Land of Ashes

Savage Lands #7

by Stacey Marie Brown

When there is nothing remaining in your soul, there is nothing left that can be taken away.

Ash has always been the rock, the one everyone turns to. That was before devastation took everything from him, leaving his soul dead on the ground, along with his heart.

Not able to face his sorrow, he drowns himself in alcohol, sex, and drugs. Turning away from everyone who loves him, he sinks further into the darkness, where he feels nothing.

The only thing important to him is seeking revenge.

Tracking down those who destroyed his life and killing them.

One night, saving a girl from an attempted kidnapping, Ash’s world changes. Intertwining their lives on a dangerous journey across the lands of Romania, where political unrest tears at the country and hides terrifying discoveries.
Scarlet should have been a blip on his radar, a girl he helped and forgot. Except her secrets tie their fates together.

Where the danger might be closer than he thinks.

And the darkness comes from within.

*Part of the Savage Lands Series. Reccomend reading the Darkness>Collector>Lightness>Devil in the Deep Blue Sea Saga before.

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Romance, Fae, Dark Romance, Dystopia, Audiobook

356 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 26, 2024

About the author

Stacey Marie Brown is a lover of hot fictional bad boys and sarcastic heroines who kick butt. She also enjoys books, travel, TV shows, hiking, writing, design, and archery. Stacey swears she is part gypsy, being lucky enough to live and travel all over the world.

Reviews

[Chaos & Courtships~ Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

2.5-3 🌶️

Holy. HELL. 💀 This book has done ruined me. After almost 2 years, I finally got to dive into this world again, and DAMN~ it feels good to be back.

If you haven’t read Savage lands, you absolutely need to do that first. Even though this is technically the start of a new series, you need the backstory of the first six books to truly understand what’s going on. And I would recommend reading all of the interconnected series to truly get the most out of Ash’s spin off.

The beginning of the story finds Ash in a bad way, still unable to recover from the events that occurred in Shadowlands. He is drowning in grief and sorrow, self-medicating, indulging in any and all vices. He’s hell-bent on suic!dal mission of revenge, and cannot see past this singular focus. There’s an emotional component to the story as your heart breaks for him, watching him slowly destroy himself due to his guilt and self loathing.

When he meets Scarlet, a girl battling her own demons, and running from a past that seeks to destroy her, he begrudgingly agrees to help her, when she refuses to take no for an answer. The unlikely pair end up on the run together, fighting each other, and their growing attraction, every step of the way. Eventually, Scarlet starts to give Ash something to live for, while he gives her hope for the first time in a long time.

The banter between Scarlet and Ash is top-notch, and although there’s a bit of a slow burn, the spice is most definitely spicing. There were some absolutely scorching moments that had me checking to make sure no one was reading over my shoulder. 👀

And as with all of Stacey‘s books, there was nonstop action, some pieces of the story that remained a mystery till the end, and some unexpected twists that shocked the sh!t outta me. Mind the cliffy- Stacey really knows how to make you FERAL for the next book!!
Thank you, Stacey, for this gifted copy~ it was an honor to read and review.

🍄Angst
🍄One bed
🍄Touch her and d*e
🍄Forced proximity
🍄Revenge
🍄Impossible love
🍄Forbidden
🍄Action packed
🍄Connected series

[Danielle Pulliam · Rating 5 out of 5]

**𝑹𝑬𝑽𝑰𝑬𝑾** 𝑳𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝑨𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒃𝒚 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒚 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒆 𝑩𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒏 (𝑺𝒂𝒗𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝑳𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔 #7)

Release Date: March 25, 2024

5⭐️3🌶

This is fully Ash's story after the events and war of The Savage Lands series. He lost more than one person he loved, and the grief has dragged him down into a deep dark pit of drugs and alcoholism.

Ash is hell bent on destroying those that took his loves from him, and on his way to Romania to kill the Fae Queen and her son, he finds himself stuck with a young shifter woman, who he saves from a burning building. She attaches herself to him and travels with him despite his lack of interest in her or life in general. Her need for protection keeps him on this side of the living world.

