Nashoda Rose

Love is like an avalanche. It hits hard, fast and without mercy. At least it did for me when Sculpt, the lead singer of the rock band Tear Asunder knocked me off my feet. Literally, because he's also a fighter, illegally of course, and he taught me how to fight. He also taught me how to love and I fell hard for him. I mean the guy could do sweet, when he wasn't doing bossy, and I like sweet. Then it all shattered. Kidnapped. Starved. Beaten. I was alone and fighting to survive. When I heard Sculpt's voice, I thought he was there to save me. I was wrong. *Warning: This book contains some disturbing situations, strong language and sexual content. Over 18 years.

Torn from You

JoLee

Rating: 2 Star - OK

Spoil Free Review

The synopsis caught my attention but sadly it was nothing like it says it is suppose to be. First off there is only a small prologue with them together and in that I did not get Sculpt knocking her off her feet, I did not get "he taught her how to fight or taught her how to love" before it all shattered. Right in the prologue I could not connect with the hero and heroine. It was quick and seemed more like a recap of what went on in With You (Tear Asunder 0.5). It says it is recommended to read "With You" first, but not necessary. I would disagree and feel it is necessary to read "With You" first because readers do not get enough on their relationship with in the prologue before the story starts off with her being kidnap. After her abduction I hated the hero ASAP. I tend to like my romances with maybe the hero a bit mystery and then falling in love with his character or falling in love with his character, then maybe wanting to strangle him and then he redeems himself. Not in this case. The hero watches while she is being tortured, literally getting smacked around, ribs getting kicked and then to top it off the bad guy playing with her private parts. Then came when she got whipped many times in the back and I had no clue who was doing the hitting, At first thought it was maybe the hero and about that point I was ready to call it a DNF. But I stuck with it and glad I did because the hero was not the one hitting her. Yes it was hard at times to read especially while she was held as a sex slave. Reading during this time especially with other sex slaves in very descriptive writing was not faint for the heart and love that in reads when reading a dark novel. 

There is a huge twist that I loved and was unpredictable. Then things started getting interesting and I was caught with another surprise. But for me the damage was already done in the beginning and I still could not like Logan the tattoo-underground fighter-member of a rock band-alpha male hero. After the beginning he could not redeem himself in my eyes. Things through out the novel did not move smoothly. One minute he is standing by watching a bad guy basically fondling her and in the next when the guy says he is going to sleep with her he gets all possessive and is about to beat the crap out of him. He is hot and cold and later on he had a few more jealous, possessive moments that I love in my heroes but still was not enough for me. 

As for the heroine I could not feel her pain while being a sex slave. At one time she says she can not go back to being in the dark again she was afraid and could not do it. Not once was never aware how this affected her the first time she was in a dark room. 

I love Dark Captive reads but this was all over the place. I really do not know what I read. At times it reads like a dark contemporary with a Captive element then it reads as a romantic suspense with a smidge of BDSM more so on the erotic side with some scorching panty changing scenes and then it reads like a contemporary romance with a rock band. Then there are too many characters that are not who they seem to be. There was one I was shocked about towards the end and wonder if he would play more roles in future novels. I hated him in the beginning and do not know if he suppose to be a good guy or is a bad guy. 

Now for the secondary characters I can see Georgia and Deck, Kat and Ream having their own story and was interested in theses characters. With Ream and Kat I am curious as to what happened between them. It is so hard to tell because I felt like their part at times is not complete and felt coded. Like I was missing something. Then to top it off Ream does something towards the end that already I hate his character for. I am so bummed because I was really getting interested in him and Kat but not now. At this moment I do not know if I will continue with Ream story just like with Logan he has already got me ticked off about his character. In my opinion not a good way to start a story off but over all I am still curious about what happened between them. 

Torn From You has potential to be a good read and a good start to what seems like it would be an interesting series. But for me there was way too much going on and at times confusing. Too many times jumps around and readers are slapped in the face with what just happened. Needed more leading up to a lot of scenes. Too many times had no idea who was doing what and felt like I was missing something. Very choppy with not enough layers and when a layer is finally peeled readers are left with something choppy again and so on. I know I will not read the first novella "With You" which by the way wish it would of came out before this and not the same time as I have no interest in seeing how their life started before Emily's was shattered. Now about continuing the series, Not only am I curious about Ream but I am also curious if this sex slavery is going to be part of the theme for the series. I am sure the curiosity is going to win as it always does. 

