Review: Grit, Passion, Love from the Heart
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 23, 2014
Raw and earthy romance with heart, best describes Ash to Steele by Karen-Anne Stewart. If you like a strong-willed, small town heroine who would brave the big city in search of her own destiny and an over-the-top alpha bad boy with brains and heart in addition to the threat of his fists, its here.Emma has escaped the confines of small town living as the daughter of a preacher, leaving behind a man who never felt “right” for her, but never giving up her belief in saving sex for marriage. Heading to Boston to make her way as an artist takes guts, but this quiet girl finds some of the most unlikely friendships that are non-judgmental and loyal. Enter bad boy/business owner, Breck, tall, brooding, handsome and kind of scary, yet exciting and magnetic. Never with the same woman twice, he guards his heart and his secrets of his past. Is he really all that tough or is it a facade? Emma and Breck connect in an unusual way, both drawn to the other like moths to a flame. Breck keeps his walls up, he isn’t worthy of someone like Emma who is pure, touching her would be to taint her, but when one thing after another happens to Emma, she needs a protector and Breck is there. Little did he know that his heart was in the most danger of all. Can Emma break down his walls and get him to admit his feelings once she realizes he is the only man she could ever love? His resolve not to de-flower her is wavering and Emma is pulling out all the stops, ignoring her upbringing as she clings to the hope that Breck will learn to trust in her AND himself. Ash and Steele is proof that there is someone for everyone and where there is love, there is a way to hold on to it, to believe in it and let it grow.Karen-Anne Stewart writes with grit. There is a boldness to her style that cuts through the social niceties with hardcore dialogue, brutal physical violence and sizzling passion. Ms. Stewart will sucker punch you with scenes that will make you cringe, melt your heart and frustrate the heck out of you, all within a few pages. She colors her main characters in vivid tones, dark and edgy strokes for Breck, warm, yet brilliant tones for Emma. Each supporting character gets their own unique shade and together the effect is a kaleidoscope of colors. The world she has invented is often dark, sometimes frightening, but always memorable as she reveals each nugget of detail with precision, notching up the tension, heat and emotion. If this author can think it, she can write it, so expect to be taken completely out of your world and to walk on the wild side in hers.I received a copy from the author in exchange for my honest review.