Does forever mean there’s always time for a second chance?
Asher
ASHER
I guide souls to the end of their journey. I’m good at my job. I don’t ask questions. Why would I when I believed my story ended long ago?
But memories laid to rest are awakening, drawing me toward a love I have never truly forgotten. With every revelation, the foundations of the afterlife begin to shift, and I am forced to confront a truth more powerful than fate itself.
MADDY
There comes a point when surviving no longer feels like living.
After a lifetime marked by loss, I chose The Bliss, an existence where grief could no longer reach me and every sharp edge of my past was softened into silence.
It was enough. Until it was not.
Some love refuses to die, no matter how deep it’s buried.
Some promises endure beyond death.
And some souls are destined to find one another, no matter how many lifetimes it takes.
A sweeping gothic fantasy filled with mystery, longing, and a love that echoes across centuries, ASHER is the unforgettable second novel in The Lost Souls Chronicles, where every ending is only the beginning of another chance to choose love.
Even Death Has Loose Ends
The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙💛
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘
World building: 🌏🌍🌎
Character development: 😋😀😍😎
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration type: Duet Narration – Full Cast
Main Characters and Plot Overview
Asher takes readers back into the strange, haunting world of the afterlife, where death doesn’t necessarily mean the end of a person’s story. Asher works guiding souls to the end of their journeys, approaching his job with a detached professionalism that makes sense for someone who believes his own story has already ended. He doesn’t go looking for answers, but when buried memories begin resurfacing and he finds himself drawn back toward a love he has never truly forgotten, the comfortable distance he has maintained becomes impossible to hold on to.
Maddy’s journey is heartbreaking in a different way. After a lifetime of loss, she chooses The Bliss, an existence designed to soften painful memories and keep grief at a distance. I found that idea particularly poignant because it raises an uncomfortable question: if you could erase your suffering, would you also be giving up something important about yourself? Maddy’s decision makes sense when you consider how much she has endured, but the possibility of losing the things that make her who she is adds another layer to her situation.
As Asher’s forgotten memories return and the truth behind their connection begins to emerge, their story becomes about more than simply finding each other again. The revelations threaten to change their understanding of the afterlife itself, turning a deeply personal love story into something much bigger. I was especially drawn to the idea that love can survive even when memories, time, and death stand between two people. Their journey explores whether a second chance is possible when so much of the past has been buried.
Highlights and Limitations
One of my favorite aspects of this story is the contrast between Asher’s role as someone who guides other souls onward and his own unfinished emotional journey. He understands how to help others reach the end of their paths, yet he has to face the feelings and memories he has avoided in his own existence. That contrast makes his character compelling, and I liked that his journey involves confronting the past rather than simply carrying on as though nothing has changed.
Maddy’s choice of The Bliss also gives the story emotional weight. The idea of willingly surrendering painful memories because living with grief has become too difficult is both understandable and unsettling. I appreciated how that premise connects the supernatural setting to recognizable human struggles with loss, regret, and the temptation to escape painful experiences altogether.
The gothic atmosphere, mysteries surrounding the afterlife, and romance spanning more than one lifetime make this a distinctive paranormal fantasy. I also enjoyed the promise of a story in which the rules of the afterlife are not necessarily as fixed as they initially appear. Though it was a bit too gothic at times for my tastes and I really didn’t like the world that much. I liked it a lot in the first book, but I had more trouble with it in this one.
My main reservation is that a story built around forgotten memories, fate, and an elaborate afterlife can become complicated if the world-building and revelations demand too much attention at once. I would have liked a little more room for the emotional consequences of the characters’ discoveries to breathe, rather than having the larger mysteries compete with the romance. Still, the central question of whether love can endure beyond death gave me plenty to think about.
Narration
The ensemble narration is a major attraction of this audiobook. Joe Arden, Maxine Mitchell, Andi Eloise, June DeBorahae, James Cassidy, Sean Masters, and Gary Furlong bring a substantial range of voices to the production. With a story involving multiple characters and an unusual supernatural setting, having a full cast helps distinguish the different perspectives and gives the world a more immersive feel.
Joe Arden’s involvement as both co-author and narrator is especially fitting for a story centered on Asher. Maxine Mitchell and the other narrators provide additional voices that help support the emotional and atmospheric sides of the story. The multiple performers also suit the gothic fantasy format, where mystery, romantic tension, and the experiences of different souls all contribute to the larger narrative.
I particularly appreciate ensemble productions when they allow the characters to feel like individuals rather than a succession of voices delivered by one narrator. This cast is well suited to the scale and supernatural premise of the book.
Final Thoughts
Asher sounds like a strong choice for readers who enjoy paranormal romance with gothic undertones, complicated feelings, and questions about what happens after death. What appeals to me most is the emotional premise behind Asher and Maddy’s story. He has spent his existence guiding others forward while believing his own story is finished, and she has sought relief from a lifetime of pain by choosing to forget. Neither can simply move forward without confronting what has been left behind. I have to admit that second chance romance is one of my least favorite tropes, since they always seem to be chock full of yearning, and this one does have way too much of that. Though I loved Grim, the first book in this series, so I have been waiting on this book/audiobook to come out. I have to say I was a bit disappointed in this story and was even bored at times. Too many flashbacks and too much yearning.
I did like that the romance is tied to a larger mystery about the afterlife. The stakes extend beyond whether two people can find their way back to each other, because their rediscovered connection begins challenging the very foundations of the world they inhabit.
I would recommend starting with Grim, the first book in The Lost Souls Chronicles, rather than jumping straight into this one. The second installment builds on the series’ established world, and experiencing that foundation first should make the characters’ journeys and the supernatural elements more rewarding.
Overall, this is a book I’d recommend to readers who want their paranormal romance to have emotional substance alongside its fantasy and mystery. The idea that some connections can survive even the most painful losses is what makes Asher and Maddy’s story appealing to me. Sometimes the most powerful second chances are the ones we never thought we’d get.
