This book wasn’t for me sadly. I didn’t like the main character Maybe and it ended on cliffhanger :(

I voluntarily reviewed this book.

Lauren Dane has excelled with this series. Rachel has been broken by her past but is on her way to healing when Vicktor comes into her life.

I loved the first book in this series, Whiskey Sharp: Unraveled, but Jagged was one of the best books I’ve read in awhile. Rachel Dolan and Vicktor Orlov are two of my favorite heroine/heroes-the damaged, yet strong and resilient heroine, and the easygoing, sweet hero who loves nothing more than taking care of the people he loves. Add in some wicked humor and scorching sex scenes, and this friends to lover (my favorite!) story had me hooked from the start! The Orlov family-a tight-knit bunch of ‘crazy Russians’ charmed me from the moment we met in Whiskey Sharp: Unraveled. Getting to know them better just made me love them more. The way they welcomed both Rachel and Maybe into their family, giving them the love, affection, and support they never had before was touching, but not sappy. It was perfectly written–all of the good and bad that comes with a large family.

Rachel and Vic have been circling each other for several years, so their transition from friends to lovers felt very natural, inevitable even. We don’t get all the details of Rachel’s past, which I appreciate- I don’t read romance for grisly details of a serial killer-but we do get just enough to understand her. The escalating drama with Rachel and Maybe’s family is pretty crazy, but worked given their past behavior. For me, this book has it all-great characters, who I was fully invested in, drama, suspense, humor, heartbreak and tragedy, romance, and some pretty great sex. It was one of those books I didn’t want to end. Fortunately, there’s a third book, Whiskey Sharp: Torn to look forward to!

I always enjoy Lauren Dane's books. Jagged (Whiskey Sharp) was no different, though I can't say that this was my favorite from her. It's the dreaded case of "meh". I didn't hate anything about it, nothing was problematic, I was simply underwhelmed by it. It was a nice, quick read -- and hot, as per usual with Dane's books -- but not exactly memorable.

This was the second book in the series and I honestly didn't enjoy it as much as the first book. Vicktor and Rachel were fun and good characters but I wasn't as drawn into their story as much as I would have liked.

I liked how Rachel has changed and grown as a person and how she relied on Vicktor more and stopped relying on her sister so much as I felt she let her sister take on too much that was her own issue to deal with but it was nice to see her stand up for herself more and really accept the decisions she had made.

Lauren Dane is one prolific author. She’s one of those writers that if you’re looking for a trope you can find it. Witches? Diablo Lake. Shifters? Diablo Lake and Cascadia Wolves. Rockers? Hurley Boys. Small Town? Petal Georgia. Menage? Err, there’s a few actually but I’ll go with Brown Family. My point is that she writes across genres and tropes and writes them all really well. I’ve read almost all of her works and I’d say about 90% of them worked for me and when an author has as much out there as Lauren Dane that’s a really impressive stat!

I loved the first book in this series and this was a great continuation in this series. Rachel is struggling to find herself after she has suffered through a horrible ordeal and wants to reclaim her life. I absolutely loved seeing her be both so vulnerable AND strong as hell. Dane writes the most nuanced heroines in the genre and I cannot get enough of that. The other thing she does so well is heroes who are strong but supportive - and we need more of that in romance. Victor quietly stands by Rachel's side in a way that shows he will kick anyone's ass she'll allow him to but doesn't get in her way. I love that so much.

The two have a chemistry that sizzles off the page. The author writes couples that feel so accurate to me – like I could meet them and hopefully become friends with them potentially next week. They balance each other perfectly and Lauren Dane’s theme of ‘found families’ continues in this book. Which reminds me a little of Kit Rocha’s books, I might be a sucker for that theme because some of my favorite books have that as a thread.

I really recommend this book for the sisterly bond, for the small town feel, and last but NOT least – the super hot couple!

I devoured this book and then went back and started with the first book. Lauren Dane writes great swoon-worthy characters who are just a bit broken but not so much that you stop rooting for a HEA.

