Oh, I love this. Paranormal MM romance with forced proximity and a bite or two. I especially liked that this is a spinoff from another series in the same world with some of my favorite characters.

The established supernatural family at the beginning of this one gave me very strong Laurel K Hamilton vibes. However, there was a lot of characters introduced in a very short time without enough differentiation between them to keep them straight.

I soon figured out why. Although this is the first book in a new series, it is also a spin off series from an existing trilogy. As a result, all of these characters had already been established previously.

As someone who had not read the previous trilogy, I found that it was incredibly difficult to catch up on who these characters were. I enjoyed the plot of the story, but I feel as though to fully enjoy this book, one would have to first read the original trilogy.

My first book by this author and I'm already hooked . so glad that I went ahead and requested the second one to read . there was nothing i didn't hate about this story , loved it so much that i ended up reading it in a day. Can't wait to see more of this world or of the characters

Looking forward to reading more! If you've liked this authors other series you'll have to give this one a go too!

This is my fourth Jenn Burke book, and my fourth 5 star rating. Do with that what you may. This series/universe is impeccable,

It was great to see Evan come into his own, and interesting to see a new magical creature as part of the mix of this paranormal world created by one of my favourite Canadian authors, Jenn Burke. I started this one, then realized I needed to do a reread 'stat' of the Not Dead Yet series, then went back to this with all the characters fresh in my mind, ready for the start of the spinoff series.

This book starts 5 years after the end of the first series, so we get some cameos from immortal God Wes and vampire Hudson but it's really about the vampire Evan becoming his own man, learning to deal with his depression, and ready to solve his own mystery - that of souls that are being taken without permission at a 'retreat'. Upon investigation (by posing as a client), Evan discovers that Colin, a former firefighter who disappeared in a fire has been under a spell for 3 decades and retrieving souls for the villain of the story. It turns out Colin is a phoenix (a conduit for magical energy), and has no memory of the past 30 odd years, not to mention having to deal with the paranormal characters he now finds himself involved with (after almost killing Evan). Colin also came of age during the AIDS crisis and has hidden his bisexual feelings, until he discovers he has feelings for Evan (who, though grieving a relationship that never had the chance to develop, is ready to move on).

This is the first story in a trilogy so along with the suspense and action there is a happy for now ending for Evan and Colin with more to come in the next book. The author does a great job of creating an interesting paranormal world, as well as telling an overall story arc to keep the reader wanting to read more. It was great to see some of the familiar characters but also to spend time with new ones, and I've no doubt there will be more to come.

I absolutely loved this MM romance.

Such a great book with a solid storyline and great characters.

I eagerly look forward to reading more from this author.

A definite recommend!

I loved "Not Dead Yet" series and loved this one.
It's gripping and highly entertaining, the chemistry between the characters is interesting and the plot kept me turning pages.
Great characters and world building.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book!

First off I want to mention that I did start this book when I was first approved, I got about 6% in but I found myself very confused so I decided to binge read the original series, “Not Dead Yet” and I’m so glad I did! I would also recommend doing that, even though this is a spinoff series, I think you’ll get a lot more out of this one if you’ve read the previous series too.

Overall, I really enjoyed this first book, the plot was super fast paced, the slow burn budding romance was great and I adored the mental illness rep. I’ll definitely read the next book when it releases!

I'm in love with this series and this spin-off was just a perfect sequel to the original trilogy.
It takes place 5 years after the magnificent ending of the first series and the MC is none other than Evan, the baby vampire Hudson accidentally killed and sired. Evan suffers from depression and I really love how it's not magically cured once he became a vampire. He goes to therapy, has his good and bad days, takes his medication and lives his life one day at a time.
In a peculiar turn of events with Hudson and Wes are out of the country, Evan goes undercover and he finds himself bonded to a man who doesn't remember the last 24 years of his life!
It's funny and sad, and also pretty scary. I was so scared for the characters because the villain in this book was evil!!
I can't wait to read more and to see what's going to happen now after that ending!!!

4.25 stars!

It is so good to be back with the Not Dead Yet crew! The Ashes & Dust series features Vamp Jr. or Evan (to those not in the know) from the previous Not Dead Yet series. And I'm here for all of it!

