AN AMAZON PICK FOR BEST ROMANCE BOOKS OF 2019 AN AMAZON PICK FOR BEST BOOK OF THE MONTH “When Ashes Fall is a tautly written, complex, and emotionally-charged love story that takes the reader on an unforgettable, unexpected, and deeply moving journey.” —USA Today It’s been said that you can’t love two men at the same time.You can’t split your heart, soul, and body in half.But I’m here to … time.
You can’t split your heart, soul, and body in half.
But I’m here to tell you, you can.
Dylan Cole is like ice, sharp and unpredictable, the thunder inside a tumultuous storm.
Smith Reid is warmth, soft and gentle, perfect like a sunny day.
Both are mine.
But I can have only one.
There are two sides to this tale.
I’m here to tell you mine.
If you think this story is about a cheater, you couldn’t be more wrong.
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Absolutely beautiful! With impeccable writing, the author takes us on a contemplative, haunting story of a young woman and the men she loves. There is no way to review this book without giving away the plot so I will just express my feelings as I read it.
The plot moves at a steady, slowish pace, but it kept my attention all the time. I was entranced by Alix because she feels so much love. The men she loved were as different as night and day and yet they were perfect for her and love her so much. There is a lot of good feelings and a slight undercurrent of sadness. I felt tension because I knew at some point there would be tears but I loved, savored and inhaled this book. The last chapters were heart wrenching but it was such delicious pain. This story has romance, loss, beginnings, sunny days, stormy days, new hope and yearning. I went through all the emotions and at the end I was in love.
And now the author left me with a penchant for sunny days, so I will be watching for beautiful sunny days from now on.
Wow! This book was everything! Alix is a 911 operator who falls in love with two men. Dylan Cole is a dreamy pilot/business owner. He is so perfect for Alix. You can tell how much he loves Alix from his words and his actions. There’s another man in her life named Smith Reid. He is a divorce attorney that had a rough upbringing. He is very interested in getting to know Alix better. This story goes back and forth between the past and the present. We also get to read three points of view. I wasn’t sure what to expect by this story, but I was floored with how it played out. Constantly had me guessing about what was going on and what was going happen. It made me feel so many emotions. I even cried a few times, which I don’t normally do when reading. A good sign that the author has done an amazing job at getting me attached to her characters and made the story feel real. I have read and enjoyed a few other books by Marni Mann, but I must say this one is my favorite. I’d even bet money that this is one of the best books I will read all year. Very well written and heart breakingly beautiful. I will definitely be telling all my reading buddies and anyone else who will listen to read this amazing story.
This book was PERFECTION!
I can’t express enough how much I LOVED THIS BOOK! It was everything and more than I was expecting it to be. This is a great start to 2019 and this book is going on my top read of 2019, without a doubt!
This story was so, so perfect and it was such a beautiful story. I can’t tell you how much this tugged my heartstrings. I fell in love with all characters from beginning to end. Alix, Dylan and Smith were just phenomenal personalities. I couldn’t decide who I was rooting for because both males in this story were utter perfection. They were such opposites but their love and devotion for the same woman was uncanny.
This is a story that will leave you breathless and with your heart hurting and sated at the same time. I was left sad and with a smile at the same time. How that was possible, I have no idea!
10 “Moments” Stars
“We all need a little more hope. And some people need the reminder that there will be more sunny days, especially me.”
I am at a loss for words. My heart is stuck in my throat. How do I move on? The answer is never. I can’t, even after finishing reading this exquisite book weeks ago I still can’t properly pen my thoughts. Every time I try, I’m stuck. It’s not like I don’t know what to say, it’s just, not enough. I was completely and utterly captivated with this story and these characters. My gosh these characters, they were everything and more. Alix, Dylan and Smith took hold of my heart and didn’t let go. Beautiful, breathtaking, heartbreaking and hopeful are just a few words to describe When Ashes Fall.
I’m warning you right now, I know for a fact my review will not do this book justice. And honestly, what I’m basically going to do is just pour my heart out. Just let all my feelings runneth over. Show you a fragment of a glimpse inside my heart.
I’m prone to generally gravitate towards the Heroes in books. Why? I don’t know, it’s just the way it is. But once in awhile, there are those raw times in which the heroine takes center stage. And in this case, Alix was a force. Don’t get me wrong, Dylan and Smith had their moments, but Alix, since the very beginning was IT, she IS all the moments.
There aren’t enough words to tell you how much Alix means to me. I’d have to rip out my heart so you can examine how deep my love for her is. I felt this connection to her since the very beginning. I don’t know how to explain it, it’s just this overwhelming sensation that’s taken over all my senses. Even after days of finishing this book Alix is still on my mind. Questions swarming inside my head. How is she feeling? Is she okay? How many slices of chocolate cake has she had? But the question that’s constantly in a loop, is she happy? And gosh, I hope she is.