I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel's story was such a fascinating subplot in Unraveled, I was excited to read more about it in this book. And while I know that her tragedies are there for her to grow and learn from, I still feel like a bit more fleshing out (why is her dad such a dick? How did she get into the FBI?) would have been helpful. I really want to know how she went from FBI to tattoo artist. I just have a lot of questions about Rachel.

Viktor is the perfect supportive good man for a woman climbing out of her darkness, especially as a man with a good family and tons of food at the ready. The platonic relationships between the sisters, their friends, and the neighbors always feel refreshing, and Rachel and Maybe's parents remain total jerks.

Only real complaint: no recipes of all the delicious foods mentioned in the book.

Jagged is the second novel in the Whiskey Sharp series, but it is also the first novel I've read by Lauren Dane, and, once again, I found myself starting to read a novel in mid-series, and although the author does fill in some of the blanks as to what happened in the first novel, it really put me at a disadvantage on many levels, and for that reason, among several others, I can only give this book a 3-star rating.

First, I was at a loss for a good part of the novel because I hadn't a clue that "Whiskey Sharp" was the name of a bar, and by the time I learned that, since very little of of the novel is set there, it just didn't make much sense to me as the title of this series. Then I was confused by the name of the heroine's sister. Since her name is "Maybe," and that word is generally used as an adverb, I kept reading it as such. Who names a child "Maybe"? And why? If there was a reason for that, I'm guessing it appeared in the first book in the series, but a prologue, briefly explaining what happened in the first novel would have been a huge help.

What I was eventually able to gather was that Rachel Dolan, the heroine, now lives in Seattle with her sister, Maybe, and although she's now working as a tattoo artist, several years earlier she was an FBI agent who was abducted and tortured by a sadistic serial killer. Once she escaped, or was rescued (this novel is a bit unclear on the details of that issue), she left the FBI for good and has been trying to get over her ordeal ever since.

Rachel has been befriended by and is attracted to the hunky hero, Vicktor (Vic) Orlov, the son of her Russian immigrant neighbors, who've taken her and her sister under their wing. Her sister has been seeing and will probably marry Vicktor's cousin, Alexei, and the Orlov family is warm, loving and kind, as opposed to Rachel's family, which is a major thorn in her side. Rachel's father was a former police officer and is totally opposed to Rachel having left the FBI and taken up a new career as a tattoo artist, seeing it as beneath her. He's controlling, verbally abusive, and apparently, he also tormented Maybe in the first novel, while Rachel was away at college and training with the FBI, but again, exactly what he did to Maybe is still a mystery to readers like myself, who haven't read the first novel. What we do know is that he wants to have Rachel committed to a mental institution to deal with her trauma and where he can control her, while Rachel seems to be dealing with it all quite well. He's controlling, manipulative, stalking his daughter, and using his wife as his puppet. He's also not above making trouble for the Orlov family as another means of controlling his daughters.

The Orlov family, especially Vic's mother, is warm, loving, charming and impossible not to love. Her cure for everything is food, and she has the European sensibility and penchant for equating food with love. Vic is no different. The Orlovs are bakers by trade, and Vic reminded me of the Nicholas Cage character in the movie Moonstruck. Aside from being gorgeous, he's downright wonderful, caring, attentive, tender, sexy, kind, understanding, and very protective of the Dolan sisters, especially Rachel. They've been friends since Rachel moved to Seattle, but he wants more than friendship from Rachel, and is willing to give her the space she needs to fully heal. As the two grow closer, and as Vic makes his intentions clear, there's quite a lot of chemistry and heat between these two.

