Torn Canvas by Donna K. Weaver
genre: new adult general fiction (clean)
Modern-day pirates took more than Jori Virtanen’s friends; they stole his face. Not only does the twenty-four-year-old former model have to confront months of reconstructive surgery, he discovers his previous life was as superficial as his looks. Up-and-coming talk show host Olivia Howard wants an interview. She, like the rest of the press, expects a hero, but Jori knows the truth. His beauty masks a beast.
In seclusion and evading the press, Jori struggles to make a new life as an artist. But he can’t hide from himself; more than his face is damaged. How can Jori possibly make amends for all that he’s broken? When Olivia finally tracks him down, he must decide if he can trust her. Could this unlikely woman be a key to freeing his heart and healing the beast?
Why I Liked It
I read Torn Canvas when it first came out, and re-reading the book via the audiobook was a delight. The narrator added a depth to the story that I really appreciated.
Torn Canvas is a companion novel-slash-sequel to A Change of Plans, and boy does it deliver! I really loved book one, but I think I might love book two even more. Torn Canvas overlaps the timeline of A Change of Plans.
I love a broken character who has a fantastic character arc throughout the course of the novel. Jori provided all this and more. Jori has a troubled past, and uses that as an excuse to be less-than-honorable. He is the perfect example of a diamond in the rough, and by the end of the book I loved how he shined (although he still wasn’t perfect). His struggle was real and raw.
One of my favorite parts of the story was the romance between Olivia and Jori. It developed slowly, over time, and in a very believable way, but still with plenty of happy-sigh moments. I loved Olivia as a character as well, and I loved how she was feisty.
A big pet peeve of mine is when companion novels repeat too much of the first book. The author balanced this perfectly in my opinion. I loved seeing where Jori’s story intersected with Lynn’s, but nothing felt like a repeat of old material. It was either mentioned super briefly, or felt new because of Jori’s perspective. She also did a great job of telling enough about what had happened in A Change of Plans to be able to follow Torn Canvas, but not giving huge info-dumps that frustrated me because I’d already read book one.
Despite Jori’s very sensitive issues, they were handled in a very PG-rated way. This book is a great, clean romance. Add to that an interesting plot and compelling characters, and pretty much all I could do was put on cartoons for the kids and keep reading until I had finished the last page.
About the Author
Author of adventure romance series Safe Harbors (A Change of Plans, Book 1 and Torn Canvas, Book 2) & Ripple Effect Romance Novella #5, Second Chances 101. Wife-mother-grandmother-Army veteran-karate black belt-Harry Potter nerd.
Buy Links
Amazon * Audible * Goodreads
Social Media Links
Amazon Author Page