Evan is taking over the Investigation agency for a few days while his boss, Hudson, is out of town with strict instructions to stay away from any paranormal cases that pop up. Everything is going fine until his therapist Anika enlists his help with a retreat where she commonly sends her supernatural patient's when they need something a little extra or different in the way of treatments. Some of her patients have turned out to have died after attending the retreat under very eerie and similarly suspicious circumstances. Evan agrees to go undercover at the retreat and while he's there he discovers something more than they ever thought was possible. In an attempt to escape the fate that many have befallen, Evan ends up bonded to one of his attempted killers, except this killer has no idea who he is or what is or any memory of what he's been doing for the past 30 years.

I seriously could not put the book down! The plot was just superb. I even went straight out and listened to the audio directly after, because I am so much of a glutton and Tim Paige always does such a good job narrating.

I will say that you should definitely read the Not Dead Yet series beforehand because Ashes & Dust is a continuation of that world and character interactions just with a different set of primary characters. We do still get a lot of interaction with Wes and Hudson but they are secondary characters in this series. Which, I will take any and all I get from them.

The romance aspect of this book is still in its teeny tiny infancy stage and it is so refreshing! I love that Evan and Colin are still in the figuring everything out stage at the end of the book versus the very cliche 'we are the for-eva in lurve and we just met a week ago and dancing off into the sunset of thousands of years together without any dust-ups or anything. Lalalalala'. Evan and Colin still have a lot to work through mentally and emotionally themselves and then also as a couple- if that **shrugs**. Plus, Colin has that a lot to process through regarding the whole retrograde amnesia and a lost 30 years.

Jenn Burke is always a win for me. She just knows how to really spin a fun, sexy, and just really entertaining story. You cannot go wrong with anything she writes. IMHO. Serious kudos Ms. Burke. Please, please, please write a whole lot more and also if it could publish like next week, that'd be fab!

*I had the absolute privilege of getting an ARC from the publisher and Netgalley and I could not be more grateful. All thoughts and comments are my own.*

Heat Factor: Dry humping to climax is great, but have you ever tried a “whoops we woke up in the same bed and we’re aroused” hand job?
Character Chemistry: It was sweet
Plot: Someone is sucking the souls out of people with magic, so of course the vampire PI goes undercover to investigate and then ends up metaphysically bound to the soul-sucker
Overall: It took a long time to figure out what the deal was with the love interest, but the mystery and the magical creatures made for a fun read

Burke’s world building is pretty fun. I’m loving getting to know Toronto from all of these Canadian authors. And who knew Jenn Burke was already on my radar because Not Dead Yet, the first book in the series from which this series spins off, is on my TBR.

I’ve seen a few bubbles of happiness from other reviewers who’ve read the first series and were excited that Evan finally gets his own story. Me, I have not read that series, so I was going into this world cold turkey. Here are some things I didn’t really know when I picked up this book:
1. Burke apparently likes to write 3-book series featuring the same protagonists
2. It’s 1st person, so the love interest gets there when he gets there (18% is when he shows up, and he’s not himself until 31%)
3. There’s an ongoing mystery that will continue in the next book...

Sometimes that’s all pretty fun, and there wasn’t a cliffhanger, so I enjoyed this, but it’s also not for everyone.

The blurb pretty clearly encapsulates what’s going on with this story, so I’ll focus on some fun things that made this book stand out:
1. When Evan meets Colin, he’s known as “Red” and is kind of robotic and weird. In fact, Colin has been ensorcelled and thinks it’s still 1990. Coming to himself in 2024 when Evan inadvertently binds them together is a bit of a shock.
2. Colin is bisexual, but because he still thinks it’s 1990 he’s still dealing with the stigma (and other things) that were more prevalent then, i.e. he doesn’t think that bisexuality is a thing, and he was engaged to a woman so he convinced himself he’s not gay, so that handjob he just gave Evan was, like, not really a thing.
3. Evan is living with depression and had suicidal ideation before he was made into a vampire. I appreciated the way that his depression was a component of his life that he understood and managed and not a dark cloud hovering over him constantly.
4. Friendly demons are kind of scary fun
5. Vampires don't ejaculate when they orgasm
6. Shared baths are AWESOME

Also there were several times that I laughed out loud. Burke’s writing is a lovely combination of playful and sensitive, and I felt really cozy being wrapped up in it while I was reading. I’m totally going to want to read the next book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report.