The more time he spends with her, the more he realizes that she is not as she appears. She has a dark and sordid past and people are after her for murder. He decides to continue protecting her and taking her with him thinking that she appear to be that dangerous.

I'm excited to read the next installment in Ash's story, and I hope it leads back to some of the other main characters from The Savage Lands series.

Themes/Tropes:

🍁Urban Fantasy
🍁Revenge Plot
🍁Post Apocalyptic Setting
🍁Fae vs. Human War
🍁Shadow Daddy
🍁Fae Healer
🍁Hidden Powers
🍁One bed
🍁Grumpy-grumpy

TW:

✨PTSD
✨Drug and Alcohol Abuse
✨Physical violence
✨Grief
✨War
✨Prostitutions
✨Spicy content
✨Sexual assault

[Madeline · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I breathed vengeance and dreamed about death.”
.
Ash only lives in a world of revenge. After losing his heart and soul in the war, he now only wants to kill those that took from him. However, he decided to be all hero to a damsel in distress. This damsel is not so much a damsel as a mystery. She is now stuck with him and no matter how much he tries she doesn’t go away. Both hold secrets. Both feel an attraction. Both are on the run.
.
Let’s start with tropes: one bed, forced proximity, and touch her and you die. As you know Savage Lands does not disappoint with spice. This book is a spicy slow burn. Ugh the tension between these two characters. There’s closets, confessionals, bedrooms. Just so many SMALL, tight spaces for two people that kinda dislike each other. It’s definitely an action packed story. Revenge is never an easy task. If you loved Savage Lands you will love this book. It also ends in Stacey Marie Brown fashion. With a juicy cliffhanger.

[saralouisereads · Rating 5 out of 5]

3🌶️ holy shit!!!! i was not expecting that ending! this book opened a whole new world. kinda. sorta. the same world but sooooo much more shit happened in this than i was expecting. i knew this was gonna be sad but i wasn’t ready for just how sad it was. i loved Ash as a side character but i love him even more now as a main character. and Scarlet!!! 🤯🤯🤯 i cannot wait for the next book to come out!!! i think october, which isn’t too far but i need NOW. wow. i loved this. and i can’t get enough of this world. it will always go down as one of my most highly recommended romantasy series. these books are so much more dense in the world building than i ever thought and im pretty sure her other series are based in the same world also?? i need to read the rest of Stacey’s back list sooner than later

[Abbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was disappointing. Ash deserved better.

The FMC spent most of the book mad that he didn’t care about her. Her, a literal STRANGER to him. This entire book was just them going to brothels and the FMC getting mad at him when she had no right to because she inserted herself into his life.

The FMC blindly expected him to care about her then when he did things that showed he cared she backtracked and acted out. It was obvious that it was for the “twist” but for me, it was disorienting and didn’t make me care about her. One moment she was pining for him, the next she was hurling insults at him. Then she’d be butthurt when dude reacted accordingly to her insults.

What made her special, other than her looks, for Ash to “change” for her when he wasn’t willing to do it for his found family??

This entire relationship felt forced. You’re telling me that Ash, who is so devastated by the deaths of his former lovers(that he’s willing to go on a suicide revenge mission for them), that he tells this stranger (who he barely tolerates) his deepest secret (he never even told his closest friends)?

[always reading ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This felt like it was just trying to hit all the tropes. The storyline didn't make much sense because there was no reason or motivation for the mmc to help the fmc. 

[Leonie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I. Am. Fine."
"And I said... You. Are. Not."

This is a two POV book, told by the POV´s of Ash and Scarlet.

My poor baby Ash. If you read the series, you already know what he has gone through and this book deals with the trauma and aftermath of that for him. I liked Scarlet´s character and her honesty, her stubbornness and her unwillingness to leave Ash´s side.

Regarding side characters there weren´t that many appearances in this book, but let me tell you that my heart did a leap when Scorpion was mentioned. (Even if it just was for a second.)

