★ A TOP 35 AMAZON BEST SELLER! ★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 frontman. 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 … 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, after waking from an eight-year coma, 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?
* Asher can be read as a single book
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***5 ‘I Love You Twice’ Stars***
I feel like I’ve been waiting for FOREVER for Asher and Ember’s story.
I mean, I’m talking since I first met Ash in Storm back in 2017 FOREVER.
So to say I was all kinds of excited when the book landed on the kindle, is an understatement, but I was also a little wary because this IS Asher and Ember’s story and I knew it would be a rough road simply based on all the knowledge that had been dropped about them throughout the series as well as in Torn, so I made sure there would be no distractions and dove in…
And I FLOVED every second of it!
The feels were intense and I simply got carried away on this journey of hope, strength and the belief that soul mates ~ no matter the obstacles ~ will always find their way back to each other.
I adored Asher and Ember and I loved watching as they both dealt with this very unique and rough situation they found themselves in. I felt their hurt and frustrations, but also their joy when the pieces, even small ones, fell into place.
I must say that I really enjoyed how everything played out in this book. Everything was well thought out and executed, there wasn’t a lot of outside drama, but what drama there was only served to enhance Asher and Ember’s journey and really show us who they were and they were becoming.
As for the Valentine family and those close to them…well, we do get to hang out with them a bit, which made me happy (especially when zip ties were involved) and we do get to meet a couple of new faces and one in particular fascinated me and I cannot wait to get my hands on that particular book!
Note: This book can be read as a true standalone, but as alway, I highly recommend starting at the beginning to get a good feel for this fascinating family. If reading the entire series isn’t something that’s possible, then I highly recommend you dive in to Torn because it is Kenzi’s (Asher and Ember’s daughter) and Toren Grace’s story and will give you some really insight into Asher and Ember’s history.
~ Copy provided by GMBP & voluntarily reviewed ~
Powerful Masterpiece
Asher Valentine had it all a beautiful wife Ember,a family and fame until a accident took the most important thing in his life. A love so strong nothing can tear it apart.
We’ve been waiting for this book for what seems like forever and now its finally here. I knew going in this was not going to be a easy book to read. A emotional roller coaster,heart wrenching tearjerker absolutely yes. This authors best work to date. It was defiantly worth the wait.
There are a couple of new characters I really want to know more about and old favorites we know and love.
There is no cheating in this book!!
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Wow! Asher & Ember’s book has been a long time coming, but it was worth every second of the wait! It starts off by breaking your heart, but as the story progresses it slowly heals.
Despite being told that his wife would probably never wake up, Asher has never given up hope that she would one day come back to him. Day in and day out, he brings Ember flowers, talks to her, sings to her. Then after eight long years she wakes up from the coma, but with no recollection of him or the past. What follows is a breathtakingly epic story about love, loss and healing that rocked me to my core.
Asher is raw, painful and emotional, but also a sweet, hopeful and inspiring love story. It took me through the full gamut of emotions. My heart hurt and my eyes teared up at times, but I also smiled, connected and felt hopeful. It truly seemed like I was sharing this journey of a love lost and then found with Asher and Ember. And watching the healing and progression of these characters was touching and beautiful. 5 stars and many, many more for Asher and Ember!
Carian Cole never fails to write her entire heart and soul into every book. She has the power to build the angst while her characters bleed on the page and rip out your emotions while you weep for them as they reach for their HEA. I am emotionally drained every single time I read one of her books and yet I always go back for more. She is an artist at her craft.
Asher and Ember’s story has been woven throughout the entire Ashes to Embers series, doled out in bits and pieces so we knew some of their love history and some of their shattering present. However, it was just pieces.
*What really occurred on the tragic day of Ember’s accident?
*What was it like for Asher to live for years without his wife by his side?
*How do you switch from spouse to caregiver back to lover again when so much time and turmoil has occurred?
*How do you look in the mirror at a face that you don’t recognize, but everyone around you says you should?
I could go on with my questioning, but thankfully Carian answers these and so many more in this story. I was wrecked over the intensity of Ember and Asher and I believe you will be too.
