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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
I actually liked this one more than Wild Fire. Gosh and the chapter from Tack was so bittersweet. I felt for Jagger when it came to him thinking of his dad. Jagger and Archie both meeting young after both having lost a parent. I just love the timeline this story flowed. Look forward to more from Kristen.
I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I liked this, I mean anything is better than the last full length novel in this series! I really HATE [b:Free|41020095|Free (Chaos, #6)|Kristen Ashley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1542693566l/41020095._SY75_.jpg|64012588]. I was tempted to reread and skip the epilogue, which was what ruined the entire book for me, but I knew I'd end up torturing myself.
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
2.5 hearts
The 1001 Dark Nights Series is a collection of novellas by various authors set in already established worlds or series. It is so you can get a glimpse into the world and writing of that series in a stand-alone book. I generally like this idea but Wild Wind a novella set after the Chaos Series wrap up is not a really good representation of why I normally like Kristen Ashley.
I’ve read 50+ books by Ashley and normally her stories work for me. But every once and awhile there is something that just crashes and burns and all the stuff that I generally like from KA books like the Descriptions of décor, the family drama, the alpha male of it or the social commentary just fall flat and I have to say that seems to be the issue with Wild Wind.
Jagger and Archie spend about ten years just missing each other or getting their stuff together. He saw her on the day her mom died and knew she was something special. Their meeting was interesting and I really enjoyed the quirky punkiness of Archie and the woman she became. Her eclectic style was really cool. Overall, Jagger is a good guy and easy to like as well. I did like them as a couple and so the book wasn’t a total dud for me. And like all Ashley books there are some really cool emotional scenes.
The issues I had with this book in the series is that there is no big struggle really. There are a few family issues and trouble from a couple kids in Junior high but it didn’t have the higher octane struggles like kidnapping, murder or organized crime of Ashley’s other books and so the plot of the story just really dragged. Archie and Jag do spend a lot of time getting it on, but Jag’s struggle in the book is figuring out how to deal with some aspects of his dad’s death.
The other big issue I had for Wild Wind was it felt preachy. I preface this by saying I don’t care what race/sexuality/gender you are. People are people and I wish we’d stop throwing so many labels around. That said can we just pick one social issue to advocate for instead of trying to throw all of them into a novella at once? It was like Ashely was trying to point out how her diverse her cast was. The bad kids were white male, while the kids being picked on were ethnic. Archie runs an afterschool hang out for intercity youth in her shop which is cool but again it was another social commentary on intercity youth and lower income families. Then she added in interracial couples (is that even still a thing?) and a trans type character and someone else who was pan sexual. I mean just stop, it is a novella with little to no plot. Even her step sisters were granola and bourgeoisie. Pick one issue and role with it not all the race/gender/sexuality/class issues at once splattered with decorating descriptions.
This is not really a good example of her best work and so I would possibly recommend reading one of her other novellas in the 1001 Dark Night Series which in my opinion were all better.
Stella Bloom is a staple in a few of Kristen Ashley's series and she has a fantastically sultry voice that is wonderful for romance. This was my first listen to John Hartley. He is a natural and performed the male characters really well. He is suited to giving good Alpha and I'm excited to hear him in a few more of Ashley's books as he seems like a really good fit for them. I listened to Wild Wind at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
2.5 hearts
The 1001 Dark Nights Series is a collection of novellas by various authors set in already established worlds or series. It is so you can get a glimpse into the world and writing of that series in a stand-alone book. I generally like this idea but Wild Wind a novella set after the Chaos Series wrap up is not a really good representation of why I normally like Kristen Ashley.
I’ve read 50+ books by Ashley and normally her stories work for me. But every once and awhile there is something that just crashes and burns and all the stuff that I generally like from KA books like the Descriptions of décor, the family drama, the alpha male of it or the social commentary just fall flat and I have to say that seems to be the issue with Wild Wind.
Jagger and Archie spend about ten years just missing each other or getting their stuff together. He saw her on the day her mom died and knew she was something special. Their meeting was interesting and I really enjoyed the quirky punkiness of Archie and the woman she became. Her eclectic style was really cool. Overall, Jagger is a good guy and easy to like as well. I did like them as a couple and so the book wasn’t a total dud for me. And like all Ashley books there are some really cool emotional scenes.
