WHISKEY SHARP:  JAGGED  - Lauren Dane
Whiskey Sharp -  Book 2
HQN
ISBN-13:  978-0-373-79940-4
April 2018
Romantic Suspense

Seattle, Washington - Present day

Rachel Dolan loves her new job tattooing at Ink Sisters in Seattle's SoDo district.  It allows her to be creative and it's leap years away from her former career as an FBI agent, which ended on a sour note after she was kidnapped and abused for weeks before she escaped and killed the psycho who locked her up.  Years of therapy have helped her regain her equilibrium, but Rachel has no desire to go back to the FBI.  Yeah, she's a little damaged, and sometimes she's afraid of her own shadow, but she's happy with her art and inking beautiful tattoos that make her customers happy.  Lately, she has another reason to be happy.  Rachel has been keeping company with the sexy Russian baker, Vicktor Orlov, and he's become a shining beacon in her days. 

Vicktor Orlov works alongside his family at The Orlov Family Bakery.  Vic is the bread baker, his sister Evie handles the sweet doughs, and his mother Irena and his Aunt Klara oversee the store.  He's watched Rachel from afar for a while; she and her sister Maybe live across the street from his parents, and Irena has taken both girls under her wing as part of her family.  And now that Vic's cousin, Alexsei has moved in with Maybe, Vic has had more opportunity to really get to know Rachel.  Especially since he and Alexsei were witness to an ugly confrontation between Maybe, Rachel and their father, Richie Dolan.  Both Vic and Alexsei on high alert, determined to protect the Dolan sisters.  Richie is taking legal action against Rachel so that he can take over her affairs.  A bad parent all around, Richie believes that Rachel is incompetent and that she is being kept captive under what he believes is the bad influence of her sister.  Vicktor understands that Rachel is somewhat fragile following her ordeal, but he knows she carries a strong core of strength to fight for her rights if need be, and he will be right alongside her as she works to thwart her father's plans.

WHISKEY SHARP: JAGGED is the love story of Rachel Dolan and Vicktor Orlov.  Fiercely protective, Vicktor is falling in love with Rachel, even though she has keeps him at arm's length so far.  So he plies her with flowers, fresh baked bread, and cookies, and proposes that they begin dating!  It is still difficult for Rachel to trust a man after her ordeal, but she secretly lusts after Vicktor, after all, who could resist a man with his sexy physique earned by hours of kneading heavy bread doughs by hand!  And Vicktor brings her fresh baked food, and then cooks for her!  What more could a girl ask for?  Just thinking about him sends her hormones into overdrive! 

WHISKEY SHARP: JAGGED is book two in the  Whiskey Sharp Trilogy , following WHISKEY SHARP: UNRAVELED, (see that review, March 2018).  The third release, WHISKEY SHARP: TORN, is due in June 2018.  These novels stand alone, but both books read in sequence will offer a richer, more complex back-story for the reader.  Full of drama, a touch of mystery, and red-hot romance, WHISKEY SHARP: JAGGED is your ticket to a great, romantic adventure.  A plethora of secondary characters abound in this book:  the extended Orlov family, Rachel and Maybe's best friend, Cora; and their parents, who are taking legal action against Rachel to gain control of her life, something neither Rachel, nor Maybe, nor Alexsei and Vicktor will allow.  Vicktor is fiercely protective of Rachel, and no one, not even her father, will be allowed to hurt her on his watch. 

With pages that sizzle hot with romance, drama and love, WHISKEY SHARP:  JAGGED is a wonderful and complex story.

Diana Risso