Burned Bridges

Mystery & Thrillers, General Fiction

By Marguerite Ashton

Publisher : Criminal Lines Publishing

ABOUT Marguerite Ashton

Marguerite Ashton
Marguerite Ashton is Founder of the popular blog Criminal Lines and Co-founder of the Crime Writers' Panel. There she works alongside Joe Giacalone with other panel members to educate writers on the importance of showing accurate portrayals of criminal investigations and law enforcement pr More...

Description

Newly sober and dating the man of her dreams, Traci Collins is ready to enjoy the good life, until her new best friend, Olivia Durning, confides a dreadful secret far worse than Traci could imagine.

Sealed by a shared bond, and unaware there is more to the secret than what she was told, Collins feels honor bound to protect her friend when a confrontation between Olivia and her childhood tormentor turns deadly.

A mysterious text forces Traci to question Olivia's actions and re-examine her loyalties. When the answers to Traci's questions endanger a life she treasures more than her own, she must decide if friendship has a limit. For a bridge once burnt severs ties forever...

 

How did I come up with the title? If we look at life there is at least one issue from our past that is like a knife in our side. People hurt each other; sometimes accidental and other times on purpose, which creates a division that can last for decades. These are burned bridges.

 

 

 

 

4.0 out of 5 stars A Friendship Under Fire, December 16, 2012

 

 

By 

 

 

Larissa Reinhart "Larissa Reinhart" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

 

 

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

 

 

This review is from: Burned Bridges (The Crossing Series) (Kindle Edition)

 

 

Recovering alcoholic Traci is newly sober, in a relationship, and building friendships with three other recovering alcoholics. When one of the three, Olivia, begins to act strangely, Traci and her friends start to suspect a deeper problem than Olivia falling off the wagon. Traci's tenuous emotional state begins to crumble as Olivia pulls her on a twisting journey of codependency and deception. Amid dealing with Olivia's problems, Traci also must reexamine her relationship with her possibly cheating boyfriend and her own family secrets.

Burned Bridges was a compelling novel with a realistic portrayal of the legal world (Traci is a paralegal and her boyfriend, a lawyer). Those who find stories about addiction and childhood trauma will also find this an interesting read. There are suspense qualities to this book, but the story reads more like Traci's personal journey which made me think of women's fiction.

 

 

 

 

 

4.0 out of 5 stars A Book You Won't Want to Put Down Once you Start Reading, December 17, 2012

 

 

By 

 

 

The Kindle Book Review (Indianapolis, IN) - See all my reviews

 

 

This review is from: Burned Bridges (The Crossing Series) (Kindle Edition)

 

 

Ms. Ashton has done an excellent job of portraying new bonds developed through three people newly sober. She shows how stresses can cause setbacks, how new friendships can become too intense, particularly when one person doesn't divulge all the secrets that put her into the sobering path to start. This framework is a fine backdrop for the drama that Ms. Ashton portrays so well.

I was touched by the caring shown by these people and their other new friends, even through some serious crises. The characters are well developed and are people I'd like to have for neighbors. The entire plot revolves around the fact that all secrets were not shared with the entire group at the time they should have been, causing some very high drama and intense mysteries.

Dawn Edwards, The Kindle Book Review

The KBR received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. We are not connected with the author, publisher, or Amazon in any way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Editorial Reviews

 

 

Reviewed by Renata F. Barcelos for Readers Favorite

Burned Bridges is a story about Traci Collins, a recovering alcoholic. She and her three friends, Norman, Kevin and Olivia, support one another in the tough battle against alcoholism. The book is narrated by Traci, who is a lovely woman with a troubled past. She's in a relationship with Marc, a dominant, over-confident lawyer. Traci really wants to help her friends, especially Olivia, who has a terrible secret; but doing so can put her in danger.

This is a story about loyalty. How far should one go to help a friend? Is it okay to hide things to support someone? And how much can it affect your own life?

Traci is a good character, with a believable sad history that left physical and emotional scars. Her past completely diminished her self-esteem, making her really fragile and vulnerable sometimes. It's heartbreaking to see how she accepts a lot less than she--or anyone--deserves during the story, just trying to please everyone, forgetting to please the most important person--herself.

The dialogue is excellent and the plot is well-done with a compelling ending. I loved the Traci character and would like to know more about the past of this intense woman, perhaps in a sequel. I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for a mystery with drama and a bit of romance.

 

 

 

 

 

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

 

 

4.0 out of 5 stars An unexpectedly good first novel, surprising and real..., November 16, 2012

 

 

By 

 

 

HRR "Moi Sparkle" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

 

 

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

 

 

This review is from: Burned Bridges (The Crossing Series) (Kindle Edition)

 

 

"I thought it was odd that I could feel closer to a group of strangers than I could to my own mother. It reminded me of my college days where finding a connection was so easy, so fast, so necessary."

Ashton, Marguerite (2012-10-31). Burned Bridges (The Crossing Series), Kindle Locations 99-101. Kindle Edition.

This book is interesting in many ways. It is surprisingly real, in a world of fantasy books with supernatural elements where characters are nothing like real people physically, emotionally or otherwise. The author is a paralegal and formerly held a job at the State Public Defender's Office in Milwaukee. Her experience allows her to write in a way that makes the story more authentic than some crime fiction. The pacing, although a bit slow, gives the story a nice ambiance; it is as if you were right there in the story, experiencing everything that the characters experience, engaged in a mystery, while reading.

Updated review: I finally finished the book and wow! The pace of the book really picks up. It literally, at certain points, was a page-turner. I couldn't read fast enough. Then there were some twists and turns that I did not see coming. This book is an exciting read. Well-plotted and exciting, the book will engage your attention fully. I have no doubt that if the writer cultivates her skill and hones her craft, and continues to write mystery/thriller novels, she will become a best-selling author.