Connections Series:
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?
Available now at: AMAZON BARNES AND NOBLE
Excerpt:
RIVER POV Written by Kim Karr Time is Running
Out
The set ends so I walk over behind Garrett to lean my guitar against the wall.
I pull my shirt up to wipe the sweat off my forehead. It’s hotter than shit in
here and I need a drink. Garrett laughs, tipping his head back to swallow the
beer he somehow already has. “You going to grab a drink? I’ll take
another,” he says as he downs the rest of his beer. “And, dude, wear this.
Seriously man, your hair looks like shit,” he says throwing his beanie at
me. I move closer and shove him a little and put the hat on my head.
“Shut the fuck up, you should talk.” I hop off the stage and my sister rushes
over to me. “River, I need you to take me home as soon as the last set is over.
I have someone meeting me back at my apartment.” I shake my head, knowing
it must be a guy. “Yeah yeah, I will Bell, but really can’t you get a boyfriend
that has some manners? You know, like actually picks his date up and maybe even
takes her out? And at a decent hour?” She rolls her eyes. “All guys
aren’t like you, big brother. Nice beanie,” she teases before disappearing back
into the crowd. As I walk through the jam-packed room, some brunette chick I
think looks familiar asks me if I want to grab a drink in private. I kindly
refuse, telling her I need to refuel before my next set. She’s still talking
when I motion toward the bar to signal that I’m moving away. As my eyes flash
across the bar, they’re suddenly drawn to a beautiful girl standing against it.
And she’s looking directly at me. I start walking toward her, leaving
behind the brunette who is still talking. As I stare at the beautiful girl, I
think, “I want her.” Tall, slim, long blonde hair that’s pulled away from her
face. But it’s her eyes that get me—the way she’s looking at me. Shit, I’ve
talked to about a dozen chicks tonight, but she is the only one who has me
interested. As I stare back at her I’m feeling like she’s not just any
girl. Not just a girl to have sex with. I’m actually having a fucking
conversation with myself. I can’t figure out what’s going on in my own head. I try not to smile, but I know she’s checking me out. Fuck, why’d I put this hat on? I quickly pull it off and comb my fingers through my hair. I can’t take my eyes off her and I feel like I want to knock everyone out of my way to get to her. When I finally reach the bar, I stand right in front of her. For some weird reason I feel the urge to touch her, but instead I shove my hands in my pockets. She’s smiling at me and I smile right back. This girl is hot. Her eyes still haven’t left mine this whole time, so I decide to break the ice by calling her out. “Were you staring at me?” She pouts her lips and rolls her eyes. Shit, that look gets me. “No, I was just looking for my friend while I waited on my drinks. You just happened to be in my line of vision.” I stifle my laugh and say, “That look was hot.” I want to say, “You’re hot,” but I don’t—not yet anyway. I can tell she’s trying not to laugh. If she does, I know I have her. Her phone rings and her smile fades. “Why would you think I was looking at you, anyway?” The person beside her walks away and I secure my place next to her. I toss my hat on the counter and lean against the bar, my eyes never leaving hers. I answer in the most honest way I can. “Because I was staring at you, hoping you were staring back.” I don’t want to fuck this up so I decide to be the guy Bell always tells me I am—the guy with manners. Then I say what I should have said first. “With all this talk about who was staring at whom I think we forgot the basics, I’m River,” I say as I extend my hand. She reaches hers out. Hey, I get to touch her. But she quickly pulls her hand back before I get to grasp it and accidentally knocks a dude’s beer over. The asshole gives her a dirty look and swears. I know I have to step in because this guy is out of line. I gently guide her out of my way and try to control myself as I say, “Sorry man, just an accident, but let me buy you another.” I hand him a ten, “Buy two.” I hope he takes the money and leaves. Lucky for him he does, because otherwise I might deck him. I turn around to find the girl smiling at me and sliding one of her beers my way. I start to drink it and she says, “Thank you, that guy sure as shit wasn’t happy with me. In fact he kind of acted like an asshole.” I can’t help but laugh mid-sip, almost spitting the beer out of my mouth. Not cool. Not able to resist any longer, I run my finger over her smooth bare shoulder and lock
my eyes on hers. “You’re more than welcome.” She just barely shudders and steps back. I’m pretty sure she’s interested in me so I step closer, not wanting to break our connection. “Now, where were we? Do we need to start over?” I ask, looking into her eyes. “We were introducing ourselves,” she says smiling. “Okay, so let’s try again. I’m River and you are . . .?” “I’m not sure you need to know that information right now. I’m kind of thinking you might be a stalker,” she teases. I laugh. I’m all about game playing but I’m not ready to play. I really want to get to know this girl, and I’m pretty sure the feeling is mutual, so I avoid dropping the canned line I might have used on another girl and say, “You’re not serious, are you beautiful girl?”
