Sometimes what you find isn’t what you were searching forBeau Petty has been searching his whole life. Searching for a place that fills all the empty spaces in him. Searching for a way to tame the restlessness. Searching for answers to the secret he’s never stopped trying to solve. What he wasn’t searching for was a woman to claim all of him, but when Cora Silvera walks back into his life, he’s … walks back into his life, he’s ready to search out all the ways he can make her his.
Cora has spent her life as the family nurturer, taking care of others. But now she’s ready to pass that job on to someone else. It’s time to make some changes and live for herself. It’s in that moment that her former teenage crush reappears and the draw and the heat of their instant connection is like nothing either of them has experienced. He craves being around her. She accepts him, dark corners and all.
Beau thinks Cora’s had enough drama in her life. He wants to protect her from the secrets of his past, even if it means holding back the last pieces of himself. But Cora is no pushover and she means to claim all those pieces.
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Torn by Lauren Dane is book three in the Whiskey Sharp series. This is the story of Beau Petty and Cora Silvera. I have read the previous book, but feel this can be a standalone book.
Cora has been the one that takes care of most everything in her family. But now she is trying to take and put herself first. Beau was a person she had a young crush on but the feelings are still there for her. Beau was looking for something too that seem to be slowly leading him to Cora.
This was a semi second chance at love story.
Whiskey Sharp Torn is right on par with the previous book in the series. It was alright, I didn’t love it, but it wasn’t bad. Cora was a nice enough character, but she didn’t stand out to me in the first two books, and even after reading Torn she is still just a blah character. Beau also wasn’t a stand out character either, he wasn’t a bad character, there was very little about him that got me invested in him as a person, or as part of Beau and Cora. The most appealing thing in Torn was storyline of Beau dealing with the repercussions of the cult he grew up in.
Lauren Dane’s characters are so different from other books. Love their very unique qualities. I couldn’t put it down.
Favorite Quotes:
Beau’s had quite the colorful life. I mean. Wow. Also the modeling shots alone might have made me pregnant.
Naked, he’s like one of those magical things you’re not supposed to look at directly or you get ensorcelled.
I guess I need to make an honest man out of you or people might think you were easy… You must really love me to want my crazy mixing up with your crazy. You do realize we might have just bred the Kwisatz Haderach, right?
People take pictures of you. You’re not just a pretty surfing tourist. You’re Beau Petty. And so some video of you giving me the business would end up online and everyone would savage my thighs…
Rachel snatched the dog from her sister and Cora decided not to inform them that Beau had fed Jezzy an entire can of those gross sausages that smelled like dog food. Cute though Jezzy was, she also farted like a demon, and then pretended it wasn’t her.
My Review:
This book was a delight, I’ve never read this author before but look forward to further indulging myself with her magical combinations of words. Silly me, I jumped into a series with book three, and while it probably would have deepened my enjoyment and understanding of the secondary characters, it was not necessary to have read the previous books as Whiskey Sharp: Torn had strong legs, like mighty oaks, and was more than capable of standing alone. However, I am greedy and want to read the two earlier books as well as anything else this staggeringly talented wordsmith has scribbled.
The characters were multi-layered, alluring, and captivating while adorned with fascinating and complicated histories. The storylines were engaging, unique, intriguing, and laced with levity, zinging banter, bawdy wit, and clever humor. The copious meals that were prepared and enjoyed tantalized and tortured this salivating dieter, as they sounded as drool-worthy as the lascivious and bootylicious sensual scenes.
This was my favorite type of book as the featured couple enjoyed a refreshingly sweet, sensual, and profoundly nurturing and supportive relationship that was relatively conflict-free. And I absolutely loved this couple; they were adorable and precious, perfectly matched, irresistible, and off-the-charts passionate together. They were totally smitten and besotted and good to and for each other. I reveled in the ease, thoughtfulness, and care they took with each other, as well as their ability to scorch the sheets and singe the ceiling tiles. I have to adore a sweet and sexy man who can inventively cook in every room in the house.
