{Cover Reveal} Jagged (Colorado Mountain Series #5) by Kristen Ashley

Well, the wait is finally over! We have the cover for Jagged by Kristen Ashley. Jagged is the fifth book from her Colorado Mountains Series and it tells the story of Graham Reece and Zara Cinders. It will be release November 5th under the Forever imprint of Grand Central Publishing. 

Blurb

Introduced in The 'Burg Series, For You, we learned that Graham Reece was connected with February Owens. Too late he learns he should have made his play. When he becomes the victim of the sick man obsessed with Feb and finds himself the recipient of a hatchet blow to the shoulder, Reece rethinks the way he led his life and the woman he let slip through his fingers.

As the traveling man recovers from a hatchet wound, he's forced to sort through the string of casual relationships he's had, and the woman he kept on the back burner, Zara Cinders. He heated things up with Zara only when he swung through town.

Or when she needed him.

And he knows she's a good woman who could make him happy. But more, he's found it's time to end his aimless life and devote it to making her happy. So the minute he's released from protective custody, he heads back to Gnaw Bone to do just that.

But while Reece has made his decision, Zara's thought on her life too. And her life isn't going all that well. She needs to focus on that downward spiral and stop focusing on men like Graham Reece... or any men at all.

{Review} Rock Chick Revolution by Kristen Ashley

Blurb

Ally Nightingale has secrets. Secrets she doesn't even share with the Rock Chicks. But two men know what she's up to. One has her back. The other has her heart, but he doesn't know it.

As Ally rewinds the last year of her life, she knows two things. One, she’s never going to get what every Rock Chick should have—her own Hot Bunch guy. And two, she’s a Nightingale through and through. She just isn’t sure what to do about that.

But as her secrets are revealed, the men in her life react. Darius Tucker, a lifelong friend, as usual takes her back. Ren Zano, the man she loves, isn’t quite so sure. The Rock Chicks, Hot Bunch and the entire gang at Fortnum’s weigh in, and a Rock Chick Revolution starts brewing.

It’s up to Ally to control it and prove what she knows down to her bones.

She’s a Rock Chick, she deserves her hot guy and she’s going to keep the one she wants…

Because she’s a Nightingale.

My Review

5 Righteous stars!!

Because it wasn’t perfect, none of it. But it was a fairytale. And people needed to believe in fairytales. Even flawed ones. Maybe especially flawed ones. And they needed to believe always.

First off, I just want to let you all know that this review might a tad bit bias. See, I knew already going into this book what my rating is going to be. I never do that. But I’m making an exception here. It’s no secret that while the Rock Chicks Series may not be my favorite series among Kristen Ashley’s many, many series (That honor belongs to Colorado Mountains, by the way), it is the one closest to my heart. Plus, it’s no secret that I love Ally and Ren stole my heart during Rock Chick Revenge. So going into this I knew I won’t be able to give this book less than 5 stars. So bear with me here.


The Rock Chick Revolution is my most anticipated book from Kristen Ashley. Aside from the obvious that this is going to be last book from this series, this was also Ally’s book. Ally Nightingale is the second half of the original Rock Chick duo of Indy Savage and Ally Nightingale. They started it all. So it’s only fitting for them to get the first and the last installment in the series.


I loved Ally since the very beginning. I knew that there’s something different about her the moment she found Rosie when no one else, not even Lee could find him. I also knew her story wouldn’t follow the usual pattern of a Rock Chick finding her hot guy. For one, she’s a Nightingale. Anyone who has read the series knows what that means: BADASS. But she’s also girl and she’s a Rock Chick. Meaning, she should have her hot guy and her fairytale. Sadly, that didn’t happen for her or so she thought. So she watched all her friends got their hot guy and their fairytale thinking to herself it might not happen to her. But it did. Problem is he has no clue he was her fairytale come true.



