Review: Torn Soul by Laura Greenwood and Arizona Tape

Posted September 12, 2018 by Lola in Coyer, Fantasy, Review, Romance / 6 Comments

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Torn SoulTorn Soul (Dragon Soul #1)
by Laura Greenwood and Arizona Tape

Rating: 3 stars
Genre: Paranormal Romance/ FF Romance

Blurb:
The only way to leave the ring, is to forfeit the right to win.

Holly’s never had a true home, or a family, unless she counts the boxing ring at Dragon Soul. But she’s been in one place for too long, and it’s time to move on.

Until her…

When Holly finds herself faced with a brand new opponent, there’s more than just rivalry brewing in the ring.

Torn Soul is an f/f romance set in the Twin Souls Universe.

My Review

These were both new to me authors and one of the first FF romances I read. So I had no idea what to expect, but was curious to find out. Torn Soul follows the story of Holly who has a lot of anger and guilt inside of her and she can’t let it go. She deals by fighting in the boxing ring. Ever since her mother died she has been this way and she has no other family. Torn Soul was a fun short read about two earth dragons who fall in love, but also about Holly finding her place.

The book starts when Holly is staying at the bar Dragon Soul, I liked the idea of the bar. It also had a boxing ring in which Holly participated. It’s there on night that she meets Tamsin and instantly sparks fly. Torn Soul is written in a very to-the-point style, is how I can best describe it The pace is pretty fast and there are not too many extra scenes than absolutely necessary for the plot. I did like that it didn’t feel rushed, even tough it’s not a long book, but at the same time I wouldn’t have minded a few extra scenes here and there to elaborate things or build the romance a bit more.

I did feel bad for Holly immediately, but it took me some time to fully warm up to her and she can be a bit rude/ distant at first. That did make sense tough and I also liked how Tamsin pointed out her behavior and Holly took her word seriously. She did change a bit quickly, but I did like seeing her find her way. How she learned about being an earth dragon and found love. I do wonder why Holly’s mother warned her away from the communes.

I did like the romance. Tamsin and Holly felt like a good couple and I liked how Tamsin pulled Holly out of her guilt and anger. I did feel that their romance developed a bit fast as they fall in love after having known each for only a few days. I would’ve liked a few more scenes to get to know the characters a bit better and see their romance develop a bit more. But having said that, there are some great scenes with the two of them, like when Tamsin teaches Holly to fight and spends that morning with her and teaches her how to shift.

For the most part I liked Tamsin, she seemed very cheerful and sure of herself. But it bothered me a bit how strongly she held fast to her beliefs. On the one hand it made sense as that’s what she had been thought her whole life, but it also bothered me she held so fast to the Oracle having to name her mate instead of opening her eyes to who was in front of me. I also would’ve liked things to be resolved a bit differently when it came to that. And I totally understood the decision Holly made later in the book and I also got why she did eventually follow Tamsin’s wishes as she loved Tamsin. I just wish Tamsin had shown that much devotion Holly’s way as well.

I liked the whole set up for the world building, but the world building felt pretty minimal to me and the world didn’t fully come alive for me. I liked the idea of different types of elemental dragons and the dragon bar. For a while I was just confused how the whole world worked, if the humans were aware of the dragons or not and how the dragons stayed hidden. Or how the whole earth dragon thing worked with the commune’s and mates. And we only get the barest minimum of answers to most of those questions.

There is what I think a cameo appearance of a character from these authors other series. So I wonder if maybe there is more about the world explained there. I did like the scene with Marcus and plan to read his story eventually as well. I just would’ve liked a bit more world building, so the whole world and the community and society made more sense to me and would’ve come alive.

To summarize: this was a fun short read. I liked getting to know Holly and felt bad for her, she had so much pain, guilt and anger around her. And it was great to see her find her way and find some love along the way. I did like the romance, although I struggled a bit with how Tamsin hold so steadfastly to her belief of true mates. It did feel realistic tough as that’s all she had known. The romance also did develop a bit quickly. the whole book is pretty fast paced, but it doesn’t feel rushed. I also though the world building was a bit minimal, the world didn’t fully come alive for me and at first I was a bit confused as I couldn’t get a good handle on the world. But overall i did enjoy my first read by these authors and plan to read more.

3 Stars

Links:
Goodreads
Amazon
B&N
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You can also read my review on Goodreads and Amazon.

Have you read any FF romances?

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6 responses to “Review: Torn Soul by Laura Greenwood and Arizona Tape

    • It was a nice one and I am glad I read it, but it could’ve used a bit more development on multiple points. I think this is the first FF book I read, but I have some RH books that have some FF pairings in them on my to-read list.

    • Same here, I wouldn’t mind reading more, but don’t spot ones that catch my eye often. I do have a few Reverse harem books with some FF in them on my to-read list.

    • I would’ve liked if things were a bit more developed and explored, but it was still a nice read and the romance and characters were good.

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