Kindle Unlimited
Unlimited reading. Over 4 million titles. Learn more
Read for Free
OR
Kindle Price: $3.95

Save $14.37 (78%)

Promotions are applied when you make a purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Read with our free app
You have subscribed to ! We will pre-order your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we’ll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet or computer – no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera, scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle app

Follow the authors

Erica Lucke Dean
+ Follow
Laura M. Kolar
+ Follow
See all
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Ashes of Life Kindle Edition

by Erica Lucke Dean (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 1,955 ratings
See all formats and editions
"A beautifully rendered look at love in all its forms. A must read!" ~ Kate Moretti, NYT Bestselling Author of "Thought I Knew You"

""An emotionally rewarding story of hope, commitment, and the modern family." ~ Claire Ashby, NYT Bestselling Author of "When You Make It Home"

"An exquisite tale of love and acceptance, rich with unforgettable characters." ~ Kelly Stone Gamble, Author of They Call Me Crazy

Married for just three months, Alex Barrett is stunned when her husband, David, dies in a tragic accident. And the absolute last thing the pregnant young widow wants is to take on responsibility for his teenage daughter, Maddie. Reeling from loss, Alex struggles to deal with her grief and her troubled stepdaughter, but one question haunts her: why was David with his ex-wife when he died?

All Maddie Barrett wanted was for her parents to get back together, but an icy road took that dream away. Afterward, Maddie is riddled with guilt that she can’t share with anyone. Feeling angry and alone, she lays all the blame on Alex.

Alex and Maddie must find a way to move past their pain—shared, yet separate. Thrown together in an untenable arrangement, they fight through a frozen landscape of sorrow and redemption while redefining love, forgiveness, and family.
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    270 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    April 28 2015
  5. File size
    1713 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
Next page

Product description

About the Author

About the Authors EricaLuckeDean: After walking away from her career as a business banker to pursue writing full-time, Erica Lucke Dean moved from the hustle and bustle of the big city to a small tourist town in the North Georgia Mountains, where she lives in a 90-year-old haunted farmhouse with her workaholic husband, her 180 lb lap dog, and at least one ghost. When she’s not writing or tending to her collection of crazy chickens and diabolical ducks, she’s either reading bad fan fiction or singing karaoke in the local pub. Much like the main character in her first book, To Katie With Love, Erica is a magnet for disaster and has been known to trip on air while walking across flat surfaces. How she’s managed to survive this long is one of life’s great mysteries. Laura M. Kolar: Laura M. Kolar lives with her husband and daughter in a one-stop-light town in northern-lower Michigan. Though she didn’t discover her love of books until she turned thirty, as a self-declared hopeless romantic, she has spent the past few years reading and writing stories with mostly happy endings. If she's not at her day-job or with her family, you will find her sipping a cup of chai latte while sitting in her favorite rocking chair, hunched over her laptop writing or spending entirely too much time on Twitter.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00V5GATCW
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Red Adept Publishing, LLC (April 28 2015)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1713 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 270 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 1,955 ratings

About the authors

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Previous page
  1. Erica Lucke Dean

    Erica Lucke Dean

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    After walking away from her career as a business banker to pursue writing full-time, Erica Lucke Dean moved from the hustle and bustle of the big city to a small tourist town in the North Georgia Mountains where she lived in a 90-year-old haunted farmhouse.

    Tired of being woken up in the middle of the night by a pesky poltergeist, the author of contemporary young adult, romantic comedy, and paranormal romance moved into a cute little cabin in the woods, where she lives with her husband, her dogs, and the occasional bear. Much like the characters in her books, Ms. Dean is a magnet for disaster, and has been known to trip on air while walking across flat surfaces.

    How she’s managed to survive this long is one of life’s great mysteries.

    Find Erica on Twitter @ericaluckedean

    See more on the author's page
  2. Laura M. Kolar

    Laura M. Kolar

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Laura M. Kolar lives with her husband and daughter in a one-stop-light town in northern-lower Michigan. Though she didn’t discover her love of books until she turned thirty, as a self-declared hopeless romantic, she has spent the past few years reading and writing stories with mostly happy endings. If not at her day-job or with her family, you will find her sipping a cup of chai latte while sitting in her favorite rocking chair, hunched over her laptop writing or spending entirely too much time on Twitter.