Once bitten. Twice burned. Forever bonded.

Don’t miss this riveting and romantic spin-off series from Jenn Burke, author of Not Dead Yet.

Paranormals are dying. All over the city, with no explanation and only one thing in common: their magic is missing.

Vampire and private investigator Evan Fournier isn’t supposed to be taking on paranormal cases, but when the murderer hits close to home, he agrees to look into it. The last thing he expects is to become a target himself—and then to become irrevocably bonded to the man who just tried to kill him.

With his memory gone and his soul bonded to a stranger, former firefighter Colin Zhang wants to be anywhere else. He doesn’t have a damn clue why he just tried to kill Evan, and he didn’t even know about magic until just now. The sooner he can get back to his real life, the better.

But every time either of them tries to leave, pure agony stops them short. Forced to work with Evan or suffer the consequences, Colin must excavate the secrets buried in his missing memories while battling two rising threats: the conspiracy behind the murder, and his mutual attraction to the bond mate he never wanted.

Because we reviewed the first trilogy together, Kaetrin and I decided to continue the partnership with this series too. Warning: Some spoilers for the earlier series follow. – Sirius

Sirius: I learned of the existence of this book because somebody at my favorite m/m group mentioned. I enjoyed the first trilogy in this series (Not Dead Yet), so I eagerly clicked on this book. This is sequel/spinoff from the original books and as blurb tells you Evan is now front and center of the narrative. You don’t really need to read the first trilogy in order to understand the events in this story, but I highly highly recommend you read it in order to understand the characters, because their little band (family, really) had been through hell and back and the events in Not Dead Yet influenced the main characters.

Five years have passed since the events of the last book. The year is now 2024. I have to admit I wondered why the author chose that specific time (only three years in the future but still in the future) and I suspect (pure speculation, I did not ask the author about it) that it is because she did not want to write about the world with Covid in it and chose a plausible time frame where Covid could be gone. Or maybe I am completely off base and she decided that 2024 is a good year to place this story in just because she liked the number or whatever reason.

Kaetrin: Could be Sirius! I thought it was more about wanting some distance between the events of Graveyard Shift and this series, to allow Evan to settle into his life better but also because the last book was set in 2019. Perhaps it is both. :)

Sirius: Entirely possible. I actually considered that but was not sure because Evan was still mourning Iskander (what started and what could have been), so I did not feel like a lot of distance actually passed where his emotions were concerned but now I am thinking that right after the death took place he would have felt much more raw than he is feeling now, so you could very well be right.

Sirius: At the beginning of the book Evan is working an assignment for Caballero Investigations and when he comes home he learns that Wes and Hudson need to go to London because of Hudson’s brother serious health emergency. I thought it was an excellent way to get Wes and Hudson “out of commission” so to speak because what they are dealing with is something super serious and health of the loved one is really the only time these two would not rush in to help out with whatever case their friends/chosen family members are working. And even within this scenario at some point Wes and Hudson do come back once to help out when they are badly needed. As I said, I liked how the author chose to “temporarily disperse” of them and let Evan take center stage and other members of the gang help out of course.

Evan’s therapist Anika comes to them with a serious problem and despite Hudson’s order not to take on paranormal cases while they are gone, Evan cannot say no to her for many reasons . As a result he goes undercover to a retreat for paranormals . Evan goes undercover as himself, as a very real patient managing his depression.

I got an impression that in some ways being there even helped Evan a bit.

“At breakfast, I socialized with Janie and the rest of the Trivial Pursuit crew (though tonight’s game was Life). It was clear they understood I wasn’t quite myself—they included me in their conversation and trash-talking, but gently. I appreciated their care. As messed up as I felt, it was nice to be among people who got it. Lexi, Wes, Hudson… they all did their best to understand, but none of them knew what I was going through with my mental illness.

After I was done with my breakfast, I walked over to the main building and begged off my session with Dr. Ueda with the excuse that I was feeling delicate from the day before. Not a lie, which was the best sort of lie. She approved of my request for a quiet day and told me she’d have my lunch delivered to my yurt.”

