REVIEW: Frayed by Kim Karr

In Frayed (Connections #4) by Kim Karr, Ben Covington has a second chance at both life and love since being released from witness protection. He may have fumbled around, trying to regain his footing after learning his former fiancee, Dahlia, moved on years after she thought he was dead. But Ben has come back from rock bottom and has created a new business he feels passionate about. Now he finds himself drawn to a woman he had one unforgettable night with years ago, Bell Wilde, if only she would admit how incredible their attraction is. Ben’s emotions are all over the place as they try to figure out what they mean to each other. But when secrets are revealed, will they be strong enough to move past the hurt?

‘What I feel when I look at her winds me. It’s more than just lust and desire–it’s a need to make her a part of me.’

Ben will always be a source of both pleasure and pain for Bell Wilde. The magical night they spent together in college changed her life forever and led to a series of events that tested her emotions and her inner strength. She’s back in shape emotionally now and working towards her future. But with Ben back in California, things are going to get messy. Fast. Bell can’t let herself fall for the devilishly handsome former surfer champ without revealing things she never thought she’d have to discuss with him. Ben, however, won’t let her walk away without giving them a fair chance at a future.

‘Something about him makes me want to give myself over to him in any way he wants. I want to be anything he desires, everything he needs–I want to be his dream girl.’

Ahhhhh…finally. Frayed is the full-length novel where infamous Ben Covington gets his life together. If you’ve been following the Connections series, this is bound to bring out some strong emotions, be it good or bad, depending upon your feelings about Ben.

‘I cast this spell of pain over the both of us and I know we’ll be chained to it forever.’

I really didn’t want to like Ben at all. After what he revealed to Dahlia and his family in previous novels I was not inclined to hear his side of the story. But I caved and read both the novella Blurred and now this novel. Author Kim Karr did a great job pulling me in to the story and showing us readers how complicated Ben’s life truly was. Yes, a lot of it was of his own doing, but there were tragic events that did make me feel empathy for him. And once Ben fell for Bell he became his former caring, mischievous self. That, I did like very much and came to enjoy the charming side of his personality that emerged.

Bell, however, I’m still not sure about. I know she also went through her own personal tragedies and I must say I commend her for staying relatively upbeat and positive. Maybe it was just me, but she seemed rather flighty, and she would purposefully neglect to tell Ben things that would make her look guilty or like she wasn’t being honest. I’ll admit that annoyed me a bit through the story. But I did like the undeniable chemistry Bell and Ben shared. There was no lack of romantic scenes and dirty talk which was seriously hot. Kim Karr always, always brings the sexy in her novels!

Frayed is probably best read in succession with the rest of the Connections series to get the full effect of the relationships explored here. Overall, I was happy to get closure in Ben and Bell’s tumultuous journey with their sweet HEA in this book.

Book Info:

Published September 2nd 2014 by NAL | (Connections #4)

He didn’t think, he didn’t question—he just acted.

What she wanted, she took—without regard.

It was only one night, but it changed everything.

After losing his fiancée, Ben Covington is unsure he’ll ever love again. But he’s so deeply drawn to Bell Wilde that he’s thrown for a loop. Maybe it’s purely sexual chemistry that’s igniting their spark… or maybe it’s his second chance at love.

Bell Wilde has just gotten her life back on track and may not be up the challenge of Ben Covington coming back into it. However, once the spark is reignited…there’s no stopping it. But even if they both manage to pull together their frayed hearts, a secret from Bell’s past just might shatter them both.