I love this series and this story is another beautifully written romance with interesting likable characters. Cora and Beau embark on a sweet love affair after becoming reacquainted. Beau overcomes a rough past and succeeds in a big way with the only good to come from his past are his kids. Beau is an amazing hero in this romance. Cora is a strong, in-charge, fiesty woman dealing with family drama that will steal your heart. Not only is there a new couple to swoon over but all the favorites from the previous stories are included with updates on their lives and loves. This is an entertaining, fun, sexy romance with characters you will miss when the story ends.

This is the third book in the Whiskey Sharp Series and I loved it so much! There are so many different characters from the last two books in it again, so not only do we get to read about the newest romance in Whiskey Sharp -Beau Petty and Cora Silvera, we also get to see Rachel and Maybe and the men in their lives. I loved seeing Alexei's Aunt, who works at their family bakery and thinks nothing of getting into everyone's business-in a nice way.He is a celebrity chef and has had two cooking shows and is getting ready to start another cooking show and put out his latest cookbook. One day when he is over at a friend's house Cora Silvera, who he met as a young teenager, walks back into his life.

There is an instant attraction between these two and Beau really feels he could be with Cora long term, especially after they start dating and doing things together. However he has secrets that he does not reveal to anyone and he is worried how that will affect them being together.

On the other hand, Cora too has her own set of problems and she has to find the strength to resolve them which is not going to be easy! Cora needs to stay working at their family Art Gallery and not be her Mother's everything and let someone else travel with her mother.

Most of all will Cora and Beau be able to deal with all their personal issues and be able to be together? Read and find out what happens!

This is an awesome book with many little awesome scenes, dialog, and I loved how it ended. I gave this book 5***** stars!

I hadn’t heard of the Whiskey Sharp series before I started this book, and even though it can be read as a stand alone I wish I had started the series from the beginning so I could not some of the other characters’ backstories.

This story is very sweet. I assumed that there would be more drama between Beau and Cora, but they get together right away and this book is basically about the beginning of their love story. I really enjoyed both of them – Cora is a strong woman who tells it like it is, while Beau is a strong man that learns to be soft when it comes to the woman he loves.

I also really loved the smaller characters, and I found Cora’s struggle with her mom to be very real. I actually found myself really wanting more backstory on her family in general and on Beau’s past.

I will say that I found the ending to be a little rushed and didn’t get the full closure I wanted. However, all in all this novel is a great summer read that I think you’ll all enjoy!

Whiskey Sharp: Torn
By Lauren Dane
Whiskey Sharp #3

Looking for an easy to read uncomplicated love story? If so, this is a good bet. Beau and Cora lived near one another when she was underage and she had a crush on him but she was definitely not on his radar till she reappeared in his live seventeen years later. And, when she appeared…she was instantly on his radar and her old crush was brought out, dusted off and quickly acted upon. Yes, they were a couple that fell into one another’s arms rapidly – like first date rapidly – and continued that aspect of their relationship throughout the book. Their dates were relatively tame with trips to places easily accessible to most and their encounters with her family much like others. His backstory included a cult, excommunication and family he is trying to locate and her story included a difficult prima donna type personality but all in all their confrontations were minimal and their love story flowed without bumps in the road ending with a HEA though no true closure on their pasts. I suppose many don’t get closure in life so why expect one in a romance? That said, if the author should choose to there is potential for stories in Cora’s family members and the cult that still has some of Beau’s family involved in it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3 Stars

Want to know what I love about this book, this series, this author? Her characters are badass and relatable. They are flawed and unique. They tell it like it is and make no excuses. They are grown ass adults that SURPRISE act like grown ass adults. They don't hide crap and get angsty about it-- they let it all out and and deal with what's going on.

On the one hand, this was a terrific airplane book. I mean that literally, as I read most of it while on an airplane between New Orleans and Atlanta. (And it’s GREAT to be home!)

On that other hand, I feel a bit like I got into this story in the middle. Torn is the third book in the Whiskey Sharp series, after Unraveled and Jagged. And while I have both of those books, I haven’t found the round tuit to actually read them – at least not yet.

As the first two books feature the Dolan sisters, and the heroine of Torn is their bestie but not another sister (at least not by birth), I’m not completely sure how much I missed by not having read the first books first. I liked what I got, I liked it a lot, but I wonder how much of Cora’s weird family dynamic was explored in the earlier books since they both feature people other than Cora’s weird family.

As Torn opens, Cora finds herself torn, hence the title, between her continue her role as the family nurturer and quite honestly peacekeeper, and her desire to make a life for herself. Until now, Cora has been handling two high-stress jobs. The one she loves, being the manager of the family art gallery, and the one that needs her, being their uber-demanding mother’s professional keeper.

