued me enough to add their books to my reading list. Zander, Scotty, and Vince are truly the heart of this tale, however, as they battle numerous obstacles to attain a unique happily ever after none of them could have expected. The care each one extends the others is fully in character at all times, as are the compromises they make to stay together. Even though I didn't quite get the initial, sudden draw between these well-developed characters on their first night together, the roller coaster of events throughout the rest of the book definitely convinced me of their love.

Disclaimer: I received a digital review copy of this book from the author.

[Elaine Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

When We Collide tells the story of Zander, an ex-assassin who fled his past upon discovering his uncle's deceit. However, his peaceful life is disrupted when Vince, a federal marshal on the run from Zander's uncle, seeks refuge in Zander's garage. When Zander is shot by Scotty, who breaks into the garage, their lives become intertwined. Scotty, manipulated by his uncle, struggles with addiction but finds solace in Zander's compassion.

As Zander learns Vince's identity, he sees an opportunity to confront his uncle and uncover the truth about his family. However, his growing attachment to Scotty and Vince complicates his plans, leading him to ultimately urge them to leave for their safety.

The book features compelling characters, a gripping plot, and steamy romance, with each character undergoing significant growth and grappling with betrayal. Cameos from previous books add depth to the story, leaving readers eager to explore more of the series.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
The blurb did a great job setting up the initial meeting and introducing our unlikely cast of characters for a romance novel, then quickly goes to hell from there. It seems like one really weird coincidence that Zander and Vince should be in the same place and at the same time, and Scotty was just a catalyst to complicate matters, but who would have thought this trio would become romantically involved, although technically it seems to be more lust to start. After a showdown, Zander inherits the New Jersey branch of the mob and must now figure out the best way to protect his two men from all sides, especially since one is on the opposite side of the law. Good intentions just seem to cause bigger dangerous problems, there is betrayal, jealousy, confrontations with rival mobs, and many twists and turns while protecting found family and getting to a place to live life as normally as possible.
Strong, relatable characters, quite a bit of bedroom action, tough decisions on personal and professional fronts, and some morally ambiguous areas made for a book hard to put down until the throuple were settled into a fairly stable life.

[TheArtistReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

When We Collide

𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: When We Collide
𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿: Avril Ashton
𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: Standalone
𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁: eBook (KU)
𝗣𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀: 311
𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗲: MMM

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
- enemies to lovers
- forced proximity turned distance
- captor and hostages
- organised crime
- instant attraction
- blackmail
- hidden agenda
- heavily tattooed African American mechanic who used to be an assassin
- US federal marshal that grew up in foster care who has anxiety and depression and is on the run
- the corrupt mayor's nephew who has PTSD and uses drugs as a coping mechanism

𝙆𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙨:
- good boy
- hand necklace
- choking
- rimming

𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙥𝙡𝙚: Zander, Vince Hardin & Scotty Fallon
𝙋𝙊𝙑: 3rd person

𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: My first MMM book did not disappoint! And let me tell you - it was hot🥵 Each of these characters are uniquely complex, and the plot twists never end. But the only thing that remained constant was their love for eachother, and that is what made this book.

[Suzanne Irving · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three into relationship very fast

I didn’t believe this book for a minute but that’s okay because it’s fiction and we wouldn’t really want to be involved in events that happen in a book like this anyway. It is very dark and as well as a lot happening all three guys have bad things that happened in their childhoods. As I read this over it sounds like I don’t like the book but that’s not true. There are a few surprises, one of them that I really liked is that Scotty, the “weakest” of the three ends up being the one who really brings them together and keeps them together. They do fall for each other very fast which is a function of the plot and that was the weakest part of the story for me but again the plot doesn’t really lend itself to a long drawn out courtship. If you are looking for a dark, quick relationship story then you will probably find this a fun read.

[TLF · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved these guys!

I always felt sorry for Vince when he was in love with Kane, and then he went crazy. But now his found not one but two men that can make him forget, but their story is definitely not smooth sailing. A US Marshall, an assasin, and a junkie in a mechanic shop sounds like the start of a joke, but instead of a punchline, this ends in punch-drunk love. How Ms Ashton gets you to love these morally grey, sometimes even darker than that characters always amazes me. These men do not stand for truth and justice in its conventional way, but there is a code, and you don't mess with family. If you enjoy mafia, cartel, assasins, and dubious characters fighting not only for survival but for love, then read this book and Ms Ashton's other series. You will not be sorry.

[Maniyun · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't know to put 2 or 1 star ,,, kinda didn't expect to hate an mc in avril ashton's stories , i dislike Zandar and they way he approached situation , like how u can kill your so called ex just becuase he glared at your lovers who u fell in love in less than a day, the ex whom was your partner in crime and stood by your side the whole time and thought you were lover till you ditch him , vince was not so likable too , scotty was adorable , overall this was a miss for me and can't believe i even skipped their sexy time.
Happy to see some bit of my sassy russian Dima in this book and toro which made me miss Daniel Nieto and his husband Stavros :) and it's funny for me that how Syren is mysterious and amazing as comeo in other books but i don't enjoy him in his own books ,and well Kane is always annoying too

[Jennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was immediately drawn into the action and drama of this story. It starts off fairly intense as former assassin Zander, scared thief, Scotty and U.S Federal Marshall, Vince, find themselves in a crazy situation.

Then the intensity actually increases as they start talking to each other as the night progresses. It's edge of your seat, action packed reading that barely lets up.

I liked how we got all three pov's.

Their story is brutal, harsh, and violent and also powerful, emotional, and super sexy.

"This was his favourite place, he realized. In between them with no chance of getting away until and unless they allowed it. "

I loved the cameos from old friends too. It was great to see that they haven't changed a bit.