Lorenzo “Ren” Zano was introduced to the series during Rock Chick Revenge. He was Luke Stark’s rival for Ava’s affection. While he didn’t succeed in getting Ava, he did succeed in getting himself noticed in a big way. And boy, did I notice Ren. He was just hot and a little mysterious. It was during that book that I knew that something is going on with Ally and him. Like the rest of the readers, I didn’t exactly know what it was but KA had set it up in a way to keep us guessing. And holy hell, did KA made us wait for this one. But in the end, it was totally worth the wait.

Badass and brave runs in the family. And as far as I’m concerned, I got those genes. It’s just that no one agrees with me.

I really loved the romance between Ally and Ren. The fact that he belongs to a crime family and she’s ‘tangled up in blue’ made their story more tenuous. Plus, there was this Ava angle that was resolved early on in the story. So this wasn’t your usual Rock-Chick-pushing-away-her-hot-guy set up. Ally did some pushing but only up to about 20% of the book. After that, she was pretty much in there with Ren. But there were other very legit reasons for them not to work. Ally’s dream of following in her brothers’ footsteps doesn’t sit well with Ren’s idea of a family life. And Ally being Ally wasn’t going to give an inch. Not only that, there is the fact that Ren is tangled up in some not-so clean business with his Uncle Vito.

“Anyone who would feel that badly about being mean and care so deeply about another human being’s fucked up life I knew was the woman for me. You gave me a run for my money, and once I stopped finding it a pain in my ass and started enjoying it, I did nothing but. I enjoyed every fuckin’ second, Ally. And every fuckin’ second I’ve never doubted how I was feeling. And just to be clear, how I was feeling, every day through this game we’ve been playing, was that I was falling deeper in love with you.”

But they did work and it was absolutely wonderful to watch. They both gave it their all. Ally accepting Ren and his background and Ren finally helping Ally realize her dream. I just loved it! There was drama, of course, but not too much. And unlike the others in the series, the ‘chase’ wasn’t drag out throughout the book. It was totally different. I found that refreshing to be honest. It was totally Ally and Ren.

“You do know you aren’t bullshitting me. There is no semi-sweet Ally. She’s pure honey all the way through.” I slid my fingers along the dark stubble at his jaw and whispered, “Don’t tell anybody.” “Baby, your secret’s safe with me.”

“So, I want a stay-at-home mom and you give me a badass PI. You accepted a wiseguy and got whatever I am. We’re a fuckin’ pair.”

And Ren was just…gawd…where do I even begin to describe Ren Zano? I mean, this guy just became my number KA hero ever. No joke. He was just perfect. Perfect for Ally and an all around wonderful hero. He was sweet, funny, hot, gorgeous, smart, thoughtful and he can cook. And he has a wonderfully dirty mouth that was a total contradiction to his choice of clothing: suits. He knows asshole but he also knows how to say sorry and admit he’s wrong. I wasn’t sure how he’s going to be with Ally knowing that he did make a play for Ava, but boy, he left no doubt whatsoever in my mind about what he feels for Ally. He was perfection! This book already has my 5 stars for Ren Zano alone.

“You really love me,” I whispered.

“Do not ever doubt it,” he whispered back.

“How did that happen?” I kept whispering.

“You accepted my devotion to the Bears only dishin’ out minimal shit.”

“I’m not a maximum contact sleeper, Ally. You are.”

“Never held a woman all night in my arms in my life… until you.”

“Baby, you take your clothes off right now, you do it to this song, for me. My guess, those four posts’ll hold. If you break the bed, I don’t give a fuck.”

“Bullshit, baby. I get you breathy and tell you I want your mouth, you’ll suck my cock deep so fast I won’t be able to blink.”