Kaetrin: Oh yes, it definitely revealed some issues Evan had not been dealing with.

Sirius: Do you think it revealed the issues he was not dealing with or that he had up and downs in managing his depression? I suppose working with therapist does not necessarily mean that he was sharing everything with her, but I was at least happy to learn that he was working with the therapist on the pretty regular basis. I ask because I want to make sure I understand your interpretation of the books in detail, not because I am trying to doubt you.

Kaetrin: I think there were things about Iskander’s death he hadn’t talked to anyone about yet. He was really reluctant to go there in group therapy. Obviously, Dr. Anika knew Iskander had died so I’m sure they talked about it some in therapy but there were raw parts which hadn’t been aired yet. Or at least, that was my impression. Evan’s depression is an ongoing illness he has to manage as well. I liked the representation here – one one view, it was because of his depression he could so easily go undercover at the retreat. So in some ways in this book, it’s a feature not a bug. More broadly though, Evan’s depression is mostly well-managed and he makes accommodations for it but he still lives his life and is successful. His grief over the loss of Iskander is on top of his ongoing condition and I had the feeling there were many things unresolved. (I think he still feels a lot of guilt and there’s an interaction with Lexi late in the book which shows this too.)

Sirius: In other ways Evan’s stay at the retreat also turned quite deadly which he both did and did not expect. At the retreat Evan meets Colin. I cannot tell you how he meets Colin or what exactly Colin was doing at the retreat, but since the blurb tells you that Colin tried to kill Evan, I will not deny it and let you read details yourself :-).

I really liked Colin’s character and since it is pretty clear that he is going to be Evan’s love interest from the blurb, I think it is not a spoiler that he is a good guy, but man he has issues. Issues which were forced upon him of course, but that does not make it any easier to deal with it. The blurb does talk about the bond Colin and Evan end up in after their um… stay at the retreat, I will not talk about the details of the bond, but let me be clear that right now at least the bond is as far as from my most disliked version of it.

The “you are my soulmate, we are bonded forever and let’s live happily ever after” is so not my favorite trope. No, bond or not, Colin and Evan are just starting their relationship and while Colin is not opposed to starting *something* he is initially very reluctant to even think about it and I thought that his reasons were convincing. It made sense to me within this book and if we still have more books coming, it also makes sense that the relationship will be developing further in the next books.

However if you ask me whether I saw the developing chemistry between these two, my answer will be absolutely I did. Your mileage may differ of course.

“He backed away, his expression filled with horror. “I’m done. I’m so done. Can you knock me out again? Please? Put me back where you found me? Something?” It had to be the bond that pushed me around the front of the car, to put my hands on Colin’s shoulders and pull him into an embrace. Had to be, because it made no sense that I would be hugging him otherwise. I wasn’t even sure I liked him. He was brash, annoying, and more than a little crude at times. Unrefined and unapologetic about it. The complete opposite of Iskander in so many ways.”

Kaetrin: I agree with you regarding their chemistry.

The entire book took place in the space of just over a week so it made sense to me that the story ended in HFN territory. I expect this series will follow a similar romantic trajectory as the first trilogy – which is fine with me.

I can’t say more here without giving away spoilers but I appreciated the examination of certain aspects of Colin’s past life and his difficulty in adjusting to his current one.

Sirius: The blurb tells you that Colin is missing huge chunk of his memories. Well, yes, but memories are not the only thing he is missing.

Kaetrin: Without giving too much away, Colin comes from a different time and it was really interesting to me just how much has actually changed since then. It doesn’t seem like that long ago to me but the world is very different now. Poor Colin has a lot to deal with.

Sirius: Also, kudos to author for introducing a very fun twist on well known paranormal being in this book. I really liked it.

Same as in the original book I thought the writer managed to balance the romance and paranormal action really well. There was also some humor in the dialogue even if the book overall is not very funny, so I appreciated that.

Sirius: Grade: B but only because nothing really was resolved in this book and I reserve my judgment to see how the mystery/suspense/action story will end and what is in store for the romance.