Dylan and Smith, boy these two couldn’t be more different. And that’s why I love them so much. Dylan, oh my, I loved how in control he was, the power that radiated off of him. But by far his best quality is the way he loves Alix. He loves her to the very deepest parts of his soul, and it’s such a beautiful love. And Smith, well, he’s gentle and warm and kind and just brings the light. I fell, and fell hard for two extraordinary men. And yes it’s true, you can love two men at the same time.
When Ashes Fall will leave you in a state of wonderment. You won’t know what to do with yourself once you finish reading. This book and these characters will stay with you days after you finish reading. One of my top favorite reads, ever, and a forever favorite.
“You weren’t in my life for more than two seconds when I knew I loved you.”
One Thousand Suns
As you read this review I’ll say this is a MUST READ STORY!! And it is best to go in blind there is a HEA in the end.
Mrs Mann has obliterated my heart and soul, from one reader to another, I warn you have tissues and chocolate cake on stand by, (you’ll know soon enough what I mean).
No other author had made me fall in love with Two Heros as she has, and i found myself angry at one of them, in a typical story you root for one or the other but this is not a typical romace.
as the story brings us to it’s climax I FELL for BOTH EVEN MORE.
Marni Mann, I should message you a picture of the puddle of tears that accumulated after I reached the last chapters of When Ashes Fall. I don’t know you, so I won’t do it because you might think I’m nuts. This book shredded my heart and soul. I think a sunny day and piece of chocolate cake will make everything ok again. And maybe some decongestant for my stuffed up nose. The sunny day and cake reference will make sense after you read this story. I’m not going to spoil this book for you. Don’t read any reviews that resemble book reports and that might spoil this devastatingly, beautiful and haunting story of love and second chances. Go in blind, grab a box of tissues and prepare for a bittersweet book hangover from all the feels. All the stars. When Ashes Fall (Moments In Boston)
“I never pictured a moment that didn’t have you in it. My life started when I met you. And I consider myself the luckiest man in the world because my life ended with you.”
This is a total perfection! Loved this book so much. Best book to date.
This is a safe book. No cheating.
I do love “love triangles” but this is nothing like what I’ve had in mind.
I couldn’t guess what’s going on until the last chapters which is good. I love unpredictable story that keeps me guessing. When it hit the climax, I was crying a river. It’s heartbreaking yet beautiful at the same time. The message is so powerful, so beautiful.
Marni did a great job executed the story. It has become my TOP favorite!
The best advice I was given when I was considering reading When Ashes Fall? Go in blind. And it truly couldn’t have been more spot on. This outstanding story is a journey. One that pulled me in, grabbed my attention and had me doubting what I thought I knew until the very end.
It’s filled with emotion and it’s a book that makes you feel, which is one of the elements I appreciate the most and the reason why I remember a book. When Ashes Fall is intricate, beautiful, and heartbreaking. It goes back and forth between the present and the past, and it’s told from three POVs: Alix Rayne, Dylan Cole, and Smith Reid.
Marni Mann’s writing is simply superb. This is a must-read book, even if you think love triangles are not for you (sorry I can’t explain why I’m saying this). Also, the audiobook is amazing. Ava Erickson, Aiden Snow, Teddy Hamilton are perfect and enhanced the reading experience. Just grab the book and go for it. You can thank me later.
One of my all time favorite reads.
Reading this book has been challenging, on so many levels. It’s impossible to read it and not feel everything as if you are the main character.
I was so angry. How and why will I read a book whose outcome I felt at the very beginning? Does it make sense to keep reading? Yes, it does. When you feel what’s actually going on, when you see behind the apparent, the harder it is for you to fight the battle with your emotions, in almost every chapter. Every ‘coming and going’, every sentence, everything…everything hurts to the bones.
I had to take breaks, I cried reading in bed, so much my husband had to separate me from the book. I cried over my morning coffee, and the last chapters…I could barely see through rivers of tears. I’m.not.exaggerating. It’s impossible not to feel pain, injustice, longing, despair, hopelessness, but also to think about what we would do in the same situation. Heartbroken and alone…that much I know.
I’m not a fan of insta love, not at all. But the way Dylan approached Alix…at that moment, I knew that they would become one of my favorite couples. No matter what, regardless of the outcome. And then it started to hurt, bite around the heart, it’s so heartbreakingly realistic. And vivid.
I could go on and on about every detail, every emotion, but I don’t want to spoil anyone’s experience. Do you need to read a book that will break your heart? Yes, you do. So you can appreciate what you have, appreciate every sunny day…especially in these difficult times when we think more often about what we don’t have than about what is here, near us. Everyone, from time to time, needs that reminder.
