The Hopeless Romantics Book Blog are pleased to be a part of the Blog Tour & Giveaway for Karen-Anne Stewert's "Ash to Steele".
Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/SEVBmz
Amazon.co.uk: http://amzn.to/1nsuLsL
Synopsis:
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.
Blog Tour Review-Jo
It took me a while to get into this book but once I did I was eager to know more. "Ash to Steele" turned out to be a story that I didn't love but I did like it a lot!
The two main characters in the story were Emma and Breck.
Emma came from a small traditional town with traditional values. Growing up as the Preachers Daughter, she longed to escape. On top of that, she had controlling boyfriend who she didn't truly love and she felt trapped. Emma wanted a new life somewhere else, somewhere she could chase her dreams and explore her desires. This is where the story began.
I really liked Emma. She was young, shy, sweet and innocent but she was also quite strong when it came to standing up for her beliefs. If it was something that mattered to Emma she would fight tooth and nail to get what she wanted or what she thought deserved to happen, not only for herself but for others too. Emma was definitely someone you wanted in your corner.
Breck was a man whore, sleeping (Well not really sleeping!) with endless amounts of women. And it was an endless amount!! Due to his hot ex-street fighter body and his domineering personality, girls fell at his feet and he happily took what was offered up to him on a plate. That boy had no shame!
"I will be inside of you, Emma, doing all sorts of forbidden things that you have never
even heard of, and you will be the one begging me to...you just don't know it yet."
Breck was completely the wrong type of guy for Emma. However you can not ignore chemistry, and this pair had it as soon as they first met. It appeared that Emma had met her biggest desire. A hot sexy bad boy that was hard to resist! What would her Preacher Father say!
"I don't want to play with his game. Good or bad,
I don't know want to feel anything for him...not him."
As the story progressed it became clear that deep down, Breck was a good guy. Emma and Breck became really good friends but with all of that chemistry between them it was only a matter of time before their relationship moved up a gear and I couldn't wait until it did!
"There's something about you I don't understand.
I need to understand you. I need to know why I can't get you out of my head."
With Emma's love, Breck became a changed man. He opened his heart to her and in turn faced a whole load of new emotions he had to learn to deal with. I loved Breck and Emma's relationship. Emma truly brought out the best in Breck.
Without her, I'm nothing. When I first realized that truth, it made me feel weak and
ashamed at how strongly I need her. Now, I need her. Now, I have no shame left.
I need Emma like I need to breathe. She is my air, Its as simple as that.
There was just one thing that held Breck back, one reason why Breck thought he wasn't good enough for Emma. The author kept me waiting and waiting to find out what that thing was. The book was getting closer to the end before Emma was finally told the truth behind Brecks traumatic and heartbreaking past.
"Dammit Emma. You deserve better then me."
"Why? What gives you the right to tell me who I deserve?"
"Because I know what I am! The more you're around me, the weaker I get, soon I won't have
the self-control to make you leave. You've done something to me! The day I met you,
you got under my skin. I couldn't get you out of my head, and I hated you for that."
So what would happen now that Brecks secret was out of the bag? Would Emma decide that Breck was not the man for her, after all? Or would she be able to fight for the one thing that she wanted most?
"My heart will still beat but I want to rip it out of my fucking chest so I won't feel the
pain every damn time I think of you-so, if pushing me away from you is how you plan on
saving me, then just go ahead and rip my heart from my chest now because I don't want it!"
Overall "Ash to Steele" was a good read. It was written from either Emma or Brecks point of view, which I enjoyed. I felt that at the beginning of the book the writing was a little too descriptive and as such I struggled to connect with the story. However I found that as I continued to read, the writing improved and I quickly became engrossed in this couple's story.
"Ash to Steele" get 4 Hearts from me!
Author Bio:
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. Her debut novel, Saving Rain: The First Novel in The Rain Trilogy, was a nominee for the Book Junkie’s Choice Awards and is a nominee for the 2013 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.
Author links:
Giveaway: Signed copy of Ash to Steele and a $25 Amazon Gift Card
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading and reviewing Ash to Steele. I hope you have a wonderful week :)
ReplyDeleteKaren-Anne
Great review, thanks for sharing and for the giveaway :)
ReplyDeleteWonderful review! I love the sounds of this one and I like the romance, too - how they become friends first and that eventually develops into something more. That's always my fav kind of romance story! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDelete