Ashes of Life eBook Erica Lucke Dean Laura M Kolar
Download As PDF : Ashes of Life eBook Erica Lucke Dean Laura M Kolar 
"A beautifully rendered look at love in all its forms. A must read!" ~ Kate Moretti, NYT Bestselling Author of "Thought I Knew You"
""An emotionally rewarding story of hope, commitment, and the modern family." ~ Claire Ashby, NYT Bestselling Author of "When You Make It Home"
"An exquisite tale of love and acceptance, rich with unforgettable characters."
~ Kelly Stone Gamble, Author of They Call Me Crazy
Married for just three months, Alex Barrett is stunned when her husband, David, dies in a tragic accident. And the absolute last thing the pregnant young widow wants is to take on responsibility for his teenage daughter, Maddie. Reeling from loss, Alex struggles to deal with her grief and her troubled stepdaughter, but one question haunts her why was David with his ex-wife when he died?
All Maddie Barrett wanted was for her parents to get back together, but an icy road took that dream away. Afterward, Maddie is riddled with guilt that she can’t share with anyone. Feeling angry and alone, she lays all the blame on Alex.
Alex and Maddie must find a way to move past their pain—shared, yet separate. Thrown together in an untenable arrangement, they fight through a frozen landscape of sorrow and redemption while redefining love, forgiveness, and family.
Ashes of Life eBook Erica Lucke Dean Laura M Kolar
I have read all of Ms. Lucke Dean’s books and Ms. Kolar’s Canvas Bound. And enjoyed them all. But the emotional impact this book had is something else completely. Ms. Lucke Dean’s stories are generally light-hearted and full of humor. You won’t find that here. Although a bit of humor is brought in with Alex’s best friend, Natalie, owner of the local coffee and bakery shop in town. She is everything you need in a friend, supportive, honest, and a strong shoulder you can cry on when the need arises.Alex is beside herself, buried in grief, and the question of why David had Sarah, his ex-wife, riding in the car with him is hounding at her insecurities. This story is told through alternating perspectives of Alex and Maddie so we are allowed to see all of their inner turmoil and insecurities up-close. It’s messy, ugly, and realistic. There were times when I wanted to shake Alex or bop her on the head and yell, “Snap out of it!” right in her face. Luckily, Natalie filled that role for me. I couldn’t help but love her. Ms. Lucke Dean’s secondary characters are always likable, outspoken, and have an inner strength that comes through.
Maddie isn’t your typical teenager, she is a troubled teen acting out, even before her parents wreck that fateful night. Maddie is in self-destruct mode. She describes herself as a cutter who doesn’t cut. She is trying to destroy herself from the inside-out from guilt. She’s taking drugs, drinking, and skipping classes. She also starts things with a “bad boy” because she knows he will hurt her in the long run. Maddie lashes out at Alex every opportunity she gets and Alex unwittingly gives her plenty of ammo. Maddie is a hard character to like, but when she is alone it’s easy to see how broken she is and you want to help her.
Then Grey gets Maddie’s attention, he is a quiet introspective nerd in one of her classes. Grey reaches out to her, he knows her pain. So, now Maddie has someone new to direct her anger at for a while. However, Grey is unrelenting in his pursuit to get through to the real Maddie. Slowly but surely he starts to chip away at the walls she has built around herself. Their relationship and the pace it grew was realistic and their dialogue was believable. Ms. Kolar excels at writing young adult themes and I think she captured Maddie and all of her classmates perfectly.
Alex’s walls are a completely different story, she was constantly filling in any cracks that started to let a little light in. She feels she is too broken to enjoy any happiness. It was heartbreaking to watch. Even after Natalie read her the riot act (This is where I cheered Natalie on) Alex too quickly repaired her walls again to shield herself from life. Misunderstandings can suck the life right out of person as they did in this story. The moral is open your heart and seek the truth. Life is messy. If you don’t take risks, there is no reward. I would recommend this story to everyone, even if you don’t normally read contemporary fiction or young adult.
FYI: **Originally written for "BigAl’s Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy.** July 15, 2015
Format/Typo Issues: I found no significant issues in editing or formatting.
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Tags : Amazon.com: Ashes of Life eBook: Erica Lucke Dean, Laura M. Kolar: Kindle Store,ebook,Erica Lucke Dean, Laura M. Kolar,Ashes of Life,Red Adept Publishing, LLC,Fiction Contemporary Women,Fiction Family Life
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Ashes of Life eBook Erica Lucke Dean Laura M Kolar Reviews
I struggled with the beginning. Both protagonists were too emotional, self involved and very negative. But all that just prepares you for the wonderful ending.
