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Ashes Still Burn #1
Ashburn: An Urban Fantasy Novel
David Steele is an aging one-hit-wonder who makes a deal with a powerful demon to escape death. But instead of saving David's life, the demon sends his soul somewhere worse than Hell—to the suburbs of Ashburn, Virginia, to work off his debt as the demon's right-hand man.
Officially, David's still alive. But all is far from great. His new body used to belong to a demon no one likes; his girlfriend’s a succubus with a taste for human hearts; and his dog’s a hound from Hell.
All David wants to do is get out of Ashburn and start making music again, but a few hours into his new gig, people in town start dying. And it's his job to stop the killing.
Or else.
"Ashburn" is Book #1 in the dark urban fantasy Ashes Still Burn series.
Officially, David's still alive. But all is far from great. His new body used to belong to a demon no one likes; his girlfriend’s a succubus with a taste for human hearts; and his dog’s a hound from Hell.
All David wants to do is get out of Ashburn and start making music again, but a few hours into his new gig, people in town start dying. And it's his job to stop the killing.
Or else.
"Ashburn" is Book #1 in the dark urban fantasy Ashes Still Burn series.
285 pages, Paperback
Published April 5, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 23, 2021
For fans of urban fantasy, it's a fun read
I've been traveling the urban fantasy trail for years. I've made my way through Dresden and Sandman Slim, with many in between. They all have their similarities, from the first person point of view to the wise cracking antihero. This one is no exception. It follows all the same patterns, but it has done well to create an interesting landscape and cast of characters. While it was not non stop action, it did a good job of creating suspense and played out as more of a"Who done it, " then a monster battle royale. It was a fun read and I enjoyed it almost as much as some of my favorites. I'm glad I ran out of other books to read and gave this one a try. Here's to hoping that book 2 is as good.
I've been traveling the urban fantasy trail for years. I've made my way through Dresden and Sandman Slim, with many in between. They all have their similarities, from the first person point of view to the wise cracking antihero. This one is no exception. It follows all the same patterns, but it has done well to create an interesting landscape and cast of characters. While it was not non stop action, it did a good job of creating suspense and played out as more of a"Who done it, " then a monster battle royale. It was a fun read and I enjoyed it almost as much as some of my favorites. I'm glad I ran out of other books to read and gave this one a try. Here's to hoping that book 2 is as good.
September 3, 2018
My first urban fantasy book, and perhaps not my last. I didn't know what to expect, but Ashburn was quite the engaging, fast-moving read--I didn't want to put it down. Living in Ashburn myself now, I loved seeing familiar street references, and similarly, various guitar and music references. Demon character aside, the protagonist is believable and likable. I kept thinking this would be a great Ryan Reynolds movie. It's very Deadpool-ish in the speed of the story, and main character David Steele has a lot of great one-liners, a la Deadpool. The author created such a visual story, it was a great read. If this is urban fantasy, Michael Layne, you have a new fan.
July 20, 2023
This was my first read in this type of genre. I decided to read because I love how this author how he writes and the premise of the book. I think everyone has thought that when they are facing something very difficult in life, what if this happens. I loved how the story unfolds, characters, and the ending. A man who is dying of cancer gets a new life by entering a demons body, and it has advantages and disadvantages. This book is exceptionally well written. I definitely recommend.
January 24, 2019
Perfect
This book was awesome...it kept me on my toes the whole way through and just really enjoyed it...wish there was another book to this one
This book was awesome...it kept me on my toes the whole way through and just really enjoyed it...wish there was another book to this one
April 17, 2021
I misplaced this book when I moved years ago. Finally found it amiss some of my husbands things. I immediately started rereading it. It is an extremely enjoying book.
October 16, 2021
Waking up in a body that is not your own and being told that you are now a demon enforcer by a deity that now holds your life in it’s hands can be a bit disconcerting. Having made a deal with the devil to survive cancer, David Steele/John Starling is finding that some of the details of said deal may not be to his liking. John is now learning how to navigate being an enforcer to super naturals that are living in a town that he cannot leave until his life debt is paid in full.
With no info to go on as to how he fits into the community John is having a hard time adjusting to some really intense on the job training that may get him killed before his first week in his new body is up.
I understand that the author has to establish but for me things seemed to move at a snails pace and I lost interest after a while. There are some humorous moments and few that almost tug at your heart strings, some gory action and fade to black sexy scenes.
I would have liked a faster pace in keeping with John’s urgency to get out of Ashburn. A little more info in some places and less dragging it out in others. It wasn’t a bad read just not as exciting as I was hoping.
I received and ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review.
With no info to go on as to how he fits into the community John is having a hard time adjusting to some really intense on the job training that may get him killed before his first week in his new body is up.
I understand that the author has to establish but for me things seemed to move at a snails pace and I lost interest after a while. There are some humorous moments and few that almost tug at your heart strings, some gory action and fade to black sexy scenes.
I would have liked a faster pace in keeping with John’s urgency to get out of Ashburn. A little more info in some places and less dragging it out in others. It wasn’t a bad read just not as exciting as I was hoping.
I received and ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review.
July 17, 2018
I don't read much Urban Fantasy, (unless Neil Gaiman counts) but this was an entertaining read.
Interesting (and hilarious) concept, believable characters, and adequate prose. I do feel some of the chapters could have been combined, as sometimes chapters are very short, but it's not something that kept me from reading on, obviously. I've dropped some books for having extremely short chapters, and though the fact that there are over 52 chapters in 250 or less pages did slow my reading pace down a bit, it wasn't a huge problem for me.
The only major criticism I have with the book is with the main character and his arc, as it feels a little bit understated. I feel the author missed some opportunities to get deeper inside of his head than we end up getting. As it stands, though, it's clear that this is intended to start off a series, so we'll be getting more expansion to his character and the continuation of David Steel's character arc in the next one, which I look forward to.
But, in any case, this is a good light read if you need a breather from reading thousand page epics like a Song of Ice and Fire, and it's a good start to a series with a lot of potential.
Interesting (and hilarious) concept, believable characters, and adequate prose. I do feel some of the chapters could have been combined, as sometimes chapters are very short, but it's not something that kept me from reading on, obviously. I've dropped some books for having extremely short chapters, and though the fact that there are over 52 chapters in 250 or less pages did slow my reading pace down a bit, it wasn't a huge problem for me.
The only major criticism I have with the book is with the main character and his arc, as it feels a little bit understated. I feel the author missed some opportunities to get deeper inside of his head than we end up getting. As it stands, though, it's clear that this is intended to start off a series, so we'll be getting more expansion to his character and the continuation of David Steel's character arc in the next one, which I look forward to.
But, in any case, this is a good light read if you need a breather from reading thousand page epics like a Song of Ice and Fire, and it's a good start to a series with a lot of potential.
June 3, 2021
Not good
Only got to 10%of the book and gave up!! The main character was a dumb ass plain and simple.He made a deal with a daemon and thought their was no catch? By that point I was rooting for the daemon!!
Only got to 10%of the book and gave up!! The main character was a dumb ass plain and simple.He made a deal with a daemon and thought their was no catch? By that point I was rooting for the daemon!!
May 21, 2026
This book was highly entertaining. I live in the area and it was quite funny to read about things I am familiar with. The mystery was engrossing and has prompted me to read the rest of the series.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews