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shannon_cocktailsandbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Ashes and Wine was a touching story about dealing with loss and finding love at the worst possible time.
Royal Andreas was a man who gave up his dreams when his father was diagnosed with cancer three years ago. One of those dreams was book shop owner Tessa Winters. Royal felt as if with his father's diagnosis the weight of the family's needs and those of the vineyard came before anything else that he might want...and that included Tessa. On one hand, you want to commend Royal for making sure his family was cared for and that their livelihood continued to flourish. But on the other, you see him making this sacrifice and it's slowly draining the life out of him. It's selfless, but at the same time you had to wonder why everyone let him.
Tessa has wanted Royal since the summer she toured him family's winery and shared a special glass of wine with him. She made all sorts of excuses for why he wouldn't be attracted to her and was willing to live with those, until she discovered he returned her feelings. Once she discovered that, she was unwilling to let Royal walk away without a fight. She forced her way into his home and into his heart when he needed her the most She knew exactly what he needed, even when he didn't, and she made dealing with his father's illness a much easier road than it would have been.
Have a kleenex handy with this one, you'll be a little teary-eyed at the end, but it's totally worth it.
Royal Andreas was a man who gave up his dreams when his father was diagnosed with cancer three years ago. One of those dreams was book shop owner Tessa Winters. Royal felt as if with his father's diagnosis the weight of the family's needs and those of the vineyard came before anything else that he might want...and that included Tessa. On one hand, you want to commend Royal for making sure his family was cared for and that their livelihood continued to flourish. But on the other, you see him making this sacrifice and it's slowly draining the life out of him. It's selfless, but at the same time you had to wonder why everyone let him.
Tessa has wanted Royal since the summer she toured him family's winery and shared a special glass of wine with him. She made all sorts of excuses for why he wouldn't be attracted to her and was willing to live with those, until she discovered he returned her feelings. Once she discovered that, she was unwilling to let Royal walk away without a fight. She forced her way into his home and into his heart when he needed her the most She knew exactly what he needed, even when he didn't, and she made dealing with his father's illness a much easier road than it would have been.
Have a kleenex handy with this one, you'll be a little teary-eyed at the end, but it's totally worth it.
eteniamagnum's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. I was really drawn to the characters. Their emotions are conveyed so strongly I was rooting for them the whole time. It was refreshing to read a book from one of the smaller publishers that didn't read like it hadn't been edited. I look forward to more from this author.
scorchingnix's review
5.0
full review is up at http://scorchingbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/a-nix-contemporary-review-ashes-and.html
Sometimes you read a book that makes you remember a part of your life that you don’t remember too fondly and it stirs up a hornet nest. That’s what this book did for me. I got so emotionally involved in this novella that I don’t know that I couldn’t give it anything less than five star because I was hooked. I had to know how it ended, had to know whether or not there was a happy ending for our H/h. I have seen what long-term illness can do to a person, seen how it changes a person and leaves them, albeit temporarily, treating themselves as if they don’t matter. My heart broke for Royal and I wanted more than anything for him to be happy.
The writing of this book was fantastic. There was emotion on every page and I found myself immersed in the lives of these two people. The scenes with just the two of them were sensual and desperate and the scenes with the family were heart-breaking. This review is making this book sound like the most depressing story ever published but there was humour in Tessa’s life; I loved the scene in which her and her best friend talk man-problems over a bottle of tequila. Been there, done that and had the hangovers to prove it; yet another example of how this author has created a story that seemed to touch on memories of my own life and suck me in!
Tessa and Royal were very well written characters. We meet them half way through their tale, when they have already met and tortured each other with forbidden fantasies. I loved them both, believed in their tales and wanted them to work out. The sex scenes were amazing, prolonged pieces of writing which showed the emotion building between the two characters. I loved them. We only got a glimpse into the side characters but there are some that made an impression already and I would love to read more about them.
This book was a very personal five star read for me. It touched emotions in me that I thought were forgotten but it was more than that; it was a very well written, emotion driven romance. I don’t think that anyone could read this book and not feel for Royal and want a happy ending. No, it isn’t an easy read but as much as it put me through the wringer, I enjoyed the resolution even more for it.
Sometimes you read a book that makes you remember a part of your life that you don’t remember too fondly and it stirs up a hornet nest. That’s what this book did for me. I got so emotionally involved in this novella that I don’t know that I couldn’t give it anything less than five star because I was hooked. I had to know how it ended, had to know whether or not there was a happy ending for our H/h. I have seen what long-term illness can do to a person, seen how it changes a person and leaves them, albeit temporarily, treating themselves as if they don’t matter. My heart broke for Royal and I wanted more than anything for him to be happy.
The writing of this book was fantastic. There was emotion on every page and I found myself immersed in the lives of these two people. The scenes with just the two of them were sensual and desperate and the scenes with the family were heart-breaking. This review is making this book sound like the most depressing story ever published but there was humour in Tessa’s life; I loved the scene in which her and her best friend talk man-problems over a bottle of tequila. Been there, done that and had the hangovers to prove it; yet another example of how this author has created a story that seemed to touch on memories of my own life and suck me in!
Tessa and Royal were very well written characters. We meet them half way through their tale, when they have already met and tortured each other with forbidden fantasies. I loved them both, believed in their tales and wanted them to work out. The sex scenes were amazing, prolonged pieces of writing which showed the emotion building between the two characters. I loved them. We only got a glimpse into the side characters but there are some that made an impression already and I would love to read more about them.
This book was a very personal five star read for me. It touched emotions in me that I thought were forgotten but it was more than that; it was a very well written, emotion driven romance. I don’t think that anyone could read this book and not feel for Royal and want a happy ending. No, it isn’t an easy read but as much as it put me through the wringer, I enjoyed the resolution even more for it.
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