This is their story, both past and present. Woven together in a way that will engage you and rip you apart at the same time.
Trying to explain to my spouse and daughter how moved I felt was intense at times, but this is the type of book that will make you cuddle up closer to those you love and hug them a little longer. These are the type of books that Carian Cole writes and it is a deeply moving experience.
Worth the wait! Debra @janise’s Jivin’ Book Blog
This was like a present you have been waiting for and when you get it, it is so much more then what you could ever have hoped for.
Ember and Asher are a couple who through no fault of their own has to start again. They encounter things they never had to before and that brings on even more challenges which leads to the biggest challenge of all, their love for each other!
This is not an easy read at times, as it has a frailty to it that touches the heart and soul and shakes them up. You should definitely have tissues on hand and be ready to have your world view changed. It will make you think about if someone really was going through this. It may not be a true story but it does indeed have what possibly are real life situations.
Ember and Asher have a love like no other couple I have ever read and for me this was a true love story. For me it is beyond a 5 star read.
Carian Cole truly has a gift with words.
I’ve read a lot of different genres of books in my time, but I always come back to romance. Whenever I read a book, I just want to FEEL, and nothing does that better than romance. But gosh, I was so woefully unprepared for Asher and all the feelings it would hit me with.
I have loved the Ashes and Embers series since I picked up Storm last year, falling so head over heels for the entire Valentine family and the women they love. They are so much more than rockstars; they are complicated, layered, flawed characters who go through so many obstacles on their way to their happily ever after. But in reading about Storm, Vandal, Lukas, and Talon (Toren, too!), there’s always been one common thread: Asher.
My heart has been aching for him since day one, knowing that while he is happy to watch his brothers and cousins find love, his love and his life have been paused. Suspended. Frozen. Even with Ember in the state she was, Cole found a way to give us enough in the other books that left no doubt that Asher and Ember were special, so unique in their love and their bond.
You’ll go through every emotion within these pages, tenfold. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll grieve, you’ll get angry. There’s plenty of steam simmering throughout too, don’t worry. But you’ll get to fall in love all over again with these characters, watching as they navigate this unpredictable path together. These words jump right out from your Kindle and grab your heart in a vice grip, keeping it hostage until the very end.
For me, this book is the epitome of a romance book. Asher Valentine is the definition of unconditional love. There has been, and only ever will be, one woman that he loves, no matter what that looks like. It may not always be easy, for Ash or Em, but it is worth it.
Carian Cole has delivered some of her best work here and I’m left breathless by Asher and Ember. There’s no question that she poured her heart into these two characters and into their story and I’m so grateful for that. I’ll never want to say goodbye to these characters, even if I’m saying hello to a couple new ones as well. The Valentine clan is incredibly special and they’ll always be in my heart.
5 “I Love You Twice, Now and Forever” Stars
Okay, so I’m late to the game on this series, but when I read this blurb I just couldn’t resist. This book is forever long, but honestly, once I started reading I didn’t notice and just couldn’t put it down. We all want the perfect wife/husband, marriage and life. Asher and Ember had that in spades. Then the unthinkable happens and Ember ends up in a coma for eight long years.
Asher Valentine is stupid crazy in love with his wife and has been since they were fifteen years old. Even with her being in a coma, he never stopped hoping she would one day come back to him. And when that day finally comes, it’s definitely not rainbows and unicorns, but he is determined and still hopeful. My heart broke for both Asher and Ember. The way the author tells their story is beautifully heartbreaking, but oh, so worth it. I don’t want to give anything away, because honestly, this one just needs to be read going in blind to experience everything this couple goes through on their journey to finding their way back to each other. And trust me, you will FEEL everything right along with them. Now, excuse me while I go back and read all the previous books in the series 😉
Angela – Alphas Do It Better Book Blog
This is the 6th book in this phenomenal series and what a heart-wrenching story this is!! Asher and Ember timeless and unconditional soulmates, “I love you twice, Now and Forever”, living the perfect life until a tragic accident leaves Ember in a coma for 8-years. Asher stood by her side every day knowing that she would come back to him. Ember does come back however she has amnesia and is a shell of the person she used to be. This is a beautifully written story which is an emotional roller coaster throughout and is a heart-breaking and heartfelt tale which had me totally captivated throughout this addictive page turner. This gifted author has done an amazing job in penning this story and in my opinion, is worth so much more that the 5-star rating allowed. This is one of the best stories I have read this year, and I highly recommend for all readers.
