The House of Ashes

The House of AshesBook DescriptionSome houses hold secrets. Some secrets are worth killing for. Elena Ashford swore she'd never return to the Connecticut estate where she spent her summers-until a fire claims her grandmother's life and leaves the family mansion in ruins. Inheriting Ashford House means confronting everything she fled ten years ago: family expectations, a forbidden first love, and the weight of a legacy built on beauty and lies.
But the fire that killed her grandmother was no accident. Enter Julian Thorne-the enigmatic architect her grandmother hired to restore the house to its former glory. Brilliant, passionate, and harboring secrets of his own, Julian believes the fire was murder. As Elena is drawn deeper into the mystery of her grandmother's death, she discovers that Ashford House was built on a foundation of fraud, theft, and blood money that someone will do anything to keep buried.
Together, they'll uncover the truth. Apart, they'll lose everything. While restoring the mansion's fire-damaged wings, Elena and Julian excavate more than architectural history-they unearth a century-old crime that powerful families want to remain hidden. Each restored room brings them closer to the truth... and closer to each other. But when sabotage strikes and danger escalates, Elena must choose: run from the past as she's always done, or stay and fight for the house, the truth, and the man who's shown her that beauty can rise from ashes.
Perfect for readers who love: Forbidden romance with high emotional stakes Mystery and suspense woven with passion Strong heroines reclaiming their legacy Architectural restoration as metaphor for healing Family secrets and redemption arcs Elegant prose and vivid settings Second chances at love and life From the ashes of tragedy, beauty rises. From the ruins of the past, love rebuilds. The House of Ashes is a sweeping contemporary romance about confronting difficult truths, choosing courage over fear, and discovering that the strongest foundations are built on honesty, passion, and the determination to create something lasting from what was broken.
A standalone romance with mystery elements. Contains themes of family secrets, historical injustice, and transformation.