After the Ashes

Liked the characters and the story line was unique. Felt badly that lorilei's brother Corey was such a loser!! He didn't deserve her. The few love scenes were very explicit. Braddock and Lori were both dealing with the past trauma and uncertain whether there was a life ahead for them, as individuals or together. It was a very good book. See HK's review. It's on the mark.

This book is probably more of a 3 1/2 star rating in my estimation. However, it is refreshing to read a newly written Western romance novel by a promising, new author.Christopher Braddock, the hero of this western, is a bounty hunter during the years following the Civil War. He is looking for a gang of robbers that recently killed while robbing a stage coach. He is particularly pursuing young Corey Sullivan, hoping that once he finds Corey, he can be convinced to tell Braddock about the leader of the gang - his true prey.When Braddock finds Corey in the opening pages of the book, it is at Corey's New Mexico ranch. Corey's sister, Lorelei, our heroine, has just arrived from the East to make a new life with her brother. Lorelei confronts Braddock and makes certain he does not find Corey. She believes that Corey is innocent and tells Braddock the same. Thus the stage is set for the beginning of Braddock's and Lorelei's romance.This book captivates you within the first few pages. It is an enjoyable story that keeps rolling. We have the hero swearing he will never love and he lets the heroine know that in the beginning, halfway through the book, and several other times. I guess he reasons it is okay to pursue Lorelei if she understands that whatever happens between them - it is just for today. Lorelei is hurting from the loss of her fiance back east and finds herself drawn to Braddock although she realizes that he is not the type to ever settle down with her.Lorelei is a very likable, sweet, and genuine character. Her devotion to her possible outlaw brother is deep and she foolishly risks her life, Braddock's life, and Corey's life more than once attempting to protect her little brother. Braddock is a very interesting character, sexy, and I enjoyed being in his mind - seeing things through his eyes. You come to really like both the hero and heroine in this story.Corey, conversely, is a real brat. He was, on one hand, very selfish, and on the other hand, very protective of his sister. He can see when someone else could hurt her or expose her to danger but has a difficult time seeing that he does so himself repeatedly. Usually, I don't enjoy secondary characters much. But Corey is a stinker and at the same time, has real spunk. He was so mean and ornery to Braddock, standing up for his sister, that it was actually amusing. I guess it is mostly a love/hate relationship that the reader most experiences with Corey.Although Braddock and Lorelei are likable and you can understand their mutual attraction, their relationship fell a little into the Blah category. I believe this is partly due to the fact that both leads believed their relationship was only for the moment with absolutely no future. I know this is an overused plot line in romance novels but it seemed to have more of an impact in this story. Possibly it is that we see both Lorelei's and Braddock's vulnerability. The sensual scenes between the two rate about a four out of fiv

Lucky me I got to read this book in its first draft and again now. If you are an Hisorical Romance fan, or even if you aren't, take time to read this book. It has it all, great characters, action, romance, suspense, a clean believable plot, and leaves you with a really warm feeling when you are through. Cheryl is definitely one of those authors that will have you looking for her next book. This is a great read!

Every page of Cheryl Howe's After the Ashes is juicy good fun. Lorelei, the novel's protagonist, reads like a Kentucky cousin of Scarlett O'Hara's who heads west after the Civil War's conclusion. All in all, After the Ashes is a deliciously satisfying read packed with beautiful scenery and vivid characters who leave us laughing, scowling, and smiling long after we finish reading.

In 1872 New Mexico Territory, bounty hunter Christopher Braddock seeks out stagecoach robber Corey Sullivan, the weakest link of a gang that killed the driver. At Corey's spread, he meets the outlaw's sister Lorelei who will do anything to keep her brother safe. Although he believes nothing she says as he hates southern belles, Christopher makes it clear that he will take her brother to jail, but his prime goal is to catch the gang leader Mulcahy.After talking with Corey, Lorelei visits Braddock in his hotel room to offer a deal if he would keep her sibling safe. He ends up buying her food and protecting her, pretending she is his wife when temporary Deputy Marshal Langston arrives to arrest her for abetting a criminal. Soon Braddock accompanied by the Sullivan siblings is on the lam from the law even as he falls in love with Lorelei.Western romance fans will appreciate the fine story line of AFTER THE ASHES. The tale is filled with action, but it is the strong cast that makes it fun to follow. Braddock is the brooding hero who still is fighting the Civil War inside his head until Lorelei returns him to the living. Lorelei is the ultimate family loyalist perhaps too much so because her manipulative brother does not deserve her love or her assistance. Cheryl Howe writes a charming American romance that will please sub-genre fans.Harriet Klausner