Torn (All Torn Up #1)

Author: Carian Cole
Title: Torn
Publisher: Forever
Date Published: 2/20/2024

Read Dates: 01/15/2024- 01/17/2024
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟💫

📖 I received a gifted e-book ARC. The following is my honest review✍🏻

Torn is a dual-POV age-gap romance. It features Kenzi, a young woman who has been madly in love with Toren since she was 5 years old. Unfortunately, Toren also happens to be 15 years older than her, her father’s best friend, and a man who is practically family. Navigating a romance is next to impossible, even if it’s what they both want.

I love age-gap romances where everyone is of legal age… and this one technically fits the bill. However, nearly half of the book is while Kenzie is under age and, while nothing really happens during that time, it gave me pause. The first half of the book felt very slow and was filled with Tor making arguments about why they shouldn’t be together- well written and well said arguments that made me agree with him so much it was hard to change lanes and root for them! 😹

All-in-all though, it was a well written, emotional story and I’m very much looking forward to reading more from this author!

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 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. He's loving and devoted with a strong moral compass. One unexpected 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.
But I'm not a little girl anymore, and he's everything I want.

I'm everything he wants, too.

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 betray or hurt.

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

* Torn can be read as a single book.