Review originally posted at Ramblings From This Chick 
 I will admit that going into Frayed by Kim Karr I was really skeptical of the story. I knew it would be a tough sell because of all the history between Ben and Bell and the rest of the characters. I am a huge fan of this series, but I have been anxious about this book as well as dreading the day it came out. While I will say that this book surprised me in a lot of ways, I will also say that it was my least favorite of the series besides Ben's novella Blurred. 
 After Ben had to disappear for getting involved in a dangerous story, he came back only to discover that his fiance Dahlia had moved on and was no longer in love with him. Ben then lost his beloved mother and hit rock bottom. He took off for Australia to get his life back on track and now he has returned home where he belongs. He is focused on his work and moving forward with his life, having finally accepted the changes that have occurred. But after a chance run-in with his past, Ben finds himself feeling something he hasn't ever felt before. Ben has always been drawn to Bell and there has never been any denying that they have a ton of sexual chemistry between them. But as Ben and Bell get to know one another better, they find a connection unlike any they have felt before. But Bell has a secret from her past that could destroy everything between them. 
 I have never been Ben's biggest fan. He was cocky and self-centered, and he seemed to feel as though he deserved everything regardless of his actions. I really hated what he did to Dahlia, and that was why I was so worried going into this book. I felt like him having a relationship with Bell was justifying what the two of them had done in the past, and I really don't feel as if their actions were justified at all. They made some huge mistakes and errors in judgement, and I feel like this book really sort of said that it was okay because everything worked out in the end. I felt like their relationship was tainted from the start, and as well as these two fit together I just couldn't get past how things started between them. Ben made a lot of progress as an individual though, and I really enjoyed seeing his growth. Bell was sweet and strong, and so much more than people gave her credit for. But I also felt like she played the victim a bit, and a lot of what had happened was because of how relentlessly she had pursued Ben all those years ago even knowing that he had a girlfriend. It was hard for me to ever connect with her or feel sorry for her after that, because to me that is the worst type of girl. It is one thing when you don't know they are taken, but to know and force the issue just makes you a selfish bitch in my book. She only thought of what she wanted and took it regardless of how it affected anyone but herself. 
 All that being said, it was obvious that Ben and Bell had a connection and a lot of chemistry. I felt like these two made a great couple and that they would have been a perfect match had it not been for their past and history. I wish that their circumstances would have been different, because I really would have loved them together if it had not been such a horrible start. I just couldn't get behind these two no matter how well the fit together and how great a job Kim Karr wrote the story. I thought that Veronica Meunch and Christian Fox did a fantastic job narrating these characters as they have done with the entire series so far. They are the perfect choice for this series, and they really bring the characters to life. They are always easy to understand and manage to convey every feeling and emotion of the story. They also do a great job of differentiating between characters, making it easy to always tell who is speaking. But despite their amazing performance and Kim Karr's great writing, this really was just a matter of the story for me. I wanted to have my mind changed, but I just wasn't able to move past what had happened. I really do love this series though, and I am looking forward to the next installment in this series. 
 **Audiobook Provided by Tantor Audio**