Review: Love The Non-Traditional Shifter
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 4, 2014
Ashes is a great paranormal story that features a non-traditional creature....the Phoenix.The story starts out in New Mexico.  Ambrosia Pellerin is hot on the trail of an explorer who claims to have proof of the existence of the mythological creature knows as the phoenix.  After approaching the man, named Lucas Wade, in the desert, he goes berzerk, beating her up, stealing her cell phone and car, and leaving her for dead in the harsh terrain.  After awakening, Ambrosia stumbles around trying to find any signs of life from whom she could ask for help when she comes across a small building.  The owner, very exotic looking Reece Bennu, proceeds to tend to her wounds, allowing her to use his car to drive to safety.  As she walks to the vehicle in disbelief, the shack explodes into a ball of flames and ash; the ash which rains down upon her like she's in a snow storm.  A short time later,she realizes what finding Lucas Wade and Reece Bennu means for her....and it is means a complete change and unheaval of life as she knows it.Back in Ambrosia's hometown of Sandwich, Massachusetts, she is shocked when Reece appears, alive and well.  Reece informs her that Lucas Wade is searching for her because he thinks Ambrosia has information about the phoenix he knows was in New Mexico.  Reece is there to warn her and protect her.  She's also surprised to learn that he is indeed the Prince of a paranormal group of Phoenixes; one of the few of the pure blood Bennu lineage ~ and that she's most likely carrying his phoenix child.....In order to protect Ambrosia and their unborn child, Reece whisks Ambrosia away to Hawaii, where a large number of phoenix live; including Reece's family, who most likely will not take a pure blood phoenix Prince getting a human pregnant very well.  What Reece doesn't know is that one family member may commit murder to keep the bloodline clean.Ashes is probably one of the smoothest and easiest reads I've had.  All dialogue between the characters is comfortable and all conversations flow well.  Ambrosia's character is easily likeable and there isn't any problem picking up her feelings as the author writes them.  Her emotional outbursts at finding out who Reece is, what she's carrying and how, plus the anxiety of being told that her child will never be accepted since he/she will be a half breed, are realistically conveyed.  Reece's character is written realistically as a man who has very little experience with women in a serious capacity.  Flings he may have had over the many, many years he's been around haven't prepared him at all for everything that's tossed at him involving Ambrosia, their unconventional (and probably frowned upon) union, the life that Ambrosia now carries, and the family members that must now be dealt with concerning it all.I really enjoyed that the book contained a different type of shifter.  The usuals; wolves, large cats, dragons, etc., are great but the occasional deviation into something fresh and new is nice.  The phoenix was a brilliant choice.  Oh, and Reece's Tree was pretty cool, too.Review Copy Courtesy Of:  Entangled Publishing, at no cost, in exchange for an honest review.)