Ashes by Gail Harris

A story of two broken people one a firefighter the other an emergency nurse one living in the aftermath of death and betrayal the other a broken romance and new to town follow the journey as they try to move on and live a life after a broken past and happier a hope new beginning but will they do it together read the story to see?

A reasonably enjoyable and well written and a bit of suspense to keep you turning the page

Another awesome book by Gail Harris! I haven't ever been disappointed with her writing, great pacing and character development. Don't miss this one for all the feels we look for in romance!

I enjoyed this book. It was well written and the plot was great. I felt like it started out slow but it was necessary information to understand the characters. On the other hand I think the exciting part went to fast and ended too soon. All in all it was a great book.

This book is excellent!! Gail Harris is a writer I will always read! Her books are worth every single minute spent.

Carter and Natalia have both had hurt in their pasts, and lived through heartbreak. Together, can they overcome the hurts? Or will they truly not match? This is an amazing story of the road they walk together.

I’ve read every book of Gail Harris that I can find, and have loved every one. Her books challenge you to think, to put yourself in the position of these characters and wonder if you’d make the same choices. Isn’t that why we read?

Ashes is a standalone romance in the K.Bromberg’s multi-authored Everyday Heroes World. This story follows the romance between fire fighter and an ER Nurse Carter and Natalia. Carter was a complex character living in the aftermath of death and betrayal and had closed himself off to everyone. Natalia was new to town wanting to get on with her life after a breakup. These two started off on the wrong and the romance between them was a slow burn. The story was told in dual POV and addition to romance there was some suspense and mystery. This was a fast paced enjoyable read and I would recommend it to lovers of contemporary romance.

It's a short read that was okay, i couldn't really connect with the characters. It has a good beginning but then it felt rushed and with some matter left unresolved.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book received from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this story , it was a great light read with a lovely leading pair. I loved the dual POVs they were done really well, I love the fact they start off on the wrong side of each other, then it turns to friendship, I love it’s not rushed as so many romances do. The writing was good and I look forward to reading more books from the author, overall a really enjoyable romantic read with some drama

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Lots of angst with strong characters and touches of humor. I think Lolly was my favorite character! I enjoyed Natalia’s sass. While I liked this story, I felt there were some story threads that were left hanging.


Spoiler Alert!



Natalia had a boudoir shoot but nothing seemed to happen with the pictures. Lolly was the only one who got to see them in passing. Carter doesn’t get to even see them.
Carter exhibited reckless and dangerous behavior on the job multiple times yet his fire chief didn’t address this. No reprimand, no suggestion of talking to a counselor, nothing which seemed remiss given the inherent dangers to his job as a fireman. I don’t even recall mention of a fire chief.
Given that Natalia was a victim of 2 fires, I was surprised that her family was not more present in the story.
I felt the villainous aspect was forced. Despite the villain admitting to a past crime, the legal authorities were not able to apprehend him. Yet he was apprehended years after his second offense. The crimes were essentially a cold case, yet it was solved. What was the missing key?
If you can overlook these details, it is a good book to pass an afternoon.

Ashes is my first book by Gail Haris and it certainly will not be my last! This is the story of Carter and Natalia .
Carter is a firefighter that is recovering from the ultimate betrayal and then tragedy when it comes to his former love and family.
Natalia is making a new start. She is an ER nurse that needed to break away form her old life with an fiancé that didn't respect her value her. These two individuals are carrying so much emotional baggage from their old lives that the more you read the more you want them to have that real love.
They start off on the wrong foot but we soon see a friendship budding and with a bit of meddling from Carter's grandmother maybe it can become so much more.
A great slow burn filled with mystery, action and yes romance !!
Michele McMullen ~~ (

Slow Burn With Happily Ever After

I really loved this book! This book has dual POV, guaranteed happily ever after, a tall brooding guy trying to get over past trauma, and a fierce woman who was busy creating a life herself. I really liked all of the details and research that went into creating the scenarios that a firefighter like Carter would come across. Carter and Natalia are such strong personalities and I absolutely love them. They both care so much about making a positive impact on the world, and it made me root for them even more. They deserve to be happy.

This has all the best tropes Close proximity, the hero/protector persona for both of them, the very specific type of enemies to lovers where they're both too stubborn to admit they like each other. Their love story was a slow burn with a lot of buildup, but everything leading up to them finally getting together was sooo worth it! Carter and Natalia's interactions were fun and flirtatious throughout. They just knew how to get under each other's skin while still making the other person feel all sorts of ways. And Lolly! I would be totally remiss if I forgot to mention Lolly who is the master puppeteer behind all of this! This crazy old woman saw two people who would be perfect for each other, and took it into her own hands playing Matchmaker.

It had drama and thriller heart pounding moments when the thriller portion of this book came into play. And there are a few plot twists that I don't want to give away... The writing was fantastic, and I can't wait to read more books by Haris!

The story between Natalia and Carter is a slow burn and the build up to them being together is what kept me reading because as a reader, I got to know them. They are both trying to move on from painful pasts and their first meet doesn't start off great but the chemistry is there, smoldering until it can no longer stand on its own. These two are fire! The story also has some mystery and suspense that had me on the edge until the very end.

This is the third book of the series and the first that I read. You can easily read this one without having read the other two although I highly recommend going back and reading them just so you have a better idea of some characters. That is my plan because I enjoyed this one so much.

I am a huge MC Romance fan and the Houston Defiance MC series along K.E. Osborn didn’t disappoint at all. Kevlar was a police officer before joining the MC. He fell in love with the president’s daughter whom he married, then she passed away.

When Kevlar goes to New Orleans to let some trouble blow over he meets Jovie and Savannah. Can I first say I love the Jovie? It is just so different. Anyway, after the trouble he’s ready to head home and ends up taking Jovie and Savannah with him.

