Customer Reviews

Torn

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.
Disclaimer: I prefer romances that are more about feelings than sex. If a book has lots of lust-filled, dispassionate sex, I'm not impressed. If the sex is a manifestation of love, bring it on.

Rating: 5/10

Pros:
- Interesting idea. Some people might be bothered by the idea of incest regardless of the situation, but incest doesn't bother me unless there's a possibility that a child might result from it and be born with defects. Obviously that's not an issue here.
- Because of the naturally close relationship between the two main characters (their being twins, that is, not their being lovers), the "we're just two halves of the same person" thing that I have come to think of as cliché in romances actually works here. And to Whistler's credit, it's not overdone.
- Sweet, tender love scenes. Both partners are very giving sexually.

Cons:
- Very short - no more than 90 pages. Not worth the price unless you can find it pretty cheap.
- Worst copy editing I have ever seen in a book, self-published or not. In addition to misspelled words and terrible punctuation throughout, there are simple stylistic inconsistencies piled one on top of another. Examples: paragraphs that aren't indented; scene breaks indicated sometimes by white space, sometimes by a more typical divider (*****, for example); white space that occurs accidentally and indicates not a scene break but a copy editing flub; etc.
- Protagonists whose first names begin with the same letter. I realize that oftentimes parents really do name twins like that, but in a book, the similarity in the two names simply slows down reading and disrupts the flow of the text. Even Whistler becomes confused every now and then: occasionally (s)he writes that Jaime does something when it's clear from the context of the sentence that Joshua is the one really doing it (and vice versa).
- Poor editing (and I'm not talking about copy editing now). This includes not just failing to catch that the wrong character name is used here and there, but also leaving inconsistencies in the story (for example, in the first chapter, saying that the twins' older brother is 6'4" but not quite as tall as they are and then saying that the twins are 6'1") and missing numerous POV shifts throughout the story.
- One character I found a little unbelievable. (Possible SPOILER here) The twins' brother's best friend shows up and wreaks havoc as the story's villain, but I found it hard to believe that their brother could ever have been such good friends with this guy, since the brother turns out to be pretty decent.

Overall comments: If you don't mind (or recognize) poor editing and enjoy angsty romance, by all means read it if you can find a reasonably priced copy. If you're looking for a great plot and/or have learned (and have retained) basic rules about English grammar and--especially--punctuation, this book will drive you crazy.

Joshua and Jaime are identical twins, but with some slight appearance differences that those close to them were able to tell them apart. Their personalities were their biggest difference, Jaime was sweet and easygoing with a smile that put everyone at ease and Joshua was quieter and much more reserved. One thing the twins shared besides their appearance were emotions for each other that went well past the normal feelings of brotherly love. Once the twins revealed their true feelings to each other, the risk of family scorn and social backlash wasn't enough to stop them from acting upon the feelings they both had held back from for so long.
Torn was a story about two people so in sync with one another that if they weren't twins that type of connection with a stranger would be frightening. Jaime and Joshua needed to be with each, no other person would have fit. As taboo a subject as incest is the relationship between Joshua and Jaime was a beautiful one. Having the type of relationship these two embarked on is difficult, there are struggles within themselves to contend with and the struggles of how others will view them, especially family. If you are okay with reading about twincest, which I am, I'm certain you will enjoy Torn just as much as I did.

Ley
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

If you can be non judgmental, and see and feel the love Josh and Jamie have for each other, then this book is great.
I didn't care that they were brothers. I cared about the love they had for each other and how difficult things could be and were for them. I also would have been more than happy to be friends with either man just so I could support them and let them know `you really can't help who you love' and that who you love does not make you a bad or evil person.
I really liked this book and I'm only sorry there is not another like it that I may read. Perhaps Sage will write more books along these lines.

Joshua and Jamie are twin brothers. They live with their older brother in a ranch, breeding horses. Their parents are long ago passed away and now also their brother will marry and move on. So they will remain alone in the house...