But Rock Chick Revolution isn’t just about the romance between Ally and Ren. It was as much about Ally finally finding her calling and taking a step towards fulfilling that. We know from the very first book that Ally pretty much bounced from one career to another. She tried almost everything, from doing nails, being a radio tech, barista and bartending before she realized that being a PI is what she wants to do. And she’s good at it. This didn’t sit well with the men in her family who thinks that this PI business will put her life in danger. Ally being Ally fought for her dreams. I just loved seeing the Nightingale family dynamics came into play in this book. It was touching and I have to admit that I’ve shed a healthy amount of tears during Ally’s interactions with her family about her choice of career, maybe because I personally related to that. I know how it feels to have to fight for something you want. And Ally wanted it all. She wanted her fairytale and a kickass career. As a woman, I had to salute her for that.

When you’re a kid and a girl, dads had superpowers. They could heal any hurt, usually with a word said just like that one. Or, if shit was extreme, if he added a hug, it would all go away. My dad’s superpowers were finely honed. But they didn’t extend to this kind of healing.

I know others might not feel the same way about this but for me, this is what separates RCR from the other Rock Chick books. Don’t get me wrong, I loved them all. Mostly. But this one has that element of being more character driven than the others. Explosions, kidnapping, ditzy heroines, long-suffering heroes are all trademarks in every single Rock Chick book. They are more prominent in some but that element was always there. It wasn’t really present here at all, or at least I didn’t see it. 

For one, Ally was a capable lead character. She didn’t suffer from the usual indecisions that plagued the other Rock Chicks. Meaning, she didn’t get herself into love triangles, love squares or anything. She was also more cautious and level-headed. She took calculated risks which paid off for her. This means less explosions, less kidnapping, zero sex talk and not a cat fight in sight and none of the Rock Chicks get use their taser gun. For those who were expecting the usual Rock Chick craziness, this would be a boring read.

I kid you not. The Ally we met during first book grew up to be a capable young woman who learned to roll with the punches, took care of her business without complaints. I for one loved it. It’s different, yes, but not necessarily bad. I’d even say I’m happy with the direction KA has taken with this book. Totally righteous.

Fave Moments, Quotes, Secondary Characters, etc…

- Darius and Ally’s partnership. I cannot do a RCR review without mentioning Darius. He played a big part in Ally and Ren’s story. He was the first person who believed in Ally, but then Ally continued to believe in him even he had lost his way. I knew their relationship was special during RC 1 when Ally reached out to him. I got emotional when I read Darius story and I can’t wait to get to his story. It’s going to be awesome for sure.

“I love what I do. I’m going to love doing it for a living. But the thing I love most is that you always believed in me.” Darius held my eyes a beat before he looked down to the seat. When he lifted his eyes again, I took in a hissed breath at the unconcealed pain there.
“And I love it that you always believed in me,” he whispered.

- Hank, Lee and Ally’s relationship. Fascinating. We finally get an in-depth look at the dynamics of their relationship. Lee and Hank, the big brothers any sister should have. They were overbearing, protective, bossy and they love Ally very much, it practically leaked off the pages.
- Loved that dinner scene when Vito invited himself and the whole Zano clan. LOL! The Capulet and Montague reference was spot on.
- Daisy and Shirleen. Oh Daisy was wonderful here. She was always wonderful but she really came through for Ally and Ren. Plus her interactions with Shirleen were hilarious. And Shirleen was her same awesome self. Totally glad she had Ally’s back.

“Not with you, with you, like, in the field. I’m gonna be Shirleen to your Lee.”

“Oh no, child,” Shirleen entered the conversation. “You got a choice spot here. You don’t move some old desk into it, slap a computer on the top and say ‘I’m in business.’ You gotta send the right message. And that message is you ain’t Rockford. You’re Allyson Nightingale, a fine piece of badass ass with class who can take care of biz-nezz.”

- The Rock Chick/Hot Bunch wedding assignations. Cloakroom or handicap bathroom? LMAO!
- Luke and Ava’s wedding, and Luke doing some vertical dancing. Finally!!
- Tex. ‘Nuff said.
- Castle night and Ren thinking Ally watched because the lead female looks like her when it was actually Nathan Fillion she was perving. LOL!
- Rock Chick tours. Where can I sign up for that?
- Ren. Yes, Ren again. Ren doing just about anything; Ren in his pajama bottoms, Ren in a suit, Ren calling Ally baby, Ren smiling, Ren being a badass, Ren losing his temper, Ren cooking, Ren talking, Ren…oh, you get my drift.
- The Epilogue. Totally KA, totally sweet—or should I say, bittersweet.