Cora’s mother Walda is a celebrated artiste who still travels the world creating her art. She’s also a high-maintenance manipulator who wants Cora to be at her beck and call every minute of every day, and basically throws a temper tantrum when she isn’t. The entire family, all of Cora’s siblings and her dad, have left Cora to pick up all of their slack in this department – and its a lot of slack.

It’s time for everybody to grow up and step up, including Cora. Her own peacemaking tendencies make it difficult for her to say no, but this time she must if she’s to ever have a life of her own, not to mention keep her own sanity.

Into Cora’s bid for independence walks Beau Petty. Strictly speaking, Beau walks back in. Beau met Cora and Walda several years ago, when he lived in the same apartment building. At that time, Cora was 15 and had a massive crush on Beau. Beau was 21, barely an adult, but already well on his way in his twin careers of being a model and celebrity chef.

(Personally I’m still having a hard time fitting those two careers together.)

While Cora has a demanding family, Beau has a tormenting and sometimes literally demanding past. But when then meet after all those years, their chemistry is instantaneous. So in spite of all the reasons why neither of them has ever been in a serious relationship before, they suddenly find themselves all in, with no desire to step back.

Only a desperate need to keep their respective demons from bringing an end to the best thing that has ever happened to either of them.

Escape Rating B+: I loved the romance between Cora and Beau. They were terrific together, and I really bought their quick attraction and almost instant falling together. That they had known each other before kept the romance from falling completely into insta-love territory. They were great characters and they really clicked together.

I also enjoyed the family of choice that they had gathered around themselves separately, and how easily their worlds blended together. It was even better when the bouncy and beautiful Jezzy-dog entered their lives.

Cora’s family brought a lot of drama llamas – technically her mother is a whole herd of drama-llamas all by herself. At the same time, Walda is a great portrait of the artist as a complex and complicated pain in the ass. Walda needs to be the center of attention, she’s incredibly and often obnoxiously manipulative, but at the same time she manages not to be the villain.

It’s not just that Cora understands why Walda is the way she is and does what she does. Cora does an excellent job of not giving in while still being both supportive and loving to her mother. And as the story continues, we see that Walda does actually love her family and can be very supportive. It’s not a one-dimensional portrait.

Beau’s situation is the part that I found a bit frustrating. Beau was raised as the heir-apparent of a quasi-religious cult. When he got old enough to start questioning things, he was ex-communicated and abandoned, but his father and the ringleaders managed to escape a couple of steps ahead of the FBI. There are LOTS of charges against the group, including kidnapping, child endangerment, child abuse and rape. But the entire group has been successfully hiding for years now. Beau is determined to find them because they hold his children, even though those children are now adults. Beau wants contact – the cult wants money, and every so often those two wants coincide, as they do in this story. I found the results of the encounter unsatisfying, and there was no definitive conclusion.

While I realize that might be true-to-life, this is fiction and I want to see things worked out – and for the best. I hope that there is a firmer resolution at some point later in the series.

Even with the very indefinite ending to Beau’s long search, I still found the romance between Beau and Cora to be lots of fun and a great distraction on a rather bumpy ride. I’ll be back to read the rest of the series.

Cora is a people pleaser. She's spent a lot of her life taking care of her mother and trying to keep everyone happy. She's had enough and is determined to live for herself now and pursue her own happiness. Beau was a guy she used to know when she was to young for him. He walks back into her life with baggage of his own. Beau grew up in a cult and was forced to marry and had twin boys. He got out and has not seen his twin boys since. Wildly successful as a chef, model and TV show host he's got all the money he needs to look for his boys and try to reunite with them. I've gotta say i loved the first two books in this series. I have not read a lot of Lauren Dane but really liked the blurb for the first book in this series so i decided to try this series out. Fast forward to this book. While i liked the characters a lot there wasn't much to this book. It was like of just enjoyable and that's it. I expected more conflict from Cora's mom and something with Beau's kids or something. There was a lot of how much Cora and Beau loved each other and their daily lives but it got boring in the middle because i kept waiting for the conflict. As the book drew closer and closer to the end I started to think there was not going to be a conflict anywhere. They really never argue or fight. Kind of a disappointment in some ways. It was OK but not something i would read over again.





Find out more about Lauren Dane and this series here www.laurendane.com

This was a cute second chance romance!

I liked Cora and Beau! The chemistry was there and I loved the interactions between them. They knew each other before but haven't seen each other in almost two decades, so it was more of like a second chance romance which is one of my favorite tropes. They fell fast and were really cute together. They eased into a relationship and it was great to read about. I also liked how they time spent time with each other's friends and really tried to integrate into each other's lives.

