CONNECTED Review:
Dahlia has been with her boyfriend, Ben, for as long as she can remember and she loves him. Then one night at a bar she meets River Wilde, lead singer of The Wilde Ones, and their connection was instantaneous and it confused the crap out of Dahlia. Despite their connection, Dahlia knew she couldn't act on her feelings, heck she didn't even understand her feelings, so she left and returned to Ben.
Years later, Dahlia's life is turned upside down one very tragic night. After some pushing from her best friend, she finds herself face to face with River Wilde once more. And even though years have pasted since that one night in a college, the connection is still there - this feeling like they were soul mates. This book was a love story told so beautifully you were completely caught up in these characters.
Despite being a love story, there were some strange incidence that I could not at first put my finger on. But rest assured, there is an answer and the ending will shed light on some of the more strange happenings.
This was by far one of the best "cliffhanger" endings I have read in a very long time. I literally wanted to scream out loud when this book finished. But the cliffhanger ending put everything that happened into place and really set me up for the second book. The ending totally answered the questions that I had throughout the book.
CONNECTED
What if a “Once in a Lifetime” could happen twice?
In Dahlia London’s world, happily ever after is a far cry from reality. Her soul has been left completely shattered by tragedy. But a surprising reunion with someone from her past is about to give her a reason to love again…
When rock star River Wilde comes back into Dahlia’s life, their super-charged connection runs deeper than either of them ever expected. The more time they spend together, the more intense their relationship becomes, and Dahlia believes at last she has found her soul mate.
But as old bonds fade and Dahlia’s grief begins to lift, her guilt and confusion remain. River desperately wants to be the one who mends what’s been broken—but with a past that refuses to stay buried, is it possible for their future to begin?
CONNECTED Excerpt:
Excerpt Chapter 2 from CONNECTED (Connections #1)
RIVER POV
Written by Kim Karr
Time is Running Out
The set ends so I walk over behind Garrett to lean my guitar against the wall. I pull
my shirt up to wipe the sweat off my forehead. It’s hotter than shit in here and I need a
drink. Garrett laughs, tipping his head back to swallow the beer he somehow already has.
“You going to grab a drink? I’ll take another,” he says as he downs the rest of his
beer. “And, dude, wear this. Seriously man, your hair looks like shit,” he says throwing
his beanie at me.
I move closer and shove him a little and put the hat on my head. “Shut the fuck up,
you should talk.”
I hop off the stage and my sister rushes over to me. “River, I need you to take me
home as soon as the last set is over. I have someone meeting me back at my apartment.”
I shake my head, knowing it must be a guy. “Yeah yeah, I will Bell, but really can’t
you get a boyfriend that has some manners? You know, like actually picks his date up
and maybe even takes her out? And at a decent hour?”
She rolls her eyes. “All guys aren’t like you, big brother. Nice beanie,” she teases
before disappearing back into the crowd.
As I walk through the jam-packed room, some brunette chick I think looks familiar
asks me if I want to grab a drink in private. I kindly refuse, telling her I need to refuel
before my next set. She’s still talking when I motion toward the bar to signal that I’m
moving away. As my eyes flash across the bar, they’re suddenly drawn to a beautiful girl
standing against it. And she’s looking directly at me.
I start walking toward her, leaving behind the brunette who is still talking. As I stare
at the beautiful girl, I think, “I want her.” Tall, slim, long blonde hair that’s pulled away
from her face. But it’s her eyes that get me—the way she’s looking at me. Shit, I’ve
talked to about a dozen chicks tonight, but she is the only one who has me interested.
As I stare back at her I’m feeling like she’s not just any girl. Not just a girl to have
sex with. I’m actually having a fucking conversation with myself. I can’t figure out what’s
going on in my own head.
I try not to smile, but I know she’s checking me out. Fuck, why’d I put this hat on? I
quickly pull it off and comb my fingers through my hair. I can’t take my eyes off her and
I feel like I want to knock everyone out of my way to get to her.
When I finally reach the bar, I stand right in front of her. For some weird reason I
feel the urge to touch her, but instead I shove my hands in my pockets. She’s smiling at
me and I smile right back. This girl is hot. Her eyes still haven’t left mine this whole
time, so I decide to break the ice by calling her out. “Were you staring at me?”
She pouts her lips and rolls her eyes. Shit, that look gets me.
“No, I was just looking for my friend while I waited on my drinks. You just
happened to be in my line of vision.”
