Friday, March 28, 2014

Connected (Connections, #1) by Kim Karr ~ Review

Source:  Received eBook from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Connected (Connections, #1) by Kim Karr

What if a ‘Once in a Lifetime’ could happen twice?

Suffering from a past full of tragedy, Dahlia London's soul has been left completely shattered. Happily ever after is a far cry from reality in her world. But, when she is reconnected with her past, the bonds that form are irrefutable.

When River Wilde, lead singer of The Wilde Ones, comes back into Dahlia’s life, the intensity that fires their relationship combined with underlying feelings that have never died lead her to believe she has met her soulmate.

Struggling with confusion as old connections fade and new ones begin, Dahlia's grief begins to lift--but guilt remains. River wants to be the one to mend all that is torn within her.

But with a past that is never really gone, can their future survive?

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17902302-connected

http://www.amazon.com/Connected-Connections-1-Kim-Karr-ebook/dp/B00COAFVBChttp://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/connected-kim-karr/1114883290?ean=9780698145092&itm=1&usri=9780698145092

My Thoughts




4 stars - No doubt I was connected to these characters

First Impressions...


While I loved the cover when I first saw it, the blurb made me nervous.  It sounds so emotional and I have to be in the right frame of mind to read those kinds of books.  But when the second and third book covers come out, I decided to give this one a try.  The thing is, I never should have worried about the emotional thing.  It was emotional for Dahlia but while I cared about her, it wasn't taring me apart.

The Characters...


My heart breaks for Dahlia.  She's had so many loses in her life.  She's trying to heal but it's so hard.  Her grief takes a long time for her to get a handle on but when she decides to move on she's bold about it.  She was self-aware about the process and what was good for her.  I admired that.

I love River.  The connection that they share when he first meets Dahlia is profound.  While I don't believe in love at first sight, I do believe that your soul can react to another and form an intense connection just like it did for these two.

I so loved River's flirty, male ways.  There are so many quotes highlighted on my iPad where he's touching her or whispering in her ear.  The heat of their connection really comes through the pages to intensify the experience.

The Story...


Those little clues that authors drop along the way that make readers nervous, this one had those.  I kept collecting them and thinking about them.  I like that.  It's more than a story of grief.  It's more than a story of connection.  It's a puzzle of emotions that I enjoyed putting together.

The Writing...


This is what kept this book from being 5 stars for me.  I loved the story but  there were just a few places where I took pause and was like, what?  Things like calling for room service right before they were headed out to dinner, or certain lines that repeated a lot.  Just little things that bugged me.  Not enough to keep me from enjoying the book but enough to stop me as I read.

Could I Put It Down...


The thing is that I marked it as currently reading before I actually started it.  I thought I was going to start it but life happened and I put it off.  When I finally did pick it up, I went through it quickly in about two sittings.  The story had my attention and I didn't want to put it down.  I had all those clues I was collecting and puzzling together that I needed to work on.

In The End...


This book is different.   It's more than romance.  It's got a healing aspect to it.  It's got a comfortable connection aspect to it.  Anyone who enjoys those kinds of things should not worry about picking this one and just get to it.

The Series


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17902302-connectedhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17386062-tornhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19187334-dazed

Connected ~ Available now
Torn ~ Available now
Dazed ~ Available April 1st


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17413362-mendedhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19187169-blurredhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17569778-frayed

Mended ~ Available June 3rd
Blurred ~ No date yet
Frayed ~ Available September 2nd



About the author:

I live in Florida with my husband and four kids. I've always had a love for reading books and writing. Being an English major in college, I wanted to teach at the college level but that was not to be. I went on to receive an MBA and became a project manager until quitting to raise my family. I currently work part-time with my husband and full-time embracing one of my biggest passions—writing.

I wear a lot of hats! Writer, book-lover, wife, soccer-mom, taxi driver, and the all around go-to person of the family. However, I always find time to read. One of my favorite family outings use to be taking my kids to the bookstore or the library. Today, my oldest child is in college and my twins are juniors so they no longer go with me on these outings. And although I don't need to go to the actual store anymore because I have the greatest device ever invented—a Kindle, I still do. There's nothing like a paperback. So now my four year old and I make dates out of going to the bookstore--it's time I love and cherish.

I like to believe in soulmates, kindred spirits, true friends, and Happily-Ever-Afters. I love to drink champagne, listen to music, and hopes to always stay young at heart.

Connected was my debut novel and is currently available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble , iTunes and Kobo.

Torn is the sequel to Connected and was just released on October 1st, 2013. It is available for purchase on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and Kobo.

To see the remaining books in the series, check out my Goodreads page.

I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them.

~ Kim

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5 comments:

  1. I am really liking this series, I think I enjoyed Torn even more than this one. My heart breaks for Dahlia and I ADORE River. Great review!

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  2. I adored Connected, and the little issues with the writing held me back. But Torn, it was fantastic! No weird issues and everything is tied together beautifully. I can't wait to see what you think. I'm starting Dazed tonight!

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  3. Great Review! I love this series! I read this one in one sitting! I loved all the same things that you did; the connection, putting the puzzle pieces together, River, and the healing from loss and moving on aspect. Torn was great, and I can't wait to read Dazed and Mended, I want to see what happens with all of the secondary characters.

    Lindy@ A Bookish Escape

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  4. I really enjoyed this to, but I totally agree with you about the writing part. There was a lot of repeated lines that bugged me also. Great review.

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  5. I have to admit I wasn't sure if you would like this. I read it while visiting Andrea and there were times I was so ticked off at this book. LOL In the end, I enjoyed the story and dove right into Torn. Nice review!

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