Torn: 2 (The Connections Series)

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG breathe! hyperventilating! holy hell!Kim builds you up slowly and gives you a little bit of hope then the rips it away, leaving you gasping for air.Dahlia I loved her strength and determination to prove to river how much she loves him and he is the one.Chapter One; starts off going back to the events leading up to the end of Connected. At first I was like WTH but once I caught on that Dahlia was in the hospital I breathe a air of relief. I was so eager to get into the story again but I was grateful that Kim took us back a little and from Dahlia POV because the events that were about to unfold affected her the most.Ok, If you read Connected then you know that Ben is still alive and ready to rejoin society after being in witness protection (all due to his own fault trying to further his career).I am so happy that Kim has decided to swap the order of the remaining book because it is going to take a lot and a hell of a lot more time for him to redeem himself in my eyes. As you can tell I am totally in love with River and who wouldn't be? He is AMAZING, caring, sexy, sweet, protective, but not too over ALPHA he is the perfectly written lead male I fell hard in book one and the way Kim allowed him to grow, develop, and flourish in the most natural way possible I only fell even more in LOVE LOVE LOVE him.Back to the story at hand, as Dahlia is about to fly to Vegas to wed the love of her life and finally start their happily ever after. She receive a phone call that will forever alter the course of her journey, including her relationship with River.Imagine someone you loved dearly and spend majority of your life with died leaving you alone on the edge of nothingness deep in depression and despair. After years of grieving someone walks into your life breathing new life into you, giving you a second chance at happiness and a love you never taught possible.Finally you have happiness and contentment then BOOM it all goes up into smokes because you discover the love you taught you lost and mourned for was never really dead and all the pain and suffering you went through was for effing nothing. Well that crazy mess has just become Dahlia’s reality.I have always loved Dahlia but in Connected she was a little on the weak and fragile side but now she has grown and matured she is a women who knows what and who she wants and fights like hell for it. She went about sorting out the crazy mess in the right way, I had to ask myself if I was in that situation what would I do and I can honestly say I would not do anything differently.The book was a whole lot of drama but not over the top Kim balanced it right. Her characters and writing Is more than enough to hold up the book. This is why I admire Kim Karr and her work. A lot of books these days just have things written for shock value and this story could have gone two ways one of which would have been horrible wrong and over written with unbelievable situations. Kim got it so right every word was written with intent and purpose giving a real authentic believable story.There was enough description for me to create their world around me losing myself in the ups and downs that is Dahlia’s and Rivers story. I say its descriptive but its NOT too overly so. As I said before Kim is the queen of balance. Her writing never fail to evoke true emotions, you can feel all what the characters are feeling. Kim’s own passion is also very evident in her writing. She writes with soul. Some people can learn how to write and convey emotions and some are just born with the gift Kim karr is one of those people she IS BORN TO WRITE.Comparing Torn to Connected; Connected was more raw and that special little thing which can’t really be explained sort of the raw pure magic of the book was more present in every page and word whereas TORN is more refined.That is not a bad thing it just depends on how you prefer your story when it comes to Kim I prefer her rawer style because she has so much passion and every word she produces shines with her love for what she does.I read the finished product even though I was given an Arc (I secretly hate ARC’s for reviewing I have ocd and everything needs to be perfect). I want to say it was over edited but it really wasn't if anything it was perfect but I just prefer Kim’s small imperfections (again wrong word to me they are imperfectly perfect) that’s what for me sets her apart from the rest. Connected has her zealous passions slashed on every single page.Torn has that same excitement and love but it’s just more refined and there is nothing wrong with that. After reading Torn I tried writing a review infect I wrote several but I was not happy with any of them I felt the slight difference between the books so I went back to connected then Torn again until I could put my finger on what the difference was. It turned out to be no big deal but once I start something I have to finish.Enough of that back to the reason for this review Torn.In terms of plot an delivery Kim went above and beyond. I figured out a few things from book one so I taught I knew all that was coming……WRONG I was left going WTF how the hell did I not see that coming….well that was the whole point it was not in any way predictable I Loved every word. The sex was exquisitely written it left me a bit hot under the collar and in other places *Wink Wink*The blend, flow and transition from Dahlia to Ben’s POV were flawless, the music made the perfect accompaniment with each chapter One thing I messed the graphics and quotes, Torn is a divine read I enjoyed every beautifully written word.I was over joyed by the way it ended. River also had this journey to choose and I taught he got