THE BEAUTIFUL ASHES (BROKEN DESTINY, BOOK #1) BY JEANIENE FROST: BOOK REVIEW

The Beautiful Ashes

Broken Destiny, Book #1

By Jeaniene Frost

ISBN# 9780373779529

Author’s Website:  http://jeanienefrost.com/

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi

Ivy is only twenty and already she’s losing everyone she loves.  Her parents recently died in a car accident and now her sister has disappeared.  That is how Ivy found herself in Bennington, Vermont showing Jasmine’s picture at all the inns trying to figure out which one she had stayed in before she went missing.  Something happened to her sister, and Ivy is determined to find out what!

However, she never expected someone to try to kidnap her while she was looking for Jasmine!  She walked into her room to find a strange, but sexy man, there moments before the police officer she’d been in contact with barged in.  Both Detective Kroger and the hot guy, Adrian, want to leave with her in tow.  She quickly finds out that Detective Kroger is evil and is the one that took Jasmine and now he wants to take her too!  Adrian kills him and takes her away from the Inn before other minions can arrive.

Turns out all of Ivy’s hallucinations she’s had over the years weren’t her mind going crazy, but in fact, was a glimpse into a demon realm.  Now her sister is trapped there and Ivy must work with Adrian to find the weapon that can kill the demons and save Jasmine. 

She knows that Adrian must be something otherworldly, but he’s not spilling his secrets just yet!  Turns out he and Ivy both have some famous ancestors that date back to biblical times.  They are the last of each of their bloodlines, which affords them some interesting abilities.  However, the two of them are meant to be enemies, yet the more time they spend together, the more their attraction grows.  Can they defeat all odds and make things work between them, or are they destined to cause each other’s demise instead?

“You’re the light I can never have…and I’m the darkness you’ll never succumb to.”

I really enjoyed this book, which honestly is no surprise since I love Jeaniene Frost’s writing!  I couldn’t get enough of her other books, and this series seems to be no different!  I found the biblical connection to be a bit odd in a paranormal book (but it does include angels, so I guess it makes sense), but in this story, it just worked.  And, it appears it will be a main theme in the series.

I liked Ivy.  She was strong-willed and determined to do what she must to save those she loves. Even if she must betray someone that has helped her along the way to do it.

Hot and sexy (although not so much on the cover) and a bit cocky?  Of course I loved Adrian!  He’s everything I like in my fictional men.  And, he drives a cool magical car too.  I liked seeing how he cared enough to fight his attraction to Ivy for fear of what his destiny would mean for her.  Of course, I liked seeing him trying to overcome his destiny better!

“All I think about is you. Every day, every minute…you”

This was a great story, and I didn’t want to put it down.  I can’t wait to delve into the next one, although I’m already sad that there are only three titles in this too short of a series!  However, I will enjoy the remaining two books to the fullest!  Then, hopefully Frost will give me something else to fall in love with soon.