From the Ashes (Fires of Redemption) [Kindle Edition]

Adrien-Luc Sanders (Author)

Book Description

Sociopath. Killer. Deviant. Monster, devoid of morals, incapable of human emotion. The villain known as Spark has been called that and more, and as a super-powered aberrant has masterminded countless crimes to build his father's inhuman empire.

Yet to professor Sean Archer, this fearsome creature is only Tobias Rutherford--antisocial graduate researcher, quiet underachiever, and a fascinating puzzle Sean is determined to solve.

One kiss leads to an entanglement that challenges everything Tobias knows about himself, aberrants, and his own capacity to love. But when his father orders him to assassinate a senator, one misstep unravels a knot of political intrigue that places the fate of humans and aberrants alike in Tobias's hands. As danger mounts and bodies pile deeper, will Tobias succumb to his dark nature and sacrifice Sean--or will he defy his father and rise from the ashes to become a hero in a world of villains?

Product Details

• File Size: 282 KB
• Print Length: 91 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Entangled Publishing (Ever After) (September 6, 2012)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0097BLJGC
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #573,480 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Not your typical hero story September 8, 2012

By G. Lockhart

Amazon Verified Purchase

The official blurb tells you pretty much everything you need to know going into the story. The reader is drawn into the mind of Spark, also known as Tobias. The story is told entirely from his perspective, giving us a look into the mind of someone who isn't what we expect. Because he's one of the bad guys.

Spark's father is, no joke, a fire-wielding overlord bent on taking over the world and he doesn't really care who he has to kill to do so. Spark has been raised in his father's shadow, to his father's expectations, and doing his father's bidding. At 25, Spark has already conquered and destroyed an entire nation on his own. It wasn't hard because there are no heroes in this world. No one who could stop him.

Then, his father sends him to graduate school in America under a false identity and Tobias starts to quietly question what he believes. But Spark isn't his alter-ego, the human graduate assistant Tobias is. And Spark follows his father's orders, even when those orders are to kill.

This story is about choices - humans or aberrants; expectations and inherited glory or free will; one life or a couple hundred; a couple hundred lives or devastating war that would kill millions, perhaps even billions; betrayal or the life of one man. It is, in an odd way, a coming of age story for the modern 20-something. Well, that is if one adds assassination, lightening, fire, lab rats, and one particular sexy teacher into that story.

We follow Tobias through these contemplations of his choices, of who and what he is and what he needs to do, through a masterfully crafted story that is provoking and interesting, yet free of the leaden brooding that could have so very easily ruined this book. The banter between the two main characters is filled with wit and the writing as a whole is smooth and easy to enjoy.

I very much recommend this story, which is absolutely worth the buy.

This is a romance, so there are sexual scenes. Nothing is explicit, but I still had a couple of moments where I got out a fan. ~.^

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent! September 9, 2012

By Alycia

I love this story. LOVE. Novellas are difficult because they are so short but I felt this one was perfect and I was never left feeling like I didn't get enough story. Tobias is such an interesting character--he's an anti-hero and an all around bad guy. He has trouble feeling emotions like normal people and his father, the biggest villain around, uses Tobias to do his bidding. Tobias, who has destroyed entire nations, just wants to be left alone. I loved his struggle to understand morals and what love is. His relationship with Sean is very well done and I enjoyed their debates about emotions and aberrants. I never felt like their relationship was rushed or insta-love. And even though the sex scenes aren't explicit, I still fanned myself a few times. Man, I wish my professors had been that hot in college. :P

And once the danger and the tension started building, I couldn't read fast enough. This story really hits on every emotion and by the end I just wanted to reread it so I could feel them all again. I can't wait for the next one!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Can a sociopath find love? October 11, 2012

By Rhianna Walker VINE™ VOICE

As with the occasional book, I find myself incapable of summarizing FROM THE ASHES any better than the book's own blurb. Which in this rare case is truly fortunate!

Something I've been seeking but find difficult to get in my science fiction based romances is one featuring protagonist characters that aren't all heterosexual--or caucasian for that matter--without all the fluff and dogma associated with forcing them into gay and lesbian labeling. On a personal level I can enjoy sexual pairings that don't mirror my own preferences but have found it difficult to find a read that wasn't overly in-your-face about it. After all, shouldn't a love story... a romance novel... be focused on two parties (regardless of gender) finding a happily ever after together? Keeping that in mind FROM THE ASHES was actually my first m/m romance read and I owe Sanders a debt of gratitude for being able to write Tobias' story in such a way that was so organic and true, that I loved it.

As a character, Tobias is fascinating and a narrator I could quickly liken to Dexter (of the television series, as I haven't read the books). He's a monster in his own rite, yet manages to have a way of justifying his choices not to commit crimes when it should be the opposite that's both chilling and makes it hard not to like him. I found Sean a little bit harder to resolve my feelings about, the persona he puts on as a professor contradicts his private self making it easy to keep reading in hopes of uncovering his secrets. Their attraction is a bit illicit for a multitude of reasons but ultimately drives the heart of Tobias' growth from villain to potential hero.

It is a very rare book that captures my attention so well I let hours pass without noticing and I found myself realizing I was at the climax of the action not knowing I'd read almost the entirety of FROM THE ASHES in one sitting. I very much enjoyed the moral dilemma of the abberants... if you were told you couldn't be anything other than the monster does that make it so? It's an engrossing plotline that I hope spans into additional stories, perhaps not featuring Tobias and Sean, but other aberrants and humans.

If, like myself, you enjoy science fiction and superhero-ish type romances where neither race nor sexual orientation matter as long as there's a great plot and two people falling in love I highly recommend FROM THE ASHES. It certainly won't be everyone's cup of tea but it's engrossing in a comic bookish way and satisfying as a romance. If the steam level is a concern--and I'll sheepishly admit I was kind of afraid I'd be uncomfortable with the m/m love scenes--I'll say that Sanders handles the 'fading to black' style with graceful flourish and there's nothing truly more notable than a lot of kissing. Maybe the die-hard m/m readers will find it lacking in the hardcore details of more erotic stories but as a romance I found it gave just enough.

***Review copy received via publisher.