Ashes Ashes (Hostage Negotiation Team #2) by Julie Coulter Bellon blog tour and review

Ashes Ashes

Are you ever really innocent until proven guilty?

Sophia Naziri is wanted for questioning in the murder of a U.S. senator. She’s worried the police will show up on her doorstep any moment, but when Detective Colby Black appears, it’s to help her put out a kitchen fire, not take her in. Yet. His easy smile and persistence in getting to know her pushes all her troubles to the back of her mind, until a hit man tracks her down. Getting arrested becomes the least of her worries and the handsome detective could be her only way out—if she tells him the truth.

Colby Black’s sniper skills have been a blessing and a curse to him. As a member of a Hostage Negotiation Team, he can use them to save people, but sometimes he can’t protect the innocent despite his best efforts. When a hostage situation goes bad, he tries to put it behind him by helping out his mysterious next-door neighbor, Sophia Naziri. But she pulls Colby into a web of lies and conspiracy that will force him to use every skill he has in order to survive. Faced with the moment of truth, can he trust anyone around him—including the woman at the center of it all?

Author Julie Coulter Bellon


Julie is the author of seven international suspense novels: Through Love’s Trials, On the Edge, Time Will Tell, All’s Fair, Dangerous Connections, Ribbon of Darkness and All Fall Down. She loves her work partly because she gets to travel to distant lands to research and add an authentic feel to all of her books. Her favorite cities so far are Athens, Paris, Ottawa, and London. She taught journalism at BYU for fourteen years and that kept her on the cutting edge of current events and world news—which is where she gets her story ideas.

She also has one non-fiction title: Be Prepared: A Parent’s Guide to the Duty to God and Eagle Scout Awards—What You Should Know and is part of two compilations, How Will Christmas Find Us and Life Lessons From Mothers of Faith.

She is the mother of eight children and when she’s not busy being a mom or a writer, you will find her browsing through bookstores to add to her book collection, at the library borrowing books, or reading the treasures she’s found.

My Review

4 STARS

Ashes Ashes is a title that really fits the book in different ways. It is exciting, full of twists, keeps you guessing the whole way to what is really going on. It is also a clean read. There is a lot of violence , fires, multiple agency task force and a little romance thrown in.

Colby Black is a sniper on the hostage negotiation team. He is a loveable character. He likes to clean when he is stressed, or cook he could come clean my house anytime.

Colby had a stressful day at work and comes home and sees someone in his next door neighbor's home and smoke. Colby steps in and helps get the fire out. He meets Sophia who is staying at James's house for a few days to be alone. Colby offers to help her clean up the kitchen, take her for medical help for her burn. Sophia would rather be alone.

Colby goes and gets 4 different fast food dinners so Sophia won't go hungry. Colby ends up back at his house so he cleans his kitchen spotless. He is serious about cleaning when he is stressed. The next day he takes her fresh cinnamon buns he made and cleaning supplies and helps her clean the walls.

Sophia can't believe the mess her life is in right now. She witnessed a U.S. Senator's murder. Her father was with him and she does not know why he did nothing to stop it. Now Sophia is wanted for questioning. She found a bag with diamonds in a pouch, a million dollars in cash and a piece of paper with a little information about a digital file her father made.

Sophia is a strong character that wants to do what is right she just does not know who to trust. What little of the conversation she overheard leaves her confused. She does not believe the Senator or her father would do anything wrong. Sophia designs jewelry. She is making something for the Senator for his wife right now.

I did not want to put the book down. I also want to go and read the first book about the Hostage Negotiation Team. This book stands alone. Target age would be older teens and adults.

I was given this ebook to read and asked to review it and be part of their blog tour. I was not paid and all opinions are my own.
Published May 30th 2013 by Julie Coulter Bellon 219 pages ISB 1484886402 (ISBN13: 9781484886403)

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