I always enjoy Lauren Dane's books and this one was no exception.

It's always difficult to ease into a new series, and Lauren Dane's first book in the Whiskey Sharp Series, Unraveled is no exception.  The premise of the series is great, set in a barbershop/whiskey bar. Unraveled features the first of two sisters, Maybe Dolan (Maybe is a nickname), sometimes the name becomes a distraction as "maybe" is an often used word as well.  I think that what I always appreciate in Lauren Dane's novels is the concept of family sometimes being the ones you choose as opposed to the one you're born into. She quite often features dysfunctional biological families, and this series fits the bill.  I found the characters to be layered and interesting, the story itself well crafted, and I am looking forward to book two, Maybe's sister Rachel's story.  I did feel a sense of imbalance to the novel, as so much time was dedicated to setting the series scene.

I loved the setting and the atmosphere of this story. Great start to a new series. I want to know more about the characters. I love stories where the heroine is the more independent and less willing to settle down. Maybe was great and I could totally relate to her. She also a great work-life balance that was refreshing to see in a novel. The slow-burn into explosive hot sexiness with longtime off limit crush Alexsei made for a sex, fun read. I can't wait to read more of the series and see what characters hook up next.

I fell in love with this from the start. Maybe stole my heart quick with her brash, take charge attitude and Alexsei, well...where can I find my own! It was a joy watching these two clash and conquer each others hearts. More please!

Unraveled is the first book in the Whiskey Sharp series Lauren Dane. Maybe Dolan is independent and free-spirited  since leaving home at sixteen. Whiskey Sharp, Seattle's sexy vintage-styled barbershop and whiskey bar, gave her a job and a reason to put down roots. Cutting hair by day, losing herself drumming in a punk rock band by night, she's got it good. But a longtime crush that turns into a hot, edgy night with brooding and bearded Alexsei Petrov makes it a hell of a lot better. Maybe's blunt attitude and carnal smile hooked Alexsei from the start. Protecting people is part of his nature and Maybe is meant to be his even if she doesn't know it. Yet. He can't help himself from wanting to protect and care for her. But Maybe's fiery independent spirit means pushing back when Alexsei goes too far. Still, he's not afraid to do a little pushing of his own to get what he wants her in his life, and his bed, for good. Maybe's more intoxicating than all the liquor on his shelf and he's not afraid to ride the blade's edge to bind her to him.

Unraveled starts as a slow burn, and quickly ramps up to so much more. Maybe and Alexsei were instantly attracted, but both avoiding the complications and issues that perusing each other could cause, until Maybe has had enough and decides it would be worth any backlash. I loved the journey of their relationship, and how much insight readers get into both characters, and the secondary characters that surround them. Maybe is a complicated character, and her family issues are a powerful aspect of the story. I love watching her stand up to everyone for everyone, but it broke my heart when she had trouble standing up against her parents. I loved the combination of protectiveness and respect that Alexsei shows towards the women in his life, and how thoughtful his is. The fact that both characters are strong, and have their own share of history makes them compelling and real. The banter and care they share was extremely well done. Maybe's family problems coming to roost was heart breaking, but left me wanting to know more. There has to be more, right? While I know there are horrible people, and parents, out there I hate to think about this type of dynamic happening in real life. The story stuck with me well after finishing the book, and I think it will be just as engaging and compelling for other readers as well.

Unraveled is an awesome start to the series, and has me chomping at the bit for more. Thankfully, I already have a copy via Netgalley on my Kindle waiting for me. The hard part will be not reading it right now, because that will make the third one seem so far away- and I know I will want more.

Lauren Dane is an auto-read for me. Always! I can truly got lost in whatever world she has created for her book. Exciting is an understatement!

Maybe Dolan (yes, that's her name, and there's an explanation for it in the book) is a firecracker. I really liked her character. She rambles, but it's not annoying. It's more enchanting, I think. She knows what she wants. She's independent, but under her "go get em' " exterior, there's a lot of vulnerability. Her father is a real jerk. He's emotionally abusive. Maybe puts up with it for a few reasons, but it was hard reading sometimes. 