(minor spoilers ahead, maybe, I don’t know – details aren’t in the blurb but I think they are told pretty early on)
I started this series here (no surprise!) so I came into it with no preconceived notion of the characters. And I really enjoyed myself. Beau and Cora together are cute and sexy and pretty much melodrama free. But that doesn’t apply to the rest of their lives.
Cora has spent the last who-knows-how-many years being at her mom’s beck & call and she’s done. She’s ready to stay in one place and create a life for herself, something that fulfills her and isn’t just being minder to her diva mother. And the timing is perfect as it brings her back in time to connect with Beau again.
Beau was raised in cult as the son of its leader. He got out when his dad started doing things that Beau didn’t agree with and worked with the authorities … which sent the others on the run. He’s managed to make a good life for himself and was a very successful model before becoming a chef. He’s in Seattle spending time with friends and is surprised to see Cora again.
The connection between the two is instantaneous and works for me. They get along very well and make for a believable (and steamy) couple. I also like the bond between the two of them and their friends. They have created a support group from themselves that is quite awesome and those interactions are fabulous to see.
There are some weaker moments – mainly Cora & her mom and Beau & his past. While Beau’s does have a bit more resolution by the end, there is still a little bit of an open-ended feel to it. Maybe Dane plans on it being a tie-in to a future book? It definitely feels like it could lead to more. And Cora & her mom definitely didn’t have the resolution that some will feel they need. Cora does stand up for herself and works to make the situation the best it can be, but her mom is just not very likable. Reading it you’re not sure why everyone is OK with her attitude and the way she treats people, especially family. They maneuver her well and there is a subtle addressing of things, but I think that it isn’t going to be enough for some readers.
Overall, as my first book by Dane, I found it to be a good read – enjoyable characters all around and a hot romance. I couldn’t ask for more in a summer read.
**Review given honestly and freely after receipt of an advanced copy. This opinion is completely my own and was not influenced in any way.**
I love her books read them all
Whiskey Sharp: Torn
By Lauren Dane
Whiskey Sharp #3
Looking for an easy to read uncomplicated love story? If so, this is a good bet. Beau and Cora lived near one another when she was underage and she had a crush on him but she was definitely not on his radar till she reappeared in his live seventeen years later. And, when she appeared…she was instantly on his radar and her old crush was brought out, dusted off and quickly acted upon. Yes, they were a couple that fell into one another’s arms rapidly – like first date rapidly – and continued that aspect of their relationship throughout the book. Their dates were relatively tame with trips to places easily accessible to most and their encounters with her family much like others. His backstory included a cult, excommunication and family he is trying to locate and her story included a difficult prima donna type personality but all in all their confrontations were minimal and their love story flowed without bumps in the road ending with a HEA though no true closure on their pasts. I suppose many don’t get closure in life so why expect one in a romance? That said, if the author should choose to there is potential for stories in Cora’s family members and the cult that still has some of Beau’s family involved in it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.
3 Stars
I finally returned to Whiskey Sharp and the wonderful characters that surround the place. On this visit, Beau and Cora who are two very strong and vibrant characters, renew their acquaintance and find themselves embarking on a delightful romance. The relationship is strong and full of flirty fun, especially since Cora is a feisty woman full of exuberance, and the chemistry and passion between these two are full of electricity and heat. That’s not to say that the relationship is all fun and games because there are past personal issues involving family that really add depth to the story and a more fulfilling perception of these characters and their personalities.
The story is fast paced and cover quite a bit of time so while the relationship starts off quick readers get the full effect of the workings of their relationship and how it progressed to the happily ever after with lots of witty and fun events that really makes the reader feel as if they are there with Beau, Cora and all their friends. There was never a dull or slow moment to be found and readers get enjoy a romance that is heartwarming, fun, sexy and spontaneous.
For me personally, I have to say that Torn is being added to my favorites list, I really enjoyed Cora and Beau’s story as it made me smile a lot throughout the story and I felt as if I really got to know them and what their lives were like, especially the family dynamic that added such ‘drama’ and to the story and in Beau’s case, tugged at the heart. Of course, it is not surprising, that I loved the story as Lauren Dane is the author of this charming series full of character, romance, and friendship that make readers feel good as they read it.