Love will always rise.
Rising From the Ashes is
a Charity Anthology and
a labor of love.
All proceeds will go directly to
Australia’s State Emergency Relief Fund and WIRES,
an Australian Wildlife Information,
Rescue, and Education Service.

We’ve assembled a delectable collection of amazing romance and fantasy by New York Times, USA Today, and other bestselling authors. We hail from many countries, and we’ve joined together to help Australia recover from its devastating fires. Everything from stories to cover art to formatting has been donated.

This limited-edition omnibus includes fantasy and romances of all genres, with hot men and strong women. Every single book proves love and perseverance and grit really do conquer all.

Thanking you in advance for your kindness and generosity supporting Rising From the Ashes. You’ll find some new-to-you authors that will make your day.

Featuring books from:
Angie Fox, Ann Gimpel, Brandy Wilson, Candice Gilmer, Dawn Montgomery, J.K. Harper, Jessica Marting,
Kate Richards, Lauren Dawes, Lisa B. Kamps, Liza Street, Marie Long, Melissa Snark, Michele Bardsley, Renee George, RJ Blain, Russell Nohelty, Skye MacKinnon, Tasha Black, Traci Hilton and Victoria Pinder.

Cover art donated by Fiona Jayde Media

Since I’m not sure how long this will be available I decided to post reviews for these full length novels individually. I am thoroughly enjoying each and every one, finding new authors along the way.

Here is the Third one! Don’t miss this Anthology it’s amazing!!!

By
USA Today Bestselling Author
Lauren Dawes

A WAR IS BREWING AND SHE IS THE ULTIMATE PRIZE.

Rhett’s position in the Helheim wolf pack is tenuous at best. Born to be alpha, but shunned for a birth defect, he must battle every day to prove his worth to the pack. All of that changes when he’s selected as the Guardian of the last Half Blood in existence.

Indigo’s hard exterior hides the dark secret she carries within her blood. She’s a fighter. She’s a survivor. She’s hard-wired for survival, but she’s on a collision course with fate and there’s only one person who can help her.

Before we start with Rhett and Indie’s story we get a rather peek at a man with a rather violent past.

We meet Detective Vaile Wolfe who is also a werewolf as he is investigating what looks like a murder scene minus the body. He also doesn’t seem to be able to keep a partner, that is until Officer Larissa Grey. The two of them are assigned to a serial rapist case that plays an interesting role that intertwines with Indi.

Then we get to meet Indi, she works at her brother’s coffee shop and she has a problem with men touching her. The result of a brutal attack that resulted in her training to protect herself. She also has a guardian in the form of a co-worker Rhett, he knows things about her she doesn’t have a clue about. Another interesting fact is she is fine when Rhett touches her anyone else not so much.

After an altercation with a customer, one that gave ME the creeps, we get to know her brother Jerry a bit more and he also instills Rhett with some trust where Indi is concerned.

This is a favorite scene.

“Do you want to tell me what happened?” he asked again.

Indi met his steady gaze and lifted her chin in defiance. “There’s nothing to tell.”

“You know you can tell me anything, right? Did he say something inappropriate to you?”

She shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. Jerry’s eyes swept the floor in thought. When the idea struck him, it made him feel sick to the stomach. “Did he…did he touch you?” his voice dropped to a hard whisper. “That was it, wasn’t it?” Jerry couldn’t believe he’d allowed that to happen to her in his cafe. He’d be the one pressing charges if she confirmed his suspicions. “Indi?”

She shrugged, refusing to look in his eyes. She wasn’t going to talk, and there was not a damn thing he could say or do that was going to change her mind.

“Well, if you decide you do want to tell me about it, you know where I am.” He stood up, opened the door and called Rhett over. If Indi wouldn’t tell him what he needed to know then he’d get his information from somewhere else. “Indi, can you give us a minute, please?”

“Sure,” she replied. As she went through the door, Indi and Rhett exchanged a look, but Jerry ignored it; he was more concerned with getting to the bottom of what had happened.