Now let me tell you about things that I didn't like. I didn't like Cora's mother to be honest, the lady was downright rude and mean to Cora at times. I really didn't understand why no one told Cora LONG TIME AGO that she needed to get from under her mother. The way she treated her was horrible and I was so glad that Cora wanted to distance herself from her. However, it didn't seem like it was thoroughly resolved. Likewise with Beau. I also wanted more background on his history with the cult. It just didn't feel like anything was fixed or had an ending.

Overall it was good romance read but it lacked a little. Also, while this is part of a series, you can totally read it as a standalone.

I finally returned to Whiskey Sharp and the wonderful characters that surround the place. On this visit, Beau and Cora who are two very strong and vibrant characters, renew their acquaintance and find themselves embarking on a delightful romance. The relationship is strong and full of flirty fun, especially since Cora is a feisty woman full of exuberance, and the chemistry and passion between these two are full of electricity and heat. That’s not to say that the relationship is all fun and games because there are past personal issues involving family that really add depth to the story and a more fulfilling perception of these characters and their personalities.

The story is fast paced and cover quite a bit of time so while the relationship starts off quick readers get the full effect of the workings of their relationship and how it progressed to the happily ever after with lots of witty and fun events that really makes the reader feel as if they are there with Beau, Cora and all their friends. There was never a dull or slow moment to be found and readers get enjoy a romance that is heartwarming, fun, sexy and spontaneous.

For me personally, I have to say that Torn is being added to my favorites list, I really enjoyed Cora and Beau’s story as it made me smile a lot throughout the story and I felt as if I really got to know them and what their lives were like, especially the family dynamic that added such ‘drama’ and to the story and in Beau’s case, tugged at the heart. Of course, it is not surprising, that I loved the story as Lauren Dane is the author of this charming series full of character, romance, and friendship that make readers feel good as they read it.

3.5 stars

Whiskey Sharp: Torn, the third and final book in the Whiskey Sharp series was a quick, entertaining read. Cora and Beau are charming, funny, practically perfect characters. For me, they were a little too perfect. Even though they knew each other briefly, and not romantically, twenty years before, their relationship progressed at light speed. I did feel a connection between the two, but Ms. Dane spent a lot of words telling the reader about that connection, which is almost always an issue for me. I prefer to see it on the page through their interactions, which I did, so the words felt unnecessary. I felt these two characters didn’t quite fit with the Dolan sisters and their men, even though Ms. Dane went to great pains to explain how the relationships came about, they just didn’t feel genuine. As charming as they are, I thought the story lacked the complexity and depth of the first two books in this series. They shop, they discuss art and poetry, they eat—Beau is a chef, his food sounds amazing--they hang out with friends, and have a lot of sex, but there’s just not a lot of substance here, and no real conflict. They each have family issues, which are left unresolved, for the most part, and neither of which is a source of genuine conflict for the couple. Cora’s mother is a narcissist/composer/artist, who comes across as a horrible person, even though her family loves her (I’m not sure why) and spend a lot of time and energy “handling’ her. I was hoping for some type of ‘come to Jesus’ moment, but instead Cora’s father smiles indulgently and he and Cora re-direct conversations. Because there wasn’t a resolution, Cora’s relationship with her mom, which is kind built up to be an issue, just fizzles as a conflict. Beau’s family issues are also left hanging, albeit with slightly more resolution than Cora’s. I did really enjoy Cora and Beau’s romance and watching their relationship grow, but it was a bit fluffy for me, and felt a little forced. I love (and expect) a happy ending, but the end of Whiskey Sharp: Torn left me feeling disappointed, an emotion I rarely feel with a Lauren Dane book. I loved the first two books in this series. They were filled with drama, angst, difficult relationships, and tough decisions, but still managed to be funny, sexy, and entertaining. Torn is entertaining, funny, and hot, but doesn’t live up to the rest of the series, so it was a bit of a letdown for me.

Torn is the 3rd installment in the Whiskey Sharp Series. Along the way we have met several characters/couples and this time around we are going to be following Cora which I just adored and Beau with was just a great guy.

Cora is the best friend to our previous couples, Rachel and Maybe and their loves. Cora has been the who has been there for the girls just about everything they’ve been through over the past couple of years. She puts her own needs and issues aside for them and everyone else. I loved this girl so much, she is so caring and selfless. I so wanted her find some happiness. Little did she know that a long lost love would come walking back into her life. Beau is a restless soul, he’s hot and kind. Now, that’s a great combination! He also wasn’t prepared to come face to face with the girls he’s pined over all these years.