it spot on. Perfect ending for the perfect couple. I cannot wait for the remaining books so I can see more of what the future has in store for them and the other characters I have come to love or hate in the case of Ben.I know I'm a nit picker but if its worth doing then I had to make sure it was done right. I absolutely love Kim and this series I'm sure it will only keep getting better and better.When your a blogger/ reviewer a lot of books comes our way to be review etc. and let me tell ya I have to sit through some bullcrap wishing I could throw it against the bloody wall. So when someone as naturally gifted as Kim Karr comes a long it helps to remind me of why I wanted to blog in the first place and reaffirm my love of good writing, story telling and literature.Dare I say any more...I think not if you want a really solid story with spectacular writing and a tremendous amount of emotions and depth then this is the story for you River & dahlia's story is written in a fashion that brings them alive in full HD technicolor you really don't want to miss out.Writing 6+++++| Sexiness 5/5| Flow 5/5| Overall 6+++Natasha xxx

The wait has so been worth it for the final conclusion to Dahlia and Rivers story. So many emotions were pouring out of me from happiness, giddiness, anxiousness, to damn right hot and bothered. It was a lot more emotional and angrier than the first book. Here in the follow up, Ben resurfaces back into the present and causes major drama back in dahlias life. I thought the book was set at a very fast pace and it really takes them on their journey, one of self discovery and love.Dahlia is one of my fave female leads. She has been through her share of hardships in life, but I really have seen her mature over the 2books. I love that she is strong and independent, but has no hesitation on being emotionally dependent when it comes to true love.Where to start with river Wilde. This guy gets my heart racing and panties wet! He is definitely swoon worthy. Even though he makes mistakes, we never have any doubts as to his love for dahlia. I love when we got to the final chapters and it was all from his POV. I just wish there were more chapters written from his POV throughout the book, as I felt Ben's chapters lacked a certain pizzazz about them. It could be plainly because I didn't like the guy! I did feel a bit sympathetic towards Ben near the end, granted most of it was as a result of his own poor judgement, but I would have liked to see what happened to him in the end.This had nothing really to do with dahlia and rivers story, but I LOVED the jake and Tru cameo from the mighty storm. Like omg, it was fantastic, wish Tru and dahlia get to be bffs. Lol.I will recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a romance filled with pure love and devotion.

Torn by Kim Karr3 stars!!"My father always told us that scars are the road maps to one's soul. It took me forever to figure out what he meant, but I did when I met you."I had been waiting to read this for ages. Finally found the time to catch up with River and Dahlia and set myself up for the long haul. I would love to say that I loved this book but I can't and that upsets me, I liked it but I didn't love it. This book carries on from where Connected finished, so you need to have read that first.I adore River and still do, how he put up with all the crap that happened in this book I will never know. His love for Dahlia was so strong that he was willing to put himself through it, any other man would have walked away, but no he stayed and that was admirable and just made me love him even more."He believes me and I believe him; we both trust each other because after all, isn't that what love is - knowing someone can crush you, but believing they never will, trusting them not to?"Dahlia, god this woman was totally and utterly infuriating. Yes I understand that your fiancé coming back from the dead is major and can cause a meltdown, but she was engaged, she had a new life and a new man. Deal with it and move on. The clandestine meetings and chats with Ben were annoying especially as she was never really honest with River and secrets as we all know only lead to more trouble and misunderstandings. Most of these could have been avoided by being upfront to begin with but then I suppose it would have made the story less meaty. I love books with angst and I love all the ups and downs and twists and turns but I just found it extremely hard to stay connected to this book and actually found myself putting it down on occasion and for me that is unheard of.Ben, well, what can I say...if I was supposed to feel sorry for him, I didn't. If I was supposed to want him and Dahlia to get back together...hmmmm it never crossed my mind. I just wanted him to go back to whatever hole he crawled out from and leave Dahlia and River alone. I felt nothing for him at all, sorry!"Then I've been your substitute for way longer then you've been dead."I also found the constant references to other bloggers a bit irritating. This is not sour grapes on my part believe me, although I could quite easily see a bar being called "The Romance Cover" (joke) but whilst it was lovely to see fellow bloggers mentioned after the 4th or 5th time it did become distracting as did other characters from other authors books making cameo appearances. I understand the sentiments behind it and applaud it, but I think in this case it was a bit of an over kill.In summary, I loved that River and Dahlia's story has come full circle. I hope that some of the other characters in this series get a chance at having their stories told."That's one wish I guarantee is granted. I love you, Dahlia... You turned my life from ordinary to extraordinary. You're perfect really."