While I loved the growing relationship between Vic and Rachel, what I didn't like was that this story didn't have much forward momentum. The middle of the novel became bogged down by seemingly endless dialogue, and I kept waiting for something major to occur, but it never really did. The threats from Rachel's father just didn't pose a fully believable threat. As an FBI agent, she knows stalking when she sees it, but why she doesn't turn to her former contacts at the FBI to stop his harassment is a mystery to me. The fact that she can't get more than a two-week order of protection against him in the courts just didn't seem reasonable or prudent on the part of the judge. Rachel's father is a former police officer himself, yet he breaks the temporary restraining order and continues stalking her, and harassing the Orlov family as well. It simply didn't make sense and it wasn't enough of a threat to hold this novel together.

While I didn't love this novel, I did indeed enjoy the growing relationship between Vic and Rachel. I also thought her love of birds, and the reason behind it were both understandable and charming, as was Vic's deep understanding of and patience with Rachel. As romances go, theirs was a wonderful one, but in the end, this novel suffered a bit from too much repetitive dialogue and not enough action or suspense. If you do plan to read this series, I strongly suggest that you start at the beginning. Also, there is graphic sex in this novel, and an overabundance of descriptions of the size of Vic's physical attributes--once would have been enough, so it's definitely designed for mature readers.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

Jagged is the second book in the Whiskey Sharp series, and I recommend you read them in order. That recommendation comes because Ms Dane writes a very character driven series, and character portraits are formed over the book arcs. The hero and heroine of Jagged were introduced in book one, and the tension is already present. Ms. Dane's characters are complex and layered, Jagged is a slow burn of a romance, and that's the flow of the book, it starts out slowly and builds. I appreciated the thoughtful dialogue - it really seemed to fit the characters and the situations. There is never any huge obstacle to be overcome, rather, like life, it's the small everyday things that move the story along. Looking forward to book 3.

This is the second book in the series, and you really need to have read the first book [Unraveled] to really understand the relationships between Maybe, Rachel, Alexei and Vic. This book is more about Rachel and her relationship with Vic and gives a bit more of her back story. Vic sees the real Rachel, realizes how far she's come since her kidnapping several years earlier, and understands that her father is the real villan in the present time. He sticks by her, spoils her, loves her, and resists beating up on the obnoxious father - but with real difficulty! When the father pulls another trick on Rachel and the others, accusing the Russians of being illegals everything comes to a head, Rachel shows she still has what it takes, and Vic falls deeper in love with her.
It ended too soon!! I've just requested the next book from Netgalley, I hope it comes soon!!!!

Just ok for me. Not anything to get excited about. Not horrible either. Story seemed to drag more than it moved forward. I do like this author, though, so I will continue to watch for anything new.

Lauren' Dane's Whiskey Sharp: Jagged was an amazing addition to the Whiskey Sharp series. Vicktor and Rachel's relationship is great to watch unfold.

Vicktor Orlov has been after Rachel Dolan since he saw her many years ago. Vitor has slowly approached the scared Rachel and became friends before lovers. Bribing her with food and friendship will break down the barriers between them.

I am adoring the Whiskey sharp series. Dane is doing a fantastic job creating this world with the Russian and Dolan family.

Jagged is the second book and takes place right after the events of the first book. Unraveled. This is Rachel and Vicktor's story. Rachel has come a long way from her FBI years and her harrowing captivity by a serial killer. She is finally starting to explore the possibility of commitment and Vicktor is just the man to be the one she explores it with.

While I enjoyed this one, I didn't like it was much as the first book. It felt like it took me forever to get through. I found it really repetitive. I get that Victor and his cousins are hot Russian men. I just don't need to be reminded every other page. Nor do I need to be reminded that Irene likes to feed people she loves...I could go on. I think this book could have been shortened because a lot of that felt like filler. The issue with Rachel and Maybe's father really got old after a while. Honestly, it was a bit over the top and I'm still not sure why he went off the deep end. I did enjoy the ending and I look forward to reading Cora's story next.