The re-connection of these two was sweet and steamy too. Bonus! There was some angst but over the top, which I liked. They have history, some of which is still fresh in both of their minds even after almost 2 decades. It just showed the strong feelings that Cora and Beau shared with each other. They also have some outside inference that plague them with some issues that will have to learn how to deal with.

Like I said before, there was a little bit of angst but not too much like in the previous installments with Rachel and Maybe’s relationships but I really didn’t care about not having all that drama. The chemistry was pretty fantastic!

Torn was a great addition to this already amazing series. It was full of friendships, love regained and I am pretty excited that there is a another little series that we get to follow Gregory another on the characters in this series that will now have their own novella series called Cake.

This was such a fantastic read and the second chance at love was so enjoyable. I think fans of the contemporary romances will devour this one as well as the previous books.

Torn by Lauren Dane is book three in the Whiskey Sharp series. This is the story of Beau Petty and Cora Silvera. I have read the previous book, but feel this can be a standalone book.
Cora has been the one that takes care of most everything in her family. But now she is trying to take and put herself first. Beau was a person she had a young crush on but the feelings are still there for her. Beau was looking for something too that seem to be slowly leading him to Cora.
This was a semi second chance at love story.

ARC received for review

They met years ago when she was a teenager and he was twenty something. When they meet again, sparks fly. They are hot together, really hot. He's a keeper for anyone even with a slightly messed up past. It's a very sweet romance with a little angst and lots of hot sex. Got to see all the old gang again.

Why three stars you ask if it sounds like I like it and them? There's no resolution to her and her mother. I didn't feel like there was a resolution with him and his past. And the ending was just meh.

"Torn" is the third book in the Whiskey Sharp series, which began with workers in the unique bar plus men's shaving/haircut place. In this third book, we follow the best friend of the women from the first two books, Cora, as she finds love with a newer character, Beau. Cora has appeared relatively often in the first two books, despite her long travels with her artistic mother, Walda. Cora is Walda's keeper, no easy task, but is getting tired of the nomadic life and wants to settle down and get a dog (life goals). Her family owns a gallery which Cora is passionate about and dreams of running- if only she can detach her life from Walda's.

She had met Beau when she was a teenager and he 21, and although she had a crush on him, the age difference deterred any kind of relationship. Seventeen years later, they see each other at a party of mutual friends and are drawn together in a way neither can resist. Beau is a TV chef and writer of cookbooks, as well as former model (so everyone gets to check out his photos). He is also connected inextricably from his past as a member of a religious cult which is run by his father, The Anointed. When Beau was excommunicated, he left his entire family- and his two baby sons- behind. Despite working with the FBI and private investigators, he has not been able to get in touch with them.

The book primarily follows the relationship between Beau and Cora with glimpses into each of their life challenges. I actually wish we had been able to see and hear more about the challenges in Beau's life. We get more closure with Cora and her family. However, in terms of their relationship, the Whiskey Sharp series is fantastic at depicting two mature adults who know what they want and work to get and maintain it. I love the relative lack of drama between the primary couple. Another great thing is that the characters from the earlier books don't disappear, but instead, we get to see what they are up to and where they are throughout the book. I loved Maybe and Rachel (and their guys), so I was happy to continue their stories as well. Although you don't have to know about their books to enjoy this one, it was great to have some of the continued character lines here.

Overall, I enjoyed it, but I did like the first two better. Cora and Beau are a great couple, and I actually just wish we had been able to hear more about Beau's life/get more closure on those issues. Regardless, they are a steamy couple with plenty of hot scenes to keep the romance alive.

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In the first two Whiskey Sharp novels, we met the Doran sisters, Maybe and Rachel, as they got their happy-ever-afters. In this, we get their friend Cora's story (I'm not entirely sure how Cora fits into the social scene but okay).

Like Maybe and Rachel, Cora has issues with her family. But instead of estrangement, Cora's been at her mother's beck and call for years, supporting her in her career as an acclaimed composer by doing everything from running her art gallery to making sure the pharmacy doesn't put childproof caps on her prescriptions.

Beau Petty also has family issues, but his stem from his dad running a cult that kicked Beau out when he refused to "marry" a 14 year old girl. In the ensuing almost 20 years, he's modeled, and found a gift for cooking that's catapulted him into the celebrity chef world. But in all of his experiences, he's never forgotten Cora, the girl who lived a few doors down in a California apartment building. When Beau comes to Seattle to plot out his new book, he and Cora meet again, and this time, it's all legal.

What I liked: The warm and open friendships between women. Too many times, I see women in romances isolated by family or design or just lazy writing, but a heroine is better with her girls. I loved the food descriptions and I hate that it's too hot right now to make Irena's cabbage rolls. The respect and the sparks between Beau and Cora were wonderful, and I liked the relationship unfolding between them.

