Review : Building From Ashes by Elizabeth Hunter

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This is the one I’ve been waiting on!

Title: Building From Ashes

Author: Elzabeth Hunter

Release Date: October 23, 2011

ASIN: B009TWO3C6

Source: Author

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For a thousand years, powerful earth vampire Carwyn ap Bryn has served others. God. His family. His friends. But tragedy and loss disrupt his peaceful existence, causing him to question everything he has committed his eternity to.

Brigid Connor has known about vampires since they rescued her from a painful childhood. But not even their vast elemental power can save her from the demons that torment her.

As loyalties are tested and new paths are forged, a lurking danger slowly grows in the Elemental World. Carwyn and Brigid will learn that even secrets revealed can come back to haunt you when you least expect it.

A continuation/spinoff of the Elemental Mysteries series. The timeline in this books stretches from BEFORE A Hidden Fire starts (so you see a little character history) until AFTER A Fall of Water finishes. As I’m sure lots of you could tell, Carwyn had quite a few things going on in his life that didn’t make it into Gio and Beatrice’s story. So Building From Ashes explores that storyline and also sets up the Elemental World for some new adventures...

Review

Oh my fun quick witted Carwyn, I have loved you since I first met you in A Hidden Fire so long ago… But honestly I had no choice, how do you not fall for a smart, fun-loving, full of life, thousand year old vampire with a strange love of horrible Hawaiian shirts. Oh and did I forget to mention completely loyal! The man…err.. vampire has served as a catholic priest for almost all his life, and he will do absolutely anything for his family. He is selfless and sweet. So yeah, I LOVE you Carwyn.

Ok, enough fangirling I need to write this review!

You know whenever you have great love for a character, (book boyfriend) *cough, cough* you want their story line to flow and always ring true. I also always want them to have a love interest (if the character has a love interest) that matches them, and love that is believable. That is what I got in Building Form Ashes.

Brigid has had a very difficult start to life. She tries to deal with things in her own way, but that only gets her so far. Thankfully she has the support of her family (Carwyn’s children have raised Brigid since she was taken from her own horrible parents) to become a strong, independent woman. Though Brigid is one tough cookie she has a hard time keeping Carwyn from rattling her nerves whenever he is around.

What I LOVED about Building from Ashes:

This is not some insta-love, one look at each other and I have to have you kind of story. Nope! Carwyn and Brigid unfold their feelings slowly, and it would not have worked any other way because of all that they are both going through in their separate lives. That is what I love about Hunter’s writing. Yes, this is about a vampire but the love story is totally believable.           

Building From Ashes is what I have been waiting for ever since I read A Hidden Fire! Carwyn is one of my favorite of Elizabeth's characters and it was wonderful to read his story. The way Elizabeth Hunter weaves the past and present to deliver this story as a whole is genius. The big bonus is how BFA entwines with all of the Elemental Mysteries series. Yes, you can read this as a stand alone! But I love that I got this story from every direction having read the Elemental Mysteries series before starting Building From Ashes.

A few of my favorite quotes:

Generations come and generations go, but the Earth remains forever.

Carwyn is an earth vampire.

A heavy weight settled over her heart and any hope she had of Carwyn leaving the priesthood ended. Just as quickly, she brushed her own feelings aside. They were facing a new, incredibly dangerous threat, and she was acting like a love-sick schoolgirl.
Idiot.

“I take things seriously when they need to be.”
Her eyebrows raised, she examined him. The look in his eyes was unfamiliar.
Raw. Vulnerable, in a way. “I know you do, Carwyn.”
He blinked and looked away. Then rose to come stand beside her. “Can I help?”
“Why do men always offer to help when the job is almost finished?”
He grinned and grabbed two plates. “We’re smart that way. Why ruin the rare
pleasure of watching a woman see to your needs?”
Now why did that make her skin heat? He was talking about food. Wasn’t he?
Brigid shoved back the other images that sprang to her mind.
She was definitely going to hell.

Happy Reading,

This is out. Go get it!

Recommended For

Older teen and up: For violence, sex, and drug use.