Final Thoughts…

That said, this book isn’t perfect. Not by a long shot. There were things I would have wanted to know more of like the Zano family angle for example. I wanted more of it but I didn’t get it. I was looking forward to Ren dealing with his side of the family the way Ally dealt with hers. 

Another thing I feel ambiguous about was the way real life found it’s way into the pages of RCR. Yeah, it was funny but I wasn’t quite sure it totally worked for me. I found myself cringing every time it came up. 

Third, we hardly heard a peep from Indy or the rest of the Rock Chicks for that matter. I understood why but I kinda missed the sex talk between the girls and the crazy powwows. 

Fourth, there were way too many people calling each other honey for me. Fifth, Ally's cases were too random. It was too all over the place. I would have liked it more if they only have one major bad guy throughout the book but it didn't happen that way.

And yet, in spite of those issues, I truly loved this book. For me, it had the right amount of romance and badassness. And I loved how KA tied all the loose ends together, at the same time preparing us for the spin-off series. A wonderfully bittersweet ending to a series that is so very dear to my heart. I shed a tear or two knowing that this series is over. And while we have something to look forward to in LA, I’m going to miss staying in Denver. I truly am. 

Rock on! \m/

Fire Inside by Kristen Ashley

3.5 stars

Okay. Here we go...

This was me when I got my ARC for the book.

And this was me as I was reading through it.

Yeah. I hate giving less than 4 stars to KA considering I enjoyed her books in the past. Sadly, Fire Inside didn't live up to the hype for me. Don't get me wrong. It was an okay read. Most people might end up loving it but to me it was just lackluster. I was waiting for that omph and it never came.

Hop

On the surface, this book has all the KA elements. We have a good-looking, badass biker, alpha male in Hopper Kincaid. Even his name screams hot biker. And get this he (view spoiler)[sings and plays a guitar (hide spoiler)]. Hop should be a shoo-in for the best KA alpha hero award and join the illustrious rank of Tate and Joe in KA world but he felt a tad bit short.

I liked him a lot. I was surprised at how much I liked him considering what he did during Motorcycle Man didn't endear him to a lot of readers. KA did a brilliant job of redeeming--or should I say explaining his actions during that whole BeeBee-Gate fiasco. As much as I liked him, I also felt that there was nothing special at all about him. Not even his 'stache wasn't special because every KA fan knows that Luke Stark already has that area covered. Poor Hop. Even his stint as a former (view spoiler)[front man of a rock band (hide spoiler)] wasn't enough. That said, I still liked him a lot.

Lanie

Sadly, Lanie, again, was a disappointment for me. The blurb said she was full of drama, so I was expecting Roxie-like drama or even Gwen or Elvira. She was neither. She basically didn't do anything. She had her moments of brilliance but it wasn't enough to make me like her or root for her.

Which brings me to the crux of the matter, the whole reason why I didn't feel this book as much as the others. If I may be honest, the last three or four books sounded scarily alike in my opinion. For example...

"Never had class. Never had beauty."

"Nothin' like you, lady. Nothing like that beauty."

"All soft, every inch. Got my d*ck buried in beauty."

"I didn't have a lot of beauty in my life. Found it in that."

And those are just examples. I swear, the word beauty was repeated so many times, and used in that same vein as the examples above, it drove me nuts. It became repetitive. It wasn't exciting anymore. I was pretty sure I've read this line before from KA book. It came to a point where I just wanted to read something else. I wanted the hero to sound different from the last hero or the heroine for that matter.

It wasn't all that bad. It had some note-worthy moments too. I squeed like a little girl that I am when Vance Crowe made an appearance. I swear, he said no more than 6 words overall and I was like, "Wow, that was brilliant! I love him. Hmm, I think I'm gonna reread Rock Chick Renegade again."

