Review: a familiar story, an unfamiliar (from For You) hero
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 11 6, 2013
Jagged (as with all Kristen Ashley books) is loaded with great characters both new and old.  I love the amount of time we got to spend with Nina and Max this time around.Zara is a fantastic heroine. Kind, strong, and driven by love and not "things." I found her very endearing, but I had a hard time wanting her to carry a torch for Reese. I really liked Reese in For You, and couldn't wait to get his story. However, the Reese in Jagged is not the same Reese who piqued my interest in For You. This new guy, I just couldn't like.Zara stayed in a noncommittal relationship with Reese for several years (her being only with him through most of it, and his not being exclusive). The book is very well written, and you feel each and every emotional pang Zara suffers. I kept hoping she would find someone else, and boy did I wish she could have found it with Greg. There is no way to feel her and Reese's was a fated love (especially when you hear him talking to February calling her Beautiful, and calling Zara - a far younger woman - Cookie). It just feels at times that her nickname could be Door Mat or Booty Call. The only satisfaction you occasionally get is that she can fight dirty...but what an unhealthy relationship to lead her to do so.Kristen Ashley goes through great lengths in evolving Reese, and he does ultimately move mountains for Zara. However, it just didn't set right for me considering her abusive upbringing, and then his leaving her so close after her sister's death, and then her financial demise. With all this "dark," Zara is so grateful for the little bit of "light"...these are the times Reese rides into over the years (while indicating he had other "no strings" relationships concurrently because he has "basic needs"). Zara is grateful for scraps, overlooking that it is the day to day that matters. I find their 5 year relationship to have a tone of emotional abuse (the way Reese drops in and out of her life all the while knowing she was in love with him).I have read all of Kristen Ashley's books, and this is the first time I had a difficult time with the dialogue. It was too rough...and her catch phrases make the characters read as charactures.I am so grateful for Kristen Ashley's amazing talent, and all the stories she has gifted us with. I unfortunately do agree with the majority consensus that her latest books this past year lack the luster, depth, and escape her previous work has.