Kaetrin: I felt that the story ended at a place which wrapped up part of the suspense plot but left things to be resolved over the course of the next two books. It worked for me. In fact, this book worked better for me than the three previous books. (I liked them but I liked this one better.) I really connected with the story and the characters. I also liked the rather unique method the author used to get this pair into the same bed. Grade: B+

Sirius: Just to be clear I really connected to story and characters too . Our only difference seems to be that I did not feel that suspense was not resolved either and I did not mind where it stopped for the first book. I just don’t want to give an A for the first book not knowing how the story will be resolved. Does it make sense? For example as you may remember I did not mind what happened to Iskander in the last book, I thought it worked for the story, but it does not mean that I loved it and that I would grade that book an A, so not knowing what the future brings B it is for me, but I enjoyed this book very much.

I knew that All Fired Up was a spin-off of Jenn Burke's Not Dead Yet Series, which I haven't read, so I expected there to be some crossover that I may not catch. What I didn't expect was the need to figure out the backstory of this world. I wasn't completely lost, but I did have enough questions that it took me a bit to really get into this one. I do like the premise of this story and the way Burke handles the bond between Evan and Colin. Basically, if you like forced proximity romance, you'll probably enjoy this one. These two do have good chemistry, and they're likable characters, so it's easy to root for them. This is the beginning of the spin-off series, and there is a continuing story, so don't expect everything to be tied up in a neat little package because there are things you'll have to wait for. It is an intriguing world, and I think I would've been more invested if I'd read the series that started it all, which I just may do while waiting for book 2.

I was one of those readers that was not at all happy with the fact that Jenn Burke’s Not Dead Yet series had come to an end. I may have even voiced that opinion in my review of Graveyard Shift. Although I felt that Wes and Hudson’s story came to a satisfying, yet bittersweet end, there were still things that needed to be resolved. Namely, the way things were left for Evan. For that reason alone, you can imagine how happy I was to find out that not only were things not quite over, Evan was getting his own story. 🙂

You can read All Fired Up without reading the Not Dead Yet series first, but there’s a lot of back story in the previous series that Ashes & Dust builds off. Wes and Hudson make a few well timed appearances and so do other familiar characters. This is most definitely Evan and Colin’s story though and it was a great start to their series.

Both Evan and Colin are broken characters. Evan suffered a devastating loss and still battles with emotional scars he suffered in his past. Colin has to come to terms with the fact that the life he thought he had is over. He “woke up” to a world he had no idea existed – one that he’s now a part of whether he likes it or not.

The tenuous relationship between Colin and Evan is only part of the story. There’s a new threat to paranormals the evil behind it needs to be stopped. Colin may not understand what’s going on, but he’s at the center of the conspiracy and once Evan gets him away, they both end up with targets on their back. Needless to say, I can’t wait for this series to continue. House on Fire is next and it can’t come soon enough. 😉

Colin and Evan were wonderful characters, their story was a great addition to the Not Dead Yet world. Ashes and Dust already looks to be a fantastic addition to my keeper shelf and I cannot wait to add the next book.

*I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley*

With his bosses (and sire) out of town, Evan Fournier is not supposed to take any paranormal private investigation cases. They always go haywire, no matter now straightforward they may seem. But when Evan is approached by his doctor about her patients dying under suspicious circumstances, he can’t help but get involved. It turns out that some patients that the doctor referred to a paranormal mental health/relaxation retreat have returned home only to lose their magical souls and die.

Evan decides he will go to the retreat posing as a guest to see what he can uncover. While there, he finds a suspicious, seemingly abandoned building, as well as encountering a strange, almost robotic man following him around. Before he knows it, Evan has stumbled into real trouble and barely makes it out alive. But in the process, he ends up bonded to one of the men who tried to kill him, Colin Zhang. As it turns out, Colin is as much of a victim in all this as Evan. Not to mention that he has no memory of the retreat or why he was trying to kill Evan. With few other options, Evan brings Colin home while they try to sort it out.

With Hudson and Wes still out of town, Evan is doing his best to handle the case, along with help from Lexi and some other friends. Figuring out what happened to Colin to make him lose his memories is only part of the problem. The bigger issue is uncovering just what they were up to at the retreat and what was killing so many patients. In the meantime, Colin and Evan are realizing an attraction to one another, but Colin is still getting on his feet and not sure how to handle a new relationship. Now, the men have to figure out how to handle the new bond between them and decide if they want to pursue something more, all while finding the killer before they face even more danger.

