Book Review: Out of Smoke and Ashes By Bree Wolf

Out of Smoke and Ashes is book three in Bree Wolf’s latest and brilliantly written Flames or Winter Series. The entire series follows Sarah and Kier’s love story and is part of the up-and-coming trend in the Regency genre to follow the same couple throughout multiple books. By doing so, authors are dragging out the love stories, making them more realistic for modern society because rarely anyone marries only a week or two after meeting.  

Some genre readers have not looked favorably upon this trend, while others appreciate spending more time with the characters on the pages. I am a bit reluctant to this more drastic genre change, as I like to read a new story, not a continuation with each new book. However, I have to admit that Flames of Winter has been refreshing. 

Each book in the series follows along with the genre beats, has a bit of uncertainty about how the couple will end up together, and leaves off with a happy for now ending. Finally, in Out of the Smoke and Ashes, readers see a much more solid happy ending, but with the promise of more of this couple’s story to come. 

Title: Out of Smoke and Ashes

Author: Bree Wolf

Publication Date: April 7, 2023

Series: Flames of Winter (Book 3)

Page Count: 328 pages

ASIN: B0C1KHTMJB

About Out of Smoke and Ashes

Out of Smoke and Ashes starts where book two, Shield of Fire, ended. I would not recommend jumping into the series without reading the previous books because even though there is a bit of recap, they don’t work well as stand-alone novels. True to Wolf’s normal writing style, this is a sweet and clean Regency romance that focuses on the story without intimate scenes. 

It starts with Sarah, Kier, their driver, and Sarah’s sisters and children traveling the rough chilly road to a remote Scottish island. This epic journey spans two exhausting weeks where Sarah’s sister learns not to be so afraid anymore, and the children spread their wings like never before. 

It culminates in a boat ride and meeting Keir’s brother as they arrive at his clan’s island. The clan lifestyle is far from what the two english ladies were raised in, but it is more of the Bed and Breakfast cozy feel than the stuffier feel of a ton story. 

They experience trials on the island, of course, like the children running away and getting lost, constant fear of the men the group escaped from reappearing, and of course, the more irrational fear of not being accepted by the Keir’s clan.

It has a happy ending, but Wolf says she will continue Kier and Sarah’s story. Since there is a lot of Kate, Sarah’s sister’s, point of view throughout the story, I also anticipate seeing some kind of love second chance story coming our way too within the series. However, this series is much different from the past series by Wolf, so it is hard to anticipate the coming books.  

This book differs from the others in the series as it contains much more “words of wisdom” and, in some parts, reads almost more like an inspirational quote book than a Regency. I liked some of the “words of wisdom” more than others, though everything is relatively vague. 

One quote that I don’t like is:

“That doesna matter, lass. We choose who we want to be. ‘Tis the only way to be at peace with yerself.”

Page 45, Out of Smoke and Ashes. 

I don’t like this quote simply because it is one of those concepts that children for the last couple of generations have been told, you can be whoever you want to be, and it has been taken too far by society in more recent decades. 

My favorite quote in the book is,

“Sometimes people are in love with a dream or an idea, and they cling to it in such a way that, to them, reality bends.”

Page 295, Out of Smoke and Ashes. 

This one really captures society as it is today. 

The entire book is like this feel-good book scattered with inspirational quotes. They are not too controversial, and there is something for everyone. 

This is a very long book, however, almost 400 words in length. Though there is a happy ending, as I mentioned previously, the book’s last lines are a cliffhanger, but I really have enjoyed spending so much time on this one love story. It makes it seem more real. 

Where can you get this book?

You can get a copy of Out of Smoke and Ashes, which is a very fitting title, by the way, from Amazon, in ebook, paperback, and hardcover format. Plus, at the time of publishing this review, the book is also in the Kindle Unlimited program. I am a big fan of the Kindle Unlimited program as it allows avid readers to read more books for cheaper but also compensates authors by paying per page read. 

I give this book five stars for its excellent storyline and two flaming hearts because it is a very tame, clean, sweet regency.