Fragments of Ash: (inspired by "Cinderella") (A Modern Fairytale)

Reviewed by Emma-Louise on behalf of KFFThis release has been hyped and I was extremely stoked-up to get a copy. I kept everything crossed that this wasn’t another of those cases of overhyped-super-let-down. Thankfully this book lived up to the buzz and so much more. The telling of a modern-day fairytale has been tried and done by several authors. This author is I have to say, the best of them. Chock-full of romance, suspense and a tinge of mystery.Ashley’s mother is found dead a month after Ashley’s eighteenth birthday. Tragedy rarely hits singularly. Shortly after her mother’s funeral, Ashley is dropped on her head with a revelation from her dear old stepfather Mosier Răumann (pronounced Rowman). With the help of her fairy godfather and a well-meaning man, she gets out of dodge. Enter one of the most abstinent men I have had the pleasure of loving in quite a while.Julian Ducharme is angry and spiteful to begin with, and at times I almost couldn’t handle how he treated Ashley. There was one pitiful scene about forty percent in that almost broke me. How something as simple as an offering for friendship could lead to one of the most tragic scenes I have ever read. I ended up, and I kid you not with a red face from ugly crying so much, I do not often have to put a book down and walk away because of how it makes me feel. I mentioned that scene to a family member and just talking about it had me in tears again. What has this author done to me?Quickly I became invested in Ashley and her story. We’ve all experienced a moment or time in our lives where we feel truly alone. Ashley’s character was as fragile as she was strong, weak and yet unbreakable, naïve and yet older than her years. Fragments of Ash is an expedition for both Julian and Ashley. They both have baggage, so much so they are ladened down, exhausted and numb. Julian is almost like the tin man out of the Wizard of Oz; his heart is there if only he could feel it beating in his chest.“But that doesn’t make him your boyfriend,” I snap. My lips turn down, and I look so sad that I add in a whisper. “Not yet anyway.” The backstory of both characters creates a slow burn adventure. Adventure is the right word for one of them. It takes re-education and trusting oneself to forget what had been sewn in there over years of operant conditioning. Reading their first kiss was like experiencing my first kiss all over again. Shame mine wasn’t as good as theirs clearly was!‘My body is his playground, and he is doing things to it that I never imagined. Even more, my body is responding like it’s been waiting for him to touch me like this. Like maybe it’s been waiting forever. I know what it wants, and as my hips start to thrust softly against his hand.’ Ms. Regnery is a true artist of words. I cannot express how immensely overwhelming I felt at times. I craved this book, just one more page, just one more chapter. Working between sessions was a real pain for me. Sadly workie equals no books for Emma. *sighs*I’m a fickle reader, I know this well enough. When I read Unloved last year I said THAT was this author’s best book. Now I’m stating: that as of this moment, Fragments of Ash is her best. High five woman, and a standing ovation. Bloomin’ brilliant.

This story was a great retelling of a classic fairytale. I so enjoyed the story that I got lost in it and couldn’t put it down. It has all the great elements of the classic story -- the evil step-parent, the fairy godparent, the hero and heroine, and the perfect magic of new love.Ash is running from her stepfather, Mosier, after her mom’s untimely death. Though she doesn’t know for sure or have any kind of proof, she knows that she’s in trouble with Mosier and should get as far away as soon as possible. She runs to her godfather, Gus, who puts her up at his partner’s family farm -- with a reclusive renter, Julien, who wants nothing to do with anyone, especially Ash.I loved the twists and turns. I loved the drama. I loved the gentle way that Julien finally came to love Ash. I loved Gus and Jock. I loved Julien’s sister. I loved the priest at the school. The entire cast was amazing - even the evil step-brothers had a moment. I just wish there was more so I could enjoy it...or that I could read it again for the first time because it was so great!!!***I voluntarily read a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ***

After reading Vixen and the Vet, I was hooked on this amazing author. I have been looking forward to this book and regretfully this book fell short for me. The scene where creepy stepdad is describing what he is planning on doing to her, just too much. it was disgusting. There was too much of Tig and not enough of Ash. The hero was kind and good to her but sorry no prince charming. Their romance was boring and blahhhh. I was bored and found myself skimming through pages. Then shoot out scene and it's over?? Say what?? Pass!!