*ARC (Advance Review Copy) received in exchange for an honest review*

3.5 Stars

Jagged was a good read. The hero, Vicktor was great. He's sweet sexy and he bakes. I loved how he was with Rachel. Rachel is damaged from the violence in her past. I enjoyed seeing her start to heal the jagged edges in her heart and trust again. It was a sweet and sexy romance.

I am realllly enjoying this series. Lauren Dane's Brown family series will always be #1 in my heart, but these rowdy and totally lovable Russians are really sticking with me even after I put the book down. Just like the first book, this one started to answer even more questions brought up in the first. The conflict really comes to a head, but we have some badass characters here, so I wasn't worried. After reading this I wanted to google the closest Russian bakery because I have some major cravings now!

The second book in the Whiskey Sharp series is not to be missed. When it comes to Ms. Dane, I can rely on her to move and seduce me with her characters. The two characters in this story made me fall in love with her all over again. This story is best read after reading the first book. This can be read as a standalone but it is so much better after reading the first one.

Vicktor Orlov a sexy man who runs a bakery with his family. He originally had other dreams in his life, but a tragedy in the family pulled him into the family business. It's a good thing too, because he meets Rachel Dolan in a round about way through his mother and their shop. Rachel is puzzle for him in some ways because she is so strong and left a life he had wanted. Yet she is fragile in ways that only a damaged woman would show. The good thing about damaged people is, they know they can survive. And survive, Rachel does, despite her overbearing parents.

Vicktor's Russian heritage makes me think of him like a big burly bear, ready to charge and defend a moment's notice. Yet his a big cuddly teddy bear when he wants to hold Rachel close to him. Rachel's past life in the FBI ended when she became the hunted. To bring her out of her depression and move on, she started a new life as a tattoo artist. She is really good at it and it brings her a peace of mind that she enjoys. Getting involved with a Russian bakery who may or may not have ties to the Russian Mafia is the last thing she wants. Yet she can not help but be charmed by his gifts of ... sweets.

These two characters are adorable together. I love Vicktor and how he interacts with his family and Rachel. Since his cousin is head over heels in love with Rachel's sister, it is another advantage he uses to pull Rachel closer to him. What he doesn't realize is how far Rachel's parents will go to keep them apart and Rachel by their side.

If a reader read the first book, there is already background knowledge of Rachel's heinous parental units. Her father is a petty tyrant and it comes out clearly why he wants Rachel in his grasps. When Rachel learns more about what her parents did to her younger sister, it breaks her heart and forces her to remove these toxic people out of her life. What surprised me is how much harder her parents pushed and how they really think they are in the right. It baffles me and disgusts me. The way Ms. Dane writes it, I can see it so clearly and it is a fear that any adult would appreciate. It is not unheard of for family to try and declare an adult not towing the line as incompetent and try to commit them. I have always thought this was one of the more abused uses of power. Ms. Dane shows how easily a person can loose control of their life. It's scary, that is for sure. The contrast between Rachel and Vicktor's family only makes it more glaring how terrible her can be.

This story is more than dysfunctional families. The heart of it is what a loving and accepting family can be. The romance and chemistry between these two characters is heartwarming. The scenes where they are intimate are special. The way Ms. Dane brings us along Vicktor's slow and sweet courting of Rachel may make a reader sigh in envy. His old world charm clearly comes through the written word. When it comes to writing moving romance, Ms. Dane is one of the best. This erotic romance is highly recommended to readers who love happily ever afters.

This was an ok read and not exactly what I'd expected based on the blurb. A little too slow at the beginning which made it hard to get into the story.

Russians.... I don't know about you, but they are such a turn on for me. The accent.... I'm getting tingles already. And Vicktor rocked my world! Whiskey Sharped: Jagged is the second book in the series, and I didn't feel lost with not reading the first one. What starts as an innocent friendship turns scorching hot in ten seconds flat!

Vicktor has always admired Rachel, and soon realizes that he has feelings for her. Unbeknownst to him she feels the same way. Rach see's the protective man that would do anything for her.

Overall a cute friends to lovers story that made my toes curl!