Connected(Book 1): Goodreads/Amazon/B&N/Our 5 star reviews

Other upcoming  books in this series on Goodreads

Torn Trailer 2: 

As tension fills the air between us, I watch him, still unsure about what to do. After a few more seconds of unbearable silence, I close the distance separating us and stand directly in front of him. Avoiding eye contact he leans forward, setting all four legs of the chair down. It kills me to be standing here like this, unable to touch him. I want him to talk to me. I have to break the silence. So I ask, “Do you know your brother’s passed out on the couch?”

“Yeah, well he did his best to keep up with me,” he says, setting his beer bottle down next to at least a dozen others. Cocking his head to the side, he just barely glances at me. “So where does all this leave us?”

I answer in complete honestly. “The same place we were yesterday. I know we both have issues to work out, but I’m not sure talking about them anymore tonight is a good idea.” Then I grab his hand and pull him out of the chair. He comes willingly. A bag of ice falls to the ground and I notice his other hand is wrapped in a kitchen towel. I swipe his hair from his forehead and try to look at him, into his eyes, but they are unfocused and the skin around one is slightly discolored. I cup his face and he closes his eyes. I run my fingers around the outline of his swollen bruise. “Does it hurt?”

“Nah, not anymore,” he shrugs.

I lift his hand and can see that it’s also swollen and bruised. “God, River, is it broken?”

He laughs slightly before saying, “You know, I have no fucking idea, but it hurts like hell. Xander had me move my fingers and when I did, he told me to suck it up.”

I carefully caress his hand and bring it to my mouth, softly kissing it. “You can’t go after Ben every time you see him. Fighting with him isn’t going to change anything.”

“Might not change anything, but makes me feel a hell of a lot better.”

Holy fricken hell, Kim Karr never fails to leave my heart in my stomach and blow my mind! I wasn't sure how she was going to top Connected, especially with the added element of Dahlia's past becoming the front and center focus of her relationship with River. Ms. Karr succeeded with flying colors not only in reminding me of the many reasons I fell hard for River the first time around, but also in allowing me the chance to fall in love with him all over again in Torn.

What I loved:

   * The range of feelings I felt at any given moment with this book! This journey reflected a roller coaster of emotions that often had me sighing, screaming in frustration, or smiling until I thought my cheeks would fall off. Karr is a pro at pulling emotions out of you, allowing you to experience an intricate connection to the characters.

* Torn held a much angstier ring to it, not as fluffy as Connected was. Prepare yourself for some major fight and flight syndrome, as D tends to use this as her coping mechanism when her two worlds crash into each other (which in the long run can become a double-edged sword). Torn is filled with anger, hatred, and resentment galore. There is nothing sunshine and rainbows about this edition to the series. Do not get me wrong there are bright loving moments, but for the most part, it is filled with confusion, anxiety, and disorder. Ben steps in and literally turns their lives upside down and he does not care whom he has to step on in the process to get what he considers his back.

   * RIVER! I mean do I seriously need to say more. If you read the first book than you know exactly what I am talking about.

   * The chemistry and love between River and Dahlia is both inspiring and heart wrenching. This is where I sighed and screamed in frustration a lot. I wanted to shake the hell out of both of them and scream at them to freaking communicate! Talk people, it really does work. Nevertheless, I never doubted for a second that they belong together, even after Ben came back and D seemed conflicted. When they were on good terms it was amazing and when they were struggling, their love still came across loud and clear. Those two may have doubted each other, but to those of us looking from the outside in it was plain as day. I just wish they had noticed it sooner, and had more trust in what they meant to each other. There were times I thought Ben was going to succeed in destroying their relationship, and my heart broke for River.

   * This group of characters are written with such depth that you have no choice but to become entangled in their lives, the imperfections and train wrecks literally just suck you right in. I live for books like this, ones that make me fall for a character, and ones that make me yearn for them to put everything they broke back together. There is nothing better than a book that shreds your heart and mends it.

What I struggled with:

   * While I loved River and his "temper tantrums," sometimes the fights between him and D became somewhat intense and overwhelmed the story just a bit. On occasions, I had to step away from the angst, as sometimes not everything can be solved with angry makeup sex (even if it is really hot makeup sex).

   * Dahlia and her tendency to run instead of talking things out like a grown up (see told ya a double-edged sword). Her back and forth grated on my nerves at time, and if I had not adored her so much from the first book, I probably would not have tolerated her indecisiveness as well.

   * Ben--not. a. fan. of. Ben. at. all. Although, I do understand he was an essential character to the plot.

Would I recommend Torn? Hell yeah, I would!  As I mentioned in my Connected review, Kim has a way with spinning secrets and truths that keep the reader engaged as well as intrigued from the very first page. Every time you think you know what's going to happen she throws something else at you, making you step back a bit to reevaluate. I have yet to be anywhere close to disappointed with anything Kim Karr has written and I really look forward to Xander's story. 

We are taken right back into the story where Connected left off. Dahlia has been attacked, she and River made plans to go to Vegas, and shockingly, Ben was back.

Trust is shattered. Secrets are revealed. Relationships are tested. Dahlia is torn. 

Ben wants to do anything he can to win Dahlia back. His attempts at protecting her in the past changed the course of all of their lives. River is afraid of losing her and just wants to keep her with him. But in trying to protect her, he has also risked her trust.  Dahlia is hurt, confused, angry, and determined to make her own choices. She is stronger than she used to be and more aware of what she needs and wants. But can she handle broken trust and lies?

This book is about trust, recovery, and moving forward.  It was angsty, frustrating, dramatic, heartbreaking, sweet, and romantic.  It pulls you in and keeps you engaged. It is told in mostly Dahlia's point of view with some of Ben and River's points of view. I enjoyed getting insight from all three of them. This book shows you that even the best relationships are not fairy tales and still require work, trust, communication, and commitment. Secrets and omissions can can destroy trust that is so essential for a healthy relationship. 

Neither one of us ever doubted the true strength of our relationship, but we doubted each other's investment in it and that was the scariest part. 

One of my favorite things about this series are the actual connections. How certain people or events overlap to weave a tapestry of people's lives. And  how one change or disruption can have effects on so many people. It is a delicately woven story with many intersecting layers. But we get the answers we so desperately needed after Connected. And it also gives us a glimpse into the story line for Mended that will be Xander's story. I am already intrigued by this couple. So Torn was a great follow up to Connected and lead in to the next story for the next in the series. I will surely be continuing reading this enthralling series by Kim Karr. 

Thanks to Kim Karr, PENGUIN GROUP Berkley, NAL / Signet Romance, DAW, and Netgalley  for providing me with an Arc in exchange for an honest review. Quotes are from ARC copy and may change prior to publication.

Kim Karr Facebook/Twitter/Website/Goodreads

Giveaway: 1 signed galley copy of TORN with trinket
US ONLY!