I received an ARC of this on behalf of the author and I volunteered to leave an unbiased review.
I feel like I’ve been waiting for Asher and Ember’s story for YEARS. Because I have. You see crumbs of their story not only through the other A&E book, but the Devil’s Wolves books too. You also get the feelings from both sides. The frustration,but the love it was all there.
Asher is everything I thought he would be. I honestly didn’t know what to expect from Ember. But I got everything I needed from this.
I’m honestly a little..not sad, but melancholy that this series is over. It was worth the wait. Every page.
I think the one thing I have come to expect from this series by Carian Cole is the amount of feels you get from her stories. They are heart racing, raw, gritty, angsty reads that will leave you begging for more and Asher does just that. The whole concept behind this story is gut wrenching and will have you so emotional that you do not know which way you are going. After years, Asher has Ember back, but does he really? As we delve into this story, you see ups and downs and raw connection but also the why due to what happened to Ember. Seeing the fight in Asher for the one he loves made me want to bawl. A love like that is so rare. It is beautiful, poignant, and awe inspiring. Through this whole book you are literally glued to know how it will all play out. I know I was. If you have been waiting for this book, you will not be disappointed! It is beyond brilliant!
Whew my HEART! What a journey! This book brings ALL THE FEELS. Asher and Ember’s story has been long anticipated but the wait was oh so worth it. Carian Cole’s writing is so beautiful and poignant. She weaves a story about the ultimate true love standing the test of time.
Asher and Ember have loved each other since teenagers. They are happily married with a daughter they both love and cherish. Life is perfect for them until tragedy strikes and their world is turned upside down.
Ember’s accident changed their lives immensely and what Asher goes through to come out on the other side is a emotional, heart wrenching, intense journey.
Asher is a famous rockstar and lead singer of the band Ashes & Embers. During his wife’s 8 year coma he stood by her side never ever loosing hope she would wake up. What he didn’t bargain for was the brain injuries she would be suffer when she finally did.
The glimpses of Asher we get in the previous books I never could of imagined the depth of his emotional turmoil he was facing and I wasn’t prepared for it.
This book put my heart through the ringer. Feeling everything the characters felt. The way Ember suffered trying to recover memories of her past and learn who she is today was heart wrenching!
I loved this book SO much. It is Carian Cole’s best writing to date and a top favourite of 2020! It deserves so much more than 5 stars!!
*I received an ARC in exchange of an honest review.
This book gave me ALL and I mean ALL the feels. Happy, sad, crying, laughing, despair, hope, joy…you freaking name it, it had it. I will be keeping this review short because I don’t want readers to have tooooooo much. It’s best to experience it for yourself and I don’t want to ruin anything.
I totally fell in love with Asher. It’s so true about don’t judge a book by its cover. I wanted him to be real and I wanted to immediately marry him! I loved his love for his wife, his marriage and his determination to keep that love going. There is so much more to this awesome book so please go read it!!
OMG, this book has to be the most romantic story ever written! The whole concept is one that is very tricky but it was handled smoothly and realistically. An epic journey everyone should read about now.
Asher, oh damn is he gorgeous, not just physically but in every way. He melts your heart with how wonderful he is yet does show his vulnerability at times to, which surprisingly is reassuring. Having gradually gotten to know a bit about him through the other books in the series you realise when reading this book that you really knew nothing much at all. For such a pivotal character that was a clever thing for this author to achieve.
Ember is an entirely different character in many, many ways. Her soft, sweet nature is adorable. I loved her honestly as well, at times it had me cracking up. Then there were plenty of other times when my heart just about broke for her and what she was going through, as well as Asher.