All Fired Up is the first book in Jenn Burke’s new Ashes and Dust series. The story is a direct spin off of her wonderful Not Dead Yet trilogy and moves us to a new set of main characters with Evan and Colin. I adored the original series and Evan was such a fascinating character there, so I was thrilled to hear that Burke was giving him a series of his own. While I think this will most appeal to those who have read the first books and are familiar with the original story and this group of engaging characters, I think there is enough backstory on Evan and the rest of the group to make this work as a starting point (just be aware that this story will spoil some key plot points of the original trilogy).

This book jumps us about five years in the future from the end of Graveyard Shift (it is 2024). I think the time jump works well because it gives Evan some time to come into his own as a private investigator, as well as for the group to settle in the aftermath of some of the intense events of the past books. Burke cleverly finds a good reason for Wes and Hudson to be out of town for most of the book in order to give Evan his time to shine. Otherwise, the god and uber-vampire would naturally be the ones taking the lead on the case, so this was a good choice. I liked that the mystery at the retreat takes up only a portion of the story; often in this type of plot, uncovering the mystery there would be the full focus. But here, the book expands beyond that part of the story to take the mystery and investigation out into the larger world, as well as to explore the dynamics between Evan and Colin. I found the mystery to be engaging and exciting. I continue to enjoy the found family vibe here and always like when all the side characters come together to help out. Their little crew has expanded somewhat with more junior vamps helping out and the investigation is interesting with nice intensity.

As far as the relationship, I am trying not to spoil anything, so I am not going to go into too much detail about what caused Colin’s amnesia and what really happened to him. I’ll just say it is a big wow, and there is a lot of fallout as he tries to get his life back on track. The guys have accidentally bonded, so there is a lot that gets rolled into that and affects them going forward. Burke does a nice job making Colin sympathetic, despite the whole “trying to kill Evan” thing. These guys are well developed characters, each with some intense issues they are working through. I liked them together and appreciated the way they support one another.

So I think this is a really nice start to the new series. I loved being back in this world and enjoyed the new adventures for Evan and Colin. I am looking forward to where things go from here.

I requested this without knowing it's the start of a spin-off series, but luckily someone warned me to read the Not Dead Yet trilogy first! I'm glad I did and I'd recommend you do the same, because otherwise you'll get a lot of spoilers and it's just going to be less fun if you go in without knowing the characters already.

I practically inhaled the first trilogy and I did the same with this book, because these books are so fun and engaging! They're funny, they're romantic, they're suspenseful - they really give me so many feelings and it's been a while since I've found a series to get this invested in. I loved reading about my favourite baby vampire this time, although I guess he's not really a baby anymore!

This is the first book in a spin off series to Not Dead Yet. While you can read this without having read the Not Dead Yet Series I recommend reading it first. For one thing it is excellent and for another I think you might get a little more enjoyment of this one if you have.

There isn't a lot of romance in this one - it's really the set-up for a future romance although there is some and it does end with a precarious HFN between the MC's who agree to see where things will go. The characters are multi-dimensional and interesting. They aren't perfect but they are likable. Evan has some growth in this book and he starts to heal from the events in the previous series and he meets the very interesting Colin. Colin has a lot to deal with in this book and doesn't always do it gracefully but he is honest and considering how much of his life is in upheaval his feelings are very understandable.

The mystery/suspense in this book was what really grabbed me. It was interesting and kept me guessing. We are introduced to some new villains, a evil plot against supernaturals, and a well developed world with great secondary characters. I did have a few quibbles along the way where Evan makes a really stupid decision that I just wanted to roll my eyes at and of course the fact that he didn't involve Wes with all his god powers but then I guess that would have made the resolution a little too easy.

Overall a very enjoyable start to a spin off series and one I can't wait to read more of!

A vampire with depression, who's also training to be a PI is a great lead for the to the next paranormal suspense series by Jenn Burke. This is a spin off from the Not Dead Yet trilogy and while it does feature the same characters even with the first book the mood felt a bit different. That's probably owing to the new main character/narrator Evan. He's a very different character than Wes but it's still a great story with a few new characters and a mystery that I'm excited to have Evan and Colin solve.