The characters were nicely developed with realistic qualities. Complicated family dynamics involving grief, anger, lies and love showed that with time & effort, things can come together full circle.
"Ashes of Life" was a mesmerizing tale of a teenager dealing with tragedy and her struggle to cope with this tragedy as well as the complexities of being a teenager. It is impossible to put this book down! The story vacillates between the perspective of the teenager and that of her step-mother. While some may not prefer this writing style, it works perfectly with this story and is well written. I laughed. I cried. And when I finished this story, I immediately searched on-line for other books written by these authors. I hope that Ms. Dean and Ms. Kolar write together again because the results of their blended story is simply breathtaking.
Good light reading for a rainy day in front of a fire. Not riveting but keeps your interest. Definitely fiction! Adult fairytale.
Caught me early and had me staying up late to keep reading. Very interesting situation to move this story along. An all-around good read.
I usually do not read drama, but Erica is the daughter of my classmate and I was curious. I read 4 to 5 books per week. This is well written with an excellent command of literature and content. The story line is fluid and interesting.
Thank you for an excellent journey through the life of grieving.
SPOILERS, maybe.
16 year old Maddie’s divorced parents die in an auto accident leading her to turn to drugs, alcohol and sex in addition to failing in school. Her stepmother reluctantly takes over Maddie’s care and the two of them clash constantly. Within a few months the grieving widow has a new incredibly wonderful love interest and is pregnant with his baby. Maddie completely turns around and has hooked up with a too good to be true boyfriend. Maddie and Alex have reconciled all of their differences. A quick read, unbelievable but not completely unpleasant. I say spoilers, maybe, because almost everything is so predictable.
I have read all of Ms. Lucke Dean’s books and Ms. Kolar’s Canvas Bound. And enjoyed them all. But the emotional impact this book had is something else completely. Ms. Lucke Dean’s stories are generally light-hearted and full of humor. You won’t find that here. Although a bit of humor is brought in with Alex’s best friend, Natalie, owner of the local coffee and bakery shop in town. She is everything you need in a friend, supportive, honest, and a strong shoulder you can cry on when the need arises.
Alex is beside herself, buried in grief, and the question of why David had Sarah, his ex-wife, riding in the car with him is hounding at her insecurities. This story is told through alternating perspectives of Alex and Maddie so we are allowed to see all of their inner turmoil and insecurities up-close. It’s messy, ugly, and realistic. There were times when I wanted to shake Alex or bop her on the head and yell, “Snap out of it!” right in her face. Luckily, Natalie filled that role for me. I couldn’t help but love her. Ms. Lucke Dean’s secondary characters are always likable, outspoken, and have an inner strength that comes through.
Maddie isn’t your typical teenager, she is a troubled teen acting out, even before her parents wreck that fateful night. Maddie is in self-destruct mode. She describes herself as a cutter who doesn’t cut. She is trying to destroy herself from the inside-out from guilt. She’s taking drugs, drinking, and skipping classes. She also starts things with a “bad boy” because she knows he will hurt her in the long run. Maddie lashes out at Alex every opportunity she gets and Alex unwittingly gives her plenty of ammo. Maddie is a hard character to like, but when she is alone it’s easy to see how broken she is and you want to help her.
Then Grey gets Maddie’s attention, he is a quiet introspective nerd in one of her classes. Grey reaches out to her, he knows her pain. So, now Maddie has someone new to direct her anger at for a while. However, Grey is unrelenting in his pursuit to get through to the real Maddie. Slowly but surely he starts to chip away at the walls she has built around herself. Their relationship and the pace it grew was realistic and their dialogue was believable. Ms. Kolar excels at writing young adult themes and I think she captured Maddie and all of her classmates perfectly.
Alex’s walls are a completely different story, she was constantly filling in any cracks that started to let a little light in. She feels she is too broken to enjoy any happiness. It was heartbreaking to watch. Even after Natalie read her the riot act (This is where I cheered Natalie on) Alex too quickly repaired her walls again to shield herself from life. Misunderstandings can suck the life right out of person as they did in this story. The moral is open your heart and seek the truth. Life is messy. If you don’t take risks, there is no reward. I would recommend this story to everyone, even if you don’t normally read contemporary fiction or young adult.
FYI **Originally written for "BigAl’s Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy.** July 15, 2015
Format/Typo Issues I found no significant issues in editing or formatting.
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