It’s been almost seven months since I finished When Ashes Fall and I still get goosebumps every time I remember it. This one hit a little too close to home. It’s such a strange feeling to read something that sounds like it’s written about you. It’s like you are outside your body, taken a few years back, and you look at yourself and for the first time you don’t experience your emotions first hand, so very personal. And yet, your heart is breaking all the same.
It’s truly so well written, so authentic, so powerful, so true.
I sensed very early in which direction the story was going but that didn’t diminish my experience of reading and ultimately the overall impression. Quite the opposite. It’s as if you know that there is an abyss in front of you, and you are still rushing towards it, with your eyes wide open, not looking back at the fact that your heart is beating faster and faster and that a free fall is inevitable. I took a run, I jumped and I started to fall.
But the abyss didn’t swallow me. My safe net is the fact that for the first time I’ve read a book that touched this topic and one of the partners (don’t wanna spoil anything so here’s this definition) wasn’t turned, in the end, into a bad guy in any way. And their love was not diminished, not a bit. I’ve been waiting so long for a story like this. I needed it so much. I’m so glad it exists. And since every emotion is so authentic the characters are also so real, lifelike, realistic, you name it.
With this book Marni hit a home run. The story, the way the chapters are arranged, the type of narration, the characters, the writing style – it’s just perfect. Loud and clear, I can’t and won’t stop recommending it.
I loved every second of this book. An emotional journey of loving with all your heart, learning to let go, and living again.
This book was beautifully written and drew me into the story.
ooohhmyyygahhhhd
I’m crying….
Like sobbing on the floor
and I can’t STOP!
I read the blurb and I absolutely loved Even it Hurts by Mann so I thought this would be a bit of the same but more emotional. I was not expecting a punch to the heart….
I’ve read several reviews where people saw the end coming but I did not, and I am not sure if it is because I was so engrossed in the story or if I was overthinking it. This story will make you realize how much loss can affect not just your heart but your mind.
FIVE MAGICAL TEAR FILLED STARS
Don’t Stop Reading
I found this to be an amazing read. A couple of times I was tempted to stop reading as I am not into books where the lead female character is deciding between two lead males but I am so glad that I kept on reading. I found the book to be very well crafted and the plot well woven. Not the book for everyone and without giving anything away I needed a few tissues to get to the end of the book. Not a summer on the beach read.
oh my goodness. This book was heart wrenching. I had no clue what this story was about, and I’m glad I didn’t. I don’t want to spoil anything so I’ll just say that I loved this book. It broke my heart but it was a beautiful story. all they narrators did such an incredible job. They brought so much emotion and feelings to their performances.
Heartbreakingly beautiful and emotional, When Ashes Fall is a story about love, loss, grief, second chances and the courage to live again after going through incredible trauma.
The blurb is deceiving. This is not a love triangle story, not in the traditional sense. There is no cheating here. There is only heartbreak and loss and pain.
All the books in this series are linked to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and dive into the impact of that kind of trauma on different people. One of the characters is always a first responder.
When Ashes Fall tells Alix’s story. She used to be a paramedic and she is now working in Boston’s emergency call-center. She is a survivor and she suffers from terrible PTSD. This book is about her journey back to life and it punches a powerful message of hope.
It is a fairly quick read, on the steamy side, very angsty and emotionally triggering (at least for me). I am so glad I picked it up.
And the cover is so beautiful. Give this book a try!
Marni Mann excels at triggering my emotions. When Ashes Fall was a whirlwind right from the start and had me anxious and curious in equal measure. I had a burning need to constantly dig deeper and know more about these characters. She wrote the scenes of panic and vulnerability very well. These feelings became an extension of me as I was reading. It’s an experience that I can only ever get from her words. They are that powerful! Racing to the end and witnessing all the pieces falling into place rendered me speechless. This was a truly incredible book with words brilliantly woven together. It’s going to stick with me for quite some time.
This book keeps you reading. Living in Massachusetts, it was fun to read about Boston. Characters are well drawn, and the novel makes excellent points about dealing with trauma and loss.
The book was AMAZING. Honestly, it was so emotionally heartbreaking, but also portrayed tragedy, resilience and how important our friends are. The story was so well written, so well executed and will stay with me forever. I can’t say too much because you really need to go into this blind, but be ready for a good cry and a HEA. I immediately went and bought book 2 in the series.u2063
Wow, I’m completely blown away by this book. I was told I needed tissues. That is an understatement. I wasn’t emotionally prepared for this book. Thank you Marni Mann for this story. It’s one I won’t ever forget. Alex will stay with me forever. Ava Erickson killed it with her narration. Teddy Hamilton & Aiden snow were excellent as well!