Plotwise I really enjoyed it and it feels like a start to a new series. I would HIGHLY recommend to read the Savage Lands series, as well as the Darkness series and the Lightness saga beforehand, as this book is somewhat of a crossover and you need the other series to understand the references better. I liked the pacing, never felt too fast or too slow and the plot was filled with tension and kept me entertained. I loved the chemistry and the angst and tension between Ash and Scarlet as well as their constant bickering. As you already know, with Savage Lands you can always expect many spicy and hot scenes. In here we definitely have more of a slow burn romance that gets paired with many good action scenes.

Overall a great read and I can´t wait for the next book in the series!

trigger warnings: addicition, drugs, death/murder, loss of loved ones, grief and trauma, attempted kidnapping

[Nicki Carignan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whoa. That was spicy spice.

Intense and a wild ride.

I did miss bitsy and opie as our comic relief throughout this.

Ash. Sweet tortured soul Ash, I adored him throughout Savage Lands but he was so sad in this book.

This book stressed me out and took FOREVER to get to “Scarlet’s” secret. But the spice along the way made up for it.


Overall a great continuation of the Savage Lands series and I desperately want the next book

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

Great addition to the Savage Lands series. The choice of narrator for Ashe was spot on. Exactly what I pictured him sounding like. The ending….Gah! I love when authors tie in different series together. Can not wait for the next audiobook to release.

[Nika · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,75*

[ᥫ᭡. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

So.... I did ZERO research prior to starting this. I knew this book was coming but nothing about it. This is not a standalone. I didn't know that. I usually prepare my brain more for a cliffhanger and I am just blind sighted and distraught. At around 70% through the book I started getting that cliffhanger feeling in my gut. Nothing was wrapping up and everything felt chaotic.

General disclaimer for those not familiar with Stacey's books: you really need to read Savage Lands 1-6 to understand more about this world, what happened, and who Ash is. Ash was a secondary character in that series that the fans grew to love as much as the main characters (hence he now has his spin off series). He suffered something horrifically traumatic in the original series and this bleeds into Land of Ashes.

The following has prior book spoilers (but no spoilers for this book):

So what you'll need to remember from the previous books: Ash lost Kek (the blue haired demon) and Lucas at the hands of Sonya and her son Iain. Sonya is proclaiming herself as the new Queen of Romania and essentially wants to take over the world. You don't really need to know anything else. Maybe for future books more of the political stuff will come up, but this book is all revenge mission and mental health related. Ash is, understandably, falling apart. He wants to be numb but not so numb that he can't carry out his revenge mission. In the beginning of this book, Ash is at a bar collecting intel about the whereabouts of Sonya/Iain. Fights break out and the place is set on fire and its all really dramatic. Ash loses hold on the documents while saving a girl that is being abducted by the Russian Mafia. He and the girl, Scarlet, end up on the run together. She is this 20ish year old fae who Ash believes to be on vacation. Mystery surrounds her and her past for the entire book. You can tell there are secrets being held back and the need to know them kept me turning the pages.

80% of this book is running from enemies, trying to find food/shelter, staying in brothels, and Ash just completely self destructing with sex, drugs, and alcohol (sex only with prostitutes). There is an inherent chemistry and burn between Ash and Scarlet but Ash is too broken and Scarlet has too many secrets. Although we don't get full on spice in this book, there is a scene that is pretty hot! It was a great way to make the book more adult while also respecting a slow burn plot.

We do not get any cameos from the original series. No Warwick/Brexley/Killian, etc. We briefly see Scorpion but then they run away from him. This is 100% about Ash and Scarlet. It was nice to just focus on them but I miss the others so much and I hope to see them in future books.

Once I realized this book would have a cliffhanger, I knew EXACTLY how it would end. And I was right. We get some major reveals in the very last chapter that leaves you wanting to yeet the book across the room. I will probably need to read the last chapter before the next book release and not have to worry about the rest of the book. The rest is just really solid character development. It was really beautiful reading about Ash coming out of his dark head space. Stacey writes so poetically and I had a great time. This book was probably a tad too long and drawn out with extra details. I can't wait to see what's to come in book 8. It's going to be WILD.