Alexsei Petrov is a sinfully sexy Russian! He owns the barbershop, Whiskey Sharp. He's Maybe's boss and friend. Over the course of time that friendship morphs into hot nights and filthy whispered sweet nothings! Yum!

I adored these two as a couple. Alexsei wants to protect and coddle her, but Maybe is too independent to let him take over. There's a few funny disagreements between them. However, said funny disagreements usually turn into sweaty monkey sex...yay!

There's lots of family moments in this book. Alexsei has a fairly large and boisterous Russian family who love to interfere in a good-natured way. Maybe is not use to this. Her family is dysfunctional at best. I love books that have quirky families with lots of banter! The family have decided that Maybe is one of them, so she has little choice but to join in on all their loud gatherings. 

This book, like all other Lauren Dane titles has stellar writing. But the one thing that felt a little off for me was the lack of conflict or a climax where their relationship is either going to make it or not. It just all felt too easy. I love those dark moments when I'm holding my breath to see what happens to the hero and heroine. That didn't happen here. There was a ton of conflict with Maybe and her parents. Perhaps, Ms. Dane thought that was enough for poor Maybe to deal with. I still loved the book though!

This was a great start to what promises to be a phenomenal series!


Rating: 4 Stars (A)

I was disappointed that this book wasn’t as good as tje Petal Georgia books.  This was extreme angsty.

I really like Lauren Dane, when I first started reading romance she was one of the few white authors including heroines of color into her series and I really liked the interview she gave on Smart Podcasts, Trashy Books about female friendships in romance but, woo, this romance just did not work for me. Dane had this tendency to have these dense emotional internal dialogues that straight up bored me at some moments.

I love some good competency porn and was  really hoping for some rich details about how this whiskey bar and barber shop operates but the barbershop is treated somewhat incidentally. We don’t know how or why Alexsei decided to open the shop or get into how the other employees feel about this workplace relationship. In fact as I’m re-reading the ARC for the review I realize they never even mention Maybe having a barbershop license or why she can cut men’s hair.


What almost turned this book into a DNF for me was the conflict between Maybe’s psychotically emotionally abusive father. For some reason the book doesn’t reveal Maybe’s sister’s entire backstory until 43% so I won’t say too much, but basically her  Dad is mad at Maybe for taking her older sister away from them. He was just straight up evil to Maybe and there are several scenes of him being verbally abusive towards her and after a while it wasn’t enjoyable to read and the scenes never lead to anything.


All that said Dane does deliver on what she preaches about female friendships, there is a lot of female characters checking in on each other and  Maybe and her sister have a great relationship but I think Dane is more interested in her character’s deep emotional inventories as a writer than I am as a reader.

The first book in the Whiskey Sharp series went a little sour for me and not in a good way.

Lauren Dane launches her Whiskey Sharp series with Unraveled, a sweet and sexy tale about dark and brooding Russian Alexsei Petrov and independent and free-spirited Maybe Dolan. 

After a year of hiring Maybe to work at his vintage-styled barbershop, Alexsei is ready to take their attraction to fruition, but even though Maybe has crushed on the delicious Russian, her independence and natural inclination to put others before herself makes his desire to protect her and make her his a bit of a challenge. But hot nights make getting to a place where they find a balance a very enjoyable journey.

Both the main characters were equally appealing. Maybe, with all her issues was lively, warm and passionate caring for others, particularly her older sister, with fierce determination. Alexsei doesn’t just exude confidence and sexiness, he’s a family man whose tendencies to dominate and guard never overwhelm the Maybe’s free-spirited nature and finds her generosity absolutely intoxicating. The supporting characters were equally interesting and I can’t wait to read more about them, and although at times they threatened to overcome the main plot, Dane preserved the focus on the main couple.

