Review: "Jagged" by Kristen Ashley

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.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an ARC of this novel.

I was really excited to read this because I've heard great things about this author, but I'm feeling a little underwhelmed at the moment.  I like the fact that Ham and Zara are ordinary people with ordinary jobs, and I like the setting of Gnaw Bone, a small town in the Colorado Rockies.  What's got me flummoxed is the dialogue!  Do people really talk that way?  Is it a Colorado thing?  Ham sounds like a Neanderthal, which I suppose goes with his persona, but still, not a guy I would be attracted to.  Are all of Kristen Ashley's characters like this?  I sure hope not!

I found this book easy to put down, and once it was out of sight, it was definitely out of mind.  In consequence, it seemed to take me forever to finish it.  As the book progressed, I started to get used to the writing style, but I wouldn't say I warmed up to it.  The characters were memorable, but only because I've never read characters who speak in quite that manner.  There was a bit of action, but honestly, nothing to write home about.  Overall, I'm rather disappointed, but maybe that's because my expectations were so high. 

My rating:  2.5 stars