[Eline · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,75* - Seriously I don’t know what kind of crack is in here but I just can’t get enough! So basically this story follows Ash’s point of view after the big battle. On his revenge/hero mission he meats the hotheaded Scarlet, who for some reason decides to join him on his mission! Along the way, the tension between these 2 just grew and grew! Oh my lord!!! Based on the previous books and how each one found their mates, you could clearly tell that this was going in the same direction, yet both do not want to acknoledge the growing posessiveness towards the other person! Quite funny to read to be honest! What I like about this book is that we actually have no real clues about Scarlet or her life, just that she comes from a rich family! You van just tell that there is sooo much more lurking beneath the surface! Secrets waiting to come out and be exposed! Looking forward to the next book, sad that it’s the last one 🥲🥲🥲
Didn’t give this 5 stars because people who should have been long dead keep coming back to life and ruin everything, which frustrates the hell out of me

[Jess 📖🫶🏻 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahhhhhh! It feels so good to be back in this world. I immediately knew who Scarlet would actually be within the first 30% of the book but I still wanted to throw my kindle when she finally told Ash. A million percent recommend reading DCL saga before this [if you haven’t I actually love it more than Savage Lands itself]. As always Ms SMBs writing is superb. Action, angst, banter, etc. My one qualm was that we barely see any magic in the whole book. I get she has a cuff but still. It’s a fantasy/paranormal world with minimal magic. I was bummed. I feel like I’ve been waiting so long for Ash’s story and now I will be not so patiently waiting for the conclusion. Even though I never want this world to end. It’s epic in every way. I’m going to have to read from the very very beginning before the final book. This entire world literally is my soul. It’s so effing good. I constant recommendation from me. Hopefully we get some more of our favorite dark dwellers in the next book. I want them more than Warwick and Brexley. And we still need a fun sub fae sidekick!

[Rachel Griffiths · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need me a tree fairy 🥵 I thought I loved Ash in the savage lands series but this Ash, despite all the moping, was 🔥
Some would probably say too many brothel, high as a kite sex scene, but I was here for each and every one of them. The elephant trunk references however 🐘😱🙅🏻‍♀️
I really enjoyed scarlet’s character, I haven’t read the darkness series or lightness saga so those have promptly been added to the TBR list to hopefully get a bit more backstory. But all in all 5⭐️ and can’t wait for the next book.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

For this being a Shadow Lands spin off, I really enjoyed this story of Ash and Raven! I figured out early on who she was but I still appreciate SMB continuing to weave worlds and story lines from her other series together. Very interested to see where this is going in the next book based off how this one ended!

[Audrey Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this as a spin off from Savage Lands and definitely appreciate and love the continued twining of SMB’s other series. There were some very solid scenes in the book, but I did find it kind of uneventful at times. I am curious how the following book plays out though, so definitely will keep going!

[Athena · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH SON OF A BITCH I thought this was gonna be a whole little standalone spinoff for this series, it’s not. It ends on a massive cliffhanger after a big reveal. And now I think I do have to read her three other interconnected series. AND there’s no release date for the next book STACEY WHY.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second best book in the series (second to the first one). Like the first book, this went in a few different directions than I expected. This was refreshing since several of the previous books became repetitive. I really liked Ash in the other books, so this was enjoyable and interesting to see how his character has changed and is developing more. New addition Scarlet is also a good character with a lot of intrigue around her. The spice is spicy but wasn't as constant as previous books. Up to each reader if that is a good or bad thing. Very excited for the series to continue.

[Julia Hendrickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fact that we wrapped up Brex and Warwicks and moved onto Ash was not what I expected and I genuinely enjoyed this side of Ash and the story development

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well….. fuck. 👀

[Catisha Scavairello · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome as always

[Shanicereadss · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5🌟

I don’t know what to say without spoiling it but just know I LOVE them so much. My heart is so sad for what they’ve been through😭

[Manon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ca faisait longtemps que je voulais continuer cette saga et même si ce tome était un peu en-dessous des tomes précédents pour moi, je suis curieuse de découvrir le prochain tome rapidement. La FMC donne vraiment envie d'en découvrir davantage et j'ai hâte de voir comment va s'arranger la situation (ou pas) après ce qu'il s'est passé à la fin de ce livre.

