REVIEW: MENDED BY KIM KARR

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.

Kindle Edition, 304 pages

Expected publication: June 3rd 2014 by NAL

Source: received from publisher via Netgalley

Purchase: Goodreads | Amazon

OUR REVIEW:

I've been curious about this story ever since I read the first excerpt of it months and months ago. Xander seemed like such an ass in the River/Dahlia books so I wasn't sure what to think.  I too was looking to see if he would be able to redeem himself. 

The novel started in a flashback..to give us some context, I think, about Xander and Ivy..to show us how they felt about each other..then fast forward 12 years and we discover that things aren't great..not even good for them. As their story continues, the reasons for their decisions and feelings become more and more clear. Many times I wanted to kill one of both of them for being so damned stubborn. GAH. And their 'almost' encounters..almost telling each other how they feel, almost touching touching, almost ..almost..almost..until FINALLY. sheesh. And DO NOT even get me started on Damon. And Amy. I was not a fan of either of those two...maybe they should hook up and be miserable together? 

It was hard at first...truly...because so much time has gone by, and it seems crazy that two people so in love would have fell apart for some reason. That reason is a big part of their demise, but don't look for it to be explained for a while. Like Shel said, there is a lot of set up and slow burn to whatever will be happening between them. Lots and lots of tension. It almost killed me there was so much tension. 

So the first 50-ish percent of the novel is really an exploration of Xander and Ivy and their complications from the past and the close confines of the tour. It was a little slow for me and it was harder for me to feel engaged. The last half went faster--a lot of plot was jammed in to the last part. I almost wish more of the plot from the end would've been introduced earlier? I'm not sure why I didn't connect as much with the writing in this novel; the story had so much potential..I just didn't feel as engaged.  I did like the addition of the characters from the earlier novels and having a non-cliffhanger ending was a relief!

I agree. I don't know if it was because we were so connected to River and Dahlia (maybe because we got two books from them) and maybe because Xander was such a dick to Dahlia before that it was hard to root for him. I did...eventually, but there were some things that kept me from being super ecstatic about it. The things that made this so incredibly enjoyable for me: Xander and River have great moments together toward the end. How things turned out the last 25% was very thrilling and made me remember why we're such fans of this series. There were a few details about Ivy that were introduced to the plot, but never got resolved, and unfortunately for me I was bothered. 

Shelley: 3 stars
Courtney: 3 Stars

 Here is the Mended excerpt link to Kim’s blog --> http://bit.ly/1j6lZLH

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.

Thanks again for participating, and please let me know if you have any additional questions!

Here are Kim’s social media links -->

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kim Karr

• Website: http://www.authorkimkarr.com/
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• Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorkimkarr
• Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6644044.Kim_Karr

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Also here are links to Kim’s other books in the Connections series...
AMAZON LINKS:
➜ Connected - http://amzn.to/1fDaywN
➜ Torn - http://amzn.to/18r6puZ
➜ Dazed - http://amzn.to/1hwLS9g
➜ Mended - http://amzn.to/1ap7Jwn
➜ Blurred - http://amzn.to/1mCHwQ1
➜ Frayed - http://amzn.to/1cnBwof