Not a good idea since lately both Joshua than Jamie have started to feel a not so very brotherly love for each other. Jamie has long ago admited to be gay but this fact is not a reason to allow him to be free of the guilty for being in love with his brother. And after a long absence of Jamie from the ranch, also Joshua is ready to admit that the jealousy he feels everytime someone else lays his eyes on his brother is not only a sense of protectiveness for his 5 minutes younger twin.

But even if they finally can't deny the attraction, they still have to face the risk to lose the love of family and friends if their secret will be unveil. But for them it's impossible to live together and not show their mutual love, and live apart it's even more impossible, it's like to die.

Joshua is the stronger in the relationship. It's him who has the courage to start the sex and it's him who finally admit that they have to come out. Jamie is gentle and quiet. As the author says, Joshua is the anchor for Jamie, and Jamie is the balance for Joshua.

Torn is a pretty brave story. I have read in the past of twincest, but usually a third person were put in the middle of the twin to "alleviate" the sense of guilty. In Torn Joshua and Jamie have eyes only for each other and so the story is pretty clear. For the rest, it's a classical western romance, made of small town boys, simple life pleasure and true feeling.

9/22/08 ~ Sexy, young twin cowboys in love. Grubby? Yes. All kinds of wrong? Um...yes. Hot as heck? YES!

Okay, so I'm a filthy perv for loving this story, but I can't help it! I've read twincest and brother-love stories before, so I've developed a pretty healthy suspension of disbelief. Lesbian twins have been a male fantasy since time began; what's wrong with a woman finding the opposite idea attractive?

Josh and Jaime are sweet and sexy, and the pain and shame that they feel at the beginning for loving one another is palpable. My heart broke for them during the first few chapters, mourning the fact that they knew they couldn't be together. By the time they finally acknowledged their feelings for one another, I could have cheered. Their encounters are both incredibly sweet and sizzling hot, and their romance is believable on several levels.

The other reviewers' comments about editing are valid, but I find those issues easy to overlook here. The characters and their romance more than make up for any grammatical gaffes, and I can hardly blame an author for something the publisher's editing team should've handled before release.

Torn is a really good book. The boys are sexy, the romance is tender, and the sex scenes will peel the paint off the walls. This was an A for me. I highly recommend it.

Three brothers, Emilio, Jaime, and Joshua run a horse ranch left to them by their deceased parents. Emilio, the eldest, is about to get married and leave the handling of the ranch to his two other siblings. Jaime and Joshua are excited about this possibility as it will allow them far more alone time than they have currently. This is a theme that I have not read much about, nor one about which I have an understanding. However, I must say the author handled it perfectly, at times it made me uncomfortable and yet I kept thinking that if these guys weren't brothers they had such an amazing relationship. At the same time, I feel that we need to make ourselves open to uncomfortable places, for it is from these places that we learn. Anyway, a few too many typos, and too few pages (less than 100). If you are willing to learn about a type of relationship that is rarely spoken about...give this one a shot!

This was a different type of book for it gave you insight on things that happens and things people think is taboo. A good book,when you look at it from a different perspective.

This book touches on a subject many find repulsive, namely incest. If you can get past that, then the book is great. It's a tender loving relationship between two men who happen to be twin brothers. Just remember that the crime of incest is just one more road block thrown into the human mix by ancient religious prohibitions. There has always been and always will be incest. Just what makes it ok for second cousins to marry but not first cousins. The nobility of Europe arranged marriages for years between cousins.

Some will of course point out that the gene pool is too close and will cause birth defects but that argument doesn't hold for same sex relationships. Is there really anybody out there who has a brother or sister, who hasn't had dreams of sexual intimacy with either or both. I distinctly remember dreams of a sexual nature with both of my siblings. My psychologist says it's a very common thing.

The religious establishment and through their control, the governments of the world have from time immemorial condemned these acts. The prohibitions are so ingrained that the societal responses are automatic. But love between two people is just that, love. Society has for years condemned homosexual relationships and now that is turning around. In a not too distant future we may see acceptance in this form of human relationship.