[Bri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg!!! I devoured this book! I felt so sucked in the same way I did when I first started the Savage Land series. Ash’s story is such a fun one to explore after the way the OG Savage Land books ended. The amount of adventure, character development, and tension was everything!! So so happy to be part of Stacey’s ARC team because I will be needing the next book as soon as possible!!

[Katherine Bichler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Dystopian Fantasy Romance

You should read the Savage Lands series before this one for sure or else you won’t get it.
This is all about Ash from Savage Lands and the aftermath of the death of his lovers and finding new love with Scarlet.
I liked returning to the world. The first half of this is mostly Ash in crisis and woe is me… not my favorite but it’s setting up for the next book. I liked Scarlet and the start of their romance. Can’t wait to see where the series goes!

[Eve 🐦‍⬛ 🗡️💘 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stacey Marie Brown does it again with Land of Ashes, and let me tell you, I was giddy to jump back into the Savage Lands series with Ash as the star of the show. Ash has always been one of my favorites, and this extension of his story was everything I hoped for—and then some.

I binged the Darkness Collection before this, and after having read the Savage Lands series first. I’m so glad I did, because understanding Scarlett’s origins had me screaming at Ash. Like, “HELLO?! Do you not see what she is?”

That voyeur scene?! 😮‍💨 Top. Tier. Smut. I was biting down on my stiletto fingernail like it was my personal gag ball. Stacey writes spice like nobody’s business, and I was fully invested.

Beyond the building heat—and release, Ash’s pain and heartbreak was visceral. I felt every ounce of it. The way Stacey Marie writes is like watching a movie in your mind, and I’d hit replay over and over.

And Scarlett? Leave it to Ash to latch onto a beautiful, damaged, and stubborn af woman. Their dynamic is gold, especially with the bracelet situation. You just know things are going to get wild when she’s finally free of that goblin metal.

Sprinkle in some little mentions of past characters (Opie and Bitzy are still my favorite duo), and I’m left chomping at the bit for the next book. The end of Ash’s journey is gonna be epic, and I am so ready!

[Lisbeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

En parte, se sintió forzado.

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, that ending was exciting! So I’ll start with why I gave it 3 stars… this was my least favorite of all the Stacie Marie Brown books, and I was really excited to read it. So excited that I went and read the collectors series, lightness saga, and the pirate ones, too. I had read all the savage lands before them, and I did the recommended readings to catch up until this book came out. I wasn’t a fan of all the drugs and prostitution going on, wasn’t a fan of the story line really either. The ending was great though because it ties in Kennedy and Lorcan and all the previous characters in the time before Savage lands. So that was fun to see that, and I would say that if you’ve read all her other books, you should read them all. I’m too invested in the whole world she had created, and I will read the next, but for sure didn’t enjoy this one, I felt like a was skipping pages even a few chapters, especially when Ash was going on his binges. I really didn’t enjoy Ashes story sorry to say, and I don’t quite connect with Raven either, she felt like a sub character instead of how all the other women play a major role in all her other books. Maybe that will change in the next?

[Prisci · Rating 3 out of 5]

Omg I missed this universe 😭 this book had me hooked since the start. I loved Raven’s character, despite the fact that she let Ash get away with EVERYTHING in this book. The story was fast-paced and action-packed.
I loved Ash in the other books sooooo much and in this book we get a completely different Ash. His old self comes out towards the end of the book, but I really disliked him in this book 😕 he was very selfish and irresponsible, and while I know he’s grieving, I kind of don’t get it. I don’t really remember his connection with Kek and Lucas being that deep tbh… I was over him going to brothels and getting high. And the fact that he would make the prostitutes dress like them was awk. Also, the whole prostitution scene with him and Raven was a little disgusting and degrading tbh. I kind of checked out after that scene because it ruined their relationship for me.
Other than all that ⬆️ I did speed through this book and the story had me not wanting to put the book down.