Member Reviews
Talk about slow burn romance! This book has several tropes: age gap, friends to lovers, unlikely love, and a slow burn romance. Kenzi has always know what she wants. She’s written as wise beyond her years. Toran needs a change in his life. They’ve known each other since Kenzi was a baby, but it took one look to change it all. The author’s writing is fantastic. I did feel like a lot could have been cut from the book, but that could also compromise the story a little. The ending did feel very rushed and that disappointed me. I would have rather some of the other relationships have been cut out and we see more of Kenzi and Toran’s story. All in all, still a book I would recommend!
Thank you, Forever and NetGalley, for the advanced copy of Torn.
Being in an age-gap romance myself, this will always be one of my favorite tropes. Kenzi loves Toren with her whole being, and he would gladly lay down his life for her. I’ve been married to my older guy for fifteen years and can’t imagine the life we’ve built together with anyone else.
The slow burn on this one is real, but it is so worth the wait in the end. This is an emotional story full of ups and downs but I completely devoured every single page.
Tor is best friends with Kenzi’s parents, he’s been in her life from the moment she was born. There has always been a special bond between the two of them. However, as time as gone on and Kenzi has grown up their connection has grown and changed. The world may be against them, but you can’t change who your heart wants and who you love.
The connection and bond that these two have is beautiful. Tor is so conflicted over his feelings and you can feel the inner turmoil that he has over them. Kenzi is an old soul and more mature than most 18 year olds. These two were always meant to be and even through all the downs they had they will always work out.
If you’re looking for a slow burn, age gap, taboo, forbidden romance check this one out.
I was very concerned about how this story was going to play out. This large of an age gap was quite taboo and I wasn't sure it was something I would enjoy, but I was intrigued so I gave it a go.
Ultimately, I was right. I'm not yucking someone's yum but I couldn't get behind a pseudo uncle being the soulmate.
The writing was ok, but overall I just didn't vibe with the plot. Too much forbidden for me.
Thank you to the publisher for the advanced ecopy of this one.
💔 Torn 💔
Torn is a forbidden love romance between Kenzi and her godfather, Toren. As the daughter of rockstars who are often on the go traveling, “Uncle Tor” helped raise her from the day she was born when he was 15.
The story starts when Kenzi is just about to turn 18 and graduating high school. She and Tor start looking at each other differently. They try to fight their feelings, but are unable to stay away from each other. There are regular flashbacks to Kenzi as a young child as Tor is raising her.
The pining and emotions are spicy and dramatic. Kenzi seems to be written as a mature 17/18 which helps. The flashbacks to her as a child are hard to reconcile with the adult she is pursing her psuedo Uncle.
If you can ignore the problematic themes, it’s good escapism. Don’t think too hard and enjoy the ride!
Thanks for Netgalley and Forever for the ARC!
~torn review~
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3/5
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My friend told me to read this and the first line of the description hooked me in. I’ve read a couple age gap romances so let’s see how this compares.
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Pros:
+this has to be a jacob x renesme fanfic and no one can change my mind
+saving dogs
+this is dramatic and getting me through my reading slump
+naughty tension achieved. taboo forbidden desires to the max
+omg the drama at the end of this book is OFF THE CHARTS
+asher saying what everyone was thinking
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Cons:
-i hâte language like “we belong to each other” or “he is my whole world” or “she was born to be with me”
-they need to stop flashing back to them interacting when she WAS A LITERAL CHILD
-not an adult man acting more immature than a 17 year old i can’t
-weird pacing
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i’ll be honest, i couldn’t stop reading this. mostly it was cause i couldn’t believe my eyes and had to know what would happen next. if you like penelope douglas books you’ll def like this one, but it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. def is a bit strange to basically raise someone and then marry them but crazier things have happened
I gotta admit, one of the teasers caught my eye. The one with boots and kids shoes. I didn't even know what the book was about, but I liked the picture. When I read the synopsis, I'll admit I had an uneasy feeling in my stomach. Very taboo storyline. But after I posted the picture, cuz I thought it was awesome, a few of my friends read it, and they raved about it. I'm definitely a follower not a leader, and they know what I do and don't like in my stories, so they told me to give it a shot. And you know what, I'm so stinking glad I did! Yes, it was taboo. Yes, I was nervous, but I completely got it. Such a beautiful story.
