Our love was born from the embers, and together we would go up in flames.
From The Embers, an all-new standalone catastrophic romance from USA Today bestselling author Aly Martinez is available now!
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Blurb
In the aftermath of tragedy, it’s strange the things you remember.
The deafening boom as the house exploded.
The paralyzing fear as I searched for my wife.
The blinding smoke burning my eyes as I carried her out.
But carved into my soul for the rest of my days would be the earth-shattering realization that the woman in my arms wasn’t my wife.
Bree and I were the only survivors—not that either of us were truly living after that night.
As a single dad with nowhere else to go, I moved into her guest house. And somehow, through the guilt and grief, we forged an unlikely team.
It took years, but I watched the gradual return of her smile—slow and life-altering.
The two of us could sit outside for hours, talking about nothing, and it filled the massive hole in my chest with new life.
I may have carried her out of that fire, but the truth was, Bree saved me.
As we healed, the secrets and lies of the past smoldered in the ashes, threatening to ignite again.
Our love was born from the embers, and together we would go up in flames.
Review
“We got this … Me and you. We got this.”
5 breathtaking stars
There is a reason why Aly Martinez is one of my favourite authors, and this book is it. A stunningly emotional and dramatic story that made me laugh, cry and swoon as I fell in love with these characters and their amazing story. It’s a story of friendship and family, of grief and loss and finding the strength to continue on, and it’s an incredible friends-to-lovers romance that completely captured my heart. I loved this book so much!
Eason and Jessica, Rob and Bree were two couples who did everything together. The boys had been best friends since school, and the girls were as close as sisters, and though Eason and Bree didn’t really get on that well, they accepted the other’s presence in their life for the sake of their partners. But when their lives are literally blown apart in an instant, Eason and Bree are left holding the pieces.
Eason and I stood in the foyer, crying together for what felt like an eternity. Two people who had lost everything finding solace in familiarity.
When he finally released me, I didn’t feel better. Having company in hell didn’t change the fact that you were still actually in hell.
Alone and grieving, they are both now facing the reality of caring for their children as single parents. Eason has been left with literally nothing, so Bree offers him the use of her guest house, while she is dealing with having to leave her two young children at home to return to work. So even though they have their difficulties, they offer to help each other get back to some kind of ‘normal’.
“I’ll hate you, you hate me, but we do it together.”
It’s not an easy transition for either of them. But we get to see sparks of their fiery personalities start to re-emerge as they clash, which is so entertaining.
A few weeks in, we sat down for a discussion like grown adults. She presented me with a seventy-nine-page binder of rules and instructions, and I told her I would rather live in a tent under the bridge than read the damn thing. She, in turn, told me where to find Rob’s old camping equipment and gave me explicit instructions of where I could shove it before stomping upstairs.
But as time goes on they find their groove. They are still dealing with guilt, anger and grief, and they are hit with multiple blows as they try to recover, but they find peace and comfort with each other, and they settle into the new reality of their lives, and it’s so beautiful to watch.
“We got this, Bree. Me and you. We got this.”
And for the first time since our world had exploded, I felt like maybe he was right.
Slowly, they become a family. Their lives, and their children, become intertwined, and as the years pass, these two people brought together in the most devastating of circumstances, bound together by their grief and shared loss, come to realise just what they mean to each other.
How was he so incredible? And how had I not seen it all those years?
Bree was mine. My friend, my family, and if I had my way about it, my everything.
My heart was pounding, full of excitement and anticipation as things begin to change for Eason and Bree, and their shift from friends to more is effortless. True to the nature of their relationship they are open and honest with each other, they don’t hold back, they share their feelings, their thoughts and their concerns, and even with all that lay in their past, they explore it beautifully, and it’s so beautiful!
“I don’t want to grow this thing between us in their shadows.”
I loved watching their relationship develop, and we get the most incredible friends-to-lovers romance that is sweet, funny, playful and passionate and so freaking swoony. It felt real. I could feel the emotion between these two, and it was just perfect for them – the pacing, the timing, the way it all unfolded so naturally and honestly, and I loved every freaking moment of it.
“I have loved you since before I knew I loved you. I have loved you since before I was supposed to love you. And I will continue to love you ever single day for the rest of eternity.”
There are challenges still to come, though. Things that I was definitely not expecting, and that once again had my heart pounding as it all played out. Moments in this book actually had me holding my breath, and I was absolutely captivated, unable to put it down. But there’s no angst or stupid behaviour, the drama is handled well, and I was thrilled to see Eason and Bree ride it out together as they fight for their happy ending.
There are twists and turns, and the surprises along the way bring a wonderful intensity to the story, but it’s the romance that captured my heart. Eason and Bree are fantastic characters who are just incredible together. They go through so much, and I loved watching them face it all honestly and realistically as they work their way through it. Their children form a huge part of the story, and I loved the way that they came together as a family unit, and the way that was explored throughout the story. There are some really special moments in this book that had me tearing up or laughing out loud at the realness of it, and I thought it was all so beautifully written.
Our bond might have been forged through tragedy, but our love flourished through patience, genuine respect, and understanding.
Life was never easy, and ours had been harder that most. However ugly it might have been at times, there was beauty to be found when looking back at all the pain and heartache and devastation, knowing we’d come out the other end better off and more in love than I had ever known possible.
Fans of Aly’s will be thrilled to see some cameos, which were such a special treat, and there’s an epilogue which finishes everything off perfectly. I finished this book with a full heart and a massive smile on my face, and it’s a definite fave for 2021.
5 huge stars!
An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
About Aly Martinez
Originally from Savannah, Georgia, USA Today bestselling author Aly Martinez now lives in South Carolina with her husband and four young children. Never one to take herself too seriously, she enjoys cheap wine, mystery leggings, and baked feta. It should be known, however, that she hates pizza and ice cream, almost as much as writing her bio in the third person.
She passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a super-sized tumbler of wine by her side.
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