What I didn't like: the weird half-finished drama with Cora's mama. This lady is kiiiind of a bitch and WHY is she getting such a pass from so many people when she's such a brat? I wanted a more filled-out story of Cora's family. Even though her mom's an asshole, how did she come to be famous, what was it like for the family, what is she even doing now beyond swanning around and harassing her daughter? I also wanted more about Beau's cult background-- it felt like Dane waned something interesting but drew way back on it because she wasn't sure what exactly to do. It was unfinished and thin. Also, how can someone get a drink in Pioneer Square and then walk up to a gallery within walking distance of LQA without showing up a sweaty mess? I need a dang map for these books.

Great story of two people who knew each other years ago and reconnect as adults. Cora is an outspoken woman who tells it like it is and has fun doing so. She had a crush on Beau years ago but now that she's grown she can act on her desires. Great characters, fun dialogue, and lots of red hot romance!

This book was beyond perfect! Don't believe me? Well, I'm entitled to my opinion and I'm about to share it with you, so sit back, relax, and...wait no, scratch that. Grab your WISH LIST and make room for this puppy (oh...PUPPY! Wait, focus...) because you're not gonna want to miss this!



Truth be told...I was constantly waiting on the other shoe to drop. Really, who's life could be THIS perfect? Yes, there were histories to deal with (some rather scarring too!), and parental units to battle, but honestly, Cora's life was like a fairy tale once Beau came into the picture, and wanna know something even better? Beau recognized that she had the same effect on his life...not something that happens in every story while still keeping the leads masculinity and hotness factor in tact, but boy does he check every box on the list! You know, the list...the one of all the things you'd LOVE in a match? Yeah, he's got it...and she's a catch and a half herself! Despite their perfection, both individually but even more so together, the story didn't seem contrived...though I would have liked to learn a bit more about his past and how it was tying into their present/future. Seemed like quite the story to be told there...



In the end, I ADORED EVERY MOMENT! It was ridiculously fun and sexy with a cast of characters you can't help but adore! From their happenstance reunion to their first kiss, the realigning of lives to the "new addition to the family", the gorgeous house to friends old and new, there is so much to celebrate here, I don't truly know where to start...except to recommend adult Contemporary Romance fans (definitely some sexy times!) to grab a copy next week (release day...woot woot!) and see for yourself! Though it was my first experience with this author's writing, I guarantee it won't be my last.

This is the second series by Lauren Dane I have read. I figured you can't judge an author by one of her many series.

The story starts off with friends who are all finding love. Cora is one of the last of the group but can't seem to find what she is looking for. The story starts off with every girls dreaming meeting their teenage crush. The story falls apart after that because it falls into the typical romance with light but ok banter, sex, sex, drama, sex, drama and that is about it.



The characters are flat, boring and the drama is predictable. The story is easily forgettable leaving readers wondering if it was worth the summer to be read pile.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Harlequin Books for the advance copy of Lauren Dane Torn.

I've been enjoying the world of Whiskey Sharp. They all could be read on their own but the couples are connected. Cora has been someone I have wanted to read more of so yay for her story! She's such a quirky, unique, strong personality so it's surprising to see she's been a pushover when it comes to her mother. And just when she's ready to settle down, she stumbles upon Beau. It's like fate. Beau has a LOT of past history, feels like there could be a whole separate book about it all. I like how he balances Cora.

I'm noticing a theme with these books. The love is smooth coming and all about the journey even after they end up together. Low on angst and a bit more action near the end but overall just easy, enjoyable love stories. Yes they do have their ups and downs, but it all works out and there is a real sense of community and connection among friends. I hope there will be more in the series, as I'm digging them!

Torn intrigued me right away because it was a little like a second chance in that the characters knew each other before, but not totally a second chance since they weren't dating before. Its a low angst story which I adore; however, I think it was a little slow because not much happens. Its more of a chronicle of their relationship; again, I appreciated the low angst since both of them have had enough angst in their past, but readers may find this a bit of a slow pace.

Cora and Beau are total #relationshipgoals! They are truly devoted to making each other happy. It was such a pleasant read to see a more mature relationship as opposed to the drama-llama types with miscommunications and manufactured problems. Bottom line, while this might be a slow plot for those who love the angst, its perfect for those who like to see a couple work together on real life issues. Torn will appeal to readers who are sick of new adult relationships that are fraught with immature rubbish.

While this is book 3 of the series, you can read them as stand alones. I haven't read the previous books and it didn't affect my enjoyment at all!