Out of the Ashes by Jenn Burke
Ashes & Dust #3
LGBT Paranormal Romance
May 10, 2022, by Carina Press
ARC
Review by Angela
Out of the Ashes is the third and final book in the Ashes & Dust series featuring private investigator Evan Fournier and his former bond mate, phoenix Colin. You could say that Evan and Colin have seen some stuff in the last two books. Their relationship might have started out as an accidental bond formed in a moment of danger, but it has grown into love and affection.
At the last book’s conclusion, Colin had made the choice to break their bond and hope that he and Evan could reconnect and remember their passion for each other afterward. But at the start of Out of the Ashes, Colin is cold and unemotional, and despite a letter he left Evan urging him to fight for them, seems ready to give up himself. Evan doesn’t know if he can stand being rejected even one more time. Then something happens that throws this couple right back into the middle of a mystery and stuck by each other’s side during the duration.
This is a solid conclusion to this trilogy. All of the same cast of characters appear at some point, and a couple more are introduced. The overall series arc is still in play and it is wrapped up nicely, but this is mainly about Evan and Colin finding each other again and figuring out what their future looks like.
Evan has come a long way and overcome so much over the last two series in which he appears. He still struggles with depression, but he acknowledges those struggles and is willing to do the work to help himself deal with what he calls his “asshole brain” from leading him down into a deep depression. He has a great found family who serves as a wonderful support network to both him and Colin.
I couldn’t have been happier with the way Jenn Burke wrapped this series up. Pretty much every aspect worked for me, from the way the main plot concluded to the HEA. I will say that it was kind of bittersweet saying goodbye to this world once again. I’m hopeful that this author figures out a way to revisit it in the future.
Grade- B
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