Within the Ashes

★★★★☆ Within the Ashes is the kind of emotional finale that leaves you full and frayed in the best way—equal parts slow burn, emotional gut punch, and swoon-worthy tension. It wraps up the Burn for Me series with a soft, protective fire that refuses to go out.Let’s start with Dean—this man did not want to be a dad, didn't believe in love, and had every wall up you could imagine. But Ria being Ria? She said "let’s wreck him emotionally and rebuild him from scratch." And it worked. The moment he locks eyes with his daughter, Lily, he’s toast. Doesn’t know what he’s doing, doesn’t even want to be doing it, but somehow becomes a phenomenal father purely because he chooses to show up—raw, untrained, and deeply human. That “reluctant single dad turned fiercely loyal father” arc? Yeah. It hits. Especially when it’s paired with his unhinged obsession (and I mean that lovingly) with Sloane.And Sloane? This woman’s been through hell. She’s not just guarded—she’s practically fortified. Her trauma isn’t window dressing; it matters, and it drives her every move. Her connection with Lily is immediate and heart-melting, and honestly, some of the best moments in the book aren't even the steamy ones—they're watching Sloane find joy in caring again, healing through love that isn’t romantic first.The dynamic between Sloane and Dean is everything enemies-to-lovers wants to be. At first, they misread each other completely—mutual cold shoulders, inner spirals, and that awkward tension that screams "I hate you because I felt something I didn’t want to feel." But once forced proximity hits, and Sloane ends up helping Dean with Lily, everything unravels beautifully. Dean isn’t just protective—he’s intuitive. He learns Sloane like a language, and the way he constantly puts her comfort and safety above everything? Chef’s kiss. One scene in particular will wreck you in the best way (you’ll know it when you get there).The plot twist tied to Sloane’s past is well done—not overplayed, but it adds real weight. There’s danger, yes, but the heart of this book is healing. It's about building something sacred from the ashes—hence the title. The entire found family arc that’s been building across the series hits its peak here, and by the end, you feel like you’ve been through war with these people.Also? Big shout-out to the fact that this isn’t mafia alpha nonsense. Dean is masculine without being toxic. He cries. He panics. He talks. He wraps his daughter in pink and listens to Sloane breathe when she’s scared. That matters.So why not five stars? Just a bit of pacing drag in the middle where it leaned more heavy on introspection than plot movement. Also, Savannah—love her, but she felt a little too distant in this one given her bond with Sloane. You kind of wish she’d been more there in some of Sloane’s quiet moments. Minor gripe, but it stood out.Bottom line?This is how you end a romance series—with scars, softness, and earned love. It’s got all the tropes: single dad, boss/employee, forced proximity, slow burn, found family—but it makes them matter. If you’ve been reading since the beginning, this book will feel like coming home to a fire that’s still burning just for you.Ria Wilde—take your flowers. You gave us steam, redemption, and a final chapter that felt. I’ll be re-reading this for the comfort, the pain, and the promise that broken doesn’t mean unlovable.