I stifle my laugh and say, “That look was hot.” I want to say, “You’re hot,” but I
don’t—not yet anyway.
I can tell she’s trying not to laugh. If she does, I know I have her. Her phone rings
and her smile fades. “Why would you think I was looking at you, anyway?”
The person beside her walks away and I secure my place next to her. I toss my hat on
the counter and lean against the bar, my eyes never leaving hers. I answer in the most
honest way I can. “Because I was staring at you, hoping you were staring back.”
I don’t want to fuck this up so I decide to be the guy Bell always tells me I am—the
guy with manners. Then I say what I should have said first. “With all this talk about who
was staring at whom I think we forgot the basics, I’m River,” I say as I extend my hand.
She reaches hers out. Hey, I get to touch her. But she quickly pulls her hand back
before I get to grasp it and accidentally knocks a dude’s beer over. The asshole gives her
a dirty look and swears. I know I have to step in because this guy is out of line. I gently
guide her out of my way and try to control myself as I say, “Sorry man, just an accident,
but let me buy you another.” I hand him a ten, “Buy two.” I hope he takes the money and
leaves. Lucky for him he does, because otherwise I might deck him.
I turn around to find the girl smiling at me and sliding one of her beers my way. I
start to drink it and she says, “Thank you, that guy sure as shit wasn’t happy with me. In
fact he kind of acted like an asshole.” I can’t help but laugh mid-sip, almost spitting the
beer out of my mouth. Not cool.
Not able to resist any longer, I run my finger over her smooth bare shoulder and lock
my eyes on hers. “You’re more than welcome.”
She just barely shudders and steps back. I’m pretty sure she’s interested in me so I
step closer, not wanting to break our connection. “Now, where were we? Do we need to
start over?” I ask, looking into her eyes.
“We were introducing ourselves,” she says smiling.
“Okay, so let’s try again. I’m River and you are . . .?”
“I’m not sure you need to know that information right now. I’m kind of thinking you
might be a stalker,” she teases.
I laugh. I’m all about game playing but I’m not ready to play. I really want to get to
know this girl, and I’m pretty sure the feeling is mutual, so I avoid dropping the canned
line I might have used on another girl and say, “You’re not serious, are you beautiful
girl?”
CONNECTED PAPERBACK LINKS:
TORN Review:
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After Ben died, Dahlia was left completely broken, and it would have been very easy for her to go back to Ben, she loved him that much and spend two years morning his loss. He expected Dahlia to welcome him back with open arms, and to start where they left off, but Ben was in for a rude awakening. We do get Ben's POV that explains what happened and don't get me wrong, Ben puts up a good fight; but Dahlia has grown and changed. She is not the same person anymore and her reaction to Ben was proof of that.
Ben's reappearance leaves River with trust issues. He always felt he was in second place compared to Ben, which pushes Dahlia away, but they always reconnect; and when they do, it's worth the fighting they go through.
I'm not going to give too much away except to say that Ben and River are connected in an unexpected way. When River doesn't tell Dahlia about this connection and she finds out she feels her choices were taken away similar to how Ben's choices affected her. In the middle of all this madness, is Ellie, a woman who works for River's record label. She causes a slight rift between River and Dahlia, but she isn't even a blip in River's radar. River is determined to show Dahlia how much he loves her. They both fight for each other, but also learn how to communicate with one another.
River and Dahlia's devotion for each other is inspiring. The struggles and the hardships that their relationship faces only makes the ending that much more wonderful. Their story is frustrating, but full of passion...a lot of passion. Nothing is ever easy for these two, but when they're together, they can face anything.
TORN
Rock star River Wilde brought Dahlia London back from the brink of hopelessness with his unwavering love and devotion. But their entangled history is about to test the strength of their relationship…
Dahlia was certain she had found true love and met her ‘Once in a Lifetime’ when she reconnected with River. But Dahlia’s world comes crashing down when someone from her past resurfaces, and all of River’s carefully hidden secrets are exposed.
River wants to show Dahlia that life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass—it’s about dancing in the rain. But how many times can one broken heart be mended? Will River and Dahlia be able to stay together or will they be torn apart?
TORN PAPERBACK PRE-ORDER LINKS:
GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY. Kim Karr is giving away a $50 Amazon Gift Card, 5 Signed Book Plates and 10 Paperbacks of CONNECTED (to be mailed directly from Penguin). Enter through Rafflecopter below:
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