Unraveled is book #1 of the Whiskey Sharp series by Lauren Dane. It is an engaging contemporary romance, told in third person from both points of view with a happy ending.

Title: Unraveled
Series: Whiskey Sharp Book #1
Stand Alone Title: yes
Author: Lauren Dane
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Blurb: The sharpest ache comes from wanting what you think you can't have

Maybe Dolan has lived independent, free-spirited and unattached since leaving home at sixteen. Whiskey Sharp, Seattle's sexy vintage-styled barbershop and whiskey bar, gave her a job and a reason to put down roots. Cutting hair by day, losing herself drumming in a punk rock band by night, she's got it good.

But a longtime crush that turns into a hot, edgy night with brooding and bearded Alexsei Petrov makes it a hell of a lot better.

Maybe's blunt attitude and carnal smile hooked Alexsei from the start. Protecting people is part of his nature and Maybe is meant to be his even if she doesn't know it. Yet. He can't help himself from wanting to protect and care for her.

But Maybe's fiery independent spirit means pushing back when Alexsei goes too far. Still, he's not afraid to do a little pushing of his own to get what he wants her in his life, and his bed, for good. Maybe's more intoxicating than all the liquor on his shelf and he's not afraid to ride the blade's edge to bind her to him."
Favorite quote(s): “He doesn’t always seem to  know what to do with you.  Which amuses me a lot because I know the feeling.  But he likes you.  Not just your boobies, but you.”
Thoughts: Unraveled didn’t have the typical feel of Lauren Dane’s writing, yet the book was distinctive, interesting, and engaging.  I enjoyed the characters and the emotions that were just bursting between these two.  The storyline was enjoyable, and I can see why Dane put a note in the beginning that Whiskey Sharp that its not a real place – because I can see how it would be a popular place!  I wanted to go there myself after reading the book!  My only complaint was that it left me a hanging a little bit on what is going to happen with Maybe’s family?!  Does Dad follow through on his threats?  However, there are more books coming in this series, so hopefully we get some resolution there.  
Definitely a book that stands out!
Rating: A

I was so excited to start this series.  First of all, it’s a new Lauren Dane contemporary and that alone had me salivating for it.  And second, the setting for this sounded just so cool and sexy!  It’s a vintage barber shop that turns into a whiskey bar for happy hour basically.  How cool and fun?!

From the beginning I loved the atmosphere of this story and I loved the setting just as much as I was expecting to.  Another thing that was an immediate hit with me is the fact that Maybe and Alexsei work together so it’s kind of a workplace romance.  What rubbed me the wrong way from almost page one, though, was the heroine’s name.  No, I just couldn’t get behind Maybe.  I know it’s a nickname and there’s an explanation for it, but everytime her name is mentioned it would throw me off and got on my nerves.  As much as I was trying to not let it bother me.

I really liked Maybe’s bubbly personality.  She won’t stop talking and comes across as a genuinely nice person, so I was a fan of that.  The story opens with Maybe getting the job at Whiskey Sharp and quickly fast forwards a couple of years so I feel like I was also missing the struggle and build up of the connection.  By the time we get to see what’s going on I felt like it was almost a given that they were going to work out from the first time they touched and I found it made the story a little boring in terms of the romance.

There’s some added tensions from both of their pasts, some of it while serious I found annoying because Maybe had let things go too far without speaking up so she really made me want to slap her around a bit.  But at the same time I also felt bad for her situation and how she had to grow up and it made me appreciate the new family she has and the support system she was able to find.

One of my favorite things about this story, and something that Ms. Dane does very well time and time again, is the feeling of family.  I loved Alexsei’s family, his meddling aunt, just about everyone!  And then there was also Rada, the ex fiance, who I have a feeling is being molded to be the Raven of this series.  So I was ok with feeling annoyed by her character and I’m looking forward to seeing her character developed more throughout the series.