I received a free copy through Give Me Books Promotions in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.4.5 stars — So I’ve had an up and down ride with Ms. Regnery’s fairytales, and I was worried about whether this one was going to be a hit for me or not. I am so extremely relieved to say I LOVED it! It sucked me in right from the start, and made it hard to put down when I got tired reading in bed!! I just wanted to know how our fair Ashley was going to fair, and the ending was so worth it!!As is clearly noted in the blurb, this is a dark story. I’ve added trigger warnings to my review, but I feel that the blurb does an adequate job of giving the correct feel for the book, so there should be no unexpected surprises. I appreciated that while we learn enough to understand the horror that is living with Mosier, and there are a few disturbing and uncomfortable scenes, Ms. Regnery does not sensationalize the darkness, or use it for shock value…or at least I didn’t feel she did.Ashley was an interesting heroine to follow. Her upbringing molded her into a very naive and sheltered young woman…and I truly felt that. The religious views she held often made me uncomfortable, and I’m not sure how I feel about the role religion played in the story…but I tried explaining my feelings in an earlier rendition of this review, and it just got convoluted, so I’ll leave it at that. Ashley was a perfect example of a troubled young woman who’s trying so hard to become the opposite of her mother. I fully understood how she came to be who she was. I can’t decide how I feel about the constant reminders of her beauty. I understand why it was there…it is an element of who Cinderella is. But it felt…odd. However, I loved the way she tackled it when talking to Julian. And she truly exhibited the kindness that Cinderella is also known for. In the end I liked her, but I had reservations about her.Julian, on the other hand, was pretty easy to love. Even though he enters the story further in, I felt like we still got to know who he was and what he was about. I was glad that his cold attitude wasn’t dragged out too long. I thought the glimpses we saw of his backstory, and seeing him with his sister really helped to make him well rounded, and easy to love.Their romance was actually pretty sweet in the end. I mean, yes, we got the steam as well. But the parts I loved the most were their connections over conversations…their smiles and crushing on one another. Even though the romance was fast in some ways, I believed in it, especially under the circumstances in which it developed. They gave me butterflies, and little smiles, and had me rooting for them to work out. Their romance felt true, and selfless.Oftentimes I’m more about the characters than the plot in a story, but I actually felt like the underlying plot was very compelling…it had a great suspense feel, with just enough breaks to give us some character development. I was also surprised that I ended up enjoying the little interludes with Ashley’s mother’s diary, and seeing the twists that story took that, while hinted at, was still more intriguing that I anticipated.Shout out to a strong set of secondary characters, from Father Joe to Gus and Jock to Noelle to even a certain love interest. They all added to the story and to the development of our main characters.So yeah. I’m a pretty happy girl. It’s always nice when you go into a book with reservations and then are pleasantly surprised and blown away!

I knew before even opening this book that I was going to love it, and I did. I've read all of Katy's modern fairytales and they are all brilliant. They take a well-loved fairytale and modernise it perfectly. Fragments of Ash was no different. Based on the much loved Cinderella, Fragments of Ash introduces us to Ashley and her plight. I have to say, this book was a lot darker than the others, but it was so well done.As always, Katy's writing is excellent, the characters are well fleshed out, and you really get to know them. I was rooting for Ashley the whole way through the book and for Julian too. I loved Gus and Jock and even felt sorry for her two stepbrothers at times.Ashley's life is in danger and there were times where I cringed when she was reading her mother's diary or just being at home with Mosier. He truly was a dark and twisted, evil man and the things he planned to do to her.We also get to meet Gus, Ashley's Godfather and the only one she knows that can protect her. I love how Katy managed to bring in the elements from Cinderella such as Gus and how his partner's surname translates to mouse.I don't want to give away any of the story, but I will say this, when you open this book you are in for a thrilling, romantic ride, and if you're like me, you'll end up staying up well into the early hours because you won't be able to put the book down.A definite 5 star read from me and I'm off to pre-order the next book which is a modern take on the Ugly Duckling and comes out in March 2019.

