This is an action-packed story with a complex plot. Most of the characters in this book were introduced in the first, one so they are already well developed and we learn more about the different members of the drug cartel and their motivations. This is definitely a character-driven tale, and Ms. Miller has done an excellent job of creating realistic characters, both good and bad.
I enjoyed seeing the romance grow between Sloan and Finn, even with all the obstacles that could come between them. The author did a wonderful job weaving this romance into all the action and suspense in the overall story.

As I mentioned above, this book is the second in the Manhattan Sloan series and takes up where the first novel, Out of the Flames ended. These books really need to be read together and in order to get the most enjoyment out of the story. I highly recommend both novels, though, so get them both. You won’t be disappointed.

Very good detective, mystery, thriller novel. Really enjoyed this read. Took a moment for the story to rev up, but once I got going this was an up-late-to-finish book. 2nd book in the Manhattan Sloane series - and you definitely want to read book 1 (Out of the Flames) first.

San Francisco PD detective Manhattan Sloane and DEA agent Finn Harper are back. After narrowly escaping being burned alive by a wildfire, Sloane and Finn's saga continues as the two try to take down the drug ring decimating their city/region. Additionally, Sloane is slogging through the adoption process to solidify her link to her late wife's daughter, Reagan, and all-the-while, Sloane and Finn must work around their deep connection to one another.

This is the second book in the Manhattan Sloane series. I highly recommend the first book because, not only is the really good, but it helps to follow the drama in this book. Following a near death experience and the loss of her wife Sloane doubles down to catch the man responsible. Politics and moles in her own department complicates things but she’s not one to shy away from the fight.

I’m not always a fan of many points of views on top of the two mains, sometimes it works in this story but other times I think there are too many and it waters down some of the suspense. However, this book, like the first one is action packed and you have to keep flipping pages to find out what happens. I think the romance happens a little too quickly since Sloane’s wife just died and while Sloane at times hesitates its not really realistic or consistent and I didn’t find it believeable. If I put that aside I do like Sloane and Finn together both romantically and they make a good team professionally as well.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

One of the things that Stacy Lynn Miller is skilled at is breathing life into her characters. Even important secondary characters. They all stand up as themselves, and there's never any difficulty remembering who is who. This is as true for Miller's previous book as this one. In fact, when I read the final passage, my first thought was for the future of a secondary character! Who worries what kind of future the daughter of a criminal will have? Me, apparently.

There is danger here, passion, secrets...all of the things that keep me reading long into the night. But this book wormed its way into me and wouldn't let up. I was quite literally unable to sleep because I was worried about one of the secondary characters - an autistic young man. I had to pick the book back up and finish it just so I knew what happened to him.

Miller wrapped up questions left dangling in the first book that I didn't know I had. There was a satisfying sense of completion and closure, and yet...there is still room for more stories to come from this fictional world. I do hope the author is interested in bringing us more from this made-up world of hers because I'll be among the first in line with my money out.

I enjoyed it that much.

This is one amazing follow up to book 1.
The characters grow very well together, even though there is still mafia issues going around them.
I felt that the plot to resolve all issues was nicely provided. The war on drug crime was won by wonderful team of police and DEA. You have lots of shooting and kidnapping and all is resolved so well in the end.
The finish was wonderful, and I feel like there will be new set of stories (or so I hope) for the main characters who decide on their new adventure.

Apologises for the delayed review. Not been very well.

5*

Firstly, if you've not read Stacy Lynn Miller's debut novel and first in the series of 'A Manhattan Sloane Thriller ' .... give it a read. Its called 'Out of the flames' and I can guarantee you will not regret it and be hooked like many of us who are now following her work.

'From the Ashes' follows on from the first book, you don't really need to read the first BUT PLEASE DO! Its fast paced action, keeps you on your toes and includes romance! What's not to love?

The story centres around Manhattan Sloane who works as a detective for the San Francisco police. DEA Finn Harper puts her career on the line once again to help Sloane go after the ones responsible for Sloane's wife's death.

If you're looking for a read that keeps you on your toes with action and you want a little romance too, this one is for you.

I can't wait for future books by Miller.

I was given a copy of this book for a honest review.

Again... please read. :)

I have been looking forward to reading From the Ashes by Stacy Lynn Miller since I read her first Manhattan Sloan novel back in April. I fell in love with Sloan, Finn, and all the other characters in this story while reading the first book, and I wanted more, especially since the story didn’t completely end with the first novel. I’m happy to say I loved this book as much as the first one.

In this second tale, we find Sloan still struggling with her grief over her wife’s death as she also deals with her growing love for Finn. Nothing is ever easy for Sloan and Finn, since the head of the drug cartel they battled in the first book is now looking for revenge, and he’s quite willing to target Sloan and Finn’s loved ones.
This is an action-packed story with a complex plot. Most of the characters in this book were introduced in the first, one so they are already well developed and we learn more about the different members of the drug cartel and their motivations. This is definitely a character-driven tale, and Ms. Miller has done an excellent job of creating realistic characters, both good and bad.

I enjoyed seeing the romance grow between Sloan and Finn, even with all the obstacles that could come between them. The author did a wonderful job weaving this romance into all the action and suspense in the overall story.

As I mentioned above, this book is the second in the Manhattan Sloan series and takes up where the first novel, Out of the Flames ended. These books really need to be read together and in order to get the most enjoyment out of the story. I highly recommend both novels, though, so get them both. You won’t be disappointed.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bella Books for an honest review.