Overall, UNRAVELED felt like a slow moving and easy romance.  The main couple has a nice chemistry but I never felt like it spiked for me and I maybe even found it to be dragging.  But I was interested in the story and ultimately will continue reading this series.  I’m looking forward to the next book about Maybe’s sister.

I was a little thrown off by this book from the start. About 3 chapters in, I checked on Goodreads to make sure this was book one of a series, since so many charcacter names and backgrounds were stated like like we, the reader, should already know. Having read a series out of order before, the above fact didn't bother me too much, it was more the characters and plot devices the author used that I found I wasn't a fan of.

First off I've realized personally I like watching the romantic build up between two characters. This novel skipped that, which I'm sure other people would find fine. What bothered me most was the situations the characters were placed in, I found them hard to believe. And even if you got over the unrealistic plots, there really was no resolution put in place. For example (without spoilers) something big happens at the end. We get a romantic ending but the "big bad" was hardly talked about, never mind resolved. I get that this is a series, but I expected a solitary ending between each book, and that is clearly not the case here.

Having stated my opinions, I will point out that this novel is well written, and had an interesting concept. I'm sure if a reader isn't bothered by what I mentioned above, they'd enjoy the novel. I enjoyed the romance between Maybe and Alex but found the rest of the story a deterrent from them.

So difficult to complete. I found it extremely difficult to relate to the characters

This was a new series and I loved it. I kept getting confused with the main character's name, Maybe. I kept reading it wrong and until I got used to it I had to reread sentences over and over. I loved the concept of Whiskey Sharp. It really sounded like a place I would like to hang out at for a drink or two. Especially if I got to stare at some sexy Russians! Alexsi and Maybe we're an awesome couple. I'm looking forward to more.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Overall Whisky sharp was an okay read for me. A lot of the story was the back story of side characters I wished the story was more focused on the main couple Maybe and Alexsei. I did like how the Maybe and Alexsei romance progressed throughout the book it was more realistic. 3/5 stars.

Wow, the premise behind Whiskey Sharp: Unraveled called to my reviewer’s heart like a siren. A badass, take-no-crap, smart, sexy female lead and the man who’s damn lucky to have her in her life is a dream read for me. And yes, Maybe Dolan is all that and more. And Alexsei Petrov is her perfect match in his broody, gruff, sexy Russian glory. And while I greatly enjoyed their slow burn romance, there were parts of the story that just didn’t quite work for me. 

I would have loved a flashback of two years ago and what led Maybe and her sister, Rachel, to Seattle. As well as some flashbacks to Maybe’s teen years and the tumultuous relationship with her parents. There are so many lingering questions to what is really happening with their parents, so many things left to explain. That and the story surrounding Alexei’s ex pulled too much attention away from the heart of the romance between Alexsei and Maybe and greatly affected my full enjoyment of Unraveled.

Book 1 of Lauren Dane’s Whiskey Sharp series, Unraveled, follows the story of Maybe, a tattooed, punk rock, drummer and hairstylist. She’s a straight shooter, irreverent and blunt, but she’s also highly compassionate and committed to her friends and chosen family. Maybe lives in Seattle with her sister, who has a traumatic past, is estranged from her parents and is ready to take it to the next level with her bearded, tattooed and Russian boss Alexsei.

The characters in Unraveled, both main and background, were great with tons of description and backstory. Maybe, her sister, friends and neighbors are described in a way that makes them jump off the page. They’re multi dimensional and vibrant and the kind of characters that you want to go hang out with.