Intriguing Author's And Their Books Review:
Connected (Connections #1) by Kim Karr
has been one of best books I have had the pleasure to read lately. I was pulled
in from the very first paragraph I read and could not put it down. When I came
to the end I was like no, no… there has to be more!! Thank goodness that book
two is out because with an ending like that it made me want to throw my kindle.
This book took me along for a very emotional roller coaster ride that Dahlia
and River took. I was pulled into Dahlia’s world and experienced her grief and
conflicts with her. The chemistry between Dahlia and River is smoking hot. Kim
Karr is a genius and has crafted an amazing read full of intense and raw
emotions. This book is a fast paced emotional, romantic, erotic, and is a very
addictive read. I cannot wait to see where Kim takes us with the second
installment of this series. +-+Cover.jpg)
Torn (Connections #2)
Rock star River Wilde brought Dahlia London back from the brink of hopelessness with his unwavering love and devotion. But their entwined history is about to test the strength of that love…
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 face the turmoil together or will they be torn apart?
Available now at: AMAZON BARNES & NOBLE
© 2013 by Kim Karr Published by
the Penguin Group
Release date: October 1,
2013
Colorblind
Close your eyes and you can
imagine what it was like. Hot, sticky, crowded. Smoke, flashing screens, and
lighters flickering. Fans screaming, laughing, clapping, and crying. Bodies
pushing, shoving, trying to catch a glimpse. Everyone wanting to see the stage—
the lights, the equipment, the musician himself. He was running back and forth
singing, headbanging, and playing his guitar. The lyrics were jumbled. His
movements out of sync. The sound of the bass thumped through the crowd so loud
my body vibrated with every wrong note played. I just wanted it to end. Nick
Wilde had opened for the Counting Crows at the Hollywood Bowl. It was his
second chance— and he blew it. The crowd was exhilarated at the start of his
first song and he owned the stage but it didn’t last long. By the third song he
was improvising, pulling notes, and forgetting words. He was lost in his own
trance, soaked in alcohol, and no one could help him…not Xander, not my mother,
and definitely not me. “Mr. Jones” started playing before he even finished his
fourth song…and he never played onstage again. Music was his soul. Music was in
all of our souls. When we were younger he taught us everything he could…how to
play, to sing, the right way to command a stage. We knew every song by every
artist. We traveled to concert after concert. Music was his life and it became
ours. But he wasn’t happy just playing. He had a dream—he wanted to be famous.
And somewhere along the way his dream became an obsession. I’ll give it to him,
he got further than most do. By the age
of nineteen he had been signed by a label and cut his first album. But after a
disappointing run they released him. He spent the next fifteen years working
the circuit—clubs, churches, weddings, birthday parties, as he waited for
another big break. And then, just like that, he blew his golden opportunity.