I can't wait for the next book!
First: this book is purely taboo with a pseudo-uncle, and an age gap. This book does get weird and might not be your cup on tea. The FMC and MMC are not related — she is his goddaughter.
I can honestly say this gave me Twilight vibes — such as when Jacob imprints on Renesmee, and being ‘made’ for each other, soulmates even.
Kenzi in my opinion comes off a little older than she is at times in the story. Old soul even. But between her and Tor, it works in their favor. The emotional depth was wonderful — I love a vulnerable MMC and with his age he is also very strong in his convictions. Very, very refreshing to see stark differences in immaturity given the age gap of this explosive couple of 15 years.
I will say, Tor comes off as this tough, big and bad biker man, but then when the dog rescue is mentioned, that vision goes off into outer space because he has this soft, molten cinnamon roll core.
Highly recommend. This was well written, and tastefully so, for a taboo romance novel. I am incredibly excited to start up the second novel in this duet to see where it goes next.
Thank you to Forever Publishing, Carian Cole and Netgalley for the eARC!
I enjoyed this book but it was a bit taboo for my liking. I almost DNF'd because of the flashbacks. At first I was trying to get myself to ignore the age gap, but when the flashbacks would happen to him reading her bedtime stories when she was younger or the way she used to look at him like a parental figure just gave me the ick.
I also wished there was more of a discussion about power dynamics in an age gap this large.
I feel that this is a read for people who particularly are into this kind of trope...
Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
4 ☆!
ok honestly my feelings for this book are sooo conflicting. i obviously ate it up considering i stayed up to 3am to finish and only started reading it on & off in the afternoon. however, there were parts that made me feel weird. i think the flashbacks add to the weirdness of it as well,, like this man was in her life since day 1 (literally) and having all of the memories makes it feel like it wasn’t all wholesome (although i didn’t get that vibe from the actual flashbacks, just like the fact that there were so many and sometimes they would occur right before or after something intimate)… maybe it would have been better if certain flashbacks that went with the flow of the story were incorporated in the story as actual flashbacks that the characters had (but idk i’m not an author lol).
either way i LOVED tor & kenzie!! i think despite of the taboo aspect(s) of their relationship, that their romance progressed at the perfect pace. i literally think that they were perfect for each other and it always seemed like they were two halves of a whole. howeverrr maybe would have preferred if maybe she had left to college or moved with her aunt or something beforehand so that she was a little older and it wouldn’t give me “grooming” vibes, but honestly idk i’m conflicted lolll anywaysss i wish this book was longer because i feel like some things weren’t developed enough (the whole tyler situation ??? her mom ??? [i literally have so many questions about her & her storyline] the reason why her dad accepted was kinda weird ??) and the ending just felt kinda rushed but i’m excited to read more from this author!
p.s. i’m kinda weird about books with certain writing styles and i haven’t read one with one that i liked in a while, butttt i actually feel like the way this is written and (most of) the language is very natural!!
I wanted to love Torn but I absolutely couldn't get into it. I don't mind an age-gap but I felt like the premise of this book with the psuedo-uncle thing was off putting. I can't understand why it's romantic to want to fuck your goddaughter and it's odd to me that we romanticize it. I'm ALL FOR taboo relationships but it felt like this was hammered home.
The writing was wonderful, sex scenes were spicy, and the overall view of the book was great! I truly would have loved it if we'd taken out the overtone of uncle/godfather.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley!
Oh my heart. This book was a captivating read. The emotions in this book are so beautiful and intense. Yes it's taboo in it's purest form but there was something so perfect about it all.