I am a little lost for words at how fantastic this book is from the sensational descriptions to the emotional ride you experience as you read. There is a terrific balance between light and heavy which elevates you just when you need it.
The butterfly analogy is absolutely perfect. Argh, this author is brilliant, she is a total wordsmith who is magical, sign me up for more spells please!
Just finished this book that I’ve been waiting to read forever and it was an amazing read. This book made me mad and sad at the same time because it’s like the h is waiting for the heroine to wake up from begin in a coma and when she do wake up she doesn’t remember him at all it.
It’s finally time for Asher and Ember to tell their story, and let me tell ya, it’s not pretty. In fact, it’s pretty damn painful, but beautiful in its own way.
If you’ve been reading this series like I have, you’ll already know the bare bones – Ash and Em got married and had a baby at a young age. They both became famous rockstars. They had everything. Then she had an accident and fell into a coma. During those 8 long years, Asher has been by her side willing her to wake up, to come back to him. Then one day, she does just that.
“Ember’s awake. My wife, my twin flame, my everything has come back to me.”
Sounds like a reason to celebrate but for one tiny thing – Ember’s not the same woman from 8 years ago. She doesn’t remember her life with Ash, doesn’t remember their love, their daughter, their friends/family. So now she’s got to figure out how to live her new reality, with a husband in love with someone she doesn’t recognize, doesn’t remember.
Their journey is long, painful, emotionally fraught. It’s everything I had been hoping for, waiting for, expecting. It may have gutted me, but I relished it, and I LOVE it. No one deserved their happiness more than this couple, no one. So glad I finally got to read it!!
I’ve been staring into empty space since I finished this book. I can’t even imagine going through something like Asher and Ember went through.
This story had so much feels, I’m struggling putting all that into words. It had me sitting at the edge of my seat turning pages so fast just to see if the HEA was possible for these two. They had a long and tough uphill clime but in the end all the tears were worth it.
A new to me author and now I’m an instant fan.
***Review copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads Blog***
°* I’ve read it TWICE already! *°
Seriously this book was unputdownable!
Asher Valentine, hoo-ee, it was impossible not to fall in love with this huge force of a man who was broken and fighting for the soul deep love of his life, especially after seeing the image of the gorgeously sexy man on the cover, and the beautiful woman who represents Ember.
For me it was a highly emotional story of unconditional love and a man who adhered to his vows with his whole heart. I cried at the unmitigated sadness of Asher’s situation and his unwavering devotion and loyalty to his wife, and for their daughter growing into adulthood and marriage without her mother. I cried for not only Ember’s loss of herself but again for the family’s devastation at the damage caused by the head trauma, and I cried reading the poignant and happy moments. Hell, this is an emotional journey, so I just cried.
Ember was so brave, yet vulnerable. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to wake up and be a person empty of memories and life experience, or to even think about how long had passed during the time in a coma! Ms Cole, in my mind, certainly did an amazing job.
The dual POV is a favourite for me, and reading the emotions of Asher as he grieved again for the loss of his wife when she finally wakes up and it seems there is nothing left except the face he loves, cemented this book as top rating read.
I also laughed away to myself at Ember’s judgmental attitude towards ‘her’ life choices, including the long haired and tattooed bad man who didn’t seem to have a job. Those unfiltered thoughts from her were often hilarious. My heart did break plenty though when she was reading her diaries and using them as a road map in trying to find the person she was, while at the same time trying to discover she is now, as well as trying to hold at bay the abject fear that she might not ever be the same person that Asher loved. I never considered the thought that she would feel in competition with the old her in having her husband’s love.
Rockers are by far my most favourite trope, and Carian Cole is a new-to-me author whose writing I quite simply adored, so I’m definitely going to have to find time and read the rest of the books in this series! As for Asher and Ember’s story, I cannot rate this anything less than an absolute 5!
“Asher” is a poignant portrait of faith and doubt, love and grief, heartbreak and hope. A pure definition of the word marriage. No marriage can compare to this one.