Everything in our life changed after that. The drinking got worse, Grandpa came
around more to check on us, and Mom went back to work. Every day left another
kink in his chain as he lived in his own world. I was sixteen when his plan A
became my plan B and, just like him, at a young age, I cut my first album. But
unlike him I had Xander. He wasn’t going to let me fail. The band’s album had a
slow start but after a year of touring, it started to gain popularity. I
remember the first time the Wilde Ones graced a real stage. We were restless.
We had been sitting around for hours waiting. When we were finally up we
strutted confidently across the stage like we had in rehearsal, but, really, we
were nervous as hell. The lights were much brighter and the audience so much
bigger than we were used to. When the guys started to play, soft, barely
audible words flew out of my mouth so fast I forgot to breathe. The band was
drowning me out and I knew it. Looking around, I adjusted the microphone height
and took in the crowd. They were cheering me on with such enthusiasm that my
voice finally soared over them. It was the same voice I’d grown up with, the
one my dad had fostered. It was raw and present and soulful, and, in that
moment, my music came alive. The crowd went crazy and just like that my life
changed again. Xander struck while the iron was hot. He arranged to go on tour.
That was the beginning of the end for me. We started out small. Smaller venues,
shitty hotels, crappy food, and a lot of drinking. We opened for band after band
and the relationships I made…they kept me going, that and being up on that
stage doing what I loved…it kept me going, wanting to make my dad proud…yeah,
that, too. But touring was a constant infringement on my personal space. I
hated the cramped quarters, lack of privacy, constant strict schedule, never
being in the same city for more than two nights, people following you
everywhere, people always wanting something from you. Even the girls throwing
themselves at you got old. It was the longest year of my life, but I did it for
him because somewhere along the way his dream morphed into mine. What I came to realize was
that his dream wasn’t mine—my dad thought being on tour meant you had made it.
His dream was about being famous. Mine is about the music. As the venues got
bigger so did the crowds, the fanfare, and I could see how you could get lost
in it, caught up in it—but I was determined not to end up like my father. He
was addicted to the fame. I’m addicted to the creative process. I hope that
difference between us is enough. The tour ended and we wrote, we played around
LA, and as time passed life was good. But I had managed to put off cutting
another album long enough. This time I was doing it for the band and for my
brother and for me—because I love the music. Cutting the album—that’s the fun
part. It’s the promoting I dreaded, at least until the day I saw her through
the glass. The girl who inspired our song “Once in a Lifetime,” the girl Xander
always referred to as my muse, the girl who stole my heart one night and then
crushed it at the very same time. She was as beautiful as I remembered and with
one glance she took my breath away. She walked my way, pulling a suitcase
behind her, and my heart skipped a beat. I knew immediately she was the one sent
to interview me and suddenly any negativity I had about doing press was gone. I
couldn’t help but watch her. I wanted her unlike anyone I had ever wanted
before. I had to stifle a laugh when her briefcase fell off the top of her
suitcase and she glanced around to see who saw. I wanted to yell, “Only me and
don’t worry because everything about you is sexy as fuck.” I rushed to grab the
door for her, but she pushed it forward and fell into me—not that I minded in
the least. I’d catch her over and over. There wasn’t a thing about her that I
didn’t remember from the first time we met and even the awkwardness of the
moment brought me to full attention. When her body pressed against mine, I knew
in that instant…this time I wasn’t letting her get away so easily. I’d go on a
thousand tours to have her in my life—there was just something about her, a
light in her eyes that made everything wrong feel right. And just like my dad,
I got a second chance—it was her. But unlike him, I wasn’t going to blow it.
When she extended her hand and said, “Hello, I’m Dahlia London from Sound
Music. I’m so sorry I’m late,” I knew she had to be mine.
Intriguing Author's And Their Books Review:Meet the Author:
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. <3
Connect with Kim at: website facebook twitter goodreads
GIVEAWAY: Kim is giving away a $50 Amazon Gift Card, 5 Signed Book Plates and 10 Paperbacks of CONNECTED (to be mailed directly from Penguin).
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Thank you for the wonderful reviews! ~Kim xoxo
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