Review: Mended by Kim Karr

 

SYNOPSIS:

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.

MY THOUGHTS:

4 out of 5 stars

I have discovered another series to add to my guilty-pleasure summer reading list.  Yippee!!!

Mended is the third book in the Connections series and tells the story of Xander and Ivy.  I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed when I learned of the change because I felt such an emotional pull towards River and Dahlia in the first two books, that I wasn't sure I'd be able to...ahem...connect...with a change in cast.  Connect...Connected series...see what I did there?!?!  (Sorry...it is really early and I haven't finished my coffee yet).  Plus, the little bit I learned about Xander in the first two books didn't really excite me and well, I'm a bit stubborn.  BUT, I started reading and realized that maybe I need to be a bit more open-minded because sometimes change is good.

I've made no secret of my love of second chance romances and that is what we get in Mended.  Together in high school and torn apart by secrets and circumstances beyond their control, Xander and Ivy's paths cross again when they least expect it.  He is reeling from the news that the band has lost their lead singer for an undetermined amount of time if not forever, and she is engaged to a man that she doesn't love.

And the best part?!?!  Even after years of being apart and living different lives, neither one of them has been able to forget the other.

 
Now don't get me wrong, seeing each other again did not result in them frolicking around in the woods like that god awful scene in New Moon.  It opened old wounds and bad memories.  It piled on the guilt and exposed deceit that had long since been buried.  Basically, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows and puppies.  Ivy was bitter and rightfully so.  Xander did what he thought he needed to do and now is faced with those decisions coming full circle all the while holding hands with ghosts from his past.  I mean, how good does this book sound?!?!

Now this is where the beauty of second chances comes in.  People grow up.  They mature, they change, they realize that the impulses that make sense at 17 and 18 seem ridiculous in hindsight.  They learn to communicate and tell the truth...well, most of the time.  And as the tangled webs and knots woven all those years ago start to unravel, Xander and Ivy begin to find their way back towards each other and towards the truth.

Mended has everything.  Love, romance, lies, manipulation, chemistry, tears, frustration, secrets, thrills, flutters, happiness, a slow burn,...everything that I look for in a good romance.  Xander grew as a character and I enjoyed reading his story.  I look forward to continuing with the series and reading more by Kim Karr.   

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.