Title: Out of the Ashes
Series: Ashes and Dust: Book Three
Author: Jenn Burke
Publisher: Carina Press
Length: 283 Pages
Category: Urban Fantasy
Rating: 4.5 Stars
At a Glance: Never let it be said that a good dose of fear and danger and adrenaline mixed with some forced proximity aren’t an effective catalyst for rekindling a romance. Readers who have been rooting for Evan and Colin won’t want to miss the completion of their story, or the way Jenn Burke got them to the finish line in one piece.
Reviewed By: Lisa
Blurb: Some bonds weren’t meant to be broken.
Vampire PI Evan Fournier has dealt with his fair share of danger and heartache, but nothing prepares him for the pain of a broken bond with his mate—especially when his mate is the one who severed it. Bond or no, he still loves Colin—fiercely. Trust, however, is harder to come by. And when a demon starts terrorizing paranormals in Toronto, trust in one another is exactly what they’ll need.
Former firefighter turned crime-fighting phoenix Colin Zhang knows who Evan was—is—to him, but he doesn’t know if he can give him what he wants. He just needs a little time to figure things out. Unfortunately, bringing down a demon bent on mass murder leaves little time for anything else.
The only way they’ll destroy the demon is by teaming up with an unlikely partner to infiltrate a gang of terrorists. But the only way they’ll save themselves is by finding a path back into each other’s arms—and hearts—once again.
Review: Jenn Burke left readers dangling on an emotional cliffhanger at the end of House on Fire, and for good reason. Colin has had a lot to adjust to in a short amount of time, not the least of which includes that he was pronounced dead thirty-plus years ago, he has an adult son who’s older than Colin was when he “died”, and, to top things off, he’s a phoenix. Adding a forced bond to vampire Evan Fournier made Colin’s adjustment to life in a world that has accelerated beyond his ability to sometimes comprehend, not to mention the ability to absorb it, more difficult. Needing to be free to explore and process, and having the time to do it on his own, made his decision to break the bond with Evan feel like an imperative. That Colin mishandled it by not talking to Evan about his plans first provided for the fallout they’re now dealing with in Out of the Ashes.
It was all but promised that this book was going to be a romantic journey for Colin and Evan, and yes, it delivered on that promise. Colin losing the emotional connection he had with Evan while Evan remembers every feeling, every touch, every word that spoke of the way they felt about each other before their bond was severed dictates the cooled temperature of their relationship and the heated awkwardness that now exists between them. Colin’s honesty about not knowing whether he wants to, or ever will want to, be in a relationship with Evan comes as a blow to a man whose own brain has a tendency to attack him with near-constant thoughts of his unworthiness. Evan’s brain is, of course, an accomplished liar, and his depression and therapy are addressed with compassion and understanding.
When a body turns up that’s been drained by an elusive demon, and someone plants a bomb at Alleys, a shifter bar, with the obvious intention of wiping out as many paranormals as possible, Evan and Colin go undercover to infiltrate a terroristic hate group with the intention of putting a stop to the chaos and violence. They have some help from the law, but little else going for them other than the hope that they can identify the driving force behind the crimes before their covers are blown and they end up dead themselves. When everything goes sideways is the moment they discover the identity of their adversary, and it was a great reveal. Out of the Ashes delivers some solid action and significant suspense in the search for a demon who is gleefully, mercilessly causing chaos and mayhem and committing cold-blooded murder.
Never let it be said that a good dose of fear and danger and adrenaline mixed with some forced proximity aren’t an effective catalyst for rekindling a romance. In the midst of it all, Evan and Colin get a second chance at building a relationship, and this time they get to do it on their own terms and in their own time. Colin and his son are offered a first chance as well, to begin building what had been taken from them all those years ago. Readers who have been rooting for Evan and Colin won’t want to miss the completion of their story, or the way Jenn Burke got them to the finish line in one piece.
You can buy Out of the Ashes here:
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