The Council: Prodigal – Avril Ashton

One man intent on reclaiming his birthright. Another denied his own. The secrets between them should keep them apart, not bring them closer.

The first time someone tried to kill Gideon Winters, his mother took the bullet meant for him. He was thirteen. The second time they came for him, his father faked Gideon’s death and sent him into hiding. It’s been fifteen years and he’s finally out of the shadows, ready to claim his rightful seat on The Council, the secret group of seven with the ability to make or break corporations and countries.

The son of a powerful man who refuses to acknowledge him, André Tesfaye leads a quiet life of monotony that’s upended when he gets trapped in a random robbery. Whispered warnings abound about the man who saves him, but he’s too busy getting lost in Gideon’s ice-blue eyes to listen.

André is the weapon Gideon plans to use to exact revenge on the people who took so much from him. Wanting him, loving him, puts everything at risk, and tests Gideon’s loyalties and focus… Which is a shame, because a battle is on the horizon.

And Gideon has acquired a weakness.

Prodigal is the first book in The Council, a brand new series by bestselling m/m author Avril Ashton. It features forced proximity, opposites attract, interracial romance, and Av’s signature heat and angst.

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Prodigal is the first book of The Council, a series by new-to-me author Avril Ashton that features my go-to trope du jour: billionaire secret societies.

Unlike Park Avenue Kings, where the secret society is unified, Prodigal chronicles the upheaval of The Council’s status quo when the son of a recently deceased council member, Gideon Winters, secured his seat through a series of machinations and assassinations.

Gideon has been groomed since childhood and was biding his time until the right moment to strike. To gain leverage on one council member, he convinced the man’s secret son, Andre, along with his adopted sister Juliet, to stay in his penthouse.

Andre has a chip on his shoulder the size of his absentee father, whom he never met. He was forced to stay with the famous billionaire Gideon Winters when the man saved him and Jules from bad guys. Jules adored Gideon right away. Andre doesn’t trust the man but has nowhere to go.

The premise grabbed me right away and the concept is very intriguing. Sadly, the execution didn’t live up to the promise.

The romance came out of nowhere. Gideon and Andre went from barely talking to professing forevers with hardly any build-up. But this is the only part that made them unconvincing because they were pretty fantastic together! The author did a fabulous job making their chemistry sizzle deliciously!

Father-and-son relationships are the central theme, highlighting the contrast between Gideon’s loving relationship with his dad and that of Andre’s connection the stranger who fathered him.

With daddy issues up the wazoo, the vibe is often angsty and bitter, and it’s usually Jules’ cheerful personality that lightens that mood when things get too intense. Jules is 15-years old but her characterization makes her seem 10-years old.

The plot lacked depth and was all over the place, yet it was also compelling enough to keep me hooked. It aimed to depict Gideon as a morally grey character, which he is, but the execution was clumsy. It also turned out the wrongs Gideon was seeking to avenge were the schemes of a dead character, which felt rather anti-climactic because it took away a villain comeuppance scene.

Prodigal isn’t the strongest series opener but it still has its merits. I’m still interested to see where Gideon and Andre would take The Council, so I’m looking forward to Book 2.

Rating:
3 Stars – not exactly setting my world on fire but I liked it

Soundtrack: Prodigal Son
Artist: Rationale
Album: Rationale

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