LOVED this story! Brutal ugliness, breathtaking beauty, sweet innocence, and passionate first love."Beautiful. Without a doubt, without any caveats or clauses or reservations, she's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my life. Ever. Which is a massive [f...] problem."Ashley Ellis is on the run from her evil stepfather and two stepbrothers. With the help of her fairy godfather, she finds sanctuary in a beautiful, secluded house. The only thing marring her solitude is the handsome but taciturn, gruff glassblower who shares the house with her, and stirs her sexuality. Innocent, virtuous, and soft of heart, she's desperate to win him over; desperate for a friend."He is beautiful, I feel it everywhere - in every frantic beat of my heart."Julian Ducharmes is cloaked in bitterness and mistrust. Although he's attracted to Ashley at first sight, he tries hard to keep the stunning beauty at arm's length. There's no way that he will be taken for a fool, again. However, bit by bit, the dichotomy of worldliness and innocence that is Ashley, slowly burns through his defenses and he finds that he can't keep himself away, especially when his protective instincts rise to the surface when he suspects that she's vulnerable to an unseen danger."We are living in a fairytale world, my love and me. But the day will come when, like a fragile piece of glass dropped to the ground, our world will shatter around us."I absolutely ADORED this story. There's a crude ugliness to Ashley's life that is balanced by the sweetness of the girl herself and, moreover, outweighed by her beautiful, tentative relationship with Julian. In spite of her upbringing, she is such a good, kind-hearted person, and just so desperately in need of love. I loved her effect on Julian and the lightness she brought to his life. I loved that she lifted him out of his bitterness and showed him what true love was. Beneath his unfriendly demeanour beat a noble heart and he was the perfect first love for Ashley.Another brilliant novel to add to this fairytale collection. Good vs evil, great side characters, true love, and a HEA sprinkled with magic dust!

"But the day will come when, like a fragile piece of glass dropped to the ground, our world will shatter around us. Until then, we steal our piece of heaven, quietly hoping that the strength of our growing love can trounce the hounds of hell, knowing all the while that it can't." - Fragments of Ash.'Fragments of Ash' is the brutally beautiful seventh fairytale retelling in the Modern Fairytale Collection by Katy Regnery. It is a book that loosely centres around 'Cinderella', but without the over the top glitz and glamour.Ashley (lil'Ash) is a young adult just about to embark upon finishing school and living out her life, when her mother unexpectedly and suddenly dies. With her death Ashley is left feeling uneasy, nothing about it making sense.It is upon learning the intentions of her mother's will that things start taking a turn for the worst, when Ashley realizes she is going to be bound and tied to her monster of a stepfather Mosier Raumann.Mosier you learn from the onset is sick and twisted in his mindset, he's a criminal and an abuser. He is evil to his core and as a reader even make you feel on edge. The only way for Ashley to escape is to try and run away.With the help of her loyal and protective Godfather 'Gus' and the knowledge of her loyal priest 'Father Joseph', a plan is put in motion, landing Ashley in a house in the middle of nowhere with Julian, a man who is making his own escape from life and very much wants to be alone.With Julian there becomes a spark, a spark that both try to dance around in fear of hurt, unrequited feelings and the timer they both feel hangs over them. But in time, Ashley realizes that she doesn't want to avoid him, if anything, she very much wants to be near him.This book is beautifully written. It has some very adult themes of abuse, but told in a very honest and delicate way. This book was undeniably impactful to me as a reader, it makes you think of topics from life that you maybe wouldn't give much thought to, and like all Katy's books makes me wish I could speak French!This book is just amazing and I'd recommend to anyone who loves raw honest romances.

