Settling Ashes by Diana Gardin continues the story of Page and Clay whom we met in Out of the Ashes. Now after the cliff-hanger ending in Out of the Ashes I needed to know what awaited Clay and Paige. Will they be torn apart or will their relationship grow stronger were the two (2) questions on my mind. So I grabbed a copy of Settling Ashes through Kindle Unlimited to get answers to the burning questions.
He broke her heart, but she’s missing the largest piece of the puzzle… This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.
Title: Settling Ashes
Author(s): Diana Gardin
Series: The Ashes #2
Also in this series: Cajun Hot, Out of the Ashes
Published by Diana Gardin on May 14, 2014
Pages: 195
Genre(s): Contemporary Romance, New Adult
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Format: eBook 
Purchase: Amazon
Series Rating: 
Heat Level: 
Paige Hill is no stranger to physical pain, but the ache that plagues her heart is an entirely new kind of hurt. She left Rutherford to escape it, but did she make a huge mistake? Her ex-boyfriend Beau, who scooped up the broken pieces of Paige like he never got the chance in their past, doesn’t think so. He wants her to stay…
Clay Forbes can’t eat, can’t sleep, and can’t fight the murder charge that hangs like a guillotine over his head. None of it matters if Paige won’t forgive him. He’ll do anything to find her and bring her home.
But how safe will that home be when the two are finally reunited? It seems the death of Hannah Davis is definitely unfinished business in their small college town, and someone is still on a mission to keep Clay and Paige apart…this time forever.
Settling Ashes picks up where Out of the Ashes left off. Paige and Clay’s relationship came under threat leading to a separation. The separation has taken a toll on them both with Paige believing Clay betrayed her and Clay having a murder charge hanging over his head. Having no family to rely on, Paige turns to the one person who has to connection to her college life, her ex-boyfriend Beau. She intends to return to her friends and college. She, however, needs sometime to come to terms with she perceives as being Clay’s betrayal as well as the murder of her nemesis.Â
The tale that unfolded intrigued and kept me wondering as to the identity of the villain. I thought I guessed the identity of said villain. Well, I got it wrong, although I wasn’t too far off. The person whom I suspected played a role in some aspect of it. However, it was not clear what they hoped to gain.
It warmed my heart to see Clay and Paige find their way back to each other despite threats from outside forces. Their love for each other was stronger than any threat. Initially, I had a hard time warming up to Paige’s ex, Beau. I found him to be overbearing, however as the story progressed it became how much he truly cared for Paige. The sacrifice he made in the end brought tears to my eyes.
The suspense aspect of the story needed some more development. I say this as no information was provided regarding the outcome for the villain and their accomplice, leaving readers to make assumptions. As much as I enjoyed the story, it needed a good round of editing. Several spelling and grammatical errors were spotted throughout the storyÂ
Settling Ashes delivered a fitting conclusion to Paige and Clay’s story. Now, I can’t wait to their friends, Gillian and Drew’s story.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
Great review Nadene. I both love and hate these types of sagas that take multiple novels to finish.
This sounds good. It’s nice t ohave a good story where two people have to find their way back to each other.
I’m glad it was a good read for you.
I am glad that you liked this one overall. Spelling and grammar mistakes tend to take me out of the story. It is nice that you were able to continue the story since the last book ended with a cliffhanger.