From the Ashes is the sequel to Out of the Flames with SFPD Detective Manhattan Sloane and DEA Finn Harper. They're chasing after a Mexican drug cartel who are ultimately responsible for killing Sloane's wife. Sloane and Harper had a connection in high school when they were torn apart after Sloane's parents were killed in car accident. Then they were thrown together on this case as the drug cartel seek revenge for the death of one of their own.
Miller is a wonderful storyteller and this story has you sitting on the edge of your seat from start to finish. The first book in the series, Out of the Flames, was a 5 star read and From the Ashes is the same as it ducks and weaves and thrills and spills all the way to the end. The chemistry between Sloane and Harper is palpable...Miller certainly knows how to write angst into her characters. This book is a thrill a minute and I can't wait for the next one.

I read Stacy Lynn Miller's debut novel Out of the Flames back in May, and couldn't wait to read the sequel to learn what happens to San Francisco police detective Manhattan Sloane and DEA Agent Finn Harper's relationship as well as the drug cartel they were chasing.

From the Ashes resumes from the point that Out of the Flames ended. Sloane is intent of tracking down the drug cartel that took her wife, Avery's, life, resulted in the death of her step-daughter, Reagan's friend, and to put an end to Kiss (an illegal drug) distribution in the greater San Francisco area.

The book was fast paced with quite a few anxious and emotional moments. I don't think that you have to read the first book to enjoy this one, but I recommend it since it is a good story and it will introduce the background and characters in a more complete manner. I'd definitely recommend both books to other readers.

I received an ARC from Bella Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

‘From the Ashes’ is the sequel to ‘Out of the Flames’ and picks back up immediately where the that one ends. Sloane, Finn, and the rest of her crew are trying to find the cartel that was behind the murder of Sloane’s wife while also trying to figure out who the mole is that’s causing havoc to their investigation. I recommend reading the ‘Out of the Flames’ first to really understand the emotional stakes as well as the professional ones.

This is more a game of cat and mouse between the drug lord and Sloane rather than the previous book. I really enjoyed watching Sloane figure everything out, bit by bit. She sometimes made questionable decisions based more on emotion rather than what is considered morally correct, which made this feel more realistic as things aren’t always black and white. Her partner Eric, tells her “You know the difference between the law and justice, and that the two don’t always mean the same thing” right after meeting her and it’s something she struggles with while going after the corrupt officials and cartel and trying to get justice for her wife.

Going after the cartel also brings up problems in her personal life with her daughter. Her daughter, Reagan, is 16 and still grieving her mother’s death. She sees how dangerous this job is for Sloane and wants Sloane to find another job that is safer as she doesn’t want to lose a second mother. Sloane is put in a position of walking a fine line between wanting to work a job she’s wanted to do since she was thirteen and changing those plans for her daughter so she feels safe. She’s only been a parent for a short while and isn’t always confident she’s making the right choice.

While I loved the thriller aspect of this story, I felt it was somewhat overshadowed by the romance at times. Sloane flipped flopped between being ready to move on from her wife, and feeling guilty for her feelings for Finn. While I understood her dilemma of wanting to do what’s best for Reagan and also give herself time to move on, I felt that it took up too much space. Sloane was in several life and death situations with Finn and others but she always seemed preoccupied with her feelings for Finn and thinking about her when she should’ve been paying attention to the situation she was in. However, this might be personal nitpick for me and may not be an issue with others.

‘From the Ashes’ is an entertaining and action-packed crime thriller. I’m not sure if there’s more planned with this series but I will definitely be looking for Miller’s next work.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bella Books in exchange for an honest review.

This was the sequel to this author’s very good debut book, Out of the Flames.

Within this storyline, Sloane and Finn had to deal with several problems. They were determined to take down the very dangerous cartel and the people responsible for the death of Sloane’s wife. In order to do that they needed to find the department’s leak that worked for the cartel. Besides that, each women also faced personal issues. Sloane was trying to fulfill the promise she made to her wife of adopting Reagan. But Avery’s homophobic parents continued their legal fight to take Reagan away from Sloane. Both women also had to deal with their love for each other. Even though Finn opening declared her love for Sloane, Sloane was not ready to reciprocate. Avery’s presence was still very much alive in Sloane’s thoughts and even her dreams. More importantly, Sloane had to take into consideration Reagan’s feelings about bringing another woman into their lives.

I enjoyed how the author developed this sequel with realistic problems the characters faced after the loss of loved ones. The author also provided more answers to the car accident that killed Sloane’s parents. This was a very emotional moment for those involved. The way it was described, you couldn’t help but feel for those characters.

Similar to the previous book, there was a lot of drama when the characters dealt with the cartels. These scenes quickened the pace of the story and allowed for more anxious moments. The secondary characters, both good and bad, increased this story’s emotional depth.

Since this was a sequel, I recommend reading the first book to get an overall understanding of the characters and their background. The author did provide some past events to resurface, but the emotional scenes from the first book were too good not to read and experience.

This book was very engaging with tense moments, emotional breakdowns and recovery, and most of all, tender loving scenes.

An ARC was given for an honest review.

Detective Sloane is back as she still grieving her wife she is determined to find the people who kill her. Sloane gets help from DEA agent Finn who she knew as teens. As they investigate their feelings they had as teenagers are still there but Sloane who stills grieving her wife thinks it’s wrong to have feelings for someone when her wife Avery haven’t been gone long.

As Sloane deals with this she realize being a parent to her stepdaughter Reagan means she has to make sacrifices but as Finn and her are close to the people who kill her wife will she be able to keep everyone she loves safe.

I enjoy this book and can’t wait for the next book.


I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

From the ashes by Stacy Lynn Miller.
A manhattan Sloane thriller #2.
I really enjoyed this book and even though I haven't read book 1 I got into it. Lots of action. Great characters apart from the bad guys. I liked the story. Looking forward to reading more from this author and series. 5*.