The issues I had with this book in the series is that there is no big struggle really. There are a few family issues and trouble from a couple kids in Junior high but it didn’t have the higher octane struggles like kidnapping, murder or organized crime of Ashley’s other books and so the plot of the story just really dragged. Archie and Jag do spend a lot of time getting it on, but Jag’s struggle in the book is figuring out how to deal with some aspects of his dad’s death.
The other big issue I had for Wild Wind was it felt preachy. I preface this by saying I don’t care what race/sexuality/gender you are. People are people and I wish we’d stop throwing so many labels around. That said can we just pick one social issue to advocate for instead of trying to throw all of them into a novella at once? It was like Ashely was trying to point out how her diverse her cast was. The bad kids were white male, while the kids being picked on were ethnic. Archie runs an afterschool hang out for intercity youth in her shop which is cool but again it was another social commentary on intercity youth and lower income families. Then she added in interracial couples (is that even still a thing?) and a trans type character and someone else who was pan sexual. I mean just stop, it is a novella with little to no plot. Even her step sisters were granola and bourgeoisie. Pick one issue and role with it not all the race/gender/sexuality/class issues at once splattered with decorating descriptions.
This is not really a good example of her best work and so I would possibly recommend reading one of her other novellas in the 1001 Dark Night Series which in my opinion were all better.
Narration:
Stella Bloom is a staple in a few of Kristen Ashley's series and she has a fantastically sultry voice that is wonderful for romance. This was my first listen to John Hartley. He is a natural and performed the male characters really well. He is suited to giving good Alpha and I'm excited to hear him in a few more of Ashley's books as he seems like a really good fit for them. I listened to Wild Wind at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
Another KA classic.
Slow burn with a HEA!
She felt that she needed to close out Chaos and gave the last brother his old lady.
Have tissues ready-
Not your typical story line but when Jagger finally breaks down that gutted me.
Slow burn with a HEA!
She felt that she needed to close out Chaos and gave the last brother his old lady.
Have tissues ready-
Not your typical story line but when Jagger finally breaks down that gutted me.
This was amazing!! A marvelous story told with peaks into the past but full of the present! This will be on my reread list!
This story has wonderful characters who are true to themselves and also give fully to each other and their loved ones!
You will lol and cry! Enjoy!!
This story has wonderful characters who are true to themselves and also give fully to each other and their loved ones!
You will lol and cry! Enjoy!!
It's no surprise that I am a Kristen Ashley fan. Back from the early days of Rock Chick series, I would barrel through her novels. This one was no different, and focused on Jagger Black, the son of slain Chaos brother Black. While Jagger is visiting his father's grave site, he sees another family laying someone to rest. He locks eyes with the girl, sees a brother and father, and quickly understands who was lost. He decides to say, and leaves a note for them that he gets it.
Jagger and Archie continue to see each other over the years, and there's several missed connections and missed chances, when either one of them wasn't ready to move forward. Then one day he sees her running down the street after a teen and he jumps in the fray to lend a hand. This is the point where they really connect.
Their relationship develops quickly, and yet, he's holding something back. As the two start their journey together, there's flashbacks to both parents, interactions with their two sets of families, and discoveries that in the end, are more meaningful than anything I've ever seen in a KA book. This one was well written, has little angst, and has multiple connections to Chaos. This is probably one of my favorite novellas related to Chaos, and I'm hoping that the expansion of stories, including that of Archie's brother are included in future books.
Jagger and Archie continue to see each other over the years, and there's several missed connections and missed chances, when either one of them wasn't ready to move forward. Then one day he sees her running down the street after a teen and he jumps in the fray to lend a hand. This is the point where they really connect.
Their relationship develops quickly, and yet, he's holding something back. As the two start their journey together, there's flashbacks to both parents, interactions with their two sets of families, and discoveries that in the end, are more meaningful than anything I've ever seen in a KA book. This one was well written, has little angst, and has multiple connections to Chaos. This is probably one of my favorite novellas related to Chaos, and I'm hoping that the expansion of stories, including that of Archie's brother are included in future books.
One of the best KA books written.
