Along Came Neil (Wings from Ashes: 3)

By Linda Nelson

Karla Centon no longer is the newest student at Brantwood High. Since moving to Brantwood six months ago, her life had been going nowhere in the right direction until she meets Neil Allard, a handsome cheerful boy who wrestles his way into her heart. Karla takes an instant disliking to Neil because she thinks he’s not her type. However, what is her type? Is it tall skinny guys who wear baseball hats backwards and who happen to be bad boys or warm loveable funny guys who are more than just nice occasionally, like Neil?
Ashley likes Neil too, and her friend Maggie tries her best to keep Karla away from him. However, when Ashley starts making a big deal out of his wandering eyes, Neil doesn't like it. Karla is his friend, which is more than either of the other two girls can say. Karla begins to notice that Neil is actually rather incredible at heart. He may not have the body type she is attracted to, but his good-hearted nature attracts her instead. Finally, when Ashley throws one last tantrum at the dance over Karla, Neil has had enough. Who will really win Neil's heart?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Linda Nelson
• Release date: Oct 19, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301738366

Linda Nelson

Linda J Nelson  who is a Franklin Pierce University college student that studies Business, Accounting, and Social Services writes fiction about drugs, addiction, alcohol, and substance abuse as a mother and parent of an addict whose child was a runaway and involved in crime, and also writes Slipstream Fantasy and blogs about controversial subjects and the life of a writer. She lives in Southern New Hampshire and is a member of RWA and the Monadnock Writers Group

Reviews for Along Came Neil (Wings from Ashes

[sarahlou2709 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

i got this book from library thing in exchange for an honest review, i was looking forward to reading this but once i started reading i had no choice but to finish it all.the spelling, grammar and general writing are not what i expected ( my 11 yr old writes better than this) the general story line is about four friends going on a road trip and the disasters that follow due to one using bath salts. im disappointed in this book, drugs are an increasing disease rotting there way through the world. i thought this book would send a good message about drugs for all young teens to read but its rushed at the end and could have done a lot better,more excitement would have been good.

[iadam-2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I received this book free from the author through LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review. This book needs editing very badly. The many typos were very distracting. I do feel that this book is one that should be read by every teen and discussed with parents, teachers, and counselors. Every one of the teens in this book have a very dysfunctional family life with little or no parental guidance and very risky parental behaviors. These teens make very poor decisions and continued with risky behavior. They don’t seem to feel any guilt about what they are doing and seem so tough and hard. This book does emphasize how dangerous and risky the practice of smoking Bath Salts can be.

[wolffaerie17 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Carol Bower wants nothing more than to make amends with Karla Centon for what happened at the party. Karla is suspicious of Carol sitting by her at lunch but agrees to hang out with her after school. When Karla and Carol meet up with Max and Rod on the basketball court for some fun. None of them expected the chain of events that would occur the following days. An unplanned road trip which involves drinking, smoking weed, stealing cars, and so much more. Rod finds Cloud 9 knowing it gives a good high offers to share some with the others but they decline. What are the consequences for the road trip? What is Cloud 9? Find out in Road Salt.This heartbreaking tale about bath salts is a real eye opener as a reader and a parent of three young adult girls. The story and characters were flawed, honest, real, raw, compelling, and intriguing too. I encourage parents and teens alike to read this book.

[khal_khaleesi · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I couldn't continue this book. The writing seemed like it was done by a 12 year old due to choppy sentences. Also, the author kept repeating the same thing over and over.I really could not continue this because I was just getting annoyed with the writing and redundancy. It's a shame because I was really looking forward to this book.(I received an ecopy of this title from LibraryThing in exchange for a fair and honest review).

[cindyholdmann · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book was remedial at best. It took you on a journey of four friends who went on a drug induced hiatus and all the trouble that ensued because of it. First, let me point out that the editing was abhorrent. Even a first grader with spell check could have done better than that. The characters didn't have much depth and the conversations seemed forced and flat. Most people speak using contractions. Although the book did keep me somewhat interested enough to finish it (thankfully it was a short read), some of the minor characters were unnecessary and clouded up the story line. Also, the epilogue, like many other parts of the book, was nothing but redundancy. I learned more about the substance of bath salts by watching a 1/2 show on t.v. than I did by reading this book

[maryann12_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This trip quickly turns from being a fun time with friends and lovers to the worst time in their lives as they make their way across several states before it all falls apart. The mutual feeling about getting high begins to change for both Carol and Karla when Carol's boyfriend begins using Bath Salts. Their road trip goes to hell because of his usage of this new designer drug that neither of the girls have heard about.Throughout the book a lot of unexpected things occur, some parts were funny, others sad. As I read the book I felt like I was on the journey with them. That to me is a sign of a great writer- when you actually feel like you are on this adventure with them. I recommend this book to everyone and think Linda Nelson has a lot to offer the reading world.Well written and easy to read. It’s a wakeup call on just who your friends are and what you really want in a friendship. I would recommend this book.