This book was darker and more disturbing than I had anticipated. I know that despicable behaviour exists, but reading it in black and white is upsetting. The portrayal of Ashley left me somewhat puzzled, as she was exposed to the seamier side of life up to the age of 13, then sequestered in a strict private Catholic girl's school. Initially she seemed unbelievably pious, but when the rubber hit the road she didn't seem to have any problems having premarital sex. I suppose circumstances being what they were overrode any objections. Meanwhile, Julian made one stupid mistake and paid for it by losing his job, reputation, and self-respect - it was humiliating, but understandable. The outcome seemed too conveniently settled, but if it could be argued that this is a modern day fairy tale, then why does it seem to end pretty abruptly with a HFN rather than HEA? Personally, I was not enamoured with this book and can't understand all the hype, but it was technically very well-written.

Diese Serie geht den Bach runter..grauenvoll was Katy hier ab liefert!! Ich verstehe die guten Kritiken nicht... hatte ich mich doch selbst noch an einer dieser Kritiken orientiert..die Story selbst ist schon fern ab jeglicher Realität! Das größere Problem habe ich aber mit diesen absolut bescheuerten Hauptfiguren! Sie.. Marke "dumme Unschuld vom Lande", Er.. " Vollpfosten vom Dienst".dann nimmt die Geschichte auch erst so bei 65-70% des Buches Fahrt auf. Alles davor ist absolut sinnfreies Geplänkel!!bitte bitte bitte.. Spart euch das Geld!!!Das nächste Buch "Swan song" werde ich mir auf GAR KEINEN FALL mehr kaufen!! Die Qualität hat von Buch zu Buch abgenommen, echt schockierend, wie Katy ihre Leser so quält!!

Chi di voi ha amato la favola di Cenerentola? Credo che, da piccole, tutte noi abbiamo sognato di essere lei.Katy Regnery è riuscita a scrivere una rivisitazione assolutamente unica e perfetta, che non perde mai d’intensità e che emoziona dalla prima all’ultima pagina.Cominciamo dal principio:C’era una volta una bellissima modella, una ragazza talmente bella da togliere il fiato. Questa giovane donna, però, aveva anche un piccolo segreto altrettanto bello. Tig, così la chiamavano, aveva qualche problema a gestire un successo così improvviso e importante, soprattutto senza nessuno a sostenerla.Tig si perde e perdendosi porta con sé il suo tesoro.Due bellezze identiche, due cuori legati da un legame di sangue indissolubile e tanta sofferenza. Tig fragile, Ashley forte; Tig dissoluta, Ashely risoluta; Tig impure, Ashley pura.Due facce di una stessa medaglia, unite ma distanti. Sole e impaurite.In Fragment of Ash l’autrice ha fatto un lavoro magistrale, poiché ha dipinto e messo in luce tutto il male che regna sovrano (e a volte indiscusso) su questo mondo e lo ha posto come cornice alla vita di un angelo.Ash, diminutivo per Ashely, è proprio come la cenere: polvere finissima e invisibile che s’insinua tra le crepe e che ricopre tutto. Lei riesce a far breccia nei cuori con la sua purezza, riesce a essere buona e gentile nonostante tutta la bruttezza e la cattiveria da cui è stata circondata, nella quale è cresciuta. Lei, come la cenere, avvolge tutto con il suo buon cuore, con i suoi sorrisi dolci e con quella forza che le ha sempre impedito di precipitare.Ora, tuttavia, è in pericolo.Il male, a volte, vince sul bene e sembra proprio che così avvenga nella sua vita. Ha un solo amico, che le è stato accanto nei momenti peggiore e che, forse, potrebbe aiutarla anche ora.Quello che Ash non si aspetta è l’incontro con Julian. Un bellissimo ragazzo, che sembra essere infastidito dalla sua presenza e che non vuole avere nulla a che fare con la giovane ragazza.Anche lui non ha avuto una vita semplice, solo che, a differenza della nostra piccola Cenerentola, lui ha chiuso cuore e mente a tutto ciò che potrebbe portare amore e felicità. Si è trincerato dietro un alto muro per proteggersi da tutto il mondo. Tradito e ferito nel modo più brutto, ha deciso di non darsi un’altra possibilità. La paura di sbagliare di nuovo e di passare attraverso l'inferno in cui ha vissuto lo blocca e la blocca fuori dalla sua vita.Eppure lei è lì, sempre nei suoi pensieri, nei piccoli gesti che riempiono di dubbi il suo cuore ferito. Lei è una creatura che non aveva mai incontrato prima, e ciò lo destabilizza.Dall’altro lato Ash si sente ancora un rifiuto da gettare e non una persona da amare.Un romanzo intenso, sempre vivo e appassionante e… bellissimo. Ho amato come l’autrice abbia messo (metaforicamente parlando) un giglio su una strada distrutta e desolata e come abbia fatto fiorire questo fiore candido e puro senza farlo mai macchiare, mantenendo intatto il suo cuore. Come abbia usato l’arma della gentilezza per far sciogliere più di un cuore.Ho amato la forza dirompente che ha messo tra le pieghe dell’anima dolorante di Ash, la sua bontà ha vinto tutta la crudeltà che l’ha sempre circondata, non l’ha cambiata, l’ha solo resa più tenace.Perché il bene deve vincere; il bene è, da sempre, la speranza ultima dell’umanità e la gentilezza la sua salvezza.Bellissimo!

