Jagged

Ashley’s old-fashioned fifth Colorado Mountain contemporary (after Breathe) heads to Gnaw Bone, Colo., where one woman finds love with her on-again/off-again boyfriend. Zara Cinders knew that Graham “Ham” Reece was a man who didn’t want to put down roots. She left him to marry another man, but the marriage imploded in short order. When Zara contacts Ham after her divorce, he moves back to Gnaw Bone and asks her to move in with him and waitress at his bar. She initially resists both offers, but the mutual attraction and practical benefits are undeniable, and soon their lives are thoroughly entangled. The newfound relationship is complicated by Zara’s own family drama when she discovers that her nephew, the son of her deceased sister, is living in a nearby town. Sizzling sex and machismo are at the forefront of this page-turner. Feminists beware: Ham frequently refers to Zara as “my woman,” and, while his desire to take care of her is endearing, his territorial behavior might not appeal to readers who are drawn to a more independent heroine. (Oct.)