Beauty for Ashes

Tried in Fire Series, Book 1

By: Mario DeSean Booker

Narrated by: Candace Berry

Book One of the Tried in Fire Series-Shaniece Shaw appears to have it all: a billion-dollar fashion empire, a stunning Garden District mansion, and fifteen years of marriage to charismatic attorney Dalvin Shaw. But behind the polished exterior of New Orleans high society, her world is crumbling. Late-night phone calls, mysterious absences, and a husband who has become a stranger signal the death of everything she once believed about love and commitment.

When devastating betrayal collides with financial sabotage that threatens to destroy her life's work, Shaniece faces an impossible choice: pursue the revenge that could restore her empire, or trust in a divine justice that demands she forgive the unforgivable. As friends pressure her to fight fire with fire and evidence surfaces that could obliterate her husband's reputation, she discovers that some battles are won not through force, but through surrender. Set against the backdrop of New Orleans' elite society, this gripping tale of betrayal and redemption explores what happens when a woman's faith is tested beyond her breaking point.

Through corporate boardrooms and legal warfare, through fractured friendships and family loyalty, Shaniece must learn the difference between justice and vengeance—and discover that God's timing rarely matches our own desperate need for resolution. Beauty for Ashes is a powerful exploration of marriage, money, and mercy that will resonate with any woman who has faced the choice between bitterness and blessing. This inspirational novel proves that even in our darkest moments, divine grace can transform our greatest devastation into unexpected purpose.

©2025 Mario DeSean Booker (P)2026 Mario DeSean Booker