Out of the Ashes - MJ James

Out of the Ashes by M.J. James
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I wanted to like this one, I really did. But sadly, for me, it just didn't work. I loved the idea of the storyline, but unfortunately, when it came to the execution, it just fell a bit flat.
I think that part of the problem with it was that the characters didn't sound real. Their dialogue was a bit off, there was nothing that I could put my finger on, but it just didn't flow naturally and that stopped you from really connecting with them. Add to that the fact that there was a lot of internal thoughts and feelings, rather than actually showing us what was going on through actions and I found it hard to feel anything for either of the two main leads and didn't really connect with their instant love connection.
The plot itself wasn't so bad, but parts of it just didn't make sense the way that it was recounted to us. People went from being suspects to everyone knowing that they were innocent or vice versa for no apparent reason. There were also inconsistencies that tripped you up as you read. Someone would ask where the person calling got their number when they'd given out a business card in a previous chapter. A relationship is described one minute as being almost an arranged marriage and later as they met and fell in love instantly. The main characters decide to investigate the fire at the shop, but then go and do something else instead.
This probably sounds as though it should be a one-star review, but it's not. There are things in this book that show promise and to be honest I think that with a bit of re-writing it could actually be a really good read. It almost seems to be a book that just isn't ready for publication yet.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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