Book Blurb:
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.
So as you can see I'm still on my Carian Cole bender. I simply cannot help myself. And I honestly don't want to! I'm in love with this world! Torn is book one in the All Torn Up series. It takes place alongside the Ashes & Embers series, and gives us another look at characters we have come to know and love. It takes place after Talon (A & E book 4), but before Loving Storm (A & E book 5). I definitely advise you to read it prior to reading Asher.
Sidenote: I read Loving Storm after Talon, and although I loved it, I jumped right into Torn and was just inspired. Storm and Evie's stories should be read, too.
This book gives us the best introduction to Asher aside from his book obviously. So if you're reading in order, and not out of whack like me, you'll be thrilled to get to know Asher better. I still was! Asher... swoon!! Kenzi and Tor's story was such a beautiful journey.
The heroine of Torn is Asher's daughter, Kenzi Valentine. Toren Grace, the hero, is Asher's best friend. This story was taboo at it's finest! Age gap. Father's best friend. Pseudo-uncle. This book was so good! Filled with so many feels! Joy, love, passion, gut-wrenching sorrow. The whole nine yards. I was riveted on Kenzi and Tor's story. Toren has known Kenzi since her birth. He was best friends with her father since they were 7, and her mother since she was 14 and he and Asher were 15. Asher, Ember, and Toren were all 15 years old when Kenzi was born. Asher and Ember name Tor Kenzi's godfather. These ties and loyalties run deep.
Tor forms a bond with Kenzi from the moment he lays eyes on her. Their connection was born in that very moment when they met. Their relationship is beautiful and pure, but, more important considering her age, it's platonic. Until one day it isn't. Kenzi is a woman now and Tor can't help but notice. He honestly fights very hard to forget that he's noticed her, but this kind of chemistry can't be denied.
Once they realize they're attracted to each other, it becomes very obvious this goes beyond attraction. Beyond affection. They have always loved each other, but now realize they're in love with each other. Kenzi and Tor realize how significant their feelings are right way. Their passion is explosive! The sex was steamy! I needed to fan myself.
Tor and Kenzi never forget they have huge roadblocks in the way of their happiness. Their main concerns are glaringly obvious. What will Asher think? His innocent 18-year-old daughter with his older, more experienced 33-year-old friend. What will the rest of the Valentine family think? What will people say? Tor and Kenzi decide to tread very carefully while exploring their feelings for each other and deciding to build a relationship as a couple.
This book was just so special to me. It took me on a lifelong journey. The chapters began with little snippets of Toren and Kenzi's lives from the time of Kenzi's birth to the present. We see Tor interact with Kenzi, Asher, and Ember individually and together. These little scenes are so important because they allow you to see the love and the deep-rooted bond they all have. We see how much love there has always been between Tor and Kenzi. Although that love was always innocent. We see the moment when Kenzi finds out what's happened to her mom. We see Kenzi and Asher after Vandal's tragedy...
Good Lord have mercy. When I tell you I sobbed out loud. I mean it. This blindsided me so hard. I should have expected it, but I didn't. Instant tears and ugly crying. This tragedy was awful from Vandal's perspective in Vandal (A & E 2) worse in Lukas's perspective in Lukas (A & E 3), but absolutely gut-wrenching in Torn from Asher's perspective. Some new details come to light. I had to hit pause for a moment. Thank God I was working from home that day, but Audible strikes again! Hearing the emotions in the narrator's voices just about gutted me. I can't even. I have seen, read, and heard some sad things before. But it takes true talent to inspire such strong emotions in your audience. Must read! My heart was racing, and I was actually shaking. It took me about 10-20 minutes to get myself under control. But I soldiered through.
Everything seems to be going great for these two. Tor and Kenzi both know what they want. They want each other, but they have to figure out how to out their relationship. Although they're happy, they aren't ready for anyone to know about this new facet of their relationship so they hide it. Nothing good comes from hiding things from our loved ones... It's very easy for these two to fly under the radar. He's Uncle Tor. Kenzi has always spent a ton of time with him. He babysat her for years. She cleans for him. They hang out all the time. They share a love for animals and volunteer together. Nothing suspicious to see here. Together, they decide on the "right time" to tell Asher. Famous last words.
Tor and Kenzi's secret relationship comes out in a big way. It's worse than they expected, and it causes them to hit pause so they can regroup and get themselves together. Asher blows up to say the least without any spoilers. After the fallout, everyone needs some time to cool off and think things through. During this time Kenzi and Tor don't give up on each other. Some bonds were frayed and possibly broken and those need time to heal.
For the moment, let's pretend I didn't jump the gun and read Asher. Up to this point, the books have all hinted at Asher being married, but his wife is absent. There really wasn't much details on where she is. A hospital is mentioned in passing a few times. We get glimpses of how deep Asher is and you can tell he's missing the love of his life. But we don't actually know how or why until Torn. Details of the accident that took Ember away finally surface, and through this we see Asher's fear of losing his daughter. He has already essentially lost his wife. He doesn't want to lose his daughter too. But he has to come to terms the fact Kenzi's a grown woman now.
These two find their way back to each other and begin their happily ever after. Towards the end of the book, Carian introduces us to Tor's brother Tyler. He's the subject of Tied (All Torn Up book 2). It seems we'll have a bit of a darker and twistier character with Tyler. Also, more of the Asher and Ember story is revealed. It is also something that does take place in Asher. I love seeing these scenes from different perspectives.
If you're new to Carian Cole you'll be so thrilled to binge these books. Prepare to be patient for the next installment. Carian puts her heart and soul into these books, and does not rush a story just to get it out. It truly shows. Each character, dialogue, and scene has been created with such love. I hope you'll pick up a Carian Cole book if you have not yet already done so. I'd love to know your thoughts! Do you love her books as much as I do? Two more left in my binge!
RATING: 5/5 STARS ✰✰✰✰✰
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Buy this book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Torn-All-Up-ebook/dp/B01L7NNS5W/
Happy reading!
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