Blog Tour Review & Giveaway: Torn – Kim Karr

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?

Series: Connections #2
Release Date: October 1, 2013
Publisher: Penguin
Source: NetGalley
Reviewer: Shannon
Rating:

Buy the book at:

Reviewer’s Thoughts

I had been anxiously awaiting the release of this book because I needed to know what was going to happen with River and Dahlia now that Ben was “back”.  I knew it was going to be a complicated story and I went into this thinking I may not be really happy with the outcome, but I have to say Kim Karr managed to take the very complex hurdles that stood in the way of River and Dahlia and have their relationship come out much stronger on the other end.

Ben comes back from the “dead” after the bad guys after him have been caught.  Ben’s thoughts are he will rebuild his relationship with Dahlia, despite knowing she was with someone else.  All Ben can think about is getting his old life back, regardless of what may have changed in the few years he had been gone.  I felt a little sorry for Ben, because he truly was forced to give up everything when this story took a disastrous turn.  But then I would remember that everything that happened was because of something that he chose to do, even when he was told to leave it alone.  Plus, he very arrogantly discounted what Dahlia and River had.  He figured he could do what he always did when he screwed up with Dahlia and win her back over.  The more he “tried” the more I really didn’t like Ben and that made it very hard to sympathize with him.  It seemed like he was more interested in just recapturing what he felt was his rather than really loving Dahlia.

Dahlia and River are obviously floored by Ben’s reappearance.  River is thrown and begins to question if Dahlia is going to stay with him.  Dahlia is….so many things.  Relieved and happy that Ben is alive, but then rightly upset and angered that he would have lied to her and put her in jeopardy because of a story.  So while Dahlia fights with her feelings about the entire situation between her and Ben, she’s also fighting with River and his insecurities.  She’s stuck in a horrible place, especially because she does feel a sense of loyalty to Ben, despite what he did.  But what she didn’t do through all of this is question what her true feelings are for River.  River and Ben could both question just what Dahlia felt for them, but she was a rock when it came to her love for River and her determination that they were going to build a life together.

There were a lot of things that happened in this story, some of which will have implications further along in the series (such as Belle being the girl Ben cheated on Dahlia with), but I was happy with the conclusion to River and Dahlia’s story.  Despite circumstances that were potentially devastating to their relationship, River and Dahlia proved a strong love can pull through anything.

I look forward to reading more in the series.

We’re giving away an ebook copy of TORN.  To enter, complete the Rafflecopter form below (if the form doesn’t appear, click the link to be taken to it).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What inspired you to write Connected and Torn?

The night The Voice premiered on NBC in April 2011, I watched it and fell in love with the show and Adam Levine. I started to think about his journey with Maroon 5 and the number of years it took him to gain fame. I had been thinking about writing a book but hadn’t come up with a storyline that intrigued me enough. For some reason, that night the story of Dahlia, River, and Ben came to mind. The name of book was different as well as character names, but the plot never veered. I always intended for these two books to be a duet and the ending of Connected was the very first thing I wrote.

Discuss your inspiration for Dahlia, Ben, River. How did they transpire?

Character inspiration for Connected evolved as soon as the concept of the book came alive in my mind, I knew I wanted a strong heroine and two heroes that loved her but in different ways. I created the characters from within, who they were, and then conveyed their personalities and appearances to the reader.

In my head, Dahlia had to be strong to weather the circumstances life threw her way, but I wanted her to be funny and loving with quirks and habits.

Ben’s personality, as well as his name, actually transpired from a character on a TV show I used to watch years ago. The character on the show was an avid basketball player and swimmer, but since Dahlia and Ben lived near the beach, I decided he should be a surfer. A surfer who has difficulty expressing his feelings, hasty in decision making, temperamental, and contemplative, somewhat of a contrast to Dahlia. But, Ben has true depth and sensitivity that Dahlia admires.

River’s character didn’t transpire as much—he just happened. He is who I would consider to be the perfect guy. I took all the traits I love and admire about men and lumped them into him.

Did you plan for your first book to turn into a series?

Yes I did. Just as I planned Connected and Torn to be a duet, my original plan was The Connections Series would consist of three duets for a total of six books. I have since changed my mind and the remaining books in the series will be stand alones. Of course they are part of a series and all characters will appear in all books.

You left Connected hanging with a major cliffhanger—will you do that in your next books?

Since I wrote the end of Connected before I wrote the beginning, I don’t regret the ending. Would I do again—absolutely! Would I write another book with a cliffhanger hanging—that I’m not sure about!

Do you have a specific writing style?

I think all writers do.  We have a certain flow and sentence structure that rarely varies book to book.  I have already plotted out the remaining books in the Connections Series and I’ve written the endings for each one.

What book are you reading now?

I try to keep up the latest releases as well as read releases in my favorite series. When I’m writing it’s hard to read but I try to set aside at least an hour a day.

What current project are you working on? 

I am writing Mended. This is Xander’s Wilde story and his brother does make an appearance.

What can readers look forward to in the future?

My plan is finish Mended then decide if The Connections Series will consist of 5 or 6 books. I am considering cutting one. The book after Mended is Frayed and I have already started that story. It was actually suppose to be released before Mended but I changed my mind.

Please explain the importance of music to you in books. You said something in your Author’s note about how important it was to you in writing and that the chapter titles have significance. 

All chapters in my books are named after songs that inspired me. Bob Marley said, “One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.” As a listener, I couldn’t agree more. As a writer, I think it’s better to say music is what feelings sound like when those feelings are written in print.

Music and writing are different, yet similar arts. They both tell a story. They both convey emotion. Yet, one can be heard and the other seen. If you can write a story and put music behind it, I believe you can convey feelings in a more impactful, raw, and emotional way. When trying to express written emotions, the tone of a certain song can allow the reader to feel the sentiments that the character is feeling.

I chose to have each chapter be titled by a song that best represented the events occurring within. My goal is that the reader will listen to the song before reading each chapter so they will feel the full impact of the scene.

In the words of Billy Joel, “I think music in itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music.” I couldn’t agree more. Listening to the lyrics of a song and truly understanding them tells such a beautiful story. So, combining this with an emotional novel just helps bring it to life.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

My advice to new writers: plan out your story before you begin. It is so much easier to fill in the chapters than sit there with a blank screen trying to figure out what to write. Also, reach out, make friends, share your work, find a support group, and always have faith in your work.

 His body tenses and I know this still isn’t the time to discuss Ben, but it is the right time to tell him how I feel. I run my fingertips along his cheek, silently apologizing for slapping him before saying it. “I really am so sorry.” I hope he knows I mean it for more than just the slap. Leaning into him, I take his other hand and bring both to my mouth as I tell him what I’ve wanted him to know since I drove away this morning. “River, I love you, Ben being alive doesn’t change that. You know that—right?”

Exhaling, he grabs my face and looks directly into my eyes. Despite his drunken state, his eyes seem more focused and his words are clear. “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.”

Book Trailer