WARNING: This review will contain spoilers for book #1!*swoooon* Rock star romance. Seriously. There is just something so swoonworthy about them!5 stars for River and Dahlia!"A long time ago, I wished for you and now I have you. See... wishes really do come true even if you tell someone your wish."This book picks up exactly where 'Connected' ended. And thank Christ for that. 'Connected' left us with a brutal cliffhanger and I just couldn't work out how this book was going to pan out. I just love River and Dahlia together and despite my tears over Ben's death, his reappearance, and the effect that would have on River and Dahlia, terrified me! And then the title, 'Torn' to boot and I was so scared that Dahlia would be jumping between Ben and River. I do enjoy a good, juicy love triangle, but they also scare the living crap out of me, so I was quite nervous about this.'Relationships are made up of so many different emotions, but the one thing that keeps a relationship strong is love. Can doubt weaken such a strong bond? Not if two people don't let it - right?'So in 'Torn' we see the return of Ben. Just to recap... Ben Covington is Dahlia's ex-fiance. Ben and Dahlia grew up together and were engaged to be married when Ben was supposedly shot dead three years ago, at the beginning of 'Connected'. However, at the end of the first book, we get to read Ben's journal that he has evidently been keeping whilst he has been living a secret life in New York, faking his death and hiding from the people that are after him. So 'Connected' ends with the minor bombshell Ben is, in fact, alive! And 'Torn' is the story of how Dahlia deals with having her first love and her current love, both in her life at the same time.This book ripped me to pieces. But not in the way I thought it would. There is a great quote that Kim Karr has included in the back of this book, that was sent to her from one of her beta-readers. I think this sums it up really well..."I keep thinking of the saying `after the wedding the marriage begins' and it kind of holds true for falling in love as well, because that is the easy part. It is after that the relationship begins and all the work that comes with it. And that is definitely what Torn is about for me."Dahlia and River and hopelessly in love with one another, but honestly, these two just can not catch a break. One dreaded phonecall after another, one traumatic incident after another. It's exhausting, but gripping. I couldn't put it down."What it comes down to is that unless you tell me you still love him, there is nothing we can't work out."One of my pet hates is annoying misunderstandings. There were a few mis-communications in this book, but, for the first time ever, I think, they really worked. This book is actually a lot about the communication, or lack thereof, between two people in a relationship. The mess it can cause when two people don't listen to one another or don't share everything, the insecurities that raise their ugly heads and eventually, the resolution that only honesty and trust can provide.'We both trust each other because, after all, isn't that what love is - knowing someone can crush you, but believing they never will, trusting them not to?'It broke my heart to see both Dahlia and River suffering. Their worries and arguments were totally valid. The things they go through in this book would test even the strongest, longest-standing relationships. It was completely understandable that they would argue and the strain would get to them."I want to believe your love is only for me. That your lips are mine. That your kisses are meant for me. That your body belongs to me." His arms move to my waist and tighten around me and he presses his hard body against mine. "But when you leave me to see him, it's hard to know for sure."Let's talk about Ben. I truly was totally torn when it came to Ben. In that respect, this book could not have been titled better.See, as we've established, I adore River and I think he and Dahlia are perfect together. However, Ben... here is a man with absolutely nothing. He was forced to give up the life he knew due to an error in judgement. He is finally allowed to return to his life, which he thought he