Review: Torn by Carian Cole

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Standalone - All Torn Up #1
Release - August 28, 2016
Genre - Contemporary Romance
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat - 3.5 out of 5
Length - 442 pages
Trope - age gap, forbidden

When I was five years old, I told Toren Grace I was going to marry him when I grew up. When I turned eighteen, I made it clear I still felt the same. The problem? He's fifteen years older than me, and he's my father's best friend.

Toren Grace. My father's best friend. My pseudo-uncle.
He's always been my rock. The one I should never, ever want.
But I do want him, and I love him.
I always have.

Tor's one of the good guys. Loving. Devoted. A strong moral compass. One kiss between us rocked him clear off his axis. Now, we can't forget how that kiss felt, and what it changed. Nothing will ever be the same between us. I'm not a little girl anymore, and he's everything I want.

I know he's struggling, but I'm determined. With a last name of Valentine, I've got cupid in my veins. The heart wants what the heart wants, and it doesn't care about age or how we met. My father cares, though. And he's the one person neither one of us can stand to hurt.

We're all being torn apart, and I don't know how to make everyone see that the wrongs are actually right.

** Please note: there is NO underage sex in this book. There is NO incest or blood relation in this book. This is NOT an MC Club story. This is NOT erotica. This is a slow burn romance. This book is intended for readers 18 years and older **

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MY REVIEW

Okay... this review is for the parts that DIDN'T involve the MC Club/Pet Rescue aspect. While cute and amazingly altruistic, those details were absurd and I just couldn't take them seriously.

"I'm just waiting for the one that makes me feel like forever wouldn't be long enough." - Tor

I'm apparently one messed up sonofa-. Seriously, because I would have to be after reading this story and loving its theme. Toren and Asher are BFFs. So when Asher and his lady love, Ember, have a baby at the ripe old age of 15, choosing him to be her godfather is a no-brainer. And boy did baby Kenzi change Tor's life forever. He was like a second father to her, good ol' Uncle Tor. However, time flies when you're having fun and Kenzi isn't a baby anymore. She's on the cusp of womanhood and starting to see Tor in a whole new light.

"The line between Tor and I is somewhat unique, because it criss-crosses between family and friend, and just now it blurred into something I can't quite describe. I'm not sure where our line is anymore, or if I even want a line at all." - Kenzi

Now she's got to open Tor's eyes and make him see that she's the only woman he will ever need.

Usually this sort of circumstance carries an ick factor, but the story was tastefully written in this regard. I couldn't help but fall for these characters, feel hope for their flourishing relationship, and root for their happily ever after. I may have cringed a bit with all of the flashbacks because they strengthened the taboo vibe but at the same time I appreciated them because it also provided character depth, added dimension to their relationship, and strengthened my bond to their story.

"I am your forever, Tor. And you're mine." - Kenzi

There were a few loose ends, such as the time between Ember waking up and the aftermath. I'm not sure if this time will ever be covered in a future book. It left the ending feeling a bit unbelievable. I also would have wished to see this couple co-exist out in the open with their families. Their entire relationship was in secret and it would have been nice to see them accepted and loved. Ah well. If you're a fan of "no-no" books and taboo reads, TORN is a story that can deliver.