I just want to begin with saying that erotica is one of my favourite genres, along with historical romance and fantasy, so I’m a bit of a harsher scorer when it comes to this. But reviews are subjective, my 3* might be a 4* for you, so please bare that in mind.
Torn is a very easy read, I finished it in two hours. The language is relatable and down to earth, none of that ‘delicate pink buds of joy’ stuff when what the author really means is nipples. This makes a refreshing change. It’s modern erotica for the modern reader.I gave Torn a 3* review overall but in terms of steaminess I’d definitely give it 4*.
As with most of the erotica I read, there are certain phrases that always stick out. This isn’t a critique as such, because it becomes habit to reuse a good phrase and in erotica I think sometimes it’s difficult to describe sex in a new way after five or six sexual encounters. I once read a novel where every time the female protagonist had an orgasm, she ‘detonated’ and ‘exploded’ – which was practically every three pages.
In Torn the phrases that stick in my mind are ‘I came everywhere’ and ‘I came all over him’. Now for me, they’re a bit excessive but they fit in with the more modern tone of the novel and the excess of emotion. It’s exaggerative, a bit like how you might tell someone if you were repeating the story to a friend. An ‘Oh my god, he was amazing- I came everywhere’ type thing.
I feel that the relationship with Sam and Chris, could have been introduced earlier and had a bit more detail – it felt like a quick background nugget, just thrown in. Torn for me was too short and made me feel that a lot of vital things weren’t explained until later or weren’t explained with much detail. However, I have learned that there will be two more books –hopefully that will contribute to giving a fuller experience. However, my score is based on Torn as a stand-alone book not part of a trilogy.
A love triangle for me is usually a sticking point; Ashleigh will tell you that I hate them. The woman is usually just a greedy, selfish nitwit who can’t make up her mind. But in Torn, it works. The love triangle is between Sam and brothers, Luke and Blake, who are very different men. Blake is more shy and nervous, whereas Luke is confident, sexy and has tattoos – love a guy with tattoos. You can tell that I actually enjoyed this dynamic for a change as I was on Facebook with Scarlet when she declared she was #teamblake, whereas I’m definitely #teamluke.
All in all, I enjoyed reading Torn and will be keeping an eye out for the next installment. I won’t give away who Sam chooses or the ending so you’ll just have to read it!
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