I don't ever try and hide how much I fangirl over this author and all of the stories that she writes. It would be pointless. Every book offers something for me that I fall in love with. It could be the characters, the story, the friendships, the chemistry, or in this case, it could be all of the above.
I thought that Dutch would be the one that would own my heart. He seemed to me in my mind at least, to be the one more closely resembling the mix of Graham and Hound. I had that wrong because Jagger just took that notion and spun it on its head. Jagger was everything. Even though he wasn't over the top or in your face Alpha as most of her characters, this author still managed to create a character that wove his way into being one of my favorites.
This book gave me a few glimpses into old characters but it wasn't in your face and taking over the story like other times it seems that they are prone to do (Loved the scene with Joker). It did have a few pivotal scenes with Dutch, Hound, and one whose name I won't mention because of spoilers. However, I will say that scene gave me even more insight into Graham than I ever had before and had me almost bawling on my kindle. All I can say is that Graham Black was a good man. it makes his loss hit even harder after this scene. However, I have to think that his loss set a lot of things in motion that wouldn't have happened otherwise. His death reminds me that there is beauty and growth in death. Death is not finite.
I couldn't have picked a better girl for Jagger. I loved and hated that they had to share the commonality that they did. However, I think that it strengthened their bond. They helped each other heal. I had to chuckle at both the Black boys getting girls with boy names. It was unique and perfect for two boys with unusual names themselves.
I loved how this was a culmination of a series that I loved. It was bittersweet but it was also rewarding. There were such good messages in this book; unconditional love, finding oneself, tribes, friendships, brotherhood, and loyalty. My only complaint is that this was just a novella. I didn't want it to end. I wanted to keep experiencing everything in typical lengthy KA books. That being said, I do not feel shorted by this book. She packed a lot of story into this book while also tying up the series, which I find commendable.
I highly recommend this book. It is my favorite of the series, and possibly one of my favorites period because of how she handled tying it all together and bringing it full circle to the baby of one of the founding fathers. The last scene with Keeley and that gift she gave him... yeah tears. However, the ending made it even better.
I don't ever try and hide how much I fangirl over this author and all of the stories that she writes. It would be pointless. Every book offers something for me that I fall in love with. It could be the characters, the story, the friendships, the chemistry, or in this case, it could be all of the above.
I thought that Dutch would be the one that would own my heart. He seemed to me in my mind at least, to be the one more closely resembling the mix of Graham and Hound. I had that wrong because Jagger just took that notion and spun it on its head. Jagger was everything. Even though he wasn't over the top or in your face Alpha as most of her characters, this author still managed to create a character that wove his way into being one of my favorites.
This book gave me a few glimpses into old characters but it wasn't in your face and taking over the story like other times it seems that they are prone to do (Loved the scene with Joker). It did have a few pivotal scenes with Dutch, Hound, and one whose name I won't mention because of spoilers. However, I will say that scene gave me even more insight into Graham than I ever had before and had me almost bawling on my kindle. All I can say is that Graham Black was a good man. it makes his loss hit even harder after this scene. However, I have to think that his loss set a lot of things in motion that wouldn't have happened otherwise. His death reminds me that there is beauty and growth in death. Death is not finite.
I couldn't have picked a better girl for Jagger. I loved and hated that they had to share the commonality that they did. However, I think that it strengthened their bond. They helped each other heal. I had to chuckle at both the Black boys getting girls with boy names. It was unique and perfect for two boys with unusual names themselves.
I loved how this was a culmination of a series that I loved. It was bittersweet but it was also rewarding. There were such good messages in this book; unconditional love, finding oneself, tribes, friendships, brotherhood, and loyalty. My only complaint is that this was just a novella. I didn't want it to end. I wanted to keep experiencing everything in typical lengthy KA books. That being said, I do not feel shorted by this book. She packed a lot of story into this book while also tying up the series, which I find commendable.
I highly recommend this book. It is my favorite of the series, and possibly one of my favorites period because of how she handled tying it all together and bringing it full circle to the baby of one of the founding fathers. The last scene with Keeley and that gift she gave him... yeah tears. However, the ending made it even better.
Oh my heart! Jagger's story just broke my heart, his worry was beautiful. I loved Jagger. I'm so glad, I binged this book on my day off. Archie is solid and just beautiful for him. I'm so glad we got the Black brothers stories. I loved it