Review of For You (The 'Burg #1) by Kristen Ashley

For You is the first book in the series The 'Burg.

Lieutenant Alexander Colton and February Owens belong together. Everybody knew it. Until they didn't.

Though Colt and Feb were inseparable as teens, they were torn apart by something Colt never understood. As time went by, Feb was struck by tragedy, and Colt stepped in to avenge her.

Then Feb left, and Colt moved on.

Fifteen years later, February comes home to help run the family bar so her parents can retire, and they can't get each other out of their heads, though Feb still holds onto anger over something Colt doesn't understand.

Then someone starts hacking people up, people Feb knows, and Colt has to do everything he can to protect her from the ax-murdering serial killer bent on taking out everyone in his way.

I loved this book. It's obvious to me that this book is earlier in Kristen Ashley's writing career than some of the others I've read, but it was still very, very good.

One of the things I really liked about the structure of the story was the way we didn't get the full story of Colt and Feb's earlier relationship and breakup until late in the book. Something that's hard to work out as a writer is what information to provide and when. It's easier to explain everything at once, but it's not as suspenseful. The way Kristen Ashley spread out the explanation and drew out the suspense of why exactly Feb broke up with Colt was perfection.

Another thing she drew out and heightened the suspense on was the identity and depravity of the killer--what they wanted, who their targets were, why they were targeting those people, and the absolute depths of the insanity the person had sunk into. The more I learned about the killer, the more shocked and stunned I was. And each new piece was more shocking than the last. I loved it.

February Owens, for me, was a somewhat simplistic character, kind of the bland character that the reader can imagine themselves as, only she's described as extremely beautiful. That's unusual for Kristen Ashley from my experience, so maybe it's a one-off or maybe it's just me. But I did like Feb and her independence and strength.

Alec Colton was, for me, a really good partner, though a little too macho-alpha for me, but he's Feb's partner, not mine, so it's okay. Colt was a much more layered character than Feb, and he had a much more complex history. I admired him immensely for the life he'd built for himself considering where he'd come from. He's someone I would love to be friends with in real life.

The side characters--Feb's family, patrons at the bar, Feb's friends, and Colt's friends and fellow cops--were all colorful and filled out the town. I'm hoping to see them in subsequent books. It's a six-book series, so there's plenty of space for these wonderful characters.

All in all, I loved the book, and I'm excited to start a new Kristen Ashley series. She's one of my favorite romance writers. I'm already reading book two, and I can't wait for more!

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