But what saved this book from a getting two stars from me was Tack! Tack, you're still the man! He was funny here, without being intentionally so. It was classic Tack and I loved it!!

In spite all that, I would still recommend this book especially to those who are still getting to know Kristen Ashley's writing. This is great choice but for those of us who have been around the block, this might not work. But then, you'll never know until you pick up the book. Who knows, you might end up loving this.

P.S.
One thing that's great about KA is that her stories are so diverse, judging from the series that she has under her belt. That said, the last four books were from her Unfinished Heroes and then Chaos. She did these back-to-back. Not the best idea in my opinion. I'm glad she's doing Rock Chicks next and then the Colorado Mountains. I really think the change of theme or series would be best. Just sayin'.

ARC provided by GCP through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Own the Wind review is up!!

Own the Wind by Kristen Ashley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 fantastic stars!!

There is something to be said about reading a Kristen Ashley book and that is, it is truly an experience. That unique voice that you recognize anywhere is just amazing. Having professional editors certainly didn't detract anything from that voice, in fact, it enhanced it.

Now, on to my review...

I've been waiting for this book a long time, like most KA fans out there. Ever since Motorcycle Man, I've often wondered what Shy and Tabby's journey to happy every after is going to be like, and boy, what an amazing ride it was.

I loved Tabby in Motorcycle Man. She's all grown up now and let me tell you, she is awesome! She's gorgeous and she owns it. I got to be honest, I have little patience with heroines who are actually gorgeous that scores of men are after them but still think they're ugly or plain. Confidence is hot, and Tabby has it but she doesn't always flaunt it. Nor is she conceited. She just knows herself. I loved that. That to me was refreshing.

Parker "Shy" Cage...hmm, considering my limited vocabulary, it is safe to say that I've run out of adjectives to describe how wonderful this guy is. And again, I don't think he's the usual KA hero either. Sure, he is a biker, he's alpha, he's a baddass, he's bossy and he can be really blunt. But, he's also sweet, loyal, caring and a real, all around good guy. And the way he was with Tabby...*sigh* it was just sweet.

The time jump issue -- I didn't really have a problem with it since I've always felt like I knew them already, thanks to that great epilogue from Motorcycle Man, and I was okay with not having every minute detail written down or something. It helped hurry things along, which I would say didn't subtract anything from the overall story.

It had enough drama without it being over the top. It was mostly about Tabby and Shy's relationship and what that meant to the club and their families. There were no car chases, explosions, kidnapping, crazy exes or the Russian mob. Thank God! That probably won't happen until the next book. LoL! There were some actions going on but it wasn't really front and center. It was mentioned but we really didn't get to witness any of it. It was just about Shy and Tabby and how they're dealing with being finally together, which I really liked.

Of course, this wouldn't be a KA novel without the cameos of the characters from her other series. This one had plenty of cameos. It was just like seeing old friends. And this book was also used to set up the next story with Hop and Lanie, which I wasn't too crazy about. I felt it was too much but that's just my personal feelings about it anyway.

This was really a wonderful read for me. I can't wait for the next books from this series. There are a lot of characters that could potentially star in their own HEA in the next books. Rush is one. I can't wait for his story.

Thank you, Kristen Ashley for giving us another wonderful story. This one is a keeper. Hope it will be for others too.





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Fire Inside Cover Reveal

Yup! GCP just released the cover of Kristen Ashley's Fire Inside. For those of you who didn't know yet, Fire Inside is the second book in the Ms. Ashley's Chaos series. The first book Own the Wind will be released April 2nd.

And that's not all. Fire Inside, which features Lanie (Tyra's best friend from Motorcycle Man) and Hop, a member of Chaos Motorcycle Club ( hence, the name of the series), will be released early. June 4th! Yup, you heard it right. That means folks that we don't have to wait long for our KA fix. Awesome!