Review: Quick, sweet read
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 5, 2014
I gave Dazed 3.5 Stars"I let go and let him in-and he showed me how"Dazed is the story of Dahlia's best friend Aerie and River's cousin Jagger. I loved their very first meeting; I was excited for their story and the scenes to come, just by the introduction and opening chemistry alone. Jagger seemed like a confident, carefree guy and one that could teach Aerie to live a little more freely.I have only read book one in the Connections series and I agree this book can be read as a standalone, however, I think to engage with Aerie more, books one and two would set up the background. I got to see a different side to Aerie, her past and family history dictated her strict, controlled life. Aerie is a planner and needs to know every possible outcome before jumping in feet first. When she meets Jagger, he challenges her need for control and Aerie discovers a more fun side to life by just living in the moment. But all that is threatened when a situation catapults Aerie back to the past and her insecurities rise again.The storyline was pretty much drama free, the main issue was resolved quite quickly so it made for a sweet read. I liked the courtship between Jagger and Aerie and I thought the sub-plot about her uncle's life was interesting. I got to see a vulnerable side to Aerie during this time. Kim Karr's writing is easy to read and as always, I love the connection to music in her books. I didn't connect to Aerie and Jagger as much as I did Dahlia and River but perhaps that was due to this being a novella and if given more of them I could see myself loving them fully.This was a sexy novella, and the build up between Aerie and Jagger was worth the wait. The scenes were hot between the two and Jagger brought Aerie out of her shell. It was great to read about a sweet guy for a change. Jagger wasn’t a reformed player or rocker bad boy (he left that to his cousins) he was true gent with Aerie and that scored him brownie points with me.I will admit I didn't completely fall head over heels for Jagger and that was simply because I felt I didn't really get to know him. From the synopsis and cover, I assumed this was going to be his story but in fact it was all about Aerie. I loved Aerie don't get me wrong, I just wanted more from Jagger, I wanted inside his head. His past was hinted at and it seemed he didn't have an easy life so I had lots of questions swirling around in my own head. I also wanted to know how he felt about Aerie and when his past came back to haunt him, I wanted to know how that affected him. If this novella was told in dual point of view, I think it would have been perfect.Dazed is a fun, sexy novella that gives us a little bit more from the world of River and Dahlia and those close to them. It was great to read more about Aerie and Jagger was a great new addition. I loved getting a snippet from River and Dahlia as their life progresses. I do look forward to the next book in the series, Mended as I'm ready to fall for another Wilde man! ~Ava*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*