War never leaves a soldier behind.Staff Sergeant Alexei Dvorkin is still healing from his brief stint as a prisoner of war. While his physical wounds have mended, the emotional scars left behind are slow to disappear. Eager to prove his resilience in the face of lingering trauma, Alexei is determined to complete his first mission in three months and get back into the field—but he’s not forging … he’s not forging ahead without his lover.
Nightmares will always linger.
Agent Sean Delaney’s recovery from trauma is more slow going than he would like, but he pushes through in order to return to active duty and not be left behind. But every decision he makes leaves him feeling like he’s gone two steps forward and one step back when it comes to Alexei. The guilt Sean feels from what they both endured still colors his interactions with the man he loves. Trying to overcome it is difficult and exhausting, making Sean question his place in Alexei’s heart.
Holding on is the hardest thing to do.
The ties between Alexei and Sean were frayed by the enemy’s hand. Mending what’s been broken between them will require a depth of honesty neither man is ready to face just yet. But if they don’t, they risk losing a future together neither wants to let go.
Out of the Ashes follows directly after In the Blood and comes before In the Requiem in the Metahuman Files series.
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The in-between story (an audio review)
I love this series and had seen these novellas but hadn’t picked them up. Needless to say, I was thrilled when they came to audio. Greg Boudreaux narrates the series and he did these shorts including Alexei’s Russian accent. He always does a great job.
This story takes place after Alexei and Sean’s horrific kidnapping. That story line – that violent incident – is seared in my memory. It nearly broke me with what they went through. I knew it wouldn’t be all roses and chocolates after that – how could it be? But I wanted the men to find their way forward both in their careers and in their personal lives.
And there is work to be done. Sean still freezes up when Alexei touches him, yet turns green with jealousy when anyone shows an interest in Alexei. There is love there, but barriers need to be breached. And when Alexei and Sean go on their first covert mission, there is another kind of healing. These men’s self-worth is derived from their work, so getting back in the saddle, so to speak, triggers more healing. That and blowing up London is just fun. A cameo by my favorite British metahuman rounded out the great story. This novella was well done, and I look forward to more shorts.
This novella was exactly what was needed, such a sweet love letter to the fans. A way to show Alexei and Sean healing from the trauma of book 4. But we still get all the elements that make this series amazing with action, romance, angst, sarcasm, and hot sexy times. I’m not even a big fan of the sci-fi/UF genre, but I love this series so much. Which to me is a mark of excellence, when you can have fans that don’t typically read books like this, absolutely love them. This one also has the same amazing level of detail, and page turning plot.
I loved the progression of showing their process of therapy and recovery. It was feeling really natural, and well developed. Then there was an epiphany moment that didn’t work for me, all of this time spent in therapy and then *poof* much better. I was glad they were ok again, because of course I want them to be together and happy. It just felt very abrupt to me, and could maybe have used more lead up.
It was nice getting to see Liam again, his British humor and “grandmother” tidbits are awesome. I’m really glad there wasn’t a lot of appearances from the other characters. I love all of them, but it would have overwhelmed the story. One complaint I have is that there are already so many essential characters, then add in code names, nicknames, nicknames in Russian…it gets a little complicated. So then adding in another nickname in this one frustrated me a bit. But it was adorable and done so sweetly that I can forgive.
Now, forgive me while I fangirl a bit…
Alexei is EVERYTHING!! Despite appearing to be the least complex character, he is the most lovable to me. He loves fiercely, and is uber protective of those he considers family. He’s dedicated to his mission, but not at the expense of the ppl he cares about. His inner thoughts are some of the most heartwarming, and comforting of any of the characters in this series. Also, between the language barrier and his deadpan delivery, he’s also the most hilarious. Almost nothing he says is intentionally funny, but it will tickle your funny bone anyway. I absolutely adored getting to read so much more of him in this one. Sean is wonderful too, I just haven’t connected to him like that yet. The two of them together are just great, so much chemistry, but loving and sweet too.
This book should be read after In the Blood. Although it says it’s book 1 in the Metahuman Files: Classified series, it’s really book 4.5 in the Metahuman Files series.
This book delved into the lingering trauma that Sean and Alexei experienced after their capture. It was a tough but healing read, especially after feeling like my heart was being yanked out of my chest during In the Blood. I loved that Hailey Turner gave us this novella and spent the time to detail out the healing process for Sean and Alexei.
I read this book a second time as an audiobook and it was fantastic! I loved how Greg Boudreaux narrated the book and voiced all the characters. He has a wonderful range and has a talent for conveying emotion. The audiobook production was well done.
Caught between love and guilt, Sean is struggling in his recovery process. Alexei only wants to love Sean but it’s getting harder and harder to watch him pull away each time he tries to express that love. What are two men to do when trauma threatens to smother their affection?
Sean and Alexei were captured by someone from Sean’s past and their torture was horrific. Even worse, their torturer put Sean in a position so severe that he wouldn’t dare speak for days after their rescue. Feeling responsible for Alexei’s capture, torture, and pain he feels he doesn’t deserve his love or the privilege of touching him. Their previous warmth and expression of passion and tenderness is all but gone with Sean continuing to freeze and pull away. He hates it. He wants Alexei so much but what can he do when he won’t allow himself the pleasure and comfort of Alexei’s embrace?
Alexei loves Sean deeply. It’s getting more and more difficult to see him struggle. He would never leave but it’s clear that they’re reaching some kind of breaking point. And with both of them cleared for active duty, they’ll be put through all kinds of tests.
Their mission throws them into situations that would have been a breeze before but both of these men are aware of internal changes that are altering how they do their job. When mayhem ensues we find out if Sean will triumph or if he’ll break.
Oh, and Melanie is a beyotch. Pretty sure we’re not done hearing from her but I’ll be thrilled if we are.
I’m absolutely in love with these men. Alexei is so patient and loving and still so very sexy and badass. Sean is torturing himself beyond what’s necessary and it’s completely understandable. My heart aches for him as he struggles to move forward, beyond their mutual pain, and into the belief that no one he loves or trusts holds him accountable for a madman’s actions. The sequence of events in this story is exactly what these characters needed to move forward. Sean was stuck in a self-defeating rut, Alexei was mired in Sean’s grief. The mission they went on forced Sean to face fears, desires, and shock him into embracing what was his all along. With their new peace in who and what they are themselves and to one another we get to see Sean fully embrace everything Alexei and their relationship offers. It also opens the door for a new position on the team. I cannot tell you how excited I am for the next book in the series!!!