Reviewed by Christian (Brianna)
TITLE: From Ashes
SERIES: Heathens Ink, Book 3
AUTHOR: K.M. Neuhold
NARRATOR: Kenneth Obi
PUBLISHER: K.M. Neuhold
LENGTH: 6 hrs and 7 mins
RELEASE DATE: January 18, 2018
BLURB:
“When the broken man with scarred skin walked into Heathens, asked for a job, and showed me a sketch of a phoenix, it felt like fate.” – Adam It started with an anonymous post by someone who didn’t want to live anymore. I read it over and over again, unable to get it out of my mind. What if my brother Johnny had posted something like this before he’d taken his own life? Would someone have been able to save him? I’ve been living a lie for 16 long years, and I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to keep it up. And when a beautiful, broken man walks into my tattoo shop asking for a second chance at life, I know I’ll never be able to turn him away. “When I was so far down I couldn’t even see the light, a stranger reached in to save me.” – Nox I didn’t have anything to live for, until a kind stranger pulled me back from the brink. With physical and emotional scars, I have nowhere to turn now but to that same stranger who saved my life without realizing it. But as my feelings for Adam grow, will I ever be anything other than a surrogate for the brother he couldn’t save? Am I even worthy of his love? From Ashes is the third book in the Heathens Ink series; each book in the series can be enjoyed as a standalone. Caution: This audiobook contains graphic descriptions of domestic violence and drug use that may be disturbing to some listeners.
REVIEW:
I can honestly say that Adam and Nox’s story is one of the most heartfelt, bittersweet stories I have ever read/listened to.
Nox is in a horrible situation when Adam finds him on an anonymous app one day. Nox is a druggie like his mother, has an abusive boyfriend, and doesn’t think he can live in this world much longer. But Adam seems to be a light to him. Through months of messages back and forth, Nox slowly begins to believe that Adam is really a good person. Nox has not had any good people in his life. Finally Nox decides to buy a bus ticket and move to Seattle. But something happens that will change his life forever.
Adam lives day to day with the ghost of his brother’s suicide. Everything Adam does is to help atone for his brother’s death. Guilt freezes him at night. And not just because of his brother’s death. He has never told anyone that he is bisexual. Not even his gay best friend. When he finds Nox he wonders if he can help save him from his suicidal thoughts and drug addiction. If he could save just one more life maybe his brothers suicide wasn’t for nothing. But there’s something different about Nox. He shines like a light in Adams dim world. Until one day he doesn’t hear from Nox again and Adam believes that he failed yet another person.
A year later scrawny guy with scars all over his arms walks into the tattoo shop with a sketchbook.Inside is a beautiful drawing of a phoenix, along with other wonderful works of art. Adam, not knowing who this person is, takes him on as an apprentice tattooer. There’s some sort of spark or light that Adam can’t ignore…
I absolutely love this book. But I did have doubts at the beginning. I’m normally not into books where one of the main characters is addicted to drugs. I have been through having partners who were into drugs and it’s just not something that I want to go through in my head again. But if you are at all like me, please give this book a chance. At the beginning when Nox and Adam are apart there is drug use. But once Nox moved to Seattle everything changed. The story is believable and both characters have their issues they have to work through. But Nox is now a fighter and doesn’t give up easily.
I love their dynamic. Their love is real and soulful. I think that the book should have gone over a little bit more of how Adam is trying to fix everybody because of what happened with his brother. It seems like he just goes from wanting to help everybody and being guilt-ridden to just letting it all go. I think there should have been something in the middle.
Kenneth Obi does a good job of narration for Adam and Nox. There are sometimes when his voice for Adam goes up a few octaves and sounds like it’s Knox. It confused me a couple times but it wasn’t too bad. But I did still love his narration. I just think that he needs to narrate more books and hone in on his differentiating the characters a bit more. The hot and sexy times were good. I wanted to hear more breathiness and maybe a bit of moaning when the book says that is what is happening, but all in all, he still made those times hot. He also made the characters very believable. He does higher octave voices very well and the lower ones also. I can’t wait for more of his narrations to see how he grows as a narrator.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS: