Sneaking around with the manager’s daughter. Hollywood marriage bust-ups. Drug addiction and rehab. Secrets and lies, and sex tapes. And that’s just scratching the surface of what goes down when the world’s biggest rock band goes on tour for the summer! Noah, Cory, Benji, Buzzy and Otis are Jagged Ivory, the hottest rock band on the planet. But they’re also a family who takes care of one another through thick and thin, blood and sibling rivalry be damned. Sexy, fun and irresistible, these guys rock hard, party hard, and love even harder! Come meet the boys of Jagged Ivory, and the women who love them, and let them rock your world! Join Jagged Ivory on their summer world tour and get all five books in this rocker series - Jagged Hearts, Jagged Dreams, Jagged Addiction, Jagged Secrets and Jagged Surrender - The Essential Jagged Ivory!
Lashell Collins is an American author of romantic suspense, contemporary and paranormal romance. She spent the last twenty years of her life working in veterinary clinics and garden centers in her home state of Ohio, and is now living her dream of writing full-time. When she's not busy tapping away on her laptop and living vicariously through her characters, she can usually be found watching Grimm, rocking out to Slash, stuffing her face full of Chinese food, or riding on the back of her husband's Harley-Davidson.
As a fan of rock star stories I found this series a delightful addition to the genre. With its vivid depiction of the stresses and depravities in the music world and the excesses while on tour it was easy to get caught up in the hedonistic lifestyle that was a cover for insecurities and addictions. Each of the bandmates is unique with their own vices and ways of coping. They're far from perfect and at times they left me frustrated but they're all strong-willed and super sexy and despite their arrogance I fell for each of them. The heroines by comparison didn't leave me as enamored, especially Mercy from Jagged Hearts who was a bit spoiled and used her parent's divorce to manipulate her father. She displayed lots of immaturity and I never warmed up to her. The other heroines though were stronger and acted with more maturity and independence.
These are gritty tales and there's no glossing over of all the sex and drugs amongst the rock and roll tempting each bandmate. These scenes are vividly depicted and intense and adds to the band's mystique as it's ultimately these bad boys of rock who kept me engrossed in their tales of decadent delights. They're men with a tough exterior but with hidden pain and doubts that are slowly unraveling them. Their struggles are heartbreaking and it's only with the support of a good woman that they can save themselves. Those looking for another set of rock stars to drool over will find the men of Jagged Ivory the perfect prescription for what ails them!
OMG! 5 fantastic 'FIVE-STAR MUST READ' books all in one place!! ... I was very fortunate to have read each book previously, but today, I bought this awesome new box set for my Kindle to share with a friend :) ... There are 5 novels full of hot, sexy romance, drama and even suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat & the pages turning!! ... So make sure you set aside plenty of time to read coz you won't want to put any of these stories down once you start reading!! ... Kudos to Ms. Collins who I believe is an up & coming best selling Author wand has become one of my top 10 favorites of all time!! ... In fact, I bought her older 'Pierced Trilogy' recently & will be buying all of her other works that I haven't read yet while impatiently waiting for her new works!! ;)... I recommend this to all readers of contemporary fiction no matter the genre :) ... It has so many more elements throughout this series other than being about a rock group, so don't ignore it thinking it's just about sex, drugs and rock & roll!... You won't be sorry!!
I love this series. I think it's sweet how the band is a family and each man considers the other a brother. It's also great that you get to learn more about the other members and couples in each book. The books are so well written that you feel like these are real people and you are a part of their every day lives. This series has been a joy to read. The books are full of emotions, soul searching, love, romance, tension, forgiveness and more. This is seriously a must read series. You will love it !!!
Book 1 - JAGGED HEARTS
I found this to be a really good book. The characters were well written and fleshed out. I enjoyed the sexual and emotional tension between Mercy and Noah. The competitive sibling love/hate rivalry between Noah and Otis was intense. The way they all felt like they were a family above all else along with the bond between Noah and Cory was so strong and heartfelt. The sex, drug and alcohol abuse they all shared and especially Benji's was so sad. It was so cute and sweet how protective Mike was to his not so "little girl" and how she kept annoying him with calling him Dad one minute and Mike the next. I loved how they all reacted to the big reveal of Mercy being his muse and one true love. I really enjoyed reading this book and have already started the second book.
Book 2 - JAGGED DREAMS
Jagged Dreams is the second book in the Jagged Ivory series. In this book we get the story of Jagged Ivory's rhythm guitarist Cory Dutton and his girlfriend actress Donna Devlin. After being together for 2 years Cory marries Donna and they find that their dreams have changed. Both of their carriers are taking them in different directions and they are finding out that they now are wanting different things then what they had originally planed. On top of that the actions and lies of other people start to mess with their lives and cause major misunderstandings that could bring the end of them.
Book 3 - JAGGED ADDICTION
Benji is just getting out of rehab. He's a little scared and nervous about how he will handle being with the band as well as being be on the road again. After an excited and warm reunion he finds out he has a new Bass Tech a very attractive girl named Fae. Fae just happens to have feelings for Benji but because of her background she vows never to get involved with him romantically. However they strike up a friendship. Benji learns that her background is simIlar to his and she is into comics which he loves. Eventually friendship turns into more.
Book 4 - JAGGED SECRETS
Buzzy West is drummer for rock group Jagged Ivory and Janie Kim was his high school sweet heart who broke his heart when she ended it with him after graduation. He never stopped loving her even after 8 year separation. Nor has he been able to love anyone else after her. When he sees her after a one of their concerts and all she says is hi and walks away, he decides it time he gets the answers from her and goes after her. Finding her reveals a huge secret she's kept from him.
Book 5 - JAGGED SURRENDER
Otis Ivory is the lead singer for the band Jagged Ivory is caught up in a sex tape scandal. Because of his jealousy toward his brother Noah, who he considers the golden boy and who is also in the band, have always competed on everything. So when Brooke McKenna smashes into his beloved car, Noah uses the Otis's competitive spirit against him. He bets his brother that Otis can’t have a real relationship with Brooke. Otis, accepts the bet.
Brook is a ballet teacher/dancer in a strip club who has gone through two bad relationships. At first she is reluctant to go out with Otis but he talks her into it. What starts out as a bet turns into something more for both of them.
Since I bought Jagged Ivory in the box set I thought I would comment on each of the bandmates & their stories. First is Noah and Mercy. This was the beginning of my love for this series. It was nice when the author made Mercy out to be a “normal” girl. Not someone who was a skinny supermodel & someone who had to depend on a male in order to “make her”. It was a story that was hard to stop once you started it. You had to find out where and when Noah & Mercy would finally get together. Next were Cory & Donna. So yes since in the first story I mentioned how Mercy was “normal” Donna came across as being loveable too because of the real love that she had for Cory. He was everything to her as Donna was everything to Cory. It was nice to see that just because Cory was a cute rock star he could commit to the one person that he loved. Even though it may be suprising because I love rock star romance books it was nice to see that someone could easily turn down all of the “offers” from the groupies. Donna & Cory’s story had a very happy ending to it and made them into a great “love above all things” read. Just finished the story on Benji & Fae. Another fantastic storyline. The author hit this one right on the head. The insight she had on addiction was very impressive. The story of Benji & Fae was very touching and gave you a lot of ahhhh moments. I loved how she kept with the story of Noah & Mercy also. Absolutely hilarious part in there when Mercy gave her 2 cents on what she thought of Fae when she walked in on the guys discussing her butt. Great Job The story of Buzzy & Janie was another good story. It’s nice to see how Buzzy could go from the womanizer with his sidekick Otis to a loving father for Bobby. Just the idea that a rock star would have the kind of love that he did for Bobby & his mother was refreshing to see. It made Buzzy to be quite the one woman man that he was. The author does another nice job with some humor thrown in. I loved it the first time that Bobby calls Otis “Uncle Otis” out of the blue. It was the start of making Otis seem like maybe he did have a soft spot in that bad boy rocker exterior. The author did a great job of bringing tears to your eyes and then there were a couple of the lighter moments like I mentioned above with Bobby & Otis. Last but not least Otis!! Ms. Collins did not disappoint again. She has easily become one of my favorite authors. I really liked the storyline for Otis & Brooke. Again, Ms. Collins knows how to take you on a ride from laughter to heartache. It was nice to see Otis finally come in to his own. It seemed to start in the last book when Bobby showed up in his life. I really liked the relationship that he formed with the little boy. You knew if he could do that then there was hope for his heart to finally belong to one woman. You knew at some point Brooke would have to find out about the bet. I was just surprised it was so far to the end. At that point it seemed there was a “hurry up” feeling to this part. But with that said, it did not take away from my love for this series. I can only hope that Ms. Collins decides to write more on the boys of Jagged Ivory. I would be more than willing to take another look into their lives.
