Asher, book #6 in the Ashes & Embers series – and a fave for 2020 – is live!

 

Amazon US  |  Amazon UK  |  Amazon CA  |  Amazon AU

 

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Blurb

I should have died.

I should have been forgotten.

But I didn’t, and I wasn’t.

Living the life most women only dream about, I was madly in love with my soulmate—Asher Valentine—amazing husband, loving father, and rock’s favorite kick-ass front man. A man who loved me every day, in every way, since we first met as teens. We were blessed with a beautiful daughter who was the light of our life. My all-female rock band was tearing up the charts.

Then tragedy struck, and I lost it all.

Now all I have is a stack of journals, an antique key, and a big black void where my memories should be.

Used to be.

And I have him—this man with wild hair, tattoos from head to toe, a soft voice, and an even softer touch that gives me butterflies. He’s clearly hopelessly in love with his wife.

I’m told that’s me.

But that wife is gone, and she took everything they once had, leaving me in her place.

A broken replacement. A new version that doesn’t quite fit.

I’m slowly falling in love with him, but will he ever truly love me? Or will he forever be in love with her, the phantom woman who haunts us both?

 

 

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Review

“I love you twice – now and forever.”

5 epic stars!

A broken-hearted rockstar
A woman with no memory of her past
A once in a lifetime love rediscovered

Like all Ashes & Embers fans, I have been desperate for this book. I was so freaking excited to get my hands on it, and oh, holy damn it was worth the wait! The feels! OMG, the feels! Asher’s long-awaited story sucked me in, brought the emotion, and heart my heart pounding from start to finish. I highlighted like crazy, rereading sections over and over again, and devouring every word. It’s an absolutely beautiful book, and a fave for 2020.

This book is the sixth in the Ashes & Embers series, but it could be read as a standalone. Asher’s story has been building since book #1, but he’s been a distant side character in previous books. If anything, you will want to read Torn before you read this book – that’s the story of Asher’s best friend, Toren, and daughter, Kenzi, (forbidden tingles, right!), and it leads into this book beautifully.

Asher is the lead singer of rock band Ashes & Embers, whose life was ripped away from him almost eight years ago when his wife and love of his life, Ember, had a tragic accident. The prologue of this book begins by showing us the incident in horrifying detail, and oh dear Lord, I was tearing up from that alone! Asher and Ember were childhood sweethearts who became soulmates. They fell in mad, crazy, all-consuming love, had their daughter at age 16, married at 18, formed a rock band together and were all set for their happily ever after. They were it for each other, and they didn’t need anything else. But suddenly, Ember was gone. Not gone completely, but suffering a traumatic brain injury which put her in a vegetative state. And for almost eight years, Asher has been living a half-life. Still in the band, still there for his daughter, but his heart and soul lay in a hospital bed with the love of his life that he still visits every day, pining for her and the life they could have had.

“I’ll wait for you,” I whisper to the dark room. “I love you.”

And then, she awakes. But she awakes without any memory of who she is, who Asher is, or their shared life. And she’s mildly terrified of the long-haired, tattooed guy who is constantly by her side and declaring himself to be her loving husband. That doesn’t stop our devoted hero from being there for his love, caring, supporting and encouraging her recovery as she slowly moves back into her old life, trying to find the person that she used to be.

“It’s okay to be confused and scared. But ya know what? Everything is going to get better soon. I’m going to take care of you just like I always have.”
“No.”
I flash her a grin, hoping it’ll win her over like it used to.
“Trust me, you really do like me. I know you don’t know that right now, but you’re crazy about me.”

I’m not going into any more detail than that because you just have to read this book. It’s everything. Seriously, it’s everything that I was hoping for, and the journey that I went on with these two characters was incredible!

“I’m no one.” Her voice is low and haunting. “I’m not a wife or a sister or a mother or a singer. I’m a mindless mannequin who looks like someone else.”

“Some things just feel impossible.”
“Nothing’s impossible if we believe in it and fight for it.”

Asher absolutely stole my heart as the devoted husband waiting for his wife to come back to him. I could feel their connection, I could feel his love for her, and I could feel his desperation to get her back. And I wanted that for him more than anything!

“I don’t want to be alone anymore. I miss you—your love and your touch. And I hate missing you when you’re Right. Fucking. Here. It’s destroying me.”

At the same time, I could feel Ember’s struggle to find herself again. And as she recovers and starts to live a ‘normal’ life, I could feel all that she was going through as she battles with reclaiming her old life, and living her new one, especially as she finds herself falling hopelessly for the tatted up rockstar who wants her so desperately to be somebody she’s not.

He doesn’t see me.
He hasn’t really seen me since I woke up. When he looks at me, all he sees are ghosts.
I don’t want to be the living dead anymore.
I want to live, love, and be loved…and I want it all with him.

Asher wants his soulmate back. Ember wants to be loved for who she is. It’s a devastating situation, and Cole writes it beautifully! It’s heartbreaking and soulful, but also incredibly uplifting, swoony and romantic. Ember waking up is only the beginning of this epic story, and they have a lot to go through as they find their way forward – not quite the same as they once were, and struggling to come to terms with that. My heart ached for them both, and though they have ups and downs, the love between them shines through the whole story.

“Just hold me for a little while.”
I hug her tighter. “I’ll hold you forever.”

This is a long book, and I devoured every page, never wanting it to end but desperate to see how their story would play out, and this book kept me up reading until the early hours of the morning, unable to put it down. It was everything that I was hoping for from Asher and Ember’s story, with plenty of Tor and Kenzi involvement, as well as a chance to catch up with the characters from previous books in the series (and a squee-inducing cameo from another of Cole’s much-loved rockstars). The book ends with a beautiful epilogue that provides a whole lot of closure, and I finished it with happy tears in my eyes.

“You fallin’ in love with me again, baby?” he teases, leaning down for a kiss.
“Always,” I whisper.

5 hugely emotional stars!

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

Ashes & Embers

 

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Asher Playlist

 

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Giveaway

There is a giveaway for either a signed paperback of Asher OR a $25 Amazon gift card
(2 winners, winner’s choice, open internationally)

ENTER RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY HERE

The Escapist Book Blog is not responsible for this giveaway

 

 

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About the Author

Carian Cole has a passion for the bad boys, those covered in tattoos, sexy smirks, ripped jeans, fast cars, motorcycles and of course, the sweet girls who try to tame them and win their hearts.

Born and raised a Jersey girl, Carian now resides in beautiful New Hampshire with her husband and their multitude of furry pets. She spends most of her time writing, reading, and vacuuming.

 

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