Rhett’s bulk took up a lot space in the small room. Jerry took a step back from him and began pacing. Rhett patiently watched Jerry and his pissed-off attitude wearing a hole in the linoleum under his feet.

“I want to know what the hell happened out there. I don’t want the edited version. I want to hear it all. I know that you lied to me before. If you don’t tell me what I need to know right now, I get to fire your ass. You got me?” Jerry’s voice ended up in a growl.

Rhett nodded. “All right. I’d been keeping an eye on them after I noticed how she reacted to him the first time. When I saw him grab her wrist, I started making my way over to them. She had her knife on his throat when I got there.”

“My god,” he breathed.

“I managed to get her to back down, but just as she was about to leave, the guy mouthed off and she cold-cocked him.”

Jerry’s thoughts were a tangled snarl. It had happened to her again, and under his watch, too. He felt physically sick. “Did you see him touch her again at all?” he eventually asked.

Rhett shook his head. “No, but judging by her reaction to him, I’d say that he had.”

Jerry swallowed thickly. “Why did you lie about what happened?”

“Indi can’t afford to lose her job.”

“But you were willing to risk your own job to protect her.” A statement—not a question.

He shrugged. “She needs this more than I do.”

Jerry asked, “Do you care about her that much? You hardly know her.” He was speaking from experience. Indi hadn’t truly opened up to him until she’d lived in the same house as him for two years, and even when she did talk about herself, Jerry could tell she was holding back.

Rhett shrugged his broad shoulders again. “I know her enough. Besides, I can’t stand by and let a woman get manhandled. I did what any man would have done in my situation.”

That earned Rhett some big brownie points in Jerry’s book. He put his hand out to the guy. “Thanks,” he said. They clapped palms and did the manly chest-to-shoulder hug. “I mean it, Rhett. Thanks. I feel so much better knowing that someone else is looking out for her. I had no idea that was what was going on. I took my eyes off her for a second, just a second.”

He shrugged. “Don’t worry about it.”

Jerry and Rhett left the storeroom in time to start the final clean-up. Indi was just closing up the cafe, flipping the sign on the door to “closed”. Jerry studied her face. She was retreating in on herself, so much so that Jerry couldn’t tell what she was thinking anymore.

“I’m ready to go when you are, Jer,” Indi announced fifteen minutes later.

“Okay,” he replied, just as his phone began beeping. He pulled it out and looked at the reminder flashing on the screen.

“Dammit,” he said, putting the device back in his pocket.

Indi asked, “What is it?”

“I forgot that I had to meet someone over at the apartment in fifteen minutes. I’ll call him and tell him that I can’t get there for another half an hour.”

“Wait. Don’t do that. Was this a date?”

Jerry laughed. “No. He’s my squash partner. We had to reschedule a match to tonight.”

“You should go. I can get home by myself for once,” Indi said, shrugging.

Jerry shook his head. He had started walking Indi home in the evening ever since a maniac rapist had started terrorizing women in Buxton. And there was no way in hell that he’d let her walk alone tonight.

“Would you like me to walk her home?” Rhett asked Jerry softly.

“Are you sure?” “It’s no problem at all,” Rhett replied.

Jerry gave him a sharp nod. “Thanks. I owe you.”
Gimpel, Ann. Rising From the Ashes: A Charity Anthology for Australia . Ann Gimpel Books, LLC. Kindle Locations (6004-6044). Kindle Edition.

Of course the customer shows up where he doesn’t belong leading to even more suspense.

There’s also many more players in Rhett’s pack, the reason he is Indi’s guardian, and another someone following Indi. Plus so many twists and turns as Rhett has to admit his feelings for her although he has rejected her out of character advances.

I really loved this book, now I need to continue the series.

5 Contented Purrs for Lauren!

Lauren Dawes is a USA Today Bestselling Author. She’s an urban fantasy/paranormal romance writer and the author of the Half Blood Series and the Dark Trilogy. You won’t find any friendly vampires in between the pages of her books; just blood, teeth and violence.

When she’s not writing, she’s reading or designing book covers. She currently lives in Canberra, Australia with her husband, daughter and cat.