would never be able to do, and nothing is the same for him. The woman he has always loved and hoped would still love him back, is deeply in love with somebody else, he has no job, his family have their own problems and he is just a sad, desperate man, not knowing which way to turn."Brigitte told me once that in France they don't say I missed you, they say you were missing from me, and you were."I have to admit, as much as I didn't want Dahlia to leave River, my heart did break for Ben. I know he isn't all good, he has made mistakes and done wrong, but jeez, who hasn't, right?! I don't know whether or not we are supposed to like him or hate him, or whether the author wants us to experience the internal battle over our feelings for Ben, but I really did. I believe we do get Ben's full story in book #4, and I can't wait."I try to understand why death takes a person from you, but not the relationship. It leaves you to carry on with only half of what you need to make things whole."I have to mention that I absolutely love all the references to familiar names in these books. Absolute genius, Kim! She mentions a couple of our favourite fictional rockstars, including Jake Wethers and Kellan Kyle and there are also some book-blog names scattered about, mine included, Aestas, Reality Bites, etc. It's a real fun addition to the book and a great tribute to this fabulous indie-author community that we have all become a part of and that has brought us all together.So that's pretty much it, in a nutshell. I'm really, really enjoying this series. It's incredibly hot, adorably cute, a whole lot mysterious and a little bit of everything wrapped up in a very engaging package. And let's not forget, a super sexy rockstar hero with a heart of gold.I love River and Dahlia and the brilliant cast of surrounding characters promises more great stories to come from Kim Karr."To women who think they're all that, may their boobs drop at a young age."Torn Statistics* Steam Rating (out of 5): ♥♥♥♥* Ending: HEA* Length: 288 pages* Narrative: Mostly Dahlia, first person. Some diary entries from Ben. Some chapters from River's POV.* Series: ✓* Reading Order:- Book #1 - Connected (Connections, #1)Read my review of Connected here.- Book #2 - Torn (Connections, #2)- Book #3 - Mended (Connections, #3)Expected publication: June 3rd 2014- Book #4 - Frayed (Connections, #4)Expected publication: Sept 2nd 2014- Book #5 - Flawed (Connections, #5)Expected publication: 2015- Book #6 - Perfected (Connections, #6)Expected publication: 2015* Can this be read as a standalone? No* Themes:MysteryLove triangleRockstar romance* WARNING. This book includes...Sexual content. Death.* Writing: GreatReview by Smitten's Book Blog

Kim blew me away with Connected. It was a book I um’d and ar’d about for WEEKS before I one clicked it and even though it ended on a cliff-hanger I was soooooo glad I took the plunge.With Torn I expected Kim to go down a certain path and have all this angst coming from Dahlia, which is what, happens with the majority of book series like this. Urm, when am I going to learn that Kim doesn’t follow she leads! Holy unexpectedness batwoman that was a ride and a half and I loved every second of it.With Torn, the unexpected happens right from the start and it does kinda have you wondering how it’s going to work. How can Kim possibly run the storyline from the angle she is trying to go with, after a few pages that thought is thrown out of your head as you are completely and utterly absorbed in to yet another fantastic book by Kim Karr.Book #2 picks up where book #1 finishes on that intense cliff-hanger and as indicated in book #1 a love triangle ensues but is it’s the ONLY love triangle I can truly say I enjoyed reading. It was just…… yeah. Again there was none of this inner battle whining rubbish that you can find with love triangles, no toing and froing, no getting all irritated at the characters and wanting to jump in a slap them….. wait, yeah there was a bit of that haha.I can’t praise this book highly enough, it has done what no other sequel has for me and that is kepp me as riveted as the first book.Love the series and love Kim’s writing style, a well-deserved 5* from Obsession is a Book