I'm totally in love with the Connections Series by Kim Karr, so it's my pleasure to bring you my stop on the Mended (Connections #3) blog tour! Check out my review, and enter the giveaway below to win a copy of Mended.
Mended (Connections #3), by Kim KarrPublished June 3, 2014
Publisher: Berkley Romance
Format: e-book, provided by the publisher via NetGalley
Genre: new adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble
Rating: 4.5 STARS
(From Goodreads) MUSIC HAS THE POWER TO HEAL ALL…BUT NOT ALL BROKEN HEARTS CAN BE MENDED.
Always in control, Xander Wilde considered life on the road to be a perfect fit for him. But when disaster strikes on the Wilde Ones’ latest tour, fate intervenes…and a newly single Ivy Taylor, the only girl he has ever loved, steps back into his life.
After moving past her painful breakup with Xander years ago, Ivy was poised to become the next big name in pop music…when suddenly she withdrew from the limelight—the same day she announced her engagement to her controlling agent, Damon Wolf.
Xander knows he should keep his distance. But once they’re on the road, he can’t resist pursuing her for a second chance. Yet a jealous Damon can’t let her go—and he’s keeping dangerous secrets that could destroy them all.
When the three of them come together, everything falls apart. But if Xander and Ivy can hold tight to the bond that connects them, they just might have a chance at reclaiming the powerful love they thought they had lost forever...
Mended was another emotional addition to the Connections series by Kim Karr. I am really loving this series. The characters, the drama, the backstories - they're all so very compelling, and they keep me up reading into the wee hours of the morning. Xander and Ivy were an amazing couple when they were 18. Then a series of events caused everything to fall apart, and they went their separate ways. Both Ivy and Xander made it in the music industry, but they never really got over one another. When Ivy ends up touring with Xander's band, they have a chance to finally get it right and mend their broken hearts.
I loved Xander in Connected and Torn. He's very intense and no-nonsense. He tells it like it is, no matter what. He's very protective of those he loves - particularly his brother and sister. And, it's clear that Ivy affects him like no one else. From the beginning, we see that he's never gotten over her and seeing her with someone else kills him.
You can't blame Ivy for being so cold to Xander. She's working under some assumptions that Xander has never refuted. I'd have been an ice queen too, in her shoes. I give Ivy mad props for sucking it up and trying to compartmentalize her feelings for Xander when she asks to join up with the band. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement if she and Xander can keep it together. No doubt it wasn't easy for her to be in that situation.
I love how Xander uses the tour as his golden opportunity to bring Ivy back to him. The seemingly easiest thing to do would be for him to just sit her down and tell her the whole truth about what happened 12 years earlier. But, Xander being Xander, he tries to re-build a relationship with her based on their new shared experiences. It works to a point - it helps make things less volatile between them. But, inevitably, that long-overdue conversation just had to happen.
It was my favorite part in the book. When truths are shared and motivations are realized, it changes the perception of absolutely everything. It doesn't necessarily make things easier - I'm glad that was recognized here. In some cases, it makes things even harder, or at least more complicated. But, to see these two who had been nursing certain hurts for so many years come together and start to mend, it was a great moment. Aaaaaand... like all really good books, things soon go to crap once again. My heart was in my throat and I was poised to throw my Kindle as I read on. Hallmarks of a great book, right there. Damon was a really good bad guy. It was so easy to hate him. It was actually because of Damon that I didn't rate Mended higher, though. In the end, it felt like he got off too easily. For all the truly awful things he did, this guy NEEDED to suffer. And, he didn't, which was really disappointing.
Despite the lack of appropriate commupance for the bad guy, Ivy and Xander made for a fantastic story. In addition, there was some side drama with River and Dahlia, which I really appreciated. I loved that we got to keep tabs on them, even though we've moved on to his brother's story. I also liked the few glimpses we got of Aerie and Jagger. It seems like we might see a lot more of Aerie in future books, which is awesome. Because I totally love Jagger. :)
Mended was told in dual POV (my favorite!) and was paced really well. I really loved this addition to the Connections series, and can't wait to read more!
About the Author
Kim Karr is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of romance, including her sexy New Adult romance series, Connections. She describes herself as wearing a lot of hats–writer, book-lover, wife, soccer-mom, taxi driver, and the all-around go-to person of the family. However, she always finds the time to read. She believes in soul mates, kindred spirits, true friends and Happily-Ever-Afters, and loves to drink champagne, listen to music, and hopes to always stay young at heart. Kim lives in Florida with her husband and four kids.
Giveaway
Enter below (US ONLY) to win one print copy of Mended by Kim Karr.
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