 ARC provided by author at NetGalley for an honest review.

Originally posted at Wickedly Delicious Book Blog

Lacey

Originally posted at Booklovers For Life

4.5 STARS

Torn from You begins immediately after the cliffhanger at the end of With You. I highly, highly recommend reading With You before starting Torn from You, because in the prequel, we get a much stronger sense of the love between Emily and Sculpt. It’s not absolutely necessary, but the relationship between the main characters makes a lot more sense. Plus, we get to fall in love with Sculpt along with Emily! He’s a totally hot, domineering alpha-male. ;)

Emily has been brutally kidnapped, and is held captive in a dark place. She doesn’t know where she is, she doesn’t know who’s taken her, and all she wants is Sculpt, or as she calls him by his real name, Logan, the love of her life. She wishes that he’d find her and save her from wherever she is, because she’s absolutely terrified.

I don’t normally read dark romances, but there’s a certain allure and fascination that comes with reading something, well, bad. I have read books that involve slavery, and in Torn from You, there is sex trafficking. Emily has been thrust into this dark, horrifying, and truly evil world. It turns out she’s been taken to Mexico, and… by none other than Logan, the man she thought who loved her. Like, holy shit, right? I mean, from the blurb, you can kind of tell that Logan did take Emily, but it’s still so unbelievable. Logan was so loving and sweet to Emily in With You, and everything is torn apart once Emily knows Logan was the reason why she was kidnapped. She’s betrayed, her heart is beyond shattered, but ultimately, this girl is angry.

In this world of sex slaves, and evil, disgusting men, Emily has to learn to survive. She’s can’t risk the ire of Raul, the man in charge, or else she’ll be taken away from Logan and sold to someone else. Because right now, Logan owns her, and he’s the only thing preventing her from being sold to some unknown man. And yet even as Emily is hating Logan, she can’t help her reactions to him. She loved him, is attracted to him, and she hates that she feels this way every time he’s in the room with her. There’s a very thin line between what’s right and wrong, even though it should clearly be black and white. I suppose it’s the allure of this kind of story, but whatever it is, it hooked me in. I couldn’t stop reading, even though the book went to dark, unimaginable places. Logan is cold and ruthless, and it’s as if the man Emily loved never exists, but then, there are moments where the Logan she knew pops up. So who is the real Logan? He protects her from the truly horrific things, but he’s the one who brought her there in the first place.

“I will always do everything I can to protect you from others hurting you. I don’t want you to be scared of me. I would do anything for you. You know that, right?”

Thank god the book isn’t entirely in Mexico, because I don’t think I’d be able to handle too much of the dark side of the story. It’s fascinating, yes, but it can get a little hard to stomach. In the first part, maybe the first third, of the book, Emily is in the hands of Raul, and the rest of the story deals with the aftermath. It’s been 2 years since Emily escaped from Mexico. She hasn’t seen Logan since, and she’s been healing, but it’s a very slow process, and she’s still a little broken. Her love for horses has been her coping mechanism, but then everything changes the second Logan walks back into her life.

“Sculpt, you have to let me go.”
“Never ask me to do that.”

My heart was torn up! Do you see these quotes? They’re all from Logan, and he wants Emily back. He has never stopped loving Emily, and here their love story begins all over again. She can’t forget the past, but he’s willing to do whatever it takes to make her love him again. And oh my god, everything is crazy and intense. Everything changes when Logan comes back. The truth comes out, and Logan… oh gosh, this man is truly the best. I don’t want to give anything away, but it was because of the majority of Torn from You where Emily is free that made me love the book!

“We were torn apart, because Eme–I’d never have stayed away from you any other way.”

Eeep! The entire time Emily tries to push Logan away, he never gives up. He’s incredibly sweet and loving, and yet he’s still an undeniably sexy, dominant man. Nashoda Rose messes with your head so much in Torn from You. Is Logan truly good or bad? Can Emily ever forgive him, and maybe even love him again? Oh my gosh, I had the best time reading this! Highly, highly recommend this book for those who want to venture into this genre. It’s not too intense in the dark parts, but it’s still enough to make your heart race. And the romance–sooo good!

“You, Emily. You’re worth fighting for. I fought all my life, but never for anything worthwhile. Now… Now I’m fighting for my heart. Bullshit ends here and now.”

Quotes are taken from the ARC and are subject to change in the final version.

Thanks to the author for generously providing me an ARC to review.

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