Review: Kristen Ashley's "Jagged."

@KristenAshley68
Review: Kristen Ashley's "Jagged."

~ 4 Hearts Review ~

Amazon UK:   http://amzn.to/17ZDkXQ
Amazon.com:  http://amzn.to/1euXo35


Synopsis:

An old flame rekindled . . .

Zara Cinders always knew Ham Reece was the one, but he wasn't interested in settling down. When she found someone who was, Ham walked out of her life. Three years later, Zara's lost her business, her marriage, and she's barely getting by in a tiny apartment on the wrong side of the tracks. As soon as Ham hears about Zara's plight, he's on her doorstep offering her a lifeline. Now, it will take every ounce of will power she possesses to resist all that he offers.

Ham was always a traveling man, never one to settle down in one town, with one woman, for more time than absolutely necessary. But Ham's faced his own demons, and he's learned a lot. About himself, and about the life he knows he's meant to live. So when he hears that Zara's having a rough time, he wants to be the one to help. In fact, he wants to do more than that for Zara. A lot more. But first, he must prove to Zara that he's a changed man.

Review: Surj Harvey

(ARC provided by NetGalley for a honest Review)

Oh Gnaw Bone, how I've missed you. Kristen Ashley never fails to impress me with her novels and "Jagged" was no exception. I loved it and in pure Kristen Ashley fashion, I got all those magical ingredients I know I'll get when picking up one of her books. 

The prologue drew me in almost immediately and the characters and their story kept me captivated. One thing Kristen does so well is create characters that are just so likable. They're not perfect, they have their flaws but they are just regular people who could quite easily be the folk next door. Although if Ham lived next door to me, I'm not sure I'd be able to keep my hands to myself. Hell no, I mean his physical appearance (looks and stature) had my heart fluttering but it was his personality that had me ready to drop my knickers. Yup he was all alpha, with a seriousness, a gruffness you wouldn't want to mess with (just the way I like them... bad ass). But flip him over and he was kind, caring, loving, protective and proud to wear his heart on his sleeve (although the "L" word isn't something that came easy.. but with Ham... actions definitely spoke louder than words). Oh and he gave just the best advice too. God is there anything this man wasn't good at: 

"Bruiser drags me to bed. Mein herr  bosses me around. 

And Mr Reece is like a professor, smart and generous with his wisdom."

Zara's character was typical of Kristen Ashley's heroines. She was a fighter who never gave up, even when she hit rock bottom. I loved that she had a back bone and a feistiness that just made me want to bump fists with her. If she had something to say, she said it... it might not come out the right way, she might not say it at the right time but she said it and that took balls. 

The relationship between Ham and Zara started off as friends with benefits. Ham was a rolling Stone, never staying in one place long but for some reason, he always came back to Gnaw Bone:

Again, pure Ham. No promises. No expectations. He called when he called. I called when I called. We hooked up if it worked and we enjoyed ourselves tremendously when we did. 

But when he came back looking to set roots, my god did things change. Their first fight was a scream fest where they held nothing back and every fight after that was the same:

When we fought, we didn't do it fair and we went in for the kill...

However, there was also a passion, a love that was plain to see. They way they spoke to one another, the terms of endearment, the nicknames... and when she called him "darlin' "  and he called her "baby," it just turned me to mush. There is nothing these two characters wouldn't do for each other and that became more and more apparent as the story progressed:

"Drove away from you nine years ago, knew it was wrong then, 

didn't know that it was the biggest mistake I'd make in my life."

Kristen Ashley has a real knack of drawing you into her books with the plots and characters. She creates this air of mystery where you're left with unanswered questions. Oh Yes... this book was no different. What was Ham's deal with women and commitment (or lack of)? What happened to Zara's marriage? What was the deal with her parents? Now some of the questions got answered pretty quickly, however there was one which would become the basis of 'that' plot. You know the one that builds slowly throughout the book and gives us the mother of all action/ drama finales... you know... the ones Kristen gives us at around 85% where all hell breaks loose and carnage ensues. Yup, I got it and I loved it. 

The writing in "Jagged" was flawless and the visual imagery so strong, it meant I was able to live the story along with the characters. I could actually see the town of Gnaw Bone, the pub, the apartment and most definitely The Rooster clear as day in my mind and honestly, I think I'd like to live there!!! Yup, The Rooster made an appearance and as always, there was drama!! God I love that place. 

The secondary characters in "Jagged" were awesome with Cotton, Kami, Max and Nina all making an appearance. I loved seeing that spark still  present between Nina and Max and I have to say, their banter had me in stitches:

"See I'm in a position to apologise since I fucked your wife against the wall 

before we left to come here."

This was when I plonked my head on the table again.

"Oh my," Nina breathed as she glanced at Max. "We haven't done that in a while darling. 

We should do that again."

"Gross," Kami Replied.

"Foul," Aunt Dahlia snapped.

"I'm never coming to The Rooster again," Max declared. 

See, just brilliant. 

I truly loved "Jagged" but there's just one thing I honestly couldn't get my head around and I read those pages again and again still none the wiser. What was the deal with February and Ham? and was Zara playing second fiddle? Honestly, I couldn't make head nor tail of what Ham was trying to say and like I said, I read and re read those pages several times. Maybe I need to read "For You (The Burg Series)?" That's February's story so maybe that will shed some much needed light on the matter. Who knows?

Anyway, another brilliant Kristen Ashley read (bar the last comment)  and in terms of ratings, I'd give it a solid 4 hearts