Review of "From Ashes to Honor"

"Must be one heckuva fire to make a mess like this."

     Loree Lough's From Ashes to Honor is not your typical romance novel. It isn't about a strained marriage, reconnecting high school sweethearts, or even a soldier off at war while his wife or girlfriend deals with her own problems at home. It's about a man plagued by regret and a woman struggling to find meaning in a world she perceives as godless, and it's a tribute to those who risked their lives--and continue to risk them--to save thousands of innocent people.

     On September 11, 2001, NYPD officer Austin Finley ignores a call from his brother, Avery--the third call in the past two days. Avery, an investment banker working at the World Trade Center, has been nagging him about switching over to a safer career, but Austin is determined to have none of it. He's a police officer, and that's that. So he ignores the buzzing of his phone in his pocket as he races off toward the pillars of smoke that have begun to darken the New York skyline. Eight years later, Austin's guilt over that phone call has led to the loss of his job; now he works as an EMT and lives on a beat-up tugboat named One Regret. When his new line of duty causes his path to cross with the shrink whose report got him fired, Austin doesn't expect anything but tension, but what he gets is entirely different: a new friend, a confidante, and unexpected love.

     This is a fairly well-written book. Lough's writing style is very straightforward and full of detail. The worldbuilding is fantastic, filled with miniscule details that work together to paint a tapestry of the world in which Austin and Mercy, his former therapist, live. From rain to football stadiums to the smell of a sea breeze, From Ashes to Honor is filled with great descriptions that make the setting feel real. The romance, however, strays a little too close to insta-love for my liking.

     The characters in this story are very fun to read. Although the plot circles around Austin, a devout Christian, and Mercy, a pragmatic woman with no patience for faith, the side characters and subplots are just as interesting. Austin's neighbors, the charming elderly couple Bud and Flora, face a terrible sickness. Mercy's fun-loving brother comes to visit. We also meet several of Austin's coworkers, each of them unique and dynamic. Characters, the protagonists especially, are complex and remarkably realistic. A downside, however, is that the level of depth each character starts with never changes. While they're interesting to read, they don't go through a lot of development.

     On the surface, the plot of the novel appears to be a simple boy-meets-girl romance, but that's far from the truth. While there is plenty of flirting and some very sweet moments, the book is, at its heart, about looking past love to the storms ahead. Austin and Mercy are two very different people when it comes to faith and religion, and it's this difference that drives the plot. Together, they must face difficulty after difficulty as they decide whether it's safe to commit to a relationship where they are "unevenly yoked".

     I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a romance featuring characters of two different faiths, or anyone who is interested in stories about 9/11. With its rounded, if somewhat static, characters and a great plot, Loree Lough's From Ashes to Honor captures the heart of a first responder. Readers beware: this book features a very cute couple and plenty of "feels". For all these reasons, I give From Ashes to Honor four stars.