Review: Perfect Novella for a great series!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 2, 2014
As a total fan girl of Connected, Torn, and the super talented author, Kim Karr, I just knew Dazed wouldn’t disappoint. And it didn’t. Hooked from the very beginning over cupcakes, Dazed didn’t take long to read. It’s a novella centering around River Wilde’s cousin, Jagger Kennedy and Dahlia Wilde’s best friend Aerie Daniels. The titles of these books suggest a state of feeling. I love that aspect about them because we feel that immensely as we're reading.Told from Aerie’s POV, the story traps us in the rabbit hole of their relationship from page one. The intelligent and beautiful Aerie Daniels lives and breathes work; she’s neurotically routine in life with very few human connections. Reading of her very controlled life becoming a whirlwind of new experiences excited the reader making you feel for this woman in a big way. And one of her favorite Rom-Com’s is Because I Said So with Diane Keaton and Mandy Moore which also happens to be one of my favorites. Since I’ve never met anyone else who thinks it’s great she gets extra brownie points with me. When she first lays eyes on the equally beautiful Jagger Kennedy all previous neurotic emotions fly right out the window. Jagger Kennedy, whom we had the pleasure of meeting in the just released and phenomenal epilogue to Torn, proves to be witty, charismatic, loyal, and abundantly charming. I love the fact he recited random facts, making what could be the most mundane seem so much more interesting. The camaraderie between he and River will make you swoon. He doesn’t make light of the fact that he finds Aerie intriguing and completely attractive. In some scenes, Jagger and Aerie are staring silently at each other but the moments prove to be so raw and real with the descriptive thoughts of Aerie. I loved those moments right before something big is on the horizon. She’s analyzing and he quiets her to total bliss. Even with so little words in the story I felt a compelling connection to these characters and their story, a testament to the author’s evocative writing. They just complement each other so well. Aerie sheds her hard exterior and lets Jagger show her true love after so many years of finding reasons why she’d never find any love at all.River and Dahlia also make funny cameos in the story which I adored. However, we’re mostly enraptured with Aerie and Jagger. Even more intriguing, Aerie catalyzed the meeting between Dahlia and River. So fans of this series have always had a soft spot for this girl. Seeing her walls crumble and fall into Jagger’s orbit satisfies in a way that you feel peace for her. Ultimately, Dazed provides a bit of drama, a lot of fun, and intense passion brought forth by the alluring Jagger. Strikingly similar to the profound elements found in the first two books just on a smaller scale. It’s a great novella to a brilliant series. I can’t wait for more from this group.Favorite Quote:“For the rest of the night, we didn’t we loved each other again…we didn’t have to. We took the time to learn each other’s body. What we liked, where we liked it. I let go and let him in – and he showed me how."