I rarely read paranormal romance. It's just not my thing. But writer friends Sarah Maas and Susan Dennard kept gushing to me about Erica O'Rourke's TORN and I finally picked it up. I say finally because I wanted to read it all along, but again, because I'm not huge on paranormal, I kept putting it off. 
 I loved how this novel starts with the Chosen One already dead. I'm not spoiling anything -- you find this out in the opening pages. Mo's best friend, Verity, has been murdered and Mo is left to fill her shoes. This would be like Harry dying and Ron having to go after Lord Voldemort. I lovethis "what if" scenario. And I absolutely loved how real Mo is. Her relationship with her mother and uncle felt believable, her inability to handle her grief in the wake of her best friend's death was painful, but honest. As she gets pulled further into Verity's world, things get complicated. The dark and mysterious Luc is trying to help her complete Verity's work while Colin, a bodyguard employed by Mo's uncle to keep an eye on her in case Verity's killers come knocking, is interfering with her plans. I'm interested to see how things develop between Mo and these two boys, and how she handles the increasing pressure to finish Verity's work. 
 Originally reviewed here.