[jkjt · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

The plot was okay, but the writing was terrible. Too many grammatical and spelling errors in this ebook version distracted from the reading experience. Four teens from troubled families decide to take a road trip involving drugs, theft, jail, and death. The consequences of their behavior are not realistic, but the overall message is good.

[tamicpht · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An intense look at the dangers of drug experimentation especially focusing on the "legal" or synthetic drug bath salts. A realistic look at what the outcomes of using this drug is for young people. I think this is an important read for both teens and parents as well as community leaders.

[jurai2 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I wanted so much to enjoy this book. It is an important topic to explore, and teens and parents alike should read and be familiar with lesser known drugs. However, this book reads as a very rough first draft. I wanted to edit the book and send it back to the author. Unfortunately I was unable to finish this book. I would love to reread it if it was properly edited.

[lcaddell-1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I was put off on the first few pages. The writing is tedious, repetitive, and hard to follow. Facts are given and given again, and again. I thought, okay, I got it the first time. My intention is to put this one down for a while and try again later. I'm sure it has a message and I would like to find it, although I think most of it was thrown out there in the first few pages. Thank you for allowing me to be an advanced reader though.

[lexiesmom-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I received this book for free in exchange for providing an honest review.This book is the second book in the series Wings to Ashes series. In the first book Karla, the new girl in town becomes friends with Carol. Carol, the proverbial bad influemce invites Karla to a party that ends in tragedyIn Road Salt Karla is back in school and again meets up with Carol, who feels guilty for what happened in the first book one, The girls go on a road trip with their boyfriends that ends in disaster. One of the boys has been using what they call bath salts. This substance is readily available and sold over the counter as “incense”. This drug can have deadly consequences.Putting the grammar and spelling errors aside. The book was alright as far as it wens but in my opinion the story line was a little far fetched. Sadly I don't think that this book will reach its intended audience

[kykim-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I just finished reading the book Road Salt by Linda Nelson, I would recommend this book to ALL young readers. I learned a lot about a subject I have only heard about so far which is people using Bath Salts to get high. Linda makes the reader feel that they are with these four teenagers as they are experiencing this road trip and all the things that happen along the way.This is a great book which will make the reader think. How well do you know your friends? Do you or your friends think you need to get high to have fun? I hope that this book reaches all young and old alike that thing getting high on bath salt (or anything) is the answer. I hope it reaches all that are thinking about giving it or any drug a try. Drugs are such an epidemic in today's world with so many young and old alike loosing their lives needlessly.I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review, rather it be good or bad.

[drard-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I received a copy of this book from the author through Librarything.com Early Reviewer program for an exchange of an honest review.As I work with a lot of adolescents who use and abuse drugs, I was immediately interested in reading this book to learn more about Bath Salts and what it does to people through the lens of a story, instead of one of my clients. Bath salts are more common than people believe, and rather easy to get their hands on. There are four main characters in the book: Karla, Carol, Max, and Rod. Each of them come from families that aren't perfect, but somewhat "normal." What I mean by 'normal' is that the families seem like people I would know, not people such as the Royal Family, or other fictional characters. Karla's mother is a drunk and dad is never home. Karla is portrayed as a gullible, innocent "goody too shoes"Carol lives with both parents and her mother is addicted to cocaine. Carol is portrayed as someone who has gotten in trouble, a partier, and druggie.Max has the most "normal" family. His father is a lawyer. Max smokes marijuana mostly. Rod has had troubles in his life and is into the big drugs. As the story progresses, the four teens take a road trip together with very little money and nowhere planned to go. Rod steals his mother's car for the road trip. They find themselves running out of money, needing drugs and food, so they do what it takes to get what they need: stealing, threatening with a weapon, etc. There were SOO many grammar and spelling errors in this book, it often irritated me to keep reading. HOWEVER, the story line was good enough to keep reading. On the other hand, there wasn't a lot of drama or excitement in the book, as one would expect from teenagers doing drugs. I kept expecting something to happen. I didn't expect the book to end as quickly as it did, and how it did. There were also parts of the book that I felt could be organized differently. I wouldn't read the book again, but it was good for a one-read.