Book 33 Will Rise From Ashes

 

As you know, most
romances have two points of view—the love interests of the tale. I had a full
playing field to choose from for the category. But when Ms. Grant told me about
her book, I grabbed it.

Jean M. Grant
writes both historical and contemporary romances. I always equated her with the
historicals. But when I heard about Will Rise From Ashes, I knew the
book would hit all my buttons.

First, it’s a
post-apocalypse book—kinda. The volcano under Yellowstone has erupted! Thank
God, it wasn’t the super massive, earth-altering event scientists predicted.
But it’s bad.

Really bad.

A.J. Sinclair
arrives home in Maine just as the volcano goes. She and her son, Will, are
devastated to realize A.J.’s brother and her younger son never caught their
flight home. They are still somewhere in the western US, most likely Colorado. The
entire region was hit hard. Not in complete panic (some rational thoughts
prevailed), A.J. packs up Will for a cross-country trip to find her son.

Phew!

From there comes
a wild ride on a newly widowed woman driving 3000 miles to find one small boy.
Along the way, she encounters thieves, mad men, kind people, and one sweet
gentleman. A.J. gives in to her better instincts and allows that gentleman,
Reid Gregory, to join them in their quest. He’s headed toward Colorado, too.
Sparks fly between them, but A.J. feels compelled to keep her eyes on the
prize, protecting the son with her and finding her other boy.

The novel is told
from two points of view. One would expect to hear from A.J. and Reid. Nope, Ms.
Grant mixes it up. The story is told from A.J.’s point of view and Will’s—her
autistic son. It blew me away to see the novel unfold with these two telling
the tale. Not only that, but the author chose to further disregard conventions.
A.J.’s side of the tale is told in the first person (with I and me) while
Will’s is in third person (he and him).

It worked well,
like five stars good.

Listening to the
book from these two voices brought home the real angst of the tale, the frantic
fear for her son, and Will’s unique perspective with his autism. His scenes
really give voice to people with that condition. Will has some of the “expected”
behaviors of someone with autism, but he has other unique qualities one might
not expect. Just having his point of view shows the reader that people with
autism have a wide range of behaviors, habits, intelligence, and interests. I
loved hearing his thoughts.

I refuse to spoil
anything more because you need to read this book. It is a romance at heart, so
you might guess the ending… I loved every second.

I give Will
Rise From Ashes by Jean M. Grant Five Reliable SUVs for a cross-country
trip.