The plot of Unraveled was where the book really left me wanting. There was a normal level of conflict between Maybe and Alexsei that any new couple with two dominant personalities struggle with as they fall in love and then there was the conflict with Maybe and Rachel’s dad who is a patriarchal, 1950s throwback, douche of the highest order. Maybe’s sister is a former FBI agent who had a traumatic event occur. The event is never fully explained, but it resulted in Rachel needing physical assistance and quitting her job and changing her life entirely. Now as a tattoo artist, her parents, who vehemently dislike Maybe and have been estranged from her since she was a teenager, are trying to bring her back to what they feel is a more appropriate life and lifestyle and out from what they believe is Maybe’s poisonous influence. However, nothing comes out of this conflict. There just isn’t much of a climax and issues are solved and motives revealed, in some cases literally, by hashing them out around the kitchen table. This being said, I don’t know if the lack of plot isn’t really just a setup for the next book in the Whiskey Sharp series, Jagged, which is Rachel’s story and releases this March. Whatever the case, if real people, in real life employed the emotional maturity and aversion to drama as the characters in Unraveled that would be fantastic, but in a novel it just hampered an kind of climax and left me wishing something, anything, would happen.

One thing I really enjoyed about Unraveled was that it didn’t play on the trope of the overbearing boss and young, ingenue employee romance. There’s no power imbalance or dubious consent in Unraveled. Alexsei is dominant, sometimes overbearing, and at times more Russian than vodka and caviar, but he treats Maybe as an equal and cares for her as a friend and lover. Maybe, on the other hand is sexually experienced and, for the most part, comfortable in her own skin; she knows what she wants in life and has the chutzpah to go after it. There’s also the aforementioned talking it out that everyone in Unraveled seems to be capable of, Maybe and Alexsei are one of the most emotionally stable and relationally mature couples I think I’ve ever read.

Lauren Dane has been an auto buy for me, particularly her Contemporaries and Erotic Romances, but Unraveled kind of fell. Although it had interesting and well developed characters and could easily act as a primer on how to maintain emotionally mature and communicative relationships with loved ones, its lack of conflict and lackluster plot left me kind of bored.

Rating: C

*ARC received by publisher for review

I received this book as an ARC via
Netgalley.

This is the first book in the new series. Ms Lauren Dane had me enthralled with the depth of the characters and the storyline. Well written story, characters that you can relate to. Looking forward to reading the next 2 books in this series!

The sharpest ache comes from wanting what you think you can't have

Maybe Dolan has lived independent, free-spirited and unattached since leaving home at sixteen. Whiskey Sharp, Seattle's sexy vintage-styled barbershop and whiskey bar, gave her a job and a reason to put down roots. Cutting hair by day, losing herself drumming in a punk rock band by night, she's got it good.

But a longtime crush that turns into a hot, edgy night with brooding and bearded Alexsei Petrov makes it a hell of a lot better.

Maybe's blunt attitude and carnal smile hooked Alexsei from the start. Protecting people is part of his nature and Maybe is meant to be his even if she doesn't know it. Yet. He can't help himself from wanting to protect and care for her.

But Maybe's fiery independent spirit means pushing back when Alexsei goes too far. Still, he's not afraid to do a little pushing of his own to get what he wants her in his life, and his bed, for good. Maybe's more intoxicating than all the liquor on his shelf and he's not afraid to ride the blade's edge to bind her to him." 

Review:

I have never met a Lauren Dane book that I did not like, but this one propelled itself right near the top of my favorite Lauren Dane books.

I love the difference of the book, everything was fresh for me.  The heroine's name being Maybe was one of the first things that was different. Alexsei and Maybe work in a barber shop that also has a bar, how cool would that be??? Alexsei is Russian, but is not the typical Russian mobster like most books, he was sent away young to escape that fate.  I loved his big, loving family, who takes in everyone. Maybe, I felt so bad for her, so wanted to kick her parents a**es.  I am glad she had her sister and her aunt and uncle.  Seriously though reading this makes me feel like I am part of the family or I want to be part of the family.  Of course Maybe and Alexsei had obstacles to overcome, but it was done smart and made sense for the characters and the story.  Now, this is the first in a new series, so get in on the ground floor and if you have not read any books by Ms. Dane, I highly recommend her work.

4.5Stars
*I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book provided by the publisher.*