Tor & Kenzi are it, they were created for each other and it's apparent in everything they do. People may laugh but I found myself going back to Twilight when Jacob imprints on Renesmee and the whole concept of two people being made for each other but time must go by for it to evolve into what they were truly created for. Protector, Guardian, Friend...then Partner. This book was really well written and I enjoyed every moment of it. There were a few spots where I felt more immaturity coming from the situation then I think it should have had because everything about Kenzi screamed old soul and a maturity beyond her years. Be prepared to fall madly in love with Tor, the depth of emotion and want in this man is a breath of fresh air. Tor was vulnerable and lonely but strong in his convictions and what he wanted no longer settling. Truly an incredible character.
So glad I was given the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
2 stars
Torn is a contemporary taboo rock band romance, with an age gap and dad’s best friend trope. Torn follows the perspectives of Torn and Kenzi. This book has good writing. With a number of elements, I thought added great personal touches to the characters, such as the dog rescue, I loved that, and it added a softer side to Torn who is this big bad biker guy. I liked Torn, he is loyal, hardworking, loves animals, but just has a horrible time with relationships and not the best instincts when it comes to dating. Kenzi, I thought, was very responsible and seemed older than she actually was most of the time, but a number of times especially during things related to the relationship that was developing came across very young and naive.
That being said, I did not like the romance and relationship between Torn and Kenzi. I love a good dad’s best friend romance but Torn helped raise Kenzi, he is way more to her then just her dad’s best friend, so their romance did not work for me. There are a number of flashback moments it really cemented that early relationship for me. All of Torn’s reasons for pushing her away I thought were very legitimate reasons. While I do really like certain Taboo romances, this one was just not for me.
I received an ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.
thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.
This was not what I was expecting at all! This is my first read by this author & hopefully not my my last. Although it was pretty good all around, there where a few things I would have changed like the ending felt really rushed : (
If you can get over the relationship dynamic of the couple it's an enjoyable book. Unfortunately i could not fully accept it so for me it's just ok, but that is a personally issue and not one I'm holding too much against this book or the author. It's not the age gap that bothered me but the changing from a guardian type dynamic to romantic relationship between the characters. I think it just also hit close to home and i found similarities to my own godfather who was in a band and is a biker to the main male character and just no thank you. I am very much looking forward to the next book in this series and think that will be more up my alley. Even though "Torn" might not have been for me I look forward to reading more book from this author. Enjoyed the pacing of the story and how she handled the changing of the relationship of the main characters from familial, to platonic, to romantic.
Ok, I knew this was a taboo age-gap romance going into this. I did. If I can read alien smut, I can surely handle a 15-year age-gap. And generally I like romances where everything is stacked against the couple. But this just goes way too far. The author really leans into the fact that the FMC grew up with this guy and thought of him as her uncle. There were times when I thought I could move on and like it because the sexual tension was good at some points...but then we'd dive right back into a flashback of him reading her a bedtime story and I'd get the ick again and again. The narrrative constantly argued that no grooming was happening, but then there were definitely moments where he manipulated her feelings. Based on this, I do think Cole can write a romance and I'd be open to reading more of her work, but this is just criminally wrong.
First off the cover of this book in incredible and not over the top. It makes you want to read what's inside. Secondly, the description of this book is just the icing on the cake. If someone reads it and doesn't pick this book up then they're missing out on an amazing story. Tor and Kenzi are like soulmates even though at first they don't think so. The build up of emotions is crazy and the plot and backdrop is nicely done. Well written and very engaging, this book is a must read.
The author said it herself, this is taboo at its finest. It was a great slow burn, with angst and good banter. The last third sucked me in so hard that I was up till 1am finishing it. There is great set up for the second book and enjoy strings left undone to keep it super interesting.
Hello TABOO are you listening?
This is dad’s best friend Age Gap.
Taboo, as the MMC has a role at pivotal times during the FMCs life. There is no underage sex if you were worried.
The lines were blurred and I absolutely ate up every moment of this journey! This spins off from another Carian series, yet provides flashback so you are not lost!
Fantastic Taboo Read