Forgive Me, Forgive Me #2 by A. Nash

Forgive Me is a mafia/priest romance, and it's also something I never knew I needed in my life until finishing it!

From the blurb:

Father Francis Scott knows he’s damned, but at twenty-four years old, he has a lifetime to make up for past mistakes. Newly ordained, he’s determined to clean the stain off his soul, one day at a time.

Until an angel walks into his church, asking Francis to take his confession. One look into Vitari (Angel) Angelini’s eyes and it’s clear, the man is made of sin.

Francis can’t afford any more mistakes. Unfortunately, the world Angel is about to pull Francis into leaves no room for good men, and as Francis is swept into the dark underworld of organized crime, his love of the Church, his broken soul, and all the sins he’s been running from, conspire to break him.

Will Vitari Angelini be his savior, or the final bullet in the gun of Francis’s downfall?

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Angel has no idea why he’s been sent to England, other than to stakeout a priest for Italy’s most notorious mob boss. He hadn’t expected Father Francis Scott to be so young, or for him to be sinfully hot in his black cassock. He also hadn’t expected the priest’s haunted eyes to be filled with secrets.

But when a rival criminal syndicate get the drop on Angel, almost executing Francis under Angel's watch, kidnapping the priest seems like the next best option. Now they’re on the run, barely one step ahead of assassins who think nothing of crossing countries and continents to track them.

Why are the Russian and Italian mafia so desperate to get their hands on Father Francis Scott? And why does Angel care?

As they race to stay alive, Angel can’t shake the feeling there’s more to all of this than one not-so-innocent priest. And as the truth of their terrible pasts collide, so do their forbidden desires.

Not all angels have wings. Some have horns. And Father Francis Scott deserves forgiveness, even if it costs Angel everything. Including his life.

*

Please note: Forgive Me is set in Europe but has been written and edited in American English. Some English and European phrases and spelling remain as part of the character of the work.

What to expect: Forgive Me is a contemporary MM with forbidden love, opposites attract, enemies to lovers, romance, that takes place over several books. There is high heat, and the romance develops over the series.

Forgive Me contains scenes that some readers may find distressing. For content warnings, please see the author's website.

Jacqueleen the Reading Queen's Review:

"𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴?"

Is it just me, or did this feel a little taboo reading about a god-fearing yet lusty priest and his snack of a mafia enforcer? Even so, this was delicious. Father Francis Scott has so many layers. I don't have him quite figured out yet. Angel is much easier. He, surprisingly, is quite emotive in his thoughts. And man does Angel have a lot of thoughts about Francis.

"𝘐'𝘮 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯' 𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳."

You'd think the mafia man would be the more secretive of the two, but it's Francis who takes the cake on that one. We spend much of the book in the dark about what is really going on. I have a lot of theories, but no concrete proof of who Francis really is and why the mafia is so hell bent on getting their hands on the young priest. Thankfully, the only man to get his hands on Francis in this book is Angel. Francis has had enough unwanted touching for a lifetime, I imagine.

These two were hot together. The whole dirty talkin/corrupting of a priest really gets the heart pumping on the whole forbidden aspect of it all. I have no idea how things are going to play out in book 2. The mafia most definitely is not down for man on man lovin' and I just cannot see a way for Angel to come out of this whole thing alive without taking the entire thing down from the top. I'm glad Ruin Me comes out soon and I won't have to wait overly long to find out.

Rating: 5 Stars

Jacquie's Review:

Forgive Me represents a change in theme for Ariana Nash. There are no elves, dragons, or scheming fae here. No, just bucket loads of corruption, violence, and possibly, worst of all, religion.

Father Francis is a new priest and one with secrets upon secrets. I'm not sure I've got him figured out. He hides behind his religion, using it as a shield.

"Angel" is probably more open. He's clear with his wants and needs. His pov was refreshing, and I instantly liked him.

The story kept me hooked. I can't wait for the second book

Rating: 4.5 Stars

SNik's Review:

First in series (Forgive Me). Dual POV. Heed content warnings. 

Newly ordained, Father Francis struggles with his daily life, burdened with his parishioner's sins and his past, but he certainly does not expect to become the target of two criminal organizations asking about his past and intent on doing him harm. 

Deadly hitman Angel has no idea why he’s been tasked with tracking down Francis, and kidnapping him only to later kill him. It doesn’t make sense, but Angel always does what the family tells him. 

Unfortunately, both men are undeniably attracted to each other and while on the run, their interactions become more sinful. Francis can’t forgive himself for desiring Angel, and Angel can’t seem to let the priest go. 

Violence pursues them as Angel and Francis try to survive, with plenty of action and some glimpses of their connected tragic past. 

I look forward to Angel and Francis learning more about their past and each other. The book ends on a cliffhanger as the series continues.

Rating: 4.25 Stars

Zakiyya's Review:

This long-awaited story has finally been written and I am beyond excited to say that it way surpassed all of my expectations.

The story itself is downright captivating and the characters are so darn hot.

 

The sexual tension between Francis and Angel was so incredibly done that it made even the slightest touch between them feel like a lightning strike.

It really pumped up the intimacy and took their connection to another level.

 

I cannot wait for the next part and I’m really glad that it’s not that far away.

Rating: 5 Stars

Sheena's Review:

This is the first of a new series, dark contemporary MM romance and when I say dark, I mean darker than midnight. There are trigger warnings at the front of the book, and they're there for good reason. All that said, this is so good. I sat down to start it, and next thing I knew, it was late and I'd finished it in one go because I could not stop. I had to keep turning the pages to see what would happen next.

The priest and the mafia hitman, dark and light, with an equally dark shared past which we have yet to find out about, but already I know it's nothing good. They are both equally surrounded by terrible people - Angel as the mafioso, knowing the people around him aren't good, and yet he strives to do the right thing anyway while being forced to keep his true self hidden. Francis is equally trapped, the events of his childhood the key to everything and the people around him- while supposed to be the 'good' guys, are equally as terrible as the mafia, if not worse.  

There's a lot to unpack with this story and we're not nearly there yet. I loved both these characters and I need to know how it will all come out in the end. I honestly cannot wait for the continuation of this story.

Rating: 5 Stars

Autumn's review:

I loved this book. I wasn't too sure about it at first, because of the whole mafia/priest thing. Most mafia books have too many names at the start and I can't follow along. But not this one.
A. Nash did a wonderful job writing from both characters povs. Nash did a great job at writing Francis's pov and the temptation a priest no doubt struggles with, mixed with plenty of action and feelings.

Forgive Me is available to buy as an ebook, paperback, or to read with Kindle Unlimited subscription.