There is so much emotion in this book and not just from the romance. This was so well written that I would certainly give it more than 5 starts if I could. I can’t wait to read of this series.

Ashes by Gail Haris is wonderful if you love a good slow burn (pun intended) romance. I could not put it down, it held my interest all the way through and left me wanting more of this amazing world. I went into it thinking that it would be a typical romance book, but it was so much more, there was action, thrills, mystery and of course romance on top of all of that. I loved it from start to finish and hope to read more books by Gail Haris in the future.

Ashes is so hot!!! Definitely belongs in the everyday hero’s collection. The story flowed so well and kept me engaged. I had to read it all in one sitting, I couldn’t put it down!!

Everything about this story intrigued me from the cover to the blurb. Plus I’m a big fan of this world and wouldn’t wait to read. It is a slow burn that is worth the read. Both characters suffered in their own ways but Carter is so broken down one wonders if Natalia can save him. The author throws some twists and and situations that make things interesting and keep you turning the pages.

A fantastic read. I loved every word of this story. I couldn't put it down. The characters captured my heart straight away. The storyline was brilliant and kept me wanting more. I was gutted when it ended I would have happily read more. A very very good read.

From KB Worlds, this Everyday Hero story sheds light on Carter, a Firefighter, who struggles with betrayal and loss, just as Natalia, an RN, relocates after a failed relationship and strives to declare her independence by cutting ways with her past. Both experience brutal disloyalty, and once they catapult into each other’s lives, a slow burn develops in this suspenseful plot.

Day in and day out, first responders lay down their lives in more ways than can be imagined. Carter’s commitment to the job shines through during an emergency response that I found to be commendable. Also, I thoroughly enjoyed the comedic relief from Granny Lolly, and really liked when the chemistry picked up between Carter and Natalia. Overall, Ashes is a slow-burn, yearning romance with a dash of humor that reignites the heat!

I look forward to reading other works from the KB World—Sunnyville series.

Memorable Quote:
“...you’ll either reignite what’s left within the ashes—because there’s always embers hiding under the ashes—or you’ll completely extinguish it.” ~ Carter, Ashes

**Received via NetGalley and I voluntarily chose to review.**

Gail Haris’ Ashes is rife with passion, and not just limited to the romantic variety. From desire, to angst and emotional suffering, the story seems to tell itself through a writing style that keeps the emotions in the forefront, yet the characters are nicely complementary...the darkest that could easily over shadow a very romantic story, is juxtaposed by the joy and light that only a new love and life can provide.

Now that I’ve been introduced to Ms Haris’ writing style, I’m looking forward to reading more of her stories.

This ARC book was complimentary, provided by the Publisher and NetGalley. I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

ARC received from the The Next Step PR. Voluntarily reviewing and all opinions are objective and my own.

Gail Haris has easily become one of my favorite authors over the course of 2020 and she’s working on keeping that title for 2021! This book had all the feels! As always, she wins on the characters.

Interracial romance is a plus. I found the character wasn’t just Puerto Rican; her culture and language was brought into her character for more than just saying it’s there. It became a part of her. Carter is a firefighter with an even hotter personality. He’s really funny and I loved the banter between the characters. It definitely made the book.

A bit of a slow burn romance, and it worked. I found the push-pull between the characters was just the perfect amount. The level of suspense in this also added a level of wonderful entertainment.

All in all, this author is winning the book race!

3.75 stars--ASHES by Gail Haris is a stand alone, contemporary, adult, romance story line found in K.Bromberg’s multi-authored Everyday Heroes World. This is firefighter Carter Collins, and ER nurse Natalia Vasquez’s story line.


Told from dual first person perspectives (Natalia and Carter) ASHES follows the acrimonious but building romance between firefighter Carter Collins, and ER nurse Natalia Vasquez. Two years earlier, Carter Collins life imploded when he lost the love of his life, and his brother on the same night.Fast forward to present day wherein Carter struggles to move on from the past, a past mired in betrayal and heart break.Meeting ER nurse Natalie Vasquez stirs something deep within our story line hero but Carter’s delicate hold on sanity is put to the test when he discovers that Natalia Vasquez, has moved in with his grandmother after the fire that nearly claimed our heroine’s life. What ensues is the tempestuous relationship between Natalia and Carter, as Carter battles between head and heart, and the overwhelming memories that threaten any semblance of happiness for our story line hero, including a possible rival for our heroine’s heart.


Nothing has gone right for Natalia Vasquez since moving to the small town of Sunnyvale California. An apartment fire finds Natalie accepting an offer from an elderly woman who is none other than Carter Collins’ feisty grandmother but Carter continues to battle the demons from the past,and his attraction to Natalie is offset by memories of betrayal and pain. Carter Collins is a broken man, a man who believes he is not worthy of love, and has issues of trust where it concerns his heart but Carter is about to discover that the woman with whom he is falling in love has been targeted for sins of the past.


The slow building relationship between Carter and Natalia begins as professional front line workers but Carter barely sees beyond the fog of betrayal. As Carter’s grandmother Lolly sets into motion a plan to force our couple together, Carter stubbornly refuses to move beyond the demons of his past. The lone $ex scene is passionate and seductive; the sexual attraction is palpable and hot.


The colorful and energetic secondary and supporting characters include Carter’s grandmother Lolly, as well as Natalia’s parents, several hospital personnel, and firefighters; Carter’s ex-girl friend Payton, and his brother Warren,and real estate agent Seth Bohnert.


ASHES is a story of family, friendships and relationships; betrayal and heart break; acceptance and love. The premise is impassioned; the romance struggles in the face of Carter’s inability to let go of the past; the characters are responsive and dynamic.


Copy supplied by Netgalley


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