Blood And Tears

Ashy Holler #2

by Jamie Zakian

Sasha ran, but it wasn’t far enough… Fifteen months have passed since Sasha Ashby left the holler. Now she’s a member of the Lazzari family, the biggest crime syndicate in America. Sasha has a new girlfriend and a new life, and she thinks she’s left her past behind her forever. That is until her old lover Vinny Archer shows up on the streets of the Queens. Now the past has returned to collect its debts… One glimpse of Vinny’s broken stare lures Sasha back to the holler, back to the life she fought so hard to forget. But her troubles didn’t disappear when Sasha did, and when she leaves the Lazzari Family’s protection, every angry mobster, vengeful federal agent, and deranged family member has an open target. When you have nothing left to lose, you can either lie down and die, or you can kill those who took it from you… The trip back home leaves Sasha broken, both mentally and physically, and ignites the strongest burn of vengeance in her chest. Driven by fury, Sasha dives headfirst into a massacre. But the ones responsible for her pain may not be the ones she thinks. Blinded by blood and tears, Sasha can’t see the pit of darkness she’s plunging into until it’s too late.

330 pages, Paperback

First published December 28, 2016

Reviews

[Coco.V]

🎁 Books 2 & 3 in the Series are FREE on Amazon today (8/19/2022)! 🎁

[Debra Johnson]

Prch Amz Aug 19, 2022

[Kaija Rayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I received an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Damn.

There are some stories and some characters that just stick with you. Some authors who just excel at putting you through the emotional wringer and still make you so damned happy you read the book.

Jamie Zakian is one of those authors, her characters Sasha, Dev, Vinny... and the secondary characters, too... are some of those characters.

I read horror and crime books, though at a 1/10 Crime/Paranormal Romance or Urban Fantasy ratio. The only reason I read a lower percentage of crime books is because they have to be even better than my romance books to hook me. (I'm picky with everything I read.)

I'm so glad I decided to grab a copy of the first in this series, Ashby Holler, around 8 months ago. I found one of my newest favorite authors.

I can't wait for the next and last book of this series. Seriously, if it were out, I'd go buy and read it right this second. Even though I have a feeling I'd be sobbing by about halfway through.

I will do a trigger warning for my readers, this book has graphic violence and isn't a pretty type of story. I love that about it, though.

The gritty, real aspect of this story and the emotional fallout followed by joy from the characters' choices is such a gripping read.

By gripping, I mean I started this book at around 10 am today, after posting my last review of a different book, and I haven't done a damned thing all day except read and fetch my kids from school. I forgot to eat lunch I was so engrossed in the sanguine adventures caught within my digital pages. I finished reading about an hour ago. This book made me laugh, snicker, snort out loud, it gut-punched me and made me messy cry and when I flipped the last page, I grinned. (The kindle edition comes with a bonus short story you can download from the publisher, you so want to download the bonus, it's wonderful!)

The author carries through from the first book the doubt any bi-woman in the '90s felt, that we were somehow messed up because that was before the whole bisexuality-is-really-a-thing revolution.

I lived through the '80s and '90s, I know what it felt like and this series nails exactly how it felt.

I could gush for an hour how much I loved about this book. I'm a fast reader, but even I don't usually get glued to the pages this much.

Thank you, Ms. Zakian for another excellent book that transported me to another life. It was indeed, a pleasure.

[TDCbookreviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Warning, that this is a book that has trigger incidents toward abuse, drugs, and violence. The author does have a warning (but it is at the end of the book) and some scenes were very difficult to read.

However, Sasha's life is one that is full of intensity: love, family, work... she has no boundaries between these 3 and it weighs on her. When fate has her back in her holler, she is taken aback to what that infamous coma really meant for her future. The men in her life are there for her, no matter what, but there are other factors in play and they all must choose what they really want, and how much they want to fight for it.

An absolute amazing sequel. Zakian's writing is so raw and powerful and she draws you in with this magnetic characters who are so damaged yet just trying to find their way and find some kind of happiness with the hand they were drawn in life. Unforgettable stories and characters and it leaves you craving wanting more! Fantastic; 5 stars.

[Shaun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better than the first book. Wow!