*Ash To Steele by Karen-Anne Stuart

20745033
Available Now on AMAZON!!
Emma

Who I am and all I believe is marred with just one glance into angry, steel blue eyes. He seems to control my air, my ability to breathe. He makes me crave everything I know is a sin. Pure becomes tainted and lines are blurred. It's my fault; I'm the one who isn't strong enough. I've been damaged...broken. Breck's words haunt me...'There's a consequence for every choice you make.'

Breck

I've had so many women I can't even remember over half of their names, but none of them are mine; I make damn sure of that. I take what I desire and never look back. I don't need or want anyone, ever...not until I met Emma. Those eyes bore into what's left of my soul and her touch sears me, weakens me. I want to hate her for that. She is my ruin...my sweetest hell.

Disclaimer: Intended for readers 18+ due to strong language, mature scenes, and some violence.

I was more than happy to give this NA romance a go because I was already a fan of this author's previous work... The Saving Rain Trilogy. This book is very different from the Trilogy and I was impressed with how the author was able to have me rooting for the bad boy when usually I am not a fan of this type of character.
Emma and Breck come from opposite sides of the tracks, so to speak. I loved how they both kind of helped fill in each others blanks. They both grew stronger as individuals by taking a chance on someone who is different than themselves.
Emma comes from small town Christian values and she is the daughter of a preacher. She decides to make the brave decision to move to the city because she feels that she just needs more than what her small town can give her.
Breck has had a difficult life and has no desire to love women... he uses them and dumps them faster than you can blink. But, when he meets Emma he is for the first time faced with emotions that he doesn't want but at the same time cannot avoid.
I was not a fan of Breck initially. I don't like womanizing characters and his judgmental attitude towards Emma and her Christian values really kind of made me angry. But, as we get to slowly learn more about him and when he realizes that Emma is not just a woman he can use and toss away we start to see the good guy underneath all of the dark. And, by the end of the book he did win me over.
I could very easily relate to Emma's character having come from a small town myself. I don't think people realize how hurtful and judgmental they can be when making assumptions about who you are based on where you were raised. There was nothing wrong with Emma exploring her curiosities and at the same time there was nothing wrong with her also wanting to hold on to her Christian values. There is a happy medium and I am happy to say that I think Breck and Emma both realized that finding your true self sometimes involves taking a chance and stepping outside of what you believe. Sometimes that is the only way to truly find yourself and where you belong.
Overall, this book has intriguing main characters, a nice collection of supporting characters that you both like and dislike, and has an engaging and sometimes emotional storyline. And, yes it is a stand alone!
I would recommend this one to all of those NA Romance fans out there who like a bad boy with a good heart. :)

ARC provided by Closed the Cover as part of the Ash to Steele blog tour! 


Karen-Anne Stewart
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Karen-Anne Stewart has always adored reading and has now fallen in love with writing. Her written works are The Rain Trilogy: Saving Rain, Healing Rain, and After the Rain, and the newly released stand alone novel, Ash to Steele. Her debut novel, Saving Rain: The First Novel in The Rain Trilogy, was a nominee for the Book Junkie’s Choice Awards, and Saving Rain and After the Rain are nominees for the 2014 RONE Awards.

When Karen-Anne isn’t writing, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, hiking, and visiting new places. She fuels her addiction of creating new stories by her only other addiction, caffeine, and listening to a myriad of musical genres. Tucked away near the Blue Ridge Mountains, Karen-Anne lives with her husband, daughter, two dogs, and their cat. She plans on writing new adult romance as long as her fingers maintain dexterity.



Comments

  1. Thank you for allowing me on your wonderful site again for your review of Ash to Steele! I'm thrilled you enjoyed Breck and Emma's story :)

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  2. Oh Yay! I'm glad Breck was able to win you over! <3

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    Replies
    1. Me too... LOL... he's a good bad boy... :)

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    2. Thank you KT and Ashley! It was fun creating Breck ;)

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