When Ashes Fall by Marni Mann Published by Audible Studios on January 15th 2019
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Ava Erickson, Aiden Snow, Teddy Hamilton
Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Amazon Audible
It’s been said that you can’t love two men at the same time.
You can’t split your heart, soul, and body in half.
But I’m here to tell you, you can.
Dylan Cole is like ice, sharp and unpredictable, the thunder inside a tumultuous storm.
Smith Reid is warmth, soft and gentle, perfect like a sunny day.
Both are mine.
But I can have only one.
There are two sides to this tale.
I'm here to tell you mine.
If you think this story is about a cheater, you couldn’t be more wrong.
When Ashes Fall is a dazzling romance featuring a unique love triangle. I have no idea why, but I’m one of those masochistic readers that allows my heart to torn be apart by love triangles time and again. While I saw the writing on the wall within the first few chapters, I appreciated the creativity of the plot and my attention was captured throughout.
I can see why Alix falls for Dylan and Smith so easily. Dylan is bold in his pursuit of Alix, and Smith wins her over with his quiet kindness. The deep love she shares with each man is unmistakable. I must say she is one lucky lady to be the object of such intense devotion. Marni Mann does a superb job conveying Alix’s heart wrenching vulnerability as well as her strength.
The storyline is strong and moving, but there are a couple stylistic issues that prevented me from rating this book higher. The chapters are very short and because the timeline and character perspectives bounce around continually, it sometimes creates a disjointed effect. Then there is the fact that in virtually every scene Alix compares the physical and emotional differences between Dylan and Smith. I understand the reasoning, but it seems like overkill. I think it would have been more effective to simply allow Smith and Dylan’s actions – and their affect on Alix – to showcase the distinctions in their personalities instead of repeatedly spelling it out for the reader.
All three narrators of the audiobook are very talented and turn in compelling performances. However, in his portrayal of Dylan, Aiden Snow lays on a very thick Boston accent – which, okay, he’s from Boston – but his lax pronunciation (for example, chopping off the “g” in words that end in “-ing”—somethin’, nothin’, f*ckin’) does not give the impression that he is a well-educated, successful lawyer. Know what I’m sayin’? I checked, and that’s not how the dialog is written in the book, so it’s a character choice that just didn’t work for me. For that reason, I may have enjoyed reading the book more than listening to it.
This beautiful story wrung every ounce of emotion out of me. It’s definitely the strongest and most complex work by Marni Mann that I’ve read to date.
Recommended for fans of:
Love triangles
Chocolate cake
Emotional romance
Sunny days
About Marni Mann
USA Today best-selling author Marni Mann knew she was going to be a writer since middle school. While other girls her age were daydreaming about teenage pop stars, Marni was fantasizing about penning her first novel. She crafts unique stories that weave together her love of darkness, mystery, passion, and human emotions. A New Englander at heart, she now lives in Sarasota, Florida, with her husband and their yellow Lab. When she’s not nose deep in her laptop, working on her next novel, she’s scouring for chocolate, sipping wine, traveling, or devouring fabulous books.
So glad you enjoyed this so much! I’ve been wanting to grab it, but I’m not up for being torn apart right now – lol. Definitely reading it soon though!