Duo review by Cindy & Cheryl
TITLE: From These Ashes
SERIES: Haven Hart Book 4
AUTHOR: Davidson King
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 204 Pages
RELEASE DATE: November 28, 2018
BLURB:
A product of his past, Black spends half his time saving lives and the other half taking them. Every day, a hard choice must be made and he’s the man to make it. Long ago, he vowed to never love again; one-night stands with a willing body was all he ever needed. But along came Quill, and Black’s life is irrevocably changed. He never expects something as simple as Quill’s persistence to alter the way he not only sees the world, but how he lives it.
Quill has bad taste in men and equally horrible luck. Growing up wasn’t easy, surviving is even harder. When his past and present collide, he’s convinced he’ll finally witness his own destruction. But when an unlikely antihero steps in to protect him, his life is turned on its head. He’s spent months flirting with the man of his dreams and hoping he’d take notice. But it turns out, being on Black’s radar isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and his idea of protection varies greatly from Quill’s.
Unknowingly sharing the same goal—burying their own pasts deeper than the fires of hell can reach—they’re both unaware that jumping into that fire will do more than ignite their feelings, it could lead to their own demise. Will Black and Quill be consumed by the flames, or from these ashes, will they find their own happily ever after?
REVIEW by Cheryl:
This was a very eagerly awaited book for me, as a fan of the entire series. I totally fell in love with the world of Haven Hart in book one, when Snow swept me off my feet. In Book Two, Teddy took the limelight (well, until the massive pink bunny who would—natch—steal any show), and in Book Three, Mace became my favourite. On the other side of these beautiful men are the faces of organized crime in Haven Hart. I’ve read many books where the protagonist is the “bad guy” but it’s rare to find a book that is so unashamed of it. Christopher and Black head a mob-like crime syndicate and an assassination agency respectively, and basically run the underbelly of the city. They are hard, violent and merciless, yet their treatment of their partners, who are usually as far from “bad guys” as you could imagine (especially Teddy) is gentle and caring. It’s fresh, and deliciously naughty, to be rooting for someone who has no moral struggle with the bad things he does. Neither does the author seek to “punish” them for their wrongdoing. So many times (in my opinion) an author spoils the ending of the book with a need to make sure everyone who has done a bad thing gets punished and no one gets away. It can often feel forced and unnatural. That’s not how real life works and it’s sometimes not warranted.
As the fourth instalment of the Haven Hart saga From These Ashes has big boots to fill. The first three books were each something special and this one had to deliver even more. Did it succeed? I think so. If anything, the story was more polished in this book. Its intricacies flowed more smoothly. I’d say that perhaps the plot was more complex in the last book Dancing with Danger, but this one was smoother in the way the layers were peeled back and Quill’s secrets slowly revealed, with a big dollop of Black’s in the middle of it all.
As with all the Haven Hart books, there was suspense and plenty of surprises as well as some sizzling scenes. All the characters were beautifully crafted, including the bad guys. I adored Quill and loved how he got under Black’s skin a bit at a time. The Christmas decorations scene was priceless! The age difference wasn’t belaboured, but it cropped up enough to show that the characters were aware of it and it was being considered, as well as to explain some of the interactions and conflict, and the very different ideologies of the two men.
I think a lot of people will identify with Quill, who puts on a brave face and uses a front (in his case flirting) to mask the pain and insecurity beneath. He’s a fun character that gains more depth and weight as the book progresses. I doubt many will identify with Black as he is now but I’m sure they’ll recognise many of the things he went through that made him what he is — the depth of suffering when you lose someone you care about and blame yourself, the burning need to take on the world if you have to for revenge.
There were some cameo appearances from other characters in the series, and I absolutely loved Teddy at the ball. He is so sweetly oblivious. There were also new characters who look like they might make things interesting in books to come. I, personally, liked Ginger a lot and I think he’s going to be the unwitting cause of a whole heap of trouble, and maybe a means to resolve it?
Was the book perfect? No. There were mistakes, lots of them, but in my opinion, the story sweeps them away. It’s a cracking good read, and at the end of the day that’s all we can expect from a book. Some books are elegant and flawlessly executed, others drag us in by the throat and hold us at gunpoint until the end, then blow our brains out. This falls into the latter category, and I can’t wait until Book Five arrives.
NOTE: Who am I kidding? I can’t wait for Book 5 because I want more of Poe.
RATING: 
REVIEW by Cindy
When I saw that book 4 in this series was out I jumped at the chance to review it.
Quill has been adorable since the first time we met him. And Black? Well I was kind of hoping we’d get to know him a little better.
The interesting thing about this series is how they pair such sweet guys with these bad-ass assassins and crime lords. It almost feels funny to say how much I like these bad guys except they are really good guys too who operate under their own code of “ethics.”
There’s something about this series that just drew me in and wouldn’t let me go.
For Black, falling for Quill is totally against his will and when he realizes how deep he’s involved with the younger man, it’s too late to back out.
Haven Hart is an interesting place to live and the author has done a great job of creating a place for her characters to play. There are still many questions to be answered and so it gives me hope for more in this series.
It was good to finally get Black’s back story and it was just as heartbreaking as I’d imagined. It certainly helped me understand how his life came to be what it is.
Quill? His was just as bad. This is a guy who’s working so hard to escape from his past but it just seems to keep rolling over him.
I love how they both became so much stronger because of the things they’d overcome.
However, I did have an issue with this story. It felt rushed to me. It didn’t have the same pacing as the others and I felt like maybe things went by too fast and that was a disappointment. I would have liked to have seen it slow down a little and give us a better understanding of both men’s motivation. The story still pulled me along on a fantastic journey, but it didn’t have the same zing as the previous three.
But all in all, I still liked the story a whole lot and I’m definitely hoping to see what happens next in this funny little town.
RATING: 
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