“Love is like the wind, you can’t see it but you can feel it.” ― Nicholas Spark, A Walk to Remember
As I read this book, I often reflected back to this quote.
It is the ultimate embodiment of “For better or worse”. Asher shows what truly means to have devotion and dedication to one person. Even if that person no longer remembers him.
This story is just not about the perfect husband or the triumphed love.
It is about the raw, difficult, beautiful, heartbreaking, powerful journey that a family must endure to reach some sense of solace and new normalcy.
I felt everything as it was happening page by page. My heart shaded tears of heartache and frustration and. . .hope. I felt all of it.
Asher and Ember’s love for one another is palpable, and we know the first act of their story of the falling in love but now we must see them as they face various obstacles in their relationship―including some that seems as if they’ll end before rekindle-ling any form of a relationship.
Many emotional wrenching scenes throughout the story that depict the difficult of trying to come to terms with the current situation.At different point, we see Ember crying from the pain.
“Asher” is an incredible powerful story about faith, but it’s also an incredible heartbreaking story. It shows that with a work, dedication, and hope any relationship can be rebuild.
*** I voluntarily read and review an Advance Reader Copy of this book provided by Give Me Books Promotions and Carian Cole. ***
J’ai tout simplement adoré de la première à la dernière page l’histoire d’Asher et d’Ember dont j’avais eu un aperçu dans celui consacré à leur fille Kenzi. J’ai énormément pleuré mais j’ai eu aussi très souvent le sourire aux lèvres, l’autrice nous prend en otage et ne nous relache qu’une fois que l’on a fini notre lecture. Je ne m’attendais pas du tout à certaines choses, d’autres sont plus faciles à deviner et la relation entre les personnages, quasiment en huis clos, est juste géniale. Le final nous permet de les quitter avec le sentiment que ça n’est que le début de quelque chose de différent et j’ai adoré !!
This book is so much more than a 5 star book.
The first Carian Cole book I ever read was Torn (Toren and Kenzie’s story) I’ve been waiting ever since for Asher’s story. It was well worth the wait. Asher and Ember are everything!
Quick recap for those who don’t fangirl Carian Cole books like I do. She has been writing the stories of all the guys in the band Ashes & Embers. The tragic love story is Asher’s. He met Ember when they were 14, they had a daughter at 15, and they … made it work. Both are insanely talented musicians and they started a band Ashes & Embers. A&E was the IT band and it looked like Ash and Em had the golden life. Then there is a horrible accident. Ember falls into a coma that doesn’t seem to end. Asher never gives up hope or his love. Ember finally wakes up 8 years after the accident.
This brings us to this book. Fair warning it’s a read all night, three day book hangover novel. Conservative estimate.
This book is about so much hope, faith and belief. It’s the story of two soulmates who were torn apart and when they reunite, their story is fractured. Ember awakes with amnesia. Carian’s novel takes us through the heart ache of grieving what was, embracing and learning the new, and learning to love again. For both parties.
Ember’s story is one of learning to love who she is now. She doesn’t know the woman she once was, and the person in the mirror is a stranger to her.
Asher’s story is one of loving a woman who may not exist any where but in his memories. Ember is home, but she’s not quite “his” Ember.
The plot takes us through these two individuals learning to love each other all over again. Finding new quirks, habits, talents, likes, dislikes. It’s like reading a new love story, but with the ghost of an old one woven in. Carian drops in pieces of hope that Ember’s memories will return. There is hope, but no givens.
Asher’s story brings back many old friends. Toren and Kenzie are married and living across the street. All of Asher’s brothers pop in and we get bite sized pieces of their lives and loves. Sydni makes a very Sydni appearance.
Asher is an intricately woven story with the characters being the main centerpiece. The story revolves around the daily interactions of the main characters. We seller them slowly opening their bubble to others. It’s a reunion and an ending all at once. It is the most moving story I’ve read this year. I’m so glad that Asher’s story is finally out in the world. He is and always will be worth the wait. Ember knows that.