    See more on the author's page
Next page

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
1,955 global ratings

Top reviews from Canada

Weezie
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this story!
Reviewed in Canada on December 6, 2017
Verified Purchase
I just couldn’t put it down!
It kept me on an edge n wanted to know what was happening next!
U will fall in love with the characters in this story!
Please go grab ur copy, u won’t regret it!
Enjoy!
Helpful
 Report
A. LeBlanc
4.0 out of 5 stars Handled emotional issues thoughtfully and evocatively
Reviewed in Canada on March 25, 2020
Verified Purchase
I enjoyed the double perspective, and looked forward to coming back to the book each time. A good read for a wide age range.
Helpful
 Report
Catherine
4.0 out of 5 stars Ashes of Life
Reviewed in Canada on August 11, 2019
Verified Purchase
I thought this was a novel that dealt with grieve and emotions from 2 different perspectives. Very well written and was hard to put the book down. Really an interesting novel
Helpful
 Report
Verna Steil
4.0 out of 5 stars Ashes of life
Reviewed in Canada on August 4, 2019
Verified Purchase
Kept you reading and could not put it down until finished would encourage others to read this novel. Please enjoy
Helpful
 Report
Dawne MacDougall
1.0 out of 5 stars Don't bother
Reviewed in Canada on October 16, 2023
Verified Purchase
Just a ridiculous story. Terrible premise... A recent widow who laments about her love for her recently deceased husband, but immediately"falls in love" with another man she hardly even has time to get to know. And of course the perfect male figure "falls in love" with her immediately, which leaves me questioning his intelligence given her behaviour and character. The "adult" main character is so immature she at times acts like a toddler throwing temper tantrums and other times like a horny adolescent, but never like an actual grown adult woman. The adolescent character in the story is generally more mature. I was literally shaking my head and rolling my eyes through the entire book. The entire story is just immature and ridiculous and the writing juvenile. Don't waste your time.
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Wenwright27
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 6, 2019
Verified Purchase
I loved this book. As soon as I started to read it I liked the characters and gradually I found myself loving them. As the story unfolded the alternating chapters kept me enthralled and I wanted to keep reading and not put the book down at all. Totally satisfying and complete with no loose ends.
Report
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Ashes of Life
Reviewed in Australia on August 8, 2019
Verified Purchase
I enjoyed this novel immensely due to its emotional and interesting narrative. Through the eyes of the step mother Ashley and grieving teenage daughter Madey we can visualise their views, frustrations, needs and insecurities. Finally it gives us that love triumph.
Report
?wazithinkin
5.0 out of 5 stars Ashes of Life by Erica Lucke Dean and Laura M. Kolar
Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2015
Verified Purchase
I have read all of Ms. Lucke Dean’s books and Ms. Kolar’s Canvas Bound. And enjoyed them all. But the emotional impact this book had is something else completely. Ms. Lucke Dean’s stories are generally light-hearted and full of humor. You won’t find that here. Although a bit of humor is brought in with Alex’s best friend, Natalie, owner of the local coffee and bakery shop in town. She is everything you need in a friend, supportive, honest, and a strong shoulder you can cry on when the need arises.

Alex is beside herself, buried in grief, and the question of why David had Sarah, his ex-wife, riding in the car with him is hounding at her insecurities. This story is told through alternating perspectives of Alex and Maddie so we are allowed to see all of their inner turmoil and insecurities up-close. It’s messy, ugly, and realistic. There were times when I wanted to shake Alex or bop her on the head and yell, “Snap out of it!” right in her face. Luckily, Natalie filled that role for me. I couldn’t help but love her. Ms. Lucke Dean’s secondary characters are always likable, outspoken, and have an inner strength that comes through.

Maddie isn’t your typical teenager, she is a troubled teen acting out, even before her parents wreck that fateful night. Maddie is in self-destruct mode. She describes herself as a cutter who doesn’t cut. She is trying to destroy herself from the inside-out from guilt. She’s taking drugs, drinking, and skipping classes. She also starts things with a “bad boy” because she knows he will hurt her in the long run. Maddie lashes out at Alex every opportunity she gets and Alex unwittingly gives her plenty of ammo. Maddie is a hard character to like, but when she is alone it’s easy to see how broken she is and you want to help her.

Then Grey gets Maddie’s attention, he is a quiet introspective nerd in one of her classes. Grey reaches out to her, he knows her pain. So, now Maddie has someone new to direct her anger at for a while. However, Grey is unrelenting in his pursuit to get through to the real Maddie. Slowly but surely he starts to chip away at the walls she has built around herself. Their relationship and the pace it grew was realistic and their dialogue was believable. Ms. Kolar excels at writing young adult themes and I think she captured Maddie and all of her classmates perfectly.

Alex’s walls are a completely different story, she was constantly filling in any cracks that started to let a little light in. She feels she is too broken to enjoy any happiness. It was heartbreaking to watch. Even after Natalie read her the riot act (This is where I cheered Natalie on) Alex too quickly repaired her walls again to shield herself from life. Misunderstandings can suck the life right out of person as they did in this story. The moral is open your heart and seek the truth. Life is messy. If you don’t take risks, there is no reward. I would recommend this story to everyone, even if you don’t normally read contemporary fiction or young adult.

FYI: **Originally written for "BigAl’s Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy.** July 15, 2015

Format/Typo Issues: I found no significant issues in editing or formatting.
9 people found this helpful
 Report
CLAIR LEWIS
4.0 out of 5 stars Ashes of Life
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 8, 2019
Verified Purchase
Throughly enjoyed reading this story. Learning how Alex & Maddie got on with life after a tragedy. Definitely recommend this story.
Really feel it could be continued.
Thanks
Report
Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Ashes of life
Reviewed in Australia on August 16, 2019
Verified Purchase
A sensitive read where you can follow the characters through their journey, where life doesn’t go quite as predicted and how they deal with their emotions with in different relation ships
Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report