From the Ashes

From the ashes of her troubled past, rises a heroine who risks losing out on love for the sake of the hero's safety. Angela London, an animal trainer for Guardian Paws, picks out dogs from animal shelters and trains them to be guide dogs for the blind. But when ex-boyfriend Tommy Manderoll walks back into her life, his demands derail her plans to help football player Brian Ramsey. Adding another coal to the fire, Andrew Brogg shows up to write a newspaper article designed to bring shame, not fame, to Brian. Andrew finds links to Brian's drug history and twists the truth to make his own name famous. Brian's foundation, The Beanstalk Gang, helps kids find their place in the world. When one of the kids is arrested, Andrew is quick to link Brian's name to trouble once again. Angela is sure her drug past will give Andrew more fuel if he thinks she and Brian are dating. Should she back away from Brian to save his name and his foundation? If only that would work. A very scary Tommy pops up at the most inconvenient times. The Beanstalk Gang held my interest. I wanted to finish the book to make sure Brian's kids were safe.

Sharon Mignerey has woven a wonderful, suspenseful tale of two souls haunted by past mistakes. Brian's life is quickly spinning out of control as glaucoma steals away his eyesight. Angela is being stalked by the man responsible for sending her to prison. It will take love, faith, and prayer for them to accept each other's mistakes in order to deal with those who are set on ruining their lives. Mignerey does an exceptionally fine job of having the reader experience the heart-wrenching reality of losing one's eyesight, then ups the tension when Brian, completely blind, confronts the man threatening Angela. A good, solid read whose ending warms the heart. You truly can't help but smile at the end.

From the Ashes is an entertaining read with a wonderfully sympathetic hero, a troubled heroine that anyone would root for, and a satisfying ending. I wish I'd read the first book in the series before this but #2 stood on its own as a strong story.