First of all, this is an amazing series. Jagged Ivory is a rock and roll band with band members who think of themselves as brothers and best friends. The series starts with lots of drugs, dirty sex, no morals and five arrogant men who need to be knocked down a few pegs. The women they met and fall in love with are big reasons the men shape up and become better people. Books 1 and 3—Jagged Hearts and Jagged Addiction, respectively—are the most ‘rock and roll’ of the series. Hearts is all about indulging in vices and Addiction is fighting those vices. Books 2, 4 and 5—Jagged Dreams, Secrets and Surrender, respectively—are more about the couples finding one another and working through their problems that don’t really involve the band or the band mates. The boys of Jagged Ivory and the women they love are intriguing characters that draw you in and make you think about the books for days after you read them. The romance sweeps you off your feet and the men are to die for. Especially Benji and Otis. The men and women find redemption, a new reason to live and love, and I enjoyed reading about their ups and downs, misunderstandings, and the beauty of life. I love how the author introduced children in the series and forced the men to settle down—the sweetness factor was through the roof!—but it took away from the rock and roll edge. The series takes place over a few months during the European and US legs of the tour (I wish the timeline would’ve been spread out to include the Australian and Asian legs of the tour) and I think all of the books overlapped with each other. Meaning, Book 2 began a few days/weeks or so before Book 1 ended; the same with the rest of them. So the author copied and pasted various scenes from the previous book and included them in the next book. This probably wouldn’t have been a problem for me had I not read most of the books back to back. All the books are wonderfully formatted but they could use a good edit to fix typos, passive voice, unnecessary exclamation marks, etc. I won’t go into all the technical issues here—I’ve already mentioned them in the individual reviews I wrote for these books—but I think some of the problems I noticed are just my opinion. Other readers may not consider them problems at all. There is love, hope, fighting personal demons, and a dozen emotions that will make your head spin. The plots are well thought out and developed, as are the characters and the world in which they live. The series is definitely worth checking out and I’m happy I did.
4 Stars
Disclaimer – Thank you, Lashell Collins (author) and Stephanie Biedlingmaier (book promoter), for sending me an ebook copy for an honest review. I am a reader. I am not paid or compensated in any way, shape or form for this review. I will not change or alter this review for any reason.
I received a copy of this series in exchange for a honest review. I really enjoyed the authors writing style and the way she focused each book on a different band member. The lead characters each had a very defined personality and the mates were nicely selected to compliment each band member. Very enjoyable series!
It is only two out of the five stories in this boxed set I enjoyed. That is why I shy away from them. Only Noah and Mercy's, then Cory and Donna stories. The other stories just sort of toed the line. The heroine in the last story, Brooke was kind of annoying. If I read 'she rolled her eyes' one more time, I would vomit. To think I was looking foreword to Otis' story. I didn't like it one bit. I accomplished one thing though, trying to clear the back log of 'To Read' book on my Kindle.