Five Amazing StarsI was absolutely thrilled to receive book seven, A modern Fairy Tale. Such a exciting modern tale set on this beautiful story Cinderella. Written by of of my most favourite authors. Katy Regnery. Certainly of of most favourite fairy tales ever written. I was just so excited to read this book!Ashley Carys Ellis was now dealing with too much hurt and pain whilst at her mothers funeral. Standing their at the grave site with her Stepfather, she was feeling hurt and completely devastated. With hundreds of people standing by. It became too much for her. Her mothers name was Tigin. Not many people actually knew that was even true.As Ashley learns more about Tigin’s life and how the rest of my family thought of her too. They felt embarrassed by her sinful addition to their family. Tigin was an incredible famous model too. Her family disapproved of her life. Although she was wealthy which ended up bringing them a comfortable expensive lives.Tigin indeed lived her life erratically. She was always drunk and was an incredible smoker too. There was no way that her family member could help her. She lived life completely on the edge. This seemed to be the end in her career and maybe even her whole life too. Tigin in the end felt unloved.After the end of the funeral Ashley finds out what will happen in her future now. Never even meeting her own Father. She listens to her stepfather arrogantly speaking of her new life far away.I completely adored this marvellous book. Such a magnificently written novel, so beautiful. I loved all these wonderful characters. One of most brilliant tales that I have ever read and Ioved. Thank you!Congratulations Katy Regnery* I recommend this book to everyone!!

A really sad and creepy sitution for a young girl to find herself in,-being desired and groomed to be the replacement wife to your stepfather. Yeppers, thats right. A man thirty years older than you. But wait, it gets better...this is happening while your mother is still alive!While the situation is really yucky, there is a love story in there waiting to grip you. Jules and Ash are both not looking to find love or redemption, but it appears that fate has different plans for them.…if they live long enough!

Another brilliant fairytale story by Katy Regnery!! I was totally captivated by Ashley's story and the life she had to lead. When Ashley escaped and got help from her godfather Gus, Ashley's life turns around and she meets the love of her life Julian. With Julian having past troubles of his own, can these two trust in each other in order to have a future?? When Ashley's past collides with her and Julian's future, can he protect her?? I could not put this book down...don't hesitate to one click this fabulous book!! This was a gut wrenching but beautiful love story!!

Katy gives us another story inspired by a beloved fairytale Cinderella. This twisted retelling she gives us a beautiful love story full of angst, love and healing. Our heroine Ashley is a young lady who has never been loved and has had a terrible upbringing. She meets the hero while she is hiding from a terrible monster and there they find love healing and understanding in each other. Totally fell in love with the characters and this story!

I love KATY her take on modern fairy tales are the best and I have read them all. This book was very dark but also very good I loved how Katy makes you feel for all the characters and the storyline ! well worth the read!

Again Kate has taken this beautifully darl love story and gave it such an incredible happy ending 😃 I have loved all the books in this series so far and I can wait for more!

Oh my god...it is so unbelievably good and terrifying and beautiful and.....woah, I’m so overwhelmed!Just like all the other modern fairytales by Katy Regnery this one‘s just as incredible as the former books.